A/N: Second part finally in. Sorry for taking so extra long. I've just been kinda busy. Silly teachers and their homework and tests!! Well anyway, this one's not BETA'd. Sorry bout that. If anyone wants to be my BETA let me know. Also I'm a review junkie. More reviews equal quicker chapters. So give reviews!! Now back to the story!!!!
Over the following weeks, Grey became part of the family. Every morning she woke early and prepared breakfast for all the living occupants of the house and a mug of blood for Angel. After mixing a few drops of her own blood with that of the pigs, she would set both meals onto trays and drop them off in front of their room doors. Then after quickly eating her own meal, Grey cleaned the entire industrial sized kitchen. When she was done she went back to collect the trays and washed them also. Next she went to the lobby, cleaning every square inch. After that she started the project of cleaning one of the unused rooms. Doing everything within her power from plumbing to painting to dusting. Finally, at the end of the day she would file and sort cases then head off to bed.
One evening, after slaying a particularly easy demon, Angel came to his room to find it completely different than the way he left it in haste earlier. The bed was made with new sheets, the carpet vacuumed, and a new vase of flowers sat on his night-stand. When he edged closer to the closet and opened it, he found his greatest fear to be true: she even ironed his clothes. Enough is enough. the vampire thought. I have to get Cordy to talk to her.
And so it occurred that one day, as Grey was scrubbing the lobby for the umpteenth time, Cordelia stopped her, saying they needed to talk.
"Grey, you know you don't have to do that right?" Cordy ventured.
"Do what?"
"You don't have to be everyone's personal maid."
"I'm just trying to carry my weight like everyone else around here."
"No you're not. You're carrying the weight of a two-ton Grishlanark demon. This is a big hotel. And for you to clean the entire place within three weeks is …remarkable. Remarkable and totally, unnecessarily, crazy. What drives you to the OCD level of cleaning?"
Suddenly finding the tile work very fascinating, she answered quietly, "I just wanted to help out that's all. I wanted to be useful so you guys wouldn't mind me being here so much."
"Is that what you think? That if we can't use you for something that we'll get rid of you?"
"It's stupid. I know you guys aren't like that, but old habits die hard. Especially when they've been beaten into you for years."
"C'mere sweetheart." Cordy said enveloping the girl into a tight embrace. "Grey you've been welcome here since the moment you walked in the door. Well technically after I got finished being a royal bitch, you were welcome. But anyway you're family now and nothing can change that. You're stuck with Angel and the rest of us being over protective and breathing down your neck for the rest of your natural life whether you like it or not."
The last sentiment deriving a watery chuckle from the girl, Grey wiped her face and after a few moments of composing herself, she left to go to her room. But as she was on the stairs, she was stopped by Cordy calling her name.
"Grey! I almost forgot, Angel said while he wants you to take it easy on this whole "house maid" thing, he wanted to know if you could still make his breakfast for him because for some reason he can't get it to taste the same as when you do it. Personally, I think that blood's blood and he can get over it but what ever."
Smiling to herself the girl readily agreed. "Yea, I can do that."
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From then on, Grey's routine changed drastically. While she still made breakfast and sorted and organized the files, she no longer killed herself trying to clean the entire hotel. Instead she spent her time reading, writing in her well-worn ( and well-loved) journal, and sketching in a notepad. One day as she was drawing a mini-portrait of her new family, she heard a deceptively sweet voice calling her.
"Oh Grey," a man in a rather expensive looking suit said, stretching out her name, turning it into a sing song, "you've been a very, very, bad little girl."
Startled, Grey jumped. "Oh, uh hey Jordie. I was actually going to call you I just met up with some friends and was just hanging around for a little while. That's all. I was really gonna call ya know." she babbled nervously.
Ignoring her excuses, he continued in a a tone of false concern. "You know you shouldn't have left like that Grey. You had me so worried. Especially when such a large group of my clients are interested in your... let's say... expertise. Running away like that. Don't you know better?"
"Jordie I didn't mean to worry you. I just lost track of time, that's all.I wasn't running away, honest. I would never run Jordie. I swear to you I wouldn't. I didn't mean to stay so long. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said tears forming in her eyes. Grey knew what happened to the girls who tried to run if Jordan ever caught up with them. Which, through one way or another, he always did. It was never a happy reunion.
Once again he continued as if she said nothing, this time his tone changing from saccharine sweet to cold and angry. "Do you know how much time I spent looking for you? You are too valuable a commodity for me to just let you get away. And when we get home I'm going remind you exactly who you belong to," he said stalking towards the girl.
Backing away Grey tried to reason with the man. "Jordie listen to me. My friends left for only a little while. They'll be back soon and if he finds you here-"
"Oh so that's it huh?" he interrupted, "The little whore got some son of a bitch to take care of her? Some goddamn fool to protect you from the big bad Jordie?"
Against her own will, she heard herself say, " I know big bad Jordie, and it isn't you."
Enraged, Jordan punched the girl directly in her mouth. As Grey struggled to her hands and knees up off the floor, a ruby red trail of blood oozed from her badly split lip. "You bitch!" Punch, kick. "How fucking dare you?!" Knee, kick. He pulled the dazed girl up by her shirt, "I will- backhand – teach you – backhand – some goddamn- backhand – RESPECT!!" The last word was punctuated by him throwing the limp body of the girl into the reception desk, her hand knocking off a lamp and a vase as she tried to grab hold of the smooth surface. A sickening crack could be heard when her forearm collided with the hard furniture. As she slid down the side of the desk, cradling the broken arm, her lips moved as if to say something. Walking over to her, Jordan pulled her closer by her hair. "What are you saying Grey? You'll have to speak up."He was expecting a plea for mercy, an apology or even begging for forgiveness. But nothing could have prepared him for her words.
In a rage strained voice Grey simply said "Fuck you." She was answered with another punch to the face. She was expecting another volley of blows and quickly raised her uninjured hand in a defensive manner while screwing her eyes shut. When nothing happened she slowly opened her eyes. She was surprised but elated to see Angel, in all his Vampiric glory, with one hand around the mans neck and another down around his wrist.
"Don't. Ever. Touch what's mine." Angel growled, amber eyes flashing. Jordan cried out as the bones in his wrist and forearm grated against one another then finally crushed, succumbing to the force of Angel's grasp.
The rest of the crew ran inside the hotel. They had chased Angel after he had suddenly sped off when he came close to the hotel. While the others stood in shock of the violent scene before them, Fred noticed a bloody resemblance of Grey on the floor by the front desk.
"Oh sweet God!" she said a she came closer to the heap on the floor. "Grey, sweetheart, I need you to talk to me."
Finally coming out of her befuddled state, she noticed Angel coming extremely close to ending the life of her former employer. "Angel!" she cried out.
Losing his demonic visage, Angel turned to the girl, eyes searching her face and body for anymore damage.
"Don't kill him. He's not worth it. Don't risk everything for that piece of shit." She struggled with every word, clearly in a large amount of pain. After these last words she quietly slipped into unconsciousness.
Giving the man one last disgusted glare, he threw him towards the entrance just as the rest of the group moved away from the door.
"You son of a bitch!! I swear to God I'll fucking kill you, you bastard!!" Jordan yelled as he tried to get to his feet while cradling his destroyed limb. "You watch your back Angelus!! You and that goddamn whore are gonna regret the day you ever - !" he was cut off by a solid punch to his face.
"I hate it when they threaten you." Gunn said as he unceremoniously dragged the man's unconscious form out of the hotel and deposited on the sidewalk into the rapidly growing dawn. When he retuned from this task all attention was focused on Grey. Angel was holding Grey closely to him as he whimpered softly over her unresponsive form. As Cordelia approached the two Angel turned to show amber eyes and growled a warning.
"Angel? Angel, it's me Cordy. You have to let me help Grey. She's really hurt and we need to help her if we want her to get better." She spoke as if explaining it to a child.
Angel regained his composure and stood with Grey in his arms. He walked over to the lobby couch and carefully placed her down. "Take care of her." he said gently moving the hair from her swollen face. And with that he walked toward the sewer entrance.
"Where are you going" Wes asked voicing everyone's question.
"I need to kill something" was their only answer as Angel left through the sewers to release some of his pent up rage on the unsuspecting demon population of LA.
