After he got it used to her, Angel actually started enjoying Dawn's
company. He tended to go on 'brooding jags' as she called them, and she
was pretty good at snapping him out of them, convincing him to go out more.
She got him Rock 'em, sock 'em robots for his 'birthday,' which was
arbitrarily chosen by her, upon discovering he didn't remember when his
was. She was shocked to know he had never heard of the toy, saying he
would love it, and he would never admit to her that he actually did. She
had a tendency to hum pop songs under her breath at all times, and she
always sat on the desk instead of a chair, if she could get away with it.
She said it made her feel like a 'working girl' and he didn't have the
heart to tell her what that really meant.
He thought she would be lonely, seeing as there weren't too many other people her age around, but he forgot she was used to that, and she quickly adapted. She grew especially close to Lorne and Fred. He tried not to, but he couldn't help wondering if she would have been friends with Connor. When Connor was a baby and Angel had imagined what he wanted his life to be like, friends like Dawn were part of the package. They would go bowling and watch movies, and do stupid kid stuff. Maybe Connor would come home after curfew, and Angel would have to ground him. And maybe all would be forgiven when Angel was there, cheering Connor on to victory at his soccer game. Then he would remember that that couldn't happen. But it could now. The only difference was the father.
Unbeknownst to any of his friends, Angel kept a file on Connor and his family. The father was an engineer, and his wife was a high school principal. Connor, whose name was Ethan now, was in college. A good one too. He had a girlfriend and he had just bought a car from the income he earned working at a grocery store. Angel was glad that Connor wasn't in LA anymore, because he didn't think he'd be able to keep himself from 'accidentally' bumping into Connor, something he knew couldn't be good for either of them. So he added that to his long list of urges to suppress, and concentrated on work. And Dawn made that easier.
About a month after Dawn arrived, he had a meeting with a Klingor and a T'Hashki demon, negotiating some sort of contract. He really needed Gunn around, but Gunn had the day off for the first time since they started and he didn't want to bother him, so he attempted to assuage the tension between the pair all on his own. As usual, this didn't work out too well, and Angel was forced to kill them both. The two types of blood were starting to crust onto his suit. Lorne was going to kill him. He had just bought him this suit at a very high end store.
Angel headed out to Dawn's desk, to see if she couldn't do something about having it dry-cleaned before he had to see Lorne, but unfortunately Lorne was sitting at the desk with her. When he saw Angel he shrieked. "Oh God, what am I going to do with this boy?" he asked Dawn. "He gets slime on his couture, his idea of good music is Barry Manilow, and have you seen his office? Something gets smashed, it stays smashed. And the hair!? It's like, there are other ways to add inches. And don't even get me started on his..." Lorne trailed off, and then looked at Dawn excitedly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sweetcheeks?"
In unison, the pair yelled "Queer Eye makeover!"
Angel suddenly got scared. What were they talking about? "Wait, what?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you've never heard of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?"
"What eye for the what guy?"
"Queer. Straight," answered Lorne.
"But I-I'm not—"
"What, straight?" Dawn giggled.
Lorne gave her a knowing look. "That's not quite as ludicrous as you may think, hun."
"No way. Angel?"
"Well, he's no Liberace, but the boy's had a few trysts in his day. But who among us hasn't, right?"
"Lorne! You can't tell people what you read from me!"
"Oh my God, it is true!?" Dawn squealed. "With who? Oh my gosh, I bet it was Spike, right?"
"Lorne, if you answer that, you're fired."
"I'm sorry, Muffin, but Dawnie and I have no secrets." Lorne and Dawn burst into a fit of laughter, until Angel could take it no more and had to get out of there. "I'll be in Wesley's office if you need me!"
Dawn was still laughing when the phone rang. "Good afternoon, Wolfram and Hart, Angel's office. No, he's not in right now. Can I take a message? You're kidding. That's fantastic. I'll tell him right away." Dawn hung up.
"Well?" Lorne looked at her expectantly. "Angel doesn't get fantastic news very often."
Dawn smiled. "It's Cordelia. She's awake."
A/N: The following chapters aren't going to be this kind of tone at all—much less fun. Probably. Unless I change my mind.
He thought she would be lonely, seeing as there weren't too many other people her age around, but he forgot she was used to that, and she quickly adapted. She grew especially close to Lorne and Fred. He tried not to, but he couldn't help wondering if she would have been friends with Connor. When Connor was a baby and Angel had imagined what he wanted his life to be like, friends like Dawn were part of the package. They would go bowling and watch movies, and do stupid kid stuff. Maybe Connor would come home after curfew, and Angel would have to ground him. And maybe all would be forgiven when Angel was there, cheering Connor on to victory at his soccer game. Then he would remember that that couldn't happen. But it could now. The only difference was the father.
Unbeknownst to any of his friends, Angel kept a file on Connor and his family. The father was an engineer, and his wife was a high school principal. Connor, whose name was Ethan now, was in college. A good one too. He had a girlfriend and he had just bought a car from the income he earned working at a grocery store. Angel was glad that Connor wasn't in LA anymore, because he didn't think he'd be able to keep himself from 'accidentally' bumping into Connor, something he knew couldn't be good for either of them. So he added that to his long list of urges to suppress, and concentrated on work. And Dawn made that easier.
About a month after Dawn arrived, he had a meeting with a Klingor and a T'Hashki demon, negotiating some sort of contract. He really needed Gunn around, but Gunn had the day off for the first time since they started and he didn't want to bother him, so he attempted to assuage the tension between the pair all on his own. As usual, this didn't work out too well, and Angel was forced to kill them both. The two types of blood were starting to crust onto his suit. Lorne was going to kill him. He had just bought him this suit at a very high end store.
Angel headed out to Dawn's desk, to see if she couldn't do something about having it dry-cleaned before he had to see Lorne, but unfortunately Lorne was sitting at the desk with her. When he saw Angel he shrieked. "Oh God, what am I going to do with this boy?" he asked Dawn. "He gets slime on his couture, his idea of good music is Barry Manilow, and have you seen his office? Something gets smashed, it stays smashed. And the hair!? It's like, there are other ways to add inches. And don't even get me started on his..." Lorne trailed off, and then looked at Dawn excitedly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sweetcheeks?"
In unison, the pair yelled "Queer Eye makeover!"
Angel suddenly got scared. What were they talking about? "Wait, what?"
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you've never heard of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy?"
"What eye for the what guy?"
"Queer. Straight," answered Lorne.
"But I-I'm not—"
"What, straight?" Dawn giggled.
Lorne gave her a knowing look. "That's not quite as ludicrous as you may think, hun."
"No way. Angel?"
"Well, he's no Liberace, but the boy's had a few trysts in his day. But who among us hasn't, right?"
"Lorne! You can't tell people what you read from me!"
"Oh my God, it is true!?" Dawn squealed. "With who? Oh my gosh, I bet it was Spike, right?"
"Lorne, if you answer that, you're fired."
"I'm sorry, Muffin, but Dawnie and I have no secrets." Lorne and Dawn burst into a fit of laughter, until Angel could take it no more and had to get out of there. "I'll be in Wesley's office if you need me!"
Dawn was still laughing when the phone rang. "Good afternoon, Wolfram and Hart, Angel's office. No, he's not in right now. Can I take a message? You're kidding. That's fantastic. I'll tell him right away." Dawn hung up.
"Well?" Lorne looked at her expectantly. "Angel doesn't get fantastic news very often."
Dawn smiled. "It's Cordelia. She's awake."
A/N: The following chapters aren't going to be this kind of tone at all—much less fun. Probably. Unless I change my mind.