Series: For Better or For Worse

Title: Interlude: The misadventures of Angel-Bunny

Author: Mosquito

Date: 11/11/2014

Disclaimer: Joss Weedon owns everything except Ronan and Casey.

Category: Romance/Angst

Rating: T

Summary: A day in the life of Angel-Bunny.

Note: Between Parts 13 and 14 in the For Better or For Worse Series, follows Playing Games

"You've got to stop that Angel. It isn't funny anymore. You're going to give me an infection if you're not careful. Then where would you be? I'd be pissed off and you'd be with Anya."

Angel watched as Cordy dressed. She had a job interview with a company in a neighboring town and was going back and forth on what to do with him. The original plan was to give him to Ronan to take care of, but Ronan had said that Spike needed his help and had left for England as soon as the plane had arrived. So, now it was either Anya or Xander- neither was an appealing thought, but the later was certainly preferable. Xander didn't make jokes at his expense nor did he scream any time that Angel was near.

But just as she'd figured it out, Angel had gooten hungry again and taken a bite out of Cordelia. Only a little one! But, she didn't appreciate it.

"I know you're hungry," She said with her finger in her mouth. "Look at my hands. I'm never going to get this job." She sat down hard out of frustration and looked at her hands.

Angel saw all the bandages and felt guilty. Then to make him feel even worse she began to cry. She'd been doing that a lot lately and Angel couldn't do anything. It had begun as soon as Spike and Willow had left two weeks before. She'd had a hellish day, seeing a friend of hers from school get married. She'd had to go on her own and it had been commented on. Then when she'd run out of money it started again. They'd been living on his vast fortune. The electricity and telephones got written off automatically, but soon she'd run out of her own money, and unable to withdraw his, she'd started eating less in order to preserve the little funds she had left. She no longer went out with friends or bought frivolous things. She'd gone through her make-up weeks ago and was going without, instead going to Willie's to buy him a pint of blood that would last him the next few days.

He watched her dry her eyes and collect herself, then taking a large breath she walked into her dressing table and removed the pearl choker that belonged to her mother. It was one of two pieces her mother had given her before leaving. Angel knew she treasured it and hoped that wearing it would give her a little joy, but instead of putting it on she sighed and put it in her handbag. This was not a good sign.

Come on," she said picking him up. "I'm going to call Xander to come and pick you up."

Placing him by the front door she walked to the kitchen to find her phone and see if there was any food left. Angel was just making his way over when the front door opened and Xander walked in. He smiled and picked up Angel. "Bye Cordy. I'll see you this evening."

"Bye Xanger. Thanks! Be good Angel!" She called back from the kitchen.

Within no time they'd gotten to Xander's build. Xander worked as a construction manager in a company that Angel had helped him fund and now he was building quality apartments just off Front Street. "Kay, Angel, you just hang around in the office. I need to talk to some of the guys. I'll be back."

The room was quiet and as Angel looked around he noticed how tidy the place was. It surprised him. Xander always seemed so scatterbrained to him, but there was no indication of that here. Not that it should have surprised him, though. When Xander came to him with his business plan- turning houses into apartments- Angel had noticed how thoroughly researched and put-together his plan truly was. He'd been impressed then, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise now.

Just then the door opened and Xander walked back in. "Angel," he said picking him up, "I was thinking, you offered to be a partner in the company and I've theen thinking that that isn't such a bad idea. I'll wait until Willow's found a way to turn you back, though, before we go into details." Angel watched him busily pull out maps and such. "Do you need anything? Blood? Carrots?"

Angel didn't twitch.

"Okay, well, I've got to go and look in on something. I'll be back within the hour. See ya." Then gathering his stuff he left the building.

Sitting there by himself his thoughts turned to Cordelia. He wondered how her job interview had gone. As soon as he got back to normal he would buy back everything she'd pawned, set up a trust for her and do anything she wanted him to do. Help Spike and Willow mate as well ask Cordelia to mate with him.

With a little bunny sigh, that sounded more like squeak, he looked around for a dark place to sleep. Just as he reached it though, disaster struck.

"Mister Harris?" A young lady's voice came through. Angel looked up to find a girl of about sixteen come in with a pail and a vacuum cleaner. She began cleaning and all of a sudden the vacuum went on.

It was the worse sound he'd ever heard and it was getting closer by the moment. Soon Angel was too scared to think and began hopping for his life- right out of the trailer that was Xander's office. He froze. He hadn't noticed that it exited to the street. He took a hop, hoping he was going in the right directions when he saw a bicycle coming straight for him. Quickly he hopped further. Luckily there were no cars coming and he managed to get to the other side of the street.

There was no way he was crossing back. Angel thought about what his next move should be and quickly concluded that the closest place to go would be Ronan's. Taking note of where he was he headed in the direction of said house. It took him almost twenty minute to get out of the street. It was killing him. He stood against the wall to rest and bask in the sunlight.

It was the one positive thing about being a rabbit. He still had to drink blood, but he could now walk- or rather hop- in the sun. After taking a moment he began to move, when a shadow covered him from behind, followed but a disgusting acidic scent. Turing around Angel saw the man urinating against the wall.

He quickly began moving away. Glad when the man took no notice of him. Probably too concentrated on his release. But, moments later he encountered his next obstacle: a multitude of people. Unfortunately, in order to get to Ronan, it would mean going through one of the busiest streets of Sunnydale: Market Lane. 'Why couldn't the house be closer to the cemeteries?' he wondered. 'There are lots of places to hide there, plus during the day they're safe.' Market Lane's constantly bustling and there were butchers and unusual restaurants. He stayed at the corner for a while wondering the path he should take to most likely survive.

Soon a large cart came by and Angel saw salvation. Working quickly he hopped on and hoped it would take him to the other end. He wasn't so lucky. Halfway through the market, the cart began turning to the left, to what looked like a dead-end alley.

Jumping off Angel moved quickly to the side to spare himself from getting hit, only to be hit by something much more powerful: Bloodlust. He'd made it to the butcher's stall. Standing right behind his body became consumed by the smell. He could have been starved for the last few months, he was so hungry. His mind brought him back to the days he'd first stepped onto the American continent. It was overpowering him. Following his nose he found a pool of blood on some plastic and began to drink. It wasn't the most pure, it was disgusting actually- a mix of half a dozen different animals as well as dirt. But blood was blood. After he'd had his fill he moved on. He noticed that his once white paws were now red and didn't doubt that the fur around his mouth looked the same. Cordelia would have an apoplexy.

Thinking of Cordelia, he wondered how she was doing. Hopefully she'd gotten the job, Perhaps she was out with Anya or with Ronan. He almost wished she was at a coffee point having a drink with Harmony, but knew that that wouldn't be the case.

Moving down the lane Angel kept a good eye out for danger and finally saw the end in sight. The crowd was thinning and the market was coming to a close. He realized that he'd been out almost all day and that the shopkeepers and venders would soon be packing up for the night.

Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw emerald green and white. Turning he saw Cordelia walking and counting coins.

'Oh, Cordy.' he said. 'What have I reduced you to?' He knew she'd never been to a market before, nor had she eevr had to count coins, but supermarkets were obviously out of the question, especially since he'd taken her credit car back not long before Willow had changed him into the God forsaken rabbit he was, so that she'd learn to manage money a litte. In an effort to please him, she'd cut through them and now that she didn't have them and that her pride was to great to ask for help, she suffered in silence. The weight she'd lost could attest for that. He tool a hop in her direction, but she'd already disappeared.

He knew that following her might be dangerous and against his wants decided to continue on to Ronan.

A half hour later he'd made it into the right neighborhood. He'd found a bush to hide under and was resting when he felt a cold nose touch his He squeaked in fright, but heard a familiar voice.

"What do you have there, Fangs?" Casey's voice came from beyond the bush.

The dog was pulled back and barked and Angel emerged from the bush.

"Angel?" Casey grabbed him bu the ears. "Thank god I found you. Xander called saying you'd dissapeard and we didn't know how to tell Cordy." Cradled in her arms he felt relief as she pulled out her cellphone and told Xander she'd found him. "Xander's too relieved to be pissed now," she told him, "but wait till he'd done with that. I have a felling that you're going to be yelled at big time. Good thing Fangs found you. Now I can tell Spike he's good for something: rabbit hunting." She giggled.

Angel squeaked/groaned.

"Come on. Xander's coming over and we wouldn't want to miss his lecture. Don't think he's ever given one."

On the way back Casey chatted about her day at school ad told him about how her friends seemed to be jealous and confused at her living with an older guy that was her boyfriend. Apparently there was talk about calling in child services, but Ronan was looking into it.

By the time they'd gotten to the house Angel knew almost everything about the girl, included things he wasn't sure he wanted to know. She was so much like Willow, but incredibly different at the same time. Even so, he was relieved when she put him in his pen in the basement with hay, carrots and blood.

He'd never realized how dangerous the world really was before his day out.

The feeling of peace and comfort was short lived though, as soon as Xander came down.

"I should kill you for the havoc you've put me through today. I've been looking for you. I had to cancel three appointments and I've been looking for you. I had to cancel three appointments and I've been walking around for hours. Hours! I have blisters. Ugh. I don't know how Cordy puts up with you. I hope you don't give her half the trouble you gave me! I was glad to take you off her today just so that she could get some rest, she looks warn out. And what do you do? You somehow manage to escape and roam around Sunnydale. You could have gotten killed or injured. You should be glad that you came out alive. Look at you. You're covered in blood. I'm going to have to clean you up before I do anything." Having finished his tirade Xander went upstairs. Angel thought that everything was over. Just until he noticed the boy come down with a tub of what looked like water.

He squeaked and screeched. Ever since he'd become a rabbit. The thought of a bath left him nub. The idea of wet fur was unpleasing.

"Now, Casey, Ronan and I have decided to keep quiet about this misadventure of yours. We're gonna clean you up and then I'm taking you home. Got it?"

Xander plucked him by the ears and put him in the soapy water and with much fussing Angel figured he was clean. Then Casey came down with a hair dryer.

'Oh, no!' Angel thought. Cordy had tried this before- once again he was a puff ball.

With him primped and primed Xander put him in the car. "I don't like lying to Cordy." Xander said and then added with a laugh, "never thought I'd say that."

When Cordy opened up the door and took angel he knew things had gone badly for her. She thanked Xander and then closing the door brought him in the kitchen for dinner. With each word he felt more miserable. Nothing she'd done today had gone right.

"Oh, well, better luck next time." She sat across from him with her small salad.

He'd never felt so relieved to be home and miserable in his whole life.

END

(TBC in part 14: Proffessing the mating)