Cordelia had only been living in the same vicinity as him for two days – the night he got back, that day, last night and today – but if she stayed much longer, Angel was going to do something he knew he should regret. He wouldn't necessarily regret it, as he was sure it would be the right decision, but it still wouldn't be the best course of action. No, what he really needed to do was to get both her and Tina out of his apartment. They had to find a new apartment. And eventually, so did he.
He needed at least two bedrooms, maybe three or four so that Dawn could have her own room, and he would still have spare rooms for friends. He had that required room in the mansion in Sunnydale, but it really needed to be decorated nicely; the chains and ancient statues were all very well for him, but Buffy only like one statue, and Dawn none of it. He wasn't quite sure when their opinions became so important, but he knew they were.
He could probably sell the statues and some of the art – he owned the huge house, and all that was in it. It had been sold to him as angelus, but never really paid for; he ate the salesman just after he had been forced into signing that everything was paid for.
It was sometimes much better to be a vampire than a human. It's not like anyone would have missed that guy anyway – he had no family, and there was only a very small funeral service. He knew because he was there, standing in a crypt not far from the outside service. Angelus always stuck around to see the aftermath of his kills if he could. But only if they were even vaguely important – he wouldn't have paid the same attention to a streetwalker, for example.
Those statues and the art pieces that he had done of some images of Hell might even get him enough money to buy a decent place to live with enough bedrooms to satisfy the uses he had for them. Even if he did want to live in the middle of a city. Then again, LA was only an hour away from Sunnydale – he could commute. Ah – he would leave it for another few days … weeks …months. Who was he kidding? – he would never really find a new apartment.
He had to get Cordy out of his home. Wet towels on his leather chair, trophies and clothes all over the place, and he didn't even want to know what that stuff in the bathroom was for. Surely not even Cordelia needed that much moisturiser and make-up. Tina didn't seem that bad, but then, she didn't really know him very well at all, so was probably not confident in the fact that he would not eat her. But then, Cordy wasn't all that sure, judging by how often she asked if he was evil or not. She was just so damn annoying!
"Doyle. How would you like me to owe you?"
"Owe me what? Money, alcohol or a favour?
"Any of it, all of it – I really don't care."
"And what would I need to do in order to be granted this mysterious dept?"
"Not much … just find Cordy and Tina an apartment fast! Mostly Cordelia."
"Done."
It was only two days since he had left Sunnydale, but already there was need for him back home. 'Home?' Even he did live in LA, Sunnydale would be home for as long as Buffy lived there. Wherever Buffy was, that was where home is.
"Willow?"
"Angel! Thank the goddess you're around."
"Where else would I be, willow? It's in the middle of the day."
"Right, well it's about Buffy – she's not there is she?"
"Willow what's wrong? Why isn't Buffy with you?" Angel didn't worry very easily – Buffy could handle herself in a fight – but if willow didn't know where she was, and he didn't know where she was, and willow was actually calling him for help…it wasn't good.
"Well, we found a note on her bed that said she had given up and dropped out of school. She isn't anywhere around, a-and I'm worried about her." Willow's voice was almost a whisper, but Angel heard it anyway. He could even hear her heartbeat get faster as she became more and more frantic about the whereabouts of her best friend.
"I'll be there an hour after sunset."