City of Angels, City of Demons

Xander sighed and followed it with a groan, as he realized how much like Angel he was acting. He'd called and left messages and even tried to visit them, but kept getting blown off or ignored. Maybe they were just that busy, but you'd think they'd have at least found a little time for him. The sound of breaking glass and arguing upstairs made up his mind for him, he wasn't hanging around here any longer.

-X-X-X-X-X-

Angel and Doyle broke into a run as they heard a scream coming from the alley in front of them, but before they could get there a short blonde dressed like she came from a club, ran out. An arrow took her in the lower back and she tumbled to the ground, her face transforming from a picture of scared innocence into the ridged and fanged visage of a vampire. Angel didn't hesitate to draw out his sword and behead her, leaving her ashes to coat the sidewalk.

"Dammit, I needed her alive!" a man in a knee length gray greatcoat cursed as he came out of the alley carrying a crossbow.

"Xander?" Angel asked, shocked to see the missing man here.

"Angel?" the man gasped out in the same tone to mock him. He turned to go, but Angel grabbed his shoulder. He spun around, throwing Angel's hand off him. "Don't touch me!"

"Uh, Angel?" Doyle said nervously, pointing to Xander's hands.

"I don't like you touching me, or even being within arm's reach," Xander said, holding a grenade in one hand, and ready to pull the pin with the other.

Angel held his hands up. "Calm down, I was just surprised to see you. Buffy said you vanished and they were worrying about you."

"I hate being lied to," Xander said, pulling the pin on the grenade.

Angel's hand quickly wrapped around Xander's right hand, so he couldn't release the grenade.

"And that's why I hate having a vampire within arm's reach of me," Xander said before taking a grenade out of his pocket with his left hand, flicking the pin off with his thumb, and dropping it between them.

"Shit!" Angel and Doyle cursed, throwing themselves backwards and scrambling to get out of the blast radius as Xander just stood there.

"Ahh, she dropped her purse," Xander said, "looks like I didn't need her after all."

"Duds?" Angel asked, rising to his feet just as the grenades hissed and began to release clouds of white smoke.

Xander strolled off and Angel tried to follow him but fell back hacking and coughing, his face red.

Doyle quickly backed off from the smoke, helping a coughing Angel. "Not a friend, I take it?"

"Not exactly," Angel wheezed out.

-X-X-X-X-X-

"What happened to you?" Cordelia asked in shock, as she saw Angel looking like he had a bad sunburn.

"Xander," Angel said, pissed and confused.

"You found him?" she asked anxiously. She'd been worried about her ex ever since the gang back in Sunnydale had reported him missing.

"If by 'found', you mean 'was tear-gassed by'," Doyle offered.

Typed by: Moderation