With the windows down to let some warm, fresh air in, Angel drove up the driveway to the exit of the motel and looked to see what he could see. Right in front of their accommodations was a BBQ joint, which sounded good but likely cost more than he wanted to waste. He could see a gas station to his right and a sandwich shop if he turned left.

"You choose," Charlotte had said.

Angel shook his head. When did choosing dinner for a woman turn out to be the right call? And how the hell does one choose dinner for a demon? Angel peered at the gas gauge, which ended up deciding his first destination. Turning right after the traffic cleared, he drove up and into the station and parked next to a pump. Shifting into park, Angel leaned back in the captain's chair, let out a slow breath, and fished his cell phone out of his breast pocket. He clicked on the contacts list, selected one of the few favorites he had locked at the top, and pressed call. He listened as it rang one and a half times before it was picked up.

"Angel? Are you okay?"

Eyes closed, comforted by the soothing voice of his sister, he let out a soft, "Yeah."

"Good. I got the report about the Pry brothers, so I knew you were, but you usually call and check in right after a mission."

Angel debated how much to share with his sister, and in that moment, he made a snap decision to not say anything. Not yet. "Sorry, Cassie. By the time I got the kids to the hospital and back to my room, I could barely think."

"Well, I don't like to be made to worry about you." Cassie admonished, though her voice wasn't angry, only concerned. "Anyway, I filed the report with all the others, as usual, and thankfully the Frequencies have been clear since the Pry incident began."

Angel thanked the Gods for that. "Good. I could use the break. Anyway, I wanted to check in so you'd stop worrying. I gotta get a bite to eat. Talk later?"

"Yeah, take care, lil brother. I'll be in touch if necessary." Cassie hung up, Angel put his phone back in his pocket, and got moving on fueling up and collecting food. He didn't want to leave Charlotte alone for long.

—

With the shower finished, body dried, and new clothes adorned, Charlotte dropped her butt onto the edge of the bed and started untangling her hair with a brush that Angel had left for her. As she worked the knots out, she looked at the TV and had a familiar feeling about it. She reached forward and pushed at the buttons on the front of the TV, until it warmed to life. With eyes wide and hair forgotten, Charlotte was pulled into a trance of television programming. Sports, daytime TV soaps, Judge programs, news. She flipped through the channels, amused by the various shows, until she came across an action scene in a movie. Entranced, she flipped herself on her belly on the bed and stared intently at the unfolding story.

Some forty minutes later, Angel returned with arms full of plastic bags of food and drinks. Charlotte grinned at him, pointing to the TV, "What is this!?"

Angel peered at the movie and shrugged, "Robocop. I see you figured out the television." Sitting the bags down on the table, Angel pulled out a couple boxes of fried chicken. Since a fast food place ended up being next to the gas station, it was the quickest grab-and-go he could think of, until he wound up stuck in a long ass drive-thru. He pushed his vest off the table and let it drop unceremoniously to the floor, opened up both boxes, and set two large soda cups down. He sat down, but Charlotte hadn't moved from her trance, "Charlotte, you gotta eat."

Turning her head towards Angel, she tried to keep one eye on the movie, pouting, "But it's so good!" she drew the good out with a long 'oooh'd.

Angel shook his head, the first real smile he'd had in days crossing his lips, "I thought you were hungry?"

Charlotte nodded and stood up, walking sideways to the table, trying not to miss the show. She sat down, and the smell of the chicken caught her focus. She peered at the box curiously, "What is it?"

Having taken a big bite of a biscuit, Angel held up his hand to ask for a moment and swallowed, then pointed to each item in turn, "Chicken, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, biscuit."

"Chicken?" Charlotte repeated in a questioning tone and picked it up. It smelled really good, and she took a small bite. Eyes beaming up at Angel, Charlotte squealed and took a second larger bite, eagerly devouring every bit, but when she started to crunch down on the bones, Angel stopped her, "Whoah! You don't eat the bones!"

Bones!? Charlotte started choking and quickly spat out most of the chicken she'd inhaled in her ravenous hunger. She frightfully stared at Angel's worried face. "This is an animal?"

It never even occurred to Angel to explain the types of food humans eat or what sources they came from. He quickly explained the concept to Charlotte: that animals such as chickens and cows are processed for consumption, as well as fruits, vegetables, and so on.

Charlotte was not happy with the explanation and firmly declared she would not lend a hand or consume any meat if it meant the suffering of any animal. She sniffled and pointed to the other items, and Angel told her what they were made of. With one eye on Angel, daring him to touch his chicken, she slowly ate the slaw, potatoes, and biscuit. Angel grumbled, dumped the chicken into the trash, and joined her in the vegetarian feast. He could not believe it; Charlotte, a demon, was a vegetarian. He was going to be judged at every meal, wasn't he?

As she ate in silence, the food settled into her stomach and she felt better. After a while, her attention returned to the TV, "What is 'Robocop'?"

Grateful for the subject change, he checked to see what scene was playing and gave a quick recap of the story to that point, sharing a few facts about the actors, where it took place and such. Angel loved these kinds of movies, and it had been years since he got to share in watching one. As they watched, one of the characters repeated a line from earlier, and she looked at him, "What does 'I'll buy that for a dollar' mean?"

"It's kind of like a 'catchphrase'.'" And seeing her look of confusion, he continued, "In film and television, some characters develop them as comedic phrases or as a punchline in a climatic moment. Heroes will sometimes say it as they take out the bad guy at the end of a story."

Charlotte's eyes sparked, "Heroes say them? Like you, right? Do you have a catchphrase?"

Angel shifted uncomfortably, "I'm no hero, Charlotte. I do this because it's the right thing to do."

"Which is what heroes do, right?" She prodded.

"I don't like the label, Charlotte, okay?" Angel turned away, "I wouldn't deserve it anyway."

The pain in his voice ended her interest in the movie, and she picked up the remote and turned the TV off. She reached across the table and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Why wouldn't you deserve it?"

Angel shook his head, refusing to answer. Charlotte tried a different approach: "Will you at least tell me something about you? You've done so much for me, but I still don't know who you are."

"I don't like to talk about myself much, Charlotte."

Charlotte stood up, pushing her chair away, walked around the table to face Angel, and knelt before him. She took both of his hands into hers and gave him her full, soft eyes, "I don't know who I am or where I came from. You saved my life, Angel, so if I could, I would share with you everything about me. I can't do that, and it pains me so much. Will you at least let me know a little? So I have something to hold onto?"

Her vulnerability was raw, and Angel surrendered to her request, "I guess. I will tell you some stuff for now, but… there are things I do not want to revisit. Not anytime soon. But you deserve to know things about me, Charlotte, especially if we're going to be a team and trust each other."

Giving his hands a firm squeeze in appreciation, Charlotte stood up and went to sit back down in her chair, eager to listen.

Angel repositioned himself in his chair to face her, but did not get a word out before his phone rang. He took the phone out of his pocket and read the screen. "Hold that thought for a moment; it's my source and could be important."

Charlotte nodded with a serious look of understanding as Angel stood up and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. She could hear his voice as if he were right by her side, answering the phone with a single, "Yes?"

Charlotte decided to give him privacy, tuned him out, and sighed wistfully. In the shower, all she could think about was Angel. Who he was, what drove him to do what he did—which she found amazing and heroic. But she knew there had to be something that drove him. She craved to discover more of him. It wasn't just because he'd saved her, let her join him, trusted her demon side, and took care of her. No, it was something else, something intimate. Like so many things she knew without understanding, love at first sight was one of them. She was also able to accept the idea that events and emotions could trigger false feelings. Charlotte knew she had a convoluted process to untangle.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the room door was opened quickly. Angel's frame, large and tense, filled the space. "Pack up. We have a mission!"