Title: Friendly Persuasion
Author: Lysa
Posted:
Rating: NC-17
Email
Category: Smut & Humor
Content: C/A with D/K flirtation
Summary: Kate finds out how Doyle engineered Cordelia and Angel's relationship.
Spoilers: AtS Season 1, City Of… through Rm w/a Vu
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Anywhere…please let me know.
Notes: Challenge by Califi: C/A with mild D/K flirtation. NC-17. Smut/Humor.*Angel not so keen on Doyle's interest in Cordelia and is even less keen when she outwardly seems to lap it up. So he decides to keep them apart socially. Difficult as he has to spend more time with her than inhumanly possible. Then she leaves her apartment cos of 'antlery' cockroaches and the heat turns up even as he realizes there is more to CC than he originally thought. *Use the line: C: You know, Angel, it's actually a lot harder being one-dimensional than it is to be like me - ask Kate!- she even has a gold star.
Thanks/Dedication: To Califi, oh friend of mine, may Beige Angel fill your dreams each night and drag your muse along for the ride
Notes 2: Some parts of this fic are heavy on dialogue from the show… with my usual C/A twist on matters, that is. Must admit that I struggled with getting Kate into this fic as she is a character I would personally like to slap silly. Decided things were going to work out differently here.
Feedback: Go ahead…feed me! I appreciate hearing your opinions.
Kate Lockley walked back into the kitchen of her one-bedroom apartment, speaking to Doyle as she went. "Remind me how I let you talk me into cooking you dinner."
"Oh, I can be very persuasive when the need arises. Comes with the accent. Women can't get enough of it," Doyle grinned at the response that generated. Getting a rise out of the normally unruffled detective was a fun pursuit.
Arching a dark blond eyebrow, Kate tried her best not to laugh in his face. "Is that so?"
Nodding, Doyle answered quickly enough, flirtation apparent in his voice as he leant against the kitchen counter. Kate was standing by the stove, too distracted by the Irishman's answer to remember she was supposed to be stirring the bubbling sauce. "Absolutely, take you for instance. Don't know how you've resisted me this long."
"All of twelve minutes?" Kate glanced down at her leather-banded Timex. "You're not short on nerve."
"That's called charm where I come from," he flashed a dimpled grin that never failed.
Reluctantly, Kate found herself smiling back. He did this every time, she thought. Got her to smile. Charm, indeed. "My mistake, I thought it was blarney. Let's cut to the chase, Doyle. We both know you're not just here for the food. We've got a deal and you have a tale to tell."
Doyle let out a long sigh. "Okay, then. Like all my favorite stories, this one begins with a girl."
>The Offices of Angel Investigations, Weeks Ago
Angel Investigations isn't just a business. It's a mission for the hopeless in this City of Lights, for those who can't reach beyond the darkness. No mission would be complete without its tall, brooding Dark Avenger-type…Angel, of course, but at the heart of it all is Cordelia Chase, ex-Sunnydale cheerleader, wanna-be actress and all-around appealing kinda gal.
"Of course this is just temporary—," Cordelia smiled in a way that made it impossible for Angel to say no to her, "until my inevitable stardom takes effect."
Before Angel knew it, he had a mission, an agency, and a staff of two highly talented individuals; one with the right contacts and the other with enough gumption to keep Angel from drifting back into his penchant for being a lonely, self-loathing creature of the night.
Watching Cordelia in a mixture of amusement and admiration from his position in the doorway, Doyle found he wasn't the only one following her every move with his eyes. Angel was there at his side, equally caught up in observing the brunette's actions as she went about cleaning the rest of the outer office.
"You've made a good choice. She'll provide a connection to the world. She's got a humanizing influence," Doyle told him.
Angel's mouth lifted into a half-smile, still not taking his eyes from the young woman who'd just invited herself back into his life and created a job for herself all within the space of a few minutes. After the whims of fate had thrown them together again and he'd saved her life.
The response Doyle got surprised him considering the way Angel was staring. "You think she's a hottie."
Doyle couldn't disagree with that. "Yeah. She's a stiffener alright."
Kate Lockley's Kitchen
"Not really impressed with that conversation," Kate made a face and picked up the long-handled wooden spoon to stir the tomato sauce. "I get enough testosterone down at the precinct."
Doyle looked offended. "It's important. Totally relevant. You asked for the details. Just be ready for a few surprises along the way."
Glancing over her shoulder, Kate turned back to her task, shaking some oregano into the saucepan and stirring a little faster. "Considering I've been a cop in this town for more than a minute, I'd say it takes more than a little guy-talk to bother me."
"Don't worry about that," Doyle moved a little closer and inhaled the wafting steam. "Let's just say we don't lead boring lives at Angel Investigations."
"Right. What was that job you were on when I met you? The bartender did it," Kate recalled that grizzly case. "Not exactly a typical photo-op of a cheating spouse."
Shuddering, Doyle nodded, "More like 'Invasion of the Body-Snatchers' which is just routine fare for a vampire with a soul, a seer and their Girl Friday."
Giving Doyle a hard stare, Kate let his words sink in. The serious look on his face and his tone of voice suggested he was entirely serious despite the content of his words. "Vampire? You really did mean creature of the night. C'mon, Angel's a little pale, but so are most of the night shift staff at the station."
Trying to sound as if she got that it was a joke, Kate asked with a stilted laugh, "Did you stop at the bar on the way here?"
Doyle wished that he had. It might have made this easier. "Surprisingly enough, not today."
Doblique, Los Angeles Night Club
Walking up to the attractive black man wearing a sport coat and tie, Cordelia handed him one of her new Angel Investigations calling cards. Gifting him with a bright smile, she said, "Hi! If you're in trouble, just call this number. We can help."
Before he could respond, Cordelia moved on to a couple sitting at a nearby table and handed over a card to the girl who appeared startled by the brunette's interruption. "Hi," she greeted as if it was completely natural to barge right in on their private conversation. "Being harassed by someone or something? Just dial us up, day or night."
Then to the equally startled guy, "You look troubled. Are you troubled— or is that just your lazy eye?— Anyway, call us, we're very discreet."
Moves over to the next table, Cordelia was in the process of addressing its occupants when Doyle crept up beside her and grabbed her away. "Hey, hey, hey. This isn't a marketing campaign here, princess. You've got to stay a bit more below the radar."
Looking confused by his actions, Cordelia asked, "What radar?"
Doyle gave her a look that suggested it should be obvious. "The police?" Surely she had heard of them even in Sunnydale. Pointing out, "You know the service our friend Angel provides— might put some people in mind of the V-word."
"Vampire?" shrugged Cordelia not seeing what that had to do with anything.
"No, vigilante. You know there are laws against this. You need to chat people up more casual like," Doyle suggested. "You know, hi, what's your name? How's life treatin' ya? What's that you say? Minions of hell getting' ya down?"
Rolling her eyes at the idea, Cordelia explained, "I'm an actress, a student of the human animal. I don't need to talk to people to know their story."
Kate Lockley's Kitchen
Kate held up the spoon as a pointing device, never minding that it dripped red sauce on her clean kitchen floor. Pursing her pale glossy lips, Kate stopped him, "Hold it right there, Doyle. This is me trying not to laugh in your face. Vampire vigilantes aren't exactly everyday fare."
"Not the vigilante part, anyway."
"Angel— your boss— tall, dark and stoic kinda guy— is a vampire? As in having sharp fangs and sleeping in coffins," Kate plopped the spoon back on the spoon rest, splattering little bits of red across the white stovetop. Crossing her arms, she waited to hear what else Doyle had to say that might earn him a serious recommendation for a psych evaluation.
He knew Kate wasn't buying it. The atmosphere between them was as thick as mud. Trying for a bit of humor to lighten things up, Doyle commented, "Oh, the fangs are there— pearly white, I might add. Angel must floss between meals."
"The sauce may be red, but it's hardly vampire cuisine," the blonde detective gave him a stark stare daring him to tell her more. Just one more thing before she shut up, Kate decided, "Or is the hostess simply expected to offer her neck?"
"Well, if I was a vampire, I think I'd bite you," Doyle muttered loud enough for her to hear. "Angel has a soul. He doesn't kill humans for food or pleasure unlike the rest of his kind."
Throwing up her hands in mock surrender, Kate pleaded, "Enough with the horror stories. I'd already given up on the idea of anything happening between Angel and me. If I hadn't guessed his feelings the first time I saw him staring at Cordelia, I certainly knew it the last time I saw you guys together. So there's no need to make up vampire tales to scare me off."
"Maybe it is a bit of a horror story to most humans, but it's the truth," Doyle met her gaze with unwavering confidence.
The look in his eyes made Kate hesitate before responding. She still didn't believe it, but something in the way Doyle spoke made her keep searching for answers. "So Cordelia Chase knows Angel is a vampire, but they're…."
Doyle jumped in, "Oh, definitely. That's what you brought me here to tell you."
Admitting the fact, "I was curious about them. They seem like such opposites, but it is obvious to me how they feel about each other." Shrugging as if she wasn't dying to know the details, Kate said disinterestedly, "Just thought you'd actually tell me something instead of spinning campfire stories."
"There are things in this world that may sound like fairytales or nightmares, Katie, but they're as true as me standing here," Doyle put his hand on her shoulder, a move that drew a nervous glance. He kept it there. "You may have asked me here tonight, but I've come with a purpose. I've come to open your eyes to the truth before it comes home to bite you— literally."
Looking a little angry, Kate moved away from Doyle's touch. "This is bullshit, Doyle and you know it. Vampires? Please don't insult my intelligence. If you want to cover up for Angel's borderline illegal investigational methods, that's one thing, but don't ram this stuff down my throat and expect me to play along."
The blond had fire in those icy blue eyes. Remaining calm, Doyle informed her with a hint of a smile dimpling his cheek, "Lucky for you, the PTB want you on our team, Katie girl. They've sent me a little vision to help you understand and accept that there are things that go bump in the night— and that it's Angel's mission to make a difference."
"PTB?" Kate asked cluelessly.
"Powers That Be."
Kate's jaw dropped open and then closed with the click of her teeth. "Obviously, I should've guessed."
"Hmm," Doyle sensed her impatience and rising hostility. "Well then, considering the drippy sarcasm and icy glare tells me you're about five seconds away from kicking me out the door, I'll just get started."
Hallway Outside Kate's Apartment
"You're fidgeting," Cordelia pointed out as she watched Angel straighten his collar for the third time.
Denying it, Angel sounded out a gruff response, "Am not."
Cordelia didn't bother hiding her laughter. "Then why do you look like you've got ants in your pants? Sheesh! It's just cop lady, not a demon lair. Dinner and a little conversation won't kill you."
It helps that I'm already dead. Angel wasn't so sure about any of this. Telling Kate about their mission was one thing. Asking her to be a member of the team was another. But this was just going too far. With a moan of discontent, he looked like he wanted to head for the nearest demon-infested haunt just to escape, "Dinner."
"I know you're not a foodie, Angel, but Kate will understand— assuming that Doyle hasn't wimped out on telling her the truth," Cordelia grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back toward the door.
Since there was no way out of this, Angel gave in, commenting, "Doesn't seem right that the news comes from him instead of me."
That came across rather ironically to Cordelia, "Yeah. Finding out you're a vampire tends to shock a girl's system. Been there. Felt that."
She knocked on the door.
Angel remembered that Cordelia had done a 180-degree turn from pursuing him to avoiding him after learning the truth about him being a vampire. "I'm glad you've finally gotten over the shock."
Flashing a grin, Cordelia said, "That was before I learned about the perks of having a 240-yr old vampire."
"Having me for what?" Angel asked teasingly.
"As a boss, of course," deadpanned Cordelia far from meaning that.
Angel stepped forward, his tone dropping into a deep range that hinted at as many promises as his words. "The job comes with perks."
Cordelia's back was against the door, one hand still holding the bottle of wine they had brought and the other fending off the approaching vampire. Sarcasm was her weapon of choice against that seductive suggestion. "Filing, cleaning up demon goo, buying wholesale pigs blood, working on Friday nights. Oh, yeah. Lots of perks and the list goes on."
Moving even closer despite the hand that tried to hold him at bay, Angel leaned down to let his cheek brush against hers, whispering in her ear, "There might be some other fringe benefits."
Head tilted up, Cordelia felt his lips grazing the soft skin of her throat. "Like what? Can't think of any," she teased throatily and shivered with aroused awareness.
Pulling back, Angel figured he might need to remind the tempting little vixen as he put a hand on the door behind them and closed in to kiss those smiling lips. Before he could connect, the door opened and Cordelia let out a startled cry as she started to tumble backward. Angel was still leaning forward, now against the invisible energy barrier that kept him out. Only his lighting-fast reflexes saved Cordelia from a hard landing.
Angel reached forward and caught Cordelia before she moved beyond his reach. He pulled her back into the safety of his strong arms, holding her now laughing form close as he lifted his gaze toward Kate Lockley who was staring at Angel as though she'd never seen him before. The vampire's eyes flicked over to Doyle who stood behind her in the background before turning his attention back to their hostess.
Cordelia caught the look on Kate's face and tried to break the ice, "Kate, hi!" Holding up the bottle of wine, "We brought you this. Angel picked it out. He— knows wine.
The comment made the blonde go pale and Kate was still doing a great impression of a mute, gaping fish. Cordelia offered her a smile anyway. "Not so much in the jokey mood? Bad vampire humor anyway. Guess Doyle told you."
Nodding silently, a little shocked by everything Doyle revealed, Kate kept staring at Angel, her blue eyes wide saucers. Feeling uncomfortable himself, Angel said simply, "Hello, Kate."
Silent for another tense moment, Kate finally found her voice even though it came across as strangled, "Doyle says you need an invitation to get in."
Angel quipped, making light of the subject, "It helps."
When Kate said nothing else, appearing lost in thought, Cordelia motioned with her hand in a sign of encouragement. "That's your cue, Kate. You say, 'Angel, I inv—'"
"Not so fast," Kate snapped back to life, nostrils flaring with her indrawn breath.
Cordelia looked at Angel and then over at Doyle who simply shrugged. The PTB may want her on their team, but free will still gave Kate Lockley the right to choose her own path. There was no guarantee she would accept this despite the info the PTB sent his way.
"Doyle told me you're a vampire," Kate began, "but I can't see it, Angel. You look like a man to me."
"Trust me," Cordelia subconsciously fiddled with the long neck of the wine bottle, "he's all—"
Angel cut her off by growling her name, "Cor…"
Turning her eyes to his, Cordelia asked innocently, "What?"
"Let me handle this," Angel could do without the innuendos right now. He'd already been far enough along when Kate opened the door. "Please."
Giving him free reign to botch things up, Cordelia let out a soft, "Pfft." Then adding, "Go for it, dorkula."
Kate pressed her lips together and then said to Angel, "Guess you've been around for a while so you'll know the old saying: seeing is believing. Show me the truth, Angel."
His response was a simple shift of flesh and bone as Angel morphed into his vampire visage. The brow furrowed becoming an overhanging ridge that shadowed dark topaz eyes. Sharply jagged teeth appeared between his lips as Angel attempted a smile to make himself appear less frightening. Kate's expression suggested he should keep his smiles to himself. She turned pale, but never once looked away, staring him right in the eyes.
"So it's true," Kate sounded bitter about being faced with a shocking reality she could no longer discount as fiction. "The whole world is caught up in a sham."
Angel let his vampire features fade back to their human form. "People see what they want to see and ignore the rest. You're a cop. You know that."
The horrified look on Kate's face unsettled Cordelia. Not that she wanted Kate to look at Angel the same way she did, but her vampire was sensitive enough without being subjected to instant contempt because of who he was. Defending him, "Angel's one of the good guys. The best. He's trying to make a difference. It's his mission."
Glancing down at the fiercely protective look on Cordelia's face, Angel corrected her softly, "Our mission."
Kate only returned, "Mission impossible if half of what Doyle tells me is true."
"Not if the PTB have any say," Doyle promised her. "We start small. One person at a time."
Looking at Cordelia who stood with the vampire's arm around her shoulder, Kate had to ask since her curiosity about their relationship now contained a vein of disbelief, "And you two— you actually…."
Rolling her eyes as the woman couldn't seem to finish her sentence, Cordelia simply commented with a conspiratorial smile, "Every chance we get."
No longer pale, Kate stood red-faced as blood rushed to her cheeks. Damn her fair skin, anyway. She was a tough cop, not a blushing ingénue. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one off-put by the brunette's bluntness. Both Angel and Doyle stared as her name left their lips simultaneously in groaning censure, "Cordelia!"
Sensing that she'd said something disturbing, Cordelia finally figured out that Kate hadn't been talking about sex at all. "Ohhhh. You meant dating. As in doing things that don't involve a bed. We do that too."
Doyle shrugged sympathetically and Angel rubbed the nape of his neck as if that might make the whole conversation go away. He never knew what was going to come out of Cordelia's mouth. While it sometimes made him cringe, her spontaneity certainly kept him on his toes. The corners of his mouth curled up, eyes crinkling in amusement as he accepted Doyle's conciliatory shrug.
"But…," Kate faltered leaving off the, "he's a vampire" part of her comment. "This is all a little overwhelming. I think— dinner's almost ready."
As she started to turn away and head back to the kitchen where the timer was now buzzing, Angel called out, "Uh, Kate?"
Numbly, Kate turned back, "Yeah?"
"Invitation?"
As Doyle and Cordelia were staring expectantly at her, Kate realized that part had not been just another bad vampire joke, "You really can't come in without one."
"No," Angel said truthfully.
"Huh," Kate looked interested at that, but turned back toward the kitchen again. Two steps later, she looked at him over her shoulder, "Guess you'd better come in."
Kate Lockley's Dining Room
Having allowed Kate the time and space to finish preparing dinner, they were all now gathered around her small table. Doyle and Cordelia were carrying on a conversation having nothing to do with the reason for them being here when Kate finally broke in with, "I can't think. There's just too much to take in all at once."
"Living in Sunnydale kinda kept us on our toes," Cordelia explained that she had a bit of an advantage when it came to accepting the strange truth that was reality. "There was always a new Big Bad popping up with some apocalypse."
"The Hellmouth is a little different than L.A.," commented Angel as he poured red wine into the fragile crystal goblets Kate had salvaged from her mother's belongings when she'd moved into her own apartment. She kept her attention on Angel's actions and tried to hear what he was trying to explain, "Sunnydale was more a focal point for demonic activity. Here in L.A., there are whole societies of demons ingratiated into everyday existence."
Kate gulped down a large swallow of the wine before saying, "Doyle told me you two knew each other in Sunnydale. I didn't realize you were together before you came to L.A., but that makes sense."
Considering the way they looked at each other, Kate would have guessed they'd known each other for years. Only it had taken her time to accept the fact considering her instant attraction to dark-haired gods…guys…vampires, apparently, meant she was once again looking in the wrong place. She'd even gone as far as accusing Angel of being a serial killer and now she wondered if that hadn't been close to the truth.
Angel thought of Cordelia back in her Sunnydale days and the lengths he had gone to in avoiding her. And the way she always managed to catch him privately when Buffy wasn't around, or worse, when Buffy was right there to witness them together. Not that he'd been doing or thinking anything he shouldn't have been while talking to Cordelia, dancing with Cordelia or rescuing Cordelia. Being evil again for a while and having tackled her to the ground that one night might have been excused as simply reacting without any conscience whatsoever. Unless he'd just been doing something he wanted to all along.
Not ready to admit that to himself even now, Angel told Kate, "We weren't dating back then."
Twirling his fork in the large pile of spaghetti on his plate, Doyle grinned as he said, "I take all the credit for getting these two together."
"Credit?" Cordelia rolled her eyes. Grabbing her unbuttered roll from her bread plate, she looked like she considered hurling it at his head. Nose in the air, she sounded her disbelief at his words, "Pfft. Is that what you call it?"
"Don't look so hoity-toity at me, princess," Doyle mocked her as he sat back in his chair. "You two would still be staring at each other from across the office if it wasn't for me. Just took a little friendly persuasion is all to get you in the game."
Kate found the idea somewhat strange considering the fact that Doyle obviously had to know that Angel was a vampire by that point. "You were playing matchmaker."
"From the moment I clapped eyes on her," Doyle readily admitted. "Kate, I'm a seer. I get visions of people in danger. Sometimes, the PTB include a little post script in their messages. I knew someone important was about to walk into Angel's life again and when I met Cordelia, I immediately understood the impact she could have on this miserable vamp's existence."
Angel, who had put a small amount of spaghetti on his plate for appearances sake, stopped pushing it around his plate as he told Doyle, "Either you're a better actor than I suspected or you're taking more credit than you deserve."
The Offices of Angel Investigations
It began with a question. A simple one, but its meaning struck a note that resonated a warning in Angel's brain as Doyle asked him, "Tell me something about Cordelia."
The Irish half-demon had just suggested to Cordelia that if she wanted to spend one night away from her horrific apartment, she should let him know, hinting that she could stay at his place. Angel, sitting at his desk reading, expected Cordelia's usual snarky comeback putting Doyle firmly in his place, but that wasn't what it sounded like to him. Not at all.
He was out of his chair and standing in the doorway watching them by the time Cordelia finished responding. There was an almost playful smile on Cordelia's ripe peach lips. The way she looked in that long green skirt and cream overlay top with her dark chestnut hair long and loose over her shoulders, Angel supposed he couldn't fault Doyle for trying. He just hadn't expected to hear Cordelia answering back with equal amounts of flirtation in her voice.
Maybe that was just the moment Angel decided enough was enough. It all actually started the moment Cordelia came back into his life elbowing her way into just as much as Doyle had done. Her charming smile making it impossible to resist agreeing to anything she and Doyle had up their sleeves.
The girl from Sunnydale certainly made an impression, one that wasn't lost on him. Though he hadn't taken conscious notice except to point out to Doyle what was basically an echo of his own thoughts. "You think she's a hottie."
That was stating the obvious. Cordelia's beauty was there for any man to see and Angel had glimpsed moments that suggested a vulnerability she tried to hide. There was the Queen C façade she'd hidden behind for most of her high school years. He'd seen a change, though honestly his thoughts had been so focused on Buffy that he never truly knew her. Blunt to the point of being tactless, she'd amused him more than anyone might guess. He recalled her relentless pursuit of him before she knew he was a vampire. Then it was hands-off leaving him to Buffy.
In retrospect, that still stung a little.
He could have had her anytime before then. The random thought disturbed him at the time. What was he doing thinking of Cordelia that way? Doyle's fault. The seer couldn't seem to stop yammering about her. Cordelia this. Princess that. His little come-ons seemed to amuse or irritate her at first, but Angel was beginning to think that was all some feminine ploy.
Doyle was turning up the heat and Cordelia seemed to be lapping it up like a sponge. Angel couldn't say why he hated the idea. He simply did. It might be one thing if he knew more about Doyle. So he was a good guy, chosen by the PTB as their seer. But he was a demon, half-demon, with a somewhat shady past and dealings he wouldn't fully reveal. Potentially a bad influence. Plus, he refused to tell Cordelia the truth about himself.
Angel knew Cordelia wouldn't like the lies and considering her initial reaction to his own status as a vampire, he couldn't see Cordelia going after half-demon Doyle. At least, she wouldn't if she knew the truth.
He was concerned. Just protecting her. That's all it was. It began with never leaving them alone. But they joked and flirted anyway.
So Angel sent Doyle off to the police station instead of going himself. Leaving him to research with Cordelia. She made some blonde comments, surprised that he hadn't gone himself to see 'Cagney & Lacey Kate'. Defending his decision, Angel reminded Cordelia that it was still daylight, not bothering to point out that he could easily have gotten there using the sewer system.
Angel knew now that Doyle hadn't exactly been keen on going to the police station himself, but agreed after it was made clear that it was an order. Cordelia sounded a little miffed that Angel sent Doyle there resulting in him thinking she was jealous because Doyle was talking to Kate Lockley.
After taking more time than was necessary, Doyle returned triumphantly having obtained the necessary information. Cordelia was all over him, proud that he did a good job, hugging him and joking about having to deal with Kate.
Seeing Cordelia's arms around Doyle tied Angel up in knots. He couldn't stand her touching him even in this friendly way. Though he didn't quite understand why the sight made him feel that way. He was too busy glowering over the thought that it wasn't just a friendly hug, but something more.
Back at Kate's Place
"So you were jealous," Kate easily deduced from the limited version that Angel gave her.
Cordelia listened managing to stop herself from interrupting Angel's little soliloquy. It was too difficult to stay quiet any longer. "Pfft! That's an understatement."
Glowering at Cordelia now, Angel recognized that it was best to stay silent on that one, for the moment.
Doyle explained to Kate, "Vampires are rather possessive about things and people. Knowing how protective Angel was when it came to Cordelia, I just played off that a bit. He didn't know what hit him."
Angel Investigations, Underground Parking Garage
Walking up to his car in the underground parking garage, Angel reached for the door handle of his car only to go tumbling against the wall as a large beam smashed him over the head. It was Spike, vamped out and fighting. Here for one obvious reason: the Ring of Amarra.
"Angel, I believe you have something I'm looking for— a shiny little bauble," Spike took the opportunity while his grandsire was down to explain his demands.
Picking himself up off of the ground, Angel told the peroxided vampire, "Might as well go home, Spike. The Ring of Amarra stays with me."
Angry at that response, though Spike truly expected it, he swung the wooden beam at Angel again. The larger vampire caught it in one hand and hit Spike across the chin, in the stomach and then knocked him to the floor. Spike slowly gets back up, board in hand again.
"Why?" Spike asked derisively. "Because you are a vampire detective now? What's next? Vampire cowboy? Vampire fireman? Oh, vampire ballerina."
Charging Angel with the beam, Spike heard the snarky response, "I do like to work with my legs." Grabbing an overhead pipe, he swung both feet into Spike's chest sending him into a hard fall.
Spike quickly picked himself up and kept stabbing at his grandsire with the beam while Angel danced around like a boxer, dodging the board. When Spike tried to pin him to the hood of the car, Angel kicked him off, taking the beam away from him in the process. Then twirling the beam in his hands, Angel mocked him for such a pitiful attempt at reclaiming the ring.
"We duke it out, huh? This is your strategy to get the ring back?" Angel sneered.
Attacking again, Spike misses as Angel fended him off with the beam managing to pin the English vamp to the car. Spike only complained, "Hey, I had a plan!"
Angel all but laughed at him. The other vampire was infamous for his impulsiveness. "You? A plan?" Not that the lack of one had ever deterred Spike from getting in the middle of trouble, or better yet, causing it.
Spike growled. "A good plan. A smart plan. Carefully laid out. But I got bored," he admitted while hitting Angel and pinning him up against the wall. "All that watching and waiting…, my legs started to cramp." Throwing Angel up against the door leading out, told the souled vampire, "Enough with the hit-n-quip. Just tell me where the damn ring is."
Turning around, Angel had shed his human features allowing his demon to rise to the surface as his irritation with Spike increased. "It wouldn't go with your outfit." Hitting Spike for a while felt pretty damn good just to pay him back for interrupting his own plans. They included helping a client and Spike was delaying him responding. Angel threw Spike against the concrete wall of the garage just as Doyle & Cordelia arrived.
Quick to see that he might turn it to his advantage, Spike got to his feet and zeroed in on the former Sunnydale cheerleader. "Cordelia. You look smashing. Did you lose weight?"
Automatically responding, "Yes, there's this great gym— hey!"
Spike smirked in a way only secondary to Angelus himself. Offering quite honestly, "I'd give you a good workout, luv."
"Eew!"
Angel stepped closer, his rage at the innuendo keeping his vamp face firmly in place, the feral growl telling Spike everything he needed to know. Turning back to him, "I'll get that ring. This isn't over until one of us is a pile of dust, mate."
Darting off, Spike ran as if a pride of lions was on his tail. Worse, one pissed off poof of a grandsire was more than enough. Fortunately for him, Cordelia made a timely interception pulling Angel into a relieved hug despite that his vampire features were still firmly in place.
"Angel, are you okay?" Genuine worry sounded in her voice as she pulled back just enough to press her palm against his face. She knew Spike was not just an ordinary demon. Like Angel, he was a master vampire of the Aurelius clan and possessed a wily imagination when it came to scheming.
Still caught up in the way Spike spoke to Cordelia, Angel wrapped his arm around her waist, not letting her go even after she released her hold on his neck.
Doyle was quick to cut to the significant topic, "More importantly, how's the ring?"
"It's fine," Angel revealed as he morphed back to his human face. "I can't say the same for you two, though. You'd better get out of sight until this thing is over. Spike is out for blood."
He felt Cordelia's spine stiffen at his words. She wasn't about to verbally admit her fear, but it was clear that she knew a run-in with Spike would not end well. It really killed him to suggest it, but Cordelia's safety was far more important than his own jealousy over her close friendship with Doyle. Telling his seer, "Take her to your place," Angel released Cordelia from his arms.
Cordelia looked confused and none-too-happy with the idea. "Why can't I just go home?"
"Because he knows you, Cordelia. If he wants to, he'll track you down," Angel said.
Shrugging, Cordelia agreed that Spike could probably do that if he got it in his head to do so, "Yeah, but he's not invited, right? He can't come in."
Doyle immediately understood what Angel feared. "No, but he can burn the place to the ground with you in it."
After that description, Cordelia readily changed her mind. "Okay, Doyle's place it is."
"What about you, man?" asked Doyle concerned. "You know he'll be coming back for you before long."
"I know," but Angel was resolved to see it through as long as Cordelia stayed safe, and despite his contrary feelings, figured Doyle was the only one he knew and could trust to take care of her.
Cordelia's hazel eyes were big and bright as she asked, "So what are you going to do?"
"Find him first," Angel told her, resolved to do anything to end this.
The look she gave him was full of confidence, as though Cordelia believed he could accomplish anything he put his mind to despite the fact that Spike was dangerous. Her lush lips pressed together in a determined line as her hand traced the sleeve of his jacket and gripped his hand for a moment. "Alright, let's go."
Angel knew the situation with Spike was probably far more dangerous than Cordelia might imagine. He knew the fight for the Ring of Amarra wasn't going to be simple; not as easy as a brawl in a parking garage that was certain. Angel traced his fingers over Cordelia's face as if memorizing its curves and the green-gold flecks in her hazel eyes. She waited for him to say something, but Angel couldn't say goodbye. It had a ring of finality to it that he didn't want to put to voice. Not with her.
When Cordelia moved away as his hands dropped to his sides, Angel grabbed Doyle and leaned in to issue a final order he knew the seer would obey without hesitation. "You take care of her."
Doyle's cheeks dimpled despite the gravity of the situation. "Oh, I will."
Kate Lockley's Apartment
Doyle made a long story short by describing the fight over the Ring of Amarra. Angel was so distracted after killing the vampire Spike had hired to torture the information out of him, and after experiencing being able to stand in the sunlight, that he hardly noticed that Cordelia had organized his rescue. She'd been busy checking him for injuries that had suddenly healed thanks to the power of the ring and asking about Angel being okay that Cordelia probably never realized the extent of her protective behavior.
Like Angel, it wasn't just friendship driving her actions. Not that either one of them noticed.
Except Doyle. As always, he was watching.
Kate listened to Doyle's spin on the events surrounding the fight for the mystic gem. Knowing now that vampires were real enough, she had to believe that this story was also true. Though it didn't surprise her in the least that Cordelia would do anything in her power to save Angel, the thought of magical rings called to something from her childhood that left her smiling. "You have a ring that makes you invulnerable?"
Glancing down at the vampire's hands, one of them resting on the table next to his wine glass, the other curled around Cordelia's, she noted that neither one appeared to have a ring with a gem in it.
"Not anymore," Angel answered glancing toward Cordelia from the periphery of his vision.
"He destroyed it," commented Cordelia on a sour note. The fact was still a bone of contention between them whenever the subject came up.
Finding it difficult to comprehend that anyone would do that, Kate could only echo Cordelia's words as a question, "Destroyed it?"
"Power corrupts, Kate," explained Angel hoping that Cordelia would also understand now that he was free to share his true feelings about it with her and with everyone. "As long as that ring existed, I knew Spike and others like him would never give up trying to get it. Keeping the ring, I might be invulnerable, but the people around me are not." His dark gaze shifted to Cordelia. After a pause, he added, "I couldn't risk that."
Cordelia wavered between looking irritated and wanting to kiss him. Leaning in close, both of them smiling, she pulled back at the last second to say, "Angel conveniently forgets that I've kicked a little demon ass and dusted a few vampires without him being around. He just has this whole Dark Ages chivalrous thing going on."
"I'm not that old," Angel sat back abruptly. "I wasn't alive in the Dark Ages."
"Pfft! You should see him play with his sword," commented Cordelia with a shrug.
Kate blinked twice before asking, "Pardon?"
Cringing as he realized where Cordelia's innocent statement automatically was taking his thoughts, Angel knew any response of his would only get him into trouble. Even though she hadn't meant it that way, Angel had gotten in quite a lot of one-on-one 'swordplay' in the weeks prior to them getting together.
Not that he let himself believe it was all about Cordelia. She was just the obvious target for his lustful imaginings because she was there. Normally, he maintained a tight control over his body and the direction of his thoughts, but his petty jealousy over Doyle and Cordelia's easy and growing friendship kept his thoughts on her.
With that focus it was only a natural hop, skip and jump away from imagining Cordelia and him: with him, under him, on top of him, just beside him. For a thankfully brief period, he acted no better than a horny teenager and chivalrous feelings were the furthest thing from his mind when it came to Cordelia Chase.
The Rooftop
High above the ground, on top of a skyscraper neighboring the offices of Angel Investigations, Doyle managed to find Angel. Still wearing the ring, he stared into the glow of the setting sun as he contemplated his decision.
"So how long has it been between sunsets?" Doyle approached slowly.
Angel barely looked away from the horizon, now a brilliant orange with the ever darkening sky above it twinkling with stars. "Two hundred years give or take."
"Well you got to be feeling pretty damn good then, huh?" Doyle grinned. "I mean this ring— changes everything, don't it?"
Falling silent again, Angel quickly reviewed the tempting images that flashed through his mind: Cordelia in sunlight with him at her side; taking her to the beach midday, picnics on the sand.
Doyle's own excitement made him miss the resolve that masked sadness in Angel's dark eyes. Looking at the horizon, he thought the vampire was just caught up in its beauty. "Yeah, it's spectacular, I know. But I do promise that there will be another one exactly like it tomorrow."
"Not for me," a twinge of bitterness sounded accompanied by steadfast resolve and determination.
Confused, Doyle asked, "What are you saying? That the city will be hit by a meteor before tomorrow night or…"
"No."
Suddenly, his friend's decision was all too clear. "No," Doyle glanced down at the ring and shook his head in denial that Angel could even consider it. An ache settled in his chest at the thought of what the vampire was about to give up. "It's too horrible to say the other. I can't even bring myself to say the other."
"I'm not going to wear the ring," Angel told him determinedly, the muscles of his jaw clenched. The dangers of keeping it would far outweigh any possible happiness he would gain from wearing it. Not if it endangered the people he cared about.
"That was the other," Doyle shook his head unwilling to simply accept what seemed like a crazy decision, especially considering all that Angel would gain by keeping that ring. "You got a real addiction to the brooding part of your life. Anyone ever tell you that?"
"Once or twice," admitted Angel with a hint of a wry smile lifting the corner of his mouth, his thought turning back to Cordelia again.
Doyle wanted to hear more than just a decision. "Care to explain? I mean this ring is your redemption. It's what you've been waiting for."
Shaking his head, Angel disagreed, "Nah, it just looks like it."
The Ring of Amarra wasn't redemption, but temptation. The easy path to getting something Angel thought he wanted, but couldn't have: sunlight. He'd been brought back from hell itself for a reason and this mission was about helping those who get lost in the night, not about 18 holes at Rancho or feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin.
Cordelia was his warmth, his sunshine. He felt that with every touch and every smile she bestowed, even if it was unconsciously made. Keeping that ring would only put her in danger. Because Spike and any number of others would eventually come for the ring and that next time anyone with him would be in harms way. Next time, she wouldn't get away without a scratch.
Angel knew that he couldn't have both Cordelia and the ring. That made the decision easy.
"Angel, man, think what you are saying," Doyle attempted to change his mind.
"I have," the vampire assured him. "I've thought of it from every angle."
The sun set beyond the line of the horizon leaving only darkness, starlight and the reflected light of the moon shining on their faces. Before Doyle's disbelieving eyes, Angel removed the Ring of Amarra, placed it on the ledge between them and, after lifting a loose brick, smashed it.
The Offices of Angel Investigations
Consciously admitting his feelings for Cordelia were actually something more than protective brotherly ones was a shock for Angel. Hadn't he learned his lesson with Buffy? Cordelia deserved no less than she did: a man who could share his life with her. Someone who could give her sunlight and children and all of the other things she so richly deserved.
That wasn't him, nor would it ever be. But it obviously wouldn't be Doyle, either. The hell if Angel was going to let Doyle have what he denied himself.
Having exited the elevators from his basement apartment, Angel soundlessly walked into hearing range as Cordelia commented to Doyle, "This is a business. We should be running it like one. We should be charging. I know Angel has been working day and night helping people fight their personal demons, but I need a raise!"
Doyle laughed at her reasoning. "A raise? What, you've been working for him for like twenty minutes."
"A month," Cordelia corrected as if he didn't know already, "and I have needs."
"Needs."
"A person needs certain designer— things," she explained as Angel emerged from the shadows to lean up against the doorframe behind them. Both seemed engrossed in their conversation, not noticing his stealthy arrival.
Giving Cordelia a long look, Doyle leered playfully, "Personally, I don't think you need much in the way of clothes."
Angel's eyes narrowed at the seer's comment.
"But you're right, and I do agree," Doyle admitted before either Cordelia or Angel could say anything about his tendency to mentally strip anything in a skirt. "Angel needs to start charging. He just hates bringing up the finances with the clients. He likes playing the hero, walking off into the dark with his long coat flowing behind him in a mysterious and attractive way."
Finding her thoughts focused on that image just as Doyle intended, Cordelia caught herself on an indrawn breath and defensively joked, "Is this a private moment? Cos I can leave you two alone."
"No, no," Doyle held up his hands. Trust Cordelia to twist his words around to her own advantage. "I'm not saying I'm attracted. I'm just saying he projects a certain kind of image and that asking for money isn't part of it. He's sensitive about that."
What more did it take to drum the idea into the girl's head? Stubborn little thing.
Noticing Angel's presence, with his broad shoulder held up by the frame of the door. Cordelia elbowed Doyle, leaning in and whispering conspiratorially, "Ok, we're going to stand up to him."
Straightening up from his position of leaning on the edge of the desk, Doyle quipped, "Yup, standing up."
The look on Angel's face suggested he already had a hint of the conversation. She opened her mouth to speak and then thought twice before suggesting to Doyle, "Just as soon as he's had his coffee."
Doyle didn't mind the delay in the least, "Right."
Angel walked over to the coffee pot out of habit. It was what Cordelia expected, so he didn't mind following suit. Both Cordelia and Doyle wore suspicious smiles on their faces and if Angel hadn't already heard them talking about money, he might have suspected something else. Then again, they had been joking about him instead of agreeing that he might be dark and mysteriously attractive. Cordelia obviously had more interest in Doyle and in making money than him.
"Morning," he offered them an opening despite the urge to glower at them both.
Minutes later, Doyle's vision about Melissa Burns, employee of the Pardell Paper Company, distracted them from the conversation about money much to Angel's relief. He simply didn't believe they should charge for helping people. It seemed wrong to do so. He'd survived without a salary for two hundred plus years. Not that he'd had rent, utilities or employees before.
Angel headed through the sewers to the paper company to confront the future victim and offer her their services. Only things hadn't gone as smoothly as anticipated. She turned down his help, but Angel left one of their calling cards behind in case she changed her mind. Returning to AI, Angel informed Doyle & Cordelia, "I scared her."
Doyle, sitting close to Cordelia as usual, commented, "Sounds like she was scared to begin with."
Pacing, Angel turned back to them, "Am I intimidating? I mean do I put people off?"
Glancing up at him, Cordelia offered him a smile, "Well, as vampires go, you're pretty cuddly." Angel only repeated that word in his head and tried to hold back his demon's sudden fury at the comparison. Cuddly? She thought he was cuddly. That might not be so bad. Then she added, "Maybe you want to think about mixing up the black on black look."
Looking down at his clothing of a black shirt, black pants and his black leather coat, Angel frowned at the thought that there was something wrong about the outfit. Then he turned his thoughts back to the issue at hand. Suggesting to Cordelia, "Maybe you should talk to her."
Cordelia told him, "When she hires us, I'll get involved."
Even Doyle had to agree that they should barge into the woman's life when it was clear that she didn't want them there. "Cordelia is right."
"I don't think so," Angel told them as he walked over to lean up against the table. "I've got a bad feeling that we need to get involved now. This shouldn't be about money."
"It isn't," Doyle said.
Already geared up for putting their plan into action, Cordelia automatically agreed, "Yeah you should listen to…," she stopped to give Doyle a hard look. "It isn't?"
"No, it's about doing what's best for the people you've helped, Doyle watched Angel straighten up. "People get attached to a mysterious savior, and can you blame them? But as long as you're just a man who's doing a job and getting paid, they can feel like they've paid their debt to you and they can move on independent like."
The subterfuge was not lost on Angel, but he saw the way Cordelia gave Doyle the credit for coming up with that explanation. "You're a lot smarter than you look," she told the seer before flirtatiously joking with him, "of course you look like a retard."
Angel's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly at the way Cordelia and Doyle smiled at each other. Only Cordelia could insult a man and have him drooling for more. He realized they still spent a lot of time together when he wasn't around and Angel quickly came to hate that idea deciding that was going to stop.
An opportunity came later in the case, a time when Angel would normally have gone looking for information from their one Police Department contact, but gave the task to Doyle instead.
"Again?" Doyle groused about having to go anywhere near the police station.
"You contacted Kate Lockley the last time," Angel reminded. "Makes sense that you do so again. Familiar face."
For Cordelia's benefit, Doyle pointed out, "I'm not the member of this team Katie girl is interested in seeing, man. I think she's into tall, dark mysterious types."
Cordelia quipped, "Your entire existence is a mystery, Doyle."
Surely Angel wasn't at fault for believing she was jealous of Doyle and Kate seeing each other even in this capacity. For Angel, it was an easy mistake to make.
"Give Kate a little credit. She's a capable officer. You don't have to guess where you stand with someone like her," Angel pointed out. She either accepted you or you'd be thrown to the wolves. Cordelia was the big mystery. She gave off so many mixed signals, it drove him crazy wanting to strangle her— and just wanting her.
"Really," an icy tone crept into Cordelia's voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Hesitates, Angel realized he hadn't really meant to say that about Kate. Since when was Cordelia's runaway mouth contagious? He tried to fix it by saying, "Kate seems uncomplicated. Easy to understand where she's coming from. Don't you think so, Doyle?"
Wisely, Doyle said nothing, trying to give Angel the high signal to shut up, but the vampire only continued without realizing that he was sinking into deep quicksand. "You, on the other hand…"
Realizing that Angel was about to make a comparison, Cordelia snapped, "You know, Angel, it's actually a lot harder being one-dimensional than it is to be like me. Ask Kate! She even has a gold star."
Cordelia stalked out of the office leaving Angel gaping in confusion at her response and Doyle wearing a pitiful expression as he stared back at the vampire. His little mission to get those two together might be impossible. "Two hundred forty plus years on this planet and you still haven't got a clue about women. No wonder you brood so much."
The Offices of Angel Investigations
Dealing with Melissa Burns' obsessed former fiancé was a lot easier for Angel than finding a way to get back into Cordelia's good graces. She seemed focused on Doyle's attentions for the rest of the case. Though Angel had to admit she never gave their client any reason to doubt that he was trustworthy in the hero department when it came to saving her from Ronald, the psychic surgeon who could dismember himself piece by piece and control every aspect of those separate body parts.
Watching Cordelia fix Doyle's collar in the middle of their efforts to secure the apartment distracted Angel for several minutes of self-pity before he got back on track. He didn't like Cordelia touching Doyle any more than he liked Doyle flirting with Cordelia. He didn't like anything that gave them the opportunity to be together no matter how ordinary that might be. That included the simple task of them going to the bank the next morning.
"See," Cordelia waved the check under Angel's nose, a happy trill sounding in her voice, "you can save the damsel in distress and make decent money. Is this a great country or what?"
Doyle grinned at her enthusiasm, easily sucked right in by it. "Let's march down to the bank and deposit this beauty."
Despite the churning jealousy, even Angel found himself somewhat amused by their eager reaction to actual dollar signs. Pointing out the plan needed rethinking, Angel quipped, "Go ahead Doyle. I think I'll stay here and not burst into flames."
"Oh, right. You're pretty much the night deposit guy," Doyle said missing the dark look that followed. Being unable to go out meant Doyle would be alone with Cordelia. "Still, cause to celebrate."
"Cordelia can help me whip up a little celebration right here while you make the bank run," Angel suggested.
"Oh?" Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Cordelia found it hard to picture Angel in any kind of celebration mode. Especially one that involved whipping something up. With her lips pursed, she couldn't stop the teasing question, "Does that include one of us wearing leather?"
The look on his face was worth it, Cordelia decided. For someone who was an expert at not revealing a single emotional reaction, he looked like she'd shocked him to the core. "Are you suffering from brain-freeze, Broody? Sheesh! You'd think a vampire would develop a sense of humor after a couple centuries. Y'know…whip…leather."
Watching Cordelia's patented eye-roll, Angel tried to drag his thoughts out of the bedroom as images flashed through his head that he'd never considered in regard to her. Not more than once or twice anyway. Finding his voice, he clarified needlessly, "I meant cooking something special for dinner."
Since Angel was ignoring her little joke, Cordelia let it slide in favor of reminding him that she wasn't normally let near his kitchen except to make the occasional slice of toast. Cordelia also pointed out, "Besides, you don't eat."
"We'll make an exception," Angel shrugged. It might not be nutritional for him, but the capability and taste buds were still there.
"Ooookay," sending Doyle an eye-roll, Cordelia figured this was a day to mark the calendar. Angel actually wanted to celebrate. "Next thing you know you'll be out clubbing."
Figuring he might deserve that one, he commented softly, "Don't push it, Cordelia."
After a smile that knocked his socks off, Cordelia turned to hand the check to Doyle. "We could use more of these."
"And we'll have more soon," Doyle assured her as if he had previous knowledge of the fact. Maybe he did.
Cordelia added just for good measure, "We need more of these now. Have a vision."
Heading for the door, Doyle was followed closely by Cordelia. He felt like a postman with a tenacious terrier on his tail. "I just can't perform on demand."
"We need the clients," she sing-songed. "Have a vision."
Doyle paused before heading out the door. "That money has corrupted you."
Grinning at her little game, Cordelia asked him, "If I hit you on the head, will you have a vision?"
"Get away from me," Doyle waved her off. Not that it worked. "You're insane."
"Am not. Now will you have a vision?" Cordelia wasn't about to let it go.
Watching their banter and torn between smiling at it and wanting to tear Cordelia away from Doyle's side where it was obvious she was completely comfortable, Angel looked on from the sidelines.
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