He was glad that she was around to keep him sane. With everything that had been happening lately with the firm, he doesn’t know how he even survived this long. Wolfram and Hart was not a good place for the good guys —- and he knew that. Yet, he doesn’t plan on leaving. He can’t.
Finally, his gaze meets hers, letting out a long sigh. Then a small L A U G H.
“This place. I mean, with everything they throw at us. It’s impossible to catch up. & now Fred -— “
“- –Then why stay?”
Cordelia sighs, moving her fingers to run soothingly through his hair as she contemplates her next words. She doesn’t want to say them, not when he’s finally opening up to her, but she has to confront him.
“This place isn’t good for us, Angel. Fred, Gunn… why did you come here in the first place?”
Organizing Giles’ own personal library had been a lot harder than she’d thought. Apart from the fragile nature of some of the more choice texts she’d handled, there was always more of them that seemed to be popping up. Just when she’d had the shelve organized to her liking, she’d find another box of books somewhere in the corner. After that, she’d have to completely tear down the organized shelve, and start again. The list the Englishman had provided to her hadn’t been helping things either. The question had become not how long it would take, but rather, how many books he actually had.
And then there was the fact that some of the volumes were missing. Most had been rescued before the high school had been blown up, the mayor inside with it. But a few were still MIA. At first, Willow had wondered if she had them at the apartment with Tara, but upon further investigation, a phone call with Tara, she’d found that they didn’t have them. That didn’t leave her with many options when it came to where the volumes might be.
And all of that had led her to phoning Cordelia, just to see if Angel might have the volumes at the office.
“Cordelia?” It’s Willow…”
“Willow, hey! It’s been a while.”
Despite the fact that they pretty much stayed in touch (at least compared to the rest of the Sunnydale crew), this was the first time Willow had called in a long while, so hearing her old classmate’s voice over the phone was a pleasant surprise for Cordelia. Though it was highly likely that the reason she was calling was much less pleasant, but they’d get to that eventually.
“…because they’re not acting right either…” Still looking around the two of them, just in case anyone else decided to try and intrude on the conversation, Willow couldn’t even attempt to hide her concern anymore. Something was wrong, otherwise she wouldn’t be having as much a case of the wiggins as she was. She’d been around the truth of the Hellmouth long enough to know that when things didn’t feel right, they generally weren’t right. This situation wasn’t any different.
“…Cordelia…we need to do something…”
“So you’re pretty much saying that everyone but you and me is acting like they’re possessed by some creepy thing? Ugh, what kind of freaky nightmare world is this?”
She couldn’t believe her luck. Of all the people to be stuck with when everyone else was acting totally weird, it had to be Willow?
( …Well, at least she’d be the most likely to be able to solve this problem, after maybe Giles.)
“Okay, well, you’re the smart one. What do you suggest we do now?”
“Yeah, let’s not talk about that. I was feeling less broody today.”
He sighed, trying to push Buffy’s name out of his mind for the time being. He needed to look like he was in love with Cordelia — not all sad about his ex. The vampire grabbed her hand, trying not to look uncomforable.
“I’m not fidgeting! I’m just trying to used to this idea —- that’s all.”
“You so ARE fidgeting. Jeez, is dating me that hard of an idea to get used to?”
She rolls her eyes, resting her free hand on his arm and pulling him closer. They’re supposed to be madly in love, for Pete’s sake, not awkward teenagers holding hands for the first time!
“Look, just - let me lead this one, okay? Just smile and nod, and put your arm around my waist or something at least mildly romanticif anyone starts getting suspicious.”
He glances up at her, eyes searching her hair, her outfit, and her makeup. Okay, which one was new?
“Oh! I got it, I got it. You —- “
Angel watches her face, trying to read her mind. He sighs, grabing her wrist so that she would stop hitting him with the shoe. He wishes he could read minds.
“ —– Did you get new makeup? Haircut? Shoes? Clothes? Weren’t you wearing something different this morning?”
She rolls her eyes as he grabs her wrist, and so obviously looks her over. He has no idea, does he?
“Oh my god, you’re seriously guessing! You really have no idea at all, do you?”
“Boo hoo, my town went to hell. Welcome to the world. Shit’s bad all over the place, and your town isn’t much different.” She rolled her eyes. “I got here when I got here. Rather I leave? Because I can do that.” She put her hands on her hips, staring squarely at the woman. “Do you want help or not?”
“I don’t want you here, but there’s still enough people left who need your help that what I think doesn’t really matter.”
It’s the closest thing she’d give to an olive branch as she finally relaxed, letting her arms fall down to her sides, Sure, she wasn’t happy about the Slayer’s late arrival, but she also wasn’t STUPID; no matter how annoyed with her she was, turning Buffy away would do nothing good for this town, or the people actually left in it. By now they were used to barely surviving, so it wasn’t like Buffy could make things any worse.
“Oh. Right. I haven’t been orbiting around planet Buffy in a long time. Is it fair to say that I’m orbiting around planet Cordelia?”
To be honest, she wasn’t wrong. He doesn’t remembering noticing her that often back in Sunnydale. They were compete strangers that just happened to have the same friend group.
“No. I assume that you do? I haven’t had a chance to go to the mall … at all really.”
"…Really?“
Maybe she shouldn’t be as surprised as she is by his admittance, but this is Buffy and Angel they’re talking about– - the eternal star-crossed lovers. The chances of Angel being over her seemed as slim as her father calling up and saying the IRS coming for them had all been a mistake, and they were rich again.
”Of course I do. Even when fighting evil on the daily a girl’s still gotta look good, right?“
“You think I wanna be seen outside like this either?” Willow asked, sighing as she turned slightly, the entire fact she was practically looking at herself making it harder to think than she’d like. At this point, she wasn’t sure she could get Cordelia to listen to her, especially considering that all of this was even freaking her out. Sighing a little, mentally cursing herself for not bringing any of her spell-books back to the house, she finally looked over her shoulder at Cordy.
“Look, we need to go find Giles, ok? He’ll fix this.”
“Well, I don’t see why you wouldn’t.”
It was a loaded statement, and one she wasn’t really expecting Willow to refute. Because honestly, why would Willow complain about looking like her? That was obviously the least of her problems - unlike Cordelia, who would be committing social suicide by walking out like this. Or, more specifically, letting WIllow go literally anywhere using her body.
“No way. He can come here, but there’s no way either of us is leaving the house like this!”
