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Uhmm well, although I begin to think no one likes this story anymore ( :( sigh), I don’t care, so if I started it, no matter what, I’m gonna finish it! ;)

Before reading: all AtS stuff is an AU because, first, I don’t know much of what happened on its Third Season (the one that corresponds with Season six of BtVS), so there could be some mistakes about the characters in that show right then; second, Kate never existed, Angel had no relationship with Cordelia, but MOSTLY no one ever brought Darla back (with all the consequences that implies), otherwise things would get hard for me to continue this story, that’s why I need these changes…


PART 23

That evening, while the two blondes had fun in Sunnydale, Angel and his gang came back to their agency in LA. Harmony had joined them, too, because she had seen the mission as a chance to leave the office where she had spent several months trapped among four walls.
“Here they come, my big, strong and brave men! So, did you defeat the evil people?” Cordelia exclaimed when she saw Angel, Wesley and Gunn get in.
“As always, no one has a chance to escape from me!” Angel exclaimed, but then he heard Wesley and Gunn clear their throats. “Sure, also thanks to my helpful able-bodied assistants!” he added immediately.

Cordelia noticed that Harmony seemed disappointed.
“What’s wrong, Harm?” she asked.
“Oh, you know, among all the evil people there was a guy that I wouldn’t have minded dating, but Mr. Champion here and his fellows had the great idea to eliminate him!” Harmony snorted, crossing her arms.
Cordelia rolled her eyes, regretting that she ever asked and she turned to Angel again.

“Well, I don’t know if this will mean that there is already another job lining up for you, but there’s a person here. And he seems kinda eager to talk with you...” she explained, taking him to his office.

The vampire was stunned when he saw the person that stood in front of him, Riley.
“* You*, here? What the hell do you want?” Angel snapped.
“Relax, I’m not looking for a fight, not this time at least,” the other answered with an unusual calm.
Cordelia looked at him without understanding what he meant.
“I’m here as a sympathetic friend.”
Now it was Angel the one who understood nothing.
“Let’s say that I just found out about the ‘little’ change in Buffy, and that that puts you and me on the same level, two disappointed ex-lovers defeated by an enemy in common!” Riley made him notice, knowing that he was pushing the right button.

“So, what? That doesn’t answer the question ‘What the hell do you want?’” Angel repeated, getting more and more annoyed.
“Simple, I wanna share this moment with a person that feels just like me, I know that you do. What about you and I go out and have a drink in a bar, to say goodbye to the bad memories and begin a new existence?” Riley suggested with that calm that had characterised him ever since he had stepped into Angel’s office.
If possible, Angel was even more puzzled by the offer.
“Who and who doing what, when and where?” was all that Angel managed to say.
“I really think it’s a wonderful idea, Angel. You should hang out with this friend of yours...” Cordelia replied.
“He’s * not * a friend!” Angel clarified.
“I definitely am not!” Riley confirmed.
“All I see is someone that’s volunteering to distract my friend a little bit, and believe me, he * does * really need it!” the girl struck back.
“I don’t think this is a good idea...” Angel protested. “Plus, I’ve just come back from a mission...”
“Right, so you need to relax and this is the perfect occasion! I know you, dude, and I won’t let you sit alone in a dark room, brooding over an old book, understand?” Cordelia struck back, looking at him impassively. Cordelia could be even more stubborn than Buffy!

“Ok, Cordy, I give in!” the vampire grumbled, putting his coat on. “C’mon, sympathetic guy, let’s go enjoy our sympathetic night!” Angel exclaimed, leaving with Riley.
“Just think about having fun, I’ll let the others know and I won’t even answer the phone, you deserve a free night,” Cordelia told him, as she watched them go. The brunette girl sat on her armchair, drawing out a fashion magazine from one of the drawers of the desk and grabbing a packet of crisps, taking a handful. “And more important, * I * do!” she slurred, as she crunched.

Due to the brainwashing by Cordelia and the stress after the mission, Angel’s sixth sense was kinda absent that night, so much so that it didn’t alert the vampire of the presence of the mistrustful boy. Maybe, it was because Angel saw this as a chance to unplug a little bit, and he really needed it.

Before he realized it, they were sitting at a table in a nearby pub. The vampire had chosen the place and he had cautiously chosen one where no one knew him. In front of them there was a bottle of Jack Daniels and they had already drunk part of it. After the first glass, Angel had become oddly chatty.

“So, tell me, how did you find out about Buffy?” he asked, as he stared at the almost empty glass.
“I paid a visit to her, she approached me, I wore a crucifix... I imagine you can figure out the rest of the story...” the soldier answered, pouring more liquor in Angel’s glass.
“Oh yeah, you must have seen her brand new pretty game face grimace in pain!” the vampire chuckled.
“What about you?” his interlocutor asked.
“Oh, well, I went to her house and found Spike there. Then, all of the sudden Buffy rushed in without looking at anyone, saying that she deserved a double cup of blood, and since I know that’s not one of the food requirements involved in a human diet, so you know, two and two make four...” he explained, without mentioning that she had also turned to Spike calling him ‘love’.

“So, don’t you want a little bit of revenge?” Riley wondered, looking at him with a cold light in his eyes.
Angel’s answer was to burst out laughing... and that showed how drunk he already was, “Ya know what? If only you had came here about ten days aaaago, I waas soooo mad at them that probably... I would have said ‘yessh, I want those twooo ungrateful traitors deeeeead!’ But not now, not anymoooore...” Angel slurred, staring at the blank spot.
“No?” Riley replied, and taking advantage of Angel’s distraction he slipped a couple of pills into his glass, filling it again.

“Sure, Shpiiiike has been cruel and heee has done horrible things, but after all I did the ssame, tooo, eeeven worse; but Buuufffyyy swore to me that he’s changed for real, weeell... I just believe that. And changed or not, ya know, if there’s ooone thing he’s alwayysh been able to do is tooo love. Ya knoow, I beeelieve there’s a little bit of humanity that hasss never left hiiiim. And I don’t know what his secret issh, but that baassstard also knows how to beee loved back...” Angel explained, stopping to drink from his glass. “Besides, my Boy has alwayysh had a thing for my ex-girlfriends...” he chuckled, but then he found himself thinking of Drusilla, he wondered where his Childe was, what she was doing right then… They had done everything together, and they almost had destroyed the world last time they had met.
“Truth iissh that now he really seems to caaaare about Buuuuffy, she is finally happy and that’s whaat matters to meee. After all, I prefer her with Shpiiiike than with ya...” Angel went on, but Riley wasn’t surprised. “Ya know what? At least I can say I looost her... but ya have neeever really had herrrr, you just were her last chance for a normal life, a normal life she hash neeever long for, although I thought she did. Maybe noow she has found whaaat she really needs,” Angel added, finishing his liquor and laughing once again.

Those words had made Riley feel insulted, but he ignored them as he got up.
“Well, it’s kinda late, gotta go now. I had a nice time, we should do this more often. Anyway, don’t worry, this one is on me!” Riley informed him, putting the money on the table and leaving the pub, as Angel was lost in his thoughts about his past again... and that seemed to amuse him.

****************************************
Riley closed the door behind him, heading towards his hotel.
“So, Angel, you don’t wanna help me...” he commented, chuckling as he looked at the little box of antidepressants he had hidden in his pocket. “Well, I know of someone else who will be very interested!” he sneered.

****************************************
Angel’s thoughts were interrupted once again; this time by a noise of crashing dishes and glasses.
He took a look around, thinking that there was a riot somewhere, but it was just a clumsy waitress that had let the tray fall on the floor not very far from him.
He was a little upset, because he felt like having a bit of violence, kicking and punching someone, he really wanted to do stuff like that. Anyway, he stared at the waitress as she picked up the broken dishes, but she was so clumsy that she cut her hand with a broken glass and her palm started bleeding copiously.
Unconsciously, Angel passed his tongue on his lips, and then, almost as if he had woken up from a trance, he got up and got as far as he could from the temptation, before letting his instincts take him over.

He didn’t understand what was happening, he felt odd and dizzy, so much so that he couldn’t walk straight.
A girl who passed by his side noticed that, and she approached to him.
“Hey, are you ok?” she asked, helping him regain his balance before he fell.
The vampire felt the warmness of that contact.
It was too much.
Before he could realize what he was doing, his fangs had already sunk into the girl’s neck.
“Now I feel better!” he sneered in full game-face, after savouring a long sip.

He was about to bite her again, when he seemed to come back to himself, and he stopped before he could seriously damage her, running away as confused as ever.
On one hand, he felt guilty and scared by his behaviour, but on the other hand... he felt satisfied by that warm blood, human blood that tickled his palate as it hadn’t happened for too long.
He burst out laughing, a terrible laugh that would have scared anyone else that wasn’t the one that stood beside him and joined him in his laugh.
“The Moon was right!” she exclaimed.

TBC

Author’s Note: I don’t remember if he did in the show, but in this story Riley knows about Angel’s happiness clause. Besides, as you can see, AtS episode ‘Eternity’ inspired me a lot! ;) By the way, I love that episode!
;)





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