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Cordy: "Angel! Get your butt down here, the sun set ten minutes ago, and we have to get to the Gap before seven, or the sale will be over!" Tapping my nails against the banister I rolled my eyes. Didn't Mr. Broodypants know all the good stuff would be gone if he didn't get moving? "I'm counting to three then I'm taking your car!"
Angel: I let out a long drawn out sigh, even though I didn't really need to. I don't breathe. How did Cordy convince me to go shopping with her again? Oh yeah, she gave me that smile of hers and I turned to mush like usual. I stealthily came up behind her when I heard her say that she was going to take my car. I jingled my car keys right next to her ear and said, "It would be hard to take my car without the keys." I smiled when I saw her jump.
Cordy: I swear to god my heart stops every time he does that to me. "Gunn was going to show me how to hotwire it. And what have I told you about the sneaking-up-behind thing ten million times?" Smacking him on the chest I finally managed to breath. It was a good thing he was cute or I would so tell him off. "Besides, its shopping for the helpless....and we help the helpless right?"
Angel: "You would get yourself electrocuted if you tried to hotwire my car, it has a hotwire failsafe on it." I was pulling her leg, but she didn't need to know that. "Shopping for the helpless? You haven't been helpless a day in your life." She gave me a glare. "Since when do we need to buy clothing for clients?" Not that I was opposed to helping to cloth some of our more impoverished clients, I doubt we needed to go to one of the stores that Cordelia likes to shop at. She has very expensive tastes.
Cordy: "By helpless I mean Fred you bug lunk." Grabbing my coat we headed for the door. Me? Need help shopping for myself? Please. "I think she only has that, whatever that is from Pylea. Since she actually talks to you that means your going to help me pick things out. Got it buster?" If he even tried to do his monochromatic black clothing thing I would scream.
Angel: "Why don't you just let her borrow some of your clothes and take her with you, instead of me?" I had other things I should be doing. Plus, how could I help her pick out clothes for Fred? I hardly knew the girl.
Cordy: "For starters she won't come out of her room. Secondly, Fred in a mall? She'd go into a coma. Or find the taco place in the food court and we'd never see her again." Why was he so stubborn? His name should be Mule not Angel. "And thirdly you can carry way more then her." Besides, he knew he was paying right? "And besides that, I look good in your car."
Angel: I grumbled at her. "Okay, well, let's just get this over with." I started to head for the door. I opened it for her and we went outside to the car.
Cordy: "Keep the enthusiasm down much?" You'd think I was making him donate a lung. Come to think of it, he could donate a lung. Something to keep in mind if business got really slow. Apparently he was only opening regular doors and not car doors today. Sliding across the vinyl seats I was glad it was dark and not daytime. The melted ass of Cordy would be bad. "You do know where the mall is, yes?"
Angel: "Yes, I know where the mall is. We had that group of demons going after all the power walkers, remember?" I took off out from the hotel and turned right. "What is Wes and Gunn up to tonight?" Why couldn't one of them go with her? Oh, right, I'm paying.
Cordy: "Actually I get the hostility toward that much misuse of spandex." Changing his radio station away from the mellow oldies to something that didn't totally suck I glanced over at him. "Wes is looking up something or another and Gunn had plans with his homies. Go figure." Yep, stuck with me Angel. Deal with it.
Angel: "You call this music?" I asked as she landed the station on some electronic beat noise. I pulled into the mall parking lot and into a spot. We got out of the car. "Make sure you lock your door." I saw that Cordy locked the door before shutting it and we started to walk into the mall. "So how long do you think this will take? Fifteen-twenty minutes?" I asked her hopefully.
Cordy: "Hah!" Grabbing his arm I dragged him into the mall. "I don't even pick out my shoes in twenty minutes. Its not like you don't have the time, Mister Immortal Champion." Dragging him into an Abercrombie and Fitch I headed toward a rack of tank tops.
Angel: This was going to be a nightmare. She was going to run me ragged I was sure. First thing when I get up I have to go shopping, definitely my idea of torture. I wandered over to a wall and leaned against it crossing my arms across my chest, just watching Cordy go.
Cordy: "Angel!" Hissing at him I waved him over to where I had found the cutest yellow top. "What do you think?" Holding the top against my chest I waited for him to either growl or roll his eyes. "It could be Fred? And it doesn't scream 'I've been in a hell dimension for five years' like her rag thing." Smiling big I shoved it in his hands and picked up a few skirts as well.
Angel: I rolled my eyes at her and just held the shirt. "I now know why you brought me." I waited for her to turn and look at me. "So I can be your pack mule." I just hoped that she was almost done. I looked at the price tag of the flimsy yellow shirt. "Forty-five dollars?! For this?"
Cordy: "See? You are good for something besides killing demons." Picking one of the skirts I took the shirt back from him, looking around to make sure nobody heard us. "Yes, forty five dollars. Keep quiet Oliver Twist or the perfume lady will come and spritz you." Taking the shirt back I dumped my purse in his hands along with the rejected skirts. "I'll be right back. Don't go running off like you like to do."
Angel: I watched in agony as Cordelia went off around a corner in the store. All of a sudden I felt very out of place. I sales guy came over to me. He greeted me. I nodded at him and pretended to browse some of the clothing. He leaned in close to me and asked, "You going to be in a drag show?" I took a step backwards and just looked at him stunned for a second. "No, I'm shopping for a friend." He gave me a wink and said, "Pity, with that face of yours, you'd make a great queen." He turned away then. As he walked away I said, "Uh... thanks." Then Cordelia was back and I breathed a sigh of relief. "The sales people here are a little too friendly here, how about we go somewhere else?"
Cordy: "What? Do you know how rare friendly salespeople are?" He looked like he was seriously out of it. Snapping my fingers I pointed to the change of clothes. "Does this work or no?" Stepping in front of a full-length mirror, I turned, looking over my shoulder at the clothes. If they looked good on me, then Fred would be fine. "We still have to hit Francine's, Cirque, La Bohem, Pacific Wear and..." I made a face, tugging the skirt up a bit. "Old Navy."
Angel: "The sales guy said that I'd make a good drag queen Cordelia. I am not going to stay in here." I took a step closer to her and whispered. "I think he was hitting on me." I looked at her in the outfit. "You look fine. I thought you just wanted to go to one store?"
Cordy: Raising an eyebrow I looked him over seriously. "Let's see, tall dark and handsome, wearing leather, shopping, wonder how he got that idea?" Biting my bottom lip I tried to keep from laughing. Angel as a drag queen was, well kind of hot. "Come on, you can stand by the dressing room door. You'll be safe." At least he hadn't beaten the guy up , that was progress for him when it came to dealing with people right? Changing back into my regular clothes I tossed the ones for Fred over the door to him. "One mall Angel, see there are a lot of stores in a mall. Its a total retail experience."
Angel: I checked my watch. It was already 7:45. "The mall closes at nine Cordy, that means we only have a little over an hour. Don't think we're going to make that 'total retail experience'." I smiled to myself. I could handle an hour more, as long as no more sales guys said that I'd look good as a woman, otherwise I might have to get angry.
Cordy: "You can't fool me, they close at ten." Stepping into my heels I stepped out of the dressing room. "Which still isn't long enough, did you pay yet?" Crossing my arms over my chest I nodded toward the cash register. Looked like the guy behind the register would be happy if he went over there. Shrugging I headed for the next store. He'd find me, it was what he did after all.
Angel: After five hundred dollars later, and going to at least ten stores, we were on our way back to the hotel. Cordelia told me that five hundred dollars was a hell of a bargain for all of the clothing that we bought. I remember when five pence could get you a tankard of ale, a serving wench, and a room for the night. Things have really changed. I also bought Cordelia a two hundred dollar pair of shoes. I'm not really sure why she did it besides the fact that she really liked them. I bought them when she wasn't looking and just added the bag to the rest of the bags. I figured that I'd wait and surprise her with them when we got back to the hotel. Either that or I'd just leave them on her desk for in the morning. I drove to the hotel and parked the car. "Home sweet home." At last...
Cordy: He carried most of the bags inside to the front desk. Maybe I went a little overboard, but it was a good cause right? I started going through the bags and noticed him hovering. "Why are you lurking? You don't have to look at the clothes anymore." Actually he'd done pretty well, only a few scowls and one outburst in the parking lot. Soccer moms apparently can't look to their right. Noticing a small bag from Hannigan's I stopped. "Hey, we didn't buy anything from there."
Angel: I walked over quickly and grabbed the bag. "Yeah, we did." A little embarrassed that I didn't get to surprise her because I forgot to hide the bag I said, "I bought something anyway. For you." I took the other bags out of her hands and handed her the bag with the shoes in it.
Cordy: "Me? A present?" My eyes lit up. It had to be shoes. He bought me shoes! Forgetting the other bags I stepped around the counter toward him. "You didn't have to you know. But since you did..." Leaping toward him I wanted to see what was in that bag, and now!
Angel: I always felt uncomfortable giving presents. I took out the shoe box and handed it to her. "You said you liked them so..."
Cordy: "The Gucci platforms!" Tearing the box open I was in awe. They were black and leather and really really expensive. Looking up at him I saw just how much I'd made him suffer tonight. "Thank you Angel." Letting the shoes dangle at my side in one hand I wrapped one arm around him.
Angel: I put my arms around her and hugged her. I had made her happy, that was what I meant to do with giving her the present. "It's not a big deal really, but you're welcome."
Cordy: "Yes it is a big deal." He was always thinking of someone else, unless someone was asking him about being a drag queen apparently. Pulling against the front of his jacket I got him to lean down a little farther. Close enough for me to plant my lips over his.
Angel: I almost pulled back before I realized that this was what I had been waiting for... for a long time. I entangled one of my hands in Cordelia's hair and kissed her back.
Cordy: Leaning against him I felt his strong chest and tried to tell myself no. This was Angel, and what was I doing? And wow, he really is a good kisser. Closing my eyes I felt dizzy, like I wasn't steady. No not now! Collapsing the vision took over me. It was Buffy and Dawn, on a tower. A dragon, lightning not the hellmouth again! "The hardest thing in this world is living in it." Speaking the words I felt her jump, fell with her.
Angel: Everything was right, Cordy and I were kissing, and then she just went limp in my arms. "Cordy!" She mumbled something about living in the world is hard. I swooped her up in my arms and sat with her on the couch. "Cordy? Are you okay?"
Cordy: "Portal, killing her." Feeling the power tearing her apart I cried, it was Buffy. She can't die, can she? The falling was the worst, nothing to hold on to. Angel was here, wasn't he? Locking myself to his arms I screamed as she hit the ground. Relieved it was over it took me a while before I could open my eyes and look at him, the tears already falling.
Angel: "Killing who Cordy?" Vision. She had a vision obviously. I had never seen one shake her up this badly before though. "What do you see?" I pulled her in my arms, stroking her back. Trying to calm her down.
Cordy: "Angel, I don't know how to tell you this." Swallowing I could taste the bile in the back of my throat. "Buffy just died, the Powers gave me a play by play."
Angel: My whole body went stiff. "No, you see things before they happen don't you? Maybe I can stop it." I shoved her gently off my lap and went over to the phone, dialing the number that I memorized a long time ago but haven't called in a long time.
Cordy: Curling up on the couch I watched him use the phone. Nobody would answer. They were all there, with her. "She's gone Angel." As much as I didn't want to think about it the vision kept replaying in my head. "The hardest thing in this world is living in it." Whispering to myself I picked up a glass of water, taking a sip and tasting nothing but blood.
Just when I thought Angel couldn't get any broodier...he got broodier! One vision about Buffy and all he does is mope, and its been weeks, months even. Sure the man vampire is dedicated to his suffering but shouldn't he be getting over this already? Its not like he had to have the vision. The head splitting, empty a mega sized bottle of aspirin vision! And he could at least try and take an interest in our clients. It says Angel Inc on the door, people sort of expect to at least get a glimpse of Mister Champion.
Actually having clients is a different story. Not a single walk in at all today. Which, hey good for my nails. Although if I have to listen to Gunn and his tales of using his favorite axe 'back in the day' one more time I'm going to scream. Or possibly scream and have a vision. "That's it!" Shoving my copy of Cosmo aside I start up the steps toward his room.
"What's it?" Gunn looks up from polishing his axe on the couch. "Tell me your not going to help Wes with his plan to bribe Fred with tacos?"
"Its....it! And no." Strutting up the steps I shove open the door to Angel's room. "Ok buster, time to spill. And you know I'm not taking no for an answer."