August,  2002

The plane made it’s final descent.  She looked out the window and noted the all too familiar lights of Los Angeles International Airport.  This was it – was what her life had come to – at least for the moment.  She swore she’d never step foot back in the States until she was through with graduate school and could come back a success with her head held high.  So much for keeping promises.

She was jostled a little when the wheels hit the ground.  <It all looks the same.>  She wasn’t sure if she was glad for that, or disappointed.  The plane taxied to the terminal and the stewardess announced that they would be de-planing any moment.

If you blinked you would  have missed him.  He melted into the shadows so well and when he moved, you’d swear it was just the light changing and the darkness shifting.

Angel stood in the terminal, stoic expression firmly in place.  He was still going over everything Giles had told him on the phone a few days ago.  <Willow attacked.  Willow raped.  Willow hurt.>  If anyone deserved any of it, then Willow was at the bottom of the list. . .or not even on the list at all.  He smiled at the thought of the petite redhead.  Fond memories had flooded his mind in the days leading up to her arrival. . .bad memories too.  He shook his head to try and rid himself of the thoughts of Angelus and the reign of terror he held.  The announcement came over the loud speaker that the plane had arrived and he walked briskly to the gate and waited for her.

She was one of the first to get off the plane.  Thank God for first class.  Not that she was too good for coach, but the council had spared no expense and she was grateful.  She saw him right away. . .shifting from foot to foot, looking around under hooded brows.  <Same old Angel.>

They noticed each other at the same moment and he stepped up to her.  “Willow.”  He offered a soft smile.

“Hi Angel.”  It was a little too perky, a little too up.  She mentally kicked herself for putting on such a high schoolish tone.

He continued to smile none the less.  “Are you ready?   We should get to baggage claim before the crowd gets too much.”  She nodded and followed him down the stairs.

The ride to the warehouse was made in relative, comfortable silence.  Willow was thankful that Angel had picked her up – had it been Cordelia or even Wesley she would have had to take a hand full of aspirin from their non-stop talking.

“When’s your first appointment?”  Angel looked forward, concentrating on the road.

“Hmm?  Oh, late next week.  Giles thought I could use some time getting settled in.”

“Good.  That’s. . .good.”  He nervously tapped on the steering wheel.  “I’m glad you’re here.  I mean it’s good. . . to see you.  It’s been a long time.”

”Yeah, it has.”  She smiled a bit.  <Is Angel nervous?>

“Cordelia, um. . .well, she offered to have you stay with her.  She thought you’d be more comfortable than if you stayed with me.”

Willow instinctively rolled her eyes.  “Angel, that’s not. . .”

”It is necessary.  We promised Giles we’d take care of you and we can’t do that with you in a hotel room.  No more discussion about it.”

”But, Cordelia?”

It was Angel’s turn to roll his eyes.  “She’s different now, Willow.  She’s still Cordelia, but she’s different.  You’ll see.”

“Gee, I can’t wait.”

Willow steadied herself as the elevator creaked and made it’s ascent.

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Mansions, warehouses. . .have you ever heard of a house, Angel?”

He chuckled.  “Its convenient.  I live on the top floor and the office is in the middle.  The warehouse is just space.  I don’t use it for anything.  Cordy and Wesley live within walking distance.  We’re located right in the middle of the city.”

”I never thought you’d put yourself willingly in the middle of anything.”

”People change.  It may have taken me over 200 years, but.”

The elevator stopped and Angel pushed the cage back and led the way into his apartment.  “I thought you might want to freshen up before we headed to the office.  You must have had a long trip.  Bathroom’s down the hall.”

She came  back a few moments later and found Angel sitting on the couch.  He looked up at her and smiled.  “I thought only I was allowed to do the dark messenger routine.”

”What?”  She looked down and laughed.  “Oh, yeah.”  She shrugged.  She was wearing black – everywhere.  Oversized long-sleeved turtleneck, jeans and sneakers.  Her hair was down and framed her face.  When she looked down, red locks almost completely covered her features.

It was as if she was trying to disappear and it made Angel sad.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear so much black before.”  He said almost absentmindedly.  He noted the struck expression on her face and tried to recover.  “It’ looks good on you.  You’ll certainly blend in well here in L.A.”  She smiled.  <Good recovery.>  “ So, shall we?  Cordelia’s waiting in the office.”

Her feet were propped up on the desk and she was filing her nails.  It was Friday night, so technically she wasn’t even supposed to be in the office, so technically she didn’t have to do any work.  Three or four bags lay on the floor, testament to her successful shopping spree that afternoon.  She loved any excuse for a shopping spree and this was no exception.

“Cordelia?”  Angel called from the front office.

“Back here.  God, what took you so long?  I’ve been waiting here forever.”  She rolled her eyes as he walked in.  Willow followed behind.  He furrowed his brow at her and she smiled.  “Well, at least ten minutes anyway.”

She looked at Willow and smiled.  “Hey, Willow.  How are you?  You look good. . .good. . . .no, wait”  She looked over at Angel.  “Bad, bad, bad.”

Before she knew what was happening, Willow saw Angel catch Cordelia on her way to the floor.  Her eyes were squeezed closed tightly and she clung to Angel’s shoulders.  He didn’t let her go and held her head still as she convulsed.  It seemed like time stood still but in reality it was only about five seconds.

“Cordy, what did you see?”

She slumped over and rested against his chest.  “God, he couldn’t have left me a car, or money. . .”

”Cordelia. . .”

She reached out to the pad and pen on the desk.  “Go to this address.  It’s a woman, young, my age. . .good fashion sense.  She’s hurt in an alley, she’s wearing a wedding ring. . .she’s pregnant.  I think the husband beat her. . .I saw it. . .he’s not human.”

Angel nodded his head.  “You gonna be okay?”

”Yeah, go. . .she needs you.  We’ll catch a cab.”

”I’ll take the sewers.  It’s not far.  Take my car, but if I find even a scratch. . .”

”Fine!  Go. . .call Wesley.”

He nodded his head and was out the door.

Willow stood there in shock.  She wasn’t sure what had just happened. Cordelia noticed the look on her face and tried to smile.  “Long, long story.”

“I’ll bet.”

She got up off the floor and sat in the chair.  “Can you drive?  These things really wipe me out and I don’t think I’d do either one of us any good behind a wheel.”

”You don’t do anyone any good behind a wheel from what I remember.  I’ll drive.”

Cordelia opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it.  She nodded her head, grabbed her bags and they left.

“I told Angel I could have stayed in a hotel.  I don’t want to put you out.”

She shook her head.  “You’re not.  I could use the company anyway.”

“You’re saying that because Angel told you to.”

She frowned.  “What makes you say that?  I’ll have you know I’m a different person now. . .”  Willow looked over at her and Cordelia knew she wasn’t buying it.  “Okay, fine.  He offered me a bonus and two weeks vacation.  Happy?”

Willow’s head shot up in the direction of the kitchen.  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.  She rubbed her eyes, but it didn’t go away.  An icepack was floating through the room straight for Cordelia.

Without blinking, she took the icepack and placed it on her head.  She looked over at Willow and laughed.  “I, uh. . .kind of have a roommate.”

“I see.”

“Phantom Dennis, this is Willow.  Now she’s an old friend from high school so you’d better be on your best behavior.  Understand?”  She was looking around the room at nothing in particular.

A can of soda floated out of the kitchen right to Willow.  She reached up and took it.  “Um, thanks?”

“You’ll get used to him.  He came with the apartment.”

She nodded her head.  “Rent controlled.  I see.”  She ran her hands through her hair.  “I can’t believe this.”

”What?”

“Just any of it.  L.A. was the last place I expected to be.  I should be working on my graduate thesis right now and I’m here staying with you, you have a ghost for a roommate and you had this seizure and act like it was nothing and since when am I an old friend from high school?”

“Slow down there, Willow.  One thing at a time.  I had a poltergeist here when I first moved in.  It was Dennis’ mother, she killed him and she was haunting anyone who rented the place.  Long story short, Angel, Doyle and I got rid of her and Dennis kind of hung around.  I like him, he takes good care of me. . .he can get a little jealous when I have company, but over all he’s a good ghost, like Casper, only without the squeaky annoying voice.  The visions thing is a gift from my half-demon friend Doyle.  He was Angel’s connection to the Oracles.  The visions help Angel find people who are in trouble, supernaturally speaking of course.  Stuff you wouldn’t dare take to the police.”

“Hmm, Sunnydale only with more lights.”

”I never thought of it that way.”

”Where’s Doyle?”

A sad expression crossed Cordelia’s face.  “He died about two years ago.”

”I’m sorry. . .I didn’t know.”

”Long story short, he saved a bunch of half-demons from being killed by this band of other demons looking to wipe out all half-breeds.  Doyle was half-demon.  Before he died he kissed me and passed along this power he had. . . headaches and all.”   She shook her head.  “Thank you Doyle.”  The phone rang.  “Hello?  Now?  Fine . . .you’re lucky we’re decent.”  She hung up.  “Angel’s on his way over.  He has some information that apparently can’t wait until Monday.”  She rolled her eyes and got up.  “When you get a job, make sure your boss doesn’t know where you live.”

Right on cue, Angel walked through the door.  “Hey.”

”Don’t you knock?”

“Sorry.”  He stood there with his hands in his trench coat, looking at the floor.

“So what’s the what?”

“You were right.  Husband did a number on her.  He’s half-demon.  She’s seven months pregnant.  I have her in a hotel across town but she’s kind of skittish so I left Wesley with her.  I need to find out more about this guy.”

“You really need to take a computer course, Angel.”

Willow was watching the exchange with an amused expression on her face.  Angel looked over at her and caught it.  “What?”

“Nothing.  I just never thought I’d see the day.”

Cordelia interjected.  “Believe me.  Neither did I.”

A mug floated through the air and Angel grabbed it.  “Thanks Dennis.”

Willow shook her head in disbelief.  “I thought you couldn’t. . .”

”I can, when I want to.  But it’s blood.”  He took a sip.  “Warm blood.  Thanks again.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes.  “Can we say, eww?  Not that his plasma supply is mingling with my pickles.  He has his own little refrigerator under the sink.  Dennis takes care of him when he comes over.”

Willow stood and stretched.  “I guess nothing should surprise me. . .especially after finding out you two are working together.  Hey, didn’t you say something about research?”

Angel laughed.  “Some things never change I guess.  Yeah, I have to do some digging about this guy.  The wife doesn’t know what breed he is. . .she didn’t even know he was a demon.  Cordelia’s computer is linked to the one in the office.  It took us a while but we sent all the books out to be scanned and stored on a server.”

Willow clapped her hands together.  “Finally, I can feel useful.  Where is it?”

“Willow, you don’t have to do anything.  You’re here to relax.”

”Angel, I’ll be fine.  I’ve been here two hours and you guys are treating me like normal.  It’s nice.  They’re all walking on egg shells around me back in England.  It was driving me batty.”

Cordelia interrupted.  “I’m going to go change then we can get to work.  Ugh, work on a Friday. . . a Friday night no less!  You’ll make this up to me, won’t you Angel?”

He smiled.  “Yes Cordelia.”

She disappeared into the bedroom.

Willow turned to Angel.  “She doesn’t know, does she?”

He shook his head.  “It wasn’t my business to tell her.  Giles had to tell me but telling her, well, it’s up to you.  As far as she knows, you were burned out from your first year at Oxford and needed a break.”

”Thanks.  For everything.”

”Don’t mention it.”

They worked well into the night and Angel actually picked up a few pointers from Willow where the computer was concerned.  The information they found was meager at best.  Without a description of the guy in demon form, he could be anyone.  There were too many mixed breeds out there to list.  They did discover that there was a pattern to some activity that had taken place in the city for the past ten years.  Domestic abuse charges were filed by several women, all refusing to give a description of the man, or in some cases, the husband.  They were all pregnant and after the authorities were involved, he was never heard from again.  Some of the women went missing, too.

“I don’t like the way this is going.”

”Why’s that Angel?”  Willow looked up at him from the keyboard.

“I think it might be the same guy in each case.  If I’m right then he’s trying to populate the world with his own kind.”

”Yuck.  He doesn’t get my vote for daddy of the year.”  Cordelia said from the couch.

Angel stretched.  “I think that’s about all we’re gonna get for tonight.  I’m going home and going to bed.  Night ladies.  See you Monday.”

”Night Angel.”  Willow barely got out before the door closed.  “He never changes.”

”Yeah, at least this time we saw him leave.  You don’t know how many times I’ve been left in the office talking to myself.  It gets very irritating after the first hundred times or so but I’ve gotten used to it.”

“I think the jet lag is starting to set in.”

”I’m tired myself.  Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

Cordelia led the way to her room.  Willow noticed that it was very spacious and decorated in bright colors.  Cordelia’s bed was against the wall, close to the window, but not in the center of the room.  She looked to the right and noticed an oriental folding panel dividing the room. . .and it looked suspiciously like. . .”Cordelia, where did you?”

“Angel arranged everything.  He remembered what the one in your room looked like and went out and bought the same exact one.  He also went out and bought a futon for you and a dresser.  He wanted you to be comfortable.  From what he tells me, you’ll be here a while.”

She nodded.  “Yeah, but if I’m in your way, then. . .”

”You’re not in my way.  It’s fine, really.”  Cordelia smiled and Willow just shook her head.  “What?”

“I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop, that’s all.  Angel wasn’t kidding when he said you were different, but still Cordelia.  The Cordelia of old would have never bunked up with me, let alone been so nice.”

She had a hurt expression on her face.  “L.A. has changed me.  I’m not better or worse, just. . .different.  I still have my priorities but they’ve shifted.  No one can hunt down a sale like I can and I still reign supreme in the mall but, I’ve changed.  I’m”

”Different.  I like it.”

They smiled at each other for a moment.  Willow brought her bags behind the screen and changed.  Cordelia did the same and they were both in bed in no time.

“Cordelia?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.  For having me, I mean.  You didn’t have to. . “

”I wanted to.”  She waited a beat.  “Angel offered the bonus, but I didn’t take it.  I did take the vacation time though.  I’d be crazy to pass that up.”

She chuckled.  “Good night, Cordy.”

”Night, Will.”

Willow was surprised at the familiarity they’d fallen into.  She smiled and was thankful for it. . . .looks like strange things happened even when you don’t live on a Hellmouth.