Angel and I were sitting at his kitchen table, while Doyle slept. He had dozed off almost immediately, looking like he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a long time.
I was feeling the lack of my necessary beauty sleep myself, since Wesley and I had been up all night watching our chained boss. We hadn't actually left until dawn.
I hadn't planned on getting back here nearly so soon as I had. In fact, there was no doubt in my mind that I was owed an entire day off, staying home in the comfy bed that I had left behind way too soon.
Still, I might or might not see Wesley on my way out, and he didn't know the chains were off, so I figured that I had better ask before I left. It's not that anything about Doyle and Angel was any of Wesley's business, but with the apartment just below the office, things could get embarrassing.
Angel frowned, toying with the mug of blood in front of him. As usual, he didn't like to drink it while I was looking, as if I cared. After the whole Momma-Demon experience, things like that didn't bother me any more.
"Let's not tell him anything yet. I put him, both of you, through a rough time last night."
"Not you," I started, but Angel waved his hand impatiently.
"Just tell him you unchained me and that I need some rest today. I'll come upstairs in the afternoon, and I'll deal with telling him myself that Doyle is back. In the meantime, ask him not to disturb me unless it's a true emergency."
"He'll think you're brooding."
"Let him. I'd like to have some quiet time this morning."
"Thought you might. I'll cover for you, no problem, when I get back, that is, which may not be all that early, considering what time it is now, and I do need to get some sleep which I did not get last night, as you know."
"You're really all right with this, aren't you?"
"I really am. Surprised?"
"Astonished," he admitted.
"I'm just full of surprises. If you can make him happy, Angel, just do it, okay? But I don't need to know the details," I added hastily.
He smiled a little then, as I stood up to go home. "Good to know we have your blessing."
"Yeah, well, I expect a raise for running interference between Wesley and your sex life."
"I'll do the very best I can." And I knew that he meant more than the raise.
ANGEL
After Cordelia was gone, I swallowed the unheated blood quickly, and moved back into the bedroom. There was no need to bother with any pretense that I wasn't in a hurry.
Doyle still slept, looking wan and exhausted, but that hint of a smile was still there.
Careful not to wake him, I stretched out beside him, content simply to watch him for now. It was hard not to touch him, but I managed, for what seemed like a long time.
Then he began to stir restlessly in his sleep, and I gave in to the temptation to put an arm over him, very lightly, hoping to give him some comfort in his dreams.
His eyes opened immediately, although he didn't actually seem to see me at first. "Angel?" he whispered uncertainly.
"I'm right here."
He moved into my embrace then, seeming to be still mostly asleep, and then settled himself, resting his back against me. I felt him relax as he dropped back off into sleep.
I wouldn't disturb him for anything, and certainly not for my own desire, no matter how much it might be awakened by the warmth of his body pressed against mine.
There would be time for that, although never enough.
In the meantime, I tried to distract myself by planning what and how I would tell Wesley.
WESLEY
Despite our all-night vigil, sleep eluded me in the hours past dawn. I returned to the office. Rather than going to the desk, I sat down first on the couch to read the morning newspaper, postponing as long as possible the moment when I must go downstairs.
Hmmm. "Drug lord prosecution adjourned to seek missing witness." I read the story, trying to focus my thoughts, trying not to remember the words spoken last night.
Of course, this might well be a matter entirely unrelated to anything supernatural. The city of Los Angeles had an abundance of crime which was entirely independent of the occult or the demonic. Nonetheless, it might be worth phoning around a bit to see whether this was a situation in which there might be some need of Angel's services.
It would at least give me something safe to talk about while unchaining my employer. This business with chains was becoming a habit, and a nasty one at that.
I stood up, and was about to take the elevator downstairs when I spotted the scribbled note from Cordelia on the desk. I picked it up, blinking at it in surprise, not expecting that she would have returned to the office before me.
"W - Chains are off. Give him alone time this A.M. - do not disturb. Later. C."
It was a long, empty morning in the silent office, filled only with the echoes of a taunting voice.
The phone rang twice. The first time, it was someone inquiring about hiring an investigator for a divorce case. I politely assured the caller that he could do better elsewhere, and the silence returned, dust motes drifting to the floor in a shaft of sunlight.
Finally the phone rang again.
"Angel Investigations."
"Where's Cordelia? I don't think I know you," said an abrupt female voice.
"Excuse me?"
"Just put Cordelia on the line, please. I have a message for Angel." The voice was brusque and impatient. Although I had never actually met Kate Lockley, I had heard quite enough about her to have a good idea who the caller probably was, and to guess why she might be calling.
"Angel is not available at the moment."
"I'll just leave a message. There' s no need for me to talk to him. I'll give the message to Doyle, if he's there."
After a moment, I said, "Doyle no longer works for Angel Investigations. May I help you?"
The woman made a sound of annoyance. "Just tell Angel there's a contract out on a missing witness, and the word is that some of the muscle may be some of those evil-evil things we've talked about. There's no need for him to call me back, okay? In fact, I'd much rather not talk to him today, so just give him the message." And she hung up the phone.
I put the phone down, looking at the note still sitting in front of me, and sighed.
Strangely enough, I thought I knew quite how she felt.
