Cordy was at the computer again the next day when Gunn dropped in. Angel was in the office
talking to Wesley and Grace had just come down stairs.
"How's things?" the young man asked of Cordy. "She okay?" he asked in a low tone, nodding in
Grace's direction just a smidge.
"Oh sure. Everything's great," the mortal girl responded with a nod. "The streets quiet?"
"Looks like," He agreed, resting his forearms on the counter and looking over at the screen.
Grace sat down at one of the desks and pulled her sword from its sheath. During the fight with
Armand, it had suffered a couple nicks and she wanted to get them smoothed out. Lovingly, she
set out with her oil and grindstone and started mending it. "So, lemme ask you guys this... Do
we wait for the problems to find us or do we find them?"
"Depends." Gunn shrugged. "Sometimes Cordy over there has a vision so we know where to go
looking for trouble, sometimes people come to us, and sometimes we just run into it."
"Hmm.... That's cool! I'm pretty much a trouble magnet, so your odds of running into it have
just about doubled." She paused and looked up at Gunn. "Can I ask you something though?" It was
a bit touchy for her. She'd been able to set it aside with Angel last night, but day had shone
a new light on things for her.
"Sure. Ask away." Gunn sat down and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his legs, watching her.
"What?"
She inhaled deeply. "That vampire last night. He almost got the drop on me. I wouldn't have
survived if you hadn't found me." She set down her sword and looked at him. "I can't fight them...
vamps... like I fight immortals. There's a difference. I was hoping that maybe you'd um... help me."
"Sure." The young man nodded. "We can work on that. There are a few tricks. Angel can help too."
He grinned wryly. "Having a vamp around definitely helps on the inside info."
She smiled. "That it does. Though I don't know about sparring with him. He hits hard!" The last
was said with a chuckle. "I want to contribute and not be a squeaky wheel, Gunn." There were
just some things about this man that reminded her so much of herself. "Thanks."
"You definitely ain't a squeaky wheel and you're welcome." Gunn grinned. "Welcome to the team,
G."
She smiled back. "Thank you, G." Gently, she slid her sword back into its sheath. Standing she
went to get some coffee, but turned back to him and said, "You know, you'll be running into
more of my kind too. Some of my kind are just as soul-less as the vampires we'll fight. Taking
their heads is the only way to kill them... the only way. By aligning with me, you may have
just made yourselves targets for them as well."
The two young mortals shrugged. "We're already targets for a bunch of demons, vampires and all
kinda creepy stuff." Cordelia smiled. "What's one more group?"
"Yeah, I've got a rep with the vamps around here." Gunn grinned. "They already hate me. And sides,
you can only kill me once."
Grace shivered. He was a warrior, no doubt. "I suppose so. I'd just hate it if it was one of my
kind who did it." She moved back to the table and continued, "The Quickening will come even if
there's no other immortal around to see it. When there isn't, there tends to be a lot more wreckage
than the one that I took." She was drifting away to another time and another place. She wasn't
really talking to them anymore. One of the curses of a long life.
"It's impressive, no kidding. But we know how to get out of the way," Gunn assured. "There are
a few demons that don't die pretty either."
"You learn to move fast on your feet in this business," Cordy added with a smile.
She sat there looking at her cup of coffee. It took her a few moments but she shook her head
and looked back up at them. "Moving fast is the best thing you can do." She stood and walked
across the room.
"No kidding." Gunn grinned. "Specially when there's a blood suckin' vamp on your ass." He
turned then and stood up. "I feel like a coffee. You want one, Cordy?"
"Yeah sure!" She waved him off. "My usual."
Grace hadn't really given it much thought before... the vibrations she was feeling. They were
strong right now. There were times when she had been positive that the vibrations she was
feeling were coming from Angel. But Angel wasn't in the room, and she was still feeling them.
Turning around, she stared at the male mortal for a moment. It was coming from him, she was sure
of it. 'They can only cause your first death once,' she thought. She had no doubts that given
his profession, Gunn would someday be one of her kind.
Smiling, she moved back to the duo. "Sorry about that. Sometimes, I drift off. Memories and all."
It was the best cover she could come up with and she knew it was lame.
Both mortals nodded, not having any reason to disbelieve her.
Angel chose that moment to walk out of the office with Wesley and smiled at her. "Hey."
Her eyes slowly moved off Gunn, setting her thoughts to the back of her mind as she heard
Angel's voice. With a glow of happiness in her eyes, she responded, "Hello! Guy talk over?" She
could be so sappy here and embarrass him, but she decided to be nice.
"Guy talk over," he agreed, leaning against the counter and stealing Cordy's coffee.
"Hey!" She protested but he blissfully ignored her.
She laughed. It was a real family. For the first time in a long time, she belonged to a family.
She was concerned about Gunn, but would cross that bridge when she came to it. She was going to
live in the moment.
The moment was all that mattered.
Finis
talking to Wesley and Grace had just come down stairs.
"How's things?" the young man asked of Cordy. "She okay?" he asked in a low tone, nodding in
Grace's direction just a smidge.
"Oh sure. Everything's great," the mortal girl responded with a nod. "The streets quiet?"
"Looks like," He agreed, resting his forearms on the counter and looking over at the screen.
Grace sat down at one of the desks and pulled her sword from its sheath. During the fight with
Armand, it had suffered a couple nicks and she wanted to get them smoothed out. Lovingly, she
set out with her oil and grindstone and started mending it. "So, lemme ask you guys this... Do
we wait for the problems to find us or do we find them?"
"Depends." Gunn shrugged. "Sometimes Cordy over there has a vision so we know where to go
looking for trouble, sometimes people come to us, and sometimes we just run into it."
"Hmm.... That's cool! I'm pretty much a trouble magnet, so your odds of running into it have
just about doubled." She paused and looked up at Gunn. "Can I ask you something though?" It was
a bit touchy for her. She'd been able to set it aside with Angel last night, but day had shone
a new light on things for her.
"Sure. Ask away." Gunn sat down and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his legs, watching her.
"What?"
She inhaled deeply. "That vampire last night. He almost got the drop on me. I wouldn't have
survived if you hadn't found me." She set down her sword and looked at him. "I can't fight them...
vamps... like I fight immortals. There's a difference. I was hoping that maybe you'd um... help me."
"Sure." The young man nodded. "We can work on that. There are a few tricks. Angel can help too."
He grinned wryly. "Having a vamp around definitely helps on the inside info."
She smiled. "That it does. Though I don't know about sparring with him. He hits hard!" The last
was said with a chuckle. "I want to contribute and not be a squeaky wheel, Gunn." There were
just some things about this man that reminded her so much of herself. "Thanks."
"You definitely ain't a squeaky wheel and you're welcome." Gunn grinned. "Welcome to the team,
G."
She smiled back. "Thank you, G." Gently, she slid her sword back into its sheath. Standing she
went to get some coffee, but turned back to him and said, "You know, you'll be running into
more of my kind too. Some of my kind are just as soul-less as the vampires we'll fight. Taking
their heads is the only way to kill them... the only way. By aligning with me, you may have
just made yourselves targets for them as well."
The two young mortals shrugged. "We're already targets for a bunch of demons, vampires and all
kinda creepy stuff." Cordelia smiled. "What's one more group?"
"Yeah, I've got a rep with the vamps around here." Gunn grinned. "They already hate me. And sides,
you can only kill me once."
Grace shivered. He was a warrior, no doubt. "I suppose so. I'd just hate it if it was one of my
kind who did it." She moved back to the table and continued, "The Quickening will come even if
there's no other immortal around to see it. When there isn't, there tends to be a lot more wreckage
than the one that I took." She was drifting away to another time and another place. She wasn't
really talking to them anymore. One of the curses of a long life.
"It's impressive, no kidding. But we know how to get out of the way," Gunn assured. "There are
a few demons that don't die pretty either."
"You learn to move fast on your feet in this business," Cordy added with a smile.
She sat there looking at her cup of coffee. It took her a few moments but she shook her head
and looked back up at them. "Moving fast is the best thing you can do." She stood and walked
across the room.
"No kidding." Gunn grinned. "Specially when there's a blood suckin' vamp on your ass." He
turned then and stood up. "I feel like a coffee. You want one, Cordy?"
"Yeah sure!" She waved him off. "My usual."
Grace hadn't really given it much thought before... the vibrations she was feeling. They were
strong right now. There were times when she had been positive that the vibrations she was
feeling were coming from Angel. But Angel wasn't in the room, and she was still feeling them.
Turning around, she stared at the male mortal for a moment. It was coming from him, she was sure
of it. 'They can only cause your first death once,' she thought. She had no doubts that given
his profession, Gunn would someday be one of her kind.
Smiling, she moved back to the duo. "Sorry about that. Sometimes, I drift off. Memories and all."
It was the best cover she could come up with and she knew it was lame.
Both mortals nodded, not having any reason to disbelieve her.
Angel chose that moment to walk out of the office with Wesley and smiled at her. "Hey."
Her eyes slowly moved off Gunn, setting her thoughts to the back of her mind as she heard
Angel's voice. With a glow of happiness in her eyes, she responded, "Hello! Guy talk over?" She
could be so sappy here and embarrass him, but she decided to be nice.
"Guy talk over," he agreed, leaning against the counter and stealing Cordy's coffee.
"Hey!" She protested but he blissfully ignored her.
She laughed. It was a real family. For the first time in a long time, she belonged to a family.
She was concerned about Gunn, but would cross that bridge when she came to it. She was going to
live in the moment.
The moment was all that mattered.
Finis