Chapter XI: Dealing With Humanity

LOS ANGELES

Angel had already reached his destination, but he had been lingering in the front door of his agency for more than fifteen minutes.

-- What am I supposed to do now? Act all funny and carefree in a 'Xander' way? Or be myself in my classic 'Angel' way? What if she suspects something? But mostly what if she does not ? After all, the main goal in our plan is that our girls recognize who we really are... so... it's necessary that she suspects at least a little something. Well, I'll try to mix the two of us, then. Uh-oh. What's wrong now? It can't be. Gee, I stopped on a motorway restaurant just a couple of hours ago. So, why do I have this annoying and very urgent need again? To be human sucks... no! What am I saying? To be human is all I ever wanted; it's just that I shouldn't have drunk all those beers. Well, man, you have two choices now: to knock on the damn door and get inside, or to stand here and wet your very expensive trousers! Angel told himself, as he knocked insistently on the door that this time he had found closed.

As always, it was Harmony who opened the door.

"About time, too. We've been waiting for you for ages!" she rolled her eyes, but he ignored her.

"Sorry, it's an emergency, be right back in a minute!" he explained, rushing towards the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Cordelia got a bit worried for him since he hadn't come out yet, so she decided to head to the bathroom to find out what was keeping him there.

She found Angel looking at his reflection in the mirror, while he arranged his hair, smiling, pouting and grimacing in every way he could.

"So, what? Don't you have mirrors at home?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I don't and the ones in my car are too small," he answered, still entranced in what he was doing and then he jolted, suddenly realizing that he wasn't alone anymore.

His answer confused her a little bit, but she preferred to ignore it, shifting her attention at how he was dressed.

"Angel..." she murmured.

The brunette man almost had a heart attack, and now he could have one for real!

"That's the sweater I bought for Angel…" Cordelia added.

Angel breathed relieved... and a bit disappointed at the same time. After all, it was still too soon, it was impossible that she had already recognized him.

"Yes, it is, he gave it to me. What can I say? Some people can't appreciate its value, but some others can," he smiled at her.

"Well, you can keep it. Actually, it fits you to a T. You'll probably look good with all his clothes, since he left everything here..." she commented and then she came to another conclusion, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Hey, how did you know where the bathroom was? You came here just once and you didn't go to the bathroom then," the smart brunette girl got suspicious.

"Uh, you're right, but you know what? Angel described this place to me so well that I almost feel as if it was mine!" he justified and she seemed to buy that.

"Whatever!" she shrugged. "So, explain to me how can it be possible that Angel picked you of all people as his substitute, as the one that's going to run the agency? What's that about?" she asked him.

"Believe me, Angel really knows what he's doing and there's a specific reason why he has picked me. Cordy, I'm not the immature boy I used to be, my life is more than donuts and comics now!" he explained.

-- Uhmm... maybe I overdid it by talking about Xander like that. After all I didn't know him very well back to those days. Well, it's not like today he's my best friend, either. Anyway, she is smiling and nodding, so maybe I guessed right... Angel thought.

"The point is that I've changed, Cordy, you have no idea how much. Now I know lots about demons and their weaknesses, so I'll be very helpful to you," he guaranteed.

"So, the visit you made a few days ago... it wasn't casual," she figured.

"Exactly, let's say that it was planned so I could... get used to this place. Maybe I seemed a little bit confused that day... but it was just because it was all so new to me..." he tried to justify and it seemed to work.

"Well, what can I say? Welcome to the A.I. team, then. Not to brag, but... we are the best!" she smiled. "Anyway, it's lucky for us that Wolfram&Hart has been already defeated, because they could've meant huge trouble without Angel here to protect us, not that I would want his protection anyway, I don't want anything from him anymore!" she snapped.

"You are really mad at him, aren't you?"

"Hell yeah, I am. He just used me, before realizing that he just cares about his stupid Buffy, no, wait, Buffy did nothing to me, Angel's the stupid one, stupid, stupid, Angel!" she commented, getting furious.

"People have the tendency of painting everything black or white, when sometimes the right answer is in all the other colours..." Angel commented, but she didn't get what the point was and he hadn't time to clarify that, because Gunn and Wesley rushed into the office, panting and sweating.

"Well, guys, I don't know what happened to you, but I know for sure that a shower is what you need, eeeww!" the brunette girl stated with a disgusted face.

"We've been attacked by a group of demons, we tried to fight against them, but they are kind of invincible, so we thought that the best thing to do was to run away," Gunn explained as Wesley nodded.

"Could you describe these demons to me?" Angel asked them.

"Sure, They're tall, thin but extremely strong, they have purple skin with orange spots, red eyes and... Uh, Xander, sorry, I didn't even say hi. Anyway, no offence, but... how can Angel think that that you'll be a big help?" Wesley snapped, looking at Xander sceptically.

"Well, maybe because, after your description, I can tell you that they are Kuwuk demons!" Angel explained.

"Kuwuk demons?" Wesley repeated, narrowing his eyes, perplexed and surprise by the quick answer.

"Uh! Why didn't I think about that before?" Harmony exclaimed.

"What?" Cordelia wondered, astonished by the possibility that her friend could be enlightened about such an important matter.

"It's the same word, either if you read it from left to right or the other way around!" the blonde vampiress explained, feeling strongly proud due to her brilliant observation.

"Thanks, Harm, you just solved all your problems!" Gunn rolled his eyes, sarcastically.

"Anyway, believe me, yes, they seem to be invincible at first sight…"

"Or at first fight!" Wesley corrected him.

"Whatever. I was saying that they seem strong, but there's a very easy way to destroy them. Light," the former vampire informed his crew.

"Do you mean sunlight, just like with vampires?" Gunn asked him.

"No, I just meant light, any kind of light, even the electric light would be lethal to them. So, I guess that a torch is the best weapon you can bring with you!" Angel suggested them.

"Alright. Anyway, how did you know that?" Wesley questioned him.

"Well, you know, I faced one of them in 1967 and..."

"You what?" Wesley's eyes went wide.

Angel bit his tongue.

"Sorry, I'm on delirium due to the long trip and the lack of sleep. I meant that I read on one of Giles' books about someone who fought against them, I just have a wonderful memory!" the brunette guy corrected himself.

The others seemed to understand, as he followed Cordelia in the kitchen.

"You did change, I'd never thought you'd become a book-guy!" the girl commented, sitting on a chair and picking a magazine she had left on the table.

In the meantime, Angel was giving all his attention to the very well stocked fridge.

"Gee, Xan, it seems that you haven't eaten for centuries!" she commented as he was making the king of sandwiches, filling it with every eatable thing he could find.

"Well, actually... it's been more than two centuries, except for a single day two years ago and some very quick meals in the last days that even I can't call proper food!" he clarified, leaving the room with his precious treasure.

"I was wrong, Xander didn't change a bit!" Cordelia thought out loud, shaking her head amused.

Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all.

TBC

In the next chapter, we'll come back to Sunnydale, are you ready?

I hope you'll like it..