A Good Day

//Later...//



Two hours. Angel had been sitting there for two hours straight. 4:46. The sun would be up in approximately an hour and four minutes. He stared at the entrance intently. He could hear them outside. Plotting. Planning. Or maybe he was just going crazy. He couldn't be. Not now. Angel shifted in his seat, rolling his stake in one hand. He could hear Cordelia's slightly unsteady breathing coming from up the stairs. He was surprised she had fallen asleep, considering she kept scolding him over his plan. Anything to keep her strength up. He leaned back into his chair, arms resting stiffly at his side. They were coming.



Angel closed his eyes for a moment. He was going to have to fight over a hundred vampires. Humans. For some reason these humans teamed up with those vampires, simply to take him out. Irony. He had to smirk at that. Irony.



He was going to have to kill his human attackers if they went after Cordelia. He knew he had to. Angel gripped his stake tightly. More burdens. He had no idea if these people had families, jobs, lovers, lives, or even homes. All he knew was that they were going to die tonight. He was going to be their judge, jury, and executioner. He wouldn't be able to deal with that. But it was no time to think. Angel's eyes opened, resting on the shattered mirror. The empty chair.



"Angel."



Angel jumped up, climbing up the stairs to Cordelia's spot. He kneeled down next to her. "Hey."



Her eyes opened slowly, and she smiled. "Hey. I thought you left or something."



"Never."



Cordelia started to sit up, and he instantly pushed her backn. Sn. She sighed wearily. "This was my vision."



The vampire frowned. "What was?"



"This." She pushed her hair back with one hand, looking at him. "I-I saw the street- the one we were fighting on. Then I saw you." She grabbed his arm. "Watch that guy...Vincent. He's going to try to get you when you're fighting some guy with a nose ring, okay?"



Angel stared at her, then nodded. "Okay. I'll look for him."



Cordelia sighed, closing her eyes. "How good are our chances for getting out of here okay?" He opened his mouth to answer. "And DON'T lie or sugar-coat it, got me?"



"Not good."



A dark look clouded her eyes. "Okay." She whispered.



He gently pulled the blankets off the Seer's shoulder, examining her wound. "How is it?"



Cordelia looked down at her shoulder. "I can't really feel my arm."



Angel pulled the blanket fully down. "Can you feel this?" He softly touched the spot next to her gash, and then pressed harder. She shook her head. He moved his hand down her arm, touching her elbow, and then her wrist. "There?"



She nodded. "I can feel that."



The vampire nodded, then covered her up again. "You're gonna be fine, Cordy." He slowly sat next to her, staring at the ground below. "I found some weapons."



Cordelia looked up at him. "Weapons?"



"I had to make them. Pipes, metal, ropes, chains...hid them all over the place." He reached down to his pants leg and pulled out an object. He showed her a block of wood with a thin slice of metal pushed into the side. "An axe." He muttered, pulling up his pants leg. He pushed the weapon back into the piece of rope tied around his leg.



She shook her head. "You are a very weird man, Angel."



"It's going to help the odds a bit."



"What are you going to do?"



Angel thought for a few minutes, reviewing his plan in his mind. "I'm going to fight off this group. I dust the vamps as soon as I can, and I try to fight the humans...without resorting to murder."



Cordelia sighed, slowly yet painfully sitting up. "Angel, it's mur murder. It's self-defense. You're going to be protecting yourself."



"If they come after you, I will be there. They won't reach the top of those steps, I promise." He pulled out a piece of glass from his pocket. He ripped off a portion of cloth, wrapping it around one end and handed the object to her. "Just in case." She took the makeshift knife, staring at it. Finally, she placed it under her blanket. Angel's head jerked up, hearing footsteps. He started to stand. "They're coming."



"Angel," The Seer said. He looked at her as she held up his jacket. "Throw them off. My blood's on here...it should stall them."



Angel smiled slightly. "Nice." He grabbed his coat, and then hesitated. He could smell her blood. After a few seconds, he put the jacket on, standing fully. "Why did you come with me?"



Cordelia shrugged. "I-I didn't want you to be alone...my vision- I got a bad feeling."



"You could've just taken care of Connor. That would've made me feel much better...wait- maybe not."



She laughed, tears filling her eyes. "Dumbass..."



They both grew quiet. Angel broke the silence abruptly. "Even if I don't make it out of here, you will." She lowered her head slightly, not wanting him to see the fear in her eyes. He leaned forward, tilting her chin up and kissing her forehead. "Don't worry." He raced down the stairs.



Cordelia slid forward, getting a better view of Angel stopping in the center of the room, staring straight ahead. The gate started to shake with the force of the mob trying to open it. She leaned back into the shadows, watching.



Angel looked intently at the gate as it shook. He could hear his predators banging on the gate. He would smell the humans. Feel the vampires. He was alert. His hand clutched the wooden stake tightly, the gate being pushed forward and up.



The gate finally flew open. Vincent stood in the front, vampires and humans behind him. Justr a r a hundred. He laughed. "All alone, Angel? Where's that pretty little doll at?" Angel didn't answer him. Vincent stepped forward. "An army of one...now THIS is ironic, isn't it?"



"I wouldn't think so." Angel muttered. "I've always been alone. By choice. Unlike you."



Vincent glowered. "I ought to shut that mouth of yours permanently." He paused, and then beckoned towards the gang. "Angel, I want you to meet some people. These are vampires and mortals who hate you. Yilleilled their kind."



Angel stood there, stone faced. He knew it. Deep down, he knew it. They were individuals with a vendetta. They knew nothing about him but wanted him dead because of what he does. And what he did. And he couldn't blame them. But it didn't matter now. He had more important things to think about. "And what about you? Did I like, sleep with your girlfriend back in the day or something? Did I accidentally scratch your car? What is your problem?" He shook his head. "I'm just wondering because all I see is some guy with a bad attitude. And bad hair."



Vincent smirked. "Taunting, are we, Angel?" He sighed. "To be honest, I just don't like you. I would rather see you dead. Dusted."



"I could say the same."



"Let's see." The vampire stepped back. "Kill him."



Angel firmly stood his ground as the mob rushed at him. As soon as they ran inside, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of Holy Water, hurling it at the closest vampires. They howled and stumbled back as the liquid burned his flesh. He pushed his foot under the chair in front of him and kicked up, sending the chair flying into an advancing woman.



Angel backed up as several began to hit and punch, and he backhanded a human who stumbled into a few behind him. He thrust his stake out, the point digging into a vampire's heart. He exploded into dust and he kept moving into another vampire. Before he crumbled, Angel had walked past him and delivered a roundhouse, knocking down the crowd that had gatheredund und him. He fought rapidly, not looking at whoever was attacking them. He got punched in the face anmblembled to the floor. He reached under a table and pulled out a sheet of metal, throwing it like a Frisbee. It flew and sliced off the head of a vampire.



He flipped to his feet, punching his attackers as he moved forward. Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind and spun him around. He cuffed Angel across the face, whipping his body to the right. He straightened up and attacked the man. They traded kicks and blows, every once and a while interrupted by Angel dusting another vampire or punching back a human. The man grabbed Angel by the collar, throwing him against the wall. Angel spun around, pinning the man to the wall. The man still held on.



Cordelia watched the whole fight go down, and her eyes darted across the room. Vincent took out a small crossbow, aiming it at Angel's back. She gripped the railing tightly, her head jerking to Angel's back. "A-Ang-" She squeaked. A man looked up and met Cordelia's stare. She became immobilized, staring back at him. He smiled coldly, and made his way towards the stairs.



Angel gripped his assailant's wrists, trying to throw him off. It was only then he got a good look at his face. And the nose ring. He whirled around and the crossbow hit the man in the back. The vampire froze, hearing the man 's heartbeat stop abruptly. After a second, he dropped the man and continued his fight. He blankly struck out at every attacker with punches and kicks. He pulled out his makeshift axe, throwing it into another attacker. He looked across the room and saw the person advancing the staircase. Angel took off running, knocking people and vampires down as he dashed across the area. He reached the bottom step and was snatched from behind. Numerous people dragged him away from the stairway. He tried to break free as the man made his way up the stairs.



Cordelia turned to the intruder that was several feet away from her. He smiled slowly. "Well, well, well." He growled, stepping forward. "Look at the pretty kitty."

Ang
Angel made a strong attempt to fight off the group holding onto his arms, pulling him further away from the stairs. "CORDELIA!" He yelled. "GET AWAY!" He was stuck across the back with a blunt object and fell to the ground.



The Seer scrambled away from him as he advanced. He seized her legs and jerked her in front of him. She started to kick and crawl away, only to be yanked back. The man's blue eyes focused on hers with a scowl, and he callously yanked her legs open, kneeling in front of her. "Bad kitty..." He hissed, falling on top of her and forcing his mouth on hers.



Cordelia tried to shove him off with her free hand, turning her face to the side. "No- NO!" She screamed, trying to twist her body away. She lifted her upper body, her hand pushing against his chest. "ANGEL!" The man lifted his hand and backhanded her.



Angel got onto his hands and knees, only to get a kick to the abdomen. He fell in pain, hearing Cordelia scream. He struggled to get to his feet, and was attacked by the mostly human mob. He desperately attempted to push the back without harm.



The man moved one hand to his jeans and pressed his mouth against her shoulder. Cordelia shrieked in pain and tried to slide her body upward and away from her attacker. Her hand reached under the blanket and felt the smoothness of glass. The man pulled her body forward and she lost grip. He lowered his body onto hers and she got hold of the crude knife. She clasped it tightly and brought it up, then down. The blade slid into the man's back roughly. She gasped as she felt it cut through bone and muscle. He jerked then fell dead on top of the girl. She shoved him off her, and he fell through the gap between the railing and the floor down to the ground. He landed with a loud thump.



Cordelia stared at the blood on the knife and threw it across the floorboards. She hastily wiped the trickle of blood that was sliding down her palm on a blanket. She clutched her wounded shoulder tightly and sat frozen, whimpering.



Angel lay on the ground as he was pummeled. His entire body ached. He heard Cordelia scream just above him. Something in him snapped. He was fighting the wrong way. He was holding back out of fear of the consequences. No more. Angel shakily gathered to a kneeling position, the gang still beating him. His demon started to crawl up his body slowly. He felt it coursing through every bit of him.



The vampire's head jerked up, and his face transformed into his demon. His sin. Everything he had repressed. Until now. He reached up, grabbing a person's hand and squeezing it until he felt the bones bend and break. The person yelled in pain as he jerked him forward, snapping their arm.



Cordelia slowly fell backwards onto the blankets, still holding onto her shoulder. She breathed hard, trying to drown out the fighting below. She hoped and prayed it was Angel that was giving all those blows.



Angel climbed to his feet, fighting back with such force that his attackers were flying across the room. He punched so hard; he could feel the crack of bone sinking into muscle. He grabbed anything sharp he could find; thrusting it out at his attackers. Some burst into dust, others did not. He kept fighting, kicking lungs in, snapping necks, and slaying vampires. He kept going. Fighting and destroying. He didn't even notice the dozens of humans running out of the warehouse in fear.



The sound of clapping stopped Angel in his tracks. It was then he realized he had destroyed the mob. There was no one left. Dust covered the room, and bodies were scattered. He turned to the applause, and saw Vincent.



"That was beautiful! I mean, WOW! You kicked ass, Angel!" Angel stared at him, dropping the sharp piece of metal in his hands. "See, that kind of stuff makes me wanna be like you, you know."



The two started to move forward towards each other until they were face to face. Angel glared at him. "Get out."



Vincent's face changed into his demon one. "I don't think so." He pounced on his enemy.



The two flew into the wall, and Vincent punched Angel across the face hard. He kicked him in the stomach before tossing him into the table at the corner. Angel landed onto the table and it gave out under him. He crashed to the floor, and before he could react, Vincent grabbed him and threw him across the floor. Helowelowed as Angel crawled away, grabbing his shoulder aurniurning him around roughly, kicking his face. Angel fell onto his back.



Vincent lunged at Angel and froze. He looked down at his chest, were a broken piece of wood was embedded. He looked up at the other vampire before exploding into dust.



Angel lay on his back, his hand still holding the wood up. After a moment, he dropped the stake, rolling over and climbing to his feet. He floated to the stairs, moving up numbly. He saw Cordelia lying on the ground, her eyes closed. A feeling of relief filled him. Her heart was beating steadily. She was okay. The vampire dropped down beside the girl, lying down. He could see an inkling of sun peeking through a tiny crack on the wall near the ceiling. He closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted.



"Did you win?" Cordelia mumbled with her eyes still closed.



Angel sighed slowly. "Yeah."



"Good job."



"It was a good day."



"It was..." A long pause followed. "Are you hurt?"



"I'll live."



Silence filled the room. The lone sound was Cordelia's steady breathing. Angel's body relaxed gradually. He felt a small hand on his, slim fingers entwining within his. She squeezed his hand tightly, and he gripped back.



"Yeah, so...I should get a raise."



Angel couldn't help but give the smallest of smiles. "I'll think about it." He replied sleepily.

"Mm."



FIN