Roomies

Disclaimer: The characters of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series Universes (Angel, Cordelia, Spike, Xander, Doyle, etc…) are the creation of Joss Whedon and are, therefore, the property of him, Mutant Enemy (Grr, Arg), and 20th Century Fox (and all other affiliated parties). No money is gained from this work as it is created purely for the enjoyment of others. Please do not sue.

AN: Constructive criticism and friendly fedback are always appreciated. Flames will be used to warm my toes.


~Part 23: Pensiver, Brood Face~


"Why exactly do I have to be here?" Xander demanded in a harsh whisper as Angel pushed aside the night vision goggles that were sitting on his lap.

They had pulled onto the pier only an hour ago. Angel had dragged him out of the office after a few lazy hours of sitting around waiting for something to do since neither Cordelia or Spike been around. He had had the excuse that he couldn’t do anything unless he was given instructions and Angel hadn’t cared one bit. After a half hour car trip they had ended up here. Xander was starting to go insane with having to spend so much time alone with *Angel*.

Angel opened his cell phone and dialed the number from the card that he was holding. After a five-minute runaround, he was put on hold while Kate was summoned to pick up the phone before he acknowledged Xander’s question. "Kate asked me to find Little Tony Papazian so she can bring him in. You’re here because you have nothing better to do anyways. I was going to ask Doyle to keep you busy for a little while, but he... had some stuff to take care of."

Xander turned so that he was leaning against the door and facing Angel. "I don’t get it. Why didn’t you just leave me at the office like you would any other day?"

"*Because*: Spike told me that he didn’t want you upstairs while he was downstairs getting groiny with Cordelia," Angel stated calmly.

Xander looked horrified at the information. He quickly turned away from Angel and tried desperately to disappear into his seat. Though he and Spike had what an observer might call a friendship, Xander wasn’t quite sure that he was comfortable about getting friendly enough with the vampire to not be bothered by his sexual activities. Especially since Spike had tried to kill him and all of his friends, along with Cordelia, on more than one occasion.

Unaware of Xander’s train of though, Angel spoke into his cell phone, "8843 Hyperion Way, right off Pier 39, San Pedro... Max Salvage Depot, northwest side."

Xander tuned out the rest of the conversation knowing that hearing only half of it would confuse him to no ends. That or he would pester Angel into retelling him whatever Kate said, therefore driving the vampire into a tizzy. Considering how small a space he was in with the vampire, Xander decided to zone.

He watched curiously as the men by the water pointed at something in the distance before walking to the edge of the dock. Following their stares using Angel’s nifty goggles – something he still couldn’t figure out *why* Angel needed if he had vampire enhanced sight – he saw a boat approaching and sighed. A glance at Angel told him that the vampire was too wrapped up in trying to get Kate off the phone to notice him – or what was happening out on the dock.

As quickly as he could, Xander slipped out of the car stopping only long enough to unbutton his sweater to reveal his soul surviving floral print t-shirt. He walked to the edge of the pier and stopped next the two men and their larger, though shorter, boss. With a grin, he rocked on his heels as he watched the boat come closer, cricking his neck as if the men standing next to him were an impenetrable wall.

He could feel the incredulous gazes of both men on him and after he dubbed that enough time had been spent in uncomfortable silence, he turned to face them. Plastering a comfy Xandersmile on his face, he said, "Hey!"

He breathed in deep enough to bring up his shoulders and puff out his chest. He glanced from the guys to the boat and back again. As he released his breath, he said in his best ‘excited tourist’ voice, "Man, this is *so* cool."

"Who’s the mook?" Tony asked his man.

His grin widening, Xander walked around the man standing next to Little Tony and grabbed the man’s hand. Shaking it robustly, he said, "Herb Saunders. I’m not the chicken guy, but we do serve chicken at my family restaurant back in Baltimore."

When Tony pulled his hand away from Xander’s the muscle stated idiotically, "It’s Herb Saunders."

Xander moved to stand next to Little Tony and shoved his hand into his pants pocket, pushing his jacket out of the way so that his shirt was even more visible. Silently he thanked himself for thinking of laundry day when Cordelia had demanded that he hand over each and every shirt that contained colors starting with the first three letters in ROYGIBV.

"You know, the highways here…" Xander said in a disgusted, though upbeat, tone. "I’m pretty sure I’ve been driving around for a good four hours looking for this place. I got lost a time or… six – But Duncan said the boats leave every two hours. The last one being," he glanced down at his watch, "this one."

The muscle frowned and muttered, "I think you’re still lost."

Xander pretended not to hear him.

Tony shivered and said in a stage whisper over his shoulder, "Benny, I don’t like this guy."

Angel suddenly appeared, punching Benny in the diaphragm, knocking the breath out of him. Next, he kicked him in the chin sending him hurdling over the edge of the dock and into the water below. "It was the puppy eyes, wasn’t it? He needs to learn that not everybody has a soft spot for big, watery, choc-lately round eyes. I should have warned him, but then again, I didn’t tell him to come out here to begin with."

Moments later, Angel had Tony’s other man on the ground and bloody with Little Tony running towards the fleet of cops that Kate had brought with her. His job done, he turned an icy look on Xander. "What in the hell were you thinking?"

Xander shrugged and started to walk to the car. Over his shoulder he called, "They were about to get away. You were so busy fending off Cop Lady; I figured that I might as well make myself useful and keep the bad guys busy."

"Do you have any idea how badly you could have been hurt?!" Angel demanded. He dragged the brunet behind a wall so that the cops milling around wouldn’t see them. "Those guys weren’t demons. They aren’t the kind of evil that you’re used to fighting. They. Are. Human. A lower standard of human, but still human by definition.

"You can’t just poke these type of people with a stick and watch them fly away in the wind. They have the ability to make it look like you never existed." Angel gave the boy a good shake, knocking the back of his head on the cement of the wall behind him. "Pull another stunt like that and I will lock you in your apartment until the Powers visit me in person and inform me of your significance to their cause."

Angel gave Xander one last shake before letting him go and walking back towards his car. He slammed the door as he got in behind the wheel and started the engine. As he waited for Xander to get in the car, he let himself take a shuddering, unneeded breath in an attempt to compose himself.

~~~

Cordelia hit one last key and the computer started to print up the pages she wanted. Glancing up, she grinned at Angel as he walked past her. "So, how nice is it to finally have a simple ‘find the crime lord’ case?"

She sighed happily. "Over and done with."

"Yeah."

Good mood leaking away at the look on Angel’s face, Cordelia stood. After a moment just watching him, she said slowly, "Wait… Dammit! You’ve got pensive, brood face."

Angel regarded her, confused. "Don’t I always get pensive face when I brood?"

"Brooding, pensive face and pensive, brood face are two complete opposites. This may even be a pensiver, brood face," she said, coming around the desk and leaning back against it, her feet closer to him then the rest of her.

Xander, who was sitting with Doyle at his desk, smirked. He nudged Doyle and softly said something to him. The half demon shivered gently before he glanced over at their boss then moved his eyes to Cordelia. He chuckled and replied to Xander, saying something that had them both in silent hysterics.

"I’m not so sure this thing is so over and done with that’s all," Angel said as he leaned against the wall across from her completely unaware of the two brunets having a gay-o-time on the other side of the room. He crossed his arms over his chest, face thoughtful. "There’s just something about Little Tony…"

Cordelia crossed her feet using slow and deliberate movements and asked, "What something?"

At this, Xander snorted and Doyle rolled his eyes. Both gave up any pretence of working and watched the pair avidly.

"Mm… just a feeling I got," he said, barely paying any attention to her or the boys, just staring off into space.

"Mm-hm!"

Angel finally focused on her, eyes alarmed. "What?"

"Nothing," Cordelia said in a low voice as she shoved away from the desk and walked toward him so that she was standing with her lips a scant inch away from his. Softly she said, "I just find it endlessly fascinating how your instincts are so highly attuned when it comes to boring old evil, but…" she trailed off, making as if to kiss him. Suddenly she pulled away and pointed to her feet as she continued, "You have yet to make any mention of these new shoes."

Spike walked into the office then. He immediately caught the amused looks on both Xander and Doyle’s faces. He stopped on his way over to his lovers to convene with them.

Completely baffled, Angel stuttered out, "Look, Cordelia. Women’s shoes… Men –"

Spike loudly made his way over to them and kissed Angel deeply, cutting him off early babble before pulling Cordelia into his arms and kissing her senseless. Looking into her eyes, he said, "‘Ellow Luv. New shoes?"

All this was done with silent cheers from Xander and Doyle.

Cordelia pulled out of Spike’s arms to give Angel a Look and left in search of her paperwork.

"That’s not fair!" Angel called after her. "Spike lived with a woman for over a century." He glanced over at Xander and Doyle who quickly got over their silent laughter and did their best to look as though they were working. "Plus: he had help! Xander told him what was going on."

Spike clucked his tongue at him. "How does that saying go about love, Peaches? ‘All’s fair...’"

***

Xander ran into the office gasping for air. He looked around wildly and managed to say, "The cops have all gone nuts!"

Cordelia glanced up at him with a bored look on her face before turning back to whatever it was she was doing on her computer. "We know. Already taken care of. Kate’s here and Spike got whammied by the talking stick."

"There’s a stick that talks? And why is Cop Lady here?" Xander demanded as he walked to the inner office. He was greeted by Angel who wore a frown so deep, Xander was sure his face would get stuck that way, and Doyle who was busy watching Kate and Spike talk about their feelings.

"Xan-pet!" Spike exclaimed when he caught sight of the brunet. "Oh, you wouldn’t believe all the things that Peaches and Cordy and Demon-Boy did!"

Xander cocked an eyebrow at him. "Um..?"

"The – they broke a window an – and they beat up the guy that was trying to kill Kate!" Spike stated as if it was the most amazingly worst thing that they had ever done.

"I see how that could make you feel that way – what with you *hating* Kate," Xander replied, glancing over at Doyle though not quite knowing what he was looking for, before he looked back at Spike.

Spike sighed deeply and looked at Xander as if he was deprived. "No, I do not *hate* Kate, I resent the fact that she makes me feel insecure in my relationship. I know now that this fear and resentment is unfounded because she is incredibly attracted to you."

Xander stood for a moment with is jaw hanging before he whispered as he backed away from the blonde and toward Doyle, "If you take away the fact that he’s being touchy feelly, he sounds a *lot* like Giles right now."

Suddenly Kate was standing right in front of him, next to Spike as if they were the best-est of buds. "And I certainly do not hate Spike; in fact I thought that you and he were... together. The way he looked at you made me want to lock him up and throw away the key," she explained hurriedly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Xander exclaimed, now hiding behind Doyle without caring. "Spike *looks* at *me*?"

Both Spike and Kate nodded firmly.

"Okay, now hold on a minute!" Angel said, coming over. "Why exactly do you look at Xander?"

Spike shrugged. "He's a nummy treat, he is!"

Kate sighed despairingly. "He's got the greatest ass I have *ever* laid eyes on in the past 72 hours."

"That would account for the fact that he's a closet pouf," Spike explained. He laughed hysterically for a moment before sobering and saying, "His subconscious mind having him build up his glutes so he can draw in more manly meat. 'E's got the mic in a right tizzy half the time, he does."

Kate's eyes went wide and she walked right up to Doyle. She looked from Angel to Spike to Xander, giggled and then stage whispered, "I think they all want him, but I want him so much..."

With that said Kate dropped onto the couch and passed out. Spike, in the middle of wetly mouthing Angel's shoulder, passed out as well.