Angel / Reader - Part 2
You listened to the overly cheerful voice of a young woman in the other end of the phone line. Maybe this, calling the Angel Investigations, was a bad idea because you were a rogue vampire hunter… “the self-taught slayer” like the tall man had said. Yes, that’s right! You had not needed anyone to teach you or to tell you about the horrifying creatures that ruled the night and hunted the people who were not aware of their existence… people like you two years ago.
- Hello? Cordelia said with a slightly confused tone because you were not saying anything. “One of those prank-calls again” you heard her saying and at that moment you reminded yourself about the fact that someone from the Angel Investigations had saved you two years ago and therefore it was… courteous to share the pictures with them… besides, whatever it was that you had gotten yourself into… the ritual and stuff… it was big and you couldn’t handle it by yourself.
- No, wait! you said just as she was about to hang up. Cordelia heard you talking and greeted you again.
- Hi. I was wondering if the tall… man… still works for you. you said and walked nervously around your apartment. It was possible that the tall man did not work for the company anymore and even if he did… there was a chance that he was pissed off with you.
- Tall, dark and brooding? Cordelia asked.
- I do not know about the brooding-part. you commented and stopped to stare out from the window with a confused look on your face.
- Uhuh? Long coat and black convertible? Cordelia asked.
- Yes! That’s right. you said and sighed out of relief. Now you at least knew that you were talking about the same person with the secretary who sounded like one of those rich, spoiled and shallow girls that usually ruled the high school and decided who was in and who was out.
- Oh, that would be Angel! Cordelia replied with a cheerful tone.
- Great. Is he… there? you asked a bit hesitantly.
- Sure, would you like to settle a meeting with him? Cordelia asked. You made a barely audible “uhm” –sound because you were not quite sure whether you wanted to meet the tall man, Angel, or not. You were not sure about it because apparently he had a company that was most likely specialized in the supernatural things… vampires, demons and so on… which made him a professional… and that made you just an amateur… and this, the whole a professional versus a hobbyist –setting made you a bit embarrassed of the way you had handled the situation last night.
- I can assure you that we can help you. she said because you were not saying anything. “And our rates are very low” she added with a hopeful tone. You scoffed as you recoiled from the misstep of momentary insecurity and then proudly stated
- Actually, I was thinking that I might be able to help you.
- Excuse me? Cordelia asked with a confused tone. “Can you believe this, this caller…” she said and then asked you for your name. You presented yourself to her as “(Y/N), the self-taught vampire hunter” and listened to her continuing talking to whoever was at the office with her. She said “(Y/N)… some sort of hunter… is offering us help!” and laughed with… maybe… two guys.
- Ah, I can hear that you find this funny. you scoffed and the next you heard someone walking into the room and a male-voice asking “why are you laughing?” Then you heard Cordelia explaining that this person had called and she had presented herself as a vampire hunter and offered her help… which was, of course, ridiculous. “I will take this call” you heard the man saying and soon after that you heard a door being slammed shut.
- I will connect the call to Angel now. Cordelia said and the next you listened to the alert-sound for a few seconds again as the phone was ringing in the other room.
- This is Angel. the tall man said as he answered the phone in his private office.
- Hi, I’m (Y/N)… We-eh… Ahem… I-uhm… I was at the warehouse last night. you stammered and then cursed silently because you had not exactly sounded confident and professional which had kind of been your plan.
- I see. So you are the person who would have gotten herself killed last night? he asked with a tone that you were unable to read and decipher.
- No! I am the person who was there investigating. you stated with a proud tone and paused to listen if this Angel-guy had anything to say about it, for example if he wanted to apologize for his rude behavior, this was the perfect moment to do so. Angel however did not say anything and therefore you continued
- Which is exactly what you were doing there as well, isn't-
- No. I was there to stop the ritual from happening. Angel commented with a frustrated tone.
- Oh… Well, you certainly did not get there early! I mean, if you had planned to stop it, maybe you shoulnd't have left it to the last minute. you commented and chuckled a little. Angel however did not comment and it made you a bit nervous, which made you mumble “so, at least one of us investigated-“
- Why are you calling and how did you get this number? Angel asked immediately. He was not really delighted about your cocky attitude and he certainly was not overjoyed by the fact that you had prevented him from stopping the ritual before midnight; he had been forced to save your ass when your phone had started to ring. Without his help you most likely would have just panicked and either stayed frozen or ran into a dead end.
- Well excuse me! You gave me your business card. you snapped and then took a deep breath. This was not going the way you had planned and hoped it to go. Oh no, this was going in all the ways you had hoped it not to go; you had managed to insult him with your self-confidence and annoy him… well, with your personality and if you had ever hoped to be part of the investigation or something… your hopes were slipping further away from your reach by every passing moment. You basically felt that whatever you said it was always the worst thing to say… even though normally you were very polite and rather witty.
- Did I? Angel asked.
- Yes. Two years ago… when you saved my life. you said with a somewhat neutral tone that still had an undertone of gratitude in it.
- But I suppose you have saved many. you continued and after a quick inhale added “like I have too” but you regretted that addition immediately because Angel’s only response was a slightly irritated “uhuh?”
- I was… getting home from work and… you said and stopped because you felt stupid telling him how he had saved your life, especially since he was not commenting... like it did not matter to him at all, which made sense, kind of, because he did not know you; you were just a person that he had once saved, even though it had started a domino effect that had eventually led into this moment.
- Well, I suppose it is the same story… every time. you said and dropped your head because he did not seem too interested. You had managed to convince yourself that the tall man would remember you like you most likely remembered every person you had saved… because there were not that… many… or there were but… but not that many-many… and this not-remembering made you feel pretty insignificant; you were just one of those countless poor, foolish girls that he, Angel, had saved during his many years of saving people.
- Ah… Yes, I do remember now. You told me that I would get into trouble if I did not leave the café. Angel said and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, one and the same” you commented and sat down on your sofa. You both were silent for a moment and then you continued
- You know, that night changed my life entirely.
- Is that so? Angel asked. You inhaled deeply, held your breath for a moment and then replied
- Yeah. I had moved here two years ago, stars in my eyes and hoping to become an actress-
- Don’t they all? Angel commented. Cordelia had done the same and now she was working for him at the office as a secretary. “Until my real career takes off” she always said. Angel had known Cordelia even before she had moved to LA, and they actually shared an on-off –history as mortal enemies… but that was a long story.
- I suppose so. you commented. You were annoyed that your story was so clichéd, just like your plan had been… until the plan had changed. “But then” you said and paused to think how you should express the rest of your story.
- You got almost killed by the vampires and you became a vampire hunter. Angel said with a neutral tone.
- Don’t they all? you asked and chuckled a little. Angel laughed a little bit as well and commented
- Well, not exactly.
- Yeah… I kind of… had a feeling. Anyway, the reason why I called was not to take you on a trip down the memory lane… but… you said and paused to take a deep breath.
- You are offering your help. Angel commented.
- Yeah, well… you know, last night, just before my phone rang, I managed to take some pictures. you explained.
- I see. Why would I be interested in those? Angel asked. “Are you always this difficult?” you thought silently but managed to control yourself and not to ask that question because it would have surely ruined your last possibilities of doing any form of co-operation with him.
- Well… for the sake of the investigation. you stated with a somewhat frustrated tone. Was Angel happy to hear you struggling to keep your nerves cool or did he want to make you beg? If that was the case, you would not because you owed him nothing. Sure he had saved your life two years ago and he might have saved your life last night but it did not mean anything. If Angel wanted to be all high and mighty that he did not need or accept your help, then you would turn your back at him and continue your investigations by yourself… which, truth to be told, was a thought that made you a bit nervous since it was possible that you had gotten yourself tangled into a such mess that was too big for you to handle all by yourself.
- I have drawings. Angel stated and glanced at the paper that was on his desk. However the truth was that the drawing was a mess and he had already forgotten half of the symbols that had been painted on the walls.
- Oh… In that case… I-I… I suppose I will wish you a lovely week… and the very best of luck. you said with even more frustrated tone and then added just as you were about to hang up
- I just thought that since we both are fighting on the same side… We could unite our forces.
- What forces? Angel asked or more like stated.
- Yeah, you know what, you are right. This was a stupid idea. You keep doing what you do and I keep doing what I do… and hopefully our paths will not cross anymore. you blurted. Angel sighed and groaned silently; he did not understand why you got under his skin like that! Usually he was cool and collected but now you agitated and also intrigued him… both at the same time, which was very confusing… not to mention, annoying.
He swallowed his pride because he really needed the pictures and yes, you had a point when you had stated that you were fighting on the same side and therefore he said “wait!” You scoffed and took a deep breath. You did not understand why you let that Angel-dude to get under your skin so easily! You had killed vampires and done it all by yourself but now that you were talking with the tall man that you had just barely even met!
Angel made you feel agitated as well as strangely intrigued, both at the same time which was very confusing… as well as annoying… but you reasoned that it was just an illusion that would surely fade immediately when you met him in the daylight. Yeah, up to this point you had only met him during the night-time, in very mysterious or life-threatening circumstances… except at the coffee shop… but there you had ignored him deliberately because you had not wanted to get fired, so that time could be easily excluded from the picture.
- So… Shall I send the pictures to you? I mean if you have Whatsapp or something. you asked.
- Why don’t you come over and we’ll go through the case together. Angel suggested with a hopeful tone. “Oh” you commented because you were actually profoundly surprised because of that very sudden hand-shake-kind-of-gesture… a some sort of peace treaty.
- Unless, of course, you have something else to do. Angel added with a slightly disappointed tone although he tried not to sound disappointed. He after all barely knew you and he had only met you a couple of times in rather mysterious or life-threatening situations and you had ignored him at the coffee shop so that could be easily ignored from the bigger picture.
- No, I don’t. I’ll be there in an hour, okay? you asked. After Angel had confirmed that he was free in an hour you asked if the address in the business card was still valid and then hung up.
You stood up from the sofa and ate a quick breakfast, or more like an early lunch, got dressed, put on some makeup and then left your apartment after making sure that you looked at least half-decent. You took a train-bus –combo to get to Angel’s neighborhood and managed to reach the office of Angel Investigations about twenty minutes late. You took a deep breath at the front door and then walked into the office. You were greeted by a young woman who had trendy clothes, long, brown hair and a movie-star-smile.
- You must be (Y/N)! Please, sit down. Cordelia said and offered you some coffee which you refused.
- Angel will come here shortly. He just… went to change his shirt. Cordelia added. You said “alright”, sat down and put your bag on your lap, looked around curiously and tried to ignore the fact that the situation was rather awkward.
Angel finished the conversation with you. He put the phone away and as he looked around he realized that his office was a mess; there were old, dusty books everywhere and even some weapons laying around. He started to organize the office and asked Cordelia to make sure that there was fresh coffee after an hour. “Actually I could use one cup right now” Angel said and walked around the office while he waited the coffee to get ready. When it had finally brewed he poured himself a big cup and disappeared into his private office again. He continued cleaning the place and after a moment he emptied the coffee as one, long gulp.
- Cordelia! he shouted and soon Cordelia, the woman with long, brown hair and a movie-star-smile appeared to the doorway.
- Yes, boss? she asked with a cheerful yet slightly confused tone. She did not understand why Angel was cleaning his office all of a sudden and why he had drunk such a big cup of coffee. Was he nervous?
- Do I look intimidating? Angel asked. Cordelia was just about to answer when Doyle, an Irishman who helped around the office, came back from his lunch break and stormed into Angel’s office. He and another associate had visited the warehouse after the sun had risen but every sign of any ritual had been cleared away and it had meant that the only clues were the Angel’s scrawls and Doyle’s blurred vision. Doyle was actually a half-demon and he had a capability to get visions about things that were about to happen. Usually the vision had only a face of a person who going to get in trouble or a place where something was about to happen and yesterday he had had a vision about an abandoned warehouse and a ritual, which was the real reason why Angel had been at the neighborhood.
- Sorry Angel but I cannot recall the symbols any better than you do. he said with an Irish accent and patted the doorframe with his knuckles. He was followed by an Englishman, Wesley, who was also a vampire hunter, with whom Angel had had the same on-off –history as enemies like with Cordelia.
- Yes, I am afraid that our investigations are in a dead end unless either of you remembers the symbols more specifically. Wesley spoke with a well-defined British accent as he corrected his glasses.
- Actually… that problem is being taken care of as we speak. Angel commented. “We will have photos” he added and repeated his original question with a slightly nervous tone
- Do I look intimidating? I mean, do I put people off?
- Well, as vampires go, you're pretty cuddly. Cordelia replied and paused. She took a look at Angel from head to toes and continued
- Maybe you might want to think about mixing up the black-on-black a little, though.
Angel looked at himself and sighed; he was wearing black shoes, black trousers and a black, long-sleeved shirt that had no print… just… a black shirt that hugged his well-built chest lightly without being too showoff. He groaned and told the people that he would go and change before his visitor arrived. He had about ten minutes to take a shower, which he needed very badly because he had not showered after returning from the warehouse and therefore his hair was a bit dusty. However cleaning his office had taken more time than he had anticipated and it meant that he was in a serious hurry now. Angel was living in the basement of the office where he had a quite comfortable apartment. There were no windows but it was safer that way because Angel indeed was a vampire, but he was still fighting on the good side because he had a soul unlike other vampires.
Angel had been a vampire about two hundred years and during that time he had been good and he had been evil. When he had been evil, he had been the worst there was and after killing a daughter of some gypsies, they had put a curse on him and given him his soul back. It meant that he remembered every person he had ever killed and had to live with himself like that, tormented and aware of all the lives he had taken. For many years Angel had shut himself out from the society, living as a “vegetarian” which mean that he drank only animal blood that he nowadays got from the local butcher, lurking in the shadows brooding and feeling sorry for himself but then he had met a young woman, a vampire slayer and fallen in love and that was when he had started to fight evil to make up for all the bad things he had done.
Unfortunately there was a catch in the curse; if Angel experienced a moment of true happiness, he lost his soul and turned evil again and this had happened a couple of times in the past… This is where Cordelia and Wesley had come along because Cordelia had gone to the same high school with Angel’s ex, the vampire slayer, and the school was where also Wesley had worked later. Then Angel had left the town and moved to LA because the risk of losing his soul due to being truly happy with his ex and losing his soul again was too great. So LA was where he was now living and running Angel Investigations with his friends; Doyle, Wesley and Cordelia.
Angel stormed downstairs, got undressed and took a quick shower. He washed his hair and dried it with a towel before putting some hair product into it. Since Angel was a vampire, he was unable to see his reflection in the mirror or in any other reflective surface but despite the little setback on the “seeing oneself” –department, he was rather specific about looking good… or trying at least. He always wore fitting clothes and he always made sure that his hair was slightly pointed upwards from the front and center, like a subtle crest.
He checked the clock and cursed because the hour had already passed fifteen minutes ago and he was not ready. Angel walked around his apartment with a towel on his waist and tried to figure out what to wear because almost all of his clothes were black or very close. He put on black trousers and then decided to wear a dark blue collared shirt. The shirt had buttons in the front and he left two highest buttons open to look a bit more casual. He put socks and his black leather shoes on and after taking a deep breath, even though he did not really have to breathe, he checked the clock and cursed because he was twenty five minutes late from the agreed meeting time. Angel ran up the stairs into the office and saw you talking with Doyle.
- You are her! Doyle said to you when he came to see whom Cordelia had been speaking with. You stood up and shook Doyle’s hand with a confused look on your face because he had sounded like he had recognized you for some unknown reason. If you had met this man, you would have surely remembered it, but he had apparently seen you somewhere. You however decided to only nod and smile instead of asking anything. The man around his thirties, maybe, presented himself as Doyle and you told him your name as well.
You got a very confusing first impression about him because Doyle looked a bit shady but he had a firm handshake which made him seem more honest than his appearance. He was wearing clothes that looked a bit like he had stolen, or bought, them from some seventies theme-shop. He looked friendly but a bit like a weasel… or the type who got easily into trouble… Actually, he looked like a pimp in his brown leather blazer that had collars. He was also wearing a red collared shirt which’s collars he had insisted on putting over the jacket, like it was in style back in the seventies. He wore the shirt open and under that he had a white, most likely sleeveless shirt. He had light blue eyes and dark, short hair that was a bit messy… or at least he had not done anything more to it than brushed it. Surely he was a great guy, but he seemed a little bit shady… but something about him made you feel sorry for him… Maybe it was the sadness in his eyes that made you feel very conflicted about him; on the other hand you felt emphatic towards him and then again, you couldn’t help thinking about all the sorts of trouble that he might have gotten himself into.
- (Y/N)? Angel said and gestured you to follow him into his office. You said goodbye to Doyle and followed Angel into his private workplace. Angel let you go in first and closed the door behind him.
- Sit down. he said and gestured you to sit down in a chair that was in front of his desk. You smiled a little and sat down, put your bag on your lap again and waited Angel to say something.
- So, you heard some rumors? Angel asked curiously and sat down behind his desk. He leaned back and tried to look very professional.
- Rumors? you asked with a confused tone.
- Yes, about last night. Angel specified.
- Yeah-yeah… I heard some people talking about it at work. you explained.
- At the coffee shop? Angel asked.
- Yep, I still work there. you said and nodded as you looked around. There were beautiful, old-looking and finely decorated weapons on the wall behind the desk; a couple of long swords, a crossbow and a fighting axe.
- Impressive collection. you said and pointed at the weapons. Angel glanced at them over his shoulder and stated
- Those are just for decoration. The real weapons are downstairs behind locked doors.
- Ah… I have only this. you mumbled and took the wooden stake out from your bag. You placed it on the table and put your hands on your lap again where you played with the carrying strap of your bag to help you control your nerves.
- That is a very effective weapon against vampires but highly ineffective when it comes to demons. Angel stated and took the stake into his hand for a closer inspection. He did not really have to do that but he wanted to appear as a professional and maybe make you feel a bit… less secure about your talents. He did not feel threatened about the fact that there were more sheriffs in the town than just one but he was genuinely worried that you had no idea what you had gotten yourself into.
- Demons? Oh… I don’t hunt demons. you said and smiled nervously.
- Too messy? Angel asked and put the stake back on the table. “Yeah” you sighed although the truth was that you had never even seen a demon before.
- And what do you do if you encounter a demon? Angel asked. You hesitated for a moment and then answered
- Call you?
- I suppose that would be wise. Killing demons is a bit more complicated than killing vampires. Angel stated with a thoughtful tone. He went through in his mind all those times when he had returned to the office covered with smelly demon-slime that was very hard to get washed off from one’s clothes.
- So I’ve read. you commented and rolled your eyes.
A silence fell into the office and it was interrupted by Wesley stormed into the office. He was wearing a brown jacket that was made of suede, dark trousers and a plain forest-green shirt as well as eyeglasses that made him look a bit stiff.
- Did you get the photos already? he asked. You turned to look at him, took your phone with an USB-cable out from your bag and gave them to Angel who looked like he did not know what to do with them. You cleared your throat, stood up and walked to the old-looking computer that was on the other edge of the desk. You connected your phone to the computer with the cable and asked “may I?” so Angel rolled aside in his chair a little and let you take the mouse. You clicked the desktop a couple of times with the mouse, opened a folder, created a folder and then copy-pasted the pictures to Angel’s computer. “Done” you said and unplugged the phone. Wesley walked behind the desk and stared at the screen with an amazed look on his face.
- Can you print them? Wesley asked immediately and then left the room to get back to his books. Angel clicked a few icons with the mouse and soon the printer started to print the pictures in another room.
- So, what happens next? you asked curiously.
- We decipher the symbols and figure out what they mean. Angel replied. “Oh” you commented with a soft sigh. Angel looked at you with a somewhat blank look on his face and you figured that you were not wanted there anymore. Therefore you stood up, took your stake from the table and put it back into your bag.
- I suppose this is it. you said a bit hesitantly, walked to the door and just as you were about to leave the office Angel stood up and said
- I see, you’re just going to let us do all the work and sneak out like that.
- No I-uhm… I would actually love to help. you admitted and then continued “but… I am not sure if I am any helpful to you.”
- What do you mean? he asked and walked to you.
- It seems that you have your… gang pretty much assembled. you replied as you kept tangling the strap of your bag around your fingers.
- Well, maybe we could use a trainee. Angel said and smiled a little. You sighed relieved because you felt like you had received a confirmation that you were fighting on the same side and therefore you were welcomed to join the professional vampire hunting –gang of Angel Investigations. Angel gestured you to follow him and he led you into his living quarters where Wesley and Doyle were already comparing the symbols with old books and talking about ancient rituals. The sight made you sigh in awe as you realized that you were now part of something greater than just you, your wooden stake and your amateurish vampire-hunting-efforts.