Catching up.

[parting_gifts]

So after Angel and I had -gasp- magically found each other, we were back at my apartment. Things changed after I left, to put it gently. And here we were, catching up on the old times. Of course, I didn't have much to put in on my side of the story, because it's not like it would be worth listening to anyways

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[mr_angel]

Sighing, I nodded when she said it out loud. I really don't know why it still affected me the way it did. After all, we were both dead. Sure, I'd always been actually dead, but still.. alive. Her leaving that day was never anything I thought about with a smile on my face.

"The visions?" I asked. I'd actually only had the one, but still remembered it like I'd had it five minutes ago. "Well, it wasn't one of the easiest things I'd ever experienced. They did manage to wake me up from a not-so-good night's sleep."

Smiling a bit at her, I shrugged. "Pissing off the big guys - those big guys at least - only means that I was fighting on the right side for once." Sides. There stopped being a good side vs a bad side a long time ago.

I looked forward and rested my elbows on my knees. For a moment, I didn't say anything and hoped that she'd just let that next question pass. Looking down, I sighed. The silence spoke for itself.

"Not that it mattered. I haven't had faith in any type of prophecy in a long time," I said as my voice faded off a bit. "Besides, look where it got me now." And even if the prophecy had been true, with my luck it wouldn't have been for me anyway. Spike had been the Powers' champion in the end, hadn't he?

[parting_gifts]

"Well, it wasn't one of the easiest things I'd ever experienced. They did manage to wake me up from a not-so-good night's sleep."

I almost let out a small laugh. They woke him up from a not-so-good sleep? Try living with them for 5 years. Ish. But around there. Especially before they were in the land of the painfree. When they were actual scratch and sniff visions? They weren't exactly the most pleasant experiences either.

"Join the club." I muttered, grinning at him. "At least you got the one night version. I had the five year curse." I said, shrugging.

Piss off the big guys? Which big guys? The PTB or the Senior Partners? Cause hey, if you piss off either of them, the reprecussions weren't pleasant. I sighed, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Hey. It's okay. Just think, the worse that could've happened happened already. You're just stuck down here with me for eternity. And if the others got off lucky, they're up in heaven." I said, a small shrug accompanying it.

"And stop thinking about Spike." I said, almost as if reading his thoughts. "He's not anymore of champion then you are. Were. Still am ... you know what I mean."

[mr_angel]

"Hey. It's okay. Just think, the worse that could've happened happened already. You're just stuck down here with me for eternity. And if the others got off lucky, they're up in heaven."

When she put her arms around my shoulders, I couldn’t help but smile a little. “The worst? This is hardly the worst situation they could’ve put me in,” I said seriously. Considering the circumstances this is one of the more better things that could’ve happened. I never expected that I’d end up somewhere like heaven, or even anything close to it.

But having me spend eternity in hell with Cordelia? I’m scared to say it, but things are actually looking up from where they’d been the past few months. Running Wolfram and Hart was the closet thing to hell on earth as one could get. No, I'd say that I'm doing alright for now.

The worst thing they could’ve done to me is stick me down here by myself. No, actually that’s not true. Sticking me down here with Spike would’ve been much worse.

"And stop thinking about Spike. He's not anymore of champion then you are. Were. Still am ... you know what I mean.”

I looked back at her and raised a brow. Was I that obvious? Shrugging, I looked forward. “I know.” I think I know anyway.

Sighing needlessly, I looked back at her. “So, anything to kill around here?”

[parting_gifts]

I grinned back down at him, before settling back against the couch. I crossed my legs up under me, seeing as he was sortof over his little mope trip. Sort of.

"Anything to kill around here? Besides time?" I asked, smirking. I couldn't help it. "Sorry sorry. I haven't been the least bit sarcastic to anyone since before I arrived down here. We could go out and see if there's any one else around here."

This was really odd. I mean, we hadn't seen anyone. Okay, so any one important. I didn't even know if any of the gang were still down here. Like he said, Fred had died. But I hadn't seen her. Not like I wouldn't want too.

And Wes. Doyle, Spike, Lorne, Faith? Any of them? Who knew where the hell they were. I honestly didn't.

Getting up from the couch, I stopped, looking back down at him. "Feel like heading out for a walk? Oh, don't worry about the sun. I'm sure that's not a problem down here."

[mr_angel]

Raising a brow at her, I knew this was really Cordelia. And her unable to be sarcastic to anything for the longest time? I guess I was surprised that she didn't have a quip coming out of her every other sentence.

I felt a shudder run through me when she mentioned the others. Wesley? Fred? Were any of them here? I thought the final battle. Some of us had died, yes but did that mean everyone had? I had no idea what had happened after I died.

Shrugging, I looked up at her when she stood and smiled. "Sounds nice," I said and stood next to her. As much as I'd give anything to see them all again.. I couldn't bare to think I'd see anyone else here. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I nodded. "Well, you lead the way."

[parting_gifts]

I crossed my arms across my chest, and raised a brow at him. "Okay. We know all is well. I'm still my sarcastic self, and you're still monosyllabic brooding Joe." I said, grinning before walking over to the door and opening it.

"You can take the manpire out of the fight, but you can't take the brood out of the manpire, hm?" I asked, as I walked out into the hallway. We headed down the hall and out of the building completely.

I don't know why but I felt anxious. Anxious either to see someone, or to not. I'm not quite sure which would be better. For some odd reason, I think it'd be a comfort if there weren't down here. Cause then we knew they weren't screwed like Angel and I were so obviously.

[mr_angel]

Following her to the door, I raised a brow couldn't help but smile a little. I guess she was right. At least we were both still being ourselves even if that meant one of us calling the other 'broody'.

We walked down the hallway, out of the building and I took a look around once we got outside. Or was this really considered outside? Hell if I know.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I looked around again and kept on walking next to her. So far we hadn't had any luck with finding someone or some thing to kill. Call me crazy, but after being killed myself I was itching to ram my fist into some demon's face.

"So, um.. you come here often?" Well, that sounded clever.

[parting_gifts]

I tossed him a sideways glance and couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"God help me Angel, you're still a loser. Either that, or that was an incredibly lame pickup line." I said, with a grin. "Don't worry, I make it a point to walk the streets of hell daily. Really I do."

I let out a sigh as we headed down the street. "There's a really seedy bar if you can believe it. I'm up for it if you are." I said, shrugging as we headed further.

So I had other things on my mind that I wanted to ask him. Important things that we had all eternity to answer. But I figured I'd start with the easiest. And not ask it of course. Like, oh the kiss in the office.

Did it mean as much to him as it did to me? Because I know it was more then just the vision for me. But .. we'll see. He usual comes around to things on his own.

Usually.

[mr_angel]

Glancing over at her I smiled. "Just trying to act normal, right? Just because we're in hell doesn't mean I have to give that up." Ducking my head and looking down at the ground in front of me, I shrugged.

"Why not." Hey, if we're lucky we'd see someone we know. Well, someone I know. I wasn't hoping we'd see someone we knew unless it was a demon I'd killed while at the agency.

As we walked I wondered if she remembered that last day - or the last minutes we were together. Of course she remembered. God, I thought about it constantly when I was still alive and it had only multiplied now that we were together again. Had it just been so she could give me the visions? No, I'd never believe that.

We reached the bar and I walked inside behind her. Looking around, I was actually surpised at how much it looked like.. well, a bar. "Nice place."

[parting_gifts]

I glanced around and shrugged. Walking up the bar, I slid out a stool and perched on top of it before turning back to Angel. "Oh shutup. You know it's a dive. But compared to some of the other places? I'd agree with the nice place statement." I said, smiling.

It kinda reminded one of the seedier dives in Los Angeles. Still, it happened to be an upscale place compared to the others I'd accidentally walked into down here. What? A girl's got time to spare. It's not like I had anywhere else to go.

I was fully enjoying the amusement that my bar stool provided me. You know, how when you turn on it it squeaks a certain way? I looked back up at Angel who was watching me and I shook my head.

"There we go again with that silence." Which was weird now. I mean, it felt like there was a shift in the conversation and not for the better. A bartender-y type person walked up to us and I smiled.

"I'll have a coke." Just a plain old coke. Didn't need any alcohol down here. I rolled my eyes.

[mr_angel]

"Well, it's no Caritas, but then again nothing compares to Caritas," I said with a smile. "I've been in worse." Which was true. Some of the places I'd been with a soul had been much worse than this and also when I didn't have a soul. Darla had always insisted on private rooms, upscale. Guess you could say we never had to fight for a good seat at a bar.

Cordelia's seat started.. squeaking. Looking over at her warily, I raised a brow at her. Hey, whatever amuses her down here is fine with me. At least one of us is able to get some type of amusement here.

"Silence? No, that was.. well, silence." Smiling just slightly, I had to say I was grateful when the bartender walked over. Wait. They have bardenders in hell? How do you become one of those?

"A beer." The guy - or whatever he actually was - nodded and went to get the drinks. I had half a mind to get hammered now, but I doubt Cordelia would appreciate that. Call me crazy but dying, finding yourself in hell, and then finding your best friend there wasn't anything to make a vampire happy. The only part of this that did make me happy was actually being with her again.

"So, um.. if someone else was.. I mean, what would happen to someone else if they just happened to show up here unexpectedly? You know, where would they be?" The bartender brought us our drinks and I nodded to him and took a drink.

"I mean, if anyone else really was here.. where would they be?"

[parting_gifts]

The bartender-ish person gave us one last glance and walked away. I scowled at his back and turned my attention back to Angel.

If someone else was dropped down here unceremoniously without a welcoming committee, where would they end up? Was that what he was asking? I shrugged.

"Uhm. Remind the big black scary abyss typed thing that you landed in? Somewhere in there. For me, it took a good .. long time to figure my way out. Of course, no welcoming committee or anything."

I paused thinking about that. I really didn't. I was screwed when I landed here. No PTB rushing up to me, no Skip, no nothing.

"If the rest of the gang is here, we'd find them. Soon. I mean, I found you, didn't I?" Cause that didn't sound wrong and oddly suggestive.

"I mean, I had that whole you vibe going on. You know, when a vamp shows up and you get that little tingly feeling in the base of your spine." I guess that was the only way to describe it. I really didn't know.

"Feel free to shut me up anytime. I'm babbling."

[mr_angel]

She'd come here alone, hadn't she? God, she of all people never deserved anything like that. If we were going on what people deserved then she didn't deserve to be here of all places. She'd been a higher power, hadn't she? It might've been the doing of a good for nothing demon that liked to call himself Skip, but that didn't change the fact that she had been a higher being.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "Sorry you had to be here alone - or at all for that matter."

Staring at the wall in front of me, I sipped at the beer. You know you're really in hell when you can't even get a good beer. Damn.

I glanced over at her and smiled slightly. "Yes, you did." I'd probably be still stuck in the darkness if she hadn't. Literally and.. not so literally.

My smile grew a little as she went on. When she finished I shook my head. "I know what you mean."

Taking another drink from the beer, I wondered where everyone else was who might've been here. Was Wesley? Fred? Had they found each other like Cordy and I had? We'd only know when we found them.

[parting_gifts]

I waved my hand dismissively at Angel's sorry comment. I landed here obviously cause a) I pissed someone off or b) there was a glitch in the system. Eh. Either way, I was here for eternity. At least it wasn't alone.

I took a sip of my coke and glanced back at Angel.

"Not your fault I'm down here. PTB's must be mad at us, huh?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Just make me one promise while we're down here?" I asked him, glancing at his face. I returned my attention to the glass, tracing designs in the condensation with my finger before looking back up at him.

"While we're down here .. keep the brooding to a minimum? At least while I'm around. Not that you have to be uncharacteristically chatty like myself .. " I said, a small grin on my face. "Just let me know what's going on inside that broody little manpire mind of yours. Kay?"