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]

I think that I was grateful she didn't go into the 'I'm sorry' comment any more than just waving her hand at it. I really didn't want to get more into that, but it was something I'd wanted her to know. I had been sorry for her death and hated that I wasn't able to do anything about it.

Raising a brow at her, I took another drink from the beer and listened to her. Had I been brooding? Even if I had been, didn't I have a good enough excuse for a least the first couple of days after I've just died? Well, if one actually counted days here.

I smiled and nodded before glancing forward. "I'll do my best." And I would try, really. After all, if she was stuck down here with me for an eternity then the least I could do would be to keep my so called annoying habits on the low side, right?

Despite what we should be doing and what I knew we shouldn't be doing right now, what I actually did want to do was get good and drunk - if that was possible in hell. Maybe that was another element of torture. Drink yourself crazy but never be able to actually get drunk. That *would* be hell.

"So. Any ideas on our next fun-filled activity down here?" I asked and looked over at her, a smile playing on my lips.

[parting_gifts]

He actually agreed to keep the brooding to a minimum? This was cause for a celebration over here. "Well, I think to celebrate your going cold turkey on the brooding, we need another round of drinks." I said, a smirk lingering on my face.

"So. Any ideas on our next fun-filled activity down here?"

"Besides attempting to get good and drunk .. I'm at a complete lose for fun filled activities. I brought us here, I think it's your turn to choose something to do. After all, we do have eternity to figure this whole thing out."

Right? I mean it's not like either one of us were going anywhere for a while. Besides, he needed to get acquainted with the place. Not like I was exactly at home down here. It's just, there weren't that many things actually going on. Ever.

I picked up my drink and took a sip before placing it back down on the coaster and glancing back up at him. I jiggled my foot against the bar stool while I waited for him to figure out what we were going to do next.

[mr_angel]

Cold turkey? Had I said cold turkey? I seriously hope she wasn't looking for me to neverhave a furrowed brow at all for the rest of the eternity that we spent down here.

As for the drunk part of the evening.. morning.. afternoon.. whatever, I was all for that just as long as I could get drunk and didn't have to drink gallons of this to do so. Maybe I should try for something a little stronger if I was looking to get drunk.

Waving to the bartender, I ordered another beer for now and nodded to Cordelia to order something else. The drinks arrived and I looked at her again. "Well, then let's celebrate." Raising the bottle a bit, I brought it to my lips and took a drink from it. You know, either I'm already starting to get drunk or this stuff is starting to actually taste decent.

"As for something to do? Well, I'm all for getting good and drunk. Not really sure after that though. We could do some more walking around. There's bound to be a part of this hell that is worth seeing, huh?"

[parting_gifts]

I smiled at the bartender as he brought back another beer for Angel. I looked at my coke and frowned. "If you're going to bring me back another drink, make it something stronger then a coke." I said, a smirk playing on my lips. "Like oh I don't know, a martini?"

Please. I was all for going for hard liquor, but I figured I'd ease my way into it. I didn't need to make myself look like too much of an idiot. Besides, I could hold my liquor. I really could.

"Oh. We should soo take the Scenic Route of Hell tour." I said, an eager smile on my face. "I hear it's half off if you bring a friend!" I laughed as the bartneder brought me back my martini.

Taking a sip, I sighed. Ah. I kinda missed those. I hadn't had a good drink in a long time. I think I was afraid to do that down here. No one to watch my back.

"I know what we can do. Let's play 20 questions." I said, with a small shrug. "Not like we don't already know *everything* about each other .. but still. It'll pass the time." I smiled and looked at his face, waiting for a response.

[mr_angel]

"There's a scenic route?" I asked a little bit amused. "Is it like take a ride on this red carpet and get an up close view of the place you'll be spending eternity?" Smiling, I took another drink from the beer.

Desite the circumstances and where we were actually having this nice little chat, I had to admit that I'd missed this. Not just the banter back and forth between the two of us, but just the spending time with her. Casually going to get a drink and not worrying about much of anything around us. Not that we did much of that when we were alive, but this was nice.

"Twenty questions?" I smiled while taking another drink from the beer. Depending on how drunk the both of us got, this could get pretty intersting. "Alright then."

I titled my head thinking of something to ask. There was no need to get to the hard questions right off since we had a ways to go here. "Okay, favorite thing to do.. well, maybe nothing is a favorite, but favorite thing to do in hell."

[parting_gifts]

"Mm yeah. It even has the celebrity homes of hell on the tour. Lots of tourists like to steal garbage from the more famous celebs." I said, with a grin.

I don't think Angel and I ever had gone out for drinks while we were both alive. Of course, there were quite a few things that we didn't get the chance to do while we were both alive, but I guess that was another story for another day. I picked up my drink and took a sip, taking the little olive off the straw.

"Favorite thing to do in hell. Hm. That's a toughy. I guess sitting here having drinks with my best friend is gonna have to tie with nothing." I said, a smile on my face.

"My turn. Favorite place you've seen in hell so far."

This could be interesting, this game. Especially if it kept going the way it's been.

[mr_angel]

"Celebrities, huh? Well, can't say that's very surprising." After all, hadn't a good number of celebrities been clients of our's at Wolfram and Hart? Maybe we had a hand in welcoming them to their very own private cells in hell.

I grinned at her when she answered the question. No need to argue with that. I hadn't been here half as long as she had, and I already knew this would top the list of things I'd ever get to do during my eternity in hell.

"Ties with nothing, huh? Can't argue with that I guess," I said taking another drink from the beer. Smiling again, I nodded. "And good answer."

Tilting my head slightly, I shrugged. "Well, there was the nothing, more nothing, then your place, the streets that all look the same to me, here, oh and you. I doubt anything would top the moment I saw you walking towards me when I was surrounded by nothing."

I looked at her for a moment then ducked my head and took another sip. Sitting for a short moment, I thought about a new question to ask her. "Something you miss the most from the prehell days."

[parting_gifts]

I tilted my glass towards him, as if toasting him, and grinned. He mentioned that not much would top the moment he saw me. Which kinda made my heart flutter a bit, but of course, I would play it like I always did.

Completely calm. And sarcastic. Taking a sip, I thought over his next question.

"Nice answer to mine. Way to suck up to the resident vision gal here." I drummed my fingers on the bar. What I missed most.

"I guess what I miss most, wouldn't be fighting the demons or the visions. Not that they weren't fun." I paused, a small shrug.

"I guess it'd be the little moments that we all had together. Like the times we spent together in the hotel, waiting for a client or a vision to come. When it was just you and me, and Gunn and Fred and Wes and Lorne. It was like our little dysfunctional family." A smile lingered on my face before I turned to him.

"Thing you're going to miss most about LA."

[mr_angel]

I shot her a smile and shrugged. I wasn't sucking up.. exactly. Wouldn't anyone with half a brain make extra nice with the one person you were actually happy to spend time with for an eternity. Eternity. Hard to say what all can happen in that length of time.

Nodding at her answer, I took another drink from the beer. I looked at the bottle and noticed it was starting to get a big on the empty side. And yet I still didn't feel a thing.

The times she mentioned, I missed those as well. If I had my way - which let's face it I never do - we'd be right back in that hotel doing what we did best. Helping the hopeless and not helping the not so hopeless with big wallets.

"I miss those times too," I said with an unneeded sigh. Sitting the nearly empty bottle down on the bar, I turned to look at her. "But what I miss the most and have for a while? The early days," she gave me a look. "When it was just you, me,.. Doyle. The times in the old office. Even when Wesley first came. Everything seemed so much simplier."

And ultimately they were simplier. See demon, kill demon. See Wolfram and Hart, kill evil client of Wolfram and Hart who wants to kill us. Much simplier.

Smiling again, I looked at her. For some reason I couldn't think of another question right off the bat. Nodding to the bartender, he brought me another beer and I took a long drink.

"Alright. We've got a few of those out of the way now.." I turned to look at her again. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but wasn't sure how to get them out or even if I should right now. But why the hell not?

"When you woke up those months ago.. did you think that-.. that I was doing the right thing by being at Wolfram and Hart?"

[parting_gifts]

"I miss the old days too. Especially Doyle." I said, a sad smile on my face. "But I'm kinda glad things happened the way I did. I changed, and I guess everything that happened made me a better person. So between simpler and me being an utter bitch, or hard times and me growing as a person? I'd take the latter."

The bartender walked over and replaced my now-empty drink and Angel's half empty beer. I smiled at him and he rolled his eyes.

"I wonder if they keep tabs in hell." I mused aloud. I was pretty sure they did, and obviously they knew who we were. So it wasn't like they couldn't find us and make us pay. The thought made me laugh.

"When you woke up those months ago.. did you think that-.. that I was doing the right thing by being at Wolfram and Hart?"

"Nope." I said, with a small shrug in his direction. "I never thought by going into the belly of the beast and trying to fight outwards would work. Apparently neither did the PTB's. Otherwise, they wouldn't have woken me up."

"Angel, you know it's nothing against the team or your decision. I mean, I thought we were doing just fine working from the Hyperion. With the exception of your stint as Angelus and mine as evil possessed gal. But, I guess it got you somewhere, right? Shake the demon's hand while somebody else would chop off their head. Something to that extent."

I hadn't meant for my comments to come out so .. condescending, but it was the truth. I never thought Wolfram and Hart was the right way to go. And I was kinda glad I had that off my chest.

"But you did help the helpless, so opinions are kinda of the non-important variety."

[mr_angel]

I paused and looked at her almost surprised at her answer. In a way it hurt that she thought that way about where I'd spent my last year of fighting evil and sometimes helping that same evil, but I wondered if she was right. Should I have just let everything play out like it would have if I hadn't interferred? Should I have let the police storm into that sports shop, guns a-blazing and mostly likely have gunned down my son?

Or worse. Would Connor have killed himself and all those people.. and Cordelia that day? I never got to the point where I'd actually stopped him from doing all that he'd possibly planned.

On the other hand, I might of had a dead son and best friend on my hands, but what about everyone else? Fred, Wesley.. me? We'd all died and possibly everyone else on account of my decision to take the job over at Wolfram and Hart.

I could go on forever with the thoughts in my head of what would have been best and did I make the right choice. Hell, I actually *had* forever now that I was in hell, didn't I? Sighing, I looked away from her and took a long drink from the bottle. No need to think too hard on that now.

Besides, wasn't I supposed to keep the brooding to a minimum?

Nodding just slightly after she'd finished, I shrugged and stared off in front of me. I really wasn't sure what to say after that, so I decided just to let it be. I had her answer and I now knew what she thought about it all.

I looked over at her again. "Alright, your turn," I said with a small and halfway forced smile.

[parting_gifts]

I watched his face, watched the emotions play over it. I could tell what I said had hurt his feelings and I didn't want to do that. But he had asked me what I had thought, and since when was I one to sugarcoat the truth?

I reached over and grabbed his hand as he returned his attention to my face. It was cold still, and I was fairly certain it wasn't from the beer bottle.

"I'm sorry." I said, frowning a bit. I looked him in the eyes and dropped his hand, dropping the subject completely. I picked up my drink and took a sip, glancing around the bar before looking back at the rings of water from our glasses.

"You know I'm not one that lies about anything, no matter what. I guess if I had seen more of what you guys did, my opinion may have been different. But I only had that one day Angel. That's all they gave me. And it was over just like that. So I'm sorry if what I say comes out bitter and condescending. But I do remember a time when that lawfirm was evil, and I do remember numerous times that they tried to kill me, or just physically scar me."

I glanced back up at him, and shrugged. "I guess I can't dig up the past and let that sway my opinions though, huh?" I asked, giving him a small smile.

[mr_angel]

She took hold of my hand and I looked over at her slowly. Sighing, I shook my head. "Don't be sorry," I told her honestly. "I asked for your opinion and I wouldn't have wanted anything else. The easy thing to hear would've been to hear that taking the job and all that I did there was for the best and I made all the right decisions." I laughed a bit and took another drink. "I sure as hell know that's not true."

I looked back in front of the two of us at the wall. Silently, I cursed the Powers or anyone who had anything to do with that day and the fact that she did only have the one day. Maybe if she hadn't died then things would've been different after that. Would Fred have died only month or so later? Would I have been in the fight of my life which ultimately cost me my life or would the two of us still be here together having drinks in hell no matter what happened?

"I know you only had the one day and even if you hadn't I'm not sure if I made the right decision. I came so close to quitting so many times even though I knew that it was most likely impossible considering the deal I'd made with them." Turning back to her, I sat my drink down.

"But in the end? I don't care if I made the right decision according to the Powers or whatever else. There were ultimately two reasons I did what I did - one was Connor and the other was for you. And there isn't a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't do it all over again."

Blinking my eyes away, I sighed before looking at her again. For almost downing three beers, I was hardly feeling the slightest buzz. Vampire consitution mixed with the torture of not being able to get drunk very well? Not to be sarcastic, but this was hell.

"Well, I guess we got a little sidetracked from those questions, huh?" I said finishing off my third drink.

[parting_gifts]

I grinned at his response. And the fact that there was no doubt in his mind he wouldn't do it all over again. And after all, he wanted my honest opinion and I had given it to him, right?

Blunt and sarcasm girl, that was me.

"Huh?" I asked, then remembered we were playing 20 Questions in Hell. "Oh right. 20 questions. Whose turn was it?" I asked, raising a brow as I swigged my drink.

"I think it was mine. Hm. Let's see. Anything you would change about your last day on earth?" I asked, shrugging.

I was pretty sure that if I were asked the same question, my answer would be to keep pushing all of the clocks back. But that in itself, impossible feat. I mean, god only knows how many clocks Wolfram and Hart alone had.

I twirled the little umbrella in my drink and waited for his response.

[mr_angel]

"My last day?" I asked her. "I'm guessing you mean something other than getting myself killed, right?" She gave me a look and I shrugged while taking another drink, finishing off my third drink and setting the bottle down in line with the others.

The last day had been meant to be something for everyone. Obviously there was no perfect day for any of us, but as far as I knew we'd spent them as best we could. The day might've gone by too quickly, but I'd always remember it. It was the day that confirmed in my mind again why I'd taken the job to begin with. To have Connor look at me that way knowing I was his father and all that had happened? It was as close to a perfect day as I was gonna get.

"Nothing," I said finally. "I mean, the dying part isn't something I'd like to relive again, but the day itself was one I'll always remember. It's not every day you get to take down your greatest enemy and have your son show up to come to your rescue." Smiling a bit, I looked at her.

"And you? Anything you'd change?" I asked and almost as soon as the words were out of my mouth I wanted to take them back. Asking her about her last day on earth might open a can of worms we'd never be able to close.

[parting_gifts]

I grinned back at him as he mentioned Connor finally remembering who he was. After all, nobody knew who the hell Connor was for a while except Angel and myself. But that's only cause I got to be in that great mystical coma. Yup.

"Anything I'd change about my last day or yours?" I asked, a small smirk playing on my lips. I watched him line up the bottle as I waved for the bartender to bring over another drink for me and him.

"Well I don't know about your last day, but my last day was pretty perfect. Except for the part where I really had to leave at the end of the day." I paused as the bartender came back and brought us our drinks.

"I wouldn't change a damn thing." I said, quietly, raising my brows at him.
I met his gaze for a few minutes before dropping it again and glancing back at my drink.

Clearing my throat, the smile returned to my lips. "Is it just me, or am I lacking a very serious alcohol buzz?"