Friday Morning at the Arms...

[vampire_darla]

Darla is curled up in her basement suite. Satisfaction is only moments away.

[[Open for one person, n'yah.]]

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[notstakedyet]

Angel hadn't checked his voicemail until that morning. When he did he felt...

Actually he didn't know what he felt. But he knew that he had to go see Darla, Parker's warning be damned.

He took the sewers to the Arms. Once he got to Darla's suite he paused. Normally this wasn't needed between the both of them but this wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination.

He knocked.

[vampire_darla]

Darla opened the door. She'd managed to find a dress left behind when she's left the suite that had dried from the holy water Angel had soaked her clothes in. It was simple and black and framed her face and pale hair.

She smiled when she saw Angel. "Come in," she said, stepped back to let him in.

[notstakedyet]

He didn't know what to say. Which was another unusual thing to feel around Darla. "I got your message."

[vampire_darla]

She smiled at him. It was soft and a bit wry. "Apparently, I've been proven innocent -- or at least, soulled. It's nice to be in a room without bars." She took a step closer to him. "I've had a few weeks to think. To deal with...." She touched her breastbone. "This. Perhaps isolation has it's benefits."

[notstakedyet]

"I get that," Angel said. He didn't know what to do with his hands. "Are you... okay?"

[vampire_darla]

She looked down. "I don't know. What is 'okay' like this?" She looked at him. "Do you ever stop wanting to kill? I hate wanting to, but I still do." She shook her head. "It scares me."

[notstakedyet]

"The urge is there," Angel said. "Especially at first. But you learn to live with it. Have you eaten?"

[vampire_darla]

Darla shook her head. "I haven't gone out since I was let out yesterday. The head of the troopers, Appo, has been keeping me fed. I suppose I'll... find Mr. Crowley or something. Or there's the butcher shop." She pushed one hand through her hair, tousling it around her face. "I suppose that's something I should figure out."

[notstakedyet]

"Pig's blood," Angel said. "It takes some getting used to, but you can live on it."

[vampire_darla]

Darla made a face. "Wonderful. Do you...." She gestured to one of the couches in the living room. "Do you want to sit down? I could make some coffee... or get room service to bring us some. Or..." She sighed, and sat down on the couch, head bent. "I don't know what to say to you now. You're the most important person in the world to me, and I don't know what to do."

[notstakedyet]

Angel sat down beside her. Not as close as he might've in the unsouled past, but not as far as he would a stranger either. "You feel that too? Darla - " and even that felt strange, just saying her name " - I think about you alone all this time, that inside you, not knowing what to do..."

[vampire_darla]

She laughed a little. "If anyone would know, you would. I don't know, maybe it was better to have me locked up. Safer. I couldn't lose control in there, or it didn't matter if I did. Now I'm responsible for what I do." She paused, just for a moment, and met Angel's eyes. "I'm scared of myself, Angel. How do I deal with that?"

[notstakedyet]

Angel gave her a rueful look. "I'm still dealing with that. About the best thing I can tell you is one day at a time."

[vampire_darla]

"I remember when you came to find me in China, after I'd thrown you out. You wanted to not be alone any more. I know I probably deserve it, but please don't leave me alone. Please."

[notstakedyet]

Angel reached out to take her hand. "I won't. I promise."

[vampire_darla]

She slid closer to him, not letting go of his hand, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thank you." She reached up with her other hand and cupped his jaw, looking up at him with eyes wide and lips parted.