Chapter four "Six years of college and I�m pumping gas." Lindsey grumbled under his breath. "Could be worse, I could be asking, �Any fries with your order?�." Here he was pumping gas for ten bucks an hour, when he was once the man that had a corner office and a six-figure income. He traded his Armani for jeans and tee shirts, his penthouse apartment for some rat infested dump he shared with two other grown men. If you would have asked him five years ago where he would be in the future he would never think it would be here, no where Kansas. He was glad in some sick twisted way that he was no longer the man with all the materialistic goods. He had earned them by making innocent people suffer. But what he would do for a job with a little dignity. Having to move every couple months really didn�t give him much of a choice. What would Cordelia think of me as some gas station attendant? Would she be happy that I�m still on the path of redemption? Or laugh at my stained uniform, thinking I�m some pathetic loser? She probably wouldn�t be impressed with my career choice, but me not working for some evil law firm would make up for it. Too bad she wasn�t here to see he was doing what he had promised. He missed the sound of her laughter, the way it would make his heart skip a beat. Her smile that reassured him that he had made the right choice by asking Angel and his friends for help. But their little squabbles were what kept him up at night. The way the girl could us the English language as a weapon was unsettling. Just by taking simple words she could have him on his knees begging for mercy. Her eyes would sparkle when she smelled victory near, her lips twisting in that electric smile that was purely hers. There was no other woman on the face of the planet that came close to being her. He knew, he had been all over the United States these last three years. He had met plenty of women, but none of them had that sparkle that Cordelia possessed. He tried to conjure the fading memory of his last night with Cordelia. She had been uniquely quiet, and he had asked her if she was okay. She had cried, heart wrenching sobs that burned his soul. Cordelia, one of the strongest young woman he knew was crumbling in front of him. There was only one thing he could think of that would stop her from crying, he kissed her. It had started out timid at first, but when she started to respond they had deepened it. The kiss lasted all night, and well into the morning. Until it was time to say goodbye. When they had finally admitted their feelings, they had to go separate ways. Life was a bitch. ************************************ Angel watched the hordes of tourists walking up and down the lighted streets. Peeking into shop windows, or looking for a place to rest their tiered feet. He was beginning to understand the locals dislike to tourist season. Though the town�s survival depended on the intruders, it was also suffocating. "More coffee?" The young waitress asked holding out the fresh pot of coffee. Angel nodded and thanked the girl. He came to the same coffee shop every night, waiting for the crowds on the piers to go back to their hotel rooms or boats docked in the harbor. He liked to be alone when he thought of his scattered family. He made it to the pier every night. Running over the memories and give his nightly prayer of safety to his loved ones. The ritual almost brought him peace, but as long as he was separated from the others he�d never be complete. Each of the missing people complimented him, filled in the gaps that made his life worth getting up for. Now they were all gone, and it was hard to make himself go on. Sighing he got up and left the money for his coffee and tip on the table. It was time to say goodnight to his friends. ************************* "Xander they�re all the same." "One more Anya. Just to make sure." "I�ve done eight of them. I think it�s safe to assume that another one wont make a difference." "I just can�t believe it�s true. I don�t want to believe and have it turn out to be some big mistake." "Xander, face it. You�re going to be a Daddy." Xander gathered his wife up into a huge hug, smiling like a fool. "I�m going to hold you to it," |
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