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Disclaimer: Angel,Doyle (rest in peace Irish Eyes),Cordy,Kate and Willow belong to Devil Dude Whedon. I'll take Angel and Doyle if you don't want them (you obviously don't)! The story is mine.
Author's Notes: Okay,I'm in denial. And not afraid to admit that "Heroes" never happened in my little world,therefore Doyle *is* alive in this fic. They didn't get a Christmas together,so I'm giving them one.
Angel awoke in time to hear something shatter on the next floor. Dressed only in his boxers and a black tank top, he flew up the stairs in virtually no time and threw open the door to the office in time to see a large evergreen covered in blinking lights and glass balls fall to the floor, again.
"You idiot!" Cordelia Chase screeched at their colleague Doyle. The Irishman backed away slowly from the raging teen. The remains of their Christmas decorations lay in pieces, the ones that were glass at least. The rest of them, still snug in their packaging, were everywhere around the office. Angel took one step through the door and yelled in pain, having stepped on one of the shattered ornaments. Cordelia ignored the vampire. "I told you not to lift it up again until I got something to steady the base!"
"Well it wasn't my idea to decorate for Christmas in the first place!" Doyle shot back. Cordelia threw him a nasty look and surveyed the damage done to the tree.
"Well, it's not a major loss. You didn't wreck all the lights."
"I didn't wreck 'em? You knocked over the-"
"Guys," Angel said softly, bringing their attention to him. He felt the blood run off his foot from the wounds caused by the glass. "What's going on?"
"Oh, Angel! Mornin'," Cordelia shook a set of bells designed to go above the door. "Er-Night. Or evening." A very confused looked crossed Miss Chase's face as she wrinkled her nose in thought. "You're up! Good, you can help us, seeing as you're a vampire, and you're strong, and all that."
"Referring back to my question," Angel stepped cautiously around the broken glass and the fallen tree to the blue couch beside the wall to inspect his foot, "What's going on?"
"Christmas," Doyle gave a small chuckle. "Cordy wanted to make the place happier. So she went out and got a tree and all this other stuff." The half demon took a piece of garland of the desk and spun it limply.
"Why?"
"You're such a grump!" Cordelia sighed, using the staple gun in her hand to put the bells up. "To attract business! Statistics show people are more likely to go to a business during the holidays that is decorated for the holidays. Contrary to your popular beliefs, most don't go for that sterile gray, depressing look when they're supposed to be happy. Want a bandage?" Angel shook his head, picking out the glass easily. "Anyway, I have to go out and get a new stand for the tree, since Doyle didn't get one. Don't touch anything while I'm-" Cordy turned back and hoped off the chair in time to dodge the descending fir, after the half demon had tried to prop it up again. She shot him a glare and he just smiled. Angel shook his head again; would they ever quit?
Cordy arrived back to see the tree standing radiantly at its full height in the corner, against the wall. Several of Angel's old demon books lay around the base as a stand and Doyle was spread out on the blue couch near her desk.
"Hey," he offered simply. Cordelia set her bags down and looked at the tree as if it were a god. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just I've spent the last hour going all around LA looking for a stand, when we could have just used those?" Doyle just shrugged, propping his legs up on the other end. "Where's Angel?" She asked with a defeated sigh.
"Getting the sap out of his hair. We found out that if we tap this thing, getting rid of the dead tree in the process, then he wouldn't have to spend so much on gel!"
"Funny, Doyle," Angel came back into the room picking at his near-perfect hair, dressed in another of his infamous black sweaters and a black pair of jeans. "What's all this?"
"Absolutely nothing," Cordelia slapped his hand away from the first bag and gathered them up, jutting out her chin and setting them in the outside hall so neither would be able to peak. Angel cocked an eyebrow at the defensive girl. "You have no right to know until December 25th. That goes for you too," she pointed a finger at Doyle, who just looked at them with innocent eyes.
"Hey, when I was a kid, out of fifteen of us I was the only one who didn't try to get into the presents," he told her pointedly. She scoffed quietly and went to string decorations up in the other office, which Angel occupied as his own. Doyle peaked through the window, and seeing her with her back to them, got up. He walked over to the door and gently drew back one of the bags before Cordy put her hand on his shoulder and yanked him up.
"Oh please, you are so gullible," Queen C rolled her eyes at him.
"Cordelia, I-Uh, it-I didn't-"
"My ex boyfriend was stupider than you, but he could still stay out of stuff I bought for my family!" The look of shock on Doyle's face was amusing to both Angel and Cordelia, who had her jacket and handbag slung over her other arm. Cordy rubbed her eyes and shot another, friendlier glare to Doyle, and stepped out into the hall. She gathered her purchases, bid farewell to the vampire and the half demon, and went home.
"That was a nasty trick!" Angel gave a small laugh and shut the door. They didn't say anything to each other the rest of the night until Doyle left as well.
The week had passed rather slow but nevertheless eventful. Two more young damsels in distress, running from a maniac prischae demon fiancé and an asylum bound brother, and a young man being harassed by a ten foot cockroach-woman. Cordy had quipped that they should have called in Xander for help on the last one. Christmas Eve had finally come, and the Chase girl was piling in the gifts by the truckload. Doyle discovered, rather disappointingly, that most were just empty boxes wrapped up for decoration. Angel wasn't really paying attention to either; Christmas really wasn't one of his favorite holidays considering what had happened last year. All through the day, when he wasn't helping Cordelia arrange colored boxes or readjusting decorations, he was watching for any ghosts who happened to resemble former victims. The sun hung low in the late-afternoon sky when Doyle pulled him away from trying to turn off the Christmas midis Cordelia had set up on the computer.
"Something wrong?"
"Yes, there's something wrong!" Angel saw worry churning below the blue depths of his friend's eyes. "I haven't gotten anything for Cordelia!"
"Well, neither have I but-"
"No, it's different. You two know each other. You're not head over heels for the girl," Doyle blushed slightly mentioning his feelings, not for the first time. "But what will she say when she finds out that I haven't gotten anything for her?"
"How do you-"
"'Cause I bloody saw her signing the tags for the actually gift-bearing boxes. Listen to me man, I'm in a blind panic here! Guys get their crushes anonymous gifts and leave them out, I was stupid enough to not even try lookin' for one." The half demon slapped his hand to his head. Angel scanned the office for an idea to pitch to the brooding man but found nothing Cordelia would be remotely interested in until he looked down at his own hands. The silver claddah ring he'd kept on as a painful reminder of his true love glinted on his left ring finger. Doyle watched it too.
"Why don't you-"
"It's perfect! We're not getting married or anything, but it also symbolizes friendship, don't it? And I know a guy who runs a pawn shop who'd run me a deal for one. Thanks man," Doyle gave Angel a firm pat on the back and left, narrowly missing hitting Cordelia as she stepped back from the coffee machine.
"What's his rush?"
"He just remembered he had to run out and get something."
Midnight was approaching fast. Angel was up on the roof over looking Los Angeles again when Cordelia and Doyle came from the stairs. The breeze blowing through the city helped Doyle get a better look at his heart's beloved as they neared the brooding vampire.
"Hey," he greeted without taking his eyes off the teen. "You coming down? We've got to put the leftovers away and close up. No business tomorrow."
"Or any other day," Cordelia added, putting her hands on the wall. The door from the stairs opened again, revealing Kate Lockly, one of Angel's acquaintances from the LAPD. She held three dark red envelopes in her hand and had a green and gold ribbon in the side of her blonde hair.
"Kate," Angel greeted her simply as he usually did. She gave the three of them a cheery, but still forced, smile and went over to join them.
"Merry Christmas," she handed each one of the envelopes and stretched her arms out between Cordelia and Doyle. "And if you're wondering why I'm here, Cordelia called and invited me. There was nothing going on at the staff party down at the station, and since I've really no where else to go but home." She clicked her tongue and stared out over city. "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said it was a good view." Angel smiled slightly, ripping the envelope open with his finger.
"Oh, thanks Kate!" Cordelia beamed, reading the concealed card. "And don't worry, I know how you feel." The women laughed together sadly. Angel looked to Doyle, who was ringing his hands slightly. He read over the card for a few minutes and turned to the police officer.
"Uh, you look a little hungry Kate. We just had dinner, and there's still some that's probably going into the garbage disposal anyway. Do you-Uh?"
"Want any?" He gave a small nod. "Well, if it would be a hassle, no but yeah, I am kind of on the starving side since all that was at that damn party was beer nuts and egg nog. Thanks." Doyle mouthed slightly 'no'. Angel shot him a look saying that if he wanted a chance to talk to Cordy he was giving him one. Kate and Angel left the two alone on the roof with the warm wind softly blowing. Doyle's heart started pounding, and he thought sarcastically that every vampire in Los Angeles county would be able to hear it.
"So nice night, eh?" 'Yeah, woo her with the weakest pickup line in history. Real bright.'
"It is. Certainly better than any Christmas back home. No Buffy, Willow or Xander or any of the others, for one thing. And we aren't entirely sweating, which is another point in the Good column." Cordelia watched several lights turn out as the families turned in, all anxious to get a hearty rest for the busy day to follow. Most would have company over tomorrow, or would be travelling out of the city for visits. Some were just staying home without anyone, spending the holiday in privacy. And the unlucky few, the ones who were alone and single, would stay in bed all day, wishing Christmas gone for another year. Cordelia was one of those people, wannabe starlet, no family and hardly any friends. She'd come to LA to make it big. And how was she now spending her day? Working for a vampire and a drunk-half-the-time Irish guy with about as much fashion sense as one of the many nerds who'd walked the same halls she had in high school back in Sunnydale. But there was something about Doyle that attracted her to him. It wasn't money, or the promise of a perfect life as a queen. It wasn't anything material; it was something deeper than looks and skin. He was unlike any other guy she'd ever known. He was like her last real boyfriend, only not as much of a dork. Doyle had been married once, and even though they were getting divorced, she knew that before everything had gone down hill for them that he'd made his old bride happy. Cordelia started blushing when she noticed she'd turned her head and had started staring at him.
Doyle gave her a coy smirk and took a gift out of his brown leather. It was wrapped, shoddily, in a scrap of gold paper but the sheer effort of it touched Cordy's heart.
"Uh Merry Christmas, I guess. The only thing we really shared back home on the holidays was a Gin and Tonic every five minutes until midnight, but we won't into depth." He added a small chuckle to the sentence and handed the present to her. Cordelia held her breath as she took off the paper and opened the jewelry box. Inside was a silver ring strung onto a silver chain. The ring looked exactly like the one Angel was always twisting, when ever he was out to lunch with another guilt trip or just thinking. Buffy had one too, but she barely ever wore it. What they called it escaped her completely, but she knew she'd heard it sometime before….
"It's a Claddah Ring," Doyle helped her. "It's kind of a friendship-slash-wedding tradition back home." Her eyebrows furrowed. "No, no, the former is what it's for, Friendship. Y'know, 'cause you're my friend."
Cordelia felt like crying. Even with everything she'd said to him and how she'd treated him, he still wanted to be her friend. And she wanted to be his. She wanted to be more than friends with him, but for now friendship would do. She lifted the ring and chain from the box and set that down, then held the necklace to her neck. Doyle reached out and took the chain, and fastened the clasp on the back of her neck. He stepped away and let her bring up the ring to get a better look in the weak light. "Oh God, I-I love it. Thank you." She rested her hand on his and they stood like that for some time, just looking into each other's eyes. "Oh God Doyle, I didn't get you anything! I feel like a=a-"
"Don't worry. I know the perfect gift for me." He leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers. She agreed to his question and kissed back, sighing in content against his mouth. And they didn't know how long they'd stayed in the embrace, but it was a long time.
Cordelia breezed through the basement door from the garage bright and early on the 26th and into Angel's underground apartment to find the two men seated at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. The vampire, of course, was drinking his from a dark blue mug. Doyle pierced the mountain of scrambled eggs with his fork as he looked up, and the utensil went right past the food.
"Morning. Boxing Day sale, I can't believe how insane some people are! There were grown men and women fighting over boxes of those little Japanese things with the big eyes and magical powers. Anyway I got the best shoes to go with that skirt Margo got me." She took the fork out of Doyle's hand and took an inch out of the eggs. Angel watched them over the rim of his mug and became acutely aware that some of his breakfast had started dribbling out. "Angel? You might want to tip up a little." He set the cup down and went to get a towel when the downstairs phone rang. "Oh, that's-"
"Hello?" Angel asked into the receiver, cutting Cordelia off. "Willow! Merry-Wait, aren't you Jewish?"
"Never mind. Another one of the little Slayer posse," she told Doyle when he gave her a confused look. The phone conversation went on for several more minutes when the two found they'd finished the eggs. Thinking Angel would still be talking, they both smiled and locked lips. The vampire bid farewell to his friend and hung up the phone to find Doyle and Cordelia making out in front of an empty plate. Angel cleared his throat, thinking they'd be compelled to move apart. Instead, they kept necking. He sighed, thinking they were about as inseparable as he and Buffy had once been, and went up back stairs to his office to think, giving the two of them privacy.