|
|
Disclaimer: I own no one. They are all the property of Joss Whedon.
Author's Note: Aside from that, I suppose this story and the ones that will follow it require some explanation. As of the episode, “Expecting,” I have decided it might be fun to write down journal entries the way I imagine Cordelia would write them. There will be at least one to mark each episode of the series thus far, and will end whenever the Angel Series Finale airs. Hope you enjoy the look into Cordelia’s mind as much as I will enjoy writing about it.
On a side note, each entry will be subtitled with a quote from the episode of which it’s about. Enjoy:
“There‘s Definitely More To Doyle Than Meets The Eye.”
November 23, 1999
It always happens. Every time you think you really know a person, there’s always something that springs up out of nowhere concerning them. Such was the case with Doyle, a certified gambler, drunk, and visionary. He’s someone I had pretty much chalked up to being loser material, and that’s primarily the reason I wouldn’t date him. Ironic thing is, people can surprise you sometimes.
Case in point: It all started the night I was going out with an investment banker, convinced this was the first step to securing my future of luxury. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of having the guy meet me at the office after work. And... okay, I can understand Doyle being all jealous and interrogating my date, but I don’t get why Angel felt he had to jump in there. I swear, the way those two were dumping questions, it was almost like I was still in freshman year having my parents embarrass me on date night.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Pierce (my date) spent the entire even just droning on and on about boring stock & bonds lingo. Just when I was about to lose my mind, dinner was thankfully over, after which I had him drive me back to the office so I could get my car. Well, that and I definitely didn’t want this guy to think he had a hairball’s chance with me by inviting him directly to my place.
And, to top it all off, a vampire comes along and attacks us, which has Pierce running off like the wimp he is while it tries to kill me. Fortunately, although this really surprised me, Doyle came to my rescue, slaying the vamp after a lengthy fight. After, even though he had to be hurting after the beating he’d received, the first thing Doyle asked was if I was OKAY! Naturally, I said yeah, making it clear at the same time how grateful I was.
Nevertheless, the whole thing was pretty darn confusing. Here, I had a chance to seize the life of riches I was accustomed to... and I was so bored silly during that date that I couldn’t imagine a lifetime of the same thing! I wonder, what happened to the old me who wouldn’t have cared? The one who used to... okay, maybe I always preferred guys who were interesting, but that’s something that (in my opinion) applied to neither Pierce nor Doyle. Or at least, I didn’t think that until this week played out.
The next morning found me talking all this out with Angel before deciding on my next move: asking Doyle out for a cappuccino to show my appreciation. However, before I could actually do the asking, we got quite a surprise visitor at the office. In a nutshell, her name was Harry (which I guess is short for Harriet or something), she actually referred to Doyle by his real name (which is Francis; how weird is that?), and she (as of that point) WAS Doyle’s WIFE.
Anyway, the purpose of Harry’s visit soon became clear when her new FIANCE came in after her. She was actually here to ask Doyle for a divorce so she could marry this new guy. I wanted to hear more about it, but Angel had come to drag me out of the room by then... Come to think of it, Angel didn’t seem nearly as surprised as I was by all this. I wonder if that’s because he knew about it or because he’s Mr. Nothing-Fazes-Me. And if it’s the first one, I got to wonder what else Doyle has told him that I don’t know... Oh, well, I’m bound to find out sooner or later if there’s something.
Anyway, Doyle did end up signing the divorce papers and had Harry come pick them up the next morning. And while I was helping her make copies of the documents, she actually invited me to a bachelorette party that Richard’s (her fiance) family is holding for her. But the real surprise: he and his family are a clan of peaceful demons, and Richard is even inviting Doyle to his own bachelor party in the hopes of getting his blessing before he and Harry tie the knot.
Or maybe, what’s more surprising is all the stuff Harry let spill about her ex-husband. Who would have thought that Doyle used to teach third grade!? I imagined, between the drinking and the gambling... who knew that at one point, he actually had a pretty decent life. Gotta wonder what happened to change that...
Well, back to the point... From all accounts, I thought Richard sounded like a really sweet... well, demon, but sometimes things aren’t always as they appear. Such was the case when Angel called me at Harry’s party from wherever Richard was having his, thankfully interrupting a game of charades (lame). He talked to Harry for a bit, then she and I went digging through the family library to interpret something he’d overheard. Of course, our deciphering had something to do with ‘ingesting past love’, which only proved that Richard may be up to something bad. A fact confirmed when his aunt let it spill that they were going to EAT Doyle’s brains! Some half-baked tradition\theory that doing so will ensure a happy second marriage.
Thankfully, Harry and I got across town in time to stop it, or rather, to break up a brawl that was going on between Angel, Doyle, and Richard and his family. When I asked later, Angel revealed that Richard’s family had attacked him in an attempt to get him out of the way, to ensure that Doyle would be helpless for the main event. Good thing vampires recover fast, huh?
In any event, Harry was left with a difficult choice, as Richard revealed that his family wouldn’t consent to the marriage unless the ritual was completed. It couldn’t have been easy for her to just walk away from him, but she managed it. Nevertheless, she and Doyle are still over, no question about that. Their differences are too great for them to get back together.
To finish off the evening, I spent a little time comforting Doyle over the ordeal, even going so far as to call him a nice guy. Next thing I know, he’s having another vision as Angel and I looked on. And when he recovered, Doyle looked hesitant to say anything, and for good reason. He actually saw that Angel’s ex-girlfriend, Buffy, may be in some serious trouble. So, as I write this entry, Angel is now on his way back to Sunnydale to look out for her.
So, here I am, having serious second thoughts about Doyle. He is definitely interesting, now that I know he has potential to be more than just a loser. I can actually see the two of us dating in the near future. Now, if only he’d get up the nerve to ask me...