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Part One
Later on, Cordelia would remember dropping a hint or two to Angel that they should buy a tree to celebrate the coming holiday. But at the outset, it had been lost in the haze she found herself in; quite often, her days were spent with an air of loneliness about her. She missed the verbal sparring sessions she and Doyle had used to share; Angel wasn't a very good replacement when it came to that.
Cordelia had to admit she was surprised when her vampire companion brought an artificial forest green pine home with him the day before Christmas, and, when questioned, Angel stated that he thought it might help cheer her up. Cordelia had smiled in return, and it wasn't long before the two of them set at decorating the tree.
During their task, Angel had to admire Cordelia for remaining pleasantly silent, despite the fact he knew she had to be hurting since Doyle's death. Sometimes, he imagined it had hit her harder than him; Cordelia had, after all, revealed that she and Doyle had just been getting started, had just broached the subject of dating, when the tragedy occurred. Perhaps, Angel thought, it was worse getting over a loss when you still had all those unknown possibilities overshadowing it.
They had nearly finished, Cordelia had even pulled a stool over to put a glass star on the top at her own insistence, when the attack came. All at once, she groaned, bending over and holding her forehead, and nearly fell off the stepping stool save for Angel's catching her. Nevertheless, the star fell from her hand, falling unnoticed to the floor and shattering there.
Angel knew enough of the visions that Doyle had passed to Cordelia before he died to recognize that this was one. Gently, he helped her to more solid ground, waiting anxiously for her to recover.
Cordelia visibly relaxed after a few seconds, gently rubbing the sides of her head to massage away the blinding headache that came with her new power. "Susan," she blurted out instinctively. "Susan Jeffries... Short, redheaded, sort of a pixie-ish look to her. Works at a family planning clinic downtown... From what I'm getting, it looks like she's gonna need help right away." Cordelia groaned, holding her head a moment. "I never realized how hard it was on him, but now I have to commend Doyle for putting up with these."
Angel looked like he wanted to get going, but still hesitated. Looking from Cordelia to the tree and back again, he said, "Cordy, I can't..." A pause, then he let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just hate to think of you spending Christmas Eve by yourself."
She gave a sad smile, appreciating the sentiment but knowing she couldn't keep him from what he had to do. "I'm a big girl, Angel. I can handle spending a few hours alone, and I'm not sure if the same can be said for Susan. She needs you."
Angel pulled on his jacket, eyeing Cordelia in worry. Sighing, he took a step backwards, towards the access to the city's storm drains. "I promise, I'll be back as soon as time allows," he said apologetically. "And that we'll have a nice first Christmas." Then, just like that, he was gone, down into the sewers on his way towards Susan's place of business.
Cordelia went for a bottle of aspirin and knocked two pills back with a glass of water, then returned to the living room, startled when a piece of glass crunched under her shoe. Only now did she notice the ruined star; in shock, Cordelia bent down and gingerly picked up a piece, biting her lip as she assessed it was done for.
It didn't take long for Cordelia to clean up the mess and heft it away into the nearest trash can, vacuuming up any tiny shards she may have missed. At last, she went to the couch, pulling a phone book from the coffee table next to her and searching for a place that might sell tree decorations.
Cordelia called a few numbers, made a few inquiries, but it seemed that no one had quite the ornament she was hoping for. She had just lay down, moping quietly and wondering when Angel would get back, when a knock came suddenly at the door. For a split second, all she could do was stare in that general direction, then she rose, riding the lift up to the first story of the apartment.
Upon opening the door, Cordelia was surprised to find a kind-looking, middle-aged, graying woman standing before her, but she settled right into delivering a sales pitch. "Hi," Cordelia said in a friendly, upbeat tone. "Welcome to Angel Investigations. We're always here to help, day and night... Well, mostly night..."
The woman interrupted, extending one arm towards Cordelia. "Hi," she answered, somewhat timidly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I should have called first, but I wanted the opportunity to see you face to face. You... You are Cordelia, right?"
After a moment of uncertainty, the young brunette nodded. "Yes, that's me," she replied quietly, waiting for the woman to go on.
Cordelia's visitor smiled warmly. "Then you are as lovely as you were made out to be... I've heard a lot about you... Doyle used to talk about you endlessly."
"Doyle?" Cordelia asked. "But... I'm sorry... If you're here to see him..."
"I'm not," the woman assurred. "I'm here to see you. I already know
about what happened to him, as heartwrenching as that has been. Your friend,
Angel, was kind enough to pay me a visit..." She took a step forward,
extending a hand for Cordelia to shake. "Forgive me. Where are my
manners?" She paused, looking the younger woman straight in the eye.
"My name's Helen... I'm Doyle's mother..."