Wesley rolled his eyes at her. "Cordelia, you look fine. Why are you so concerned with your image?"

"Well, because everyone from Sunnydale's coming up here to visit," she said. "Including Spike, and I...well, I want to look nice. Is that so wrong?"

Angel shook his head. "Who would have thought Cordelia Chase, Sunnydale's own fashion plate, would be caught with a vampire? Didn't you used to tease Xander about his tendency to date demons?"

Cordelia glared at her boss. "Angel...shut up." She put on Doyle's jacket, the one thing of his she kept, and headed towards the door.

"Wait...can you drop off this check? It's just to the copier place by your apartment," Angel said, handing her an envelope.

Cordelia nodded, taking it in her hands. "If they come by here before I get back, tell them how to get to my apartment."

Wesley watched as Cordelia left the office. "You know, this was all your idea, Angel. To send her to Sunnydale for Valentine's Day."

"I know."

"And then she hooked up with that...that vampire."

"I know."

"So I think you should be in charge of him when he gets here."

Angel smiled slightly and shook his head. "Nope. That's why the others are coming up. Especially Riley and Graham."

"Who are they?"

"Buffy and Willow's boyfriends," Angel said, the smile fading a bit. "They're in some sort of demon hunting group known as The Initiative."

"Well, it's a good thing they aren't based here in Los Angeles."

"Why?"

"Because we would be out of business."

"No, she doesn't live there."

Buffy rolled her eyes, turning around and glaring at Spike. "Wesley said this was the place."

"Slayer, he said a different number."

Buffy slammed on the brakes. "If you don't shut up, Spike, I'm going to..."

"Both of you, stop," Willow said, rubbing her temples.

"Are you all right?" Graham asked, rubbing her shoulders.

She nodded, relaxing a bit. "Riley, could you see if we're at the right place?"

"Sure," he said, but before he got the chance Spike was out of the van in a flash, moving over towards Cordelia.

"Cordy!" he said, watching in delight as she turned around.

"Spike! Why are you guys stopped here?"

"Because Buffy thinks you live here."

"No, I live down the block," she said, hugging Spike quickly. "If you guys can fit one more person in the van, I can show you where."

Spike grinned, bowing to her slightly. "After you, milady."

"Oh my," Anya said, looking around Cordelia's spacious apartment. "This is *yours*?"

Cordelia nodded, ushering everyone in. "Yeah." As Spike walked in, she pinched his butt quickly.

"Love, what was that for?"

"No green. You're not wearing any green and it's St. Patrick's day."

Spike gave her a mock glare which quickly softened as she smiled at him. "You're a devilish woman."

"Don't you know it." She shut the door, watching everyone get comfortable. "I think Angel, Kate and Wesley have plans tonight, so...you're all stuck with me."

"A fate worse than death," Willow muttered, something only Spike heard.

There was a knock on the door and Cordelia opened it, seeing Wesley standing there with Kate. "Angel has work to do, so we have no plans. We were wondering..." he said, before Kate put a hand over his mouth.

"Could we get introductions first?"

Cordelia looked around the room. "All right. The redhead is Willow, the tall dark and handsome man by her is...Graham? The blonde girl is Buffy, the real blonde guy is Riley, Anya's the brunette, Xander's the guy next to her, and this is Spike," she said, pointing to him. "Most of you know Wesley, and this is Kate."

"So you're the one she hasn't stopped talking about," Kate said, looking Spike up and down. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Cordelia blushed. "I wish you hadn't brought that up, Kate," she said through gritted teeth.

Spike looked shocked. "Why ever for? I want to hear *exactly* what she said about me."

"No, you don't." Cordelia grabbed her jacket. "The night is young, and it's a holiday. I say we go have some fun."

The others nodded, standing up and filing out the door, leaving Cordelia and Spike alone in the apartment for a moment. "Wait a moment, love." He took her hand lightly in his, then pulled her in for a kiss.

"Wow," she said when they pulled away.

"I've waited over a month to do that," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the apartment, pausing only long enough to let Cordelia lock the door.

Angel sat at the office, staring at the file, and then at the green shirt Kate had forced him to wear. *He* was the Irish one; why wasn't he into the whole Saint Patrick's Day celebration?

He stood up, setting the file on his desk and grabbing his jacket. He knew where Cordelia and Kate would head, and he intended on going to a completely different bar. More or less, he wanted a nice pint of Guinness Stout.

And he knew exactly where to go.

"This is a great place!" Buffy told Kate, smiling as she expertly avoided the green beer being passed out around the bar.

"Yeah...a bunch of us from the precinct come here to unwind." Kate sipped at her beer, giving it a mild look of distaste. "Green beer...I hate drinking it, but it's cheaper than anything else tonight."

"I learned my lesson on New Years," Buffy said.

"Where'd you go to get drunk?" Kate asked, the policewoman in her taking over for a moment.

"Tiajuana. Spike dragged us there." She sipped her flavored water.

"What's he like?"

"He's...different."

"I know he's a vampire. I know Angel's one, too," Kate said, looking at her beer. "It's a little hard to get used to."

"Yeah, but Angel's actually nice. Spike's just weird. I think he brainwashed Cordy."

"Did you get to meet Doyle, by any chance?"

"Briefly. I feel bad about his death, though. He seemed really cool."

"Well, he and Spike share a few of the same qualities," Kate said. "Not many, but a few. Maybe Cordy noticed them."

Buffy nodded, looking at Cordy and Spike, who were talking quietly in the back of the bar. "Maybe..."

"You know, we're all messed up," Cordelia said, stirring her drink slightly.

"How, love?" Spike replied.

"I spent part of this morning ecstatic because I knew you were coming up here tonight. And then I spent a chunk of the day feeling incredibly depressed because Doyle was Irish and all this celebration was constantly reminding me of him." She took a long drink. "I promised myself, no more hangovers for me."

Spike smiled slightly. "Well, I'm glad you were happy I was coming up. But if you're still missing him, maybe things should move slowly between us. If you're even sure you want anything between us."

Cordelia nodded. "Slowly is good."

Spike raised his glass. "To a new beginning."

"To us," Cordelia said, clanking her glass with his.

"No answer?" Wesley asked, looking at Kate.

"None. But I think I know where he is," she said, hanging up her cell phone. "Where's everyone staying?"

"There's a hotel near Cordy's place. I think they're staying there." He looked over to Riley. "Am I right?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, we are." He glanced at the others from Sunnydale, who had crammed into a booth and were waiting for Riley to bring more drinks. "Why?"

"I have to go do an errand. Are you guys here long?"

"For the weekend."

Kate smiled. "I think I'll come by and visit you guys tomorrow. You're all...interesting. In a good way," she said as she picked up her purse. "Wesley...come by Angel's around eight. Give Cordy some time with Spike."

Wesley nodded. "You think you know where he is?"

"I'm pretty sure..."

"And then I left her. And she hooked up with someone who looks like the perfect specimen of a male in the male species. And now she's here, with him, and I'm here getting drunk. And the Guinness...it's good. Very, very good."

The bartender at O'Callahan's shook his head, handing Angel another pint.

"No more for him," came a female voice.

"Kate..." Angel said, smiling at her. "She's the only one who loves me. She's the only one who cares. She'll help me get drunk, wontcha, Katie?"

"No, Angel. No more for you." She looked at the bartender. "How much did you give him?"

"Seven or eight pints of Guinness," the bartender said, shrugging. "But he seemed to be taking it well."

Kate smiled slightly, helping Angel off the stool. "Come on...you need to sleep this off."

"No sleep...I don't need sleep." He did, however, slump onto her slightly. "Need you, though."

"This is just you being drunk," Kate said, shaking her head and leading him out of the bar.

"Night," Cordelia said, watching the others go with Wesley. Looking to Spike, she asked, "Are you sure you want to stay with me?"

"Very sure," he said. "Even if I'm relegated to the couch."

Cordelia smiled. "I can trust you...so you might not be relegated to the couch."

Spike stood up, giving her his hand. "Come on, love. I need some sleep."

"You? Need sleep? Since when?"

"Since I had a lovely evening with a beautiful woman. And since it's well after midnight and I was up all day waiting in anticipation."

Cordelia laughed. "Spike?"

"Yes?"

"Stop sucking up."

As they walked out of the bar, Spike said, "I was *not* sucking up. It was the honest truth!"

Angel woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. And the distinct feeling he might regret getting that drunk the night before. And then he felt it.

Someone was sleeping next to him.

//I hope it isn't someone I barely know...\\ he thought to himself, rolling over.

And seeing Kate, sleeping peacefully next to him with nothing on.

Angel rolled back over, shut his eyes, and prayed she could explain just what the hell had happened the night before, because he sure as hell didn't know.