"He was talking to someone in a big, black car, about a block away from Caritas. That's why the rush. He could be halfway to Mexico by now."

It was bad to grit your teeth; everyone knew that. But she couldn't seem to help herself around these guys. "Merl! If he's already gone I'll--"

Andy leaned forward and folded his arms on the back of Merl's headrest. "You'll drop us off at the nearest In-n-Out and we'll call it even."

Cordy heard something that sounded like Andy's stomach rumbling. If a stomach rumbled like an earthquake. "So," she said, layering the sarcasm on thick, "Where do you suggest we start looking?"

"How about we drive around Caritas and see if we see him?" Merl asked.

"Fine," Cordy said. She turned onto North Broadway and headed the car toward Caritas. Traffic picked up on the bigger street and she got stuck at a light several blocks away. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Then she stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hit the first speed dial button," she said, handing the phone to Merl.

He did it and held the phone to his hear. "Who'm I calling?"

"Wes. Tell him we may need help."

"Wes? It's Merl. Fine, thanks, you? Oh, nothing much. Same old, same old." He laughed. "Yeah, you know how it is—" Cordy banged her fist on the wheel. Merl jumped and threw her a look. "I'm just trying to be polite."

"We don't have time to be polite." She held her hand out for the phone. Merl passed it to her. "Hey, Wes, it's Cordy."

"What's up?"

She could hear the dim hum of the radio in the background. "Angel's taking out a couple of Benny's guys. Merl, Andy and I are trying to track down Dan."

"Well, he's definitely in on something big. We found some bank receipts at his house for deposits a lot bigger than his regular salary."

"Anything I should be watching for?" she asked, scanning the road. They were about two blocks from Caritas. Maybe they'd catch a lucky break.

"He drives a white Mercedes. There's not much else I can think of. Should we meet you somewhere? You'll need back-up."

She grunted. "That's the problem. We have no idea where he-- Hey," she said, looking out the window. "There goes a big, black car. Is that it?"

Merl nodded. "Huh. Could be. Andy? What do you think?"

"Looks like—but who cares, because there's Dan." He pointed out the window and they saw Dan getting into a white Mercedes and driving off in the opposite direction.

"Well, isn't that handy?" Cordy asked, weaving in behind him. "Wes, we have him. We're on North Broadway, about two blocks from Caritas. Heading North." She stayed back a couple of car lengths, trying to look inconspicuous, which was hard to do in the Angel-mobile.

"We're about 20 minutes away. Call me when you figure out where he's going."

"Will do." She closed the phone and stuck it in her pocket, then concentrated on driving.

Dan turned off of North Broadway and drove deeper into Koreatown. Cordy followed him, growing itchier by the second. She didn't like being down here at night, especially without protection, and Merl and Andy hardly counted.

The streets got narrower and darker and Dan turned down a side street. Cordy slowed down to a crawl and peeked in after him. He'd parked and was getting out of the car, so she hit the brakes and waited until he locked up and headed down the street.

She killed the engine. "Okay, get out. We're following him. But remember, no contact." She waited until the guys climbed out, then locked their doors, crawled out from under the steering wheel, and locked the driver's side. Andy and Merl stood on the sidewalk looking useless.

"Come on." She followed the route Dan had taken, walking into darker and darker shadows until the only light was whatever cut down the alley from the streetlights that hadn't been shot out.

Across the street there was a rambling, ramshackle warehouse taking up an entire block. Most of the windows had been broken and were boarded up and the paint was peeling off the corrugated metal walls. A sign that read, "Pure Poultry Chicken Feed," hung lopsided on the side of the building.

Dan slipped into a side door. Broken glass littered the dark, dingy side street and Cordy tiptoed through it, careful to keep her back to the wall. Andy and Merl ranged in behind her, close enough to touch. And smell. She wrinkled her nose.

Cordy crept up to the dark windows on the right side of the big, metal door. The windows looked old, made of glass lined with chicken wire and paned with some kind of rusty metal. Cordy crouched on the sidewalk and peered through a dusty pane. "What the heck is he doing?"

Merl rubbed the glass next to her with his elbow and cupped his hands around the clean spot. "Looks like he's meeting with someone."

"I'm really hungry," Andy said. He stood behind them with his hands in his pockets like someone waiting for the bus.

"Shh," Cordy hissed. "And get *down.* Do you want them to see you?" The shadows in the room shifted and someone hit a light switch. She blinked against the sudden change. Three men stood with Dan. One of them was freakishly tall like the guy at Caritas though the others looked normal-sized. Even through the dusty glass she could see the bulge of ill-concealed weapons under their suits. "Hey, isn't that Benny?"

Merl pressed his nose to the window. "Oh, man, you're right." He gaze darted from the warehouse to the street and back to Cordy's face. "Where's Angel? I did my job. I want my money." His jerked away from the glass and bolted to his feet.

"Hush," Cordy said, making a "pipe-down" motion with her hand. "We don't want them to know we're here."

"Here is exactly where I don't want to be!" Merl squeaked. He leaned down into her personal space. "What is it with you people? Every time I work with you I end up on the wrong end of trouble."

Cordy waved her hand in front of her face. "Geez, Merl, ever heard of toothpaste?" He huffed and started walking away. She grabbed his arm. "Angel told you guys to watch out for me." She glared at both of them. "Who are you more afraid of pissing off? The bloodsucker or the mobster?"

Merl and Andy looked at each other. "I'm not really all *that* hungry," Andy said.

Merl crossed his arms. "It's not fair, making me choose between fangs and guns." But he crouched next to Cordy and took up watch again.

The sound of feet hitting pavement had Cordy turning.

"Just me," Angel said.

Andy looked around, obviously confused. "Where'd you come from?"

Angel pointed up. All four of them looked at the roof, four stories above them.

"You totally need a bell," Cordy said, turning back to press her nose to the glass.

"Yeah, man, that ain't natural," Andy said.

"Don't let's discuss the irony of Andy using the word natural in a sentence," Cordy muttered.

"I heard that," Andy said.

"Hey, doesn't anyone care about the mob guys?" Merl asked. "Did you kill them?"

Angel shook his head.

Merl huffed. "What do you mean, no?"

"Didn't want to make a mess. Don't worry, they're out of commission." He leaned down next to them. "I take it you found Dan?"

Cordy leaned back and let him stick his nose against the glass.

"Ah," he said. "Backroom deal."

"How can you tell?" Cordy asked.

Angel shot her a look.

"Kidding! Jeez!"

"So, now that you're here, can we go?" Merl asked. "After you pay me, of course." He stuck out his hand.

Angel shook his head. "Not yet. I need back-up."

"Crap," Cordy said. "I told Wes and Gunn I'd call." She reached for her cell phone.

"Drop it." The sound of a gun cocking had her dropping her phone to the concrete. She turned and saw one of Benny's mobsters standing behind them, a loaded 9MM in his hand. "You guys did realize the window was open, right?" He pointed up and, sure enough, one of the casement windows angled out.

"Son of a--," Cordy said.

Merl jumped to his feet and broke into a run. The mobster, the really tall guy, simply reached out and grabbed his collar. Merl's feet kept going, but the rest of him stopped like he'd hit a brick wall. The only sound he made was a strangled "whoof."

"Wow, that was great! Just like something out of the Three Stooges," Andy said.

Merl hung from the goon's hand, suspended a foot off the ground.

"You wanna put him down?" Angel said. "He's turning gray."

"And we all know gray isn't in this season," Cordy said.

The mobster gave Merl a good, hard shake. "You gonna behave?" Merl choked out a noise that might have been a yes. The mobster dropped him and Merl fell to his knees, clutching his throat and coughing.

"You wouldn't happen to be Cordelia Chase, would you?" The mobster, who looked human except for the horns protruding from his temples, smiled like someone's nasty cousin. The kind that gave you wedgies and told unrepeatable jokes.

Cordy swallowed. "Nope, not me," she said, scooting over behind Angel.

Angel broadened his stance and reached back to put a hand on her arm. "I think you're mistaken," he said, in a hypnotic voice.

The mobster snorted. "Is that your best attempt at thrall, vampire?"

Angel shrugged. "I'm better with violence, frankly." He moved in a sudden burst and the mobster hit the ground. "Run!" Angel shouted.

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Cordy said, hauling ass for the car. She heard Merl and Andy take off after them. Then she heard the sharp crack of gunfire.

"Don't stop!" Angel yelled, taking the lead. "They can't hit a moving target!"

Andy and Merl passed her. "Hey, wait," she cried, having trouble getting her legs to work. Then it hit her—a flash of pain along the outside of her thigh. "Angel!" she yelled, and she stumbled to the sidewalk.

"Cordy?" He ran back to her.

"I think he shot me," she said.

"Oh, God." He scooped her up and started running—but before he got three steps, they were surrounded by Benny's men.

Cordy moaned and bit her lip. "Angel." She pushed against his chest. "Put me down," she said softly. "They'll let you go. It's me they want." She struggled against the pain arcing up her leg. It felt like someone gouged it with rebar then rubbed it with sandpaper.

He shook his head. "Forget it."

The tall mobster had a smear of blood on his face, and his nose was swollen and bruising fast. "Come wid us," he said.

"What about the other two?" one of the short ones asked.

"Fugged `em," he said. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and winced. "You broke my node," he said to Angel.

"Too bad. I was aiming for your brain."

The guy's eyes narrowed. "Take `em inside." He gestured toward the warehouse with his gun.

The warehouse was as dingy inside as it was out. Crumpled newspapers, old bottles, spent rubbers and cigarette butts littered the floor. Stacks of dusty pallets crowded the corners and Cordy could see what looked like feed sacks rotting alongside them.

Her leg throbbed and she felt clammy, queasy. She saw Angel's nostrils twitch as the smell of fresh blood hit the air. "Put me down," she said, worried that she was distracting him.

"Hush." He shifted her in his arms, gathering her closer. "Benny," he said, nodding to the small man in the black suit.

"Angel," Benny said, lifting a hand in greeting. "I see you brought me a present."

"Sorry. Not your style."

Benny shook his head. "You and me, we should be working on the same side, but instead you make my life a living hell." He squinted at Cordy. "I know you," he said.

"No you don't," she replied, clenching her teeth together against the ripping pain.

Benny snapped his fingers. "Back in February. You and your crew messed with one of my operations."

Cordy glared at him, the best she could do under the circumstances. "You were extorting money from that actress. She came to us for help."

"You guys worked with an actress?" Angel said, sounding surprised.

Cordy glanced up at him. "You thought you were the only supernatural detective with contacts in Hollywood? Please." She nodded at Benny. "He was trying to force her to pay him a portion of her proceeds from a film he backed."

"That's enough," Benny said, his soft, avuncular voice going sharp.

Something moved in the corner. "Dan?" Cordy squinted and she could just make out his profile in the shadows.

He stepped into the light. "Cordelia." He sighed and shook his head. The light glinted off his glasses. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

She shook her head. "Shoulda thought of that before you told me enough information to get me killed."

"Yeah, sorry about that." He hung his head and looked contrite.

"So this is all your idea, then?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah. It was my idea from the beginning. Kevin found out, so I bugged him--"

"With the Pez dispenser?"

Dan nodded. "Pretty clever, huh? That way, Benny, here, could track him down and, you know--" He waved his hand. Then he got misty- eyed. "He was my best friend," he said.

"Good thing he wasn't your enemy," Cordy said. "What about Genesys?"

"Oh, they're not involved. I planned on being long gone by the time they figured anything out."

"The landscaper?"

"I told him you had a gun." He smiled. "The receptionist got suspicious and tipped the guard when you mentioned PEZ. They saw you running across the campus and drew their own conclusions."

"Excuse me," Benny cut in. "What is this, Scooby Doo? We don't have time for you to go through your `meddling kids' speech." He nodded at the tall goon. "Take the samples," he said.

Cordy noticed then that Dan held a briefcase. He pulled it to his chest protectively. "You haven't paid me the rest," he said.

The mob guy held out his hand.

Dan shook his head and stepped back. "Look, I thought we had a deal—"

"We do," Benny said. "You give me the samples, and I'll make sure you get home alive." He smiled, teeth glistening, even in the low light.

Dan stared at Benny then finally nodded. He stepped forward, briefcase extended toward Benny's outreached hand. "Here you go," he said. Then, in a surprise move, he swung the briefcase and hit Benny in the head with it. The momentum carried him around, and he used it to whack one of the shorter goons, who collapsed on top of Benny.

"Can you stand?" Angel asked.

"Yes! Yes! I can stand!" Cordy said, shoving out of Angel's arms. She hit the floor on her bad leg and crumpled. "Okay, maybe not." But Angel was already gone to do what he did best: bust demon butt.

She crawled out of the way, aiming for the crates, where she thought she could take shelter. The time off her feet must have done her some good because she climbed to her knees and was able to stand up and hobble away from the fray.

"Cell phone," she said, realizing she might be able to get outside and call Wes. About three feet from the door, she heard a distinct rumble--the truck's engine. She heard the engine rev--misfiring a couple of times--and realized what was about to happen.

She leapt out of the way just as the truck crashed through the wall and into the warehouse. The truck's bumper opened the corrugated metal like a can opener. The window blew in on top of the windshield all in one piece, then it smacked the hood at an angle and exploded. Cordy covered her head with her hands and closed her eyes.

When the dust cleared, she opened them in time to see Angel and the mobsters staring at the truck in shock. Then the doors flew open, and Wes and Gunn bolted out of the cab. "Everyone put your hands in the air!" Gunn shouted.

Merl and Andy ran in through the hole the truck left behind. "What'd we miss?" Andy said.

The gangsters took that opportunity to rush Gunn and Wes. Gunn fired the crossbow and one of the short guys screamed and went down with an arrow protruding from his shoulder.

Angel collared Benny and got him in a headlock. The tall guy tackled Dan, who held on to the suitcase for dear life. The other mobster, the last short one, ran for Cordy.

Cordy watched, open-mouthed, as Andy and Merl waylaid him and dragged him into the fray. Punches flew. Feet pummeled. People yelled. It was like one of those cartoons where a fight breaks out and all you can see is a ball of dust and flying fists.

And in the midst of it, Dan slithered free and went for the door.

"Hey!" Cordy yelled. "Stop!" She hobbled after him. "Dan's getting away!"

Footsteps pounded behind her and Merl flew past and tackled Dan. The briefcase went flying and hit the ground with a crash, breaking the locks and sending small glass vials skittering across the littered concrete floor.

Dan gasped and reached for the nearest vial. "No you don't," Merl said, sitting on his back and bouncing.

Andy rushed out of the fight, and Cordy could see that one of his eyes was already going black. "Hey, Merl, you need some help?" He skidded to a halt and accidentally kicked one of the vials. It spun across the room. "So that's what all the fuss was about?" he asked, chasing after it.

His big foot crunched the glass, and he stopped and stared down at the puddle. Then he sniffed the air, squatted next to it and stuck his finger in it. He lifted his finger to his mouth and licked the solution.

"Hey, that's really good." His stomach growled loud enough that Cordy heard it over the fracas.

"Don't!" Dan said, but Merl bounced on him again, cutting off his air supply.

Andy pulled another vial up, broke the metal seal on it and sniffed it, too. Then he glanced at her and grinned. "I'm sorry, but I can't resist. I'm gonna have to eat those PEZ." Then he tilted his head back and slurped them down.

Dan howled. Merl bounced on his back. Cordy goggled as Andy opened another batch and slurped again.

"Uh, Andy?" she said. "You realize you're eating the evidence?"

Andy shrugged. "They'll make more."

Gunfire cracked the air and Cordy ducked her head instinctively. When she peered out from between her fingers, she saw Angel pointing a smoking gun at Benny's head. "Stay down," he said, in that ruthless, I'm a bad mo-fo voice that put the fear of God into everyone.

Benny, bleeding and bruised, quivered on the floor beneath him. Wes and Gunn had somehow made it out on top, and also pointed guns at Benny's guys.

Angel turned Benny over with his foot and undid his belt. Then he trussed Benny up like a pig, looping the belt around his hands and drawing them back and down so he could tie them to his feet.

Angel nodded at Gunn and Wes. "Tie them up," he said. Then he tucked the 9MM into his waistband, and walked over to where Cordy stood.

"You okay?" He put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's just a flesh wound," she said, balancing her weight on her good leg.

"Hey, you watch Monty Python?" Merl asked. Beneath him, Dan squirmed. Andy dropped the last of the vials to the ground and went to sit next to Merl. Dan stopped moving.

"You wanna call the cops?" Cordy asked.

Angel nodded. "Wes'll take care of it. Let's get you to the car." He picked her up gently, easing her into his arms like she was something precious.

"I can walk," she said, feeling embarrassed and shy.

He shook his head. "Merl? Andy? You guys gonna be okay here?"

"Hey," Merl said. "We still haven't gotten paid." He flipped Cordy her cell phone and she caught it one-handed. "We called Wes for you," he said. "I think that nets us a bonus."

"Come see me tomorrow," Angel said. "I'll write you a check."

"I could get used to this detective stuff," Andy said, giving an extra bounce on Dan's legs. Then he let out a loud, long burp. "Oops." He pressed his fingers to his lips.

"I think he ate all the evidence," Cordy said.

Angel stared at Andy, a look of profound distaste. "Cops'll have to sort it out," he said. "Wes? Gunn? You guys got it?"

Gunn nodded.

Angel shook his head. "If I'd known we were gonna waste another truck, I'd have kept Lindsey's."

Gunn patted the hood. "It's all right. She needed some work, anyway."

"Company will cover it," Angel said.

Gunn shot him a thumb's up and Angel carried Cordy out into the cool, Los Angeles night.

***

When she woke the next morning, the covers on the bed were in exactly the same position they'd been in when she went to sleep. She drew in a breath, long and deep, and stretched, feeling the muscles in her arms and back relax for the first time in months.

Her leg burned and ached, but it wasn't too bad. The doctor at the hospital cleaned it good, gave her some antibiotic cream and said it'd heal without a scar.

"Which is a good thing for an aspiring actress," she said, climbing out of bed and limping to the bathroom. Just as she was spitting toothpaste in the sink, the phone rang.

"Dennis? Can you hand me that?" She plucked it out of mid-air and wiped her mouth on a hand towel. "Thanks," she said, thumbing it on. "Hello?"

"Miss Chase, this is Deanna from Doctor Green's office. We got your test results back from the scans. The doctor would like for you to come in today to discuss them."

"Sounds serious," Cordy said, dropping her toothbrush into the hanger.

There was a pause. "Ma'am, he's cleared his calendar for you."

Cordelia's lips felt numb. The pounding in her head became a roar.

"Miss Chase?"

"I, um.... I can be there in a couple of hours."

"One o'clock?"

"Fine." She hung up with a click and dropped the phone onto the edge of the sink. "Oh, God," she said, staring at herself in the mirror.

The phone rang again, echoing in the silent bathroom. She jumped. "Hello?"

"Cordelia, it's Joe. How are you, dear?"

"I'm, uh, great. Listen, can I call you back?"

"No need, no need. Just wanted to let you know I got you an audition for that suntan lotion company I told you about."

"Wonderful," she said, trying desperately to focus on what he was saying. "When?"

"Friday at two. Down in Burbank." He rattled off an address.

Cordy grabbed an eye pencil and scribbled the information on the mirror. "Thanks. I'll be there."

"Pack a bikini, girl! I've got a good feeling about this one!"

"Good. Good, that's... good." Cordy turned off the phone and stood, staring at the sink.

Rage welled up in her, hot and thick, and she threw the phone at the wall. The plastic cracked and the battery cover flipped off and landed on the rug. Cordy collapsed on the toilet and sat, with her head in her hands, thinking, this is it. I have a date with death and I haven't even finished living yet.

She leaned her head back against the wall and watched as the lights fractured and grew halos. She blinked back tears, swiped at the few that leaked down her cheeks. "Gotta get tough," she whispered. "Gotta prioritize."

Angel's smile flashed in her mind, along with the shy, embarrassment she felt last night when he picked her up. Like she meant something to him. Like they were family again.

If he dumped her now, there was no way she could take it. She scrubbed her hands over her face. She didn't have the reserves, the defenses, to lose him again. Better to make a preemptive strike, to stop the gradual merging of their lives before it started.

"We're not friends, we're co-workers," she whispered. "Not friends. Not family. I'm his seer." A sob welled up from the back of her throat. She swallowed it back and stood, turning the taps in the shower on with quick, authoritative jerks. "It's better that way."

When the phone rang a third time, she let the machine in the bedroom pick up. Through the open door she could hear his voice. "Cordy? It's Angel. Just calling to check on you. Call me when you--"

She stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind her, cutting off his voice completely.

End

Notes: A Stranger Things Foolish Fic Challenge for Colleen, who requested a story set any time in S2 with the immortal line: "I'm sorry, but I can't resist. I'm gonna have to eat those PEZ."

This story is set in "real time," and falls on March 31/April 2, 2001. If I've done my job right, it'll fit neatly between Epiphany and Disharmony. Also, for the science geeks in the audience, just pretend I know what I'm talking about with this whole biotech thing. [g]

Thanks: Thanks for the beta go to my favorite April Fools, Julie Fortune and littleheaven. And to Queen Mab, who keeps the madness alive.