author: Lucinda
rating: pg
pairing: Willow/Doyle QPC #18
the QPC site:
sequel to Lucky Charm
disclaimer: I own nobody from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel the
Series.
distribution: WLS, NHA, QPC, Bite Me please?, anyone else just ask.
note: AU. Hero never happened. Cordelia hooked up with Wesley, and
Doyle's crush on her faded.


Lucky Charm 2: So Many Changes (1/1, pg)


Willow stepped into the Hotel Hyperion, now no longer a hotel,
but the base of operations for Angel and his team. A team that
included Doyle. The building was amazing, and she felt a moment of
envy. Angel and his people had this huge building, and they just
had the Magic Box...

"Willow! It's good that you're here although... hmmm... the
blue's a good color for you. Really." Cordelia's smile seemed
almost too bright. She wore a brown leather cord wrapped multiple
times around her wrist, holding a tiny pouch with purple and scarlet
embroidery over it. Maybe some sort of new fashion accessory?
She'd also cut her hair, so that instead of a dark cascade down her
back, it was a sleek bob just a little below her ears.

She chuckled a little. "I still go for comfort over fashion.
I brought a few of Giles' books, and a list of some websites..."

"More heavy books of doom, just what I love to do with my
time... Wesley! Willow brought you some of Giles creepy old
books." Cordelia sighed, looking at Willow.

Willow wasn't terribly surprised when Angel and Wesley came
out together, apparently still discussing something about a ritual
of empowerment and something about a Lilah giving them troubles...
Angel smiled to see her, and Cordelia gave Wesley a very involved
looking kiss... "Apparently things got better for them away from
Sunnydale..."

Angel walked closer, holding out his hands for the books. It
wasn't until Willow actually handed him the books and looked up into
his eyes that she realized something was different with him. He
didn't have the same look of brooding torment lurking in his eyes,
but instead looked almost... peaceful. "Angel? What... you... I
mean..."

"Surprise?" Angel offered the word a bit awkwardly. "Some
people that we helped... they didn't have money, but they offered us
magical thanks. They... they removed the Clause. I wanted it to be
a surprise... Doyle didn't give it away?"

So many emotions swirled through her. Surprise, relief,
curiosity, happiness, a tiny thread of disappointment that she
hadn't found the answer... "It was definitely a surprise. You
aren't... umm... not going to Sunnydale?"

"No. What I had with Buffy... it was intense, but its time is
gone. We aren't going to work together, no matter how hard we try,
and she has what's his name now, the soldier." Angel shook his
head, and looked almost as if the mention of Buffy and Riley was a
sour taste in his mouth.

Smiling, Willow made her way over to the computer. "So,
you're all permanently souled, and seem to be needing magical help
more often... maybe I should just transfer to UCLA next Fall." She
glanced over at Doyle as she spoke.

Okay, granted that he was apparently half demon, and probably
a good ten years older than her, but he was sort of cute. Cute in
that charmingly goofy not quite matching sort of way that Xander
had, and sort of quiet and self contained like Oz had been, and
smart like Giles... Oh dear. It was like he had some of all the
guys that she'd had crushes on before. Even more encouraging, he
actually seemed like he might be a little interested in her.

Really though, after everything, what was a few years between
ages? And considering the people that she knew, the ones that were
the closest that she had to family, the people that were her family
in every way but blood, human was relative. Maybe there could be
something between her and Doyle after all...

"Might be nice if you stayed around." Doyle's voice was soft,
the hint of accent softening the words even more. "For all of us, I
mean."

She looked at him, noticing the way his eyes rested on her,
with something in them - could it be hope? "Yeah, that might be a
good thing."

Change could be a very good thing, right? And Doyle seemed
like a nice guy. Maybe Los Angeles would be a very good place to
move.

end Lucky Charm 2: So Many Changes