'So, what you're telling me is that you two became friends.'

'Geez Wes, what do you think the point of telling all those stories was?'

'no need to get snippy Cordelia, I was simply stating ...'

'yeah yeah we became friends' she shot Angel a look 'best friends actually' her tone softening to let her softer side peak out for one moment before queen C sprang back into action 'so what was your point Wesley?'

'if the two of you were such good friends how did "this" wild gesticulations to indicate the couch, and what they had been doing on said couch, happen?'

Opening your front door on a dark and stormy night to reveal a rain drenched cheerleader seemed to be the perfect opening scene for a horror film or a porn movie, either or.

'They're gone' in all the months that they had spent time together, he had never seen her so vulnerable. Big tear reddened eyes looked up at him

'Who are?'

'My parents' she sobbed lowering her chin to her chest and avoiding his eyes. She began to cry.

Standing on his doorstep in the pouring rain Cordelia cried.

He pulled her to him a wrapped her up in his arms and let her cry, no longer aware of the rain.

After a few minutes she pulled herself together. Angel physically felt her drag herself back. Looking up at him she whipped her eyes before taking his hand and walking in to the house a closing the door behind them.

'When I got home from practice, the driveway was full so I had to park in the street, I just thought that my parents where having a party and forgot to mention it, nothing new there. So I just strolled in, I wasn't really paying much attention - ha! my parents friends don't normally drive beaten up old crown vic's and the caterers van's don't usually come with IRS printed on the side. They're more the Mercedes with the 'my child goes to Yale' bumper sticker type.
God, how could I miss it. I walked right up to the front door before anyone stopped me'

She was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

'A very unfriendly man in the cheap suit stopped me' she wrapped the blanket tighter around her having discarded her wet cloths, that now lay drying in front of the blazing fire. The fire held her attention and stalled her story for a moment

'Then what happened?'

'He showed me some papers, said that daddy was behind on his taxes or something and that they were going through the house and cataloguing everything. Then he took me into the dinning room and asked me all these questions and then told me that I could collect my personal belongings and anything else that was under my name but the house was now legally the property of the united states government' she was steadily working her self back up to full rant mode again ' - whatever that means - I'm 17 for Christ sake what am I gonna own? Well, there is my car and a couple of pieces of jewelry that my grandma left me. But come on!'

'Okay, so I go up stairs, and there are men in suits all over the house going through all our things - it made me feel really ...dirty. Anyhow so I go in to my room and start stuffing all my things in bags, I mean I wasn't really thinking I just wanted to get out of there, you know. Well I needed more bags, so I went into my parents room to where we keep all the suitcases and'

'And what Cordelia?' Angel asked softly

She turned to face him, and he watched as her heart broke all over again ' all the suitcases are gone, all the clothes in their wardrobes are gone. My parents they've gone' there was no pretense now and her tears flowed freely and unchecked as he again wrapped her up in a tight embrace and let her cry into his shoulder

'They've gone Angel, my parents have gone and left me all alone. No house no money. They knew what was going to happen and they left me.'

He tucked her into his bed and watched her snuggle into the covers.

'Angel' a very small and un-Cordelia like voice muffled by pillow and embarrassment

'You'll stay with me right?'

And without a word Angel turned and climbed into his bed beside his emotionally distraught best friend pulling her in close and kissing her lightly on her forehead.

'So you moved in?

'Yes she did'

'But Angel that doesn't explain -' and again with the wild waving of his arms in the general direction of the couch

'We're getting to that part'

'God Wes you can't even say it, I don't know if you're ready to hear about it'