"Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Chapter Three"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Angel was deeply engrossed in a dusty old book when Cordelia flounced back into the office. He looked at the clock on the wall, it read 10.45p.m.

"I thought you had a date?" he said.

Cordy dropped her coat on the floor and stood in front of him, arms crossed. "Do I look cheap to you?"

Angel looked at Cordy, she was wearing a short black dress and her hair was piled up on her head in a way that appeared messy and carefree but that you just knew must have taken hours to reach that effect.

"Um, well I'm really not the guy you should be asking. I mean when it comes to women I'm not exactly the world's biggest expert."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean look at Buffy, she screams cheap," Cordelia sat down and kicked off her pumps.

Angel opened his mouth to tell Cordy off then changed his mind when he noticed how she was on the verge of tears.

"What happened?" he asked, quietly as he tucked a finger in the book to hold his place.

"That creep, Mark. The nerve of him he actually thought I'd put out on a first date," Cordy rummaged through her purse until she found a Kleenex. "I am not that desperate," she dabbed at her eyes. "Do I look that desperate?"

"No," answered Angel quickly. "Of course not. I don't know what he was thinking. If it makes you feel any better I'm sure Doyle would be more than happy to go beat him up for you." Or at least attempt to. Angel thought.

"No, Doyle can't know. As far as he's concerned I had the perfect night."

"Why? It's not like you to care what Doyle thinks."

"I don't," Cordy replied hotly. "I just don't want him to know."

Angel sighed. There were times he hated having to walk the tightrope between his two friend's feelings for each other. To watch them try to deny their growing attraction when all the time he was so desperately trying to forget his own for Buffy.

"Listen, its obvious this guys not for you. He's too shallow and self-centred," Angel tried to steer clear of the thought that he had just described most people's opinion of Cordy. "If it helps you any just use this as a learning curve and the next time you go for an audition that requires you to feel say rage or sadness, just call up the feelings you have right now and use them."

Cordelia brightened up. "Great idea," she looked at the piles of books on Angel's desk. "What are you doing? I thought you were babysitting Meghan tonight?"

"Something Doyle said to me over the phone reminded me of an old legend and now I'm trying to find it."

"Maybe I can help? I don't feel like going home straight away," she leant forward and whispered. "The last thing I want is Phantom Dennis thinking I had a dud date, too."

"Sure thing," Angel waved a hand over the pile. "Grab a book and if you come across anything about 'bed bugs' let me know."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Half an hour later Cordy dropped the book she was holding and sighed. When Angel didn't acknowledge her she sighed again.

"What?" Angel looked up from his book.

"I'm bored."

"So go home."

Cordelia looked up at the clock on the wall. "I can't its not midnight yet."

"This is not going to involve some sort of pumpkin joke is it?"

"Oh please," Cordy rolled her eyes. "The only reason somebody would be home before midnight is if they had a dud date. So I can't go home yet."

"Well pick up another book and help me, then."

Sighing deeply she grabbed a large tome and flipped straight to the back. "Why can't these things have decent indexes?"

Angel didn't answer.

"Eew, that has to be the most horrid creature I've ever seen," Cordy turned a few pages. "No wait I take it back this guy is the most ugliest." Glancing up she caught her boss's glare. "Fine I'll do this quietly then."

"Thank you," Angel replied.

Silence again reigned, apart from the rustling of brittle pages.

Angel sat upright and pointed to the page he was reading. "I think this is it."

"What?" Cordelia moved over to stand behind him. "What have you found?"

The picture underneath Angel's finger showed a short squat creature. Completely hairless it had two short tusks growing out of its mouth and where its eyes should have been was only a blank strip of flesh.

"Very gross, but I still win," Cordy said. "My monster is much scarier than yours."

"It's a dream demon from Crete," Angel explained.

"Uh-huh. So it's a cretin then?"

Angel ignored the bad joke. "According to this the demon doesn't ever meet it’s victim. What it does is sends out little creatures into the homes and they attach themselves to the victim injecting the person with a poisonous secretion that induces nightmares."

"Hence that old saying about bed bugs biting?"

"That's the one. I didn't think anything of it until Doyle mentioned it tonight."

"So what happens next?"

Angel read some more. "The 'bug' feeds off the fear and anger of the victim, actually growing bigger. When the bug is full it detaches itself and makes its way back to the demon."

"And?"

"And there the demon eats the bug absorbing all the negative emotions."

"Lovely," Cordelia walked back to her chair and sat down. "So you think this is Meghan's problem? A bug infestation?"

"There's only one way to find out. We need to go back to Meghan's apartment and search it."

"For a bug creature?"

"Or for this plant," Angel turned a page and held the book up for Cordy to see. "The bugs hide in the plant's flowers and only come out at night. The plant is usually sent to the victim as a present."

"How do we stop them?"

"If we can track down the demon and kill it the bugs will automatically die. They are a part of the demon, sort of an off-shoot."

"Well this just keeps getting ickier and ickier. Remind me to disinfect Meghan with a can of Raid next time I see her."

"It's not her fault, but I need to get over there," Angel stood up and reached for his duster. "Go home there's nothing else you can do tonight."

"Okay," Cordelia stood up also. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure, I'll see you to your car."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meghan opened her door to Angel's insistent pounding. "Hurry up," she said. "I'm missing Oprah."

He followed her down the hall and into the lounge. Meghan slumped back onto the couch while Angel stood behind her. Both stared at the television for a few minutes.

"I've seen this one, already," Angel said.

Meghan titled her head back to stare up at Angel. "Now which is worse," she asked. "The fact that a perfectly sane woman, like myself, is watching this crap or that a vampire does too?"

"I happen to like the stories," Angel replied.

He stepped around the couch and sat down while Meghan flicked off the television.

"What do you have for me?" she asked.

"Have you received any gifts lately?"

"What kind of gifts?"

"The vegetation kind," Angel replied.

"Why," Meghan smiled. "Did you send me anything?"

"No."

"Well screw you too."

"I'm serious," Angel said.

Meghan thought for a bit before replying. "A couple of weeks ago I caught a case where this kid stole some money from a firm and then skipped. I found the kid, returned the money and got a nice fat cheque for my efforts."

"So?"

"So as an added thank you the firm sent me a potted plant."

"Meghan, this could be important. What was the firm's name?"

"Um. That lawyer firm, what are they called?" Meghan stared off into the distance as she tried to remember. "Wolfram and Hart."

"What?"

"Yeah, I couldn't figure it out, either. These people normally settle their problems in house but the guy I was talking to hinted that the kid had just made a mistake and if I could get her back before the police found out they were willing to let bygones be bygones."

"Meghan have you ever dealt with them before?"

Meghan snorted. "Hardly. They aren't our normal clientele, Angel. Why?"

"These people aren't what they seem."

"Well of course not. They're lawyers."

"No, Meghan. These people have demons and vampires on their pay roll. If they thought someone was stealing from them they wouldn't hire an investigative firm they'd send out one of their goons and have the person killed."

"So why did they come to us?" Meghan asked.

Angel scratched his head. "I can only presume that they learnt of your connection to me. Did they ask for you personally?"

"Dunno, I'd have to ask Donna, she took the original call." Meghan was referring to her boss, Donna Anderson. "Why would us being friends freak these guys out, though?"

Angel stood up and started pacing. "I've been a thorn in that firm's side for a while now. They wouldn't think twice about using my friends against me," he looked over to Megan. "Or to put them in danger."

"Or maybe you're just paranoid? I mean it's a big leap to go from potted plant to 'they're out to get ya'."

"How about if I went from they sent you a demon to 'they're out to get me'?" Angel turned to Meghan.

"What?" Meghan hurriedly sat up on the couch and tucked her feet under her. "Are you for real?"

Angel sat back down next to her. "I'm afraid so. It's a demon that's been giving you those dreams."

"Demons," Meghan shook her head. "And I used to think that the underbelly of LA was just drugs and Hollywood. Boy, have I learned."

"Meghan, where is the plant?"

She indicated the kitchen. "In there next to the microwave."

"Right." Angel strode into the next room, Meghan hard on his heels.

The plant in question stood in front of the window. It was a small sick looking thing with thin yellowing leaves. Two stalks stood above the plant covered in a spattering of closed flower buds.

"I think I've over watered it," Meghan said apologetically before realising what she was saying. "Actually I hope I've over watered it."

Angel picked it up and examined the plant closely. "Have you ever seen this thing with the flowers open?"

"No, why?"

"Because if my research is correct this is where the bugs come from."

"Bugs?"

"Small burrowing parasites that attach themselves to the victim and induce nightmares," Angel explained.

"So throw the plant away and Bob's your Exterminator."

Angel felt the flower pods and noticed that five of them were empty. "Its not that easy."

Meghan sighed. "I should have known. Why not?"

"I don’t know how many of these bugs have already hatched and more importantly where they might be. Besides if we just threw the plant away we’d just be passing the problem onto someone else. What if a child found it and took the plant home?"

"All right, all right you convinced me already."

"I need to find out more about these things," Angel placed the plant in a plastic bag and tied the end. "I'll take this for now and let you know how it goes."

Meghan nodded. "Okay I guess." She grabbed Angel's arm. "Will I have any more dreams?"

"I don't know. You'd better come home with me tonight. I can at least wake you up if you do."

"Now there's an offer a girl doesn't get everyday," Meghan said. "I'll grab my coat and then I'm all yours."

"Now there's an offer I don't get everyday." It was Angel's turn to smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The inside of Angel's apartment was sparse. Which made sense since he hardly lived in it, if lived was a word you could apply to a vampire. It was mostly filled with a variety of weapons and archaic books. There was a bedroom where he slept, a couch where he also sometimes slept, a kitchen where he occasionally forced Cordy and Doyle to eat his cooking – as Angel was fond of saying 'he wasn't the best cook in the world but it was the thought that counted' – and that was just about it. He spent more time on the streets and in his office than downstairs in the apartment.

"Sorry about the mess," Angel said as he and Meghan exited the elevator.

Meghan looked around if she were to compare her place to his then Angel's was practically a monk's quarters. "Sure, no problem."

Angel threw his duster on the couch and walked into the kitchen area. He opened the fridge and retrieved a plastic bag full of blood. Angel was about to drink from it when he remembered he was not alone. A glance to one side revealed Meghan's slightly horrified look.

"Sorry," he apologised again. "I'd offer you something but –"

"Oh no I'm all right," Meghan sat on the couch in such a way that she couldn't see Angel in the kitchen. "I ate earlier on so don’t mind me."

Angel poured his blood into a glass and downed it quickly. After rinsing the glass and running his hand over his mouth, to make sure there was no telltale signs, Angel moved back into the main part of his apartment. "You can have my room, tonight," he said. "Or what's left of the night."

"Okay," Meghan nodded. "Then what?"

"Research. Don't worry, Meghan, I promise we'll get to the bottom of all this."

Meghan stood up. "Of course you will. I just don't know what I'd do without you."

Angel smiled. "That's what friends are for. Now go to bed." He watched Meghan disappear into his room and the smile slowly faded away. He wasn't sure what else he could do for her, but Angel had never failed a client before, let alone a friend, and he was damned if he would start now. Sighing deeply he turned to a shelf and pulled out some books. Maybe he'd have a better idea in the morning, if not then Cordelia could get onto the Internet and see what she could find. Either way he would not quit until he had found an answer and destroyed this demon.

 

 è

CHAPTER FOUR