Chinese and Roses

Chinese and Roses

With a groan, her body moved under the crimson satin sheets, her eyes slowly opening, with her hair up in the ponytail during the night, it was now... sort of messy; the ponytail holder down towards the ends of her hair. She would have reached next to her for John, but finding him not there, she sighed heavily and pulled a pillow over her head.

John was shaking his head as he unlocked the door, using Angel's keys, and entered, rushing up the second floor, hiding something behind his back.

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Morn...uh...how was your sleep?"

She heard the door open, and on instinct reached for the dagger beside the bed on the side that she was one, taking it firmly into her grasp before she heard him speak, then she released the dagger and pulled the pillow off her head to look at him. "It was sleep... where did you run off to?"

"Had to do some checking up on things...sorry for running late."

"Its okay. Did you go to the church?"

She nodded softly, then yawned.

He presented what was behind his back to her. A dozen deep velvet red roses.

Her mouth sort of hung open in surprise and did the whole "aw" thing, taking the roses and smelling them. She smiled and leaned over to kiss him gently. "Thank you. You're sweet."

"And you're beautiful." He returned the kiss.

She sat the roses beside her as she crawled closer to him. "What did you do all day?"

"A few things here and there." He smiled, wrapping his arm around her.

Angel rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. "You're warm."

"You do that to me." He smiled a little.

She laughed softly as she leaned back a bit to stretch, the bandage on her left arm had come lose, and she really didn't notice. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Well..." he followed her with his eyes, "we could stay in...or go out."

"It's your choice. I do both most of the time, but then again, I'm usually alone. If you are hungry, we can go out to eat." Angel stood from the bed and stepped behind one of the Chinese paper walls, where water sounded for a moment, then turned off, and she appeared again. "You know, your brother will freak when he does find out about us."

"I know," he pushed himself up off the bed, "but it's not his say for what...we do."

"True." She smiled at him before she started to peel the bandage from her left arm, the wound that had been there before now completely healed. She took the hair band out so that her hair somewhat lay down about her shoulders. "So, what do you wish to do?"

"If you want to, how about Chinese?"

"If you can wait for a while, I need to shower."

He nodded. "Of course."

Angel moved to her dresser, and after rummaging around for... personal items as well as something red from a closet, that looked to be a dress, she hung this up on the Chinese wall as she moved back behind it. A door seemed to close and the sound of water from a shower came forth.

John smiled a little, hearing the water run.

She showered and washed her hair quickly, turned off the water afterwards, dried off, blow dried her hair, and put it up in chopsticks, black with red dragons crawling up the sticks.

John looked about the bedroom. The bedroom had an oriental flare to it; the way the bed was with the sheer black curtains hanging from the ceiling and the crimson sheets. The Oriental rug on the floor about the bed, the Chinese walls, with bamboo growing in two of the corners along with other planet life that seemed oriental. He smiled fondly in admiration.

"This out does me by far...," he murmured.

Angel then appeared from behind the wall, hair up, and a red halter, Chinese dress on, hugging her body gently, with red strappy heals on to match. "You like?"

He was breathless. "Very much."

He nodded, offering his arm.

She took it after grabbing a sequined red purse. "Lead the way cutie."

He grinned, then walked down the stairs, then out the door.

"Hey John, where are my keys?

"Mmm." He took them out of his pocket.

"Oh, okay. Taking my keys now?" She smiled at him playfully.

He held her close as they walked to his car.

She leaned gently against him as they walked to his jeep, without stopping she gently kissed his neck.

He smiled a little, the kiss sending shivers throughout him. He then helped her into his Jeep.

"Thank you, sir." She smiled softly at him as she leaned back in the seat, putting on a seat belt.

He moved towards the driver's seat and strapped on his seat belt before driving off.

"So what Chinese are you hungry for?"

"There's this one place up, Kingpin, that's really good."

In a while, working through traffic, they were there. She sniffed at the air a bit. "Smells good." He grinned, pulling in.

She unbuckled the seat belt, leaned over and kissed him softly.

John wrapped an arm around her, returning it.

Nick was walking by the car, whistling then looked at the car and stopped dead in his tracks. Moving backwards, he looked in more and his eyes grew wide. "Ahh! What the f-!" He banged on the window. "JOHN!"

Angel looked up and sighed, leaning back after seeing Nick. "Crap."

John rolled down the window angrily. "Nick, what are you doing?"

"What are *you* doing?" Nick growled, "John, you're a priest!"

"I don't need babying right now Nick." He looked at Angel, sighing. "Besides," John said, "I was...uh…choking."

"And she was just helping you, huh?"

A hand rose to cover her face as she shook her head gently.

Nick tried to be calm, rational. "John...we talked about this..."

"I'm a grown man, Nick...different strokes for different folks."

Nick punched the car a little, no harm to it. "John please....you don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Nick, please. John is a grown man, he can take care of himself and decide for himself."

He glared at her. "I don't want anything happenin' to him."

"Nothing will! Just as V protects you to her extent, I will protect him. If you are so damned worried about John, then why don't you keep him under lock and key?" She growled softly.

Nick looked away, knowing she was right. "John, you sure this is what you want?"

Nick wasn't sure what to say. "I don't want him hurt."

Shaking his head, he walked off, angry.

"I'm sorry, John." She looked down at her feet, a short strand of hair fell to the side of her face.

He sighed. "Don't be. Nick's....just crazy."

"I guess he had to find out sometime."

"I wish it'd have been later..."

"I know.. I was sort of planning for time for us... before Nick found out."

He nodded. "Yeah..." He fingered the steering wheel.

"John, are you okay?" Angel asked softly.

Angel leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. "Still feel like food or do you just want to go home?"

"I'm not sure, heh." He looked at her and smiled weakly.

A hand moved to brush over his cheek gently, a soft smile on her lips. "It's your choice, John."

Taking a deep breath, he said. "Okay, let's just drive to another one."

"Okay, and it doesn't have to be Chinese." She sat back in her seat, pulling the seat belt back on.

He smiled slightly. "Okay."

"So, where to now? Another Chinese restaurant, or a different place?"

"What do you suggest?"

"A restaurant that serves both humans and others alike." Angel suggested.

"Do you know of any?"

"You know that place near the bridge, Uncle Tom's House?"

He thought for a moment. "Um... wait.. yeah."

He drove there. Uncle Tom's House actually seemed like a nice place, lit inside to give a warm atmosphere. When they got to the door, John ushered her inside.

"Thank you," Angel said to John.

A waiter approached them as they stopped inside. "What species and how many of each?"

Angel smiled softly at the waiter. "One Human, One Vampire."

She looked at John, unsure of his preference.

"Non, please." John responded.

"Very good. Now if you will follow me, please." The waiter grabbed two menus from two different piles before leading them to a candle lit table in the back of the restaurant. Black velvet curtains hung delicately above the table and pulled to the sides.

Angel smiled up at John at the sight of their table. He touched her shoulder, returning her smile. "This is nice."

"See, and the food here is delicious, or so I've heard." She smiled as she sat down, the waiter then placed the vampire menu in front of her and the human one in front of John once he was seated.

He looked over the menu, thinking.

The waiter came back after a few minutes, asking. "And what would you like to drink, sir?"

"A coke please, light on the ice."

"Yes sir, and for the lady?"

"Red wine with a blood cube, please." She smiled softly up at the waiter as he nodded and walked off to get their drinks.

John looked around. "Nice place."

"Yeah, good service too."

"Good service...yeah, I'd have to agree."

Within minutes of them ordering, the waiter came back with their drinks on a tray, setting the coke, light on the ice, in front of John, and the Red Wine with the blood cube, in front of Angel. "Are you ready to order, or do you need more time?"

John looked at Angel.

"A little bit more time, please."

"Very good. I shall return shortly."

John looked at her. "So...what sort of things do they have on a menu like that?"

"Um... you really don't want to know. Most of it will probably disgust you and/or make you sick."

"I see..." He went back to looking at his own.

The waiter came back after a while, pad and pen in hand. "Are you ready to order now?"

John nodded, looking again at Angel. Angel nodded softly before she spoke, "Yes, um, I'd like the tomatoblood soup, please." She hoped it didn't disgust John too much.

"Uhm…I'll have the steak here," he pointed, "well done, dead, don't burn it. And fries."

The waiter smiled at John and nodded. "Yes, sir. Everything ordered from the human menu is dead, as is most of the food on the other menus. Well done and fries. Anything else sir?"

John smiled a little, and Angel could've saw some of that Vari smile that Nick showed at times. "No thanks."

"Okay, your food should be here shortly."

Angel smiled at John as she watched him, the waiter, before he left, took the menus from them.

John scratched the back of his head. "So..."

"I don't know..." He looked deeply into her eyes. "You're a wonderful woman, vampire or not. I'm starting to...see way past that now." He touched her cheek with the back of his hand.

She smiled at him from where she sat, leaning her cheek against his hand. "I'm glad."

"This may sound ironic....but you're making me feel alive."

A playful grin slipped across her lips as a brow rose in amusement. "Oh? How do I make you feel alive?"

"It's hard to explain, even to myself.... but you make my heart race."

"I think that means you're in love, John."

He looked at her. "I guess it does."

"Does that make you feel weird?"

"Honestly? A little."

"You're first time?"

"With a real girl that wasn't using me to get to Nick? Yeah."

"Oh? How many have there been that have done that?" Angel looked at him with concern, hoping he didn't think of her like that.

The waiter came back with a tray which he set down on a stand near the table. "Here you are sir, your steak, well done, not burnt, and fries."

John grinned. "Mm. Smells good."

The waiter set that done before John, then taking a bowl from the tray and setting it before Angel. "And for you miss, tomatoblood soup."

"Thank you." She smiled up at the waiter.

"Is there anything else you need?" The waiter asked, looking at the two of them.

"No, thank you," Angel replied.

John held up his glass. "Refill please?"

"Yes, sir." The waiter took John's glass, and glancing at Angel's almost empty glass, took that as well to refill it, he left, but soon returned with full glasses of coke and red wine with a blood-cube. Then he left again.

John watched the waiter go and he looked at Angel. "In answer...too many."

"I'm sorry that many women have treated you like that." She took a sip from her wine.

"You get used to it after a while." John started to cut into his steak. The steak was well done, no pink inside, but still tender and juicy. John sighed happily, in heaven now.

Angel laughed softly at him as he did so, she soon took a spoonful of her soup, smiling as she enjoyed it.

John took a sip of his coke, then said, "I might have to disappear in the next coupla weeks."

Angel looked up from her soup, a frown on her lips. "Why?"

"There's a church...mission to Bulgaria. Father Leon is ill and I'm the next highest Priest to go out."

"Oh..." She looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry. I would ask you to go, but they won't allow anyone but church members to travel."

"Why go to Bulgaria? Why so far?"

"They want to get the word out."

"They also believe one of our brothers are trapped there."

"The Bulgarians that the brother's father dealt with were...uhh...part of the KGB before they were supposedly banished. Brother Troi followed in his father's footsteps to find out what happened, and we haven't heard from him in so long."

"I hope you find him, and not get trapped yourself. How long are you guys going to be gone?"

"They're planning on sending two different teams. No longer than three weeks at the most."

She nodded softly before looking up at him. "If you aren't back within three weeks, I'm going to go looking for you." She pointed her tomato-dripping spoon at him, a small grin on her lips.

He cocked his head to the side a little, smiling at the spoon and her facial expression. Then he sawed into his steak again, popping pieces into his mouth.

She set the spoon back into the soup, the grin growing into a kind smile. "How does it taste?"

"Good," he replied, nodding, "yours?"

He smiled. He finished his steak minutes later, drinking his coke afterwards, as did she, finish her soup and finished sipping her wine, leaving a red cube in the glass.

As piano music started to play, john looked around and then at angel. "Wanna dance?"

She smiled and then nodded, well there was two of them, and there was a dance floor. He stood up and extended a hand towards her. She gave him her hand as she stood too. He led her towards the dance floor, sliding an arm around her waist. She slipped her other arm over his shoulder as she stepped closer to him before they started dancing.

As they danced to the music, a few eyes drifted over to them. some women smacked their dates for not taking them up to dancing like John had with Angel.

John bent his head low to angel's ear as he whispered, "I think we're making some women jealous."

"Only because I'm dancing with the cutest, and handsomest guy here." She whispered back as she leaned her head against his gently.

A smile curved his lips as he breathed in her perfume.

After a while, the soft music stopped to give way to a pause of silence, and still, John and Angel were the only ones on the dance floor. It was as if...they were dancing to their own rhythm.

John took out a wad of twenties to pay the price of fifty something, then walked out with Angel. She smiled at the note and then walked out with John as he led her out.

"I guess we really did make quite a few jealous, and their dates bought them dessert to make them happy again," Angel said softly.

He held her close as he smiled. "I was hoping."

"That I'd make someone jealous. It's usually me being jealous."

"Oh." She smiled as she leaned against him as they walked to his jeep. "So, where to now?"

"What do you feel like? Home?"

"I don't care, as long as I'm with you."

"How about my place? I don't think you've ever been there."

"Yes, I have. Once a long time ago, when we first meet."

"Really? Wow." He shook his head.

She laughed softly. "It's okay. If I remember correctly, you answered the door in jeans, and no Tshirt."

"Oh yeah." He blushed slightly.

She stopped him, rising up on her toes to whisper in his ear, a smile gracing her lips. "I thought you looked really sexy with your.. just-out-of-bed look."

He shook his head. "You have such a way with words."

John nodded. "Yeah." He kissed her softly.

She slipped her arms over his shoulders as she returned his kiss just as softly as he had given it.

He slowly pulled away, then helped her into the Jeep.

"Thank you." She smiled at him when she was in the Jeep.

He grinned at her, then climbed into the driver's side, strapping himself in, and starting the engine.

She put on her seat belt as she relaxed back in the seat, a smile on her lips, her eyes closed.

As he drove, he looked at her from the corner of his eye. "What's so funny?" he asked in a light tone.

"Nothing." She opened her eyes, looking at him with a brow raised, she didn't realize something was funny.

He explained. "You .... remind me of a happy kitten. So cute."

She laughed then, oh that was a first. "Oh really?"

"How so?" She smiled playfully at him, a hand moving over to brush against his leg.

He sighed contentedly. "Just the way you...smile."

"Oh, just my smile? Nothing else?"

"Everything about you. Your expression..." he started to sound like he was 14 all over again.

She smiled gently as he said this; indeed, he did sound like a teenager.

"I don't want this night to end, childish as it may sound."

" I know...I don't want it to end either." Angel glanced down at the clock within the jeep. Her eyes opened wide at the time and then glanced to the west where a tone of pink was slowly cast onto the floating clouds. "John...."

He saw it, muttering something incoherent in the meanwhile. "We're only a few minutes. We'll make it." Besides, who would want to have an ashy girlfriend?

She sank down into the seat, her eyes closed, trying to stay calm. The sun was the one thing that could freak out even the toughest vampire, for it was their destruction. Two minutes later, John pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, since it was the nearest one. He hustled out of the car, getting his keys out. She also moved quickly out of the jeep and beside John, keeping her eyes set towards the west, where the sun was ready to peek over the horizon. Once he got the door open, he practically pushed her inside, shutting the door. She had no problem with this, instantly leaning against the wall beside the door, eyes closed tightly.

"Sorry," he apologized, moving towards the hallway closet to bring out the heavier blankets. He returned and said, "If you want to, you can take the bed. I'll post these so the sun won't get in."

"I don't want to be any trouble John... but, please do put those up... or I can't move." She motioned down towards the floor, a sunbeam two inches from her feet.

He went to it and in a matter of minutes, the living room was pitch black until he flickered on a low-lighted lamp.

"Thank you." She moved away from the wall beside the door to walk towards the couch and a small yawn escaped her at this. He nodded and followed her with his eyes. "You can take the bed," he suggested again.

"John... you've been awake for almost two days, you get some rest."

Where as his brother Nick would've probably risen for a reason to sleep with a woman, John remained a gentleman. "It's really all right."

Angel walked to him before arms were gently placed around his neck and a soft kiss pressed to his lips. He returned the kiss, slowly deepening it, one hand stroked her hair while his other arm snaked around her waist. She slowly pulled away from the kiss to whisper softly, "Since we can't decide, we'll have to share." And with that, she slipped past him to lean against a wall outside the bedroom, which was nice and sunny.

He looked after her for a few seconds, then his brain worked again and he said, "Er…give me a moment."