Title: The Kissing Game
Author: Lissa

Disclaimers: I don't own the Angel or Buffy
characters.

   Angel and Wesley watched Cordelia bustle around the
office. 
   She hummed and straightened the plant on Angel's
desk. She grabbed her purse and swung it over her
shoulder.
   "You look happy." Angel observed.
   Cordelia shrugged. "I am. It's the weekend. All of
the old gang will be visiting tomorrow. I'm having
dinner with Doyle. Things are good."
   Wesley caught her slip up. "Doyle? Cordelia, you do
know...?"
   Cordelia froze as if realizing what she had said.
"He's dead?" She bit her lip. "I meant Dennis. I am
staying in with Dennis." She unhappilly avoided their
gazes. "I...I'm leaving now."
   "Bye." Angel said darkly. As she shut the door he
sighed. "She was thinking about him again."
   Wesley nodded. "I'm afraid she was."
   Angel got up and began pacing. "It's unatural. She
should be moving on, going out. I worry about her."
   Wesley nodded. "I agree though I don't want her
with another Christopher."
   Angel nodded his agreement. "No, I really don't
want her to date either. I just...she's really taking
it hard and I don't know what to do for her. If you
haven't noticed I have a communication problem. I have
a hard time seeing where she's coming from. I don't
know about shoes or clothes. What would I talk about?
I just don't know."
   Wesley sighed. "She loved him didn't she?"
   Angel nodded. "I think she did. You should have
seen her with him. She talked to him. Like big,
emotional talking. They..." he sighed at a loss for
words. 
    "Were in love." Wesley finished.
   Angel nodded. "I just wish he were alive. He was a
trustworthy friend."
   Wesley sat down on the couch. "If you think so
highly of him I wish I had a chance to meet him."
   They both stopped as the door opened.
   A man Wesley didn't know walked in. "Can I help
you?" Wesley realized Angel wasn't behind him. He
turned around. "Angel?"
   "Doyle?" Angel asked his voice wavering.
   Doyle nodded. "Hey, Angel."
   "How? Why?" Angel asked in bewilderment.
   Doyle shrugged. "All they told me was that the dang
vampire made a wish. A vampire and a blubbering
Brittish fool. So here I am."
   Angel looked confused "Blubbering fool?...Oh!
Wesley. Doyle this is Wesley. Wesley, Doyle."
   Doyle stuck out his hand to shake with Wesley.
   Wesley took his hand firmly. He went to introduce
himself but what came out was. "I kissed her."
   Doyle's eyebrows furrowed. "Kissed who?"
   Wesley paused ashamed. "Cordelia. When I first got
here I kissed her and I quite enjoyed it. I'm sorry."
   Doyle sent him a competitive look then softened. If
the guy was planning to try to compete with him he
wouldn't have confessed like that. So guiltilly. "It's
okay, man." He turned to Angel. "It's good to see you
again."
   Angel shook his hand and went to return the
enthusiasm but something was nagging at his mind.
Something he thought Doyle should know. "I kissed her
too."
   Doyle pulled his hand away. "I'm going to stop
shaking people's hands. It's leading to badness." He
tried not to get angry but Angel knew he was crazy
about her. "Okay, why?"
   Angel looked sheepish. "It was right after you
died. It didn't mean anything."
   Doyle nodded slowly. "Not that I'm keeping tabs on
her or that I expected her to wait for me but who else
was there?"
   Angel turned to look at Wesley. "Well...there was
Wesley and I. Then there was that Barney guy though he
later tried to kill her."
   Doyle's eyebrows shot up but he remained silent.
   "She had sex with the Christopher guy." Wesley
added helpfully.
   "Then she got pregnant." 
   Doyle almost choked. "Who's was it?!"
   Wesley shrugged. "It's kinda confusing we weren't
sure."
   "But don't worry we took care of it." Angel assured
him. "You won't find any ugly things crawling around
here."
   "She told me she was considering prostitution."
Wesley suggested.
   Doyle sighed. "Things have changed since I left
haven't they?"
   Angel nodded. "A little."

* * *

   Cordelia skipped into the office the next morning.
"Only an hour before my friends get here. I am-" she
trailed off seeing Doyle. "Doyle?! You're alive?! Oh,
I could just kiss you!"
   Doyle snorted ironically. "I bet you would."
   Cordelia didn't get to express her confusion
because Kate bustled in. "Angel, I need you to do
these files on the Clifford case- Ahhh!" She threw her
papers into the air. "Uh, Angel? Did you know there's
a dead guy in the office?"
   Angel sighed. "I'm always dead. It's not funny
anymore. I really hate that joke!"
   She shook her head. "I didn't mean you this time. I
meant him." she pointed accusingly at Doyle.
   Angel nodded. "Oh, him. Yeah, he's alive now." 
   Kate shrugged. "That's cool. Anyway, about that
file..."
   Doyle was looking at her oddly. With no enthusiasm
he walked up and grabbed her face. He kissed her
quickly then walked away as if nothing had happened.
   Kate wiped her lips off. "What was that?"
   Doyle smiled fakely. "It was the I'm happy to be
alive kiss everyone in sight kiss."
   Kate smiled back. "Okay." She turned to Angel her
cop scowl back. "ANYWAY."
   Cordelia stood with her mouth hanging open. How
could he do that? He was supposed to be in love with
her like she was him. Why didn't she get a kiss? Her
eyes turned to angry slits as someone opened the
office door. It was their buds fron high scool.
'Well,' she thought. 'Two cam play at this game.' With
a defiant look at Doyle she marched over to Xander.
She planted her lips to his. "I've missed you so
much!" she cried.
   Anya glared. "You promised she was over you. You
lied to me. Shame on Xander. Everybody say it together
now. Shame on Xander."
   Doyle sent Cordelia a challenging look. He grabbed
Anya and kissed her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Doyle the
welcoming committee."
   Anya smiled. "Oh! Their with the committee." she
explained to Xander with a bob of the head.
   Cordelia glared at Doyle with an indignant "Humph!"
She grabbed Spike and kissed him good.
   Spike raised an eyebrow then pulled her closer. He
kissed her roughly and growled hungrilly deep in his
throat. When he pulled away Cordelia looked up at him
in abject horror.
   He chuckled. "It's obvious you're trying to impress
the Mick. I figured we could give him a good show.
Plus I've been dying for some action. Well, action
besides Buffy."
   Doyle had been about to kiss Buffy but he pulled
away with a disgusted look. He spun and grabbed the
person behind him. He was looking into Wesley's eyes.
"Ew!" he hollored. "I'm not that desperate."
   Wesley awkwardly untangled himself. "I'm glad for
that."
   Cordelia pursed her lips in victory. "I-"
   Willow walked in and in that second time froze. 
   Cordelia saw him reach for her and she was taken
back. She thought back to the only other guy she had
been close to kissing Willow. Cheating on her with
Willow. She had always been secretly afraid Doyle
would meet Willow and leave her like Xander had.
   As she watched Doyle kiss Willow those same hurt
feelings arose again. She didn't know why he wasn't
happy to see her or why he had kissed Kate. She
figured it a joke. And though she realized he meant
nothing by kissing Willow it hurt. She fought back the
tears. "I...I...gotta go." She ran down to Angel's
apartment and jumped into his bed. She lay shaking on
it. She shivered when someone touched her arm.
   "Cordy?" Doyle asked softly. "Hey, look at me."
   Cordelia tried to ignore him but finally rolled
over. Her eyes were streaked with tears she didn't
realize she'd shed.
   "Aw, Princess." he whispered. 
   Cordelia sniffled and avoided his gaze.
   "Did it bother you that I kissed those girls?"
   Cordelia shook her head. "No, just when you kised
Willow."
   He gasped. "That was Willow? Oh, baby. I'm so
sorry. I didn't know. If I had known I would have
stopped this silly game. I was just jealous about the
other guys that had a shot at you while I was gone."
   "What other guys?" she breathed. "I was too caught
up in you."
   "Angel told me how he and Wesley both kissed you.
Then Barney, then Christopher, then the baby who you
didn't know the father. Then the Prostitute thing."
   Cordelia looked up at him amazed. "You did this
because you were jealous?! Those guys are so
dead...Angel already is but Wes may be joining him
soon." She shook that thought off. "Doyle, all that
was nothing. First. Like Angel would have the guts to
kiss me. The man doesn't even have working organs. I
kissed Wesley, Barney, and Angel in the same day."
   Doyle brushed her hair away from her eyes. "Not
feeling any better."
   Cordelia shrugged. "It was right after I got my
first vision. I was terrified. I wanted them gone. You
kissed me to give them to me so I kissed those guys to
try to pass it along. Christopher had me under some
sort of a trance so he could impregnate me with demon
sperm."
   "So that's why Angel said he's taken care of it. I
was scared for a moment."
   Cordelia chuckled. "Good reason. And the prostitute
thing. Just a joke... Feeling better?" she asked
tracing her nails over his palm.
   He nodded. "I am. You?"
   She shrugged. "Everyone got a kiss but me."
   Doyle broke into a smile. He leaned down and
brushed his lips softly to hers. Their lips touched in
soft gentle brushes that sent shivers down Cordelia's
arms.
   Cordelia smiled. "I liked that."
   Doyle feined shock. "Even better than Spike's?"
   She smiled. "Totally."
   Doyle watched her as she figited with her twisted
socks. "You know. The second I kissed Kate the look on
your face told me all I needed to know. I didn't even
care about those other men. I would have put it behind
me no questions asked though I'm glad you told me."
   Cordelia smiled. "I'm glad I told you too. I am
also glad that you kissed me."
   Doyle lightly kissed her again. "Me too." 
   Cordelia shoved him away. "We should go back
upstairs. They might worry."
   Doyle quickly grabbed her by the waist and pulled
her back onto the bed so they were both lying on their
back staring at the ceiling. "I just got you back. You
think I'm going to waste my time with the slayer and
her vampire friends? I want to hear exactly how you've
been. And I want to know all the new shoes you've
bought."
   Cordelia raised her eyebrows though he couldn't see
them. "Are you sure? We could be here awhile."
   Doyle smiled. "That's exactly my plan. To be with
you as much as possible."
   Cordelia took his hand and laced their fingers.
"Mine too."
      
                  The End