Title: Wash Away (1/1)
Author: NumfarGal (Rebecca Parker)
Email: NumfarGal@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Angel helps Cordy clean up.
Feedback: I do the dance of joy upon receipt of feedback.
Distribution: All the usual suspects. All others please ask first.
Disclaimer: Joss and Mutant Enemy own all.
Dedication/Notes: To Jen, whose challenge I'm answering. She wanted fluff, washing hair, a bare chest, a blue shirt, Chopin, tulips and the word "rapt". Well, here ya go hon. Love you dearly.

---

"That's disgusting. Really, I don't want to go anywhere near you."
Cordelia tapped her feet impatiently as she stared at Angel with her arms crossed firmly across her chest. "This is all your fault, you know. You are so coming near me."

"Am not," Angel said, grinning. "You smell."

"Hello!" Cordelia said, her voice exasperated. "I smell because I tried to save you from a stinky sludge demon and got slimed."

"It wasn't slime," Angel said, taking a small step towards her. "It was bile."

Cordelia closed her eyes, her face clenched tight in a grimace. She didn't speak for a moment, but only stood there in silence. "I'm going to open my eyes in 20 seconds, and when I do- you better be standing in front of me with a bottle of Pantene Pro V and a dozen pink tulips. Chocolates will earn you extra credit."

"In 20 seconds?" Angel asked, looking around nervously. "Cordelia, I-"

Cordelia groaned. "Fine! Just the shampoo. And I'm counting," she said, tapping her feet again.

Angel smiled at the sight of his seer standing in front of him, both her hair and her shirt covered in the green bile that he himself had narrowly escaped being doused in. Somehow, she still looked beautiful. Her smell, however, was something else and he gladly ran away from her and towards her bathroom.

He had barely opened the door all the way when a bottle of shampoo flew into his hands. "Smell bothering you too, Dennis?" Angel said, looking down at the bottle. "Hey! This is Suave! She said Pantene!"

The bathroom door slammed shut, and Angel sighed. "You're going to get me in trouble, you know that?"

Angel turned around and headed back to Cordelia, who he could hear counting "Five, four, three-"

Angel ran up to her, the shampoo bottle nervously clutched in his hand.

"One," she said, opening her eyes. She looked from him, to the bottle in his hand. "Suave? You think Suave is going to cut it this time?"

"Hey, it's a quality shampoo," Angel said, grinning nervously. He sighed. "Cut me some slack, OK. I don't think your ghost likes me."

Cordelia laughed. "Actually, I think he's just jealous," she whispered. "I think he has a thing for me."

The bedroom door slammed shut.

"These little temper tantrums won't help, Dennis," Cordelia said, grinning. "He'll get over it. I think he knows I'm good with you."

"You think?" Angel said, taking her hand. "I mean, all I ever seem to do is get you covered in slime lately."

"Aw Angel, I think you're a good kisser," Cordelia said, cocking her head to the side. "And it's bile, remember?"

"Let's just get it washed out," Angel said, leading her to the bathroom.

"Good idea," Cordelia said, and as they walked up to the bathroom door, it swung open again. "See," she said, looking to Angel. "He's a good ghost."

Angel smiled, switching on the lights and walking inside. "Now," he said, turning back to Cordelia. "Don't take this the wrong way, but - take your shirt off."

"You know normally, I'd knee you in the groin for moving that fast but the fact that the shirt, the bile and my skin are quickly becoming one is swaying me." She started to unbutton her top and then stopped, looking at him. "You know what?" She grinned. "I think you should have to take your shirt off too. No fair you getting a free show if I can't."

"You want me to take my shirt off?" Angel asked, raising his eyebrow at her.

"For starters." Cordelia winked. "Come on. I have more to show than you do. You know you're getting the better bargain out of this."

"I don't know," Angel said, lifting his blue shirt over his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. "You do remember my chest, don't you?" He waggled his eyebrow at her.

Cordelia's breath was caught in her throat. "Oh," was all she could say for a minute. "Well, I didn't say I was getting a bum deal."

"Uh huh," Angel said, grinning. "Now your turn."

Cordelia's buttons fumbled for the rest of her buttons, and once all were undone, she let it slip past her shoulders. Unfortunately, it got stuck on her lower back by some extraordinarily sticky bile. She sighed. "Uh," she said, her arms caught behind her back. "A little help here?"

"Amateur," Angel commented, laughing as he helped unstick her shirt. "There," he said, staring at her chest.

"OK Captain Obvious," Cordelia said, laughing. "You know, you really should be a little more subtle when checking out my rack. I mean- Gunn practically has it down to a science. Maybe you should take pointers from him."

"I think Gunn should take pointers from me. After all, I am the one who got you to strip for him."

"Oh sure," Cordelia said, rolling her eyes. "Share the secrets on how to seduce me, why don't you? Then I won't have to kiss you anymore," she said, leaning in, their faces inches apart.

"Uh," Angel said, pulling back. "You're still disgusting."

Cordelia sighed, smiling. "Quite the charmer, aren't you?"

"Let's just get you cleaned up and I'll charm your pants off."

"Ah, so we're working on getting me fully nude tonight, are we?" Cordelia smiled at Angel before moving over to the sink. She turned on the faucets and adjusted the water flow so it was lukewarm. "So, I figure we scrub this gunk off me and-" Cordelia looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror. "Holy crap," she said loudly.

"Told you," Angel said, moving next to her and grabbing a washcloth. He doused it with the running water and moved the cloth to her shoulders, gently wiping downward. "Don't worry. I'll have you cleaned up in no time."

"God," Cordelia said, still looking herself. "I didn't think it was possible for me to look this awful. I mean- I've looked bad before. That time in the sewer with Doyle, I was pretty gross. But this," she said, gesturing to her hair which was matted down, "this is just beyond grossness."

"You'll be fine," Angel said, wiping off another layer and dropping it in the garbage can underneath the sink. "Kind of a switch, huh? Usually you're taking care of me after a fight."

"Yeah, but that's blood and bandages, not slime and bile."

"Again, there's no slime," Angel said, laughing. "But it's nice to be able to take care of you like this." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the shoulder he had just cleaned. "See?" he said, looking up at her. "Good as new." He stopped and looked down. "Um. Cordy?"

"Listerine's in the cabinet," she said, sighing.

He looked up, embarrassed. "Thanks."

As Angel grabbed the bottle and swished the liquid around in his mouth, Cordelia sighed. "I think this calls for a shower," she said and, upon noticing Angel's smile, she shook her head. "I'm going this one alone, big boy."

Angel frowned. "You sure? That sounds like fun."

"How about I owe you a shower?" she said, sighing. "I just don't think me, you and a puddle of bile sounds as romantically appealing as it should somehow."

"True," Angel agreed. "Ok. You shower, and I'll get things ready out here."

"Sounds good," Cordelia said, grabbing a towel from the rack next to her. "I won't be long. Just an hour or two," she said, frowning.

"You'll be fine. And as much as I hate to suggest something that goes against the rest of my plans for the evening, try a cold shower. The bile will come right off."

"You're like a really demented Martha Stewart," Cordelia said, shaking her head. "Now shoo. I'll be out as soon as I can."

+++++

Two hours later, and Dennis was kicking Angel's ass in their game of chess.

He was about to make his move when Dennis claimed Checkmate, and Angel had to restrain himself from throwing the board across the room in frustration. He was a sore loser when it came to games.

Once he heard the shower shut off, he jumped up and got the final touches ready. He pressed play on the stereo, and the sounds of Chopin filled the room. He ran over to the lights and dimmed them just a little bit. He walked up to the bathroom door, the dozen tulips and a box of chocolates he had purchased at the supermarket down the street clutched in his hands.

When the bathroom door finally opened again, and he thrust the items towards her, he wasn't expecting the tears that greeted him.

"I can't get it out," Cordelia cried, removing the towel from her head and revealing her hair not much better than the state it had been in two hours and about four gallons of water before. "I'm going to have to chop it all off and be like Sinead O'Connor or Roxette. I'm going to be that Susan Powter woman!" Cordelia said, sobbing.

"Cordelia," Angel said, taking her in his arms and holding her close, thankful that at least the smell was gone. "Come on, let me help you."

"Good," Cordelia said, sniffling. "I'll get the scissors. I couldn't have done it myself."

"We're not going to cut your hair," Angel said, smiling at her as she pulled back. He cupped the side of her face with his hands. "I'll help you wash it out."

"But I tried! I had such a cold shower that I'm not sure I ever want to have sex again!"

"Oh," Angel said, frowning. "Well-"

"Don't worry," Cordelia said, smiling shyly. "I was exaggerating."

Angel grinned, and led her back into the bathroom. He put down the tulips and the chocolate on the laundry hamper and moved over to her arrangement of shampoos and conditioners. "Ok, I need something all natural."

"Um," Cordelia said, moving next to him and rummaging through the bottles. "I think this is the closest I have to that," she said, handing him a bottle of Herbal Essences.

Angel took it and looked over the ingredients. "Ok, I think I know what to do," he said, moving back over to the tulip and plucking the petals off of one.

"What are you doing? You're destroying my flowers!" she said, standing next to him, her hands on her hips.

"It'll get the bile out Cordy," Angel said. "Now move over to the sink and bend over."

"Oh, you're so loving this," Cordelia said, doing as he asked. "This is like some cheesy Bruce Willis movie with the steamed bathroom mirror and the guy just asking the girl to bend over."

Angel just shook his head and reached over her to turn on the water. "Now get your hair really wet." As Cordelia soaked her hair again, Angel let out a large dollop of shampoo into his hand and mixed in a few of the flower petals.

After a minute, he reached down and started to run his soapy fingers through Cordelia's shoulder length brown hair, and smiled when he felt the bile start to run out and down the drain. "It's coming out, baby," he said.

"Oh thank GOD!" he heard Cordelia say from beneath him, and he continued to shampoo her hair.

"I told you I'd take care of you," Angel said, continuing to massage her hair and letting the water wash over it. "Believe me, I don't want you disgusting any more than you do."

"Ok, so I'll sign you up for subtlety classes from Gunn, and romance classes with Wesley," Cordelia said, chuckling. "You're lucky I owe you my life right now, Angel. You saved my hair and-"

"And?" Angel asked, washing the last of the shampoo out and reaching over and handing Cordelia another towel.

"And that's the kindest thing anyone's ever done for me," Cordelia said, standing up and wrapping the towel around her head. "Thank you," she said, smiling at him. "So can I kiss you now?"

Angel answered her by leaning in and kissing her softly, their lips lingering against each other for moments. "Much better," he said, finally pulling back. "No Listerine needed this time."

"I wouldn't say that," Cordelia said, grinning. "You have bad breath."

THE END