A Familiar Face
The start of the evening was a complete success. Angel and Max had arrived at the hotel where the banquet was being held and met up with Fred and Gunn. Both looked a little out of place, but mildly enthusiastic. Fred and Angel spoke about the message that had been misplaced and Fred explained that she must have dropped some files on it without realizing and apologized. Angel was in too good of humor to be upset over it and told the girl so. They inquired after Wes and had been informed that the Brit had managed to procure a date at the last minute and was picking her up. Neither Angel nor Max was surprised when he walked in with Cordelia on his arm. They shared a smile over her flimsy excuse of having messed up her dates and she was pleased that they weren’t overtly angry with her.
The group entered the banquet hall together and found their table so that the ladies had someplace to leave their purses. Angel, who would have sat and tried to get through the evening, was poked in the ribs by Gunn. He followed his friend’s lead and went to procure drinks for the ladies. When he returned, Max was already politely chatting with someone unknown to him. He slipped up silently beside her, but was surprised when she wasn’t startled. She smoothly accepted the champagne from him and made introductions to the woman she was talking with.
Angel discovered something about Max right then. No matter what he believed about her, she always seemed to exceed those thoughts. She was completely at ease in this social setting. He watched her for the next half-hour as she made small talk with people she’d never met and once done talking to them would make amusing comments designed to entertain her escort. Angel smiled more in that half-hour with Max than he had the previous month. He enjoyed her sometimes gentle, sometimes stinging wit. Finally however, it was time for dinner.
Angel escorted Max back to their assigned table, close to the head table. He held her chair for her like a gentleman, as Gunn and Wes did for the others, then took his own seat. Max leaned forward to talk to Fred for a moment and Angel was strangely gratified that he was privileged to know her. To know them all. Since he’d arrived in LA, there had never been a woman in his life that they all approved of, aside from Buffy and Cordy. And thinking of that, he realized that Cordy had never really liked him being with Buffy. And granted, her previous statement that bad things followed the star-crossed lovers was hardly incorrect.
Dinner was soon served. Cordelia had arranged everything for their night when she had replied to the invitation. The only thing she hadn’t done was tell Angel that indeed Wolfram & Hart had won the award and by extension, Angel Investigations, because in the eyes of the business world, the two were linked. So she’d plagued Wes to write an acceptance speech on the off chance. He’d done so, not really caring one way or the other. So when the announcement was made, Cordy had the speech in her purse, ready to press into Angel’s hand when he stood to accept the award. But first, there was the introduction to get through.
Angel was the only one to hear Max’s gasp when the keynote speaker stood to make the award presentation. He barely heard the man’s words as he leaned towards his date. "Max, are you okay?" he questioned softly. Max tore her gaze away reluctantly and turned to the Vampire. She stared at him and he was surprised to see a hint of tears and something else he couldn’t name in her eyes. Regret, perhaps?
"I didn’t know he was here," she whispered finally. Cordy over heard this and leaned forward as well.
"I didn’t know you knew Jonas Cale," she murmured. Max shook her head.
"I only met him the one time," she shrugged. She laughed bitterly. "He was probably so drunk he didn’t remember meeting me. Or insulting me." She realized suddenly that she was giving a little too much away. "Never mind," she shrugged. She turned away before anyone else could question her. Cordelia and Angel shared a concerned look, but their attention was caught up in the last of Jonas’ speech.
"And so ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to present the winner of this years LA business humanitarian award. Their very motto speaks to the basis of all we stand for. They help the hopeless and tonight we honor them for it. Ladies and gentlemen our humanitarians, Angel Investigations." The crowd began to clap and Fred giggled at the stunned look on Angel’s face. Cordy dug through her purse and pulled from it the speech. She shoved it into her boss’ hand and gave him a gentle shove out of his seat.
Angel was stunned for a moment and was about to round harshly on Cordelia for springing this on him in this manner, but then he caught sight of Max. She was beaming up at him, a wide smile on her exotic face. He smiled down at her when she mouthed ‘good luck’ to him. He made his way to the head table and stood behind the podium with Mr. Cale. A plaque was awarded and pictures were taken. Jonas took his seat and Angel turned to the audience. He caught sight of Max again and forgot to even be nervous as he unfolded the speech Wes had written. He barely registered what he spoke of, deciding to speak as if to Max and his friends alone. He spoke quickly of his humbleness at being presented this prestigious award and the need of humanity not only in business but personal lives as well. It was a wonderful speech that made everyone swell with applause when he was done. But Angel could only see the pride on Max’s eyes.
He returned to their table and took his seat. Max leaned towards him, still smiling. "That was a wonderful speech."
Angel glanced down at the tablecloth, embarrassed at her pleasure in him. "I didn’t write it," he mumbled. He glanced up quickly at his friends. They were smiling at him as well. Wes was blushing slightly and he knew that his stuffy British friend had worked the words Angel had presented.
"The words were wonderful," Max persisted, "but I think it was the presence of your belief in what you read that affected everyone just as much." She spoke quite diplomatically, giving praise to both men, for she had noticed Wes’ blush as well. But neither did she detract from Angel’s contribution. No one said anything until Cordy leaned forward.
"So Max, how did you meet Jonas Cale?" she demanded in her usual blunt way. Max looked startled, unsure of how to answer. But Cordy rolled her eyes. "Duh, I should have remembered. He just moved here from Seattle a few months ago." Max breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"How did you know that?" Gunn asked curiously. Cordy still amazed him in the strange facts that she knew or was interested in.
"It was in the brochure," she shrugged. "A few months ago, Jonas’ brother, who originally ran the foundation was killed in a car accident, along with his wife, son and nephew. Jonas’ son," she clarified. Max spun around to stare at her friend.
"Logan and Bennett are dead?" she gasped. Cordy was stunned by her friend’s reactions. The group of friends looked around at each other, until Cordy finally answered.
"I think those were the boys names, yes," she confirmed. But already her friend had turned away and stood up.
"Excuse me," Max murmured. Angel stood and followed her immediately, worried about what this news would do to her. There was so much they didn’t know about Max and he wanted to make sure that she’d be okay. He followed as she threaded her way to the elder man. They waited until he had finished speaking to another man and turned to face them. Jonas’ face lit up when he saw Angel then turned the charming smile to the young lady beside him.
"Jonas Cale," he introduced himself to the lovely young woman. He held out his hand and she slowly took it.
"Mr. Cale," Angel caught his attention. "This is Max Gueverra. She’s moved down recently from Seattle."
"Oh, a friendly face, if not a familiar one," Jonas joked. Max smiled slightly. They let go of each other’s hands.
"Mr. Cale," she spoke hesitantly, wondering if she could bring up such a painful topic. But she had to know for sure. "I just wanted to extend my deepest sympathies about your family."
"Oh," he seemed taken aback for a moment, certainly not expecting this. It had been almost five months since the accident, but the loss was with him every day. But seeing the misery in the girl’s eyes, he knew that she hadn’t meant to hurt him with the reminder. "Thank you my dear. I miss them every day."
"I can understand," she murmured. She saw the sparkle of tears in his eyes. It surprised her. This Jonas was so different than the one she’d met at Bennett and Marianne’s wedding. Then he’d been a brash drunkard who didn’t care or remember who he insulted. The man before her was humbled through his losses, seeming to search for a way to better the world he lived in.
Jonas studied her for a moment, wondering why he felt the need to share his innermost thoughts to the stunningly beautiful young woman. But he finally gave in to the urge. "I think the biggest regret I had was that I hadn’t taken the time to catch up with my brother and his family when I dropped Bennett, my son off for his vacation with them. We were so out of touch and I regret that. I loved my nephew as if he were my own."
"I’m sure they knew how much you did love them," Max sighed. Jonas glanced up at her again.
"How did you know them?" he asked suddenly. Max thought for a moment.
"Logan was in my roommate’s Japanese class that she ran through our apartment," she improvised. "He was such a sweet, inquisitive boy."
Jonas barked a short laugh. "That he was, my dear. That he was." He paused for a moment. "Did you talk to him much?" Max bit her lip, then shook her head.
"Just a few times after his lessons," she smiled sadly. She recalled something the other Jonas had mentioned that she knew of. "He sure loved that show, ‘X-Files’." Jonas laughed again. It was a well-established fact in the family.
"No, that show didn’t scare him at all," Jonas chuckled. Max felt inner relief. She had pulled it off. She was about to bid him farewell, when suddenly the older man reached into his inner breast pocket. She gasped when she saw what he withdrew. "Young lady, what you told me means a lot to me. I think if he were here, and a little older, Logan would have wanted you to have this. It’s his-!"
"His mother’s locket!" she gasped, recognizing it immediately. She looked up at the stunned expression on Jonas’ face.
"You recognize it?"
"Logan told me that his father gave it to his mother the day he was born," Max nodded. "She was going to give it to him when he found…"
"The woman he loved," Jonas finished for her. He took her hand and placed the locket in it, closing her fingers around it. "I think that if my shy little nephew liked you enough to share all that, then I know who was in his heart, bless his soul." Max looked up from their hands, tears in her eyes and a tremulous smile on her face. Angel nearly felt his heart break for her. She looked so incredibly fragile in that moment. But he also sensed that there was more to the story than he had so far heard.
"Logan was a very special person," Max commented, "as I’m sure Bennett was as well."
Jonas beamed at her. "Yes they were. Thank you for bringing a little peace to an old man’s heart." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. He whispered a goodbye to both of them, then slipped away. Angel studied Max again as she softly fingered the locket. This woman was such an enigma to him and he was suddenly looking forward to discovering all the layers of her. She smiled at Angel and turned to go back to their table. She wanted to make sure she didn’t lose her precious gift.
"Max, are you going to be okay?" Angel asked solicitously after she’d done that. She glanced up and gave him a brief nod. Angel glanced around, noticing that a band had set up and soft music was now floating around the room. "Would you like to dance?"
Max looked up into his incredible brown eyes, wondering if it were possible to drown in them, in the depth of caring and compassion that she saw there. She simply nodded again and Angel stepped back to let her take the lead to the dance floor. As they made their ways through the tables, Max felt Angel solicitously press his hand against her back, a gentlemanly courtesy. She gasped slightly at the warm tingle she felt shoot through her skin. It confused her, because all her senses started to sing.
"Max, are you okay?" Angel asked again, having heard her gasp. She whirled around to stare at him, dumbfounded.
"Angel, you’re warm," she muttered. He looked at her strangely. He glanced down at his hand that had touched the bare skin of her back. He was surprised to note that she was right, but it seemed to be fading as quickly as it had come. He glanced back up at her face, concern and puzzlement written all over her.
"Probably just picking up heat from an overcrowded ball room," he joked. He was actually looking forward to getting to the dance floor and seeing if contact with her might heat him up again. She smiled softly, almost as if she had read her mind. She would have turned and led the way, if she didn’t suddenly catch sight of her friend fainting.
"Cordy!" she called. Angel spun around, seeing his friends gathered around his seer. It seemed as if her mind numbing visions had returned. And a worse time, it could not have been.
Prophecy Found
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