Goodbye Angel

[palaceangelina]

"I'm delayed slightly." Marton told Lucius on his com as he raised his hand and knocked on Angel's door. "Call them and let them know. Pardon? Oh, half an hour? Alright then, thanks." He clicked it off and stuck it in his pocket, smiled and rolled his eyes at Vin while he waited. "They've got that 'at our beck and call' thing going again. Going to have to do something about it." Vin chuckled and folded his arms, moving back to stand against the wall opposite.

Angel smoothed down her hair and checked her outfit. Her luggage was packed and standing in the middle of the room. She walked to the door and opened it, smiling. "Hello Marton." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for coming by. Come on in." She stepped back.

Marton walked inside and stopped when he saw the bags. He turned around and looked at Angel. "So you're off?" he asked.

She smiled at him and nodded. "It's time. I wanted to say goodbye, and - you know - thanks." She shrugged.

Marton raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" he said in solemn tones. Then he opened his arms in invitation, "We can do better than that, surely?" and smiled.

Angel took a step and grabbed Marton, laying her head on his shoulder. She hugged him tight, breathing in the unique scent of the man. She leaned back, smiling. "It's been a hell of a ride."

"It has." Marton wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, kissing her hair. "I'm going to miss you." He moved back enough that he could see her face and asked sternly, "You have your com and your bracelets, right?"

Angel nodded and pointed to the table. "Yep, put em there. That should be everything."

"Don't lose them." Marton joked and then drew her close again, speaking into her ear. "Thank you." he told her. "For your patience, for Ariene." he squeezed her tightly for a second. "And don't be a stranger. You're welcome here anytime, remember that. And I don't just mean the room. I mean me."

Angel looked at Marton, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. "You're a good man King Marton." She said, brushing his hair back at his temples and studying him a second. Finally she stepped back, clearing her throat. "Okay, there's a beach waiting for me. Car'll be here in half an hour. Give your cute husband a squeeze for me. Congrats by the way." She winked at him. "And tell him I'll see him next time I'm through here. I'll give him a chance to win back some of the cookies he lost."

Marton grinned. "I'll be sure to tell him." He headed for the door but stopped. "Oh." he said, turning around. "One last thing." His eyes were twinkling as he stood with his hand on the door handle ready to open it, lips lifted in an amused smile. "It took me a while to work it out,” he told her. "The stomach bug threw me for a while but I got there in the end. See, I was approaching it from the wrong angle, looking at it from the perspective that you'd not want me to ever know, but that wasn't it. Back then, you wouldn't have cared whether I figured it out afterwards or not, so long as you got what you wanted."

He eyed Angel, his expression still amused, but his tone firm. "You slipped something in my drink that day." It wasn't a question. "And you're getting away with it. . . this time. Don't try me again." Then he grinned and saluted her. "Bye Angel."

Angel looked at him, a slow smile widening on her face. "Brains and looks. If I was going to start fucking men - at least I got the pick of the litter. Bye Daddy. I'll see you around."