Thanks to my editors cannd and HellsBells1890. The story is THAT much awesomer.
***
It took Ryder a while to explain to Angel that they couldn't "fly" to heaven. There were protocols and parameters that needed to be followed to a tee. He sent Tenner off to get subway tickets for them while he got Angel dressed.
Despite her attempts to appear ok, Ryder noticed the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. She'd been through a hell of a lot in the past... he looked at the sky -- twelve hours. He stopped in the middle of brushing Angel's hair out with his fingers. Twelve hours. He'd saved her life twice and fucked her once in twelve hours.
Angel turned, fixing her deep purple eyes on him. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, love. Just thinking about how busy you keep me."
She grinned, rolling her eyes. He watched as she picked up his coat, and, wrapping it around her shoulders, walked around the perimeter of the roof, gazing at the New York skyline. He kept one eye on her, attentive to how close she was to the edge, while he folded the blankets and fit them into a green messenger bag he then slung over his shoulder.
He felt Tenner approaching, but he heard Angel before he could call out a warning. "Oh my God!" she cried, half-falling, half-stepping away from the edge of the roof. "Watch where you're flying!" Tenner landed in a rush of wings inches from her face, stumbling back when he saw her. His legs hit the edge and he staggered for a minute before catching his balance. Planting his feet firmly on the roof, he turned to Ryder.
"That girl," he said, pointing at Angel, "is going to be trouble. I can already tell. She's that type. Your type. I.E. fucking dangerous."
Before Ryder could answer, Angel said dryly, "And you're the epitome of grace and vigilance, right?"
Tenner spun, looking the girl up and down. He glanced back at Ryder. "She's sarcastic too. Perfect. You planning to oust me from that position, too?"
"Afraid of a little competition, bird-boy?"
Ryder looked from Tenner to Angel and burst out laughing. Tenner's feathers were ruffled, his eyes wide open, his whole attitude screaming that he was ready for a fight. Angel, on the other hand, was watching him from under lidded eyes, wrapped in Ryder's coat, which was at least four sizes too big for her. She had to be three inches shorter than Tenner, and at least fifty pounds lighter. He shook his head.
"Bird-boy?" Tenner sputtered. "I'm not a bird!"
"All right, all right, you two," Ryder said, stepping in between them. "We're on the same side."
Tenner pointed at Angel again. "Tell her to stop insulting me!"
Angel rose to the bait. "Tell him to stop talking about me like I'm not here!"
Ryder sighed. Moving quickly, he got Tenner in a headlock and Angel over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. She pounded on his back, but he barely felt it. "Now," he said. "Listen. We're going to get along, right? We're all mature enough for that. Right?"
Neither Tenner nor Angel spoke. Ryder settled in, planning to hold them there for a while.
"Fine," Angel finally said. "I'm sorry. I'll behave."
Ryder let her down, but she stayed by his side, wrapping and arm around his waist. "So, what's bird-boy called, anyway?"
Tenner sputtered, and Ryder shot her a look. She threw her hands up. "Sorry, sorry, couldn't help it." She smiled.
Ryder turned to Tenner. "How about you?"
"What she said," he said into Ryder's arm. Ryder let him go. "Ok, Tenner, do you have the..." he stopped when Angel slid the tickets into his hand.
"Let's get going, huh?"
Tenner opened his mouth, feeling around inside his coat. "How did you... Ryder," he said, "you got yourself a pickpocket? Really?"
Ryder smiled uneasily. Angel shouldn't have been able to do that to an angel, even a novice like Tenner. Their nervous systems were always on hyper-alert. For not the first time, he wondered exactly how he had affected Angel.
"Earth to Blondie. We gonna get going, or just stand here and gawk at the big ball of gases called the sun?"
Tenner's voice was playful, as always, but he could feel that something was wrong. Ryder nodded. "Right, we should." He glanced at Tenner's wingspan. "You should put those away. We'll be walking."
"But we flew here," Angel protested. "Why can't we fly back?"
Ryder started walking toward the door that was in the middle of the roof. "We can walk and talk." He held the door open for Angel and Tenner, and they started walking single-file down the spiral staircase.
"Don't get me wrong," Ryder said through clenched teeth. "We'd rather fly, trust me." He forced himself to breathe shallowly and evenly. Without looking, he knew that Tenner, less experienced with the mortal world than him, was having more trouble with the enclosed space. The younger man kept his hand pressed against the wall, as if to assure himself that it wasn't going to move in on him.
Angel opened her mouth, but Ryder wasn't finished. "When we're alone, we're cloaked, in a way. People don't want to see a bunch of angels flying around, so they don't. With passengers, though, it's different. It's too hard not to see three people zipping around in the sky."
Ryder looked down, relieved to see that the bottom of the staircase was nearing. "So we walk. Public transportation isn't as bad as it's cracked up to be. Except you humans have a damn annoying affinity for tight, closed spaces."
The staircase opened up into a hallway. Angel looked around, recognizing the familiarity of brass numbers on doors. They had landed on the roof of an apartment building, which by the looks of it, wasn't exactly the Hilton.
Ryder eyed the number above the elevator. "Nine floors," he said. "We can manage nine floors."
Tenner turned the color of snow and swallowed. Ryder put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "It'll be better. There's more space."
Nine sets of stairs later, Tenner let out a whoop and rushed out the double-doors. He jumped about three feet in the air, sucking in the smog-filled air. Ryder controlled himself a bit more, but even he couldn't resist breathing deeply once he was outside the four walls.
People streamed past the trio, barely seeing them or ignoring them completely. For once, Angel felt back in her element. The streets were her home, and the crowds were comforting in a strange way.
"This way," Tenner said, glancing to the left and the right before stepping into the street. Ryder and Angel followed him, Ryder's arm around her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall behind. She found his concern almost amusing. She'd grown up on these streets. Of all of them, she was probably the safest.
Tenner wove through the pedestrians with an uncanny ease that Ryder matched. No one paid any attention to the two tall men, one of whom's hair was the color of fire. Angel was finally able to get a good look at Tenner, and although he wasn't bad to look at, he didn't have Ryder's presence. Tenner flitted; Ryder just was.
They reached the steps that led underground to the subway. Very few words were exchanged between Tenner and the ticket master, but when Ryder and Angel walked by, his eyes had a glazed look.
Ryder squeezed Angel's shoulder. "Tenner's covering our trail. That man won't remember us, if anyone asks." At her expression, he added, "He wasn't hurt."
They'd cut it very close. The bus pulled in almost as soon as Ryder had closed his mouth. Angel hung onto him as they boarded the bus, not very eager to be separated for her protector for any amount of time. The way she attached herself to him almost made him smile, but he was worried. Other than Jordan, a daemon had yet to show its face. Despite this, Ryder refused to be lulled into a sense of false security.
The doors slid shut behind them, and the bus lurched into motion. Angel took a seat and Ryder and Tenner stood on either side of her, eyeing the passengers of their car with evident distrust. Angel watched the people around her, too, but with more curiosity than anything else.
Her eyes roamed and eventually came to rest on a man across and a little to the left of them. He was handsome, but in a disturbing way. In many ways, he was the opposite of Ryder. His eyes and hair were dark brown, his face drawn around the eyes and mouth in tight lines. As she studied him, his eyes flickered over to her. A disgusted shiver went up her spine as his gaze started at her feet and traveled up her body slowly, clearly taking his time and not worried about being caught. When he got to her face, the corner of his mouth twisted into a sick smile. She recoiled involuntarily.
Ryder felt Angel move. He looked down at her, and then followed her gaze. When he laid eyes on the dark stranger, he hissed, moving in front of Angel. The man's smirk became wider. "The warmth in your greeting overwhelms me." He paused, letting his eyes dance back to Angel. "You haven't introduced me to your pretty friend here, Ryder."
Ryder hissed again, and Tenner looked at him worriedly. "You're not going to get her," he growled. "You won't win this one."
The man laughed quietly. "You can stand down, boy. I'm not going to attempt anything in front of all these people."
Tenner glanced at Ryder again, and then back to the man. "You might not, Harlem, but I wouldn't put it past Blondie here. I wouldn't instigate him if I were you, unless you wanted to go back to Hell in a body-bag."
Something flashed in Harlem's eyes, and his lip curled into a snarl. "You presumptuous brat," he hissed. "If you think that..."
Ryder took a step forward and Harlem stopped. "For all our sakes," he said, "I will not cause a scene." A slow smile spread across his face as the subway came to a screeching halt. Ryder pulled Angel to her feet, putting her between himself and Tenner as they escorted her off the car and out of the terminal. A quick glance behind them told her that Harlem was following them.
"Ryder," she began quietly.
