"Hey, Wesley," Cordelia said. She didn't look up from her magazine as Wesley entered the office.

"Good morning!" Wesley said cheerily. "Did any exciting new cases begin whilst I was away? Any dastardly fiends you need assistance eliminating?"

"You mean the whole ten hours? Nope," she said, snapping her gum.

"Ah," Wesley said. His bright smile slipped a bit. He looked around, craning his neck. "Is Angel about?"

Cordelia pointed a thumb at the bright sunlight streaming through the blinds. "Off getting his beauty sleep. Why, is something up?"

"No, no, not as such. I, ah, just thought I'd get an early start. I wouldn't want Angel to think I was a layabout!" Wesley laughed, then put on a serious expression. "We must be vigilant against all possible dangers, you know. We mustn't let our guards down, even for a few hours."

Cordelia finally looked up from her magazine. She arched an eyebrow. "Uh huh."

Wesley hesitated for a moment, then plunged ahead. "Well," he said excitedly, "I also have a little surprise. For the both of you. But... if Angel's not awake, perhaps I should..."

"If I'm not what?" asked Angel. He was poking his head out from behind the door to the stairs, squinting at them. If it had been anyone else Wesley would have said that Angel had morning hair, but for Angel that style was rather customary. "Could you, um..."

Cordelia stared at him for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Oh! Sure." She reached over and turned the handle for the blinds, closing them against the sun.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Wesley asked. "Oh dear. I didn't realize..."

"It's fine, Wesley," Angel said. He leaned against the wall, then rubbed his face. He yawned, widely. Wesley fancied he could see Angel's fangs, but that was silly of him. A vampires only displayed his fangs while in a demonic state, and Angel's state was nothing like that. Rather more like a sleepy cat, disturbed from its nap. Wesley restrained the urge to pet Angel and scratch him behind his ears.

"What's in the bag?" Cordelia asked, peering over the desk.

Wesley tightened his grip on the twine handle, protectively. "It's, er, a little something. I'm not sure if it's entirely appropriate, but I thought it would be..." He picked up the bag and held it lightly against his chest. "I thought, maybe... If you don't like them I can pick out something else. I--I wasn't sure--"

Cordelia's eyebrow arched again. Angel simply waited, silently.

Wesley looked down at the tall bag, uncertain. Then he opened it carefully and stared inside. He looked up at Cordelia, opened his mouth to prevaricate some more, then shut it again. She was giving him one of those looks. Braver men than he had withered under such a glare.

"Yes. Well. I thought it might be nice to... to get you both a small token of my appreciation. For allowing me to come on board. I know it's not traditional..." Wesley stopped himself from launching into further dithering, and reached into the bag. He carefully extracted a potted cactus and placed it on Cordelia's desk.

Cordelia gave it a skeptical look. "A cactus?"

"Rather more than an ordinary cactus," Wesley explained. "It's an Easter Lily. Also known as a Sea Urchin, but I consider that to be a far cruder appellation for the genus Echinopsis."

"You bought me a cactus?" Cordelia asked. She picked it up by the pot.

Wesley ducked his head. "It reminded me of you."

"Gee, way to make a girl feel nice, Wesley. You think I'm a cactus?"

"Not just any cactus! The Golden Easter Lily is a beautiful specimen. Despite harsh desert conditions, it produces large, fragrant blossoms. It may seem a bit prickly," he said, smiling a bit, "but it's already starting to bud. See?" He pointed at the small, fuzzy buds near one side of the plant.

"Oh," Cordelia said. She looked at the cactus with renewed consideration. "Did you get Angel a cactus? Because he'll probably kill anything that needs more attention than that."

"I would not!" protested Angel. "I can grow things. I just... don't get much chance to garden."

"No, not a cactus, but..." Wesley reached into his bag and pulled out his second gift. He held it out to Angel, who took it. "I hope you like it. I chose a night bloomer."

"A Beauty-Of-The-Night," Angel observed, turning the pot in his hands. "Nice."

"Yes, Mirabilis Jalapa. A very hardy perennial. I thought, perhaps, you could find a spot for it downstairs. I know you can't have any natural light, but I don't believe this should be harmful." He held out the final item from the bag, a small lamp. "It has a metal halide bulb. They're often used in aquariums, and they're excellent for stimulating plant growth without additional light sources."

Angel nodded. "That's... this is really great, Wesley. Thanks." He gave Wesley a half-smile, which was a lot of smile for Angel.

Wesley ducked his head again. "You're quite welcome."

"Yeah, thanks Wesley. It's weird, but also kinda sweet." She stood and placed the cactus on the windowsill between the blinds and the glass, where it would get plenty of sun. "There, that should do it."

"I didn't know you were into botany," Angel said. "You know, with all the demons and Watcher stuff."

"Oh, Wesley is totally into flowers," said Cordelia. "You should have heard him going on and on about some lady's overcoat when we were after those stinky flower demon guys."

"Stinky flower demon guys?" Angel asked.

"You know, the ones who smelled like flower poop." At Angel's blank look, she continued. "After that demon lady you were drooling over? With the tattoos?" She waved her finger over her face to imitate the tattoo's design.

"Nancy's Petticoat," Wesley corrected. "And the Vigories of Oden Tal. They're named after the author."

Angel frowned. "Jheira?"

"No, Nancy Mitford."

Angel looked at his plant in consternation. There was an awkward pause in the conversation.

Wesley cleared his throat. "Do you need any assistance in setting up the lamp?"

Angel stared at the instructions on the side of the box. "Nah, I got it. I'll just..." he waved the box towards the door, then took it and the plant downstairs.

Wesley watched as the door closed behind Angel. Then he stared at the door. "Cordelia?"

"Yeah?"

He turned to her. "I hope I wasn't out of line. It's just that I haven't... I know you probably just think I'm making a high art of grovelling, but this position... it means a lot to me. I just wanted to thank you. Both of you." Wesley sniffled a bit.

Cordelia sighed, then walked over and gave Wesley a quick kiss on the cheek. Wesley put his hand over the spot and blushed. Cordelia smirked and sashayed back to her chair.

"Oh," he said. "Yes. Indeed. Well!"

"Things are kinda quiet. Why don't you get us some doughnuts? And save the receipt, it counts as a business expense."

"Jelly or glazed?" Wesley asked, eager to be of service.

There was a clatter from downstairs. Angel must be having difficulty assembling the lamp. Wesley felt a warm feeling in his stomach from realizing that Angel truly appreciated his gift. He hoped Angel hadn't damaged any of the pieces.

"Just get a selection," Cordelia said, picking up her magazine again. "When you get back you can rescue the lamp. Angel should be done screwing it up by then."

Wesley almost skipped his way out of the office to his motorcycle. As he exited the building, he turned back to look at the office window. Cordelia had pulled up the blinds partway, and was watering her cactus.

He smiled and tilted his head back, letting the bright California sun soak into his skin.