Title: Cat in Hells Chance
Author: Helen
Posted: 08-16-2003
Email: helen_taft@msn.com
Rating: NC-17
Category:
Content: C/A
Summary: This is a sequel to Lost & Found and is set Post S5 (AU) L & F summary for those that haven’t read it: Cordy wakes up and runs off, returns and then the serial deals with the obstacles W&H throw at C & A before they work it out and get together as a couple. Angel’s still boss of W & H LA and Cordy runs her own agency.
Spoilers:
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution:
Notes: This is an action piece mainly – Wesley stumbles across something nasty and Angel gets drawn into it. Meanwhile Cordy is frantic to find them both and gets a little help from and old friend from SD (Giles) and Lorne (eventually) & a surprise guest!
Feedback: Yeah feed me!
Thanks/Dedication: Big Thanks to Califi my beta (hugsXXXX)

---

Part 5

THE PIT (Where we left off)

The cavern, cave or whatever, was like the rest of this hellish place, dark, damp and chilling. All mind-numbing gloom and enveloping darkness, lit here and there with flickering tongues of smoke riddled flame that instead of adding brightness only made the shadows dance even blacker on the uneven rock walls, giving everything an added surreal quality that was somehow more disturbing.

Talk about Dante’s Inferno- Yuck this place makes Pylea seem like summer camp, and as for the smell, urghh gag worthy. The whole place stank of terror and death, rotting things mixed in with soil, sweat and urine, Ewww gross. Though Cordelia’s reaction was less overwhelming now than when she’d first arrived and seen it up close and personal for the first time.

I am so gonna have to apologise to Lorne for giving him a hard time after that vision, sheesh. She shuddered and pushed the horrific images of that place from her mind. They’d get to that, but first things first.

They’d come here to find Angel and Wesley, Strike 1 check, but looks like they had a fight coming too, She knew she was being over emotional and allowing herself to be distracted but the relief to have found him was piercingly sweet and she intended to wallow in it for moment, thank you very much.

Not that Angel looked very pleased to see her, she thought wryly with a smirk. Horrified, shocked, stunned any of those fit his reaction better than welcoming. “Too bad, Angel- sometimes even big bad vamps need rescuing, that’s me Rescue Girl”. She knew he couldn’t here her, so grinned cheekily at him instead.

What the hell is she doing here? Was the first thought to cross his stunned mind when the rage of losing the kill he’d wanted so badly he’d been able to taste it, finally faded and he saw who’d fired the bolt.

All thoughts of the dead demon fled as pure shock had his face returning to human, even as he growled long and low at her recklessness. Look at her standing there all cocky confidence, like she’s not about to get her ass whipped in here - or worse. She didn’t break eye contact with him for several seconds, but lowered the crossbow and then grinned challengingly at him, hazel eyes sparkling even from this distance.

His eyes sparked topaz on seeing that provocative grin and he growled again. Almost roughly he jolted his eyes back to the demons as the danger of their situation registered now that it was no longer just him. Powerless to prevent it with the big yawning hole of the pit separating them, he saw a group of the demons break off their advance on him to attack her, and a dart of pure terror speared his chest.

Numbly he noted the closest of the demons were nearly on him. He didn’t care about that. He only cared about getting to Cordelia, but to do that, he had to kill those between him and her. Dammit, she’s gonna get herself killed. I swear if we get out of this alive I’m gonna wring her neck myself. He filled his mind with thoughts of dire retribution to ease the constriction in his chest at the thought of her getting hurt, deliberately fuelling his rage, making it burn brighter and hotter.

Furious with her putting herself in danger like this. He jerked his head to indicate the threat she was now facing, expecting to see fear chase itself across her beautiful face. Instead all she did was look at them, nod back and after blowing him a kiss, reloaded the crossbow with all the speed and dexterity she’d trained so hard to achieve.

Cordelia fired off a shot and felt the thrill of seeing the bolt aim sure and true right between the eyes above the, insert eye rolling here stupid frickin mask, for chrissake. She knew Angel was pissed she was here and didn’t give a damn. He wasn’t the only one with a protective and possessive streak and he was just going to have to learn to deal with hers.

Dragging his burningly angry gaze off Cordelia, Angel scooped up the closest weapon lying just by the rocky edged rim of the pit. Armed now, he twirled the heavy double-headed axe in his hands, so that the twin heads chopped the air in a deadly whirl of circling, flashing metal.

“You guys are seriously pissing me off now, but don’t let that stop you”. He told them his face taut, intent and deadly serious. He spread his legs slightly to anchor himself for the coming rush and press of bodies. As he stood braced, he felt it rise inside him again, that weird rush of tingling and then the minute focus, that was somehow rage and hate combined, intermingled into one vengeful tool.

But he’d been expecting it this time and it wasn’t as disorienting. If it helped him get the two of them out of here alive, he welcomed it. He took a deep un-needed breath and held it, narrowing dark pitiless eyes as he centered all of his roiling emotions on the coming fight.

At a rough count he was facing almost two dozen of them now edging around the pit and over the stone hewn benches. Each of them bristling with weapons and some had even taken off the masks to snarl and growl in fury at the unexpected turn of events, for which they blamed him. He almost purred at the wave of hatred he could feel coming of them towards him, revelling in it- feeding of it.

With a quick darting look he counted Cordelia was faced with four, with more on the way and the haze of bloodlust was instantly replaced by terror again. Fuck, he didn’t have time for this. Rapidly changing his mind, he charged the oncoming demons, slamming the handle of the axe in the face of one, while slashing left and right on both sides, slicing deep into neck and jawbones, blood sprayed him and them with sticky gore.

The impetus of his charge was hardly slowed until they gathered themselves and used the longer reach of the swords and spear’s they carried to lunge and jab. Angel reared back, only just avoiding being gutted by a sword but was unable to avoid the spear that imbedded in his right shoulder. Enraged he gave a dull roar of mingled pain and rage. Fuck that hurts, time to fucking die, Asshole.

Grimacing at the pain, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the spear to yank it out of his shoulder. The other end was still held by his attacker. Gripping hard he yanked up and twisting the wooden handle jabbed back downwards with all of his considerable strength, stabbing the blunt end into the demons gut, left exposed when the spear had been jerked upwards and almost out of reach. “Was that good for you too”? He spat the taunt in its dying face.

He fought like a possessed thing, but it wasn’t enough for every demon he killed another took its place on the slippery battleground. Despite his rage, skill and strength Angel was being driven back by the sheer overwhelming number of them.

Help arrived from a totally unexpected quarter, when a tremendous clanging suddenly split the air and everyone froze for a moment. Then half of them turned and jogged towards, and out of the double doors at the other end of the cavern. Deciding not worry about what that alarm meant; he looked at Cordelia again - she was down to two. One was lying with the crossbow bolt in its chest; another had blood spreading around its head from a slashed throat.

That was good, but what wasn’t, was the blood trickling from her mouth and the bruising forming on her cheek and temple. Fury and fear was a potent mix and the bloodlust rose up even higher than before, a red haze again filled his vision and savagely he renewed his attack using both axe-heads, hacking and slashing at any limbs or body parts that got in his way.

The tide was reversed again as he pushed them back, his fear for Cordy making him a ferocious, thoughtless animal, acting purely on instinct. Movement of any kind was responded too with vicious speed and they fell around and under him.

They were down to four from nearly triple that number and he barely felt any of their strikes that hit him. He was bleeding from his shoulder a slash across his middle and another stab wound in his upper thigh, but none of them registered in his fevered mind. He had to get there in time, anything else was unthinkable.

One of the demons had an axe with a hook on one end and he found his own ripped from his hands, he snarled, immensely pissed off, and whipped up his leg in a snap kick in its face. It staggered back and he crouched and twisted, bringing his other leg around, hooking it behind its knees, to finally bring it crashing to the floor and toppling one of its comrades at the same time.

He wrenched free of their encircling arms and grabbing hands and looked up when he heard another commotion at the doors. He was facing them and saw more of the demons enter the room and look between him and Cordelia. Half went to him and half towards Cordelia. He was out of time, the reprieve was over and re-enforcements had arrived. Desperate he looked around the rim of the pit, his dark eyes searching for inspiration anything that would give him the break he needed.

From here you could see the edge wasn’t completely surrounded by the stone benches, only about two thirds. The last section on the opposite side and close to where Cordelia was fighting was almost totally ledge less. If he was going to help her, he had no choice but to jump over it.

With a last swinging punch and following it up instantly with a bone crunching side kick to the head of the next nearest, he gave himself some breathing space and sprinted in the opposite direction. He pumped his legs, pounding the rocky floor, pushing and reaching for more speed. The demons roared and howled with renewed energy at his ‘retreat’ and gave chase but couldn’t keep up with his ground eating strides.

He streaked around the rim of the pit and towards the farthest side where it met the wall, then gathering himself, tensed his leg muscles and pushing, launched himself into the air, tucking his legs up and then out- reaching for the ground on the other side. He landed and skidded on the rocky floor, spraying dirt from under his boots before regaining control of his impetus.

He came up behind the battle, before the newest contingent of demons had even reached the fighting woman. He wrapped an arm around the head of one and grabbing his own fisted hand on the other, he squeezed and twisted, yanking the skull out of alignment and finally with a last twist, snapped the neck.

Cordelia had been forced to the wall and the crossbow now useless lay on the floor. She’d put her training to good use, but had been losing ground and tiring fast. Several times she’d come to close to a death blow but had managed so far to block and weave, keeping her body a moving target, preventing them from cornering her. When she’d seen the new arrivals, her heart had sunk.

She’d not had a chance to get the shotgun out of the straps on her back for fear of leaving her torso exposed, so had been dodging, blocking and slashing when she could with the hunting knife. Crap, this is just great; you couldn’t have gone for something longer? , she berated herself and wide eyed, dodged another lunge from a snarling demon. Angelll, get your ass over here!

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw Angel making a mad dash around the pit. She wasn’t able to watch him for long but didn’t need too. Even from this distance she felt the whoosh of air and heard the splinter of rocks when he jumped and landed not far from her and her attackers.

Angel would have been forced to drop his axe before jumping, being large anyway he might not have made it with the extra weight. But now he was unarmed, so with no other choice he laid in with heavy fists and lashing kicks, dodging their retaliatory swipes and slashes.

One made the mistake of reaching too far, and seeing his chance Angel twisted sideways to avoid being impaled and then grabbed the demons hand wrapped around the hilt. The abrupt halt of its lunge confused the demon but also stopped it from retreating. Angel smashed a powerhouse punch straight into its pale face, it released the sword as it staggered back and he was armed again.

He reached out with one long arm and grabbing Cordelia’s arm, pulled her out of reach of a particularly vicious swing from a newcomer, fresh to the battle. Cordelia, hasn’t seen it and flashed him a grateful look and then laid her palm up to fist the hilt he slapped into her hand and hefting the sword, stabbed it deep into the chest of a demon coming up behind Angel.

Angel backhanded another and then used the movement to slam an elbow into the face of yet another. This was impossible to keep up, sooner or later they would get overwhelmed and he knew it. The number of demons they were facing now, all bristling with sharp blades swelled even more as those he’d left behind joined the fray. They were going to die, if they didn’t get out of here now.

Cordelia hacked and slashed with the sword creating some space and blocking the thrusts of others aimed at both her and Angel. Her arm, no scratch that, her whole body was aching like a sonvabitch, but she kept on going, what option did she have?

Angel must have sensed how tired she was getting because the next second, she felt him grab her by the waist. Angel wrapped his arms around Cordelia’s body and tucked it into his side, protecting her with his much larger, harder body. Then he dove for the floor, Cordelia understanding what he needed her to do, scrabbled desperately over the hard rock on her hands and knees.

They skirted the wall in a tumble of limbs too fast for the demons to keep up with and their vicious stabs stung the impervious rock behind the escaping vampire and woman. Once clear of the horde they staggered upright, Angel steadying Cordy as he lifted her almost off her feet and rushed them both towards the double doors. They might have made it, if one of the demons hadn’t guessed where they’d been heading for and tried to the head them off.

Angel ducked under an axe, meant to sever his head and drawing back his arm, drove a pile-driving punch straight into the demons gut, doubling it over and then head butting it on the way back up. The delay was costly but Cordelia made it to the door, Angel not far behind, whipped around to hold them off, giving her a chance to escape.

“Get out of here, run,” he yelled at her, not taking his eyes of the demons coming after them. Beyond infuriated now, they were snarling and snapping, showing blood stained teeth and fangs. All were rank with sweat and death and intent on exacting revenge. They wouldn’t give up their prey easily.

“Like Hell”, yelled back Cordy, not even considering it for a second. She reached behind her back with one hand to wrench the shotgun free, and at the same time grabbed the waistband of Angel’s pants with the other to yank him back. Not expecting anything like that from her, he fell back towards the doors she’d partially closed.

She stepped to the side of him and levelled the shotgun. A demon face almost kissed it, before she blew it off. The terrific blast of the shotgun reverberated in the air and with her ears were ringing, she staggered back into Angel, who returned the favour and hauled her the rest of the way out of the cavern.

Between them they got the doors closed and Angel kept his back to it to keep them that way, despite the heavy banging from the other demons on the side. Without being asked she hunted for something to block them, the heavy bar usually used was missing. Fucking typical but she found a spear which when he saw it, Angel eyed doubtfully.

“What? Like I have something better up my sleeve, get real”. She playacted checking the tight black wristband of her bodysuit. “This is it, Dumbass unless you have a better idea”? She glared at him and raised a brow, annoyed that he didn’t appreciate her initiative. She was tired, sore and pissed and he was giving her a hard time cos she didn’t carry a 150lb wooden bar on her? Get real, Buddy.

He didn’t have a better idea and he ignored the name-calling, which he knew- she knew- he hated. With no time for arguments, he just nodded and watched as she rammed it home between the two metal brackets. “It’s only gonna hold for about 30 seconds tops. So get ready for the race of your life”. He told her grimly and got ready to push himself away from the door.

“Okay, let’s get going then, delaying only makes me nervous”, she told him and set off in a sprint, knowing he would follow and catch her up almost immediately.

BUTCHERS BLOCK

Once inside the antechamber, after that weird little trip into the funny light thing, as Cordy put it; they had all agreed after a short, heated argument to splitting up in pairs, with Cordy finding Angel and making up her own pair. Gunn and Fred teamed up, leaving Giles with Lorne.

They’d been ordered by Cordelia for heavens sake, to wait a few minutes before leaving the room, to give her a chance to sneak out and find wherever they’d got Angel. Then they were to concentrate on finding Wesley, Lorne having been able to tell that from his vision-trip. When they’d been found, they would all meet up here again.

“Who else thinks Cordy’s gotten damned bossy for those ‘not so fashionable anymore’ boots” asked Gunn with a sulky frown. “Damn, that girl can ride roughshod over anyone”.

A part of him missed the fashion obsessed Barbie he’d first met and come to love, but knew that was just sour grapes cos he’d ended up sitting here while she went off on her own commando mission.

“This is so not right. Me, Charles Gunn bad-ass demon killer; sitting around waiting for super action-chick to do the demon booty kickin”.

“Leave her alone, Charles she’s worried about Angel and you know it makes sense, she can slip around without being noticed far easier than with all of us trouping about and giving the game away”. Snapped Fred, wound up with the waiting too.

The pretty dark haired woman, paced around the little room, sidestepping any bodies that got on her way; the room was too small for the four of them, plus the bodies of the two guards they’d dispatched on arriving.

“I do not ‘troupe’ and no one sneaks better’n me,” he argued, still pouting darkly.

“Give it up Gunn, believe me when I tell ya, life is so much easier when you just accept that it’s the females of any species that runs the show”.

Lorne imparted that bit of unwelcome, pearlish wisdom from his perch by the door, head back and eyes closed. He opened his eyes to look towards Fred and winked, making her laugh and breaking the tension a little. Gunn just shot them both a disgusted look and didn’t comment.

Giles hardly heard any of it, too busy mentally wishing himself anywhere else, why the devil do I always end up with the bizarre one? Someone up there hates me, that’s why, he mentally whined about being lumped with Lorne, all the while his face was perfectly straight.

Lorne looked at him so still and silent and wasn’t fooled, chuckling again he clapping a hand on the stiff shoulder of the Englishmen. “Stick with me baby, I won’t lead you astray- well at least not much”. Lorne laughed at his own joke and then sobered when Gunn decided it was time to get moving.

“Okay, Cordy’s had enough time, we need to get this show on the road before any more of those” he pointed at the dead guards, “decide to come in here”.

Lorne waited until Gunn and Fred and carefully crept out the door and then deliberately grandly gestured that Giles could go first out of the door. ”After you, Sugar”.

Giles gave him a filthy look, cleared his throat, glared again and then without a word, strode to the door. Hmmphh, Sugar indeed.

They almost tripped over Fred and Gunn, standing frozen and staring with gaping, horrified faces at the scene before them. Fred stepped back and blinked like she was hoping to make it go away. Gunn steadied her with a warm hand on her small back. “Take it easy, Fred” he said softly, but there was a dangerous glint his brown eyes. “This is why where here, to end this”.

There was a large chamber directly ahead, encircled by the tunnel they were in. It had at least four entrances into it with strange demons busily bustling around carry gruesome platters of god knows what, but unfortunately each of them could guess. Like Angel before them they saw the huge stone slabs bloodstained and covered in dismembered body parts, some whole enough to be recognisable as human. As for the carcasses, strung up…

They all gagged a little at the sights and smells and averted their eyes for a moment, even then still seeing the grisly, macabre scene in their minds eye, burnt there but sheer revulsion

“Indeed” agreed Giles stiffly when he’d mastered his own response enough not to sound as unhinged as he felt. His normally serene and calm expression was gone and his eyes burned with anger and disgust.

“This must be stopped no matter what the cost”. He looked at his ‘partner’ and noted that for the first time since he’d met him, Lorne was obviously in no laughing mood.

“This is what I saw in my vision, only I concentrated on Angel, when I could”. He admitted and tried not to barf at the bloody scene, literally now in the flesh and blood.

“Cordy’ll find the boss-man and Wes is all mean, lean killing machine now. These people dead or alive need our help”. Replied Gunn, not taking his eyes of the sight before them and tightening his grasp on his huge, personally crafted curving axe.

“Won’t we need Angel and Wesley to do this”? Asked Fred, stiffening her spine nevertheless, prepared to do what she could. She might be a small skinny girl from the sticks but she could do some good here- even if it killed her.

“Maybe, but I’m not prepared to wait” was the terse reply from the large black man. They looked at one another, solemn with purpose.

“Ready” asked Giles, strangely elated to be here with these people he’d never had a chance to meet before and who only minutes ago where aggravating him like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

The gung-ho Gunn, stalwart Texan, and now serious demon all seemed like such a good fit, but what amazed him was the total acceptance that this was what had to be done and so would be. In that instant, his confidence in their ability to win the day irrationally soared. Bugger, rational.

They all took deep breaths and sent a prayer up to whoever was listening. “GO” finished Gunn with a roar and they all charged into the chamber of horrors.

THE CELL

Wesley played with the knife in his hand, sitting on the floor beside the body of the still and silent Cathy. Strangely enough she comforted him and he wondered why that was, idly though. He was too busy waiting for the tell tale crash of the bolts that would signal his wait was over.

“I wonder how Angels doing”? He asked her, half expecting a ghostly head to pop up with a smart-ass remark about not being that psychic.

“Probably kicking demon ass half way to the eastern seaboard the mood he was in”. He’d been here long enough that using Americanism’s seemed as natural as breathing, although his sainted Father would likely have a few pithy things to say about ‘butchering the Queens English’. “Stupid Sod”.

“Shut up Wesley”, he berated himself tiredly, “Now’s not the time for ‘daddy’ issues”. His brows rose over dull eyes, not that he’d ever really thought about his family relations as an issue. Or anything at all for that matter, they were as they were; thankfully thousands of miles way.

The bolts crashed back and calmly he stood up, the knife still in his hand now and hidden beside his thigh. He only hoped they were right that it would only be the one guard; the state he was in now, any more might be a problem. He stepped to the side of the opening door and closed his eyes to protect his night-vision from the bright flames of the obligatory torch.

He heard the grunt of the guard when it didn’t immediately spot him. He opened his eyes and raised his hand across his body at shoulder level, the knife gripped so that the blade faced outward. The demon turned to face him and they eyeballed each other for a single instant before Wesley drew back his arm in a slashing motion across its throat. It fell twitching to the ground, its head almost severed by the depth of the vicious cut.

“Nice of you to stop by” said Wesley conversationally and stepped over the still jerking body. A sense of renewed energy filled him as he approached the wrapped body and he crouched down to lay a tender hand on her. “I swear to you that no matter what I have to do, I will be back for you”.

Wesley returned to the lifeless demon and turned the thing over on its back to search it for the keys, easily located attached to its leather jerkin by a leather cord. With a strong twist of his fingers, they were free and then with a last look at Cathy, turned and left cell. He debated locking it and then did, thinking it might be safer for her.

He walked down the corridor and after checking for more guards, none of which seemed to be around. Mentally shaking his head at the laxness while thanking heaven for it, he started to unlock all of the cells doors on this block.

After a few minutes various coloured, races and breeds of demons started to warily edge their way out of the cell doors; some looking around with frantic eyes, while others were simply put- furiously angry. They all looked towards Wesley, who was studiously avoiding direct eye contact and twirling the keys in his hands.

He waited until the scuffle of feet stopped to look up and found, as expected, he had their complete attention.

“Yes, it was me that freed you, so yes it would be damned rude to try and kill me for it” he stopped and waited for a response, which was limited to a few growls and sarcastic remarks by the English speaking ones.

“That being the case- I would suggest that you save all that rage and anger, justified I might add, at being kidnapped for the ones that did the kidnapping, don’t you think so”?

Still no answer, well he hadn’t expected it to be easy, “Either that or curl up and die because its going to take all of us fighting them to get any of us free of this stinking place”. He dropped the cordial gentleman act and told them like it was in as cold a voice as he could muster. That got through. Finally.

WHAT A MAZE

Angel was beside her in seconds and Cordelia spared some energy to look at him as he kept pace with her. Her heart soared and the pain in her face, arms and legs receded a little. I did it, Oh my God, I did IT.

She’d gotten him out and yeah, okay, so they weren’t out of the woods yet but dammit at least she wasn’t sitting in the hotel, wearing a track in the floor and wringing her hands like some useless girly-girl. Though she knew what he would prefer and that she was likely in for a rough time when they did get home. She smiled to herself at the thought, bring it on Baby, I can so handle anything you can dish out.

Angel was checking behind them about every third step and soon enough they both heard the doors give way as the spear snapped from the combined weight of the infuriated demons. With a last knowing look at one another, Cordelia ducked her chin into her chest and pumped her arms and legs harder, reaching deep inside for more speed.

Angel kept pace with her, and when she stumbled over the uneven ground he caught her up and immediately put her back on her feet, neither slowing down in what became a team effort.

After a while they came to a bend and skidded round it, trying not give their pursuers time to catch up. Just beyond the curve was a rough entrance into another tunnel, without speaking they took it. It was much narrower than the one they’d left and soon got narrower still. Cordelia’s breathing became harsher as her body fought to take in more oxygen to sustain the pace her brain was demanding from it.

Sounds of pursuit got closer as the howls became clearer, Cordelia’s heartbeat increased even more and a momentary dizzy spell nearly made her stumble into the wall, only Angel’s strong supporting hands saved her from a painful smash into the unforgiving surface of the rock walls.

Angel kept his arm around her and looked ahead, his supernaturally strong eyes piercing the dark gloom, searching for a means of escaping the pursuit so that she could rest. He could hear the frantic beat of her heart and her breathing was so laboured it hurt him to hear it.

He saw something ahead, but it wasn’t what he was looking for, quite the opposite. His belly clenched when he realised it was what he’d first thought it was. A gap in the floor of the tunnel, god knows what it was there for, or even if it was just a natural occurrence, whatever, this was definitely the wrong tunnel to have taken. He released Cordelia for a moment to scoop up some loose stones and threw it at the dark patch.

He heard the rackety sound as they travelled down- a long, long way. His belly dropped even further. He didn’t tell Cordelia but simply picked her up in his arms and turned her so that she faced him, she gave him a startled glance and wrapped her legs around his hips.

“Don’t look forward” he told her and kissed her on the lips. She gave him a ‘look’ and tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder, trusting that he knew what he was doing- NOT. “I hope you know what your doing” she grumbled in his ear. Angel certainly hoped so, but no promises.

Cordelia could feel him increase their speed as his legs lifted and pounded down under her thighs and bottom, while his abdomen bunched and relaxed between her thighs in a synchrony of muscular power. She gripped him harder and simply held on.

She felt him gather himself and even take a deep breath that expanded his chest against hers, “What’s the matter”? She asked, unable to stop the question and yet a part of her not wanting to know. “Hole in the floor” Angel muttered just as he launched them both into the air.

Cordelia yelped at the feel of the air rushing around them, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed. They almost made it; they were short by only a few inches. Angel snapped a hand out and wrapped an arm around Cordelia. He groaned at the jerk on his arm when he stopped their fall, his fingers just about gripping the rock of the floor on the other side of the shaft.

“We didn’t make it did we”? Asked Cordelia, not daring to move in case she dislodged them. Her heart was pounding like a piston engine and there was a dull roaring in her ears.

“Not quite” Angel gritted out and experimentally tried to pull them up, his fingers slipped and convulsively they clung to one another tighter.

“Can you pull us up”? She hardly dared ask, but avoiding it was out of the question, pretty soon it would be answered for her anyway. She tried to keep her breathing even and not let the panic creep in and take over her mind. It was the total darkness that creeped her out as much as the feeling of being at the edge of a precipice.

He didn’t answer her, didn’t know how to. Should he tell her a comforting lie? God he just didn’t know what to tell her. “At least we lost them,” he offered as some positive news.

“I’m going to die aren’t I”? She asked him in a small voice, not going for his little attempt at diversion. Oh god I don’t wanna die- I don’t want to be finished I have so much to live for now- STOP IT, get a GRIP, hysterical much.

“No you’re not” His voice grated like it was strained or something. No fucking WAY, was he going to let her die.

“But if you can’t pull us up then were both gonna fall, what if I let go…” she started to offer, her mind dulled by weariness grasped at tiny shards of reason, she didn’t want to die for nothing.

“Don’t you DARE Cordelia, I swear if you do…” he broke of and swore, his shoulders twitched and they both fell silent with mingled terror and awful anticipation. “Do.Not.Even. Think of letting go of me Cordy, or I’ll let go too”.

She huffed impatiently and tried again, “But if I’m going to die anyway”. Okayyy, I can’t believe were arguing about this, like I wanna die- NOT.

“You are not gonna die, now shut-up the hell up. What is it with you mortals anyway, first Wes and now you, give me a frickin break here, I’m the immortal one”.

Normally a statement like that would have her rolling her eyes and lambasting him for being such an arrogant ass, but she heard the emotions behind the words, could feel it too in the fine tremors wracking his body. So she settled for a delicate, for her, snort and said “Well yay us, we must love you then and maybe don’t want you hurt- go figure”.

His shoulders were killing him, particularly the one that got stabbed in the fight, and he knew it wasn’t going to be long before even his strength gave out. “Then don’t let go of me Cordy, if you do I’m lost anyway”. Angel wasn’t one for wearing his heart on his sleeve very often, but when he did it was almost like a neon sign.

She silently digested that, and settled her head more firmly into his strong neck, breathing in the scent that always made her feel safe and secure. “That’s not fair,” she finally whispered back, not sure if she wanted that responsibility.

He wasn’t having any of that, when they’d finally got it together, she’d made promises, including sticking around. He intended that she kept them. “Get used to it”. His voice was uncompromising and maybe that was unfair, but fuck unfair- he was 250 plus years and he was in love.

Then he frowned and after a few seconds of intense concentration, rubbed his chin against her hair to get her attention. “Do you feel that”?

“Feel what”? She muttered not willing to move away from the safety of his neck, it was dark sure, but not scary dark if she pressed against his skin.

“A draft- there’s air moving below us”.

“Whoopey doo” she replied too worn out to care about a draft. Then something in his voice must have woken a sleeping alarm. She looked up and hated that she couldn’t even see his face. “So”? There was more than a question in that dark feminine tone, “don’t even think about going there”.

He ignored the last bit, “Hold on tight, and don’t let go”.

Her wail of “Are you crazy” was lost in the rush of air as he released his death grip on the edge of the shaft, dropping them both. The walls were much closer together now and he used his boots on either side of the shaft to slow them down.

Then he felt that rush of air again, only stronger and widened his leg, it hurt like crazy when his leg jolted as it his foot caught. But he slowed their descent enough to give himself time to firmly snag the upper edges of another hole with both hands, relieving the weight on his leg.

“Ooophh” Cordy was winded when her upper back hit the wall above the hole and she clutched him tighter, but it was much better than being squished on the bottom of this hellhole. “Sorry Cor, you OK”?

“Just fine” she snarled back, more out of the fear still drilling through her than any pain, she was going to get him back for that crap inducing scare- if it was the last thing she did. “Where the hell are we now”?

“Another tunnel or something”, He chuckled with relief when she swore a blue streak, then using both feet and his back on the opposite wall, he turned them around so that Cordy would be able to crawl inside the hole, using his body underneath to support her.

“This is just great, I can’t see a damn thing” there was a fractious note in her voice and he could feel the trembling that gave away her post adrenaline exhaustion.

“I’ve got you, Sweetheart” he kept his voice low and deep, soothing her with his voice and his hands sweeping over her back as he guided her until she felt the edges. It was totally pitch black, dark enough that he could barely make out anything, so it must seem like a nightmare to her.

“You’re doing great Cor, just pull yourself inside and I’ll follow right behind you”.

She crawled over him and felt her way inside the gap in the wall of the shaft, it wasn’t very big and a huge shudder swept over her as claustraphobia hit her hard. Okay, deep breaths. Life and death remember, a little coffin like time in a hole beneath hell won’t hurt you.

“Great, this is just great. I hate dark enclosed spaces, so obviously it’s my lucky day to be stuck down here with no flashlight, no handy lighter cos I don’t smoke and no frickin idea where we are or how to get out again”.

She used her grumbles like a lifeline, hearing her own voice constantly echoing back was better than just hearing her own panicked panting. The rock was sharpe in places and her hands were sore from various scrapes. “Plus just look at me, I’m a mess- well OK can’t really see much, but I just know I look like hell, which is pretty appropriate for here I guess”.

“Cordelia” said Angel warningly, although he didn’t object to hearing her talk most of the time, having got used to it over the years, now wasn’t the time.

“What” she snapped back, knowing he was going to tell her to shut up.

“Shush, these places are like sound amplifiers you can never tell who can hear you”. He was directly behind her, as they crawled along the narrow tunnel.

“Well excuse me, for not knowing all about caves, I never lived in one” she pointed out with acerbic calm

“Cor” he growled back.

“Okkayy, Geeze, shutting up now”.

He smiled he couldn’t help it, she amazed him on so many levels, sometimes he scared himself about how much she meant to him. Could you imagine anything more overwhelming for an immortal than to a love a mortal with all of your being all the while knowing that fate could snatch them away from you at any time.

Sometimes, he drove her crazy with his over-protectiveness but he doubted she knew of the times when he managed to restrain it- just. If he had his way she would stay at his side and when that wasn’t safe, in a safe secure place he wanted to create just for her. What stopped him was knowing that she would never accept it and that if he tried to insist- she would grow to hate him.

So he tried to let her go on as she wanted, building a life on the ruins of the old one and doing a fantastic job of it- god, while it scared the crap out of him, he was damned proud of her too, talk about being pulled into two directions.

He pulled his mind of the morbid and yet not, thoughts and realised that Cordelia had stopped moving. “What is it, what’s the matter”, he was seized with the wish that he’d gone first, a physical impossibility at the time.

“This is not good” came back Cordy’s voice; strangely hollow as the sounds pushed past her body and echoed slightly in the dark and damp enclosed space they were struggling through.

“What isn’t good”? He demanded sharply, irritation poking him hard at the lack of information. He tried to see past her but it was impossible.

“This tunnel finishes here unless you want to try the vertical version of it,” she told him, her voice thick with tired hopeless tears. That was why she’d taken so long to answer.

Her obvious despair tore at him with steel talons and his own eyes stung. Dammit, give us a fucking break here.

“Start climbing” the demand came out harsher than he’d intended, but right then he didn’t care. She was not going to die here and he wasn’t willing to wait for another solution, as impossible as that was, they had to do this together.

Tears were running down her cheeks and dropped down on her sore hands, the darkness pressed in on her and she just wanted to bury her head in her hands and sob for a while. Then maybe she could get it together again and try to climb, just not now.

“I can’t” she told him and then felt a hard hand grab her ankle and shake it.

“Do it” his voice was uncompromising and suddenly she wanted to scream and yell at him, hot words bubbled up in her throat and she opened her mouth to give it to him full blast, but at the last second she bit them back and settled for a growl low in her throat.

She scrubbed a hand over her wet face and shot a dark scowl that he couldn’t see over her body at him. “Fine, I’ll do it, just don’t blame me if I fall and you get squashed”.

“I’ll cope” he replied and felt her move forward a little and then stretch. Once inside the shaft she pushed and pulled herself up with her boots and hands, scraped raw now but she ignored the pain.

After a while she went numb and it took a while for her to realise that she was practically sitting on Angel’s shoulder while he climbed for the both of them. The strong surges upwards were monotonous but comforting. She started to try and get back into doing some of the work but he stopped her.

“Just settle down, I can do this”. She didn’t argue.

THE CHAMBER OF HORRORS

The battle raged on with a terrible ferocity; at first it had only been Gunn, Lorne, Giles and Fred against a handful of the strange masked demons. Pure rage had fuelled the human men as they hurtled into the fray, hacking , slashing, swinging and pounding away with axe and cudgel.

Lorne looked fierce with his green skin and red eyes blazing, and battle cries interspersed with the high shrill notes filled the air as they fell from his lips were deafening. He swung mightily with the cudgel aiming for heads and bodies, smashing his way through to victory over more than his fair share of demons.

Gunn and Giles didn’t slack either and the bodies were starting to pile up as they made the most of the surprise attack. Soon enough though an alarm was raised as a clanging noise rose over them in panicked notes. Fred, busy firing single shots from the handgun was perched on high ground out of the way while she picked her targets with care and precision as Wesley had taught her.

That ability became invaluable when more of the demons came streaming in all four entrances in response to the alarm. Suddenly the four stalwart fighters were facing four to one instead of two to one and more kept on coming.

Fred picked up her pace and the handgun shot upwards slightly with each bullet blasted out, but she hit her target every time. Smoke choked the air, from the torches and gunfire. Blood was spattered everywhere as screams rent the air, followed by snarls and growls, the whine of bullets and the bang of the guns recoil, joined not the least of which by more high pitched wailing from Lorne as he fought.

If that wasn’t enough confusion more demons arrived, lead by Wesley and the battle became epic as they went at each other, some bare handed, ripping and tearing, gouging at the demons that had dared kidnapped them. Pink, yellow, spiked, horned, lipless, red eyes, black eyes, clawed and not, all types were figured here and all without exception- where pissed off.

Chaos reigned and Gunn, Giles and Wesley met at the centre and looked around them trying to assess how they were doing. So far, from the looks of the bodies strewn on the floor and over the already gored stone slabs, it looked about even. Then Cordelia burst into their midst, closely followed by Angel and they all stared in shock at the pair.

They were filthy, covered in black dirt and dried blood. “What the hell happened to you”? Asked Wesley as they he looked them over in astonishment, and then frowned when he got a good look at the utter disrepair of his shirt.

“This place happened- what did you think Wesley, this ain’t no spa” snapped Cordelia who then snatched up a sword of the ground, and with a look of pure fury on her dirty face, jumped in feet first, determined to get rid of the frustration that suffused her, brought on by the terror of the last few days.

Wesley watched her hack and slash away with mad abandon and then gave Angel a look with raised brows and got a “Don’t ask” back which he settled for and between them all they formed a formidable ring.

Gunn had gone to fetch Fred and now they all stood back to back with Fred crouched down and still squeezing the trigger. Cordelia had somehow managed to keep hold of the shotgun, as damned uncomfortable as that had been strapped to her back and now handed it over to a delighted Wesley. The smile that lit his face was almost boyish and she laughed instead of rolling her eyes, in this situation it was almost endearing.

They stayed together and when one ventured to far in the heat of battle, they soon found themselves brought back into the fold as the protective circle held.
Then as sometimes happened there was a moment of peace while each side retreated to lick wounds and stare at their opponents assessingly. The kidnapped demons congregated by the far wall, opposite the humans, in an uneasy alliance given their respective breeds were more often than not at war with one another anyway.

The demons of this place huddled next to the entrance through which most of them had arrived, likely leading to living quarters. They were leaderless and still reeling from the events of the last day, from what had started out as normal to this utter destruction of their home and way of life.

Both sets of demons finished eyeballing each other and settled their gaze on the humans in their midst. Humans, demon and vampire that is. Some of them knew about the vampire with a soul and some didn’t but all were wary of this peculiar bunch of … comrades, friends, and warriors?

The humans took measured breaths and their eyes were watchful for any move to resume the battle, Giles and Wesley side by side, one with a bloodied axe and one with a shotgun levelled and primed. Nobody spoke or moved, just watched and waited. Cordelia stood over Fred who held the handgun loosely but ready with another full clip of bullets.

Angel stood a little in front of the two women and his body was taut in expectation of more fighting as dark eyes flickered from one demon to the next. Lorne moved a little from side to side on the balls of his feet, red eyes still blazing as he struggled to come down from the unusual high that was bloodlust, a new experience for him.

The stand-off remained in place and was broken only by the slow careful advance of one of the demons who reached up to remove its mask to speak to them.

The black eyes and pale spine ridged face looked fearful and very unhappy at being voted as spokesperson, it swallowed hard and maintained a good distance from the humans and an even further distance from the other group of mixed demons.

“What will it take for you to leave us in peace”? It asked in an uncertain voice.

As ever Cordelia was the first to find her voice, “Leave you in peace? Hello!” she looked at Angel and Wesley and then jerked her head at them, “You kidnapped them, we just came to get them back. So get you facts straight, we didn’t attack you first”.

The demon shrugged uncomfortably, “That matters not- we just want you to leave”.

Cordelia had heard enough “Doesn’t matter? Are you for real? I think those guys over there might have something to say about that”. She wasn’t wrong, there were very definite renewed rumblings from the mixed breeds.

“I’ll tell you what it will take,” said Angel stepping forward, not wanting another unnecessary battle when it could be avoided, even if Cordelia was still feeling the need to pummel. “We all leave here, everyone of us, and you never return to our world again, EVER”.

The grumblings from the mixed breeds increased so he swung on them and stalked forward with his face thunderous. They held their ground but stopped speaking.

“I don’t give a shit what your problem is, or if you stay here to slug it out, but I’m getting my people out of here” he growled, the rumble was quiet but full of menace nevertheless.

He turned his head slowly to face the nervous spokesman again and his eyes were dark glittering slits of black ringed with topaz lights. “You’ve had your fun, and while I’d love nothing more than to ripe your hearts out and feed them to you” he looked at both groups of demons when he said that, “I won’t, this time, but get this…”

He walked with precisely measured steps until his was looking directly into the demon spokesman’s face, “Humans are off the menu, is that clear”? The fact that he’d vamped out was clear enough evidence that this display of calm was exactly that, a display. Underneath it was a maelstrom of fury that he could and would tap into at a moments notice.

The demon nodded at that gritted demand and backed away. Angel looked at Cordelia, who out of all of them was still looking angry enough to chew nails. “We’re done here” he told her, his voice hard and charged with meaningful warnings about letting it go.

After a moment where hazel clashed with topaz, she sighed gustily and shrugging with studied indifference, nodded her head even while her eyes still simmered with hot emotion.

The need for revenge for what she’d been put through was still strong and it went against the grain to let them get away with it. Her blood was up and a large part of her wanted to finish this. Kill them all and tear down this place but she knew that wasn’t possible and she even understood Angel’s reasoning, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.


HYPERION HOTEL

The decision to meet back at the Hyperion rather than Wolfram & Hart was easy and immediate, Cordy, Angel, Wesley and Giles got into Angels Plymouth while Gunn, Fred and Lorne all piled into Gunns shiny new truck.

Soon enough the tired yet victorious fighters found themselves climbing the familiar stairs to enter the sparkling glass doors of the Hyperion Hotel. Gunn and Fred and even Wesley to some degree turned in slow circles checking out their old haunt for changes and just simply drinking in the memories, which over time had regressed back to those that were happy and mostly- comfortable.

“Did I ever tell you how happy I am this place is still AI” Gunn asked the room at large, aiming at Cordelia but too busy still smiling over a feeling of nostalgia.

“Yeah” agreed Fred with a soft smile, her own mind filled with similarly happy memories of her first refuge after Pylea and the feeling of safety and family it had provided when she’d needed it the most. “I just love that too. God I miss this place”.

Then realising what she’d said she threw an embarrassed smile at Angel, who just shrugged and all but threw himself down on the nearest couch, stretching his legs out and leaning back to let his still wound-up body finally relax.

“We had some good times here didn’t we”? Agreed Cordelia, hiding a slightly smug feeling that this was her place now but at the same time wishing for a moment that things were as they used to be and that they would all troop upstairs to their respective rooms for sleep before getting back up the next day, working to help the helpless- together.

Angel pulled her down next to him when she went to pass him, “Hey- Hostess here I need to get everyone something to drink” but she settled down next to him anyway, leaning on the opposite armrest and putting her now bootless feet over the other side so that her hip was pressed to his side and her legs covered his lap.

“Don’t worry about it Cordy, we can get our own drinks. Why don’t I do it” and the happy Texan got busy rummaging around looking for mugs and coffee for the filter machine.

“You’re a sweetheart Fred,” shouted Cordy so that she could be heard over the rattle of pottery. Then she settled back and hummed loudly in pleasure when Angel started to massage her aching calves. “We’re filthy dirty, the couch is gonna get stained”.

“I’m dirty so it’s already dirty, it’ll wash” he murmured back and watched her face out of half closed eyes.

“Say’s you who doesn’t do the washing” she replied with a wry smile, still with her eyes closed. Wow, she was seriously loving this, then a frown marred her face. She’d better not love it too much; hoping for the impossible was nothing but a road to heartache.

She heard Fred’s happy chatter and Gunns deliberately laconic replies that made the other brunette giggle. Wesley was talking quietly with Giles, absorbed in whatever weird demony watcher stuff they were talking about, looking the most relaxed she’d seen him in the presence of the older man, ever.

Lorne was standing with Gunn and complimenting Fred is his over-exuberant and totally sweet way, rapturising over her everyday coffee making skills, simply cos he was thirsty and she was making him a drink. Pfft, who didn’t know the way to that demons heart lay in his drinks cabinet.

“Yo, Barberella”, Cordy winced at Gunns new nickname for her, sort of a mix of her old one and the fact that she was all action-girl now. “Can I use a shower, kinda covered in goo here”. He held out his black long sleeved vest with a grimace of distaste on his darkly handsome face.

“Aren’t we all, but go ahead and feel free. There’s some shower gel in my room you can use so long as Angel doesn’t mind”. That was it, there was a chorus of requests for the facilities and everyone disappeared to get clean. With only four rooms with useable showers, they took turns with Cordy and Fred in Cordy’s room and the guys arguing over who was first in the other three.

Half an hour and no shower gel left later, they all congregated much happier back in the lobby. “Thanks for the clothes loan, dog” said Gunn to Angel offering a salute with his steaming coffee mug. Echoed by Giles and Wesley, all sporting various items of black or maroon clothing that with the exception of Gunn was all too big for them.

Wesley finished his coffee and laid it carefully on the counter with a smile for Fred, “So where are you staying Giles”?

“Well, Cordelia mentioned plenty of room”. He answered with an uncertain smile at the brunette.

Angel stopped what he was doing and froze, shooting her a sideways look, he leaned down to whisper “I hope you mentioned a room on another floor”.

“Why” she whispered back without turning her head.

“Cos we might keep him awake” she didn’t need to look at him to see the smirk that simply must have accompanied that statement.

She rolled her eyes and snorted, “Arrogant much, who says I plan on doing anything other than sleep”, she stretched and faked a huge yawn. “Making love will just have to wait”.

“I never mentioned sex” he replied darkly and walked away, leaving her staring after his black clothed back in surprise at his abrupt tone. Nah, it just wasn’t possible- he couldn’t still be pissed about...”?

She came back into the conversation too late to try and gather some re-enforcements; Giles was going to stay at Wesley’s tonight before finding more suitable accommodation later. She opened her mouth to re-offer a room but the words stuck in her throat when Angel crossed his arms over his imposingly wide chest, mouthed NO, and narrowed penetrating dark eyes at her.

She glared back at him but a sudden feeling of impending doom prevented her from defying him. Annoyed though she said her thanks and good byes and stormed off upstairs, fooling everyone but Angel and Lorne with excuses of being exhausted.

“What an Asshole, he can’t be serious” Can he. No it just wasn’t possible even for an arrogant, overprotective jerk like him to still hold it against her that she’d jumped to the rescue. Okay, things had gotten pretty bad and they’d made it out by the skin of their teeth, but Geeze, he would have been dust by now if she hadn’t.

She was pacing a track on the worn polished wooden floor, backwards and forwards, waiting and knowing that when he was ready he’d come through that door and then very likely the roof would come off.

She eyed the door with a dark, slightly troubled look and seriously entertained the notion of locking it. Not that it would stop him, but dammit, it would certainly give him an idea of what she thought of his ‘threat’. She was half way there when the door opened anyway and he walked inside, shutting it behind him with a solid thud.

“Going somewhere, Cordy”? He asked quietly. His eyebrows were raised in mild enquiry but the dark heat of his eyes belied that. He saw her eyes widen and then narrow again defensively.

Her body was stiff with agitation under the thin t-shirt and jeans that she’d rushed into earlier, going for comfort rather than style. He’s trying to intimidate me and dammit doing a fairly decent job of it too, I don’t believe this, this is just ridiculous. She decided to ignore that and asked instead “Is everyone gone”?

“Yeah, it’s just us”. He pushed away from the door and walked slowly towards her, his hands were relaxed at his sides and to someone who didn’t know him, he looked the picture of a casual male, confident and assured in the bedroom. Cordy knew better, he was hardly ever that relaxed unless he’d just woken up or had sex. Since neither was the case here- he was faking it.

Fuck this, “What the hell is your problem”? Ooh don’t like me just coming out with it do ya, big guy- tough. His face tightened at her aggressive question, just like she’d known it would.

“And don’t give me any of that crap about putting myself in danger, I do that every day and besides”, she held up a hand and glared at him, they were only inches apart now and all fake casualness was long gone. “What? I’m supposed to sit at home like the good little woman, while you get staked, forget it”.

“I could’ve gotten myself out and Wesley too” he snarled back, provoked by her sarcastically too accurate shot at his deepest wish.

“Oh sure- NOT, you didn’t have a cat in hells chance buddy and that’s the truth- face it, you needed me” she didn’t care that she was lighting a fuse; her own had blown already.

She rose up on her tiptoes so that they were as close to eyeballing each other as she could get, “I don’t care what you think is best for me- I know what I want and I’m keeping it”, even if ‘it’ is a 6ft plus towering idiot of a vampire with the sense of a gnat. “And lastly, if you lay one finger on me that isn’t about pleasure, I’m gonna knock you on your ass”.

“Is that so”? He replied darkly, an angry tick had started to work overtime in his clenched jaw and one eye narrowed even further as he smirked with a total lack of amusement. “Feeling frisky are we, Cordy”?

“Now you mention it- no”, crap, she hadn’t seen that cold look on his face in a long time and now she remembered why she hated it so much. “What is wrong with you, did you drink a bad pint of O2 or something, Geeze”?

She started to back way, intending to put some distance between them. She didn’t even get so far as one step before his hands snagged the waistband of her jeans, halting her. She felt him tug hard and then the buttons pull apart, she grabbed his forearms and tried to prise them away, uselessly.

She looked up at his face, but he was intent on the dark curls visible now that the buttons of the jeans were undone. She’d not bothered with panties thinking she wouldn’t be wearing them long. She gasped when he suddenly picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

Her hands grasped the cotton of his black shirt and she tried to haul herself upwards. Briefly she thought about elbowing him in the back of the neck to try and get herself free, but sanity put a stop to that. She really didn’t want to get into that kind of fight with him in this mood.

Her angry tirade sputtered out but was stopped when he threw her face down the bed. Dizzily she tried to rise up on her elbows but went sprawling again when her jeans were yanked down her legs. She kicked back hard with both feet but missed as he dodged.

Then the jeans were off and all she wore was a t-shirt and bra. He sat down heavily on the bed next to her and grabbed both of her upper arms, before she knew it she was lying facedown with her hips on his lap and her butt in the air. She yelled in outrage.

Jeszus, he could not be serious, this is just so not happening. “Don’t you fucking dare, Angel I mean IT”, she kicked and twisted like a wild thing. Refusing to let him get way with this. Her hand grabbed the edge of the bed and she pressed up with all of her might, teeth gritted but he simply placed an arm across her shoulders and pressed her down. He used his other arm to restrain her hips just underneath the curve of her buttocks.

“Don’t you dare, don’t you… dare” she repeated in a loud chant, bucking and writhing on his lap but unable to slide or drag herself off. Whatever the hell he was doing- now he had her like this, he didn’t seem to be in any damned hurry.

She called him every name she could think and quite a few she made up in a whirl of inventive fury but he just continued to silently hold her down until finally her struggles got less as she wound down. Tired after the last few days she just couldn’t sustain the struggle, and finally she lay panting hard and puffing out angry breaths between invectives.

“Finished”? He asked her, she couldn’t see his face from down where she was, so had no idea if he was angrier, but guessed he was. She’d been pretty descriptive in her cursing. She ignored the question.

He removed his arm from around her hips and she tensed in anticipation of the first wave of pain. The moment stretched and she squeezed her eyes shut, as the tension became unbearable. There was a cold draft that caressed the bare cheeks of her buttocks, making them feel even more sensitive.

She yelped when his hand touched her skin then quivered in confusion. Her eyes shot open again but she could tell nothing more, fiercely she wished she could see his face. Where was the pain? She didn’t know what to think and her body trembled in confusion along with her mind, no longer knowing whether to expect pain- or pleasure.

His hand lightly skimmed over the surface of her buttocks, barely brushing with his fingertips, dragging the tiny hairs and raising goose bumps all over her body. She was stiff still but starting to relax, her breathing returned to something approaching normal and her heart beat heavily in a slowing rhythm under his arm.

Angel drew circles on the creamy skin; his face absorbed, strangely intent but she couldn’t see that. Then he widened them until he was sweeping over the whole cheek, tracing the intriguing crease where each one met the top of her firm thighs. After a few minutes she lay boneless over him in a mixture of relief and enjoyment. Finally he lightly caressed between the cleft of the cheeks and dipping inside that soft furrow found her moist already. With one long finger he parted the soft folds to find the source of her honey. He circled the entrance with that caressing finger and she moaned against the bed cover.

He still kept her down with his arm over her shoulder and dimly she wondered why, but soon became too entranced over what he was doing now to really care. He found her clit and rubbed against, hard and then slow, circling it and then pushing gently, and making her buttocks rise up instinctively.

He returned to her labia and finding the hot dripping centre again, pushed deep inside. Mindlessly she pushed up against his hand, aiding his invasion and frantic for more. He found her g-spot in seconds and hooking his finger he pushed rhythmically against it. His finger was drenched with more of her liquid arousal and her moans became cries as the resulting charge of electric heat spread out from her womb in a painfully exquisite wave of pleasure.

He continued for endless minutes until she was writhing on his lap with frantic neediness, then in the midst of her heightened passion, he pulled out. She immediately protested in an incoherent murmur.

Then he slapped her ass so hard, he left an immediate red handprint and ignoring her scream, he let her up and pushed her onto the bed.

Cordelia felt like she was on fire, every part of her body was literally burning, her face was flushed with it, her veins throbbed with it and her ass – well that went without saying. But, and this is what drove her fury even higher, was the fact that she was still aroused- damn him.

She came up swinging. Her face one big snarl of outraged womanhood, and her ‘arghh’ was hoarse with rage as she aimed a roundhouse punch right at his face. He caught it in one of his and kept it cupped in his hand.

Cordelia’s eyes were narrowed and spitting hazel fire, and her cheeks blazed with humiliation and left over passion, heightened by the sheer depth of her anger. She whipped up other her hand in a heavy slap and he caught that one too and tumbled them both to the bed.

“Get off of me you sick…” she didn’t get to finish before he covered her lips with his in hard kiss just this side of punishing. She went to bite him so he lifted up his head and dragged both of her arms up so that he manacled both in one large hand. Then cupping her jaw he clamped down just enough so that she couldn’t bite down and then captured her lips again.

His tongue slid inside the hot cavern of her mouth and then he shifted his body to cover hers, legs trapping and shoulders looming. The angle of the kiss changed and he took complete possession of her mouth, his tongue massaged and twirled around hers before retreating and then stabbing inside in a rhythm that called to her already heated womb.

That heat unfurled again and silently she railed against it, but was helpless to stop it, he’d primed her too well. He leaned up to look down at her flushed face, and letting her take some breaths.

“Well you did dare me” he said with a twitch of his lips when she still looked like she wanted to kill him.

It took a moment to realise what the hell he was talking about and then it hit her, she took a deep breath and felt the vein in her forehead throb, her mouth opened to start yelling again but had to swallow the hot words when he kissed her again.

“Ah-ah-ah, no more swearing or I’ll carry on until you can’t sit down for a week,” he threatened when he’d finished kissing her. She closed her mouth with a snap and glared up at him.

“If you think that you’re not gonna regret that for the rest of your unnaturally long life- think again” as threats go it was pretty mild, but oh so very true, she’d see to it personally.

His eyebrows jerked up and he smiled in amusement. He rested his head on one palm but was cautious enough to keep her hands where they where. “C’mon Cor, admit it your aroused. Don’t deny it, I can smell it, it’s so strong I can almost taste it”.

“Yeah well, that’s the only taste you’re gonna get so sniff up”. She knew the moment the words were out, it was the wrong thing to have said, but it was too late.

“Is that a dare”? Undaunted he smirked at her and when she didn’t reply he chuckled. Bastard. “Silence means- yes,” he told her and instantly he was gone.

She didn’t even have time to try and evade him now even though she was free. Strong hands grasped her knees and pulled her legs apart and his mouth was on her before she’d done more than grab the bed cover to pull herself up. He speared up inside her and she fell back on the pillow and arched up as the mind numbing pleasure whipped across her nerves, inside and out.

“Oh God, that’s not fair” she panted out and ended with a wail when he increased the pace, notching the pleasure higher and jolting her body with charged lust that she was powerless to resist.

He didn’t answer the charge, but simply came up on his knees and cupped her buttocks with his hands, keeping her too high to do more than thrash on the bed with her shoulders and arms, leaving him free to do what he wanted. He thrust into her vagina, teasing her sensitive passage with his roughness and biting into the soft skin surrounding it with blunt teeth.

God, it was like being devoured, she could feel the hot rush of fluid that was her body’s response and he drank it in. He spread the slick heat all over her sex with his tongue, circling and lathing her, between the folds and up around her pulsing clitoris, red and swollen now and begging for his attention.

“Still want me to stop”? He asked tauntingly, but with a hard edge of strain evident in his rough edged voice.

“Don’t you dare stop” she gasped out between moans and her head fell back further as her back bowed under the lash of intense sexual pleasure. “Kiss me” she demanded and he knew she didn’t mean on the lips.

He did and the top of her head felt it might come off as the pleasurable jolts became a shockwave, the instant his lips fastened ravenously around her clitoris. He sucked it into his mouth and latching on, flicked it with his tongue. She gasped when he bit down on it with ruthless care, and became lost again in a world where pain and pleasure mingled together in a swirling mass of dark shooting pleasure.

When he was sure she was too aroused to think of fighting him, he lowered her back down to the bed and pushed two fingers inside her. He lapped hungrily at the creamy juice of her arousal and fingered her hard at the same time, thrusting heavily and twisting his fingers to abrade those inner walls with each tormenting plunge.

She writhed and bucked against him and cries of wanton lust fell unnoticed from her kiss swollen lips as the flames of arousal got hotter and hotter, spreading the inferno throughout her heaving body. He pushed her higher and higher towards orgasm, and soon the tension inside her was almost ready to burst. Her eyes were tightly shut and lights danced before her eyes, she clenched the bed cover convulsively and arched her back into his tormenting hand as he left her to sit up and watch.

Her legs were spread and knees bent on either side of him, while he supported himself on one hand, planted firmly on the bed beside her right leg and dark eyes fired with lust explored the damp curls and moist pink skin of her exposed sex. His lips were full and sensually curved in a tight smile as he watched his fingers coated with her slick liquid, plunge repeatedly inside her.

“You’re so hot and wet it makes me ache all over with wanting you” the already deep timbre of his voice was rougher, the sound of it scraping along her body, and making her womb ripple with need. “When you make me angry, all I want to do is fuck you, and when I make you angry I have to”.

Speaking was a physical impossibility now as the velvet threat behind the words registered on her mind and echoed deep inside the most primal parts of her psyche. All thought splintered and fell away as she gave herself up to the erotic promise in those dark as midnight eyes.

He licked his lips and purred in approval when she got wetter and it began to seep out from between his fingers, two became three and she screamed and bucked at the unbearable stretching. Before she could recover from that, she felt his tongue again, caressing the stretched skin around her vagina, and each flick of his tongue left a trail of fire in its wake.

He removed the fingers and ducked back down to suck at her hard, draining and drinking her delicious heat, taking it inside him to coat his greedy mouth and lathing tongue. His hard hands crushed her to him again, removing all possible escape until he’d finished taking and taking.

Streaks of hot pleasure shot out from her core, pulling her into a storm of sensation that made her legs quiver and shake as the pulsing need of her sex screamed for release from the unbearable tension. She felt and heard the deep throaty growl vibrate against her sex and then screamed as everything exploded inside her at the feel of those ridges and the whisper of sharp fangs between her trembling thighs.

Her head whipped from side to side in reflexsive denial of the immediate orgasm that was just too strong, and her heels dug into the bed as she tried to draw back and up, but their was simply no escaping him. Every nerve ending sizzled in an agony of knowledge that at any moment the ecstasy could be transformed into agony. But that only increased the dark twisty pleasure as she writhed and undulated under him.

His fangs didn’t pierce her delicate skin but he mercilessly consumed everything she could give. The hot sticky fluid dripped into his mouth, making him ache with the need to claim her. His erection pressed painfully against his pants making him restless for freedom from the constriction of clothes.

Finished, drained and replete she lay back and watched with half closed dazed eyes as he stripped. Anger was forgotten, transformed into something that burned brighter and hotter and the embers of it still flickered inside her throbbing loins.

He didn’t bother with buttons but simply tore the offending material of him and attacked his zipper, like her he hadn’t bother getting completely dressed and only had the pants to get rid of before he was finally naked. She realised at the same time he did that she was still wearing the t-shirt and between them they yanked it over her head, and she fell back to the pillows with his mouth greedily latched to one tightly budded nipple and his cock already deep inside her.

He groaned loudly and retracted his fangs, returning his face to human, still rational enough to not want to hurt her and knowing his self-control was at a premium now. The plump sweet flesh of her succulent breast was an indulgence he could hardly afford as he felt his control slip down another level but mindlessly he continued to tug and scrape the hot turgid tip inside his mouth.

He squirmed as the heated tingles surged through him and ground his pelvis into hers, massaging her body with his hard muscular length inside and out, as he rocked himself into her tight clenching loins like he could join them into one. The feel of her underneath him, her curves moulding to his larger frame with sweet welcome was driving him insane. Her scent surrounded him and every supernatural sense he possessed howled with the need for more, to get closer, consume and love her.

Cordelia could only hang on as he surged frantically over and into her, her hands clutched his shoulders as he drove his hard throbbing length repeatedly deep inside her, filling and stretching her to such an extent that she sobbed with the hard unyielding pressure of it, and yet at the same time the pleasure was so intense she wanted to beg for him to go harder, faster anything to bring on the climax that hovered just out of reach.

She heard him pant and the groans that seemed to be torn from his throat as he strived for control. A hard shudder wracked through him. Oh god- he’s losing it was the only single thought that penetrated the steadily thickening haze of passion that fogged her mind and jolted her senses. She wrapped her fingers round his jaw and pulled him to her so she could kiss him, darting her tongue inside to taste and torment his with swirling caresses.

She tasted herself on him, that and the dark intoxicating taste that was purely him. Entranced she enticed his tongue into her own mouth so that she could suck on it, mimicking going down on him and making him groan louder. The vibration of it passed from him to her and she speared her fingers into his dark hair to keep him there, as the need for more than just a taste gripped her fiercely.

He levered up on both hands and feasted on her mouth while she did the same, in a dance of mating tongues that was matched by his wild, stormy thrusts. His hands clenched the bed like hers had done, only his fingers dug through the covers and into the mattress, ripping it and bringing it up with each wild plunging stroke into her silky depths.

She wrenched her lips from his to take in air to her starving lungs and dizzily felt his lips trail over her jaw towards her neck. She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms under his to clutch his smooth muscular back. Clinging on she felt his pace increase as he pounded into her so fast she could hardly feel one thrust end before another began in an endless possession that stretched and filled her, pulling her deeper into a whirlpool of dark sinful desire.

Oblivion beckoned as the rush of sensations grew stronger. She didn’t feel the bucking of the bed underneath her or hear the crash of the bedhead against the wall. She did hear his frenzied panting growls and felt a piercing joy that finally he was going to do it. He pulled them both up, with one arm around her back until he was sitting back on his haunches, with her legs still wrapped around his hips. He crushed her to him so that she was pressed all along his front with her head turned aside. Baring her neck to his ravening mouth.

He nuzzled the tender skin, drawing the sweet blood closer to the surface until his head swam dizzily with the intoxicating scent of life. She started to come the instant his fangs pierced the skin of her throat and she felt the erotic suckle of his mouth, drawing out her blood. She bucked over him, riding his engorged shaft as he drank from her in carnal abandon, helpless to do anything other than ride the storm of a staggering climax.

Stunned, shaken to her core and still reeling from the intimacy of being invaded by him in every way, she could do nothing other than simply hold on and trust that he would be able to stop before he drained her completely. Her hands lovingly stroked and kneaded the muscles on his back and neck, soothing herself with the feel of his powerful body underneath her palms and buttocks as he relentlessly surged inside her.

Impossibly quick and before she’d even come down from the last release the tension started to ripple and pulsed inside her again. Soon thick words of shameless pleading blended together with his purring growls. He retracted his fangs, leaving the wounds to seep sullenly with her blood, which he lapped up before returning with open mouthed sucking kisses to draw out more.

Her encircling arms dug into his hard back and her nails scored the smooth skin as the building spirals of liquid heat pooled deep in her core again, draining her every bit as much as his mouth on her jugular. He kneaded both sides of her breasts, plumped out from being pressed to close to his hard chest and then travelled down her sides, following the curve of belly and hips which he then gripped in his hands to lift her up and almost off him.

His throbbing tip was still inside her, a hot promise that he fulfilled simply by slamming her down and thrusting up simultaneously. She screamed as he stabbed impossibly deep making her convulse down as another pinnacle loomed. He ignored her scream and his hands continued to forcefully slide her up and down on his impaling shaft.

Not content with that he kneeled up straight and lifting his face from her neck, he growled a command to hold tight. Then he enveloped her within his arms and flexed his hips in a hammering rhythm. His whole body throbbed and trembled under the strain of holding off the orgasm that threatened to erupt at any second. He arched up and they began to topple back to the bed as her quivering passage seized his cock, squeezing and milking him with her orgasm.

He gripped the headboard in a last single moment of sanity to avoid crushing her with his weight while he bucked over and into her, as she lay exhausted and trembling underneath his heaving body. The wood splintered under his hands and finally, powerless to stop it, he spilled his seed, drenching her womb before utterly drained he collapsed on top of her.

Wesley tucked the spare keys of Angel's keys back in his pocket and carried the blanket wrapped body of Cathy inside his apartment. He looked left and right to ensure he wasn't being observed and then shut the door with a careful thud.

End.