Title: Lost and Found
Author: Helen
Posted: 07-05-2003
Email: hwtaft@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: NC-17
Category: Angst, smut
Content: C/A
Summary: This is set in season 5. A little back history is Cordy woke up and Angel helped her get over what happened to her, but then she took off, now she’s back.
Spoilers: I have included a ‘new’ character that has been spoiled from the show itself, just so I can take pot shots and yes, I’ve described her as ‘blonde’ Hee Hee.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution:
Notes:
Feedback: Yes please, this is my 1st so any help is good
Thanks/Dedication:Part 18
“The hell she is”
Those words growled out by Angel had everyone freezing; nervously looking between the two men. Fred glanced at Wesley who just lowered his chin and nodded at her reassuringly. Lorne tried to smile and laugh it off, anything to break the almost unbearable tension; while Gunn suddenly took an interest in the ceiling while at the same time surreptitiously keeping a close watch on Groo.
Angel stood in the lobby looking up the stairs at the new arrival, his body language the kind that spells violence, in capitals. The silence lengthened as Groo looked back down at Angel with an expression that spoke volumes, fearless and arrogantly assured that he could handle himself.
“I have come to collect her things” said Groo, looking away from Angel and talking to the group as a whole; ignoring Angel’s aggressive denial, which did as it was supposed to and infuriated the vampire even more.
“You are not taking anything from this hotel” snarled Angel moving forward a few paces, stiff with anger; his muscles tight as if he was barely holding himself in check. If he had hackles they would have been standing up by now, thought Lorne, wondering where he could get his hands on some water to throw over the pair one they stopped squaring off and got down to what look like a doozy of a fight.
“You would stop me from doing what she has asked of me? Have you lost all nobility and honour then vampire”? Asked Groo coldly, deliberately stabbing at the heart of Angel’s insecurity and relishing the way he stiffened even more.
Pain lashed through Angel’s insides like claws twisting in his gut, “It’s not true” He denied, trying to hide the fact that he was hurting. “Cordy is where she wants to be”, God he needed to believe that. “I want to know where she is so I can talk to her” he demanded, eyes narrowed with suspicion on the half demon.
“She does not want to see you” said Groo with quiet conviction, changing his attitude to one less aggressive and more ‘sympathetic’.
“I don’t believe you, you’re lying” Fred jumped in, this makes no sense she thought, how could it be possible, when did Cordy change her mind and why?
“I am the Groosalug I do not lie” said Groo with a sharp glance at Fred, who went quiet, unable to dispute that fact and looking damned unhappy about it.
“We know who you are” said Wesley severely, “but we still want so see Cordelia in person before we’re satisfied”. He had a great deal less faith in Pylean folklore than Fred did.
“Forget satisfied” Angel interrupted still looking at Groo with unwavering intensity “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you say. Cordy is not leaving with you”. He didn’t care what this asshole said he wanted to see Cordy; he’d deal with her wanting to leave then. He pushed the pain aside to deal with later for now he had only one focus and that was getting her location out of Groo, piece by piece if necessary.
“Cordy’s stuff is in the basement” Piped up Fred, earning her glare from all four of her male colleagues, she just shrugged and making sure Groo was looking elsewhere flicked her eyes to indicate the stairs and held her hands up; imitating holding bars.
They got the message and Wesley took the initiative, walking towards the door leading to the basement, they all followed including Groo while giving Angel a suspicious look and waiting for him to precede him. Angel ignored the unspoken invitation to go first and stood back his face expressionless now, hiding his rioting emotions and biding his time.
Once downstairs Fred, Wes, Gunn and Lorne stood facing Groo; two on either side of the cell door that now stood open. Groo looked momentarily confused when he saw it and then it clicked and he stiffened. But it was too late, Angel stood directly behind him, a silent and menacing presence.
“Tell us where Cordelia is or you cool your heels in there while we go find her ourselves anyway”, said Angel, watching and waiting for the attack that he knew would come; he wanted it so bad he could taste it.
Fred moved off for a moment and went over to the cupboard at the rear of the basement; they needed a chain to lock the cell now since Gunn had managed to bust it open the last time they’d been in there themselves.
Groo saw the opportunity and dived for her, his hands outstretched to snag her jacket and get himself a hostage. Fred felt the move though and dropped to the floor, Groo’s hands came up with nothing and Angel grabbed him by the belt of his pants and almost casually yanked back, sending the half demon crashing into the wall under the stairs.
Groo shook his head to clear it and looked at Angel, he smiled then with uncharacteristic coldness, his blue eyes filled with a gleam of anticipation. “I have not had a good fight since leaving here; I will enjoy beating you to a bloody pulp, vampire”.
“You have it backward Groo, I’m going to whoop your ass”, Angel smiled back every bit as coldly, his body moving with predatory grace, circling the man he now considered his enemy and so his prey.
“I am the true champion here, you are just a tool for the powers” goaded Groo deliberately while flexing his arms and shoulders and matching the circling movements.
“Who gives a shit” said Angel without heat, Gunn snorted with laughter and moved to the side to let Fred get behind them as they all moved to clear a space and watch. “So he can swear then”? Gunn asked Wesley and just got a raised brow and a small smile of agreement back.
That was the end of the verbal sparring, Angel waited for Groo to make the first move using the time to nurture the rage coursing through him. Channelling it to the demon inside him, feeding it and feeling it rise to the surface, making his skin tingle with pure unadulterated aggression.
Groo aimed a pile driver punch straight at Angel’s face, all of his considerable strength behind it making it capable of crunching bone. Angel caught the fist but didn’t try to stop it, simply held on and let Groo’s face come closer as he helplessly followed through, unable not to with no connection to halt him. When Groo’s face was only whisker away from his own Angel vamped out in full demonic form; feral yellow eyes underneath a ridged brow and with hungry fangs on full display as he opened his mouth and growled so savagely it was more of roar.
Groo jerked back and staggered a little before righting himself and taking a deep breath to steel his rattled nerves, Angel let him; satisfied that Groo was no longer under any illusions about what was going to happen here.
As he’d been trained Groo carried on with his offensive, using his strength and speed to attack at full stretch, ready to fend of any counter attacks. Only Angel made none, He let Groo’s confidence ebb as he deflected or avoided every strike no matter how fast or skilled. The coldness Angel used to maintain his control of the demon within was nothing but a dim memory, obliterated by the heat of jealousy and anger, fuelled by pain.
After a few minutes of this Groo was so frustrated he took a risk and left himself open, his midriff exposed with both arms back drawing for more strength. Angel instantly slammed his own fist directly into Groo’s stomach with all of his considerable might. Groo doubled over, gasping for breath only to have it knocked out of him again when a follow up punch to the mouth had blood flying off to the side from his now split lip.
Angel could smell the blood and growled again as the blood lust and hunger enraged him further, inciting the need to inflict more pain, a need wholly instinctive to his demonic nature. Playtime was over, he followed Groo’s downward path and grabbed his chin with his left hand so that he could drive another punch onto that bloody face with his right, crunching the nose ligaments and making Groo gag as blood ran down his throat.
Groo stiffened as he felt himself lifted of the ground by his shirt and fabric tore as Angel threw him across the basement to land several feet away. He looked up and saw the vampire coming at him again; the snarling demonic face ruthless and fangs glistening even in the dim light. He tamped down a spurt of fear and waited for Angel to get close enough.
Groo snapped out a booted foot and felt triumph flood him again when he caught the vampire’s knee driving him back and down, he made himself rise and take advantage of the only opportunity he’d had so far.
Angel felt himself hit the ground and used his weight to balance on his shoulder blades and then swung his legs up, the momentum and drive allowing him to rise but not quite quickly enough. Groo pulled a foot out from beneath him again and then followed it up with a stamping boot to the groin.
This time it was Angel who doubled up in pain, but what Groo didn’t or simply couldn’t realise was that the vampire within Angel thrived on receiving as well as giving pain. Angel rolled away and spun on the small of his back; bring his own legs into the action and catching the back of the half demon’s legs.
Groo fell to his knees and then could only clutch with desperate hands the legs that were suddenly wrapped with destructive force around his throat, the powerful muscles constricting and crushing his windpipe. Angel used his back and thighs to force Groo back down to the floor again, not relenting, gritting his teeth and refusing to release his deadly lock around the struggling man.
Once on the floor Angel sat up and brought a fist down onto Groo’s chest, the recoil would have twisted his own back if he hadn’t finally released him at the same instant the blow landed. Then he rose and waited for Groo to recover, backing away a few steps but not enough to let Groo think the worst was over.
“Where is Cordelia”? He snapped it out, his voice unnaturally deep.
Groo staggered upright, blood was still spurting from his mouth and nose, to the vampire the air was misted with it, his hunger increased but he tamped it down. Groo laughed, a crazy sound coming from his battered face, “I will not tell you and you will never find her, detective”, he said with careful mockery in every word.
Angel growled infuriated and struck with an unreasoning fear that had nothing to do with the conflict, his body clenched with an all-encompassing surge of pain, and the resulting fury was more than he could contain. “I will not let her go”, he roared the words that had been spinning through his mind since Groo had turned up, finally releasing them as they were dredged up from the depths of his soul.
Reason fled, emotions and the basest of violent instincts drove him to attack without thought of life only death. Wes, Fred and the others watched in horrified silence as the two went at each other in a vicious frenzy again and again.
Groo sensing the pain he had inflicted found a second wind and managed to strike out and drive back the vampire, but Angel would just rise and come back hardly slowing down for any blow that landed. They were both bloodied by this stage, but neither noticed nor cared; each focused entirely on the other man they considered a rival.
Finally Groo started to tire as he had been losing blood for longer, and not helped by the fact that his wounds did not heal quite as quickly as Angel’s. He couldn’t manage to duck from another crunching blow to the jaw and his head snapped back, then Angel whipped out a kick that also caught his jaw sending him crashing into the wall behind him, he stayed upright only because another kick followed that one and then another, his head continuously battered against the cement wall.
His head swum dizzily but he managed to see a fist fly toward him through swollen and slitted eyes, but it was not possible to avoid it, he could hardly move. It didn’t matter anyway, because he hardly felt it, his face was numb. Angel continued to pummel the half demon with blows to both body and face, only microseconds between each one.
Finally Angel stepped back gathering himself for a last killing kick to the throat that would crush the larynx. But just as he was about to unleash it, he felt strong hands gripping him by the upper arms and pulling him away; he snarled and twisted out of their grip, turning around to face his friends; his face murderous.
“That’s enough Angel,” said Wesley unflinchingly, not backing away from the rage that poured off the vampire in waves. Gunn stood beside Wesley watching Angel carefully; prepared to defend himself, but hoping like hell it wouldn’t be necessary.
“Think Angel, even if he’s telling lies about Cordy, she would never forgive you if you killed him” he said, praying it would be enough to get past the blood lust.
Fred moved to stand between the two, certain that he would think twice before hurting her. Lorne joined her but felt a lot less certain about that self same thing.
Angel backed away from them his hands clenching and unclenching as he battled for self-control, they watched him; aware of it and trusting he would be successful. Finally he crouched down on his haunches and covered his face with his hands, covering his eyes and nose to block out the smell and sight of the blood gleaming with red and tempting fire on the floor, walls and on Groo now slumped on the floor.
Wesley signalled to Gunn and Lorne to pick up the unconscious half demon and take him out of there while the going was good, they didn’t hesitate.
Upstairs unknown to the gang a slim figure was slouched over the reception desk counter, grey face almost pressed to the screen of the monitor, having watched with avid enjoyment the scene that had been played out and also made sure certain parts had been recorded. It darted upstairs with inhuman speed when it heard them stagger up the stairs with Groo held up between them.
Part 19
GROO’S MOTEL ROOM
Cordelia came too with a splitting headache and a belly that protested even the slight movement needed to breathe. Fighting down the urge to be sick she twisted her head around without lifting it off the pillow and searched the room for Groo, grateful when he was nowhere to be seen.
She sat up then only to find that now it was her turn to find herself chained to a bed, this time with handcuffs around her wrists and another chain linked to the bed-head and her mouth was taped shut. Duh like it wouldn’t be the first thing she removed, she thought to herself as she did just that.
“Well this is just great”, she said annoyed with herself as well as Groo, “What the hell has got into him! You just wait till I get my hand on you, you stupid frickin…”? She didn’t finish the sentence unable to think of anything bad enough that summed up her feelings, so she huffed out a big sigh and then flopped back down to lie on her back so she could reach into the back pocket of her dark blue jeans and removed a little packet of tools.
She got it out with some more wiggling and pulling and then sat back up, picking up the little red plastic packet and choosing one of them. The long thin instrument was not easy to use in this position and it took her quite a while and one sore wrist later to unlock the cuffs and free herself.
She clambered off the bed in a less than graceful fashion and stood swaying for a while, willing the rising contents of her stomach back down where it belonged. “Groo; you have some serious explaining to do”.
Then a thought struck her and her eyes widened in sudden panic, she checked all of her pockets, jeans and hip length jacket but couldn’t find her cell phone, “Dammit”, she checked the motel room phone but it was dead, the lead yanked out of it and frayed, impossible to repair.
“Great, could this day possibly get any worse”? She groaned her head in her hands, but then she sat up again, “What am I worried about Angel for, it’s me who got chained up”. But she couldn’t get rid of a bad feeling that he was next on Groo’s list.
“He’s a big bad vampire, he can look after himself”, she repeated this to herself a few times and tried not to worry about what damage Groo intended. “This is getting ridiculous! Every time we reach some kind of understanding something happens to ruin it”, she just hoped that whatever was going on Angel didn’t over-react, “like he usually does” she thought, “Crap".
“There should be a health warning about NOT getting into relationships with demons; things go wrong, forget counselling and call in the National Guard”.
First things first were to get back to the hotel and try and reach Angel to warn him, if not then she would just have to go to his office herself. She let herself out of the motel room, pleased to find her car still sitting outside -and wonder of wonders, the car keys were still in the pocket of her jacket. Things were looking up and boy would she be glad to see the back of this bizarre day.
THE HYPERION HOTEL
Cordy opened the glass doors and was greeted by nothing, the lobby was empty but she could smell coffee, so Cathy was around somewhere then. She walked over to the weapons cabinet and took out a large hunting knife, it was an impressive one and she’d need it if Groo decided to make another appearance.
Next was the phone, she dialled Angel’s office and was greeted with an electronic voicemail message asking her to leave a name and number, it was out of hours so there was no receptionist, unhelpful or otherwise. Frustrated she rang his cell phone again, only to get an unobtainable signal. She nearly screamed in frustration.
“Crap, crap and double crap, I hate Wolfram & Hart”, but she was going to have to go there, so much for a long hot soak in a tub followed by a couple of hours of much needed sleep.
She knocked on Cathy’s door intending to warn her too and waited for an invite inside, but she was shocked to find the door being opened by Fred, a very battered looking Fred. “What the hell happened to you”? Asked Cordy dumbstruck and then felt awful when big fat teardrops formed in Fred’s big brown eyes and started to fall down her cheeks.
Unhesitatingly Cordy put her arms around the smaller woman and led her back inside, only to stop in horror seeing the prone figure on the bed. “What happened here Fred” She asked again turning the woman so that she could see her face.
Fred tucked her face downwards; unsuccessfully trying to hide the ugly red and blue bruises marring her left cheek and eye. “It was Angel” she whispered as more fat tears fell down her cheeks.
ANGEL & LORNE
They’d split up into two teams while Fred stayed back at the hotel in case Cordy came back there on her own and also ringing around the hospitals and local motels trying to find a lead. Gunn and Wes were checking Cordy’s old apartment and known human haunts which were not many. Angel was with Lorne.
They stuck to the demon hotspots, with particular attention being paid to any demons from other dimensions. “If she’s gone and got herself sucked down another portal I swear I’m gonna tie a bungee cord around her waist”, snapped Angel, frustration getting the better of him.
“Calm down Angel, you’re vibes are seriously impeding my aura reading abilities here, they get any more electric my brains are going to be fried”, said Lorne tired out from trying to keep the vampire from simply going with his standard ‘sudden burst of violence’ approach.
“If you hadn’t beat the crap out of our only solid lead, then we might have already found her”, he added, hoping another dose of guilt would put a lid on the temper.
Angel just shot him a disgusted look, “He wasn’t going to tell us where she is, you heard him”, but damn he was ready to give it another shot if the half demon had come back around yet. “Where did they take him anyway”?
“Oh no you don’t and do not give me that look Angelface, the not killing him part still stands and I seriously doubt he’s going be ready for another round for quite a while”, replied Lorne, unimpressed by the black look he was getting from the vampire.
They had just left another dead end and where running out of options of where to go next. They needed a lead, preferably before Angel’s control snapped yet again. He was going to have to have a word with a certain ex-seer/princess, thought Lorne, she needed to appreciate what her antics put them all through when Angel found out about them and went nuts.
“So what are you going to do if we find her and she wants to leave LA”? He hesitated to ask, but neither was it a good idea to ignore the possibility and then find out when it was too late.
“I don’t want to talk about it”, Said Angel quietly and succinctly, following it up with a sideways, ‘don’t go there’ look.
“You need to consider it, Groo was known for being a stickler for the facts” Said Lorne, he was sympathetic, he really was. But he was also worried he remembered with chilling clarity the words Angel said during the fight, “I will not let her go”. Oh boy this was shaping up to be an angst filled night.
He looked back at Angel noting the tense jaw, full lips drawn back tight in a snarl and winced. Don’t anger the man in black, he should make it a motto and put it down on a memo for any other unsuspecting idiot with a big mouth.
“I said I don’t want to talk about, I just want to find Cordy, now”, he growled in that ‘about to vamp out’ fashion he had. Did he do that deliberately wondered Lorne, cos as a method of intimidation it was pretty effective, he shut up about it.
THE HYPERION HOTEL
“What”? Said Cordy her voice a shocked disbelieving whisper, no way.
Fred didn’t miss the denial in Cordy’s eyes and pulled away, “You think I like admitting one of closest friends went berserk, beat me up, killed your friend and all but murdered Groo right before my eyes”, her voice was trembling and close to being hysterical.
The only thing that made any sense to Cordy was the bit about Groo, so she latched onto it but the sick feeling in her stomach was suddenly spreading through the rest of her body. “Groo was here”? Let’s keep it simple, she thought; and then maybe she could keep up with Fred’s mental gymnastics.
“Yes, he came to tell Angel that you were safe and that he had helped you escape from some demons and Angel just went postal, saying that was his job”, said Fred still crying, she walked over to Cathy and picked up a pale hand. “Cathy tried to tell him that she could ‘see’ that you were OK and he smacked her into a wall so hard it snapped her neck”.
Fred saw the disbelief on Cordy’s face still and stood up again to walk over the balcony door.
“Believe me I understand why you don’t want to believe it, I saw it myself and I still can’t get it right in my head, it just doesn’t click does it? But it happened”, Fred started to sob quietly then hiding her face in her hands.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you Fred” said Cordy carefully, hell yes she didn’t believe her. There had to be something else going on, but this was Fred her friend and she was hurt and definitely afraid of something or someone. “It’s just it doesn’t sound like him and it doesn’t make any sense”.
Fred stayed silent just looked up with her tear stained face silently looking at Cordy; her eyes were like bruises too, filled with pain but of the emotional kind, not the physical. All of a sudden Cordy’s certainty started to melt and she felt a dizzy spell sneak up on her, she took deep breaths to make the panic disappear.
“Go and watch the video” Said Fred with a carefully neutral look on her face, “What video”? Asked Cordy.
“The trying to kill Groo part happened in the basement and it got recorded on the CCTV we had installed last year, see that and you will know that the rest is true too”.
Feeling sick Cordy walked back down to the lobby and over to the monitor still on the hotel counter, a leftover from the Angelus period of last year. The picture turned from static to show the basement just as Groo walked down the stairs.
The small hairs on her neck and arms rose up as she watched it with eyes wide, there was no sound only a picture but it was bad enough just watching without the sound too. She shivered as if cold and rubbing her bare arms, the white vest top she was wearing suddenly not covering enough.
Fred stood beside her, whispering explanations. “We weren’t worried at first, it was just a guy thing, but then Angel took it too far and it was all we could do to stop him killing Groo”.
Cordy watched it unfold, speechless at the sheer brutality of the fight, she’d seen him fight so many times you would think she would be immune to it by now, but this was something else. Oh my God, what the hell was going on she thought as the recording finally stopped just as Angel looked like he was going for the kill. As evidence that he’d lost it, it was damning
“Are you sure it was Angel, could it have maybe been something pretending to be him”? She asked desperate to find an excuse, anything to explain this without having to believe that Angel had turned murderous. “Or a spell, maybe it’s a spell”, that sounded better and not unbelievable, not to mention fixable.
Then she looked back at little Fred’s bruised and swollen face, “What about Wes, Gunn and Lorne why did they let this happen”? She asked pointing at Fred’s face.
“They left to get Groo out of Angel’s way before he changed his mind, I stayed behind with Cathy. But Angel lost it again and I tried to stop him from hurting Cathy, I failed”, she said the last miserably, obviously torn up about it.
“It’s not your fault Fred, there’s little you could have done”, my god am I actually starting to accept this now? She asked herself, her numb mind still trying to absorb it all.
Why did it feel wrong somehow, she knew she should be able to work this out but her brain just wouldn’t function properly, she was still so drained and sluggish from the drug Groo had used and was totally not up to dealing with this, but she had no choice; again.
She walked back over to the weapons cabinet and replaced the knife, taking out instead the tazer and the tranq gun and tucking them into the bag now slung over her shoulder and picking her jacket back up of the couch. She looked back at Fred and smiled wanly, “Do you know where he went”?
Fred shook her head and watched as Cordy walked to the doors, her face strained and pale, but filled with a kind of desperate determination. “OK it doesn’t matter I’ll find him somehow and try and immobilise him. Will you get hold of the guys and tell them what’s happened and to try and catch me up”?
Fred nodded, “What if you can’t immobilize him. Will you kill him”? Cordy was too preoccupied to notice that the question in Fred’s voice was matter of fact.
“No” she said shortly and then “look after Cathy” as she walked out.
“Look after what? She’s dead you moron” said Fred once Cordy had safely left.
Part 20
Lilah stalked into the room where Cathy lay, she glanced at her on the bed but concentrated on Fred sitting in a chair staring at Cathy from just a few feet away.
“Did she buy it”? She asked without preamble, her face taut with anger.
“Yeah I think so, it looked that way to me”, Fred didn’t take her eyes off Cathy, Lilah didn’t notice but started to pace the room, frustration pouring off her.
“That stupid bloody fool, I told him to just take off with her and make sure she never came back if he didn’t want her dead”, she continued to pace, spinning on her heel when she reached a dead end. “But no he just couldn’t do that! He had to rub Angels’ face in it and then nearly got himself killed”. She ran out of breath and room again so stopped to stare at Fred.
“Why are you still looking like that and why are you staring at a dead body, I didn’t realise your kind ate meat”? Asked Lilah, fed up with little details messing up her plans.
‘Fred’ morphed into a pale grey, shapeless creature; it was quite small and very thin. “I’m a shape shifter Ms Morgan, it’s what we do”. There was a tiny whine in the voice that horribly, still retained Fred’s sweet Texan twang.
“Well stop it, it’s creeping me out - where is our little scientist by the way; you didn’t kill her did you”? She went on to ask.
“No, she’d just out of the way, but still alive”, it answered, then with a sly look in its fathomless black eyes, “It’s lucky you had a plan B to go too with the demon half breed out of the picture”.
Lilah took the compliment as her due, “I didn’t trust him and good thing too or otherwise we’d be in big trouble by now”
“Will he be willing to put her aside, just because she believed him capable of such ‘awful’ things”, it snickered at the description.
Lilah smiled a small smile too, “He’s a big wuss and would forgive her anything, no, that’s not plan B. Plan B is to make it look to the others like he killed her in a fit of rage or at the very least he’ll blame himself for her untimely death at the hands of vampires. Only it wouldn’t have to be vamps; they’re off the market on this one since the last stunt he pulled; but I’ve arranged it to still look like it”.
“Either way she’ll be gone forever, he’ll be inconsolable and alone again with no-one to turn to, and maybe finally he’ll be ready to embrace his darker side. What more could a girl ask for”? She smirked with a sudden intense feeling of satisfaction.
“What about the others will they not intervene”? The shape shifter murmured in a distracted manner; it’s attention swinging back to the woman on the bed.
“They won’t know their cell phone accounts have all been blocked” Replied Lilah and then she noticed the continued preoccupation with Cathy.
“What are you staring at? It’s just a dead body” She was genuinely curious, this was not normal behaviour for shape shifters.
“There is something unusual about this one”, it replied, the fascinated gaze not wavering. “I cannot figure out what, but she is different and…it calls to me; I want to hurt her so bad and yet she’s already dead”, its black eyes looked up to Lilah as if seeking answers.
“Well don’t look at me” replied Lilah with a shudder, “I’ll leave you to it, do your worst or whatever bakes your cookies”, she left then going back to the hell she’d come up from.
The creature smiled then, rubbing its hands together in glee as it approached the bed. The bed hardly dipped with the slight weight and it laid a cold grey hand on Cathy’s cheek being careful to leave no mark, yet. Then Cathy’s eyes opened and she took a deep breath, her eyes latching onto the thing on her bed.
She’d known it was there even before she had opened her eyes, had sensed it even before the woman from Wolfram & Hart had arrived. She sensed something else too and only just managed not to dart her eyes to behind the thing and give the game away.
The creature gave a startled little shriek but then moaned in delight, “So I was right…” it never got to finish what it was going to say, before the sharp point of a sword was driven through its belly. Fred stood behind it, fire in her brown eyes and a red bruise on her right temple.
“Do you know what the hell is going on”? Asked Fred, bad temperedly.
“As a matter of fact I do” Said Cathy, swinging up off the bed and rubbing a crick out of her neck, now perfectly back in line with her spine. “We need to find Cordy”.
CORDY – HUNTING
She’d tried everywhere she could think of and was starting to get desperate too about the fact that she couldn’t get hold of any of the others, “What the frickin’ hell is going on, is there some kind of phone conspiracy or something”?
She jumped about a mile in the air when the phone box she was just walking past started to ring with an insistent shrill tone. She looked up and down the street, trying to see if there was someone lurking waiting for a call. She was alone, she looked at it quizzically and then thought, what the hell and picked it up.
She nearly dropped it when she heard Cathy on the other end, “What? Slow down OK, start again”. She stayed silent for a while, listening and then said, “Meet me at the coffee shop, you know the one that’s open 24 hours, OK see you soon”.
She hung up, feeling pissed as hell, “This is going to stop, I have had enough already”.
ANGEL – HUNTING
He was alone now having sent Lorne home; he just couldn’t bear to be around the demon at the moment. They’d got nowhere in the search for Cordy and the others had all stopped calling in, probably due to the fact that his damned cell phone wasn’t working.
He wasn’t giving up and unlike last time, never would if he had to track every fucking bus, train and plane out of this city he would find her no matter what and when he did... He stopped the thought, he’d find her first and then worry about making damn sure she never left his side again. He’d meant what he’d said in the hotel basement, even if he hadn’t quite realised it at the time.
He’d reached his limit, it had been different before; she hadn’t been his but this time she’d told him she loved him and he’d accepted it and no way was she taking it back; he didn’t give a crap what had happened since. He prowled the city, senses on alert always searching for her scent, or any small hint that she’d been close by.
He’d seen a woman who for just a second had looked like it might be her and he’d pounced, just before he reached the woman he’d realised it wasn’t Cordelia but he’d still given the woman a hell of shock, followed by a thrill by the look on her face as he’d walked away, too frustrated to be embarrassed.
“Where the hell are you”? His back was arched and fists clenched as he yelled it, scaring the hell out of people passing by. He was past caring; his hard earned self-control was stretched paper thin; that was why he’d sent Lorne away, because he had known it too.
CORDY – COFFEE SHOP
“I just do not believe this” hissed Cordy, leaning over the table trying not to be overheard, “Why does my relationship with Angel or lack of one matter so much to them”? She asked truly wanting to understand.
“What’s to understand” Replied Cathy, “It’s obvious you are a threat to them and the eventual turning of Angel back to their way of thinking”.
“How?” Asked Cordy, her hands in the air as she slumped back in the plastic chair, a picture of amazement and frustrated annoyance.
“Because when he’s in love with you, it doesn’t matter what crap they throw at him, he would just shrug it off. You’re his heart and they know that; without you he would be truly lost to them”.
Cordy just stared at her. She remembered the anguish he went through being in love with Buffy, they’d had so few real happy moments, was her relationship with Angel so different then? Then she wanted to smack herself, of course it was. They’d been friends first and then lovers, the happy moments were already in their memories in abundance. All they had to do to get through the bad times was bring ‘em out and dust ‘em off.
“OK I see why they might see it that way and maybe I even think it could be true. So what do I have to do to get rid of them”? She asked, despondently.
“You probably never will, but forearmed is forewarned and anyway you can handle yourself - and he can handle both you and himself”, Cathy grinned at Cordy and watched her blush; she’d done it deliberately to try and relax her.
They both sat for a while mulling over what they knew and trying to think of ways of ending the threat, at least for now.
“OK I think I might have a plan” Said Cordy, flicking a look at Cathy and gnawing on her full lower lip with sharp white teeth for moment before she sat up and continued, “You’re not going to like it but dammit if I’m going to take the risk I need to know for sure”.
Cathy gave a look back and took the bait, so delicately offered “Know what”?
“If he’s truly committed to me and not just the idea of being in love” She replied a determined look in her hazel eyes, “Yeah, yeah before you say it I know he says he is and I believe him mostly. But does he truly love me? I know better than anyone else that Angel loves to love, it makes him feel human and that’s important to him”, she stopped trying to find the right words to explain what she was thinking and feeling.
“I understand that as much as any human who’s not 250 plus years can, but that’s why I need more than words. I need to know”, she stopped frustrated at not being able to verbalise it properly; not surprising really it was something she usually avoided thinking about.
“I understand” Said Cathy quietly her hand squeezing Cordy’s on the table in support, “You want to know that he values you for you”.
Cordy shrugged and pulled a face, that sounded so cold and selfish but essentially it was true, “Does that make me a bad person”? She asked with a sideways and almost shy look at Cathy.
“Not at all, considering you’re the only one I know with a vampire for a lover, I’d say some reassurance above and beyond the norm is natural”.
OK that made sense reassured Cordy gave a big smile, and the plan seemed even more attractive now.
Some time later Cathy sat back and just stared at Cordelia in shock, shit that would take some guts, not to mention some serious risks considering exactly what was being proposed, thought Cathy. “Are you sure you want to do it that way”? Please change your mind!
“I’m sure” Said Cordy without any hesitation, now she’d said it out loud she couldn’t wait to get started, she was fed up of being manipulated and wanted to take back control of her life, starting now.
“You do realise that he may flip out completely and then where are you going to be”? Asked Cathy desperately.
“He won’t hurt me, not really” Said Cordy with certainty, sure of it in such a way that she couldn’t understand how she’d believed the lies earlier in the night.
“Look, you said it yourself, the things you value are the things that are most important to you; which to him are, his soul and I’m so not going to touch that one, kind of essential. But then there’s that damned noble streak of his that’s so important to him. I want to push him to see if that kicks in and he walks away from me; or if he drops it completely then I’ll know he’s really mine”.
She was so earnestly sure that she could safely manipulate him into revealing his darker side and letting it loose, on her. Cathy couldn’t think of a more insane plan even if she had a week to do it in, but still was there a better way? If this was what it would take for Cordelia to accept him completely, should she really try and stop her?
“OK I’ll help you, but let’s not forget the big death scene the dead woman had planned for you”. Cathy finally said and Cordy relaxed; she could handle that, but she needed Cathy’s co-operation for the plan to work on Angel.
“OK, lets get started we only have about three hours of nighttime left”. Cordy said as she gulped down the coffee and picked up her bag. “Are you ready”?
“Am I hell” Cathy muttered, but stood anyway, what was she getting into now?
Part 21
ANGEL - HUNTING
Angel rang the hotel trying to reach Fred again. He’d spoken to her some time ago but she’d had nothing to report. She’d sounded a bit strange as if she was desperate to get of the phone but he’d put it down to Fred just being Fred.
She picked up the phone a bit breathlessly and gave a strangled sound when he told her it was him. “Hi Angel”, did she sound nervous?
“What’s up Fred”? He asked, frowning in concern, had she learned something bad, his hand clamped down harder on the public phone he’d found.
“Nothing” She said- athough it sure didn’t sound like nothing, “Listen we’ve had a sighting of Cordelia, a good one, almost definitely her” Fred told him.
He straightened and felt a surge of adrenalin flood his body, “Where” he snapped out, all thoughts of Fred’s weird behaviour going completely out of his head.
She told him and he put the phone down, sprinting off down the road and back to his car before she had even disconnected herself. She put the phone down slowly, trying to calm her nerves. “Well it’s started, I hope you know what your doing Cordelia”
Angel raced at breakneck speed to get to the place she’d been spotted, he’d broken about a dozen speed limits and even driven in reverse down a whole block dodging cars with both pure luck and skill, when he’d taken a wrong turn that would have taken him too far out of his way.
He found the coffee shop and pulled open the door, it was almost deserted and the waiter behind the counter looked bored as hell. He approached the counter and pulled out a photograph of Cordelia for about the thousandth time that night. “Have you seen this woman here recently”?
At first it looked like the guy would refuse to answer, but then he got another look at Angel’s set face with the intimidating and shadowed dark eyes focused on him like lasers and changed his mind. He took the photo and looked at it carefully, his face cleared and he actually smiled, “Sure she was here just a few minutes ago, twice actually”.
Angel didn’t hear anything past the ‘sure’ before he was out the door and looking up and down the street, searching the dark street, lit only the occasional street lamp with eyes that could see with perfect vision. He listened for her voice and sniffed delicately at the air.
His spine tingled when he caught it, it was her and she couldn’t have gone far. He ran down the street following the scent, a large black figure streaking past the closed shutters and dark empty doorways, filled with a grim satisfaction now knowing that he would have her soon.
He entered an all night bar, by passing the security guys at the front and opting for a side door with only a small lock and chain. He pulled the steel links apart with his bare hands and pushed at the door, the small lock on that gave way too and he stepped inside, closing it behind him, no need to give her another exit he had to cover.
Cordy was at the bar nearest the front entrance when the cell phone, borrowed from Cathy, rang and she picked it up, her heartbeat increasing as blood rushed through her body in excitement and with some small amount of trepidation; he was close by.
“He’s inside, use the main entrance, leave now”, she did without a moment’s hesitation; diving past the security guards and out into the night, running across the street and taking the next corner and getting out of sight.
Angel entered the bar area and scanned the light crowd, his eyes almost black with the effort it took not to just tear the place apart until he found her. She wasn’t there, his control slipped another notch, but he held on with a slippery hold and looked again.
Over by the other end of the bar was a glass, abandoned; it was filled with red wine and something about it made him go over and pick it up. Instantly he knew it had been hers and he brought it to his own lips and drank it down, tasting her on his tongue. He left and followed her trail down and across the street, it was stronger now and for a moment his head swum with a dizzying array of emotions, he was closer and he could still taste her.
An hour later he was still following her, his mood so black that anyone who saw him moved out of his way, she’d gone to a magic shop and asked for an invisibility potion, what the hell for? But didn’t wait for the store owner to explain why that wasn’t possible, just got out of the back entrance minutes before he’d arrived, if she’d used the front he would have seen her.
Now they were in a section of the city that was filled with shops that’s stayed open all night, seedy places that catered to both the human and demon world, the denizens of this place were dangerous and she was playing games with him. He growled deep in his throat and a passing elderly Morlar Demon gave him a startled look from its piggy eyes, huge hands tucked into the voluminous cloak it wore to pass through the human world or at least the mixed areas, he ignored it.
He scanned the street and the only satisfaction he got was that he hadn’t lost her scent, he would find her eventually and then there would be hell to pay. He walked at a fast pace, head swivelling from side to side, making sure he missed none of the small dingy buildings with their mysteriously muted advertising slogans, all designed to fool the daytime crowd into believing this area was just for the eccentric and not actually otherworldly. His dark eyes were piercing and thorough; seeing past the grime and between cracks in boards or drapes in microseconds without having to actually stop and check.
Cordy picked up the pace and reached into her pocket to answer the phone, “Where is he” she asked, whispering so that her voice didn’t travel too far and pressing the phone close to her ear to make sure she missed nothing.
“Look you’re going to have to go faster he’s only a bit behind you now. SHIT” said Cathy in a horrified whisper, “What, what is it” Said Cordy pressing a hand to her tummy, feeling as if a herd of elephants had just run through it.
“You’re about to hit a snag, there’s a dead end coming up, take a left and then run like hell, don’t look back and don’t slow down OK”, the sheer ‘determined not to panic’ tone of Cathy’s voice was enough to make her start to panic herself, she forced herself not too.
“OK” said Cordy starting to run and careening around the corner, glad she’d worn flats, like she was going to try and run Angel in circles wearing high heels. She could feel the blood pumping through her body and the resulting adrenalin made her feel breathless and jittery, she tried to calm down which was not exactly easy running full pelt down a dark alley, trying to escape a vampire in full stalk mode. “Oh shit”, she pulled her chin into her chest and pumped her arms, speeding up.
Her scent was suddenly stronger and he could feel she was close. She was running; he could hear footsteps pounding away to the left and up an alleyway. He followed, his pounding footsteps obliterated hers but he didn’t need to hear it anymore. He couldn’t hear much anyway over the ringing in his ears, as anger rushed through him. He would not let get away from him this time and he hated that she was running from him at all, it hurt him but he ignored that and reached for more speed, lengthening his stride and delving deep into his demonic side, willing to use every means available.
Cordy reached the end of the alley and burst through the darkness and back into the streetlight, her face flushed and panting with exertion and a strange exhilaration. She had come out on the next street up. She looked both ways, searching for a refuge or a way of distracting him so that she could escape again. The phone rang, “Oh god please let this be good news”
“There’s a store, fifth one down the street on the right, go inside don’t worry about who’s in there. Sit down in a chair cover yourself in anything smelly you can, do it NOW”.
She didn’t bother to answer and could hear nothing but the pounding in her ears, was he getting close. She ran inside the store and skidded to a halt, surprised and alarmed. It was like any normal beauty store, only this one was for demons and the smell, oh gross. The patrons looked at her from a line of chairs against the wall, mirrors behind them with little silver wheeled trolleys next to them, covered in little pots.
“Screw it” and then “Ignore me” she announced, please and sat down pulling one of the matching yucky green coloured gowns over her arms and covering her entire body, it smelled like sulphur, good. The patrons got back to reading their magazines after a moment, ignoring her and the startled assistants just shrugged and thankfully left her alone.
Next to her was one of the trolleys with all sorts of potions and creams covering it. “Eww, gross, dammit this had better work” she said she quickly as she covered her face and neck in purple goo, the stinkiest one she could find. She refused to do her hair, but snagged a towel and wrapped it round her head.
She didn’t know it but Angel was outside the store just as she finished wrapping her hair. He stopped confused her trial ended here just outside the store but the pungent aromas from inside mixed with it and overwhelmed it so that he couldn’t be sure.
He growled low, deep in his throat without even realising he was doing it. He turned around in a circle and then paced in different directions; he couldn’t pick it back up. He eyed the store with stormy eyes and then entered it, his size and dangerous demeanour giving the patrons a nasty start. He glowered at them and looked closely at each one as he walked down the aisle towards Cordelia, she slunk as low as she could in the chair and closed her eyes, only to open them again, but only as slits, she needed to know when he reached her.
Cordy watched him get closer, his tall black clothed body moving down the aisle with predatory grace, face taut and angry with a locked jaw and eyes narrowed and piercing under lowered slashing brows. He looked seriously pissed and her breathing hitched in her chest forcing her to fight an urge to cough, oh jeeze don’t choke Cor!
He was only two chairs away from her when his cell phone rang and he cursed as he flipped it open to answer. She jumped at the sound of his voice, anger vibrated through the deep timbre of his voice. He stood only a few feet away from her, with his preternatural senses how could he not sense her? Sweat started to pop out on her skin and it felt cold and clammy as she realised that it would only increase the chance of her scent reaching his sensitive nostrils.
Suddenly she started to doubt the wisdom of what she was doing; it had seemed a good plan back all safe and sound in the coffee shop, trying to work out how to fix things so that she would be less of a target for the Senior Partners while making sure she wasn’t setting herself up for heartache anyway.
She tuned back into the call he’d taken, his hand on his hip and a ferocious scowl on his handsome face. “What is it Fred”, those intimidating brows snapped even further down after she answered him, the next instant he slammed the cell phone shut hard enough to break it and left the store at a run, the turbulent movement of air caused by his speedy exit making the open door shut with a bang.
Cordy held a hand to her mouth, holding back the cough by pure willpower, her eyes watering and throat spasmed, finally she could let it out and ended up wheezing when she could finally get some air inside her lungs.
She made it outside after cleaning as much of the gunk off herself as she could, she felt like screaming at the nerves she felt stepping out of the door. After a few minutes of brisk walking to get some distance between her and the store she rang Cathy.
“That was too close” she said, still a bit breathless, her heart feeling as if it was trying to pound it’s way out of her chest wall to pitter patter its way down the street, she almost wished it would and give her some peace.
“You’re telling me” yelled Cathy making Cordy pull the phone from her ear, “The only thing that saved you’re ass from getting collared was me getting Fred to ring him on his now activated cell and pretend you’d been sighted getting into a cab a few doors down”. Cathy finished with the shouting and settled down, “He won’t be fooled for long, so get moving”.
“OK thanks, any ideas where next” She asked, having run out of them herself.
“Yeah how about coming back to the hotel and stop giving me a heart attack”, Said Cathy with some asperity.
“You think it’s enough”? Cordy asked.
“Cor, I thought it was enough over an hour ago but you wanted to carry on remember”? Said Cathy impatiently and yet resigned at the same time.
“Yeah I know, but this is a one shot deal and I wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t just give up”, replied Cordy defensively.
She was fibbing to herself and she knew it. Some little devil inside had made her take this way too far and now it was too late. Why she’d strung it out so long she didn’t want to guess, maybe just to see if she could do it or much simpler, because she wanted to see how far she could push him. He’d driven her crazy a few times since she’d got back to LA was it so petty to want some payback.
Maybe or maybe not, but she knew that she didn’t dare push for much longer, reality had started to set in and a large part of her was afraid of the results of tonight’s work.
“Hun, listen to me and hear this time OK, he is so far over the line of just being ‘pushed’ that I seriously think you should consider giving him some cool off time before you stage the ‘truth or dare’ scenario you came up with”.
“OK I’m coming in” said Cordy, she’d deal with Angel later and then she shivered thinking of what Cathy had said, OK much later. Had she been too hasty she wondered, should she try and placate him and find another way of dealing with her insecurities. They both had them, was she being fair in trying to end hers by playing on his.
She got back to the hotel about a half hour later, the lobby was deserted and the lights off, Cathy must have gone to bed, thought Cordy with a grimace, she’s probably mad at me for the scares.
She walked upstairs but didn’t knock on Cathy’s door, apologies and thanks could wait until later in the morning. She opened the door to her room, a feeling of déjà vu coming over her as she remembered all the times she entered it when it had been his.
The door closed behind her without her having shut it, she spun around, her heart at her throat, and He stood just behind it, a menacing shadow in the half light of dawn. She just stared at him as tension filled the space between them with crackling energy. The cell phone rang and she answered it automatically.
Before she could even blink he was standing in front of her, he snatched the phone from her nerveless fingers and threw it with vicious force against the nearest wall where it smashed into fragments of plastic and electronic bits and pieces.
“Oh crap, you’ve done it now”, what the hell had she been thinking!
Part 22
He hadn’t even looked away to see it land, but she did and then her eyes jerked back to his. An arrow of fear speared her body at the look in his dark and turbulent eyes, only it darted straight towards her loins and not her heart; instinctively she tightened her thighs and then lifted her chin.
He stayed utterly silent and still, tense and poised for even the slightest move she made to evade him so she didn’t even try. What would be the point and anyway she had set this up and now it was obviously time to pay the piper. She’d gone this far and didn’t want to turn back now.
She calmed down, the first horrible spurt of fear retreated to be replaced by feeling of anticipation that helped clear of her mind. She knew what she wanted but she wouldn’t force it, it was up-to him now or it would all have been a waste of time.
“So you’ve found me, now what”? She wanted to say it out loud but refused to prompt him the ball was in his court.
“What’s going on Cordelia”? His voice was so gravelly she couldn’t help checking his eyes and brow to see if he was about go vamp on her but his face remained human.
“Nothing”, she answered him quietly never taking her wide hazel eyes off his face, she saw his jaw clench and nostril flare as the anger bit deeper.
“You’re lying”, he snarled at her, he moved forward crowding her when she refused to back up, they were only centimetres apart now with his wide upper chest blocking everything else from sight.
“Maybe but that’s my business”, she looked up into his eyes, her jaw tight and determined, she saw the fire blaze in the black depths of his eyes as they flickered at her provocative reply.
“Really and does your ‘business’ include Groo”? His mouth curled into a mocking sideways smile as he thought of the half demon. His palms itched at the memory and he felt the demon inside him twitch, impatient and greedy.
“No it doesn’t, he was lying to you”, it was important that he realised that, she didn’t want him thinking that she playing him off against another guy; that would be disastrous, this was just between the two of them.
“Then why the fun and games”, she wished he would fold his arms or something like he usually did to keep a distance, but distance wasn’t what he wanted. His arms were loose at his sides, his shoulders taut under the black shirt and his throat and part of his upper chest visible in the vee left by a few undone buttons.
She refused to answer but started to back away from him; his hands snapped out and gripped her upper arms, pulling her back until they were flush together. He could feel her heart beating rapidly inside her and leaned down until his head was next to hers, his lips to her ear.
“I want to know that the hell you thought you were doing”? She shivered as his deep voice rumbled in her ear, his lips brushing against her. His hands flexed on her arms, still holding her tightly and stilling her slight movement.
“Tough”, she whispered, turning her face so their lips were almost touching, her breath caressing his face as her eyes stared challengingly into his. She felt him tense and saw his glittering eyes narrow as the sculpted yet full lips drew back into a snarl.
Anger filled him, roaring through him and the demon rose up and merged with the soul for just an instant but underneath the anger was both pain and fear. It stilled the demon but fuelled the anger and hardened his resolve. He reached deep inside again and deliberately opened the inner barrier that locked back the demon, releasing it.
Cordelia felt his muscles bunch and his hands became a punishing grip for just an instant as he lifted her up, the air rushed them and the room became a blur, she felt herself being released but could do nothing as she went airborne, landing hard enough to knock the wind out of her; directly onto the centre of the bed.
“What do you think your doing Angel” She asked him, trying to her voice stern and not become a breathless whimper, this was what she’d wanted but underneath the exhilaration there was a hard core of fear. She had definitely not thought this through properly.
This time it was his turn to refuse to answer her, he had remained at the archway, his body turned toward her but blocking the exit with his large frame. In the half light of dawn and with the curtains drawn all she could see was where the dim light touched him, she could not see his upper face, just the jaw and unsmiling lips.
She watched him take a deep breath, his muscular chest expended with it and then relaxed as he slowly released the unnecessary air. He was fighting for control, his demon scratching at his mind, frenzied now. He walked deeper into the room then slowly and with deliberate steps, he could hear the beating of her heart get louder and faster.
The light fell on his face but he ducked his head, she heard him growl and nearly leapt off the bed in fright. No, oh no she had not wanted this; she watched frozen with horror as he looked back up letting her see his face again. Sharp fangs glistened and he continued to growl, letting her see them by keeping his lips drawn back, yellow/gold eyes glinted under ridged brows.
“Shit, oh shit, you stop this now Angel”, she scrambled over to the farthest side of the bed, but didn’t try to get off, knowing it would just set him off quicker, “I mean it”, she was breathing hard and her chest heaved under her clothes.
He could smell her fear and hear the catch in her voice, a part of him, the human side, howled in pain at that; but it was drowned out by the sharp pleasure of the demon that had risen to the surface. “Will you say something”, she yelled at him her face flushed and hazel eyes wide and dark with fear. No he wouldn’t say a word; nothing could get past the thickness in his throat anyway.
How could she stop him, god this was too much, she’d wanted him to let his darker side out but not the frickin darkest of the dark for gods sake. She had to reach him somehow; she had to make a move. She threw herself off the bed and to the side, not just stepping off it but literally launching herself away hoping he hadn’t guessed what she intended.
He had, he’d seen her body tense getting ready to move and pounced, even before her feet touched the ground he threw her back onto the bed, she rolled over to the other side in one smooth move and grabbed up the lamp off the bedside table, yanking the lead out and holding it in front of her, she balanced on the balls of her feet and watched him, waiting for the next move.
“Who told you, you could move”? He asked with quiet menace, as he walked around the edge of the bed, his demonic eyes never moving off her; focusing on her as only a true predator can.
She would not get out of the room, never mind the hotel and there was nowhere else to go, she was running out of options so fast her mind was spinning. She threw the lamp at him as he approached; he simply smacked it out of the way with the flat of one hand and continued to advance.
She shrieked in fear and anger and skidded backwards away from him, her shoe hit something on the floor, she looked down; it was her bag which must have fallen off her shoulder when he’d thrown her. She ducked down to the floor and snatched something from just inside, pointing it at him and just in time too, he was only about 3 feet away from her. He stopped when he saw the tranquilliser gun. She held it higher, gripping it tightly and trying to steady her nerves.
“Please just stop this OK” She said and hated the fact that her voice shook, “I don’t want to use this”.
“Feel free” he growled at her, unmoving and yet scarier somehow, “Go on Cor, use it - pull the trigger now”, she jumped when the last was shouted at her, commanding her.
“Fine, I’ll have it then” he started walking and she pulled the trigger aiming for his chest, the biggest target, to make sure it hit and it would have done if he hadn’t literally snatched the dart out of the air before it could pierce his skin.
Before she could recover from her shock he snatched that out of her hand too, breaking it into two pieces and then dropping them casually to the floor, they crunched under his boot as he closed the distance between them.
She recovered with a snap of her jaw and started to backup again needing space to try and run, as useless as that would be now. She didn’t get given the chance as soon as he got close enough he wrapped one arm around her wait and tugged her feet off the floor even before she could think to try and wrestle free again, he toppled them both on the bed and rolled so that she was underneath him.
He pulled her hands out from beneath his chest and pressed them down into the bed coverings, stretched high above her head. One heavy leg covered hers, keeping them and her in place. Helpless to move she looked up at the face of the vampire over her and felt something a shiver race down her body, her skin was covered with goose bumps and felt so sensitive the slightest movement caused her to tremble. The position was so sexual she couldn’t help but feel a hot sticky warmth flood her loins and closed her eyes and groaned.
She kept her eyes closed, it was better that way and worse she discovered when she felt one hand touch and trace her breast, underneath the jacket but over the light cover of the vest top. Again she groaned in denial when the nipple pebbled hard, begging for more. This couldn’t be happening, she thought desperately.
“Look at me”, He demanded in a low growl, that alone was enough to tell her he was still in vamp face. “No”, she even shook her head to back up that refusal. She wasn’t in any position to stop him doing anything else but she would deny him what she could.
She heard fabric tear and jumped in his tight hold, cool air brushed over her chest and she shivered, she clamped her lips together refusing to shame herself by whimpering or worse begging.
His hand travelled down her ribcage and over her belly to her navel, releasing the button and then the zipper with the one hand, she squirmed and tried to push her bottom deeper into the bed, it was no use. His hand pushed under the waist of the now open jeans, long fingers sliding under the lace of her panties and not stopping until he cupped her sex.
One long finger slid between her soft folds and found her wet centre, he rubbed rhythmically and then with long strokes spreading the juice her body was frantically producing, aroused despite her mind. “Stop it” She said wiggling and trying to get away from that finger, feeling herself get wetter and hotter at each stroke.
That same tormenting finger, speared up inside her then and she yelled and tried to free her hands from his remaining one. “Open you’re eyes Cordelia”, he demanded again, his rough finger scraping the sensitive skin inside her body and then pushing a second one inside too, increasing the pressure and the pleasure.
“Don’t…” she whispered tears pooling in her eyes and she couldn’t stop a few from falling.
“Don’t what” He asked, ceaselessly caressing her, his voice was cold and ruthless that coupled with the fact that he wasn’t touching her in any other way made it seem so impersonal and …. shameful.
She tried again to free her arms but couldn’t move them, he simply pushed down harder on her hand and inside her body, reaching deep and finding the spot that would give her the most intense sensations, her hips arched up instinctively seeking and grinding her clitoris against his hand and she was helpless to stop it with the flooding heat inside.
He carried on, rubbing and pinching and thrusting with either one finger or two, driving her higher but she wouldn’t open her eyes still but he didn’t care by then, the smell of her arousal was driving him crazy, she was going to come. He withdrew one finger but left one to continue to press against the nerves inside her, his other finger stroked her clitoris and around the sensitive skin of her entrance.
Then he removed them leaving her empty and aching, “open your eyes”, his voice was raised and bitingly angry, she opened her eyes and looked at him.
“That’s better, now that we’ve got that out of the way, tell me what game where you playing last night huh”, his tone was mockingly playful now he’d got his own way.
“No game” She whispered, her legs quaked with unappeased arousal and she knew he felt it.
“You’re lying and that’s bad Cordy, you have to do better than that”, he said in a conspiratal whisper, he moved his hand back down to her and circled her clitoris, the shaking in her legs just got more intense, she had been so close.
“You were definitely playing me, luring me on and all the time you knew what you were doing and I want to know why”, he continued to tease her without satisfying her, rubbing gently and making sure she stayed at peak arousal but could not go over the edge, she couldn’t prevent a moan and had to bite her lip to stop any more.
“It wasn’t like that OK, I just wanted…” he stopped waiting for her to continue.
“What”? He snapped when she stopped.
“You to come to me” She finished, unable to go on.
“Well you got that didn’t you” he snarled but he pushed two fingers back inside roughly and then used a strong rhythmic motion to bring her to orgasm. He still held her legs and arms down, so she could do nothing but take it and then her inner muscles started to contract around his invading fingers and she screamed as she came.
She lay there quivering, her breath panting out of her and she turned her head away trying to hide the few tears that squeezed out despite her best effort. She felt him move and found her arms were free now; he pulled them back down to rest limply near her body. She started to roll over so she could curl into a tight ball of misery and started to sob, her body quaking with them.
He lay is back and stared at the ceiling his face human again now, he crossed an arm over his eyes but couldn’t block it out anymore, the demon had receded and with that came the emotions he’d been ruthlessly holding back.
The fear of losing her, added to the pain and anger of possibly having been used and then discarded had been maddening; and then to finally realise that he’d been led around in circles and deliberately had his feelings manipulated against him. He had been so enraged he could hardly contain it but now her sobbing was tearing his guts out, he couldn’t bear it.
He tried to roll her back over but she pulled tighter into herself shaking her head, not speaking. He tugged harder and then crossed his leg over hers again completely this time. Finally his hard body settled on hers and large hands framed her face, turning it back toward him, she kept her eyes closed.
“Let me go”, she said, tears clogging her throat and making speech difficult.
“No never”, he whispered, gentle lips kissed the tears off her face and she gasped at that, then those same lips traced her own followed by his soft tongue before it dipped inside to taste her.
“Ssshh baby, you know I would never hurt you”, he continued to kiss her tenderly, over her eyes and nose, drying her cheeks at the same time. Not physically maybe but he didn’t seem to mind hurting her pride she thought but was too dazed feeling a crushing sense of relief that the worst was over.
Wanting and needing to be comforted she let him opening her mouth wider and deepen the kiss, his fangs were gone and she opened her eyes to look at the handsome yet solemn face over hers. More tears gathered and he ducked back down to rub them away again with his cheek, his mouth finding hers again in sweet kiss so tender it started to melt the hard cold feeling in the pit of her stomach and driving away the tight feeling in her chest.
His body completely covered hers but he kept his full weight off her by resting on is elbows, his legs settled more firmly between hers and started a gentle rocking motion that rubbed her oh so lightly against his bulging crotch. She gasped again and raised her arms to loop them around his neck, pulling back a little so that her small hands cupped the back of his head, holding him to her.
Neither tried to undress the other, this was not lovemaking, this was two lovers comforting one another, loving the contact but being content with just the kiss and feelings of being so close and yet not joined. Cordelia felt the heat rise again but welcomed it this time, arching up into him as the kisses became more demanding and intense.
He thrust his tongue inside her mouth in exactly the same motion as he moved his body over hers, his hands still framed her face and gentle fingers caressed her ears and neck with light strokes; he released her lips only to let her breath before capturing them again, he knew when she was going to come when he felt her tense and thrust deeper into her mouth, swallowing her cries of ecstasy.
Afterwards she tucked her nose into his neck and hid her face, she wrapped her arms around his neck again and kept him as close as she could, trembling with relief more than from the orgasm. He moved to the side and tucked her into the cradle of his large body, keeping her face by his neck and allowing her the time to recover.
She dozed off for a few minutes but awoke when she felt him get off the bed; she opened her eyes and watched him as he went to shut the connecting doors between the two parts of the suite. On the way back he pulled his shirt from his pants and unbuttoned it, revealing that broad muscular chest she loved so much, shrugging it off his shoulder and then reaching down to unsnap his jeans and pull down the zipper.
She smiled and felt a quiver of arousal again between her thighs, all fear gone filled only with anticipation; she couldn’t help but feast her eyes on his naked body, travelling down his long length and stopping at the hard erection jutting out from his groin . He climbed back on the bed as she sat up to remove her now rumpled jacket; he knelt down before her and took it off to throw it carelessly aside. She sat without moving and let him pull her vest top over her head and it followed the jacket without ceremony.
She wore no bra and shook her hair back over her shoulders with a toss of her head, watching as he admired her full breasts reaching out with both hands to cup them and rub the nipples with his thumbs, she tilted her head back to push them into his caressing hands and he obliged her by dipping his head and darted out his tongue to flick over one hardened tip.
She wrapped a hand around him and ran her fingers down the hard pulsing length, he groaned deeply and suckled strongly on her breasts for a moment, before his hands released her breasts to move down to her hips, pushing her back on the bed and pulling both jeans and panties off with one strong tug, then she was naked too.
He spread her thighs with both hands exposing her as he settled his large body back over her, with no barriers between them now, she felt his smooth tip at the entrance of her body and lifted her hips invitingly, he took it and entered her with one smooth thrust, she was so wet from having already had two orgasms that she had no trouble taking him, the feeling of being stretched was delicious and she purred deep in her throat. He nuzzled her neck and she reached up to run her fingers through his hair and trace his ears, she turned her head and kissed his neck just below the jaw and then ran her tongue over it and up to his mouth.
He raised himself up on his hands deepening the stroking thrusts, grinding down on her loins with his to increase her pleasure, he ducked down to kiss her open mouth, thrusting his tongue inside and stroking the roof of her mouth, her tongue followed his and he sucked it inside his own to playfully tease her with more sucking and then little nips with sharp teeth.
He kissed her nose and cheeks, trailing down to her ears to trace the shell of it and then bit gently on the lobe, she clutched his hips and felt them moving strongly under her hands, rising and falling as he thrust, and she raised her hips and cradled him tightly.
“If you ever run from me again, I’ll come after you”.
After so much silence his voice was a shock, the deep possessiveness vibrated though her and increased the hot licks of fire in her belly. Desire escalated and she moaned unable to reply.
“There’s no place you can go where I can’t find you and bring you back”.
The rough voice matched the increased rhythm as he moved faster, deeper and stronger, branding her with each hard, rough stroke. She arched her back as helpless little cries fell from her open lips.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth and grasped one breast firmly, rubbing the tip with clever fingers, pinching lightly as he demanded hoarsely, “Say my name”.
“Angel” it came out breathless but she tried again and this time she was high with passion and lashed with unbearable pleasure, his possessive words bringing her as close to orgasm as anything else had.
He lifted her bottom up and kept her raised by the cupping the back of one knee, his hard body pumped between her thighs and he looked down to watch as his sex as he entered and then retreated inside her wet creamy centre. She started to convulse and he watched her with lust filled eyes, her breast and nipples where flushed with blood and veins stood out in relief, the damp dark curls mingled with is own and he ground down to feel every spasm and milking motion of her inner muscles on his sex.
She lifted herself off the bed as she came and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down to her, “I love you” she whispered into his ear, then she started to come.
He felt the flood of her orgasm and with her words couldn’t hold his own back any longer. He dropped her knee and reared back up and then over so that his head rested beside hers, his shoulders blocking out everything else but him; her hips raised high off the bed to accommodate him as he bucked hard into her.
EPILOLGUE
Cathy was at the bus station; she had brought her ticket and waited for a ride out of here. They would be OK now, oh sure there would be problems in the future but they wouldn’t be them without a few heated moment, now would they?
The threats of the moment where gone, disposed off, but not removed for good unfortunately. She had noticed the two burly demons arrive, lurking outside the hotel as she watched from across the street, then as she’d known he would she saw Angel arrive; After he'd finished he got rid the bodies by dumping then down a sewer to dispose of later, then went inside to wait for Cordy.
Cathy winced a little feeling guilty but sometimes needs must when the devil drives and all that. If they didn’t sort it out it, it would fester and to do that they had to fight it out between them. She’d known he wouldn’t hurt Cordy or she would never have come here in the first place, but still she was glad he wasn’t hers, urgghhh, she’d had enough of domineering men in the past, way in the past; she shoved the thought aside.
End.