Title: The Evil Within
Author: Lilyana_vamp
Posted: 06-12-2003
Rating: PG13
Email:
Content: eventually C/A because it has been demanded!…of course, it would be anyways, but that’s not the point!!
Category: angst/romance eventually
Summary: Califi’s challenge. Read below!!
Spoilers: up until “Spin the Bottle”. After that, it’s all mine baby! There may be some references to later eps, but for the most part, it’s completely AU
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Nothing Fancy…anywhere else, just ask!
Notes: This part is kinda short, but it’s to set the stage. Deal with it!
Psychofilly's challenge
One that would have given them basically the same outcome, minus the squick and the forced isolation and pairing of C/C would have been for Cordelia to simply have come back from the higher realms pregnant.
Cordelia could have still been possesed by the embryo and still culled Connor from Angel but in a motherly way.
The C/A angst would still have been mined because Cordy would have stolen the parental role that Angel so wanted with his son, yet kept failing to establish.
The Jasmine Arc could have played out nearly as is, but Connor wouldn't have lost a lover, he'd have lost a "mother" in Cordelia and a "sister" in Jasmine.
Plus:
Still a visit from Angelus, but Willow makes his soul permanent.
Cordy has no knowledge at first that she’s been used as an incubater.
The Real Cordy has a constant internal struggle all the way thru it; and tries to warn the others that it isn’t her- but doesn't succeed...although Angel feels that ‘something is up’ but can’t quite put his finger on it.
Skip is still involved, but says it was planned from ‘Birthday’, and explains the fact that although Jasmine has been pulling the strings, Real Cordy is aware but ‘trapped’.
Angel still has to kill her- with the same outcome.
Coma still happens- but Cordy is the one that ‘wakes’ and kills Jasmine. Also, no physical signs of the pregnancy! [like in Expecting]
Feeling devastated by all that has happened to her, Cordy leaves L.A. [Angel is more hurt than in the original, so can’t follow/stop her when she runs off]. and after that,things get in the way of him being able to find her.[it won't be long tho!]
Connor still does the Mall bit,, but no Coma Cordy [W & H deal still on- but he only accepts it Re: Connor- and NO soul deals!].
Angel still wears leather jackets/dusters!!!!! [a must!!!]
B/A ickiness- BUT as soon as Angel LET’S B suck his face, he realises AT LAST that he has no smushy feelings for her- and that his love for Cordy is real.
Cordy had gone back to Sunnydale and hid out at the mansion- and witnesses the B/A suckfest. Angel sees her run off- but can’t follow her re: Caleb putting his lights out!
When he finally does catch up with her, she doesn’t believe his declarations of love [calling him a Vamp-Ho would be good!] She is also aware of the Gwen/Fred suckfest. Doesn’t help his cause, does it?! *g* The result being majorly angsty, and Cordy reacting badly and betrayed.[Love strong Cordy!- takes no shit!]
She agrees to go back to L.A. -but only if she gets her apartment back. [helloooo Dennis!- who also gives Angel a hard time!!!]
Refuses to have anything to do with W & H-
It would be great if this was a long fic, then Spike could turn up as a vamp [but any way you wanna play him] and Cordy takes him on as her New Champion] This pisses off Angel big time!
This way we get insanely jealous Angel, and great interaction with S/C [but NO SMUT between S/C!!]
Cordy is human- but is stronger, and can withstand the visions.
Angel playing to win!!!!! and using every tactic; underhand or whatever, to get Cordy for himself.
Angsty smut with C/A [at first!] – and did I say more angst??!!
Comedic moments as you like.
Gunn manages to fight the ‘possession’ and turn it to his advantage.
Must end with C/A together.
Feedback: Well duh!!
Prologue
“Has she remembered anything else?” Fred asked quietly, looking over at Angel’s pained expression. He didn’t need to answer; she already knew what he was going to say.
“I don’t know. She…she won’t come out of her room. Something’s got her scared, but she won’t talk about it. She won’t even let me in to see her.” He stared at the staircase; his chest feeling like someone had ripped his dead, unbeating heart out. When Cordy didn’t remember him, didn’t remember what they almost had and he had felt hopeless. Ever since Lorne’s spell, she began to remember, but she wasn’t clear on what it was that she did remember. She hadn’t wanted any of them to come near her. He wondered if she remembered more than she was letting on, but he was afraid of pushing her away.
“You want me to go try to talk to her?” Fred looked at him sadly, knowing that he had to be aching inside.
“I think it might be best for us to just give her the space she needs.”
***
Cordelia descended the stairs, an uneasy feeling in her gut…or else it was the tacos Fred insisted she eat the night before. Either way, she wanted to run back up the stairs to the safety of her room. She saw Angel’s eyes light up when he saw her and it made her want to run even faster. Something in her was telling her to run as far away from him as fast as she could, but she couldn’t. Something was keeping her there, something stronger than the urge to flee.
“Cordy,” he smiled happily and jumped up to escort her to the couch.
“Angel.” She forced a smile which Angel instantly noticed wasn’t her mega-watt blinder.
“Is there something wrong?”
“I’m not sure. Everything’s still fuzzy, but I have this feeling. It’s a bad feeling. You know, one of those ‘better-run-for-cover-because-it’s-gonna-be-raining-fire’ feelings.” She looked at the vampire and quickly averted her eyes from his gaze. “I think I should leave.”
“What?” Angel lightly grabbed her arms and turned her toward him. “No Cordy. You just…we just…I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I don’t want to leave Angel, but this feeling, it has to do with me. And it’s making me squicky to my stomach. I just think it’d be safer for everyone if I just went away for a while until the all blows over. I don’t want to hurt anyone or tear you and Connor further apart.” Where the hell did THAT come from?
“What are you talking about? You could never hurt anyone Cordy. Not that you aren’t capable, but I just don’t believe you would. I mean, you would if it were necessary—“
“Angel, stop babbling. It’s so unattractive.”
“Cordy, please. Don’t leave again. We’ll fight whatever it is, together. And we’ll beat it.” He held her face in his hand and stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“And what would you do if it was me that you had to fight?” Her comments were confusing her as much as they were him and she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying. I think I got food poisoning from those tacos.”
“Cordy, why would I have to fight you? We fight together, all of us,” Angel reminded her softly, reaching for her arm and sighed in defeat when she yanked it away.
“I don’t know Angel. It’s just a feeling, kinda like the visions without the mind-numbing pain and the hoover-worthy images. Something bad’s going down, and I don’t want to be the cause of it. I just think it would be better if I wasn’t here to bring the trouble to you.”
“I don’t want you to be anywhere else Cordy, trouble or no trouble. Besides, when have you ever been concerned about not causing trouble?” he joked, trying to lighten her mood a little. He missed her smile, the real smile, the uniquely Cordy smile she used to give him when he made his lame attempts at humor.
“This is serious Angel.” Angel watched as she stood up and flinched. “Never again am I eating tacos with that girl,” she vowed as she walked back up to her room. Angel’s eyes followed her sadly as she retreated once again to her fortress of solitude.
“Well, it was nice to see her for a minute,” he sighed and picked up his book with no intentions on actually reading it.
***
Cordelia stood in her room and shut the door tightly behind her. “Where the hell did those comments come from?! I’d never try and come between Angel and Connor!”
“What about me?”
“Connor! I didn’t realize you were back. Did Angel see you?” she asked, eyeing the door cautiously.
“No, no one saw me. I got some things from your apartment that you might want,” the boy told her as he motioned to a box in the corner. He watched as Cordy walked over to it and carefully picked up the pile of pictures.
“How’s Dennis?” she asked quietly as she flipped through the pictures, pausing at each one and smiling sadly.
“Umm…okay for a ghost I guess. He asked me to give you this, I don’t know why.” Connor held up a loofah that had previously hung in her apartment shower and she burst into laughter. “What?”
“Uh…I’ll tell you someday when you’re older,” she grinned and grabbed the sponge from him and threw it on her bed. “I’ll so get you for that Dennis,” she mumbled her warning and then her eyes fell on a picture frame hiding at the bottom.
She looked at the picture of her, Angel and Wesley and felt the tears prick at her eyes. “I wish things could be the way they were.”
“They weren’t so great before,” Connor answered bitterly and looked away from her. “I was alone before.”
Cordy walked over at caressed his cheek lightly. “You’ll never be alone Connor. I always wished it had been me that was your mother, and now I have the chance. Angel really does love you, but he doesn’t know how to properly care for you. He can’t understand you or take care of you like I can. It’s been too long since he’s been a teenager.”
Connor smiled at her slightly and looked at the picture she still held. “Do you ever wish that I never existed?”
“Of course not Connor. You are my son, and I’d never wish something like that. You are more important than you will ever realize.” She smiled at him and turned away, the confusion etched deeply on her face. What the hell is going on here? I can’t even control my own words! She shut herself in the small bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. “What’s happening to me? Why do I feel like I’m being pushed down into myself? Why am I losing control?”
Cordy turned on the shower, and slowly slid out of her clothes before turning back to the mirror. As her gaze traveled downward, her jaw dropped open. Her eyes fell upon a small bulge in her stomach, the source of her non-indigestion discomfort. “Oh no! No no no…What am I, the incubator for everything non-human?! This is so not happening!” She felt the remainder of the previous night’s tacos threatening a repeat performance and she swallowed hard. “Ok, so it is happening…but how?”
TBC