Title: Walking In My Shoes
Author: Kelly and Mike (collaborative writing team)
Email: Click Here
Posted: 5/24/06 - 5/28/06
Rating: Chapters range from PG-15 to NC-17
Content: Post-NFA, Violence. Angel/Gunn/Illyria battling together.
Summary: Written for a challenge proposed on the Stranger Things message board. Challenge By rousedower. An AU/TT Challenge: Angel goes to another dimension, hence AU, somehow. And in this dimension he is married to Cordy and they have kids. But something happened to the other Angel (he's missing or dead), so there's mad tension and what not between this Angel and AU!Cordy. She knows he's not her Angel, but the kids (a boy and girl) are pretty young and think he's their father. I imagine a scene where their little daughter asks him to read her a bedtime story/tuck her in with Cordy trying to explain to her that he's not her father (really), and he does it.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Notes: Cast List: Kelly writes for Cordelia, Gunn, Lorne, Lillian, Kat, Ian, Illyria/Fred, Lilah, Eve, Faith, Gwen. Mike writes for Angel(us), Connor, Wes, random filler chars.
Feedback: Yes, please. Tell us how we are doing!
Dedication: This is dedicated to Gail, who is not only the awesomest but also asked for here. So here you go, girl! Enjoy!

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Chapter Ten

Angel turned off the shower. He grabbed a towel and started drying off. The bathroom was steamed up like London in a fog. He felt a lot better after that, always did after a shower. Even back in the day when everyone was told how unhealthy it was to take a lot of baths he didn't listen. How could something that made you feel so good have been so bad?

After drying, he put on his lounge pants and headed for the bed, padding across the floor in his bare feet. He turned the covers back and slid into them. Rolling to face Cordelia's side, he touched her pillow. He could smell her scent there. A bit of a smile came to his lips as he closed his eyes to drift off to sleep.

Cordelia had missed Angel coming in so that she could take the twins over to the school early. They had an afternoon planned with Lillian and Connor so they had to get their lessons in as soon as possible. It was late afternoon when she finally finished her errands and returned back to the hotel. She was more than a little relieved to see Angel sleeping in their bed. She quietly set her bags down, glancing towards the one from Victoria's Secret. She had to go to the mall anyway to pick up new pants for Ian so what was wrong in getting a little something for her and Angel to enjoy? She picked the bag up and headed for their bathroom to change and surprise him.

Stirring a bit, Angel rolled over on his back. Despite her best efforts to be quiet, Cordelia had roused the vampire thanks to his sensitive hearing He was in that half sleep stage, that place between waking and sleeping.

She was rather surprised that she had to pay so much for something that was so...well...non-existent. It was made of mesh and completely backless aside from five little strings to help keep it on. And she did know how good she looked in red. The babydoll was short enough that it barely covered the matching red mesh panties. She opened the door, peeking out to see if Angel had woken up with her coming in. She saw that he had rolled over and was starting to stir. She barely called out his name as she moved from the bathroom towards their bed. "Angel...Aaangel..." She knew there was still time before sunset but he was usually awake.

Opening his eyes, the vampire turned his head to see Cordelia. He pulled himself up a little. "Somebody is looking to be naughty."

She grinned at him. She started to climb up on the bed. "Everyone is gone. I went to the mall. Someone tore my favorite pair of panties. So...I got something new. What do you think?"

Angel's eyes looked her over, taking in every inch of skin. “What I think is....Damn, you're hot."

"That is all you can say? No dirty talk? No telling me how sexy I look or how excited I make you? Or is it just because you are waking up?" She reached down and ran her hands up his legs over the covers.

His eyes looked down to where her hands were and then back up at her. "Keep those hands moving and you'll find out how excited I am." Angel was now convinced that this was real. After last night, his soul was intact. It had to be bound to him for good, right? He shifted his legs just a little as her hands moved.

Cordelia scooted up a little more on the bed, getting closer to him now as she parked herself between his knees. She rested her hands on his thighs as she leaned in towards him. "Much rather you showed me. Unless you are still too tired?" She started to move her hands off his thighs and sit back up.

Reaching for her, he pulled her up to him and kissed her, his hands holding her by her upper arms. He slipped his tongue into her warm mouth to press his against hers.

‘This was more like it. No holding back like he did last night.’ Cordelia thought to herself. All he needed was some of the old violence against evil and he was back in the saddle again. She pushed his tongue out of her mouth and then pulled away from the kiss. "You think its going to be that easy, huh?"

Looking from her eyes to her breasts, Angel then looked back into her eyes. "Unless you plan on tying me up," he said. Killing something always did create that bit of...desire. Usually he just went upstairs to have his private shower time.

"I think we might still have the chains around here someplace." He was still holding her upper arms. She looked around, trying to move as much as she could. She thought that maybe they were under the bed. There was nothing wrong with teasing him, working him up. The payoff was always better in the end for both of them.

"And just how do you plan on getting them on me," he asked as he rose up, nuzzled her neck and took in her scent.

"I take it asking nicely not going to work in this scenario?" She chuckled lightly as he started to nuzzle her neck. She half closed her eyes. She couldn't resist it. It felt nice and it was a good way to make her melt.

"I don't think so," he said in her ear. He nibbled at her ear, his hands moved down her arms, over her hands and then to her thighs. His cheek rubbed against on hers.

"I am half demon, I will remind you. I can use excessive force." Though the prospect of that was getting more and more remote as he touched her. She was just trying to keep up the game though. "I'm suppose to be in control here. Hence the sexy little number."

"But if I just gave in," Angel growled in her ear, "where would the reward be?" Those long fingers of his slipped up around to her ass. He groped the firmness of her cheeks, massaging them roughly in his hands.

"I will have you know, I am an amazing reward! And quit doing the low growly thing in my ear. You know what that does to me. It’s an unfair advantage." He could no doubt tell the changes in her that she was trying to fight off for as long as possible since this battle had started. She couldn’t control the reactions of her body that well though. Who was going to give in first and beg for release?

"But I am full demon," he reminded her. "And playing fair when I want something...not a chance." Suddenly, he had her on her back and he was over her. He looked down at her with a grin. It has been so long since he's played at sexual games. He had been so long since he remembering having sex period.

She couldn't take Angel just on brute strength. She knew that. She was going to have to use her brains on this one. Admittedly, they were her best weapon aside from her body. She touched his arms lightly. She looked into his eyes. She leaned up to whisper to him. "I have to use the bathroom."

He paused over her, not moving for a long moment, then he reluctantly let her up. He kept his eyes on her and while she was up he planned on undressing to be ready when she came back out.

He wouldn't get the chance though because as soon as he moved up, she used the distraction to get him flat on his back. She was straddling him now, looking down at him with a satisfied smirk. "I can't believe you fell for that. Dork."

"And you think this will keep me down," he said with a raised brow. He'll let her have her fun for a little while. Angel thought about letting the demon show but then decided not so soon in this game. However, her warm legs and the heat of her sex on him...the scent of her...was really starting to cause a situation.

Cordelia grabbed his wrists and put his arms above his head. "I think I have ways of making you stay put." She leaned down, her body pressed to his. Nothing but a thin layer of mesh separating her breasts from his chest now. She kissed his jawline, slow and deliberate.

And she was playing dirty pool here, but he didn’t want to concentrate on that. He wanted to concentrate on her, the feel of her. Angel seemed to not even notice his arms were raised and held down by her. He arched his back some so there was more contact with his skin, his body to hers.

The whole point of these games was to be sneaky and cunning. It’s just a shame that he wasn’t on her same level. She moved his wrists together to hold them with one hand, giving herself one hand free. "Since you don't remember, you can end this torture whenever you want. Just have to tell me that I win." Admitting defeat was the ultimate submission. They were both too strong willed to give in.

"I'm the Champion," he said, "I don't admit defeat."

"You've said it before in this bedroom." Her free hand was busy fishing around in a drawer in the bedside table. She was reaching blindly as she moved her lips back to his skin. She kissed softly right under his chin and then slid her lips down to his adam's apple.

Angel shifted and ducked his head to catch her lips with his. He tried to pull one of his arms down so he could get hold of her.

Whatever she had been reaching for in the drawer, she had it now. She tightened her hold around his wrists, knowing that he could take it. It wasn't chains but she had rope. She sat up and now used both hands to tie his wrists together. "I think the student is about to surpass the master."

He looked in surprise as fast as she had his wrists bound. "You know, Padawan, I could break this," Angel said. But then he wasn't sure, really. It could be enchanted rope.

"No, you won't." She did say won't instead of can't. She barely touched his bare arms as her fingertips moved down along his arms to his shoulders. She danced her fingers across his chest, walking down towards his lounge pants.

"Won't," Angel questioned. "And what happens if I don't listen? I do have a habit of that." He watched her hands. If he breathed, he'd probably be taking in a deep gasp. If his heart beat, it probably would be tripping hard.

"Oh, I don't think you want to know." She played with the drawstring on his lounge pants. She slipped a few fingers under the waistband, her warm fingers brushing against his cool flesh. She was loosening the waistband of his pants but doing it painfully slowly.

He brought his still bound hands down. He grabbed one of her breasts. So firm...and the nipple so ready, he could feel it through the thin material.

She gasped and looked at his hand. She took her hand out from under the waistband of his lounge pants and slapped his hands away. "I should have tied you to the headboard too. I still can." She grabbed his wrists and tried to push his arms over his head again.

Angel grinned. "Reflex reaction. I can't promise it won't happen again."

She loosened the rope just enough so that she could tie him to the headboard. She wasn't sure that he wasn't going to fight back so she tightened her thighs around his body.

He looked up at what she's doing then at her. He pulled on the bonds then raised his head some. "The ropes, my circulation," he pleaded.

"Ha! Not going to work, manpire. You don't have circulation. Which always makes me wonder how you get this..." She reached down and rubbed his dick through the lounge pants.

"Hmmm...Oh, that," he looked down at her hand and the teepee in his pants. He looked back up at her. "Just one of those demon perks."

"Perk for you or perk for me?" She smiled at him as she looked at him. She arched her brow up just barely as she continued to rub him through his pants. She was going to win this. And the more she teased him, the more aroused she got herself.

"What do you think," he replied but then he stopped and his gut tightened at her attentions, his ab muscles pulling. This was going to be harder then he thought (quite literally!). He turned his head a bit.

"Now...since you don't remember the rules. If you give in, I get to do whatever I want to you. Not like I can't now, considering you fell for that bathroom trick. But, I could make you sit and watch Beaches with me." She figured she might as well take a little pity on him. She slid his lounge pants and boxers down over his hips and then moved them down his legs until they were completely off.

He watched her as she removed the only clothing he was wearing. "Or I could make you watch hockey or Bonanza," Angel replied with a grin. His cock was at attention. "But that would be such a waste."

"What makes you think you are going to win? You can't do a damn thing to me." Now she was goading him. With his pants off, she climbed back onto the bed with him. She straddled his thighs, rubbing her hands together to make them fire hot.

"Because I'm manpire," he replied as more of a question. "I have what you want." He was again with that questioning tone. He shifted his legs.

"What do you think that is?" With her hands hot now, she reached down and started to stroke him slowly. She would use her own body heat to help warm his body. She had her ways to make him say those few words to her.

He looked from her face to his cock. "Call it an educated guess." He so wished he could remember the other times between them. But if he had to, this was the start of new memories. "I know I want to be in you and pleasure you..."

She clicked her tongue. "Sorry, Champ. Thems the rules. You want that, you have to win." She moved her hand up and down along his shaft. She bent over, giving him a wonderful view of her cleavage. She kissed the very tip of his cock as she stroked him.

"Titty fuck," he said in a hoarse, dreamy voice, once more asking her. That cleavage was so perfect for that. He could only imagine it for now.

She looked up at him. He had distracted her with that. "Listen to the mouth on you...Not the two words I wanted to hear though. You aren't even trying here." And he wasn't. He was just laying back and not fighting back. She shook her head and leaned back over once more. She barely put her mouth over just the tip of his cock, hovering there to tease him.

His head came up. She wanted a fight? His legs came up, his right one back more to his head then he snapped it around putting her in a scissor hold. He had her lying on her side and he was on his. "How's that for trying?"

She smiled up at him. "You are just lucky I didn't bite down. Does that part grow back? I'd really rather not experiment." She had her hands free at least. She tried to pry his legs off her so that she could get enough space to get away.

She might just get away but not before he managed to pinch her with his toes. He watched her to see what her next move was.

She let out a yell when he pinched her. "OWWW! Angel!" She looked at him with a frown. He wasn't going to win doing that. She rubbed the spot where he had pinched her.

He thought it wasn't a hard pinch. By her reaction, he was wrong. He tried pulling some on the ropes to get himself free.

What wasn't hard to him was hard to her. He did have a great deal of strength on her. She looked appropriately upset about the whole thing, still rubbing the spot. "Here...I'll do it...." She reached over to try to undo the ropes with her free hand.

"Cordy," he said as she did and then he sat up. "Cordy, I'm sorry. I just...I just want to make you happy." His hand came up to stroke her hair back.

This wasn't one of her games to gain the upper hand again. She pulled away from his touch. "Don't...I have to heal myself so I don't get a bruise." She moved off the bed, moving away from him. She went into the bathroom and near slammed the door behind her.

Angel sat there for a long moment. 'Stupid’, he called himself over and over. Finally, he stood and moved to the door. He leaned on it a bit. He could hear her in there. Okay, he could be the sad, begging one here or...He opened the door and on seeing her he went over and picked her up. In the mirror, it looked like she was floating. "Cordelia Chase," he said as he held her, "we have some unfinished business then we have to discuss the ceremony of renewing our wedding vows and maybe taking a honeymoon. Demon free, just you and me." He stood there just holding her for a long moment. He waited until he could catch her eyes with his. "I don't know if I'll get my memories back but I want to make some now. I want to picture every moment I spend with you. And with a photographic memory, I don't have to buy a lot of film here."

With her hands against the sink, head bowed as she tried to recover from healing herself, she hardly noticed Angel come in. For some reason, it was always harder to heal herself, than it was to do it to other people. It was probably just another cosmic joke from The Powers. She wasn't expecting him to pick her up though and she let out a gasp as her feet suddenly left the floor. She grabbed around his neck so that she wouldn't slip out of his arms to go crashing to the floor. They had enough injuries for one day. She raised a brow at him. "A lot of film here? You always have the cheesiest lines." She chuckled. It was easy to forgive him when he was standing here naked and holding her. And she couldn't really hold a grudge on an accident. She knew he hadn't intended to hurt her. He would never hurt her.

Angel leaned to her and kissed her. Standing there, holding her, was far from a problem for him. Suddenly, he started laughing in that kiss.

She was rather enjoying the kissing until he started laughing. A confused look passed over her features. She had to pull back so that she could look at him. "What's so funny?"

"Mirror, " he said. "Strange and erotic and belongs on Saturday Night Live."

"Because it looks like I am floating?" She laughed softly as she looked into the mirror with him. She turned her face back to him, a wicked looking smile painted on her lips. "Put me down."

"And kissing...," his voice trailed in another chuckle as he put her down.

"That look in your eye, I think you are thinking what I am. It has been a while." Her feet touched the floor of the bathroom but she turned back so she could face Angel. "You've turned me into some kinky monster, you know that?"

"It will take a few minutes for me to put the mirrors in place," Angel said as he leaned down and kissed her neck.

She closed her eyes as he lowered. She took in a slightly sharp breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out. "Well, use that vampire speed and get to it. Sun is going to set soon and you have to go help the helpless."

Angel left the bathroom, heading through the room to a large closet. He'd found the screen of mirrors earlier in there and then it didn't take a rocket scientist to know what they were for, especially since they were labeled “head” and “foot” for the different parts of the bed. He pulled them out and, yes, they fit along one side of the bed to create a wall of reflection.

Cordelia stood in the doorway of the bathroom, watching him. The mirrors had been his idea. She was barely this side of virgin when they married. She hardly counted gropefests in high school as adding to her sexual education. But with Angel...well when you have been around as long as he has, you pick up a few new and interesting things. They had to keep all the toys locked up though. Last thing either of them wanted was Ian finding them. He was so curious...She laughed, not at Angel, but the thought of Ian finding something and thinking it was a toy.

Turning, he looked at her. "I, uh, found them in my prowling yesterday."

"Oh, not laughing at you. I was laughing at the thought if Ian ever found our little treasure chest. He might think that string of beads is some kind of weapon. I just went visual on him swinging them around like knunchucks. Then again, I might have done the same thing if you hadn’t corrupted me."

Angel hadn't found all the toys..yet. He planned on it now though since she mentioned them. He smiled at her and waited for her to come back to bed.

She pushed off from the doorway of the bathroom and moved towards him. She climbed up onto the bed, crawling once more towards him. Odd sense of deja vu from before except for the simple fact that now she could see herself in all directions, moving like a cat towards some invisible prey.

Reaching up, he stopped her. Getting to his knees, he turned her to face the mirrors and moved around behind her. He moved his hands up from her thighs to her hips, one sliding over her mound, rubbing her over the thin material of her panties. His other hand moved up for her breast. He kissed her shoulder but kept an eye on the mirror and her reflection.

When Angel stopped her and moved her to face one of the mirrors, she kneeled but put her back towards him. Most of her back was bare, save for a few strings, so when he touched her, she used the moment to push her back against his chest. Her skin to his skin, the contact was electric. She only barely glanced to the mirror as she felt Angel's hands on her body.

He then slipped his hands to the back to take care of the strings. He started slipping the garment off her and in the mirror, it seemed to peal away from her body all on its own. He'd played these games...or rather Angelus had long ago with other females, mostly demons.

She shivered as she watched it move away from her body. No matter how many times they had done this, it was always oddly fascinating and new to her. She moved her body to sit up on her knees just a bit, her breasts pushing forward towards the mirror as the mesh slid over her skin and off.

His hand slipped down her ass and her found her sex from the back. He stroked her over her panties. He carefully watched her face as he did this, her watched the reactions of her body.

She tilted her hips back as she felt his hand slip down over her ass. He was really working her up as he touched her over her panties. There was something inherently sexy about it. She closed her eyes as she moaned softly.

Leaning to her ear, he nipped it. "Now, when you surrender let me know," Angel spoke then nipped at her shoulder. He started to work the panties off her now.

"What makes you think I am going to...give in?" Her breath hitched slightly as she felt him starting to remove her panties. And she gasped softly when that first brush of cool air touched her heated skin. She touched her body back against his.

He rubbed his hard cock under her, along her asshole to the lips of her sex then back. "I just have a hunch." Angel did it again. He hands come up to grasp both her breasts. "Arms out to your sides and watch...watch your body."

She raised her arms out to the side, doing as he said and watching herself in the mirror. She had to admit, it was pretty hot. She was beautiful and the way her skin was flushed just the lightest shade of pink, that wanton look in her eye. How could that not be the sexiest thing any man had ever seen? She shivered as she felt his manhood teasing her. She wanted to feel him so badly inside her but she didn't want to give in yet.

"Hmmm, feel it, lover," he said in a whisper. His hands groped her breasts, nice, and firm then he rolled her nipples between his fingers. Now he let the demon come out and with a sharp fang he barely grazed her shoulder.

It was that growly whispered tone that did it. She moaned even louder now. She hated to say it, hated to surrender but he was driving her mad by teasing her. Turn about is fair play apparently. "You win." She mumbled in a whisper. She hoped even his vampire hearing couldn't pick it up.

"Down, hands and knees." His hands started to push her down gently. He was going to fuck her as he made her watch. He would make her watch her expressions as she got off on what seems like nothing.

She does as he wants. She did give in after all. She only hoped that someplace in his mind, he could remember the safe word. Of course, shouting "Gucci" in the middle of having sex wasn't a really common occurrence, even for her. She was on her hands and knees now, waiting for his next move.

Angel moved up behind her and was in her without waiting any longer. He growled as he slid in, his lips pulled back, and those fangs were bared. He paused when in all the way, his hands holding her hips fast to him.

She gasped as he was suddenly filling her. She hadn't expected it to be so soon and so quickly. After last night, she didn't want a repeat. "Don't hold back..." She managed to say. She could always heal herself later if he got too enthusiastic.

He pulled out almost completely then thrust back in slowly, drawing it out. He was moving slow but hard. He lowered his face over her back and as he thrust into her, he grazed her back with his fangs enough to bleed. He nipped at the light scratches to bring up more blood.

She tried not to move but with those slow, hard thrusts but her body lurched forward. She was good at recovery, pushing back against him though. She held her breath as he cut lightly into her back, nipping at her as well.

Angel's hips moved faster now and he bit into her side. As he slammed into her, he feed deeply and his hand grasped at her breast.

She lets out a strangled sounding cry as he bit into her side. A little warning would have been nice. Her back arched as that first slice of pain was overcome with pleasure from the rest of her body. She looked at her own face in the mirror, her body surging back against nothing.

He pulled his head up and as he climaxed, he let out a loud growl. He rammed her hard then stopped. He pulled back and did it again, slamming into her again. His cock was throbbing hard in her.

Cordelia had to dig her hands into the bed to keep from moving too far forward with each of those last hard thrusts. Finally though, it seems as if Angel was stopping. She bowed her head, resting her forehead against the bed, as she panted heavily.

He remained there for a few moments, his hand sliding over her body. "Okay," he said in a hoarse tone.

She merely nodded her head. She had to recover from that kind of a workout. Her legs were hurting from strain but a good kind of hurt. She swallowed hard. She needed a drink and a good soak.

Angel leaned down and licked her wounds, easily and slowly.

The sudden feeling of his cool tongue against her skin caused her to shudder and tighten around his softening cock.

He paused when she did this. He groaned. "Wanting more," he asked her and licked the wound again.

"Can I ever really get enough?" She looked up at the mirror, even though he wasn't there. "Can you?" Another lick and another round of her tightening around him occurred. She knew all too well about vampire stamina and recovery.

He smiled and pulled back out of her. He moved her to sit up. "Lay down, on your back."

She did as she was told. It was still his show for now. She laid back down on her back. She looked up at him, waiting to see what he was planning.

He rubbed her thigh then spread her legs. Leaning down, he kissed that erotic zone just inside the thigh, near her sex, and then he bit her. His fangs sunk in, he knowing what this would do to her. He fed slowly, not wanting to take a lot, just enough to pleasure her.

She would definitely need a cookie and juice after all the blood donations. At least Angel would be well fed for fighting tonight. Then again, she was hardly thinking about any of this. The only thing she could think about was the tingle in her thigh and how it was shooting straight into her core. How that tingle was becoming more and more intense until she threatened to explode. Her orgasm came quickly and hard, washing over her and taking over her body. She had barely cried out his name during climax. She was amazed she could form words. She kept a hand at her forehead as she slowly started to recover. "Wow...."

When he knew she had climaxed, he withdrew, licked the wound then licked her sex for the sweetness that flowed from her. He moved up her body to lie by her, his eyes closing.

"Better," he whispered, his face had yet to go back to human. He was still riding the blood high. Last thing on his mind right now was pushing the demon back.

"Yes..." She leaned over, kissing his cheek. She was completely unphased by his true face. She whispered to him. "I am going to take a bath. If you want to join me, the invitation is there." Though she knew Angel probably just wanted to do the guy thing of rolling over and taking a nap. The sun might have set but they still had a bit before he would really have to go out to patrol the mean streets of LA.

Finally, he put the demon back. "Not this time, babe," he said. He smiled. "I think you wore me out." That had to be it, he was feeling a bit off now, or it could be her demon blood. It was something.

"It’s a talent." She leaned over to kiss his now human lips before she got up from the bed. She patted his chest. "Next time, I'll drink ginseng before we get going. Give you some added energy." She snickered as she finally slid off the bed. She slipped into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it out of habit. Not soon after, the water was running and the radio in the bathroom was on softly.

Angel moved up to put his head on the pillow. His eyes closed as what seemed like sleep took him.

---

Chapter Eleven

The vampire stirred in his sleep then suddenly, he sat up. He looked around, wild-eyed. It hurt and he knew what was happening. Then the pain was over and he relaxed. He brought his hands up and looked at them, flexing them. He got out of bed and stretched. "Man, how good can it get?" He headed for the closet, opening it and looking for something in particular. "What to wear...what to wear?" he said as he stepped on in. Finally, he stepped out, dressed. "I am so going shopping."

Cordelia thought she had heard Angel talking to himself. That was kind of strange. He usually didn't do that. She got out of the tub, reaching for her bathrobe and a towel to put her hair up in. She reached over to turn off her radio, calling out to Angel. "Baby? Are the twins home?" She could normally hear them though. Ian at least, was so boisterous and loud. She imagined a lot of time that is what Angel was like when he was a young boy in Ireland.

Angelus grinned when he heard that voice. Oh, he knew a set of twins he'd like to get hold of. "Nobody here but you and me, sweetheart," he called to her.

She unlocked the bathroom door and poked her head out. "Who on Earth were you talking to?" She looked him over, frowning slightly. She thought they had gotten rid of all the leather pants once Wes took care of the curse. Angel probably hid one pair. So like him, the secret keeping, even if it was with pants. Why should she instantly think leather pants equals Angelus? She hadn’t had to worry about him for years.

"Uh, no, I just had the radio on a moment," he said as he stepped toward her.

She stepped out of the bathroom now. She had to get dressed, brush out her hair, and figure out what sort of ready meal she was going to make for the twins and her. Green Giant was a God in her world. Toss it in a pan, even she couldn't screw that up. "Don't forget tomorrow, you have to go pick Lorne up at the airport. I know your memory is all...woodeedoo."

"I tell you what," he said, though looking at her he was thinking what a delicious main course she would be. "I'm going to go see if the twins are back yet."

"Can you please make sure that Ian washes his hands? Tell him that he is killing small demons or something. Oh! And tell Connor and Lillian they can come down for dinner too. The kids and I never eat one of those meals all by ourselves."

"I think I can handle that," he said as he backed away, reaching for the door with his hand behind him. He was nearly free to go out and have fun. "Have one big family dinner."

"Uh...aren't you forgetting something here?" She stood there with her hands on her hips. Even in a bathrobe and towel around her head, she still managed to look pretty menacing. She was sporting the sort of look would usually send Angel back to her and apologetic.

"Forget?" he said with a raised brow. "Yeah, yeah, forget to...” And he moved to her to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. He had to make with the business as usual or he would be downstairs in that cage faster than you could say bloodbath. He was out and he wanted time to play. He could take down each member of this “family” one at a time. Then he’d be free for good.

"Much better." That menacing look faded away. It was replaced by a smile. She didn't even wait for him to leave before she went to her closet to get dressed. She yawned though and peeked out to check the clock. She still had time for a nap before dinner.

Angelus left the room and stood in the hall a moment. He got that shit-eating grin on his face. Oh, he'll have his way with Cordelia and her twins, plus every other part of her before it was all over with but he liked to savor things. And he wanted his freedom. The longer he was out of the cage, the stronger he got and the more difficult it was to pull that white, fluffy soul from the ether. This was a different world from where he and Angel had come from and he was going to make it his, one victim at a time. He moved down that short hall that was left to the stairs. He went down them, whistling as he did. Down in the lobby he stopped and his gaze went out to the garden where he saw a young woman sitting. She was pretty and she smelled....smelled of Connor. "My, my," he said, "my boy is finally looking to woman who's not a mother figure." That was the memory from the dimension he and Angel were from: Connor and Cordelia. That was even..almost to sick for him...almost. Angelus stepped on to that door. The sun had gone down enough that the garden was shaded completely. He walked out to the young lady.

Lillian had been granted a momentary reprieve from babysitting the twins with Connor while he took them out for some ice cream. She had passed in favor of staying at the hotel and recharging for a few minutes. She had no idea how Cordelia and Angel did it. Kat, well she pretty much took care of herself but Ian's energy more than made up for the two of them combined. At least Connor had been the one to oblige him with his wrestling and climbing games. But the simple fact was that just watching the kid had exhausted her. She yawned, covering her mouth, when she saw Angel standing there. She quickly lowered her hand, smiling softly. "Angel, hi..."

Angelus stepped forward. "Lillian, or Lily," he said, "I don't know which you prefer."

"I've gone by both of them. Grams was pretty strict with the names so it was always Lillian. But I let people get away with Lily. Whatever people feel like at the time, I guess. I am easy like that." She grinned at him as she shrugged her shoulders. She pulled her legs up to sit with them crossed on the bench in the garden.

"I knew a girl back in the day named Lily," he stopped in front of her and looked up. "She was a sweet thing." Though his head was tilted up, his eyes glanced down at her.

At least Angel was being a bit more sociable towards her. It was a step in the right direction towards the old Angel. She smiled at him. "Well, I bet you knew someone with every name in this place at some time. Being so old." Her tone was just a gentle teasing though, about his age. She was feeling rather...uncomfortable. She couldn't place why. Just an overall feeling of unwellness.

"Does my age bother you?" he asked as he lowered his head. "I know age doesn't disturb Connor."

"Why would it..." She paused for a moment. What was that comment suppose to mean? She looked confused for a moment there. "Huh? Connor and I are the same age. What do you mean?"

The vampire raised a brow. "Oh, wow," he said. Oh, this was so sweet. It was going to be so fun. Soul gone for less than a half-hour and he already found a delicious victim. "You mean you didn't know?"

"Don't know about what?" She looked completely out of the loop at this point. Was there something Connor hadn't told her? They hadn't done much of the past relationship talk before. Mostly when they were sneaking around, it was gropefest. It didn't leave a lot of openings for talking.

"I would really hate for you to go into a relationship with my son and him not tell you everything," Angelus put on such a look of concern on his face. He reached for her hands and sat down on the garden bench next to her.

She let him take her hands as her eyes searched his face. He was really putting her in a state now. What could Connor possibly be hiding from her? It sounded like it was something really terrible. "What do you mean?"

"Lily," one only had to listen to the sympathy in his voice to be convinced of his “concern”. "Lily, Connor has had a thing for his step mother for like, ever. Its been really hard at times, especially when we've sat at the same dinner table and he casts those looks at her."

"What?" She gave a nervous chuckle. There is no way that was true. "Connor doesn't feel that way about Cordelia...there's no way." But there was the faintest hint of doubt in her voice. Especially after what Connor said last night. That he was only nice to Angel for Cordy. She gave it no thought then but now...it was stuck in her mind.

Angelus caught the hint of doubt in her voice and had to suppress his smile. He nodded, concerned look still on his face. "Yes, yes, I'm afraid it is. I so hate it that he wasn't honest with you about this. Now when you are in his bed you will ask yourself, am I what he wants or is it his mother?"

She got up from that bench, yanking her hand free from his. "No. You are wrong. He...he doesn't feel that way. There is no way that he feels like that. He isn't..." She was going to say that he wasn't that messed up but she knew that was a lie. Connor had a very rough life. He wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination but neither was she. He had...his moments where she doubted his sanity for a brief second.

Angelus was in his element now. He loved the mental torture as much as the physical. Drusilla was a testament to that. He moved up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "And truthfully, I think the same night...after night..after night because I've seen her returning his wanton gazes."

She pulled away from him and turned around to face him. "Now I know that is a lot of crap. I've heard the stories, I've seen the pictures, and I have seen you two around each other. There is no way that Cordy is even remotely interested in Connor like that." He had tipped his hand. He didn't have the knowledge that both Cordy and Angel had taught at the school. That Lily had seen them act around each other. And that she had seen Connor and Cordy. She could buy that sometimes Connor looked a bit strangely at his mom but not that it was returned.

"Lily, I wished it were. I just don't think you know him or Cordy as well as you think you do."

"If you doubt your wife that much, that is your problem. I don't know what is going on in that head of yours so maybe you just think you remember things you don't." She went to move past him. She knew the ice cream place that Connor took the twins. She didn't want to let this sit and fester. She wanted to ask him about it right now.

As she moved past, he grabbed her and spun her around to him. His face vamped out and a maniacal grin parted his lips, showing those sharp and lethal fangs. "I remember a helluva lot, especially the taste of slayer blood." He pulled her closer and his head was down at her neck.

There was that first bit of shock as she got spun around and pulled towards Angelus. Just a brief ‘what the hell is going on here’ before her instinct kicked in. She used her free hand to punch him in the stomach, causing him to stumble back and away from her neck.

Angelus straightened up. "I wish I could say you knocked the wind out of me, but hey, I don't have any." Quickly grabbing her, he head-butted her with his ridged brow then tossed her. "You just really don't want to make this easy, do you, Lily? I was going to go easy on you, because, truthfully, I like you and I just want to put you out of your misery of having to be with that weird fruit of The Soul’s loins."

The head-butt was enough to make Lillian dizzy so she didn't have a chance to fight him off when he picked her up and tossed her. She landed in a rose brush, the thorns tearing her clothes and flesh. The scent of her blood in the air would just be yet another incentive. She got up quickly, grabbing a stake from against her ankle. She was a Slayer; she had to be prepared. "I really don't do the cheesy fight conversation." She came at him with three hard and fast punches to his face to knock him back once more.

Angelus stumbled back but he was laughing. "Oh, man, I see why he likes you in his bed. You can fight and you are dingy. Are you sure you and Jessica Simpson weren't separated at birth?"

Now she resented that. She went to college. She got a degree. While he was busy laughing, she brought her leg up to kick him in the stomach. If she could get him on his back, it would be easier for her to stake him. She was the stake first, ask questions later type of Slayer.

When her leg came up, he got it and held her there for a moment. "No thanks, I'm a breast man." Then he made a sharp twist of her leg wanting to hear that rewarding snap sound.

She managed to pull her leg out of his grasp before he could break her ankle. At least all of those training sessions at the Academy might be starting to pay off. Granted, she had never faced down a vampire as old as Angel...or whoever this was in Angel’s body. She took a more defensive stance, waiting on his next move.

"Niiiiice," he said. "Oh, I guess I better properly introduce myself. See, Cordelia kept believing that Angel's mind was swiss cheese from something messing with him," he walked around her slowly, like a tiger stalking its prey. "When, in fact, we're from another dimension. A place where, yes, Connor bumped uglies with Cordelia and an Apocalypse destroyed everything...it was glorious. And now, thanks to Cordy, I'm free because whoa, man...was it perfect last night!"

She watched him as he started to circle her. At this point, she didn’t believe a word that he was saying. She was quick to turn so that he never had her back. "Now is this where you keep monologuing at me and tell me your big evil plan?"

"I just wanted you to know who's going to kill you," the vampire said. "I like to always toot my own horn, you know?" He lunged for her.

She jumped out of the way when he lunged at her. While he was in the motion of moving, she brought the stake down into his back. She missed his heart though. She was never good with the hitting on target from the back. The stake lodged in and now, now she was weaponless. When in doubt...she took off like a shot, trying to get to the street. She had no idea that it was just the hotel proper protected by the anti-violence spell. If she knew that, she would have turned and headed inside.

Angelus got up. His demon faced screwed in a wince and his hand reached around behind him to pull out the stake. "Damn, that really puts me in a bad mood." He was off after her. He went over the wall and then came down in front of her. He grabbed her, then quickly sunk his teeth into her neck.

Lillian had enough time to scream out one name in a cry for help. "CONNOR!" She felt that sharp prick as Angelus sunk his fangs into her. She never imagined that the pain would be so intense. She struggled as best as she could. She would not give up. She had to get away from him. He would kill her if she didn't. She knew that.

He fed greedily on her. He had to heal that stake wound. And she was a Slayer. He suddenly stopped. He raised his head, hearing something. He looked back down at her. "Sorry, babe," Angelus said, "we'll have to continue this later." He dropped her and took off, disappearing into the night.

Angelus had taken so much from her already. When he dropped her, she didn't even have the strength to help herself from slamming against the sidewalk. Her head smashed against the concrete, her limbs bent at odd angles. She looked like a broken Barbie doll.

Connor came running from the street and then into the garden. He told the twins to get inside and upstairs now. He could sense the danger and smell the blood. He paused a moment, looking around, and then he saw her. "LILLIAN!" He was at her side instantly.

She was too weak to speak. Her pulse was faint as she tried to fight for her life. She was just bleeding out from too many places. She had the scratches from the rose brush, the puncture wounds, and now the head wound. She was unresponsive. She couldn't even hear Connor's voice.

Picking her up, he rushed her into the hotel. "MOM! FRED!" He called for anybody at this point. Where was everyone?!

She was limp in his arms. Her head fell back over his arm. She was starting to turn cold and pale. Her heart was fighting hard, each beat sounding more and more desperate.

Pulling out his phone, he called 911. He gave all the information to the operator, trying to make the bored-sounding woman realize the gravity of the situation. He hung up and looked back down at Lillian. Then he noticed her neck. "Nooo...." But his voice was drowned out by the wail of sirens.

Upstairs, Cordelia had woken up from a nap. She had slept through the sirens, the commotion in the garden. Then again, she could sleep through a nuclear blast. She even slept through the twins coming upstairs and ruining their dinner by raiding the Hostess cupcake stash. But now, several hours later, Cordelia was beginning to get very worried. The family dinner she planned had ended up just being her and the twins. Connor and Lillian were no place to be found. Angel was gone as well. She had fed the twins, spent some time watching television and coloring with them before she put them to bed. Now it was just the long wait until someone came back to either watch the kids so she could go fight or get a vision or wait for someone to drop by the hotel to say hello. She flipped channels, sighing. She was bored. She looked upwards. "Powers...Vision would be good. Or something at least."

And as if someone had heard her, the phone rang. It was the hotel line. Better for her to watch the twins and still take calls for the business when no one was around. Fred was usually fine at manning the front desk. She was more than a little worried that neither her nor Wes had checked in. She answered the phone, muting the television. "Angel Investigations. We help the helpless."

"Mom," Connor said as he paced in Lillian’s hospital room. He was using the hospital room phone and the only number he could remember in his state was the office number.

"Connor? What on Earth is going on? When I woke up, the twins were here alone, covered in ice cream and stuffing their faces with junk food. Everyone else was gone." She paused for only a beat. Her first instinct was that the demons attacked the Slayer Academy again. "Was there another attack on the school?"

"Lillian," he said, his voice choked. "Vampire..."

She sat up straighter on the couch. "Oh honey...Is she...?" Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to ask if she was dead. That meant they were going to have to cut off her head, make sure she didn't rise again. And Connor wasn't strong enough to do that. She didn't think any of them were.

"We're at the hospital," he said. "She's alive. She was attacked in the alley behind the hotel."

Now the vampires were moving in on their turf? Maybe it was some group after the twins. They only ever had a problem with Wolfram and Hart for the first year, trying to get the twins. But you beat them up enough; they learn which battles to stay away from. "You just stay there with her. Is she conscious? Can she tell you what the vampire looked like?"

"No. She's asleep," he said. "The doctors want her to stay that way for a few hours yet." He paused then continued, "I'm going to go, she needs me. If you can, let Dad know?"

"I am going to make sure he gets back here and he investigates around. Maybe he can pick up on a smell or something. Just stay with her, honey. When we can, we will come to the hospital."

"Thanks," he hung the phone up and looked back to Lillian. He sat down next to her, taking her hand. He brought it to his forehead as he closed his eyes.

Cordelia hung up the hotel phone after Connor hung up. She reached for her cellphone. She had been so on Angel about answering his phone the past few years. So many emergencies could happen with the twins. She passed him off one of the hotel spares since he didn’t have his when he got back. She dialed that one, hoping it wouldn't ring out of the bedroom.

Angelus strode through the streets of L.A. enjoying the freedom of being out. As he walked, he heard something. He stopped and reached into the pocket of his duster. Grinning, he answered the cell phone. "Well, heelloo, lucky you to be talking to me."

She couldn't even joke at a time like this. She frowned. "Angel, where are you?"

"Well, that's a good question, babe," he said. "As far as I know floating around in the Ether where he belongs."

"Haha, very funny. Come on now, cut it out. We have a serious situation here at the hotel. I need you to come home. Now."

"Serious," Angelus gave a mock tone. "Serious as in Connor’s little bitch was made a snack? Oh, yeah, been a while since I had Slayer for dinner. Though the last time I did, the Slayer was spiked. Have to get Faith back for that. Man, how unfair can that be, I tell you? I wanted to yell date rape."

The initial urgency had waned and she was able to really listen, to really hear that tone. She knew that tone. It was all too familiar. They had to let Angelus out once before so that they could resoul Angel permanently. It took them nearly a week to catch him again after he managed to get free of the cage. She swallowed hard. "How?"

"Well, do I have to tell you?" he asked. "Are you into phone sex, Cordy, babe? Can you recreate the moans you made? Hmmm, when you came and how you tightened on my hard cock in you," Angelus recounted, "Well, Angel's but I was there. Waiting...and enjoying."

‘Why now?’ was all Cordelia could ask herself. The resoulling had been fine for years and years. There was no curse. She had to get him back to the hotel, back to where she had tranqs and there was an anti-violence spell. She tried very hard not to sound disgusted. "Why should I fake it? Why don't you come back here and make me moan yourself?" Why did she ALWAYS end up as baitgirl?!

He chuckled. "Oh, it would be so tempting but I have so many people to do and babies to eat."

Think, Cordelia...think. What does Angelus like more than anything? That was easy, sticking it to Angel. "Yeah, but Angel doesn't care as much about those random people as he does about the ones in this hotel." Why couldn't he be stupid like just about every other vampire in the world?

"Hmmm, interesting point," Angelus said as he leaned on the wall of a building. "But I remember once before that your pet horny demon put that antiviolence spell on the place." He glanced around. He watched a couple of skaters go by and was thinking Meals on Wheels. "Now if I were stupid, which I'm not, I'd consider it. But as beautiful and all that you are and last night...I can stay out here in the city and find all the pleasure I can handle and then some."

She paused for a moment. Okay, change of plans. Insult him. Always seems to work when you go right for his masculinity. "What's wrong? Don't think you can handle me? Just worried that Angel was more of a man that you are?"

"Again, babe, how stupid to you take me for?" He started walking again. Could she hear the carousel now? Where there are painted ponies, there are kiddies. And children make such divine snacks. "I'm not Spike, Cordy. I thought you'd learned that by now. The big difference between me and that pussywhipped Angel is in the end...you'd be dead. No can do as long as you’re in the hotel."

"Can't blame a girl for trying, now can you?" She heard the sounds in the background. He was down by the boardwalk. She had to warn Gunn and Faith. Her fingers were already on the landline phone upstairs, dialing the number for the school. She kept him on the phone, then she kept him away from killing things. "What, you aren't going to turn me? Not even worth being around for eternity. I'm hurt."

"Well, you got the looks, babe, but the mouth," Angelus commented, "yak, yak, yak...Gotta look at the picture in the long run. So, I think I'll find me a happy meal here and I really don't like to talk while I'm eating. Maybe I'll catch you around town."

She couldn't let him get off the phone. She pushes the hotel phone into the couch as she heard the machine for the school pick up. She didn't want his vampire hearing to catch it. Once it beeped, she put it to her other ear. "Angelus, I am the only one that knows you are out. Which makes me a serious threat to you getting to stay and play. You tell me where you are and we can settle this once and for all."

"Yes, babe, you make a good argument there," he admitted. "But how do I know you won't broadcast it all over the 11 o'clock news as soon as I hang up? And settling this, you know what that will mean, which doesn't necessarily mean I have to drink you dry to do it. There are so many other ways to hurt you I just can't count them. Thinking of them, ah, well, I start to get a hard on."

"Who's to say you are going to win? Get right down to the matter, you are nothing more than a coward. And why would I tell anyone else? You don't think I know I can take you on myself. In that big empty head of yours, I know you are more than aware that I do like to run headlong into danger alone." Which, when she paused to think about it, was sadly the truth.

Now he laughed. "Oh, man, Cordelia, you are making my pants so uncomfortable." Angelus paused in his walk. "And telling you where I am, uh, I don't think so. You see, I have serious trust issues going. I think I need to really see somebody on that but I just don't have time right now." The sounds of the amusement park are loud now. The games, the rides, it was a perfect hunting ground.

"Glad to know I could help. I'll be seeing you soon." Just to further piss him off, she hung up on him. She turned her attention to the phone that was picking up her conversation at the Slayer Academy. "He's near an amusement park or something. He already attacked Lillian. Don't take any of the girls, this is our kind of a mission. I will meet you guys there." She hung up that phone as well.

Angelus looked at his phone. "Bitch," he said then he tossed it over his shoulder and moved on. The midway was always a good place to find a snack, no matter what century. Seems the amusement parks of this time were...well, far better because they didn't pack up and were much...much...much bigger. Angelus walked among the crowds, studying each of them he passed. He was looking for that one in the herd that needed to be culled out. But what a stupid herd humans made. They moved oblivious to the fact that one or more of them were going to be eaten tonight. He always enjoyed the thought of this, and again, humans had changed very little in that respect through the ages.

Off in one of the darkened corners, away from the thoroughfare and the commotion of the seaside boardwalk at night was a group of three vampires. They were surrounding something or rather, someone. Demon faces on as they pushed and pulled at the young woman. She couldn't have been more than seventeen if that. Painted up to look older, she pinballed between the three vampiric thugs as they taunted her. The vamp that had the girl now laughed as he turned her to face him. "Watch the tears, lil' one, your make-up will run," he said. "Wanted to come out and play where you didn't belong and well, we want to play too. Benny! Catch." He shoved the girl to one of the group.

Benny caught the girl and he grinned at her. His lips pulled back to reveal his menacing fangs. He leaned down, just barely gracing the girl's neck. It was enough to scratch the surface and draw blood from her delicate skin. The girl screamed out before she dissolved into sobs and pleads. "Please, please...just let me go...Here..." She pushed her purse at them, as if these were ordinary muggers.

Angelus paused as he listened to what was happening in that dark corner of the park and then he smelled the blood. It was like a dinner bell and his stomach reminded him how hungry he was. Lillian was just an appetizer. He started moving up the alley and stopped on seeing the party. "My, my," he said, "this really isn't right."



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