Title: Can't Help Who You Love
Author: randa00
Posted: 06-26-2004
Email: mirandaleonard@charter.net
Rating: PG-13
Category: Angst, humour, AU
Content: C/B/W/X friendship, C/A friendship/romance, C/R, maybe more
Summary: Cordelia is important to PTB and Angel is sent to protect her. Then all hell breaks loose.
Spoilers:
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Please ask
Notes: This is set in the Buffyverse during their senior year. Everything is mostly a product of my twisted mind.
Feedback: of course.
Thanks/Dedication:Part 1
Angel stood in the shadows of the Bronze watching her every move. Doyle, his demon guide, told him that Cordelia Chase was important to the powers and he was to protect her. Not that he minded the job. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. To get near her he would have to earn the trust of the slayer. It brought a smile to his lips seeing this bronzed goddess bantering with her friends.
“Every guy at school is dying to go out with you” Buffy gushed.
“Please stop trying to hook me up,” the brunette pleaded with her friend.
“Cor doesn’t need some hormone driven jock”
“Yeah, not when I have you Xander Harris” Cordy joked.
“Cordy you barely go out anymore. Not that you don’t have a good reason, but you need to get back on the horse” Willow exclaimed.
“The only horse I’ll be getting on anytime soon is Keanu. Stop worrying so much have you ever known anything to keep me down” she said looking at her friends “right so lay the hell off. Got it. Good.”
“There’s the Queen C we know and love” Buffy beamed.
The band started playing and Buffy dragged Willow and Xander onto the dance floor. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight before her. Willow had just conquered moving back and forth to the music somewhat. Xander was a lost cause altogether. He looked like he was having a spasm. She missed this, just her and the gang. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize her friends were no longer dancing.
“Guys we have to do something”
“Buffy maybe Cordy just needs some time” Willow said hoping her friend would let things alone.
“Yeah, I gotta agree with Will on this one”
“We’ll see about that”Buffy said heading to the table.
Cordelia saw Buffy coming towards her with a confident smirk on her face. This could mean only one thing she was up to something and it was not of the good.
“I’ve figured out how to get your mind off of Riley” Buffy said.
Willow and Xander made to the table in time to hear the name no one dare speak. They saw the pain wash over their friend’s face. Buffy knew that her friend was crushed and didn’t want to be the cause of anymore of her pain.
“I miss Riley” Cordelia said in a soft whisper.
“I know you do, but he was the fool who didn’t realize what he had. You only deserve the best” Buffy said trying too hide her total disgust for the guy that broke her friend’s heart.
Cordelia just stared at the table. Lately all her thoughts had been consumed with Riley. He had been her first boyfriend of two years and left after graduation to join the army.
“You never did say what happened between you two”
“There’s not much to tell Will. He said he loved me, but he couldn’t take the weirdness quote unquote” Cordelia sadly recalled.
“We don’t need ken doll anyways” Xander said getting glares from Buffy and Willow. “I meant that in a supportive way” he quickly added in.
“I know what you meant and thanks Xan” She said smiling sweetly at her friend.
Buffy smiled , “I still say you should have let me kick his ass.” Cordelia couldn’t help but laugh at this.
“The perks of having the slayer as your friend are endless” Xander said.
“Yup, you can count on us no matter what you know that right Cor?” Willow said
“Yeah, I think I’m stuck with you dweebs” Cordelia said feeling better if only a little bit. “I’m gonna head home guys. I’m more tired than I realized” she said stifling a yawn.
“We love you” the three friends cooed in unison.
“Bye dorks. I love you too” Cordy said grabbing her purse.
“Buffy are you going to let things go now” Willow asked.
“Are you kidding? She will thank me later. I just need to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”
“This is totally gonna blow up in her face isn’t it?” Xander asked Willow receiving a yep.
Cordelia pulled into her driveway and couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. ‘Your just being paranoid.’
Angel stood in the shadows. He had seen how sad she had been at the club and it made his heart ache for her. “I’ll protect you Cordelia. Nothing will ever hurt you again” Angel said into the night as he saw her turn her bedroom light off.
***
Cordelia was having the most boring night of her life. She finally agreed to go on a date. Buffy had fixed her up with Brian and she was thinking of painful ways to hurt her friend. ‘Look at the bright side: the movie was good. Yeah until Brian tried to put his arm around me, tried being the key word’ She now sat in a coffee shop listening to Brian drone on about his dolls or as he said “action figures”. ‘Will this night never end.’
At 10:30 Brian pulled up to her house.
“I’m sorry your not feeling well”
“Yeah, me too” she said hoping she sounded convincing. She got to the front door and waved good-bye. She dragged herself upstairs to her room. She went to sit on the bench of her windowsill and looked up at the stars. She loved the night and always had. There was calmness to the night that balanced the chaos of the day. She remembered that her grandmother had once told her that stars were angels watching over us. She smiled at the memory even if it was only wishful thinking that there was an angel watching over her.
Angel had followed Cordelia out on her date. He had spent so many years hidden from life but now found himself wanting to be apart of it. If only being able to be close to her. He shook his head from his thoughts. Taking one last glance at the beautiful girl silently saying his goodbye before walking off into the night.
Sunnydale High
Buffy was standing at her locker when a none too happy Cordelia walked up.
“Hey Cordy how was the date? Brian said he had fun.”
“It depends on your definition of fun. Does dull and painful fall into this category?” Cordelia asked sharply.
“Sorry Cor, but you might like Jared” she suggested until she saw the ‘don’t you dare’ look on her friends face. “Or maybe not.”
“Good idea and you better think of something to tell Brian because there is no way I’m going out with him again.”
“Alright I deserve that. Oh, Giles wanted all of us to meet in the library after school.”
“Like we’re not there everyday of the week” Cordy said rolling her eyes.
Everyone sat around the table waiting for Giles to explain the latest hellmouth phenomenon.
“What’s the nasty this week?” Buffy asked casually.
“There have been four unexplainable deaths in the last two weeks and all the victims have the same markings on their arm. There is much research to be done” Giles said receiving groans from all the teenagers. “Now that you have that out of your system, can we please get to work?”
The research was uneventful. You could hear Willow tapping away on the keyboard. Xander saying, “eww” and “gross” about every other page of his book. Buffy tapping the table with her stake while flipping through the pages. Giles wiping his glasses every few minutes. Cordelia wondered when this became her life. Her thoughts drifted to Riley. He was right her life did involve a lot of weirdness. ‘He deserves to be happy and demon free something I can’t give him. This may be my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
“G-man I’m coming up empty” Xander said.
“Yes well I guess that is all for tonight. Buffy you should patrol and I will see you all tomorrow.” Giles said noticing that everyone had taken off before he finished except Cordelia. She had been more withdrawn lately and he was rather worried about her.
“Giles, what’s this?” Cordelia asked picking up pictures from desk.
“Cordelia, you shouldn’t look at those. They are crime scene photos.” He knew she had seen some bad things but didn’t want her to see anymore than necessary. He noticed she was clutching a photo in her hand staring at it intently her face turning white.
“That’s Daniel Malone”
“You knew him?” Giles asked but already knowing the answer.
She shook her head yes. “He was a friend of the family for years. He was like an uncle to me. Why would anyone want to hurt him?” Cordelia asked sinking into the chair.
“I don’t know, but I promise we’ll find out” Giles said hoping to offer some comfort.
She noticed the newspaper lying on his desk reading the headline, Man found dead in Sunnydale Motel . There was his picture in the middle of the article. All she could think was how he hated that photo.
TBC