Title: A Sunless Sky
Author: Syn
Posted: 03-30-2003
Email: veruca_werewolf@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Category:
Content: Cordelia/Angel
Summary: Angel and Cordelia work out their feelings one long, rainy night.
Spoilers: Season Three
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution:
Notes: Gabby asked after this the other day and I realized I hadn't posted it here yet, so I thought I would. *shrug* Hope you all like it.
Feedback: You and I both know I'd like that a lot.The Present
Night. He thought it was night. He woke, hair tossled, his legs twisted in the sheets, bare chest pressed against the mattress. A sniff of the air told him nothing. He opened one eye experimentally and gazed around at his room. The clock on his nightstand glared huge red letters at him. Five o’clock. Almost night.
He sighed uselessly and sat up, propping himself up on his elbow. He jumped as something warm touched his shoulder, sending a lightning quick spark across his cold, cold flesh. A smile touched his lips and he turned, shifting in the bed.
He met a pair of hazel eyes, sleep heavy and smudged with makeup. Brown hair was draped across her smooth cheek in chocolate slashes, her smile spreading slowly across cracked lips. He wanted to kiss her, to wrap his cold body around hers, to warm himself in her.
“Good morning.” Angel said instead, reaching out a hand to brush her hair from her cheeks.
“Its almost night.” Cordelia replied in a quiet voice, glancing over at his heavily curtained window.
“True. But this is my morning.” Angel told her, shrugging his shoulders.
“I guess you’re right. Oh God, I must look horrible!” Cordy said, her hands going to her face and wiping at her raccoon eyes. Angel grabbed at her fingers, stopping her in mid-wipe.
“You look beautiful.” He said as he traced the curve of her nose with one finger, barely touching her skin. He stopped at her lips, still fighting the urge to bring his mouth to hers; it didn’t help when he felt her kiss the tip of his rough finger.
She smiled and reached for him, drawing him nearer to her. He didn’t fight her, instead he pressed himself upon her, kissing her lips experimentally. She pressed him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and urging him to kiss her more. Angel complied, his fingers twisting in her hair, his body settling down beside hers.
Finally, he pulled away and smiled down at her. She smiled back and reached her hand up, wiping away a smudge of her lipstick with a chuckle.
“I think we’d better get up now.” Cordelia said, sitting up and letting the sheets fall away from her shoulders as she tugged at the shirt Angel had given her.
Angel nodded and rolled away from her, standing up and stretching, one muscle at a time, enjoying the way his back popped and the way blood started circulating throughout his dead veins.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Cordelia picked up her shirt, testing its dryness with a wrinkle of her nose. Obviously it wasn’t dry yet because she quickly put it down, sighing as she plucked at the edge of Angel’s shirt. Angel forced his eyes away from her and pulled on another shirt, buttoning it with deft fingers before he turned to face her.
“What?” He asked Cordy as he saw her watching him, arms folded across her stomach, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe.
“I just wanted to say thank you. For everything.” She said, casting her eyes to her bare feet. “I don’t know w-what I w-would have done…” Her voice faltered as she choked back tears.
Angel rushed to her side, gathering her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder, letting the tears trail down her cheeks. Angel kissed her forehead and soothed her with gentle words.
As he held her, he let his mind wander back to the night before, when everything he knew changed...
****
The Day Before
Day. Cursed day. The sun shone bright, dazzling, glaring, glittering. Scorching. The day had been sweltering, oppressive and muggy. Thankfully it looked like a storm was building and threatening the city with a good downpour. As she opened the gate to the hotel, Cordelia fervently prayed the respite would come soon.
Cordy sighed and pushed open the door of the hotel, stepping into the air-conditioned coolness of the lobby. Fred waved at her from her laptop; Wesley and Gunn nodded at her from across the lobby, polishing an ax and a sword, respectively. She licked her lips and cast her eyes about for Angel. Obviously he wasn’t up yet, but the sun was almost down. He would be here soon. She crossed the room to her desk and went through the current case file, nervously glancing at the stairs every few minutes.
Her patience soon paid off; Angel trotted down the stairs, eyes shadowed, avoiding the sunlight streaming into the lobby from the upper windows.
“Hey. Sorry I’m late.” Was all he said as he went to the mini fridge, pulled out a fresh bag of blood and popped it in the microwave. “Any new leads?”
“Not so far. I’ve been checkin’ the demon websites, but so far I haven’t found our culprit.” Fred said, wiping her glasses with the edge of her t-shirt.
“Well, keep trying. Our client is paying big bucks for us to find out what this thing is.” Wesley called from across the room, his voice echoing across the lobby.
“Money, money, money. Makes the world go ‘round.” Gunn piped up, a wide grin on his face.
Fred giggled and nodded, slipping her glasses back on as she turned her attention to the computer screen. The microwave dinged and Angel took out his blood and poured it into a mug. He took a sip and turned on Cordelia.
“You’re being quiet. What’s up?” He asked her, sitting down across from her desk. Cordelia look up and worried her lower lip with her teeth. Things she wanted to say, wanted to tell him, threatened to tumble out of her, but she clamped her teeth over them and stood.
“Nothing.” She said unconvincingly.
“Oh, is that why you have that “I need to talk to you” look on your face? I know you too well. What’s going on?” Angel said, fixing her with a penetrating stare. Cordelia sighed and gave in to the inevitable.
“I need to talk. Come on.” She said shortly, tugging him up out of his chair. Wesley looked up as they passed, his brow furrowed with concern. What was going on?
Angel followed Cordy out into the garden, wondering that exact thing himself. Night was falling quickly and the little courtyard was bathed in shadows, the lush plants glowing a dull green in the darkness. A rumble of thunder overhead told Cordy that the storm that had been building was nearly there. Cordelia sat down on the bench and Angel settled himself next to her.
“Okay, what’s going on?” He prompted her, trying to look into her downcast eyes.
Cordelia took a deep breath and counted to ten. Then she answered, in voice so low that even Angel’s superior hearing could barely catch it, “I need a break.”
“A break?” Angel said, confused. “Well, I’m not the boss anymore, remember--” He stopped mid-sentence as Cordelia’s hand found his.
“Not from work. From you.” She said, gripping his hand so tightly her knuckles went white.
“What do you mean?” Angel asked her in a soft, gentle voice.
“I mean, I can’t keep doing this. I come here everyday and then I go home…and all I think about...is you.”
Angel’s stunned reply was lost in a crash of thunder overhead. They both jumped and clutched at each other. Angel looked down into Cordelia’s eyes, mind spinning, head reeling. He leaned down, lips touching hers for a split second.
Then, all hell broke loose.
Cordelia’s head reeled back, her body falling back off of the stone bench. Angel dived after her as the vision wracked her body. He landed next to her just as the heavens opened up, drenching them with warm rain.
“Cordy! Cordy! What did you see?” Angel shouted over the thunder and the pounding roar of the rain hitting the stone.
Far down below the molten pain, Cordelia’s mind was in a tangle. Things she glimpsed, things she felt swirled together, muddling everything she saw. A concerned pair of brown eyes swam before her vision; she saw his lips move and she knew he was saying her name. Slowly, crawlingly slow, she came back to herself and tried to remember what it was she saw.
“You. You were bleeding and something was attacking you. Something big. I think it’s the demon we’re looking for.” She said, shivering in the cold rain. Angel nodded and helped her to her feet, her legs trembling and her head pounding.
“Are you alright?” He asked her, lifting her chin with his thumb. Cordelia could see in his eyes that he wasn’t talking about her vision.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” She said, pulling away from him and turning toward the door. He gripped her shoulder and held the door for her, making sure she didn’t stumble on the rain-drenched lintel.
“Are you guys okay?” Gunn asked, eyes wide, as they came into view
“I had a vision. That demon we’re looking for was attacking Angel.” Cordelia told them in a weary voice, gulping and shivering in the lobby.
“You mean that Tavaon demon, the one that lives in hollow trees and eats small animals, like Mr. Lyman’s poodle?” Fred called cheerfully from the counter.
“Did you find it?” Wesley said, putting down his ax and rushing over to Fred.
“Yep. It wasn’t on any of the regular websites, so I went to this other site I kept meaning to look at, but since it was in Spanish I was feeling a bit flustered, but I figured they had a---”
“Fred!” Everyone shouted, interrupting her diatribe.
“Sorry.” She apologized with a grin. “Anyway, it says here that the Tavaon demon lives in hollow trees and likes to move around a lot, so wherever it is, it must be staying where there are lots of trees.”
“Doesn’t Lyman live near Griffith Park?” Gunn asked, coming up behind Wesley.
“Yes. Of course! The Tavaon demon is living in Griffith Park and hunting in the surrounding neighborhoods. Pull up old newspaper articles and see if there have been any reports of dogs and cats disappearing.” Wesley told Fred, leaning in to the computer, his chin on his fist.
As the others talked, Angel looked back over at Cordelia. Angel saw her shoulders shake and he grabbed at his leather coat, slinging it over her shoulders. “Thanks.” She whispered, not meeting Angel’s eyes.
“Do you want to go home? You’re soaking wet.” Angel said quietly, steering her over to her desk. She shook her head and sat down, resting her head in her hands. She looked up as Angel grabbed one of her hands. Her heart leaped, but then jumped back down her throat when he pressed a cup of warm, black coffee into her hand.
“Thanks.” She repeated, taking a tiny of the scalding liquid. It spread over her tongue, bitter and strong. It imbued her with a little more strength and she could look up into his face without wincing at the light. She could also think clearly. “I think the Tavaon is near Lyman’s neighborhood; it was in my vision. Gunn? Go listen to the police scanner, would you? Listen to the 911 calls.”
Gunn nodded and went off to Wesley’s office. Angel watched him go and then turned back to Cordelia, who was wincing and holding her head once more. “You’re in pain. Let me take you home. Please?”
Cordelia looked up, her gaze captured in the bottomless pools of his eyes. “Okay.” She stood, breath leaving her body as her head spun. Angel grabbed her, keeping her upright.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to take Cordy home. Call me if you get any leads, okay?” Angel called after them. Wesley looked up and nodded, then went back to the computer screen.
Together, they walked out into the dark, rainy night.
****
“We need to talk.” Angel said as soon he turned the car onto the puddled street. Cordelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the pain receding to a dull ache.
“Yeah.” She said in a small voice, swallowing the panicky lump in her throat.
Silence stretched between them; neither one knew where to start. A million things he wanted to say rose and fell, dancing on the tip of his tongue. Finally, she broke the silence.
“This is never going to work, is it?” Cordelia said mournfully, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “You and me? Its hopeless.”
Angel pulled the car to a stop, throwing it into park. Slowly, he turned to face her, shifting in his seat cautiously. Cordy looked over at him, gulping back tears, shivering under his leather jacket.
“You know I’m not…” He started to say, but she cut him off.
“Like other guys. You don’t think I know that? You don’t think I lay awake at night wishing you weren’t who you were? Its hard to…look at you and not…” Her voice trailed off and she looked up, eyes blazing, hands white knuckled.
“And it’s not hard for me? You don’t think I look at you and wish that I could hold you and touch you? I wish it so hard sometimes I think my heart will break. I wish I wasn’t who I am every day.” Angel told her, grabbing one of her hands and pressing it against his chest
“Wishing brings you nothing. If you weren’t who you were, I wouldn’t lo---it wouldn’t be the same.” Her lip trembled as she felt his cold flesh growing warm under her hand. His heart didn’t beat and she wanted to cry.
“So here we are. Nothing is going to change who we are, or what we feel.” Angel said, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “And there is nothing I would change about you.”
Her hands snaked around his shoulders and she buried her face against his chest. He swept her hair from her neck and bent, lips brushing the satin column of her neck. She shivered and leaned further into him, angling her head to meet his next kiss.
It started innocently, but soon they were kissing each other passionately, as if they thought a kiss could stop the world. Thunder boomed overhead, lightning forked across the sky and rain pattered into the street and along the smooth metal of the car. Angel pulled away from her a moment and smiled, then pulled her across the car to rest in his lap.
Cordy chuckled and captured his lips once more, her hands full of his hair, his musky sweet scent swirling around her senses. Angel’s fingers danced across her stomach, making her muscles tense. He trailed his fingers upward, over her wet clothing, hands molding to her flesh like they belonged there.
He moved to venture below the wet cloth, but his cell phone suddenly rang. Determined to ignore it, he continued his exploration. After several more rings, Cordelia pulled away from him and fished it out of the pocket of his leather coat.
“Hello?” She asked in a breathless voice, straining to hear over the rain pounding on the roof of the car.
“Cordy? Where’s Angel?” Wesley’s voice asked, tense and British as only Wes could be.
“He’s right here. What’s going on?”
“The Tavaon is back; Gunn heard it over the scanner. We need Angel to meet us in Griffith Park near the observatory.” With that, he hung up, leaving Cordelia staring at the glowing screen with disappointment.
“What did Wes want?” Angel muttered in her ear glumly.
“They found the Tavaon and he wants you to meet him in Griffith Park.” She replied, sliding off of his lap with a sigh. “You’d better go.”
“I guess so. I’ll drive you home first.” Angel said as he put the car into drive and took off down the street. Suddenly, the image of Angel bleeding flashed through Cordelia’s mind. There was no way she was going to let him get hurt, not now.
“No. I’m coming with you.” Cordy said, buckling her seat belt and reaching over to grasp his hand. Angel nodded and pushed the accelerator; they plunged off into the darkness, danger following closely behind.
****
Gunn hopped out of the truck, his ax in hand. Wesley did the same, holding out a hand to Fred; she took it with a kind smile, stepping down into the rain. A flip of her hand sent her raincoat hood over her face, which did nothing to hide her from the driving rain.
“Come on. The observatory is this way.” Gunn said, nearly shouting to be heard over the thunder and rain. With a shake of their heads, they followed closely behind him, their shoes sinking into the muddy earth.
After a few minutes of trudging through the muck, they finally reached the observatory, which was closed, so they stood outside and waited for Angel to arrive.
Wesley glanced at his watch and tapped his foot. It shouldn’t be long now.
****
Angel pulled the car to a stop beside Gunn’s truck, the tires squealing and hydroplaning in the water. A moment later, he was running in the rain, Cordelia struggling to keep up. Through the rain he could see the observatory on the small hill, slightly illuminated.
Angel glanced back at Cordelia for a second and his eyes grew wide. He dived back at her, tackling her to the ground before she could react.
Cordy gasped as she hit the ground, sliding in the muddy grass. “Angel?” She yelped in fear.
“Stay down!” Angel said, rolling off her just in time to kick a big, orange something in the leg. It growled over the storm and swung at Angel again, missing him by inches. Angel vamped and jumped at the orange demon; they both fell to the ground, hands and teeth everywhere. The demon managed to cut Angel across the shoulder and blood squirted from the wound.
Cordelia shook her soaked hair from her eyes and blinked away beads of rain. Her vision flashed before her eyes and it took her a moment to realize what she was seeing was real. With gritted teeth, she stood and ran at the orange demon, bowling it over and away from Angel. They rolled in the mud for a minute, resting with Cordelia on top. It bit at her with long, black fangs, but its hands were caught under its body. Cordy slammed it head into the ground, but the soft earth only cushioned the blow. It growled and bucked under her. She held on tight and screamed to the wind, pressing hard with her thumbs until something gave.
Angel flipped to his feet and ran to reach the girl and the demon. He heard Cordelia scream and he smelled blood. Anger welled inside of him and he dived at Cordy, knocking her from the demon, blood flying everywhere.
****
“Gum?” Gunn asked Fred, holding out a pack of Big Red. She shook her head and sighed.
Wesley scanned the area below the hill, but it was too dark to see anything. He frowned and glanced at his watch once more.
“Where is Angel?” He muttered and leaned against the wall.
“Wanna play rock, paper, scissors?” Fred asked Gunn and Wes.
“Sure.” They both answered with a sigh.
****
Angel slammed Cordelia down into the ground, her hands flailing in the air. Thick blood streamed down her skin, washing away in the rain. Suddenly, Angel stopped and saw that the blood was bright purple and not at all human. He sniffed the air again and wondered how he could ever have mistaken it for human.
A glance back at the demon and he saw where it had come from. The orange demon twitched, thick, viscous purple blood oozing from its eye sockets. The eyes weren’t there any longer. One look at Cordelia’s thumbs told him what had happened. Globs of eye matter were buried beneath her neat nails and dripping down her hands.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, letting her up from where he had pinioned her beneath him.
“I don’t know.” She whispered, blinking back rain and tears. She grimaced at the look of her hands, wiping them in the soaked grass, her face slightly green. She looked back up at Angel and screamed.
****
Back that the observatory, Fred shushed Gunn with a hand on his mouth. “Did you hear that?”
The three of them stopped and listened, ears straining past the storm, eyes squinted through the gloom. Suddenly, a scream pierced the darkness, feint, but undeniable.
“Come on!” Wesley said, taking up his sword and running carefully back down the stairs towards the woods, Gunn and Fred on his heels. Sliding in the muddy grass, they shortly came upon a bright orange demon, prone on the ground. Dimly through the rain they spotted three figures, fighting in the rain.
Gunn got to the scene first and he stopped, sliding a bit in the turf. Wesley halted behind him, holding out a hand to stop Fred, who had her crossbow raised in defense.
A big, hairy demon was circling Cordelia and Angel, snapping aggressively, a Chihuahua in its clawed paws. It staved off Angel’s advances, running away just as he started to attack.
Gunn took Fred’s crossbow from her hands and aimed it carefully. He pulled the trigger and the arrow sailed across the clearing, burying itself in the demon’s forehead. It dropped the dog and fell to the ground dead.
“I’m just that good.” Gunn said, handing the crossbow back to Fred with a grin.
Angel turned toward the direction the arrow had come, his arms blocking Cordelia from harm. He lowered them when he saw them, his face unvamping as he moved.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“What happened?” They both asked at the same time.
“Well, we killed that Tavaon demon and then this thing came after us.” Cordy said, hiding her hands behind her back. Angel saw the move, but said nothing.
“That was the Tavaon. What was that orange thing?” Fred asked, a disgusted look on her face.
“Don’t know.” Angel said, shrugging and walking toward the blinded demon. Wesley looked down at it and grimaced.
“A feashne beast. Interesting. It attacked you?” Wes asked them, eyebrows raised as he noted the burst eyeball.
“Yeah. Why?” Angel asked, wiping away rain with the back of his hand.
“No reason. But it usually attacks mammals in heat. You must have been in its way.” Wes said, his face ticking as he noted the way Cordelia’s face reddened and the way she avoided looking at Angel.
“Must have.” Angel said in a tight voice. “We’d better go.”
“Hold up. Where’d the dog go?” Fred asked, looking around the clearing. She spotted it, shivering under a bush, its big round eyes blinking rapidly. Fred bent and picked it up, wrapping it in her coat. She checked the tag on its collar. “We should take him home.”
“Yeah, plus Lyman wanted to mount the demon’s head in his basement. I guess the man was really attached to that poodle. Unhealthy.” Gunn said, shaking his head as he walked back toward the fallen Tavaon.
They all gathered around it, looking for the best way to pick it up. Finally they all grabbed an arm and hauled it to the back of Gunn’s pickup.
“I hope he doesn’t mind the fact that I shot it in the head.” Gunn whispered to Wesley with a chagrined smile. Wes ignored him and turned to Angel.
“We can handle this. Why don’t you take Cordelia home?” Wesley whispered to Angel as he glanced over at Cordelia. She was wiping her hands with the hem of her shirt and looking like she was a hare’s breath from throwing up. Angel nodded and turned away, steering Cordelia into the car.
As Wesley watched them go, he shook his head and sighed. He wished them all the luck he could, then turned back to the dead Tavaon in the bed of the truck. “We ready?” They both nodded. “Good, then lets get paid.” With that, they jumped into Gunn’s truck and took off.
Their road was much easier than Cordelia and Angel’s.
****
Angel pulled the car to a stop outside Cordelia’s apartment. He looked down at his hands, unsure what to say to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” He finally said, glancing up at her.
“Yeah. Bright and early. I have to do the paperwork for Mr. Lyman and make sure Wes doesn’t mess it up. You know how he is.” Cordy said, one hand on the door handle. “Well. Gotta go.” She said lamely, opening the door and stepping out into the rain.
Angel watched her walk up to the building, wishing he had said a million things he wanted to, but his throat was clotted with words unspoken. As she disappeared through the door of her building, he started the car once more and pulled away from the curb.
Cordelia stopped on the stairwell, her feet feeling too heavy to lift. Water dripped into her eyes and she shivered. The memory of Angel’s lips and hands on her skin still haunted her, teased her. Her lips felt numb from the crush of his mouth on hers. It was too much; she cried out, dropping his leather jacket onto the stairs, she ran back out into the rain.
“Angel!” She screamed to the wind and rain as his taillights glowed like red demon eyes in the darkness. “Angel!”
Suddenly, the car stopped and her heart leaped. She ran, leaving her fear behind, completely soaked as the storm raged above her. Angel’s dark form loomed out of the darkness and he ran toward her.
“Cordy!” He screamed back at her just as she reached him. He swept her into his arms, his mouth crushing her lips.
“When I saw you in my vision and the vision came true, I thought I was going to lose you. I can’t lose you!” She said as he pulled away.
“Its okay, baby. Its okay.” Angel said, pressing her head to his shoulder.
“Its not okay. Things are never okay!” She screamed, beating at his chest with futile hands. Angel kissed her again as she hit him, struggling for moment before she gave in again.
“I love you.” He whispered to her lips, his hands weaving through her short, damp hair.
“I love you too.” She whispered, capturing his lips once more as she clung to him, shivering with more than just the cold wind and rain.
****
The Present
Angel pulled away from Cordelia and wiped away a tear with his thumb. “You don’t have to thank me. You saved me, remember?” He teased with a smile.
“True.” She replied with a roll of her eyes and then her expression sobered. “But, seriously, thank you for letting me sleep in here. I know it’s hard for you to…you know. But thank you.”
“And it’s not hard for you either? I’m losing my touch.” Angel ducked as Cordelia smacked at him, a smile crossing her features. Angel caught her hand and hauled her closer to him, planting a chaste kiss on her lips. “I’d do anything for you.” He said unexpectedly. “I would walk through a thousand sunlit deserts to be with you.”
“I know.” Cordelia said, flattered by the unexpected poetry. “And I would live through a thousand sunless nights to be with you.” Angel smiled widely as Cordelia stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the tip of his nose. “Come on, I’m starving, lets eat.” She said, pulling toward the door.
“I’ll make you some eggs.” He said as they entered the hallway. Voices echoed up from the lobby and Cordelia stopped dead in her tracks. “What’s the matter?” Angel asked her, eyes wide.
“Umm…what are we going to tell the guys?” Cordy asked him with a hiss. Angel grimaced and shrugged.
“Nothing. Its none of their business.” He told her, clasping his fingers over her. “Let em wonder.”
With that, he pulled her down the stairs. Outside, night came on and the moon shone brightly in the sunless sky.
End.