just fic


Title: A Sunnydale Tale
Author: victoriamartynne
Posted: 09-17-2003
Email: victorialouisemartin@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: PG-13
Category: Buffy Years
Content: A/C
Summary: Angel befriends Cordelia when the going gets tough.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know.
Notes:
Feedback: Please
Thanks/Dedication:


Cordelia dressed in a black mini and a red chiffon blouse. Her car keys in her hand she checked her reflection again and hurried out of the house. The empty house, only God knew where her parents were. She didn’t really care; she preferred to be alone anyway.

She started her car and drove the one mile to school, letting the wind create a little volume in her hair.

She sped into the car park, sending people scattering to get out of the way. Cordelia Chase stopped for no-one.

Stepping out she noticed Buffy, Xander and Willow straight away. Great, she thought, just what I need first thing in the morning.

She walked past them and went straight to her locker, since that debacle with Xander Harris she didn't have anyone to stand around and gossip with so she usually went straight to her locker or to the library before first class. Today she did both.

She pushed open the library door and saw Giles stood drinking a cup of coffee.

"Good morning Cordelia, how are you this morning?" He enquired pleasantly.

"I'm okay I guess, I pulled a couple of stitches last night." She told him, placing a hand on her wound.

"How did that happen?" He asked. "Not a demon or vampire attack I hope?"

"No, just a slayer attack." She complained. "Do you think you could possibly keep your slayer under control?"

He looked worried. "She didn’t attack you?"

She sighed. "No, she was flinging a vampire around and knocked me into a garbage pile outside the Bronze."

Giles's face flashed from pity to concern. "Are you okay?"

She sat down stiffly on one of the chairs. "You’re the first person that's asked me that."

He smiled. "It doesn’t mean that I'm the only one that cares."

She snorted. "Yeah, 'cause people are swarming around me right now aren’t they? Even my parents are away somewhere."

"Your parents aren’t home?" He looked startled. "Perhaps it isn't such a good idea that you're on your own right now."

"What am I supposed to do then? Start paying people to be near me, I don’t think so. I have to get to class."

"If you ever want to talk Cordelia, you know where I am." He offered.

She smiled. "Thanks Giles."

She passed Buffy on the way out but neither girl said anything.

"What did she want?" Buffy asked Giles, staring at the door Cordelia had just gone through.

"I think she's lonely." Giles replied. "Perhaps you might strain yourself to include her a bit more."

"Cordelia, lonely? Right. Is that the line she spun you?"

"Buffy, shut up."


Cordelia was bored; the history class was so not interesting. Why the hell did she need to know why Hitler wanted to bomb England? She looked up and realised that Buffy was staring at her.

"What?" She whispered.

"Nothing." She replied quietly.

"No, come on Buffy." Cordelia snapped, not realising her voice had risen and everyone, including their teacher was now listening. "If you have a problem here all you have to do is keep your mouth shut and keep your eyes off of me! Now if you will excuse me!"

She stood up from the desk, breathing a little harder as her stitches stretched.

"Uh, Miss Chase." The teacher interrupted. "You're in the middle of a class."

She paused. "Go shove your class up your…"

Her words were muffled as a hand clamped over her mouth and started dragging her out of the room.

Great, she thought, I get kidnapped in the middle of school and not one person, even the slayer, moves to help me.

Once she was out of the door the hand released her and she spun to apprehend her assailant.

"Xander?" She exclaimed in disgust. "Who the hell gave you permission to help me or even touch me?"

He took a deep breath. "Cordy, I…"

"Hey, I think you lost all Cordy rights the moment yours and Willow's lips touched!" She snapped and turned to leave.

He grabbed her arm. "Cordelia, I'm so sorry. I never got the chance to tell you that in the hospital. I know how hard it is for you right now but you have to stop this and get over it."

Her eyes blazed. "Don't you dare tell me to get over it! I have lost everything over you. My friends, my pride, my life, my hea… Everything!"

His face softened. "Cordy, you're self destructing."

"I've just told you to stop calling me that!" She snapped and ran a hand over her eyes.

"Okay, but listen to me, you need to deal before you end up getting yourself in trouble. What was that back there? You were freaking out over nothing!"

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do." She warned and then set off down the hall, her heels clicking on the tiles. "And Xander, you're a lousy kisser!"


She got into her car and thought, to hell with school, like she even wanted to be there anywhere.

She gunned the engine and sped out of the parking lot. She drove around for a while and then stopped at a bar just out of town, granted it wasn't a very nice bar but it was a bar that was open in the afternoon and it sold alcohol. And luckily, she had her cousin's ID on her which she could use to get served.

She'd never been a big drinker and, as she was only seventeen, she shouldn't be a drinker at all. But during the hard times in life sometimes she'd found it easier to look at her life after a couple of shots of tequila or vodka.

She went into the bar, fluffing her hair and noticed it was suitably empty.

"ID." The man behind the bar grunted.

She flashed the ID and ordered a vodka and coke. Taking it she sat in the corner of the bar, near enough the door but still hidden enough in case, God forbid, someone she knew came in. Yeah right, she thought as she sipped her drink, 'cause someone I know is going to end up here.

She didn't even look up when someone sat down next to her.

"Can I borrow a light?"

"I don't smoke." She replied, without looking up.

"Maybe you should." He suggested.

She looked up into the darkest eyes she'd ever seen. "Why's that?"

He smiled. "You look sad."

She smiled slightly. "From anyone I know right now that would sound like a gloat."

He frowned. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Life sucks right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It depends."

"On what?"

"On whose company you keep." He replied. "I'll go and get you another vodka and coke; it looks like you need it."

He got up from the table and gave Cordelia a chance to study him. He was the typical tall, dark and handsome she went for, with the exception of Xander.

He came back with her drink and a shot of whiskey.

"So, what's your name?" He asked.

"Cordelia."

When she didn’t ask his he offered his name to her. "I'm Greg."

She nodded.

"What's making you so sad?"

"My entire life." She replied, looking into her drink.

"Can't be that bad."

"You wouldn’t understand."

"Try me."


So she did. She spent hours talking and telling him what was wrong with her life right now. Before she knew it she was on the wrong side of tipsy and it was dark outside.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked her, sitting closer to her now that they 'knew' each other.

"I was going to go to the Bronze, heard of it?"

He nodded. "I'll order us a cab, we can go together."

"I've got my car." She slurred. "Outside."

"Okay." He agreed. "Let's go."


It was a challenge but she managed to get them there in one piece. Although the car might need a trip to the garage.

He handed the door man the cover for both of them and they went inside.

Although Cordelia had never actually tried to use her cousin's ID in the Bronze the barman gave them drinks without asking any questions.

He led her to a table near the dance floor.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked.

She could feel eyes on her from all over the club. She glanced around quickly and saw Harmony and her former friends in a group on the side of the dance floor. She saw Buffy and Angel sat with Xander and Willow.

With a look of scorn their way she accepted his offer.


"Wow." Buffy stated.

"What?" Xander asked.

"Look at Cordelia." She pointed to where Cordelia and Greg were dancing very close and very slow together. "Talk about making a statement."

"What kind of statement is that?" Angel asked.

"That is a statement saying 'look at me, I'm single again and ready to turn into a great big slut again'." Buffy decided.

"Pretty good one." Willow agreed.


"Oh my God." Harmony announced. "Look at the state of the people they're letting in here now."

"Oh, that Sarah Jane, I already noticed her." One of the other girls said.

Harmony shot her a dirty look. "No, Cordelia. Blind drunk and doesn’t care who sees her. What a ho."

Her friends nodded.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I see a jock over there I haven't danced with yet!"


"I want to get out of here right now." Greg whispered in Cordelia's ear and then dropped a kiss on her neck.

"Why?" She asked in her drunken state.

"I need you to myself." He replied and started leading her out of the club.

"Okay." She let herself be led.

He took her down the alley next to the Bronze.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he placed her in between him and the wall.

"Just relax." He whispered and started to kiss her.

Returning his kisses with ones of her own she started to relax. That is, until he began to lift her skirt and slide his hand up her leg.

"Hey, don’t do that." She told him, grabbing his hand.

"What if I don't want to?" He leered.

Her head began to spin. "I don't care; you need to stop. I think I drank too much, I need to go home."

"You didn't drink too much, that was the drug I put in your drink a half hour ago." He told her, a grin on his face.

Her breathing became more laboured and sweat broke out on her forehead and upper lip.

"What did you do to me?"

"Baby, I think the question is what I am going to do to you."

With a gentle shove she was on the floor, her skirt around her waist.

She shoved his hand away from her face and was rewarded with a harsh punch to her jaw.

In her dazed state she felt her thong being removed and her blouse being torn open. Her eyes drooped but she was still conscious. Her body felt paralysed, even screaming seemed impossible.

She felt his hands slide up her legs, spreading them apart as his mouth bit her left breast, drawing blood.

She whimpered but couldn't make a noise any louder, she was so tired.

He shoved a finger into her roughly, stretching her unwilling flesh.

His other hand went up her body to uncover a nipple. He bit on it sharply and pulled down his zip.

In her head she was begging him to stop and screaming at him but the drug had taken effect.

She felt his manhood nudging at her centre. He waited for a moment, watching as her eyes opened and fear flashed through them. She was begging, Cordelia Chase was begging and he knew it.

With one thrust he was inside her and tearing her apart.

Tears of pain and helplessness slid down her cheeks. Seeing them seemed to excite him more and he began pounding in and out of her helpless body.

Murmurs of pain escaped her mouth but gradually the drug and pain overcame her and she passed out, humility and shame burning her body until she felt it would kill her. And then she wished it would.


She could hear muffled familiar voices.

"Is she..?"

"No, I can hear her heartbeat."

"She's been raped, God who would do such a thing?"

"We should get her to a hospital."

She struggled through her hazy mind to protest but nothing came out of her mouth.

Other voices blurred in her mind as well as the sound of sirens but darkness overcame her again.


"Cordelia, can you open your eyes?" A strange voice asked.

She groaned and tried to cover her eyes against the bright light but her hand seemed glued to the…mattress? Where was she?

Her eyes flickered open for a second and she saw a woman's face staring down at her sympathetically.

"You're back with us." She smiled.

"Where am I?" She asked groggily.

"Sunnydale General."

"General what?" She asked, not understanding.

The sympathy grew. "Hospital."

"Why am I in hospital?" She asked and then her memory answered the question for her.

"Oh my God… I remember." Her hand covered her mouth to cover her scream.

"You're doing fine and all you need to do is rest, your friends are outside if you want to see them." The woman, who from further inspection was a nurse, smiled and ticked something off on her chart.

"My friends?"

"I'll send them in for you." She said brightly before Cordelia said anything.

Images flashed through her mind, Greg on top of her forcing himself in her, the pain of her insides being torn and stretched.

She felt tears slip down her face. She'd been used, she was a whore.

"Cordy?" Buffy said gently, startling her from her thoughts.

She jumped and then brushed the tears away angrily.

"What are you doing here?" To her own ears, her voice was weak and pathetic.

"We found you, Angel and I." Buffy replied.

It was then that she saw the vampire standing a little further behind her slayer, who had advanced into the room.

"I guess I should thank you for saving my life." Cordelia told her bitterly. "Instead of leaving me to die in the alleyway."

Buffy edged forwards and sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't say it like that."

"How many other ways are there to say it?" She snapped. "You should have left me to die."

"You're a survivor Cordelia." Angel told her from the doorway. "You could have given in and let that man beat you down until you died but you didn’t. You fought for your life and you won."

Cordelia wrapped her arms around her body tightly.

"Are you in any pain?" Buffy asked quietly.

She shook her head. "No."

"Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head and brushed away tears again.

"Are your parents at home?"

She shook her head again. "No, they're out of town somewhere."

"Your doctor said you shouldn’t be alone right now. You could come stop in our spare room. I'm sure my mom won’t mind." She told her sincerely.

"I couldn't do that."

"Why not? At least you won’t be alone. Besides, my mom likes someone sick to look after."

"I'm not sick, and I couldn’t…"

"If you want you can come stop at the mansion." Angel offered. "You'll be alone, I sleep most of the day but if you need me at night I'll be awake."

"That could be a good idea." Buffy agreed. "I could come check on you after school."

"You don't have to pretend to like me just because of what happened." Cordelia told her, her eyes bright with tears.

"Who says I'm pretending?" Buffy asked but even to her ears it sounded a bit false, their past was hardly friendly.

"We're hardly friends." Cordelia whispered, her bruised face casting weird shapes across her skin.

"Maybe we could be." Buffy said simply and stood up. "We should leave you to rest."

Flashes of Greg on top of her flew behind her eyes. "Please don't leave."

Buffy turned back around to the bed and the sound of the pleading in Cordelia's voice. "If you want us to."

Looking scared and alone she nodded.

Buffy nodded at Angel and they sat down in chairs near her bed.


She eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep. Nightmares of the rape swirled around in her head until she shot up in bed gasping for breath between body ripping sobs.

Angel jumped up from his chair to comfort her awkwardly.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed as his hand touched her arm. She looked up into his face and saw that it was him and not Greg. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He murmured and put his arm around her shaking shoulders. "It's only me."

"I thought… I don't know what I thought. Where's Buffy?" She looked around the room wildly.

"She went home a couple of hours ago. She said she'd come back in the morning."

"I don't want to be here in the morning." She whimpered. "I want to go home."

"You should stay here where someone can look after you."

She shook her head. "I need to get out of here."

She swung her legs off the bed before her could stop her. "I can't stand their looks, like I'm sick." She stood up on shaky legs. "But I'm not sick, I just… I just… I just…" Her legs gave way and she fell to the floor, her face in her hand. "I just need it to have never happened."

She broke down in sobs again and he climbed off the bed to put his hand on her shoulder.
"If you're sure I can take you home."

She nodded and looked up into his face. "I'm sure."

He lifted her up so she was perched on the bed and took his coat off to wrap around her shoulders.

"Where are my clothes?"

"They're… The police have them." He told her.

She didn't ask any questions she just put his coat on over the hospital gown and let him help her to her feet.

He took her to the nurses' station outside and demanded that she be discharged. The nurse in charge spent ten minutes telling Cordelia she was disobeying doctor's orders but they eventually left.

He got her shivering form into his car and turned the heat on full in an attempt to stop her shaking. She closed her eyes to fight of waves of nausea that were fighting inside her body at the closeness of Angel, a man and also the dizziness she felt in her head at having walked outside for the first time since it had happened.

She closed her eyes for a moment to fight of the feeling and then opened them. She sat up sharply in her seat. "Where are we going?"

He looked across at her. "To the mansion."

Panic rose up in her chest. "I don't want to go home with you! You're just the same! Let me out!"

He was utterly baffled. "What?"

He slowed the car but she was already clawing at the door handle.

"Cordelia!" He warned.

She wretched the door pen and it was only by using his vampire speed that he kept her from falling out of the car.

"Have you done trying to get yourself killed?" He asked, none too gently. "'Cause that's where you're headed if you try opening the door while the car is moving."

She was trembling under his touch and her eyes were lowered.

"Look." He pointed out gently. "I only want to help. The doctor says you can't stop at home alone so you can come stay with me. I have a spare room and I won't bother you except for if you need me and ask me to, okay?"

Slowly she nodded. "Okay." She whispered, subdued but not relaxed.

"Okay." He agreed and took his arm from hers to shut her door. "I'm taking you to my place now."

She nodded and looked out of the window at her surroundings. She'd seen them practically everyday of her life but all of a sudden everything was more unfamiliar.

Shadows appeared where there shouldn't be any. Darkness was closing in on her, waiting until she was alone before it could claim her. She could feel it.

Continue on...