Part 5
LA, three weeks later …
Angel closed the door to his bedroom, shutting out the sound of Wes, Gunn and Fred arguing over who had eaten the leftover Chinese takeout in the lobby fridge. He twisted the key firmly in the lock, then tugged on the handle to double-check that the door was secure; he had plans for tonight and interruptions would not be tolerated.
The vampire crossed the room and unplugged his cell from the charger – five bars; the phone was ready to go. He stripped himself to his boxers, then settled comfortably on the bed with his head and shoulders propped up by a mound of soft pillows.
Angel deftly pushed the now familiar buttons on his cell and waited for Cordy to answer, a smile of anticipation lighting up his angular face.
“Hello.” His seer’s honeyed voice sounded in his ear.
Let the games begin.
“What are you wearing?” he drawled seductively without any preamble.
Ten minutes earlier in Sunnydale …
Cordy closed her eyes, sighing contentedly as the hot bath water lapped gently at her naked skin and soothed her aching limbs. The heady scent of the bubble bath she’d used infiltrated her senses, calming her overwrought mind.
The seer had originally been reluctant when Willow had offered to take Connor off her hands for the night, but she was now glad that she’d agreed to the witch’s suggestion. Cordy loved Connor with all her heart, but she had got to the stage where she really needed a break, and some time to herself to recharge her batteries.
The seer glanced over at the small digital alarm clock that stood on the bathroom shelf – 22:30 – nearly time for Angel’s phone-call. Timekeeping while she was relaxing in the tub was sacrilege as far as Cordy was concerned, but she was prepared to make an exception just this once; missing the call wasn’t something that beared thinking about.
Knowing that she’d be alone in her bedroom at that time, Angel had taken to phoning her later on at night. This allowed the two of them to talk privately and away from prying ears and eyes. Their conversations of late had been heavy on the angst however, meaning that Cordy, more often than not, hung up the phone in tears.
Caring for Connor kept the seer busy and prevented her from dwelling too much on her loneliness during daylight hours, but at night when the still darkness and the empty space besides her in the bed made the pain of her solitude all the more acute, she cried herself to sleep on a regular basis.
Cordy stepped out of the bath and pulled a warm fluffy towel around her body, securing it firmly over her full breasts before making her way back into the dimly lit bedroom. She pulled open the middle drawer of the chest that stood next to the closet, and rifled through it in search of some clean night-clothes.
The only thing she could find was a blood-red satin negligee that she’d bought a couple of months ago with – she could admit it to herself now – Angel in mind. She hadn’t plucked up the courage to wear the sexy night-dress while she was in LA though; full clothing or comfy pyjamas had been the order of the day back then.
With the change in their relationship, it was different now, so Cordy dropped her towel and slipped her head and arms through the neck of the night-gown, letting it settle naturally over the generous curves of her body. The negligee fell to mid-thigh leaving her long tanned legs and toned calves bare.
The satin fabric felt cool against her warmed skin and her nipples puckered, the sensitive buds stimulated by the disparity in temperature and the sensual glide of the slinky material over her naked flesh.
The phone rang, sounding loud in the still room and making the seer’s heart leap in her chest. She quickly turned to answer it. “Hello.”
“What are you wearing?”
Cordy almost dropped the phone in shock. “*What?!” It came out as a high-pitched squeak.
“You heard me. What are you wearing?” Angel’s tone was deliberately pitched low and suffused with enticement and a mild hint of dominance.
The seer’s insides slowly clenched and released as the rich masculine timbre of the vampire’s voice stirred her senses and started butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Their continued isolation from each other had been weighing heavily on both their psyches recently, and Cordy correctly surmised that Angel had dreamt up this wild and sexy idea to help them both release some tension.
She never once imagined that their first time would be over the phone though, but who was she to argue with what fate had dealt her? Having some naughty and flirtatious fun would bolster her flagging spirits no end.
“A negligee.” she replied, deciding to play along. “Red satin.”
“Fuck!” Angel swore as his overactive imagination conjured up that luscious image in his brain.
Gotcha broody boy! The seer smiled in satisfaction at his desire-filled exclamation.
“What else?” Angel demanded impatiently, once he’d got himself back under some semblance of control.
Cordy looked down at her satin-clad body. “Nothing.” she said, telling him the truth because she knew it would be a turn-on for the frustrated vampire.
“No panties?” Angel’s voice was hoarse and strained in her ear.
“No panties.” The seer confirmed with a slight nod. “You want me to put some on?”
“No, sans panties is just fine by me.”
“Perv!” Cordy laughingly admonished him. “So. Where do you want me?”
Angel laughed. “Now there’s a question. How about lying on your back on the bed?”
The seer moved to do as the vampire instructed, positioning herself on the firm mattress with her slim ankles crossed over each other and her free hand resting lightly on her belly.
“You ready?”
“Yes. No wait – we should switch to speaker phone; this’ll be easier then. You know how to do that right?”
“Err – Speaker phone?”
Cordy rolled her eyes in despair at his cluelessness. “How come you’re always such a retard when it comes to modern technology? You seem to be quite an intelligent manpire apart from that – most of the time anyway.”
“Hey! Watch who you’re insulting tactless girl.” Angel shot back in mock protest.
Cordy laughed at his offended tone, then proceeded to explain how he could change the listening mode on his phone. By some minor miracle, the vampire managed to accomplish the task without cutting her off and having to ring back.
“Okay – what now?” Cordy swallowed her apprehension and drew in a deep breath. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Well, you wouldn’t be the only one.” Angel told her wryly. “Believe it or not, I’m a beginner to the phone sex scene too. We’ll just see how it goes, okay? Do you want to know where I am? What I’m doing?”
“Yes – And tell me what you’re wearing too.” Cordy added as an afterthought.
“Okaay. I’m in my bedroom on the bed. I’ve only got my boxers on because I didn’t want the restriction of too many clothes.” The vampire paused for a moment, letting that sink in, before continuing with his narrative. “I’ve been thinking that I should have gone with my original no clothes idea though. Just imagining you in that red satin creation has me rock-hard; these boxers are far from comfortable right now.”
Cordy blushed furiously at his frankness, but giggled nonetheless. “Aww – poor baby.”
Angel ignored her teasing sarcasm. “Close your eyes please.” he instructed softly. “I’m going to tell you how I’d touch you if I was there with you. I want you to touch yourself in the same way and imagine it’s me – all right?”
“Okay.” Cordy murmured in response, obediently complying with his request to shut her eyes, bringing his beloved face to the forefront of her mind as she did so.
“First, I’d run my fingers over the contours of your beautiful face, before rubbing my thumb along that gorgeous pouty bottom lip of yours.” Angel began, his voice low and melodic.
Cordy copied his description with her fingers, trying to mimic the feather light caress that she remembered from when he had touched her three weeks ago. Her own digits didn’t quite have the same effect but, coupled with her imagination, it was close enough. Her heartbeat sped up and her breathing became heavier as her arousal swelled.
“Now I’m going to use two fingers to find the pulse-point in your neck. Got it?”
“Mmm.”
“Can you feel your heart beating under your fingers? What about the blood rushing through your veins – can you feel that?”
“Yes.” Cordy whispered breathlessly in reply to the vampire’s urgent questions.
“That pulsating sensation you’re experiencing would be at least ten times magnified if it was my fingers there.” Angel told her, his speech vibrating with something dark and indefinable. “The feeling of the blood pumping through your veins is a taste pure life and that’s incredibly erotic to a vampire, even to one who doesn’t drink human blood anymore.”
“Hence your neck fetish.” The seer couldn’t help quipping, despite the mesmerising quality of the vampire’s words.
“I could be persuaded to develop fetishes for other areas of your body.” Angel suggested playfully, responding to her lighter tone. “Your perfect breasts are one possibility that spring to mind.”
I have perfect breasts? Interesting. I thought he had a thing for flat-chested women.
“Tell me baby – just how much delectable cleavage does that night-dress of yours expose?”
Cordy opened one eye and looked down at herself. “Not that much.”
“Just a tantalising hint then; I’ve always found that so much more erotic than a garment that flaunts pretty much everything.”
“Don’t you want to see *everything*?” Cordy asked archly, raising her eyebrows suggestively even though she knew he couldn’t see her.
“Yes, of course I do, but I’d prefer to be the one that reveals every glorious inch of your body though. I can’t do that if you’re already showing it all off, can I?”
“No, I guess not.” Cordy agreed. “So undress me then Angel.” she breathed, her voice husky with need.
“Oh I already am, sweetheart.” Angel’s voice had deepened with his burgeoning arousal. “I’m hooking my fingers in the straps of your night-dress, and sliding them down your shoulders, unveiling those wonderful breasts of yours.”
Pushing her negligee down so that it gathered around her waist, Cordy moaned as her heated skin came into contact with the cooler air of the bedroom. Keeping her eyes firmly closed, she imagined Angel’s hot-eyed perusal of the naked flesh that had just been exposed to him.
“Do you like what you see?” she asked coyly.
“Oh God yes! You’re so beautiful.” The vampire groaned harshly. “You making me so hard baby.”
Cordy could faintly make out a soft rhythmic noise on the other end of the line, but it took a moment for her to register what the sound meant. Liquid fire burned through the seer’s veins when she realised Angel was stroking himself whilst imagining her voluptuous upper body bared to his lustful gaze.
“I need you to touch me again.” she requested urgently, as her clitoris began to throb mercilessly, begging for similar attention to that which her partner’s sex was obviously receiving.
“I’m cupping and squeezing your breasts – I bet they’re just the right size for my hands.” Angel drew in a deep unneeded breath, then carried on. “I’m circling your nipples with my thumbs now – does it feel good?”
“Oh yes!” Cordy let out a series of soft moans as her thumbs teased her rosy nubs to hard erect points, sending shock waves to her core and flooding it with creamy arousal. “Please Angel, I need more.”
“I want to see all of you now, so I’m stripping that night-dress off your body and getting rid of my boxers as well.”
Cordy kicked off the negligee so that she lay nude on the bed, and tried to imagine Angel equally naked beside her.
“Bend your knees, put your feet flat on the mattress and open your legs for me, Cordy.” the vampire growled in a commanding tone, his voice gruff with his arousal.
The seer did as she was told, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she waited for her next erotic instruction.
“I wanna feel how wet you are, so I’m going to take my middle finger and stroke it up the length of your sex to test your readiness for me.”
Cordy’s finger came away glistening with her overwhelming desire. Her readiness was not the problem; what she really needed was for him to hurry up and get on with it. Time to light the blue touch-paper I think, the seer decided.
“I’m soaking wet for you, Angel. Do you want to taste how much I want you?” she asked seductively, then settled back to await the explosion. She was not disappointed.
“Sweet Jesus Cordy!” Angel groaned hoarsely. “Torture a guy why don’t you?”
Cordy slipped her right hand between her thighs and began to hastily circle her clitoris with several fingers, giving into the dire need to touch herself. “Tell me what you’re doing to me.” she ordered, exhaling sharply with the pleasure of the contact.
“I’ve got my head between your legs and I’m using my tongue to lap up all those sweet juices you say are flowing from your body.”
“Oh God!” Cordy cried out, completely immersed in their shared fantasy now.
“I’m pushing two fingers up inside you and licking and sucking on your clit – do you like that baby?”
“Oh yes!” Cordy moaned encouragingly, as she tossed her head feverishly back and forth on the pillow. Her harsh gasps for breath made her incapable of uttering more than a few passion-filled words in response to the vampire’s question.
Angel raced on, beginning to sound desperate. “I’m so hard for you, Cor. I just can’t wait any longer. I need to be inside your hot body now. I’m positioning myself at your entrance, then slowly pushing inside and …”
“Oh God!” they both cried out simultaneously as each visualised the moment of their joining.
“Oh Jesus Cordy, I’m so close.” Angel groaned, a long drawn out sound.
“Oh me too!” Cordy cried out fervently in reply, clamping her thighs tightly around the hand that was rapidly pumping between her legs, inciting her to new heights of arousal.
“You’re so hot, so tight – oh you feel so good.” Angel chanted mindlessly, as he lost himself totally in his imaginations of their lovemaking.
Teetering on the brink of orgasm, Cordy began to rock her hips, simulating the movements that she’d be making if Angel really was there, on top of her, and thrusting deep and hard into her molten core.
The vampire’s voice suddenly changed in pitch and became frantic. “Oh God! Here it is – Oh fuck, I’m going to come. Oh Cordy, yes – this is it – I love you – Oh yeah, I’m coming …”
The sound of her lover revelling in orgasm finally pushed Cordy over the edge as well. She cried out her release, arching her back off the bed and digging her heels into the mattress as she climaxed in long shuddering waves. “Oh Angel, I love you too, so so much.” she moaned in ecstasy.
Slowly coming down from her high, Cordy collapsed back onto the mattress, her cheeks flushed and her body covered in sweat. “Wow!” she gasped when she’d recovered enough to speak.
“Wow about covers it.” Angel agreed, his voice warm and affectionate.
Cordy put her hands up to her flaming cheeks and began to giggle uncontrollably. “Oh my God – I can’t believe we just did that!”
Angel started to chuckle as her mirth infected him over the phone line. “You’re not embarrassed are you?”
“Yes – No, not really. That was pretty intense though.”
“And fun, I hope.” Angel replied. “I thought we both needed to relax and let go a bit. The last few weeks have been pretty rough, and I didn’t want our relationship to suffer for it.”
“It won’t cus we won’t let it.” Cordy declared fiercely. “We have to find a way for me and Connor to come home soon though, Angel. That was amazing, but I want the real thing more than ever now.”
“Me too, baby. Oh God, me too.”
Willow looked up from her books as she heard a faint moan permeating through the wall. Was Cordy in pain?
A deeper masculine groan followed and the witch’s eyes widened in shock. She had a man in there? Where the hell did she get him from?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Willow got up and pressed her ear to the bedroom wall, trying to fathom out what was going on. The redhead listened for a few moments in growing astonishment. She may not have been able to decipher the words, but Willow recognised Angel’s distinctive tones immediately.
The witch had sensed the closeness between the pair three weeks ago during the vampire’s visit. She hadn’t missed Angel’s indifference towards Buffy either, even though the slayer appeared to be blind to it. Cordy had been pretty tight-lipped about the nature of her relationship with Angel when Willow had questioned her about it – only conceding to say that they were close friends.
They were having phone sex in the next room however, so that certainly meant that they were a whole lot more than just good friends! Willow pushed herself away from the wall, her cheeks burning hot, as she suddenly became fully aware of her aural voyeurism.
The witch took a couple of deep breaths as a myriad of questions whirled around in her head.
What about Angel’s soul? Surely neither Cordy nor Angel would risk unleashing Angelus again? Did this mean that they’d somehow found a way round the curse? Why had neither of them said anything if that was the case?
Willow flushed a deeper red and shifted uncomfortably as the sounds from the adjoining bedroom increased in volume. It was a good job Buffy was out patrolling, or she’d be having a pink fit round about now.
“Oh Angel, I love you too, so so much.” Willow could actually make out the words of Cordy’s climactic cry and then there was silence, followed by the sound of quiet laughter a few moments later.
Willow checked on a peacefully sleeping Connor, then returned to her studies with the quiet murmuring of the phone conversation in the next room as accompaniment. After half an hour, the sound of voices ceased, but a few minutes later Cordy’s anguished sobs could be heard through the wall.
Willow’s heart went out to the sobbing seer. She had heard Cordy crying herself to sleep before, but her sympathy for her increased tenfold now that she knew the full extent of the seer’s loneliness. Willow missed Tara’s presence in her life with a deep physical ache and she realised that Cordy must be feeling the same thing in reaction to being separated from Angel.
It was obvious to Willow that Cordy was keeping her and Angel’s coupledom a secret to avoid Buffy’s wrath. The witch was not going to break that confidence because she knew that what Angel and Cordy did with their lives really wasn’t any of Buffy’s concern anymore.
Willow did need to make sure that there was no risk of Angelus though, so she and her former classmate were definitely going to have a talk tomorrow. Cordy was going to tell her exactly what was going on between her and the vampire – whether she liked it or not.
***
Angel stood in the shower, washing himself off. As he relived the earlier phone sex session, his penis stirred with renewed arousal. The vampire groaned and turned the water to ice-cold in an attempt to get his inflamed body back under control.
It was no use though – ever since he and his seer had declared their love for one another three weeks ago, he had been in a constant state of arousal. Almost every thought he had of Cordy led to an erection, meaning that he was continuously having to slip upstairs, or into the bathroom, to take care of the bulge in his pants before any of the others noticed his predicament.
Angel didn’t completely understand his total lack of self-restraint in this matter. He was a vampire who had endured nearly a century of celibacy, but one who now found himself unable to control his desire for Cordy at all. Thoughts and fantasies of his beautiful seer filled his every waking moment and the majority of his fevered dreams as well.
With a frustrated moan, Angel leaned back against the cool tiles, closed his eyes and reached down to take his hardened sex in his hand, conjuring up an image of a naked Cordy in his mind’s eye as he did so. The vampire quickly brought himself to completion, and came with a loud shout of her name a few minutes later.
As he recovered from his orgasm and cleaned himself up for a second time, Angel made a decision. There was nothing for it; he had to find a way to get Cordy and Connor back home to LA. That would mean taking drastic, and probably downright dangerous, measures to deal with his Wolfram and Hart problem, but it was necessary for the sake of his sanity.
He was going to go crazy with lust if he didn’t have Cordy back by his side and in his bed soon.
Part 6 – A week later
Willow watched as Cordy paced back and forth across the kitchen in agitation, almost wearing a hole in the floor as she tried, unsuccessfully, to calm a screaming Connor.
“Can’t you shut him up?” Buffy demanded testily from where she, Dawn, Xander and Willow were sitting at the counter researching the latest demon to throw his gauntlet in the ring with the slayer. “We’re trying to concentrate here.”
“He’s just a baby, Buffy.” Willow jumped in before Cordy lost her rag with an unsympathetic Buffy. “He’s been upset and grizzly all day.”
“Do you think he’s sick?” Cordy asked the witch, her hazel eyes wide with fear. She placed the back of her hand against Connor’s forehead. “He’s all hot. Maybe we should call the doctor.”
“Cordy – he’s just worked himself up into a state that’s all.” Willow soothed gently. “His temperature was fine a few minutes ago. Here – why don’t you let me try?”
The redhead twisted in her seat and held her hands out for the crying baby. Willow suspected that Connor was picking up on the seer’s unsettled mood; Cordy was wringing her hands in anxiety. The witch began to bounce the baby on her knee, cooing quietly to him in calm, soothing voice. “Ssh sweetie – what’s the matter hey?”
Angel hadn’t rung for several days now and to say Cordy was worried was an understatement. The seer had tried calling the hotel, Caritas, everyone’s cell phones and apartments, and nothing – no answer from any of them.
The only thing stopping her from getting in the car and driving straight to LA was little Connor. The seer couldn’t leave her baby son here alone, but equally she couldn’t take him with her, because she had no idea of what kind of danger she might be walking into when she got there.
So, stuck in a Catch-22 situation, Cordy remained in Sunnydale getting more frantic by the minute.
“Why don’t we take him outside for some fresh air? A walk in the park?” Willow suggested to the worried seer. “It might help calm him down.”
“Please do.” Buffy agreed insufferably. “He’s giving me a headache.”
“Cordy.” Willow warned when the seer’s face turned thunderous and she started to round on the petite slayer in fury.
Cordy risked letting her secret slip out if she allowed her anger to get the better of her, and that wasn’t going to help matters one iota. Buffy would hit the roof when she found out about her ex-boyfriend’s relationship with the seer and, what with everything else that was going on, that was the last thing that Cordy needed right now.
The infuriated seer took a few deep breaths, counted to ten and tried to calm down. “I’ll go get the stroller and his diaper bag.” she decided, turning quickly to leave the room before she said something to Buffy that she’d later regret.
“What is her problem?” Buffy demanded harshly once the retreating seer was out of earshot.
“Angel hasn’t called for days – Cordy’s worried.” Willow reproved her friend with a slight frown.
“So? He’s probably in the middle of a case or something. Does she expect him to drop everything just cus she says so?”
The witch sighed – there was no arguing with the slayer in her current frame of mind. “I think you could be a little bit more understanding, Buffy. Not hearing from Angel makes Connor really cranky and it’s hardly a picnic for Cordy to look after him when he’s like this.”
Willow looked down into the little boy’s flushed face; his big blue eyes were still full of unshed tears, but he had quietened down a bit. The witch tenderly stroked the baby’s hot cheek. “You miss your Daddy, don’t you little one?” she murmured to him as she got down from the stool she’d been sitting on.
And your mommy misses him too. Willow thought silently to herself, as she took Connor through into the hall where Cordy had set up the stroller ready for their walk.
As the witch strapped the fretful little boy into his pushchair, she cast her mind back to her conversation with Cordy a week ago ….
Flashback
Willow waited until Buffy and Dawn left the house before confronting Cordy about what she’d heard the previous night. It wasn’t as easy to start the conversation as she thought it would be though.
The witch sat curled up in an armchair endlessly debating how best to broach the delicate subject, until finally the unsuspecting seer unintentionally gave her the opening she required.
“Thanks for taking care of Connor last night, Will.” Cordy said, glancing over at the redhead with a smile of gratitude. She was sitting in a nearby chair playing peek-a-boo with Connor, who was ensconced comfortably in her lap. “I really needed the break and some alone time.”
I bet you did, Willow thought, smiling inwardly at how the seer had utilised her ‘alone time.’ “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind looking after such a cutie. How was Angel when you spoke to him by the way?”
The young witch grinned as Cordy’s face stained pink at the mere mention of her vampire lover.
“Oh – um – okay.” she answered, a little ruffled. “How did you know he called?”
“Err – he calls every night, doesn’t he?” Willow chickened out of telling Cordy the real reason she knew, then sharply berated herself for doing so.
If there’s a risk of Angelus you have to do something – stop being such a wimp and make her tell you what’s going on.
“I kind of heard you too.” the witch added in a rush before she lost her nerve, her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment.
“Oh my God!” Cordy looked over at Willow in mortification, her face flushing the colour of a ripe tomato.
“Look, I don’t want to pry or anything, but if there’s a risk of Angelus getting loose, then I need to …”
“It’s okay Willow.” Cordy interrupted the witch’s flustered tirade to reassure her. “Angel’s soul is permanent – the Powers That Be anchored it.”
“Oh.” Willow said with a sigh of relief. “That’s good – I only just bought some new fish. It’s taken me this long to get over the trauma of losing the last lot.”
“You won’t tell Buffy will you?” Cordy pleaded, her hazel eyes beseeching. “We don’t plan on keeping our relationship a secret forever, but it’d make things really difficult if Buffy knew about Angel and me. You know how she’s gonna react.”
“Unfortunately yes.” Willow replied with a grimace. “Don’t worry; I won’t say anything. Are you sure about Angel though? I mean him and Buffy …”
“Had the forbidden love of all time yada, yada.” Cordy interjected sardonically, screwing up her nose in disgust. “Spare me.”
“Sorry, but all that Romeo and Juliet crap makes me want to barf.” The seer quickly explained her outburst, off Willow’s startled look. “Angel had his chance to return to Buffy, and he didn’t take it. He says he loves me and I have no reason not to believe him.”
The witch nodded in understanding. “So how long have you two been together?”
“Err – about three weeks.” Cordy looked over at Willow with a sheepish expression on her pretty face. “We only confessed our feelings when he came to visit last month. I didn’t know about his permanent soul until then so I never dared say anything before.”
“So you um – well you know – with us downstairs?”
“No, of course not!” Cordy exclaimed. “I mean I *really* wanted to, but I couldn’t, not in Buffy’s house. It just didn’t feel right.”
“And last night?” Willow couldn’t help her inquisitiveness despite knowing it wasn’t remotely any of her business.
“It was Angel’s idea.” Cordy said defensively, relieved that Willow actually seemed to be okay with her relationship with the vampire.
Willow laughed at the seer’s justification for her naughty behaviour. “Sounded like fun.” she teased with a cheeky wink and a knowing smile.
Cordy began to giggle, blushing to the roots of her hair. “Oh my God – I can’t believe you heard us. I’m so embarrassed. I didn’t realise we were that loud.”
“It would be wise to check that Buffy’s out on patrol before you repeat the experience, I think.” Willow advised, still laughing.
Cordy sobered up a little, then graced the redhead with her wide beaming smile. “Thanks Willow. You’re the best. I thought you’d be on Buffy’s side.”
“If you love Angel and he loves you, then I’m okay with it. It’d be different if he was still with Buffy, but they split up years ago. Both of you are free and single; you’ve not done anything wrong.”
“Go tell that to Buffy. I’m sure she’ll have the totally opposite opinion.” Cordy replied, running her fingers through her short dark hair and tucking it behind her ears.
“I do love him though, Willow. More than anything in this world and I love my Connor too – don’t I sweetie?” The seer bent and pressed a sweet kiss to her baby boy’s forehead, whilst gently caressing his rosy cheek with the back of her finger.
Connor smiled sleepily at her in response, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to fight the fatigue that was starting to overtake his little body. The baby’s internal body clock was telling him that it was nearly nap time.
“Mommy loves you, little guy.” Cordy whispered softly in her drowsy son’s small ear. She stroked her hand tenderly over his downy head, and cuddled him close, humming softly to him as he dropped off cradled in her loving arms.
Willow smiled at the perfect picture of motherhood she presented – she couldn’t believe this was the same Cordelia Chase that she used to go to school with …
End of flashback
“I got it.”
Willow’s thoughts snapped back into the present as Cordy descended the stairs with Connor’s diaper bag slung over her arm. The seer’s pretty face was pale and drawn and she had dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes. It was obvious that she’d been crying again.
If Willow had had any doubts about the depth of Cordy’s feelings for Angel, then they’d been swept away by her reaction to his lack of contact over the last couple of days. The seer was making herself ill with worry over what could be happening in LA, imagining all sorts of grim scenarios. Willow had heard Cordy throwing up in the bathroom earlier this morning and also trying to muffle her pain-filled sobs for Angel last night.
The witch was surprised that Buffy hadn’t picked up on the reason for Cordy’s overwhelming concern for the vampire. She supposed it was because the slayer, for some reason, no longer saw Cordy as a rival for Angel’s affections. Buffy was going to get a big shock when she eventually found out the truth, and discovered that she couldn’t be more wrong in her assumptions.
Willow helped Cordy manoeuvre the stroller down the steps and out of the front gate, then the two of them set off in the direction of the park. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Cordy eventually spoke, voicing her fears for Angel’s welfare.
“I’m scared Will. Why hasn’t he called yet?” she burst out, her concern evident in the voice that shook with suppressed tears. “It’s been days now. He told me he had a plan for sorting out Wolfram and Hart, but he wouldn’t tell me what. I’m so afraid he’s gone and done something stupid. What if they’re all dead? Oh God, what would I do then?”
Cordy finally gave into her panic, stopped in her tracks and broke down in tears, covering her face with her hands. Willow took the anguished seer’s arm and wheeled the stroller over to a bench that stood under a huge tree. They sat down and Cordy buried her head in the witch’s lap sobbing out her distress.
Willow stroked Cordy’s dark hair in sympathy while she waged a war with her own inner demons. She eventually gave into the desire to ease her friend’s pain though.
Willow took a deep steadying breath, closed her eyes and concentrated, muttering a few words in Latin. She was somewhat surprised to find that it wasn’t that difficult to keep control of her addiction; it must be something to do with using magic for the right reasons, she decided.
Cordy sat up when she realised what Willow was doing. It took a minute for the spell to work, then the witch opened her eyes and smiled reassuringly at the anxiously waiting seer.
“Cordy – it’s okay. I can’t get a fix on Angel because this locator spell only works on humans, but Wesley and the rest of your friends are alive. If the others are all right, then I’m sure Angel is as well.”
“I hope to god you’re right.” Cordy said tearfully, her fears somewhat allayed. “Thanks Willow. I know how hard that must have been for you to do.”
“Hey, no prob’s – what are friends for?” Willow replied, squeezing the seer’s hand in compassion.
***
“I’m going to try and call the Hyperion again.” Cordy told Willow when the two of them arrived back at the Summer’s house an hour or so later.
She picked up the phone in the front hall and dialled the number of the LA hotel, waiting impatiently while it rang a few times before eventually being picked up.
“Yo! Angel Investigations – we help the helpless, how may we help you?”
“Oh my God Gunn! Where have you all been? What’s been going on? Why hasn’t anyone phoned, or answered any of my calls? Is Angel there? Is everyone all right?” The questions tumbled frantically from Cordy’s lips as relief raced through her body at finally being able to contact one of her friends.
“Whoa! Slow down barbie. One question at a time, my head is hurting.” Gunn’s voice was weary and mildly dispirited.
“I haven’t heard from any of you in days – tell me what’s going on.” Cordy demanded, her stomach knotting with a horrible sense of foreboding.
“Err .. Isn’t English there yet? ” Gunn sounded distinctly reluctant to answer her questions which only served to fill the seer with greater panic. Why is Wesley coming to Sunnydale? Where is Angel?
Cordy started at the sound of the front doorbell, and her heart began to pound in dread as Willow answered the door to admit a bruised and battered Wesley into the house. The seer sucked in a horrified gasp, and gripped the phone tightly in her hand as she took in the ex-watcher’s appearance.
Wesley was walking with a slight limp and holding his side; his face was covered in purple and black contusions and a blood-encrusted cut decorated the length of his left cheek. It was the grave look on the Englishman’s face, however, that stopped Cordy’s heart beating in her chest.
Wesley looked on in stunned alarm as Cordy’s face turned ashen and her hazel eyes darkened with an intense grief. She dropped the phone receiver with a loud clatter, as her breathing started to come in sharp hysterical gasps.
As her vision turned to grey and her blood ran like ice through her veins, Cordy could vaguely hear the sound of someone screaming, but didn’t recognise that the pain-filled wails were emanating from her own throat. “Oh my God, Angel! Not my Angel! Please no! Please not my Angel!”
The distressed seer swayed dangerously on her suddenly unsteady feet, before her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, her agonised cries echoing around the hallway and bringing the rest of the Scoobies running.
Wesley dashed forward, almost tripping over his feet in his haste to reassure his friend. “Cordelia no! It’s okay – Angel’s hurt badly, but he’s still alive.. um .. well still undead is probably a more accurate description.”
The ex-watcher knelt down in front of the seer and rubbed her suddenly cold hands between his much warmer ones. “He’s going to be fine, Cordelia. I promise.”
Cordy was practically hyperventilating with her fear and panic, so it took a moment for Wesley’s assurances about Angel’s non-dust status to register in her bewildered mind. Once her brain had properly processed the words, she flung herself into his arms, sobbing hysterically with her crushing relief. “Oh God, I thought …”
“I know. Ssh – it’s all right.” Wesley whispered soothingly into her ear, as he wrapped his arms comfortingly around her violently shaking form.
Cordy eventually calmed down and pulled away from him, wiping her tears away with her fingers. Wesley stood and helped the seer to her feet, keeping one arm around her waist as he led her through into the lounge. They sat down, side by side, on the sofa.
Cordy looked down at her hands that were still shaking in reaction, then raised her red and swollen eyes to meet her friend’s sympathetic blue ones. “You said he was hurt.” she said, her voice quavering. “Is it bad?”
Wesley nodded soberly. “Pretty bad. Wolfram and Hart had all their lackey’s weapons anointed with a mystical potion that can delay a vampire’s advanced healing processes. The potion is very expensive to make – I doubt even a law firm as powerful as Wolfram and Hart have the resources to manufacture it on a large scale. I believe it was their last ditch defence and they used it. Angel’s wounds won’t kill him, but it is going to be a while before he recovers from them.”
Cordy nodded, gradually getting her emotions back under control as her breathing settled back into its normal pattern. “What happened? He refused to give me any details about what he had planned when I last spoke to him.”
“I’m not surprised.” Wesley told her, sighing in resignation. “His plan was extremely reckless to say the least, but somehow it worked. It was more out of luck than anything else in my opinion though. Wolfram and Hart have agreed to a semi-truce – for now anyway.”
“He just barged in and went all terminator on them, didn’t he?” Cordy guessed, rolling her eyes in despair at her boyfriend’s foolhardiness.
Wesley nodded, shooting a tight smile in the seer’s direction. “Angel decided the only way to defeat Wolfram and Hart was for us to fight back with everything we’ve got. I’ve never seen anything like it Cordelia – I’ve observed his skill in a fight before, but this was just .. ”
The ex-watcher shook his head in admiration. “He was like a machine, systematically destroying everything in his path, despite the injuries inflicted on his own person in the process. He certainly succeeded in frightening Wolfram and Hart into abandoning their current campaign against us. They’ve lost several of their key players over the last few days so, unsurprisingly, have agreed to restore a normal level of hostilities.”
“Does that mean me and Connor can come home?” Cordy’s pretty face was filled with an impossible hope as she waited impatiently for Wesley’s answer to her question.
Wesley smiled broadly at her. “Yes, that’s why I’m here. Angel sent me to pick you up; he wants you both back in LA as soon as possible.”
“Oh!” Cordy put her hands to her mouth, her eyes overflowing with tears again, but of happiness rather than anguish this time.
She leapt to her feet and rushed across the room to take her son from Willow’s arms. “We’re going home Connor.” she told him, planting a soft kiss on his cheek and beaming at him with pure unadulterated joy.
Connor’s round face split into an answering smile and he gurgled, bouncing up and down in her arms, infected by her ecstatic mood. Wesley laughed as Cordy began to twirl around with the little boy cuddled against her chest.
“We’re going home to Daddy. Yes, we are.” she crooned happily to Connor as she danced around the room with the giggling baby. “We’re going home to Daddy, little guy. We are.”
The delighted seer finally skidded to an abrupt stop before an amused Wesley. “I’ve got to go pack” she said, almost jumping up and down in her excitement. “Here hold him while I go and get our things.”
Cordy thrust the baby boy into her friend’s hands, then practically skipped across the room to make her way up the stairs. As she got to the doorway though, she found her path blocked by an irate slayer.
“Since when is he *your* Angel.” Buffy grated angrily, her blue eyes flashing with barely contained fury.
“Since he told me he loved me the last time that he was here.” Cordy retorted defiantly, not bothering to soften the blow.
“He so did not.”
“Did too.” Cordy childishly stuck her tongue out at Buffy. Nothing was going to destroy her good mood – she was going home at long last and she, Angel and Connor were going to be a proper family. She was dying to get away from Sunnydale and back to where she belonged, so didn’t have time for Buffy’s drama queen act.
“Excuse me – I need to go pack, Angel wants *me* home.” The seer quickly pushed past the slayer before she had time to react to the pointed jibe.
“She’s lying.” Buffy turned her furious gaze on Wesley as Cordy took the stairs two at a time in her haste to leave. “I know she’s lying – Angel wouldn’t be interested in her.”
Her ex-watcher resolutely squared his shoulders and prepared to face down the slayer. “She isn’t lying, Buffy; Angel is extremely interested in Cordelia. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he is completely in love with her, and she with him. A lot of things have changed in the last few years; you are no longer the centre of his world – that space is occupied by Connor and Cordy now.”
Buffy shook her head in disbelief. “No, it’s just because they can’t make him perfectly happy like I could – they’re the safe, second choice.”
Wesley laughed incredulously at the slayer’s self-centredness. “The Powers That Be secured Angel’s soul over a year ago. He could have come back to you then if he wanted, but he stayed in LA instead. I think that’s very telling, since Connor hadn’t been born and Angel’s relationship with Cordy was essentially platonic back then.”
“A year! She didn’t tell me that.” Willow clapped her hand over her mouth as she realised what she’d just let slip.
Buffy rounded on her friend. “You knew! You knew and you didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah, I knew.” Willow admitted, shrugging her shoulders. “Only for sure last week though. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react like this. I never thought I’d say this, but I think Cordy is the right one for Angel. She loves him, Buffy; I have no doubts about that and she totally adores Connor too.”
“What does the little brat have to do with anything?” Buffy snapped, her jealousy of Angel’s baby son finally escaping her in the worst possible way.
“Really Buffy, Cordy aside, do you honestly believe that having a child wouldn’t make Angel perfectly happy?” Wesley put in, trying to reason with the stubborn young woman. “Connor is a dream come true for him. He needs somebody who will love him and his baby boy equally. I don’t think you have the capacity to do that, do you?”
“And Cordelia does I suppose?” Buffy said acerbically.
“I think she’s proved that over and over in the last few weeks.” Wesley said quietly, smiling at Willow who was nodding in agreement. “I’m sorry that your fantasy bubble has been burst, truly I am, but you need to face facts – Angel has moved on; Cordy and Connor are his life now, not you.”
Buffy shook her head, trying to ignore the persistent nagging thought that Angel had deliberately chosen to not come back to her when his soul had been made permanent. “No, Angel’s just confused about what he wants. I have slayer issues to take care of here first, but tell him I’m coming to LA to see him in a few weeks time. We can talk properly then.”
Wesley sighed in resignation. There was no use arguing with her, Buffy wouldn’t believe that her relationship with Angel was over until she heard it from the horse’s mouth. “Okay, I tell him.” he agreed reluctantly.
***
As the car drew up outside the Hyperion, Cordy was suddenly, inexplicably, nervous. She’d been so happy about coming home that the reality of facing an injured Angel hadn’t sunk in.
The seer was beside herself with worry now though. Wesley was hurt pretty badly, and yet it had been him, not Angel, who had driven to Sunnydale to collect her. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked her friend.
Wesley nodded, knowing immediately what she was asking even though she hadn’t spoken two words to him since they left Sunnydale behind. “He’s badly hurt Cordelia. It’s not pretty; I think you should prepare yourself for that. It is a shock when you’re so used to seeing him quickly bounce back from all manner of horrible wounds, believe me.”
Cordy nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. She slowly got out the car and reached into the back-seat to unbuckle a sleeping Connor from his car seat. She headed through the courtyard with the slumbering baby in her arms.
“Cordy, Connor – you’re home!” The seer found herself engulfed in Fred’s excited embrace, the moment she stepped through the double doors into the Lobby.
“Yeah. We’re home.” Cordy forced herself to smile. “I’m sorry guys, can we catch up later? I really need to see Angel.”
Gunn nodded. “Sure thing. Good to see you princess.” he said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly.
Cordy made her way up to Angel’s bedroom, her heart pounding like a bass drum in her chest. She twisted the doorknob and slowly entered the classically decorated bedroom, her eyes immediately drawn to the still figure on the bed.
“Oh God!” she breathed in alarm, tears spilling down her cheeks as she took in the state of Angel’s broken body.
The vampire’s face was unrecognisable; his eyes were swollen shut, and every inch of his pale skin was purple and black with bruises. Various cuts on his brow and puffy lips still oozed scarlet blood. Cordy dreaded to think what other horrors were hidden underneath his torn clothing.
Lorne got up from where he was seated by the bed watching over the injured vampire, and quickly crossed the room to take Connor from her arms.
“How about I take the little pumpkin for a bit, princess?” the green-skinned demon offered, patting Cordy on the shoulder before leaving her alone in the dimly lit bedroom.
Cordy took a deep breath and moved closer to the bed. “Angel?” she whispered softly.
Angel felt like he was swimming under water; the muffled sound of voices at the surface teased his senses. His nostrils flared as the familiar scent of his seer’s perfume stimulated his sense of smell. “Angel?”
Angel compelled his eyes to open, moaning in pain as his swollen face protested the movement. “Cordy.” he croaked, forcing the words past his parched throat.
“Oh God Angel.” The vampire felt the bed dip as she sat next to him and reached out with tentative fingers to gently touch his face. “Look at the state of you.”
“Everywhere hurts.” Angel told her, swallowing painfully; his larynx had been badly bruised by a Streflar demon who had tried to strangle him.
“Has someone patched you up?”
“Fred – a bit.”
“Not enough.” Cordy said critically, lifting his shirt and wincing at the exposed deep wounds that criss-crossed his chest.
The seer got up and searched for a pair of scissors and the first aid kit, then proceeded to strip him of his dirty clothes in order to bathe and bandage all of his dreadful injuries. Finally she helped him into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and tucked him back up in bed.
Angel actually felt a whole lot better once she was done, and sighed contentedly when she settled on the comforter next to him, being careful not to accidentally brush against any of his painful injuries. He breathed in the sweet smell of her hair and felt the hypnotic pull towards sleep.
“Connor?” he asked, forcing himself awake again and trying to sit up as the thought of his son suddenly intruded on his consciousness.
“Lorne is baby-sitting; he’s fine.” Cordy told him, placing a gentle hand on his chest and pushing him back down on the mattress again. “You need to rest, you can see him tomorrow.”
“Mmm.” Angel nodded and closed his eyes again. “I wanted you in my bed, but I didn’t mean like this.”
Cordy giggled as she lay her head next to his on the pillow. “We’ve waited this long; I think we can manage a few more weeks of abstinence.”
“Speak for yourself woman; not being able to touch you has been driving me totally crazy.” Angel murmured drowsily, curling his fingers around hers. “I can’t even kiss you properly.”
Cordy lifted her head and kissed him gently on the lips. “I promise it’ll be worth the wait.” she told him with a contented smile. “All that matters is that we’re back together.”
“I love you, Cor. I’m so glad you’re home.” Angel declared softly, just before his injured body’s need for rest overcame him.
“I love you too, Angel.” Cordy whispered to her sleeping manpire, then closed her eyes and succumbed to her own exhaustion.
***
Lorne peeked around the door and smiled at the slumbering couple on the bed. He tiptoed across the room and placed the baby boy in the cradle, then turned and left the reunited family alone to their peaceful sleep.
