Part 4
“Welcome to the Wellington Marriage Center. My name is Dr Robert Altman but you can call me Bob. We’re pretty informal around here. These are my associates Drs Baker, Danner and Miller. During the course of the day, you will be contacted by one of us for private sessions. Talking amongst other couples can be very helpful but it can also be limiting at times. Which is why we do both. We don’t claim to have any miracle solutions. We don’t have all the answers but we will do our absolute best to set you on the right path. Now I know this may seem a bit like school but please answer when I call your names. Mr & Mrs Simmons?”
“Please call us George and Donna.”
“I’d be delighted. How long have you been married?”
“Twelve long years.”
“George, do you always have to make the same stupid joke?”
“Who’s joking?”
“Please, both of you. How about you tell us more about yourselves.”
Angel tried to remain focused but he couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened. Waking up with Cordelia in his arms felt like a dream come true. He should have known better. Potion or not he’s still a cursed vampire. He isn’t supposed to be happy. He looked over at Cordelia. She looked so beautiful sitting there studying everyone in the room. Something she’d gotten pretty good at. He fought the urge to touch her. Angel didn’t want to criticize the woman he loved but her mixed signals were driving him crazy. He desperately wanted to make love to her. Cordelia seemed to return his kisses with equal passion. He couldn’t understand what kept stopping her. Now that Angelus wasn’t a possibility, it was all he could do not to pounce. *I have to do everything I can to show her how much I love her.*
“Mr & Mrs Murphy?”
“Angel and Cordelia..Cordy will be fine.”
“How long have you been married?”
“A little under a year but we’ve known each other a long time.”
“Nobody’s judging you, Cordy. There is no shame in seeking help for your problems. Why don’t you tell us a little about what brought you here?”
*Why do I have to do the talking?* “Well, I recently found out that Angel lied to me about sleeping with..an old girlfriend while we were apart.”
“Are you afraid he may be unfaithful again?”
“I wasn’t unfaithful. When she said apart, she meant no longer together.”
Cordelia turned her annoyed glare to Angel. “He dumped me so he could be free to fight that..”
“Darla worked for a rival company.”
“So you weren’t together when you became involved with..Darla?
“I wasn’t involved. It was one night.”
“Which he lied to me about. I asked him if he..”
“Technically you didn’t ask.” *Did she just growl at me?*
“I quote ‘You know I would never do that’ end quote.”
“Why weren’t you honest with your wife?”
“She was so angry with me already. Not that I blame her. I made a lot of mistakes. I was afraid she wouldn’t take me back if she knew what I’d done.”
“Do you regret lying to her?”
“..Of course.”
“I noticed you hesitated.”
“She was Really angry. I needed another chance.”
“I see. Do you regret your…experience with this other woman?”
“Yes..and no.”
“In what way?”
“I was going through a dark time.” He ignored Cordelia’s snort. “I was self destructing. I guess you could say that night was me hitting rock bottom. I came to my senses and realized what I’d done. What I lost. I knew I had to do whatever it took to get Cordy back.”
“Like lying?”
“She had another guy in her life too. She even said she loved him. The guy was a complete idiot. An all brawn and no brain type of guy. What kind of name is Groo anyway?”
Cordelia knew her mouth was hanging wide open but she couldn’t help it. *What the fuck is he doing?*
“Cordelia?”
“Umm..Groo is a guy I met..on vacation. It was one of those whirlwind romances. I never lied about anything and I did NOT sleep with him.”
“Were you in love with him?”
“I thought I was at the time but no. I just got caught up in the whole…I mean he was the first guy in a really long time who made me feel like a desirable woman.”
“You gotta be joking! You’re..” Angel’s glare and his wife’s elbow kept George from continuing.
“Please continue Cordelia.”
“It felt good to be wanted. Groo treated me like I was his princess. It just wasn’t..real. In the end I went back with Angel.” *Who I’m going to kill later. This was so not part of the plan!*
“I see. I’ll pose my original question to you both. Are you afraid the other will be unfaithful?”
“No.” I will never let another man touch her Angel silently added.
“I’m not really worried about his fidelity exactly. It’s just..his business can be volatile. I can’t help worrying about what he’ll do the next time things get tough.”
“I understand. Mr and Mrs Hicks?”
Cordelia couldn’t listen anymore. There were still eight more couples to go through. They weren’t the danger. In danger possibly but the dumbass next to her would keep them safe. *I can’t believe he dragged Groo into this. He doesn’t even fit in the timeline Wes came up with. Angel and I were supposedly engaged when we were in Pylea. He’s lucky he didn’t say I was with Groo after we got back together. He would have been dust faster than I could say ‘rat bastard’.*
***
Cordelia slammed the door behind her. She plopped down on the couch and booted up the laptop. She ignored the knocking.
“Cor? Cor, c’mon open the door. Please!” He sighed in relief when the door opened. “Hey.”
“I can’t believe you brought up Groo! As if it’s even remotely similar.”
“At least I never claimed to love Darla.”
“No. You just screwed her to make you feel better. You should call Wilson. I’m sure he’d understand.”
Angel pulled her off the couch and pressed her into the wall. “Don’t you dare compare me to that bastard!”
“But it’s okay for you to compare that skanky ho to Groo? And he isn’t an idiot.”
“I’m sorry if I offended your precious Groo. Are you sure you don’t regret your choice?”
“Don’t start. I made my decision.”
*What the hell is that supposed to mean?* His anger started to deflate. She said she never really loved that himbo. She left Pylea and her kingdom for..no not for him. He looked into her angry eyes. He released his grip. She was right. She didn’t do anything wrong. “Do you really think I’m like Wilson?”
“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. You were hurting and confused..Dammit Angel!”
“What?”
“You bastard! You have me defending your actions. Get out!”
“What?”
“Get out. Go wander around the building or something.”
“Cor..”
“No. Just go. Please. I need some time to cool off.” She pulled his head down to kiss his cheek and whispered. “This is the part where you go snoop around.”
“I’m coming back. Soon.”
“Whatever.”
*Is she just pretending to be mad or what? I’m so confused.*
***
Wesley,
I can’t believe you sent me here with this dumbass. He actually had the nerve to throw Groo in my face during group therapy. As if I did anything wrong. What does it matter to him if I loved the guy or not. I came back. I didn’t abandon the mission and he got to keep his link. I guess you’re wondering if we remember we’re here on a case. We do. I sent Angel to snoop around the building. Nothing suspicious yet. We’ll be in touch. Say hello to Gunn and Fred for me.
Love,
Cordelia
P.S. Maybe you and I should have come instead. We’d make a pretty convincing dysfunctional couple.
***
Angel returned with his head hanging low. He still wasn’t sure if she was mad at him or just pretending so he’d have an excuse to wander around the building. He sat next to her on the bed. “Are you still mad?”
She looked up at his sad face. *I can never stay mad at you for long. Don’t you know that by now?* “No. I vented my anger in an email to Wes. I feel much better now.” Cordelia snuggled into Angel’s side and whispered. “Did you find anything?”
Angel decided to take advantage of the situation. How much restraint was a manpire supposed to possess. He began planting kisses on her neck. “No. Nothing suspicious. No symbols, no weapons and no demons anywhere.”
“mmm..Angel. What are you doing?”
He pushed her back onto the bed. His kisses continued while his hand made quick work of her buttons. “Am I doing something?”
“Yes. Oh God! Umm..we.can’t…mmm..ah..do this.”
“Why?” His hands started on her pants. “I know you want me. I can smell it.” A hand slipped into her pants.
She stopped his hand from reaching its goal. “We’re supposed to be in Bob’s office in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh.” He pulled his hand free. He looked down at her. She was flushed, covered in black satin and jeans. Her eyes were almost black with desire. His hand traced circles on her bare stomach. “Can’t we reschedule?” He leaned down to nibble of her ear. “We can have our own private session right here.”
Cordy rolled him onto his back and straddled his waist. She licked his bottom lip. He opened his mouth to her. With a giggle, she ignored his invitation and kissed a path to his ear. “Despite what you might be thinking, we didn’t come here for you to get laid. We’re here to solve a case.” She sat up. “I don’t think we should miss our appointment. We came here for help.”
He watched her button up her shirt. “I’m gonna need a minute.”
***
“Cordelia. Angel. Come in. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Cordelia sat down on the sofa. Angel sat by her side close enough that their shoulders were touching.
“This will be a rather short session today. Just a get to know you kind of thing. Tell me about when you first met.”
“We were living in Sunnydale. I was still in high school. Angel was dating a…girl I knew. We didn’t really get to know each other.”
“Why not?”
*He was obsessed with Buffy and I was afraid of him after he tried to kill me and my boyfriend. Take your pick.* “Angel was..is a private guy. He wasn’t exactly friendly back then.”
“So when did you get to know each other?”
“After moving to LA.”
“Together?”
“No. I came to pursue an acting career.”
“And you?”
“I came..to start my business.”
“We ran into each other at a party. He saved me..um..from a really obnoxious guy. We talked. I went to visit his new office the next day. It was obvious he could use some help so I volunteered.”
“She asked me for a job. Her acting career wasn’t paying the bills. I hired her as my secretary even though she couldn’t type and her filing system was..is still a mystery.”
“Anyway we became friends.”
“When did you start to date?”
“A couple of months later. Angel finally got the courage to ask me out.”
“When did you know you were in love?”
“Cordelia was in an accident. When I saw her in that hospital bed I..just knew.”
Cordelia looked at him. *Knew what? Say it!*
“Cordelia?”
“Oh. Umm..I..ummm it was something small. Angel had gotten some bad news. He was a little depressed. I thought a new hobby might cheer him up so I went shopping. I bought a whole bunch of art supplies for him. The girl who sold them made a small remark about Angel’s importance to me. It just kinda hit me.” For a whole second before my denial kicked back in she silently added.
Angel couldn’t stop himself. He needed to know if she made up the entire story. “What art supplies?”
“I never gave them to you. That was the day…I had my accident. Someone must have stolen them. That’s life in the big city.”
“When did you propose?”
“About a year ago. It took some begging and a few..a lot of gifts before Cordy agreed to give me another chance. One night we went out to celebrate her landing her first national commercial. She looked so beautiful. I hadn’t planned to ask her to marry me. I made a joke of asking her not to leave..me when she got famous. I suddenly realized I never wanted to let her go. I asked her to marry me.”
“I knew you looked familiar. It was a commercial for suntan lotion. You were very..good.” He fidgeted under Angel’s hostile glare. “Anyway, how did you find out about Angel’s..”
“Lie? Darla showed up on our doorstep and announced it. I expected Angel to tell her she was delusional. He didn’t. One look at his big fat guilty face and I knew he lied. He blurted out his whole ‘it was a dark time’ speech. I wasn’t really in the mood to listen.”
“I really hate to do this but our time is up. Dinner is about to be served. I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”
Angel felt like snapping Bob’s neck. *The bastard just had to end the session by pissing Cordy off. She is so not gonna be in the mood tonight!* He wanted to stomp his feet and declare life unfair. *And I don’t have a big fat face.*
***
Angel left dinner early so he could drink his V8 in privacy. He noticed the laptop and decided to check their email account. He was pretty proud of himself when a message appeared on the screen.
Cordy,
Please try to be patient with Angel. We know what you sacrificed for the mission in Pylea and we are all happy you chose to return with us. I’m flattered by your suggestion that you and I should have handled the undercover work. I know we can agree our encounter in LA was fraught with more passion than our time together in Sunnydale but I really think this is a good opportunity for you and Angel to deal with your feelings. I know you’re upset about having to pretend to love him. It’s a good thing Cordelia Chase never backs down from a challenge. I’d like to remind you, you used to be a risk taker.
Love,
Wesley
Angel reread the message. *She wishes she came with Wesley? She’s upset about pretending to love me? WHAT encounter in LA?*
“Hey Angel. Any news from the home front?”
Angel hit the delete button before closing the laptop. “Not really. Everything is fine. I..think I’m gonna go out for a walk.”
“Now?”
“Yes. I haven’t really seen the grounds yet.”
“Do you want some company?”
“No”
“Oookay. I guess I’ll watch some TV before bed.” She heard the door close. She knew he should explore the surrounding area but she was a little shocked he didn’t want to pick up where they left off. She spent the last half hour debating what she should do. There was still a part of her that didn’t want to let casual sex jeopardize their friendship, but that part was getting quieter and quieter every time he touched her. With no curse holding him back, she was losing her resolve quickly. She looked around their empty room. No happies for Cordy tonight. *Maybe when he gets back.*
***
Cordelia woke up to find Angel’s side of the bed empty. She glanced at the clock. He should have been back hours ago. She decided to go look for him. She reached for her robe and froze. Angel was asleep on the couch bed. She suddenly felt very alone. “Angel?”
“Angel?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you sleeping over there?”
“I’m tired. We’ll talk later.”
She hopped out of bed and crossed the room. “Why are you sleeping over here?”
“I’m tired. Go to bed.”
“Fine.” She climbed in with him.
“I meant in your bed.”
“Since when is it my bed? What’s wrong?”
“I’m just tired.”
“Okay.” She snuggled next to him. She could feel his body tense at her touch. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“You want to know? Fine.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’m not Wesley!”
“Well duh! Does what you just said make sense in your world? ‘Cause I’m over here in the land of huh.”
“You don’t need to hide your disappointment by making jokes. I know you’d rather be here with him. After all your ‘encounter in LA’ was so passionate.”
“And again I say huh?”
“Wes did his best to console you in your time of need. If only David Nabbit hadn’t insisted I come here, you two could be together. No faking necessary. It all makes sense now. Why he didn’t want to take the case. Why he stressed we could fake whatever YOU weren’t comfortable with. He wasn’t worried about my comfort. He just didn’t want me touching you!”
“Now I know someone’s been slipping vodka in your blood ’cause you aren’t making any sense.”
“No more lies Cordy. Wesley’s message said and I quote ‘I know we can agree our encounter in LA was fraught with more passion than our time together in Sunnydale’. It explains why he told me I didn’t know you after my epiphany. Why he was mad about my buying you clothes. And who the hell says fraught?” He wasn’t sure what he expected her reaction to be but a fit of giggles definitely wasn’t it. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re so cute when you act like a complete dork. The ‘encounter’ he was referring to was a kiss we shared. He’s right. The kiss in LA was a lot better. The one in Sunnydale will go down in the history books as the worst kiss ever.”
“A kiss? That’s it? What were you doing kissing Wesley?”
“Pfft. I kissed everybody that day. You included. Hell I even kissed the demon who auctioned off my eyes!”
“Oh..OH!” He suddenly felt like a dork. “Do you really wish you’d come with Wes?”
“No. I was mad. I told you I vented in my message to Wes. You totally blindsided me with the whole Groo thing. He doesn’t even fit into the timeline!”
“I’m sorry. Bob was attacking me. I got flustered.”
“Uh huh. So you shielded yourself with me. What a champion you’ve become.”
“I said I was sorry.” He gave her his best puppy face even though the room was dark. “Is pretending with me really that difficult?”
“Yes!” She cupped his cheek. “I’m having a hard time drawing the line between..showing affection and pretending.” She moaned as his lips captured hers.
“I know what you mean. Every time I kiss you I don’t want to stop.”
She tried to stifle her yawn.
“Am I boring you?”
“No! It’s 4 o’clock in the morning. I’m tired.”
“So was I. You’re the one who insisted we talk.”
“You were sleeping all the way over here.” She snuggled closer to him. “I didn’t like it.”
“Neither did I.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
“Cor?”
“Cor?” Her only response was a soft snore. “Figures!” He tightened his arms around her. “Mine.”