32: Trinity Baptist Church, Eastside, Sunnydale
Their tender embrace made for a surprisingly touching sight for Spike and Drusilla as they rounded the corner of the church.
“Well, well, well,” Spike chuckled. “Angelus, that’s a nice little bed warmer you’ve got there. Wouldn’t waste her on a midnight snack.”
Angel whirled Cordelia out of his arms and into a safer position behind him. His attention had been fully focused on her, so he had only himself to blame for not detecting their approach. The urge to let loose and make Spike pay for the interruption tugged inside him, but he knew he needed make Cordelia’s safety his priority.
Suppressing the urge to bare his fangs, he remained outwardly calm. “What are you two doing back in Sunnydale?”
Drusilla gingerly stepped forward, coming half the distance between the two vampires. She swayed from side to side to catch a better glimpse of Cordelia. “She’s a pretty one, my Angel. Let me see her properly.”
A familiar little pout appeared suggesting that the request was innocent enough—for the moment. Knowing that indulging Drusilla’s whims kept her docile, Angel hoped Cordelia would, “Follow my lead,” as he motioned her forward.
“As long as that gets us the hell out of here,” Cordelia whispered back. Moving up, she stood as close to him as possible, her right shoulder, breast and hip brushing up against him.
Smiling, Drusilla glided forward, stopping just out of arms reach when Angel warned her off, “That’s close enough, Dru.”
Angel could feel and hear Cordelia’s heart racing as Drusilla tilted her head this way and that. Her eyes flitted over every curve and returned to stare deeply into her eyes as if she could read every nuanced emotion hidden there. “She’s a very pretty little pet, my Angel. Is she as soft and snuggly as a kitten?”
“This kitten has claws,” Cordelia snapped at her when the vampire ventured too close for comfort, “so back off.”
Angel nudged her with his elbow.
Drusilla simply hissed playfully, a grin on her face. “What say you, Spike? Do you like Angel’s new kitten?” She circled behind them forcing Angel to shift position to keep an eye on them both.
Without hesitation, Spike answered truthfully, “She’s frikkin hot. Wouldn’t mind a turn at seeing just how sharp those little claws can be. I like ‘em a bit frisky.”
“Eew!” Cordelia was seriously grossed out at the thought of Spike touching her. “What is it with you people? Hello, do I have a sign that says ‘Vampire Pet’ hanging around my neck?”
“No, but you got a neck,” Spike leered as he edged closer. “For Angelus, that’s usually enough. Bonus points for the great rack and killer legs.”
“Take one more step,” warned Angel with deadly calm, “and I’ll make sure you won’t ever take another.”
Spike threw up his hands, “Oooooohhhh! I’m so scared,” he quaked in mock fear.
There was no way out of the confrontation that was coming. Spike was obviously looking for a fight, but Angel had Cordelia to consider. He maneuvered her toward the entrance of the church, keeping both Spike and Dru in his sights. They made it to the back door. Angel shouldered it open, breaking the lock and hinges.
“Get inside,” he ordered while removing the car keys from his pocket and slipping them into her hand.
Cordelia grasped his arm a little tighter. She was not about to leave him no matter how scared she was of those two lunatics. Automatically arguing, “But—”
Growling her name, Angel told her to go. He was forced to turn away to keep track of Drusilla and Spike who were now approaching his position. “What the hell do you two want?”
“Maybe I just missed you, my Angel,” Drusilla sighed as she waltzed up the stairs, her hands sliding up over his chest. She curled her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
Firmly, but gently, Angel pulled her loose and held her at arms length. “You know those days are over.”
“The nasty soul is here to stay,” she nodded, “but it doesn’t make you happy. Not at all. You wallow in guilt and your heart still stinks of one who does not deserve it.”
A phantom stab of pain accompanied her touch. “Leave Buffy out of this.”
Drusilla promised him, “Your precious Slayer is not the reason I have come.”
She grabbed his arms so quickly that Angel failed to see it coming. Using a strength that he often forgot she possessed, Dru tossed him down the steps where Spike was waiting, a dark scowl spread across his face.
Before disappearing into the church, she told them, “Play nice.”
Scene 33
Trinity Baptist Church, Eastside, Sunnydale
Cordelia tugged hard on the doorknob, but like all of the others leading out of the sanctuary, it was locked. She heard Angel calling out her name and warning Dru not to harm her. That meant— “Oh crap!”
Whirling around, she saw Drusilla coming closer down the center aisle. She had a way of walking in that ivory gown that seemed to make time move slowly. Dru’s vampiric features melted into the soft, smooth angular curves of her human face. Those dark, piercing eyes made contact across the distance separating them.
“Do not fear me, kitten,” Drusilla’s soft voice carried across the chamber. “Come closer.”
“I’m a little busy right now,” Cordelia answered as she kicked at the door. When it did not budge, she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon.
Hello, this was a church. Running for the altar, she made a grab for the golden cross sitting at its center and managed to hold it in front of her just as Drusilla reached her. She screamed for Angel and her own name echoed back. For a moment, he appeared in the doorway, ready to come after her, but Spike showed up right behind him.
“Not so fast,” Spike said as he wrapped his arm around Angel’s neck and pulled him back down the steps.
“Boys will be boys,” giggled Dru as she turned her attention back to Cordelia. “I think it’s time we left them to their games.”
Cordelia knew the only way out of the church was the back door and Drusilla was blocking the aisle. Stepping away from the altar, she held out the cross as if it was a shield guarding her from harm. Dru backed away a little, but only enough to allow her a sliver of space.
Hissing at the cross, Dru vamped out and swiped it from Cordelia’s shaking grasp. Tossed away the cross clanked against the marble flooring behind the altar and slid into a far corner. Faint smoke rising from Dru’s singed hand cleared almost instantly leaving the vampiress pouting and Cordelia looking for another avenue of escape.
There was none. Drusilla’s still warm hand curled around her arm, yanking her close with a hard tug that was sure to leave bruises. “Good girls shouldn’t be so cruel to their friends.”
Most of what Cordelia knew about Drusilla had come from overhearing the others talk. This was really the first time they had been face to face. Cordelia had been outside the church sanctuary when the others were rescuing Angel that one time. She was in charge of setting the trap for the creepy bug guy. Then there was the time Xander’s spell had backfired and she later heard that even Drusilla had come onto him.
“We don’t really have much in common,” Cordelia told her. “Maybe you ought to rethink this friend thing and just let me go before Angel turns you into a big ball of dust.”
Combing her fingers through Cordelia’s hair, Drusilla lifted the loose strands to her cheek. “My Angel would never do that. I’ll take my punishment like a good little girl.”
“Eew!”
When Cordelia stomped on her foot and made a break for it, Drusilla caught up almost instantly, letting out a snarl and shaking her shoulders until her teeth chattered. “Naughty little pet. You won’t get to meet Miss Edith if you have to be punished.”
Dizzy, it took all of Cordelia’s concentration to stand up. Then she heard Drusilla speaking to her, the dulcet tones urging her to look into the eternal depths of her eyes. “That’s it, kitten, be in me. Look deep and tell me what you see.”
Swaying together, entranced, Cordelia could only respond to the flood of images in her head. One stood out from amongst the others, a tall figure emerging from the shadows. Recognizing him instantly, Cordelia reached out for him, calling his name, “Angel.” Then there was more and what she saw left her breathless.
Drusilla walked around her, clasping Cordelia’s throat from behind and pulling her close. “That is but a glimpse of tomorrow and days that will follow. Angel is your future.”
No longer caught up in the trance, Cordelia was not even certain what she saw. Only that Angel played a part in it. “Look, Drusilla— that’s your name, right?”
“Yes, Cordy,” Dru purred while moving away a strand of hair covering Cordelia’s throat.
“Cordelia,” she snapped back and tried to loosen the handhold around her neck.
“Don’t struggle, pet,” Drusilla warned softly. “The stars sing your name, beautiful one. In time, they will sing their sweet song so that you may hear it. That makes you special. My Angel calls you Cordy. So shall I.”
Staring toward the door, Cordelia wondered what the heck was taking Angel so long. For the moment, the lunatic vampiress seemed content to chat and Cordy had to admit that she was for anything that kept her neck a bite-free zone. “Tell me more about this singing thing, cos I can tell you I was a huge hit in last year’s talent show.”
Stroking the fingers of her free hand along Cordelia’s smooth throat, Drusilla let her fingers flutter over the pulse she found there. “Mmmm,” she leaned a little closer. “Time will whisper its secrets, show you pretty pictures of gore and destruction.”
Cordelia shuddered at the thought of it. She had no idea whether to believe Dru or not, but if this was just a scare tactic, it was working. “Couldn’t I just get the Cliff Notes version?”
“Heartache, pain and death will be your prize, sweet kitten,” warned Drusilla, “or you can listen to me. Angel is your future and I will see him happy or you will be dead.”
“Look,” Cordelia tried again, “you’ve got the wrong idea. Huge mistake. You’re obviously looking for the Slayer. Buffy’s not here right now, but I can give her a message.”
“It is not the Slayer who holds they key to my Angel’s happiness,” Dru whispered into her ear. “We shall spend time together while I am here on the Hellmouth.”
Wide-eyed, Cordelia was suddenly on information overload. “My social calendar is already full. Sorry, maybe next year?”
A little growl sounded in her ear, reminding her that Drusilla might be mad, but she was deadly serious. “The soul may soften him, but my Angel is a demon in bed and out. You remember that. He likes his pleasure and pain, he does. If you promise to be a good girl, I will tell you what stirs his blood, what makes him hard, what makes him moan.”
“What? No— eew!” Cordelia really did not want to hear any more. This was already seriously freaking her out. “Let me go.”
The plea emerged as a demand; one Drusilla had no intention of acting upon until Angel appeared in the doorway again. Bruised and bloody, he dumped Spike’s semi-conscious body on the back pew. “Do as she says, Dru. Let her go.”
“Do you hear it, my Angel?” Drusilla nuzzled her cheek against Cordelia’s throat. “The sweet rush of fear.”
Angel moved slowly down the aisle, determined not to make a move that would cause Drusilla to act. All she needed was a fraction of a second and Cordy would be dead. A bite, a slashed throat, a broken neck; there were too many possibilities to defend from this position. Rationality often escaped Dru, but talking her down from this was probably his only option.
There were no tears in Cordelia’s eyes, but he saw that she was afraid. He could hear it, just as Dru suggested: the rapid beat of her heart, the intoxicating flutter of her pulse adding to the scent of fear. The desperation gleaming in her eyes forced him to move faster.
“Don’t,” Angel shouted as he saw his childe’s mouth descend toward the flawless turn of her throat. Then he was running full tilt down the aisle.
It was over in a flash. Cordelia screamed loudly, grabbing her neck. Dru tossed her forward into Angel’s arms as she ran past him. The building started to shake and it was all Angel could do to sweep Cordelia up into his arms before it began to crumble around them. Dodging falling ceiling beams and rubble, they made it out.
Drusilla stood at the center of the cemetery with Spike in her arms, staring back at them. Angel barely spared them a glance. His only concern was to get Cordy to safety.
“Put me down,” she squirmed out of his hold hopping down to the still-shaking ground. “I’m not an invalid.”
She pushed away despite his warning, “Look out!” The ground opened up beneath them, a crevasse appearing, rending and splitting the earth. It swallowed the remains of the church, cut a gash in the middle of the graveyard stopping near the tree line.
When the shaking stopped, Cordelia lay at the bottom of the crevasse staring up at Angel who looked even paler than usual. He dropped to his knees next to her urging her to say something to assure him that she was okay. She did not move and just lay there holding onto her neck.
“Let me see.” Trying to pry her fingers away, Angel demanded gruffly, “Move your hand, Cordy.”
With a huff, she dropped her hand to her side and turned her head. “Is it bad?”
Angel gently brushed away the hair from her throat, his body tense despite the fact that the blood he scented came from fresh scrapes from her fall and not from a gaping wound.
“She didn’t bite you.” He sat back on his heels, relieved at finding only a rosy lipstick smudge on Cordelia’s throat. Drusilla had all the time she needed to kill her. This was a message for him, but considering Dru’s involvement, it could mean just about anything.
Cordelia sat up, feeling her throat again. “She didn’t? No thanks to you, buddy! Where the heck were you, getting your ass kicked by Spike?”
“He did not kick my ass,” Angel assured her. Actually, that was probably the one spot that didn’t get kicked.
Rising to his feet, he helped her to hers. “Just tell me he looks worse,” Cordelia traced the edge of a dark bruise on Angel’s cheek.
“Spike always looks worse,” Angel joked and then winced as his attempt to smile tugged at his split lip. Then seriously, told her, “They got out before the worst of the quake, but I know those two. Being here wasn’t a coincidence. They wanted something.”
Cordelia answered, “Me.”
“What did Dru say to you?” he questioned cautiously as if he suspected anything and everything.
“Oh, pfft, nothing,” Cordelia started walking down the narrow crevasse moving away from Angel and the interrogation that was sure to follow, “just crazy stuff.”
Angel went after her. “That’s not good enough. I need to hear it all.”
“Hello, I had a vampire at my throat,” she reminded him. “I wasn’t taking notes.”
Moving in front of her, Angel blocked her path. “Cordy, it could be important. I need to know what those two are up to.”
Cordelia pushed at his chest, stopping when he grunted in pain from an injury. Gasping, she yanked his shirttail out of his pants and peeked at the size of the bruise along his ribs. “Spike really hurt you.”
“It’s nothing.” Angel captured her wrist stopping the exploration of her fingers. “I’m more concerned about you. What did Dru want?”
“I already told you…me. Apparently, I’m her new best friend and she’d love to give me some advice about my love life,” Cordelia told him. “If I don’t take it, I’m dead.”
Angel figured he could interpret that one even if Cordy was deliberately trying to be cryptic. “She threatened you.”
Nodding, she admitted it. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she pushed passed him and kept walking, looking for a way out of both the crevasse and the conversation. “Oh, you know. Typical death threat. Do as I say or I’ll bite you.”
The ground started to shake again, dark dirt crumbling from the crevasse walls. Pulling her close, Angel kept Cordelia steady until the aftershock passed. “Dru got the wrong idea about us,” he realized that they had been standing in each other’s arms when Drusilla and Spike rounded the corner of the church.
“You could say that,” Cordy nodded vehemently. Way, way wrong. Still, she had to point out the hole in his theory. “That doesn’t explain how she knew we’d be here.”
Drusilla’s unique abilities combined with her natural vampiric instincts to create a kind of homing beacon, Angel explained. It was part of the bond between sire and childe, which usually faded over periods of separation.
“What exactly are Dru’s abilities besides walking around with a few loose screws?”
Running a hand through his hair, Angel ignored the fact that his scalp was still sore from Spike trying to yank it out at the roots during the part of the fight where they were scuffling on the ground. He did not want to think about Spike, Dru, or anything from his godforsaken past while he was with Cordelia. Letting anything from those dark, sordid times touch her was akin to sacrilege.
“She has the sight,” Angel said reminding Cordelia of something she might have heard or read about the vampiress.
“So this business about stars singing is…”
Angel’s scowl appeared, marring his already bruised face with guilt. “Dru had the sight before she became a vampire. She catches glimpses of the future, but most of it comes out as nonsensical.”
With a shaky laugh, Cordelia fully agreed, “Lotsa nonsense.” It had to be.
“Don’t be fooled by her,” Angel urged her to listen. “If Drusilla threatened your life, she means it. I don’t say that to frighten you, but to make sure you aren’t swayed into thinking her a complete idiot. Sometimes Dru retreats back into a childlike state, but she’s no less deadly because of it.”
The fearful butterflies that were still fluttering now knotted tightly in her stomach. “Dru’s planning to come after me,” Cordelia finally told him leaving out all other details.
“I won’t let that happen.” Angel considered Drusilla his responsibility and told Cordelia that he would put whatever game she was playing to a stop.
“Thanks for the assurances,” she patted him on the arm, “but I hope you won’t mind if I add a Slayer or two to the guard duty rotation. You can’t be with me all of the time.”
Angel kept his opinion on that matter to himself. He backed off, giving her just a little breathing room. During the daytime, he had some obvious limitations. After dark was another matter and if Cordelia thought he was going to let her out of his sight, she was mistaken.
Taking one more step back, Angel’s heel connected with a rock-solid object. He toppled back, but was starting to catch his balance when Cordelia jumped in to help. The distraction caused him to automatically clasp one of her hands. Her forward momentum sent them both tumbling to the ground with Cordy landing on top of him.
“That hurt,” Angel clenched his eyes shut at the shooting pain along his back.
Cordelia squirmed against him, freeing up one of her hands to slap his shoulder. “Are you saying I’m fat?”
Despite the discomfort, Angel had to chuckle at that one. He brought his hands to her hips to stop her from moving and then slipped them up to a less volatile spot along her waist. “No, but unless it’s the edge of a coffin, I think I just found our missing obelisk.”
Without bothering to move, Cordelia let out a gleeful squeal. “Hah! Team Chase wins again.”
Angel disdainfully quirked an eyebrow at that one, but he admitted to himself that he liked Team Chase no matter what she chose to call it. Shifting them up into a sitting position, Angel was instantly caught up in her smile and the sparkle in her eyes.
“You’re beautiful when you gloat,” he traced his thumb just under the tempting curve of her bottom lip.
Her laughter turned to soft gasps of air. Angel caught the subtle dilatation of her eyes as she stared back at him, hazel depths darkening with sudden awareness. He felt her fingers curling around the lapels of his jacket, either holding on or as some form of resistance.
Taking a chance, Angel let temptation win out. He moved in closer leaving only a small measure of moonlight between them, silently willing her to move the rest of the way. He could already taste her sweet breath against his lips and felt his body tightening in anticipation.
“It’s time to regroup with the others,” Cordelia told him as she sat back abruptly, her rigid posture making it clear that she was uncomfortable with what had nearly happened between them.
Disappointed and feeling the loss of her warmth as she scrambled to her feet, Angel reminded himself that he wasn’t supposed to be thinking about kissing Cordy. His kisses were meant for someone else, even if Buffy had shown no interest in them. Cordy had probably just saved them some embarrassment.
Pushing those inappropriate thoughts aside, Angel focused on the task at hand. It was indeed the obelisk he had landed on, now in a position parallel to the ground having toppled over at some time in the past before being covered over. The obsidian stone was etched with strange symbols, some of which matched the bone relic.
“We’ll need to get Giles over here,” Angel told her.
Cordelia reminded, “To do that, we’ll have to get out of this ditch.”
“That’s easy enough.” He gauged the distance, bent at the knees and leapt.
“Nice jump, hot shot,” Cordelia stared up at him, her arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. “What about me?”
Too far out of reach, there was no way to simply lift her up. Angel was not about to jump down again and toss her over the edge. She already had a few scrapes and bruises. He did not want to chance hurting her further. Momentarily disappearing, Angel returned with a drape he had pulled from the rubble of the church.
Tossing one end over the edge of the crevasse, he instructed Cordy to, “Hold on.”
Once she was back at ground level, Angel started to move away, to give her the space she obviously preferred. Cordelia grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, stopping him. He sent a silent query as his eyes connected with hers. This time he found her looking upset and a little fearful.
“Is it still there?” Cordelia stood motionless, her back toward the main part of the cemetery.
Angel realized what she was asking him. His gaze slid across the trench created by the earthquake, examining the extent of the devastation. Just over the widest part of the crevasse was the little stone bench near the flowering trees. Following along, he counted three headstones to the left and found the one he was looking for.
“Yes, Cordy, your grandfather’s grave is still intact.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Cordelia saw for herself that he was right. “That’s good for Grandpa, but he doesn’t need to worry about dents in the Plymouth. I did tell you that I only borrowed it.”
Much to their relief, they found the car to be undamaged by the quake. Making a start for the driver’s side, Angel realized he no longer had the keys. Asking Cordy for them, he heard her gasp as she looked in the direction of the rubble. Angel let out a groan, already picturing himself sifting through it to find the keys to her borrowed car.
Then he heard a jingle as Cordy pulled the keys out of her pocket dangling them in the air. Twirling the key ring around her finger, she teased, “You are so easy.”
When Angel held his hand out for the keys, Cordelia shook her head. “My turn to drive.”
Angel stood by as Cordelia started to dust off her clothes before getting into the car. It was a futile effort since most of it was graveyard dirt. She seemed more concerned about the ruined state of her shoes than the superficial scrapes on her legs and elbow. He was probably far more banged up after his fight with Spike, but Angel knew that his injuries would be gone by morning.
Taking a close look at her injured elbow, Angel saw that it was no longer actively bleeding, but advised her, “You should probably put something on that. We’ll stop by and tell Giles where to find the obelisk, and then I’ll take you home.”
“I’ve been more scraped up in cheerleading practice,” Cordelia took a good look at her elbow. “There’s nothing wrong with my elbow that a little Neosporin won’t fix.”
“Maybe you should let me drive.”
She tried not to smile at his obvious tactic, but the pathetic expression on his bruised face was wearing her down. “A little boo-boo won’t affect my driving skills. Besides, I’m pretty sure I can find my own way home.”
All teasing aside, Angel remembered that Drusilla and Spike were still out there. “Not without me,” his tone shifted leaving shivers running down her spine. This time he took the keys from her loose grip. “Get in the car, Cordy.”