Chapter 4
Darla seemed maliciously amused as she took in the sudden tension. Her smile seemed to grow a little forced as she flicked a glance at Cordy.
“Although I must say….” She straightened up from leaning against the doorframe and strolled with easy grace into the courtyard. “…I never picked you for the candles and moonlight type.”
Cordy remained still and stared at Angel, her face tight and unreadable. Darla’s smile widened as she scooped up the half empty bottle of champagne and raised it to her lips, drawing a delicate sip.
She set the bottle down and looked at Angel. “The good stuff. I’m impressed. Although it doesn’t look as if Bambi here thinks too much of your efforts. What’s the matter, dear boy? The little woman not impressed with your big, big show? All that work, so little respect….”
“Shut up.” Cordelia’s voice was low and fierce. Darla’s brows rose as she flashed a grin at her.
“What’s the matter, Bambi? Truth hurts?”
“No.” Cordy swung a flat gaze at Darla. “You’re boring me.”
The smile bled from Darla’s face as she drew herself up. “Speaking of respect….I think you should….”
“Get out, Darla.” Angel finally spoke, not even sparing Darla a glance. His gaze was locked on Cordy, and she looked back at him, anger in the depths of her eyes. “I don’t know what you want, and I don’t care. Get out now.”
“Oh, but, Angelus….” Darla’s voice was a silvery coo. “I need a place to stay. I thought, now, wouldn’t an old dear, dear friend…..a lover….put me up? Help me out? Give me…” she strolled around Cordy languidly, leaning over to whisper the last word, “succor?”
Cordy didn’t move, just turned her head slightly. “Get away from me, bitch, or you’re going to be beyond needing succor. You’ll need a dustbuster to pick up all the parts.”
Darla walked on around and stopped to grin at Angel. “Oh, that so hurts me. I was so hoping she and I could be best gal pals.” She laughed. “You know. Tell each other our secrets….”
Angel felt the weight of sadness flit through the air. Cordelia’s hurt was palpable and thick, and it covered him and weighed him down. She just stared at him, looking…..done.
Done and resigned. In a burst of speed, he had Darla by the throat. He leaned in and whispered to her in a voice thick with anger, “Get out. Now. Swear to all that’s evil that I’ll kill you if you come here again. Get out. I don’t want you.”
Darla seemed to flinch at the last words and pushed his hand from her throat, stepping back. “My. I seem to have come at a bad time.” She backed up further, towards the garden doors. “Angelus, lover, when will you ever ever learn….” She paused, looking at them both, hate dripping from her sugary tones. “…I live for the bad times.” And she was gone.
Neither Angel nor Cordy moved for the longest time. Angel truly didn’t know what to say or do. He was as lost as he had ever been in his existence.
“You slept with her. After……oh god.” Cordy sank down into one of the chairs. “Oh god. Oh my god.”
“Yeah. OK. The thing is…”
“You tried to rape me. You say I “reached you”, and then, you….”
“Yeah. I was….I was….in a place…..you found me, Cordy, you did. And then, the ring, and the partners, and the whole thing…..”
“So…….you found the ring, you found the partners, and decided to celebrate by taking Mr. Happy to the skank bank?” Cordelia looked up at him. “That’s your remedy for what ails ya? A little Darla dipping and you’re good as new?”
“NO. That’s not what….” He thought a moment. “Ok, that’s pretty much what happened, but it’s not about…”
“Don’t say it. Don’t you say it.” Cordy’s voice was low and fierce as she rose up suddenly and faced him. “It’s all about us. Right here, right now. It’s about you and me and whatever life you think you’ve got all mapped out for us. It’s about me wandering around for months having head ripping gut clenching visions and you basically blowing me off so you can go party in your pants.
It’s about me being an idiot because I thought, it’s a new day. I have a new life. Isn’t this new life just great with my blood sucking best friend who did me the huge favor of not raping me.” She finally stopped to take a ragged breath. Angel felt frozen.
She looked up at him with such contempt that he felt the icy flames of hell licking at his soul. She closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s about trust. And it’s about lies. And what we have….” She gestured between them. “This…whatever it is….it’s a lie. And I’m done with that.”
All at once all the energy in her body seemed to drain and she sagged, her shoulders drooping as she lowered her head. They both stood still for a moment and then she slowly turned and walked to where her overnight bag lay, bending over slowly to pick it up.
She moved as if she were old and tired, and Angel felt helpless to do anything. She walked to the doors without a backward look.
“Cordy.” His voice was low. She stopped, keeping her back to him. “This doesn’t change the bond. You’re claimed. You can’t ignore that.”
“Watch me.” And she was through the doors and gone. Angel staggered back slightly at the small click of the latch and listened to her footsteps as she clicked through the lobby and out the front door. He stood alone, the dim lights in the trees twinkling at him like stars in the night sky.
He held still for a long long time, and finally moved to answer the cell phone that was buzzing in his pocket.
Mechanically he brought it out and opened it without saying a word.
“Angel? Gunn, your guru to suaveness here. How’s it going?”
Silence.
“Uh, this is Angel, right?”
Silence, then Angel mumbled, “Yeah. It’s me.”
“Woops.” Sudden amusement lit Gunn’s voice. “Call at a bad time? You having some desert about now? Sorry, man. Wes and me, we were worried that Cordy might have dusted you. Our Barbie has a temper, you know.”
“Yeah.”
Angel’s tone finally got to Gunn. “Um, hey, Angel. Everything alright?”
Angel was still. He finally muttered “no” and ended the call, dropping the cellphone to the ground.
He was alone. And all the light in the world couldn’t guide him now.
***
Cordelia trudged down the sidewalk to the back of the hotel towards her car. She had never in her life hurt as much as she did right at that moment. She reached her car and leaned her forehead against the cool door as she fumbled with her keys. She couldn’t seem to see them because everything was blurry.
She wiped at her eyes, realizing that tears had rolled down her face and still clouded her eyes, and that muffled sobs sounded from her throat. She finally smacked her hand against the door, feeling the keys cut into her palm. A hysterical giggle welled up as she remembered Gunn teasing her about the best curse word.
“Fuck. It’s fuck. It’s perfect. Ya got your noun, your verb, your adverb……and of course there’s the “da fucks.” What da fuck, where da fuck, how da fuck, who da fuck…..I’m telling you, for perfect efficiency, it’s fuck everytime.”
Cordy closed her eyes and muttered, “This fucking fucker is fucked.”
“More than you know.” Was breathed into her ear just before a hand rose, covering her mouth and nose and cutting off her air. Cordy tried to bite at the cool hand and clawed at the arm, but darkness engulfed her and her unconscious body finally went limp and slipped to the pavement.
Darla looked down and grinned at her, dusting her hands off.
“I do so love the bad times. And I have some special ones planned for you. C’mon, Cordy. Let’s have us a sleepover.”