Chapter Six
Darla’s fingers were talons that dug into Cordy’s arm. She leaned in to growl, “After I’m done, it won’t matter any more whether he wants you or not. You’ll be dead.” She straightened up and started out the room, dragging the seer along with her.
Cordy pried at the grip, trying to pull the steel like fingers out of the soft flesh of her arm. She finally dug her heels into the worn carpet, yanking them to a halt. Darla whipped around to glare at her.
“Maybe you didn’t notice, Cordelia, but I’m the one with the power here.” Cordy grinned to herself. Anger still laced Darla’s voice. And anger made her defenses weak…made her more vulnerable. Darla was all about control, and Angel’s mark on Cordy’s throat had taken some of that away.
“Oh, I don’t think so. Because if you had any real power over Angel at all, you wouldn’t have to come back here time and time again, trying to prove it.” Darla looked at her, anger flashing gold in her eyes, malevolent hate churning in the depths. Cordy finally shook her hand away, and stepped back.
“You don’t want to hurt Angel because you’re disgusted at his goodness…because you think he’s weak. You want to hurt him because he’s stronger than you.”
Cordy’s head snapped back as Darla’s hand slapped across it. Stumbling back, she rammed into the crumbling wall and sagged, bracing her hands on her knees to stay standing. She grinned, tasting blood on a cut inside her cheek. Score one for the California girl. She wiped her mouth and smirked up at Darla.
“Truth hurts, doesn’t it, girlfriend? Hurt me, and all you’ll do is bring a bigger wrath down on your head than you’ve ever known. His life doesn’t end with mine. It’s bigger than that. He’s strong, and he’s brave, and he’s good, and you’re nothing.”
Darla snarled and hurled herself at Cordelia, talons outstretched, face twisted into its full evil mask. Malicious and full of hate, her eyes burned with angry fire. “You stupid bitch…”
Cordy waited her heart racing. Just as Darla reached her she reared up, ramming her head into Darla’s nose. Blood spurted out everywhere, and the vampire shrieked in shock and anger. Cordy stepped back and kicked out, nailing her in the stomach before turning and running down the hallway.
Her heart seemed to echo in the long empty corridor, and her footsteps pounded.
Desolate anger suddenly poured through her, grabbing at her mind. A whisper seemed to wisp through her consciousness. Cordelia. I’m here. She raced frantically to an old set of stairs, torn apart and rickety, and began to climb down.
Each step brought her closer to the truth. He was here. He was in this building. She hadn’t imagined it. She could…..sense him. Feel his anger. She could almost taste his desperation. He was here, and he was frantic to find her.
“Angel!!!!!!!!” Her voice was a shrill scream as she clambered down the stairs. He was here. “ANGEL!!!!”
***
The denim jacket was cool to the touch, but the blood on the sleeve was still wet. Angel wanted to bury his face in it and lap at the rich darkness. He clenched it in his hands and turned to face Gunn, who looked around, confused.
“Man, I thought you said she was here.”
“No. We were supposed to think that.” He grasped the jacket and walked out of the room. “Darla wanted me to find this. She’s got her….somewhere. We have to find out where Darla’s nesting. We have to find her before…” He trailed off, listening. Gunn stopped, too. “Did you hear that?”
Gunn listened a moment. “Uh, no. What am I supposed to hear?”
“Cordy’s heart. I can hear it. She’s here.”
“Well, damn, how could I have missed that?” Gunn loped along after Angel, hefting his axe as they sped down the hall. They ran lightly, Angel trying to listen. From the depths of the old building, a frantic scream reached them.
“Angel!!!”
Gunn took off, racing down the hall after Angel. “I heard THAT.”
“Angel! Oh god……” The screams were closer. Angel charged out into an open foyer and turned, glancing up. His body seemed to freeze as he looked up to see Cordelia, poised at the top of where the stairway would lead to, if it were still standing. She teetered on the edge of the upper floor, held back a fraction from falling by Darla.
The vampire stared down at Angel with such raw hate that he felt almost singed. Gunn stared up at Cordy, his jaw clenching at the sight of her pale, frightened face. They all froze, as if caught in a tableau. Darla finally spoke, her voice harsh.
“Pick, dear boy. Does she die from draining or from falling? I doubt you’re any faster than me.”
Angel walked forward cautiously, his eyes finally resting on Cordy’s. She stared down at him, barely breathing. A muscle in his jaw twitched when he saw the vivid red hand mark on her cheek, and he tried to bring his rage under control.
“C’mon, Angel. Be a sport. I’m playing fair; I gave you a choice. Now it’s your turn. That’s how it works. I moved. Now it’s your move.”
“Cordelia.” His voice was rough and low. She looked down at him. “That? That there? That’s what you led me out of.” Darla moved impatiently behind her. “I started to fall, and you caught me. I trusted you. And you caught me.” He willed her to understand, looking up at her.
He felt icy, standing there, looking at her in Darla’s hands. Not icy….a small thought entered his head. Warm. You wanted to be warm. He looked up at Cordy and held her gaze as she gave a small nod, one time.
“Darla…” her voice was soft, almost a caress. “Fuck off.” And she dug her elbow into Darla’s chest, loosening her grip and spinning slightly before falling backward off the edge.
“NNNNOOOOOOOOOO” Darla’s angry scream echoed in the empty crumbling building, seeming to make the walls tremble.
Cordelia closed her eyes as she fell, feeling calm as strong arms seemingly scooped her out of midair with a whoosh. She grabbed hold of Angel’s shoulders and opened her eyes to lock her gaze on his. He stepped back, holding her tightly to him, and they both looked up.
Darla looked down at them all in fury. Her gaze locked with Angel’s and she snarled out, “So lovely to see you, Dear Boy. I think I’ll move along now. Let me know when you get bored with your new toy. I’m a big believer in sharing…” and she stepped back, fading into the darkness.
Gunn and Cordelia were silent and still, trying to hear whether or not she was really leaving. Only Angel heard her go. Only Angel took in her scent, which grew weaker and weaker as she made her way down to the sewers to disappear out of the city.
Only Angel noticed that Cordelia’s arms were locked firmly around his neck, holding on as if her life depended on it.
He sighed and stepped towards the door, looking out into the dark night. Gunn followed, carefully looking over his shoulder as they went out into the sultry evening air. Outside, Cordy wriggled a bit till Angel finally let go of her legs and she slid down his body, held to him by strong hands.
“She was going to kill me.”
“I know.”
“She was going to turn me at first, then she just got pissed.”
“Yeah. She’s like that.”
Gunn grinned a little, beginning to stroll down the sidewalk as he listened to the two of them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, punching out the number for Wesley to share the good news.
“You found me.”
“Seemed fair. You found me then, I found you tonight.”
Cordelia stared up at him, her face lined and pale. She was so tired.
“We still need to talk.”
“I know. But you need to sleep.”
“I’ll come in tomorrow morning…” Cordy grimaced. “Ok. In a few hours. And we’ll talk.”
“Got a better idea.” Angel began to stroll down the sidewalk, tugging at her arm. “Come home and sleep. You’ll sleep better than you have in a while, and then we can talk.”
Cordy looked up at him, suspicion on her face. “No horizontal hula tonight, pal. I’m tired. And we need to talk.”
“No. Of course not. You’re tired.” Angel kept his voice even. “Just…come home.”
Cordy stopped and pulled away, turning to look at him. They stared at each other in the still night., trying to read each other’s hearts. “Home. If I go to the Hyperion, that’s home….” Her voice trailed off.
“Yeah. Not because that’s where I am, Cordy. It’s where we are.” He took her arm and started off again. “Come home. Sleep. And we’ll talk.”
She pulled her arm away and glared up at him, too tired to work up any real heat. “Just so we’re clear….I’m still pissed.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re still low on my list.”
“Yeah, got that.”
“Talking, next time I’m coherent, means being honest. Being open. It means really listening.”
“I’m sure you can do all that, Cordy.” He nodded, his voice reasonable.
Her teeth clenched. “I meant you.”
“Oh. Yeah.” He grinned to himself. She was so easy.
“God you’re a dork.” She turned and began to walk slowly down the street, heading towards home. Angel looked up at the stars dotting the clear sky and felt something lift in him…something heavy that seemed to crumble and arise out of his soul.
They were going home. And they were going to talk.