Title: A Little Ways Back
Author: (Only) Anne
Posted here: 08/05
Email
Rating: N-17
Category: ime travel, adventure, romance (I hope)
Content: The one you have to think about and root for is C/A.
Summary: Sequel to Into the Past and Now on to the Present. If you haven’t read them, then you should. check first one for details.
Spoilers: I’m not really sure but Cordy isn’t a demon, so none of that other icky stuff that followed…major change in the ATS universe…Cordy’s visions aren’t deadly, just were really painful but Wesley fixed that….purists leave me alone…
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made. Movies mentioned- ‘Back to the Future’- Universal Studios, Robert Zemeckis; ‘Frequency’- New Line Studios- (summary- as it wasn’t anywhere the pop icon that the other was-) Solar storms occurring 30 years apart allow a father (Dennis Quaid) and son (Jim Caviezel) to talk through time using the same ham radio. In son’s present dad’s been dead for 30 years. As they talk history is changed. A seriel killer’s crime spree is altered making it worse. Once the son ( a cop) figures this out, father and son work together through time to solve the crime. ***It sounds kind of cheesy but I liked it. Things are good in my C/A universe.
Distribution: Just ask
Notes: This series was orginally started to be fun while I took a break from writing an angsty part of an another story…but I liked it enough to do a sequel and Gabby scared me enough to do another.
Thanks/Dedication: …Gabby – no not that one….the truly scary one, the friend, and cheerleader when she isn’t stalking the board and terrorizing. This is at her request. (oh, I didn’t do any real work today because of the idea she started. Her fault, all of it.)
Feedback:yes please!
Now….we are about a month later.
Part 1
Cordelia bounced on the bed hard and stared. She frowned and bounced again. She nodded as the big naked lump stirred at the movement of the bed. She jumped one more time, flopping down next to the shifting vampire.
“What are you doing?” He grouched.
“Oh, I’m sorry did I wake you.” She smiled, sitting cross-legged.
Angel blinked open one eye at her innocent tone. “You know you did.”
“What I didn’t do anything.”
Angel groaned opening his other eye, staring. “Trying out the bed as a trampoline is doing something.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about you must have been dreaming.” Cordelia shook her head.
“Go away,” Angel turned on his side, clutching his pillow.
Cordelia narrowed her eyes at Angel’s broad back. Her silent Hmmph didn’t give way to her usual appreciation of the view. She was tempted to smack the spectacular ass. Cordy had a purpose. “Upsy daisy, Angel.” She nudged at his shoulder. “It’s a beautiful morning, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping.”
Angel turned his head. “Then go enjoy it,” grumbling, pulling the pillow over his head.
“Nope, not without you.” Cordy yanked at the pillow causing the vampire’s head to hit the mattress.
Angel turned and stared. “What exactly do expect me to do in the morning sunshine?”
“Get up, we can feed the chirping birds.”
“You’re insane.” He flopped back over.
Cordelia pushed at his shoulder. “Silly, you can stand in the shadows and watch me feed the birds.”
“Cordy, I’m not getting up. I’m tired. I didn’t get home until 4 am and I’m not watching you feed some squawking birds that are too stupid to find their own food.”
“Whose fault was that? Not mine. So, why should I be deprived of this beautiful morning, the chirping- very hungry- birds, and your company.”
Angel sat up. “Whose fault? How about the Soltex demon that was about to demolish lovers’ lane and every necking couple there.” Angel growled. “I’m tired AND there is no way I going out to ENJOY this god damn beautiful morning. Go away.”
“Maybe,” Cordelia said sweetly ignoring his outburst. “If you had taken…I don’t know, another person, one that you’ve been training to fight, one that you said was getting quite good on that little escapade you could’ve gotten done sooner and been home in bed at reasonable hour. Then maybe you wouldn‘t be so grumpy. Hmmm. What do think about that?”
Angel closed his eyes. “You’re still mad at me and this is payback, isn’t it.”
“Me,” Cordelia pointed to her chest in wide-eyed mocked surprise. “Why would I be mad at you, the love of my life, my soul mate, my better half, the ying to my yang, the Penn to my Teller, the Neiman to my Marcus, the Rodeo to my Drive, the Beverly to my Hills, the …”
“Shut up.”
“But, Angel, all I’m saying is that I love you.”
“God,” Angel rubbed his temples, “How can you be so mean so early in the morning.” He whined.
“Mean? Angel, dearest to my heart, I brought you breakfast.” She took a mug from the bedside table.
Angel’s studied it warily. “What’s in it? I’m not drinking it.”
“You of little faith.” Cordelia tsked.
“Just yell or hit me, then let me get back to sleep, please.”
“Angel, silly love of my soul, the balm to my unrest, I don’t want to yell at you or hit you, I want to spend the day in your company, gazing in your eyes, telling you over and over again, how much I love you, vampire of my dreams.”
“What do I have to do for you to let me go back to sleep.” Angel begged.
“Well, maybe, just maybe, I can feed the poor starving little birdies on my own, if…”
“Whatever it is I’ll do it I swear.”
Cordelia cocked a brow at the vampire. “Let me go with you next time.”
“No, let’s go feed your little starving birdies.” Angel said clearly moving to get up.
“Angel.” Cordelia huffed pulling the vampire back. “I mean it, I want to go next time.”
“No.”
“Angel, that’s not fair.” Cordelia glared crossing her arms against her chest.
“Tough.”
“Angel, I’m going next time or else.”
“Or else what, you’re going to never let me sleep.”
“Oh, I’ll let you sleep and sleep and sleep, and that’s all you’ll ever being doing in this bed…alone.”
Angel narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”
“Just watch me, buster, watch me carry me, myself and I out of here.”
Angel held her glare. She was bluffing she had to be. “Cordy, you said that you wouldn’t ever use that as an ultimatum, you said you wouldn’t ever give that up.” He reached for her.
“Hmmph,” Cordelia slapped his hand away. “That’s when you were being just annoyingly over-protective and cute about the visions. But now you‘re being just annoyingly obnoxious and stupid. And since, Wesley found that potion, no more bad vision pain, couple of swigs and I‘m right as rain.” Cordy scrunched up her face, “I didn‘t say that…Anyway, there is no excuse now for not letting me go.“
“That’s not fair.” Angel started to get a little worried. It wasn’t as if he believed that Cordelia would actually move out of his bed forever, but she might do it for day or god forbid two.
“Tough.”
Angel wasn’t going to let her push him around. “I don’t want you to go on the visions, it’s too dangerous, don’t make Me.” he whined.
“Angel, you’re being a controlling dumb ass. You all needed my help last night. Look at you.” she pointed at the bandages that covered his chest. “Wesley and Gunn are even worse.”
“We handled it.”
“Angel, I’ve helped you before. If I can’t help you now because “We’re in love”,” she jabbed at the air making quotation marks. “Then we won’t be in love.”
“That’s ridiculous. We can’t just stop being in love.”
“Well, we sure can stop having sex.”
“No, we can’t.”
Cordelia raised her brows. “Really.”
“Really.” Angel moved, pulling her under him. “You can’t resist me.” He tried.
“Really? Is that a challenge, a dare, an arrogant boast that I hear? Hmm.”
Angel dropped his head on her chest in defeat at her steely hazel eyes. Damn, she’d do it just to prove she could. It would be hell. “How about a compromise? If we need help, you can come, but not every time and only when I say we need help.”
“How about when Wesley says.”
“Wesley? No, me.”
“No, Wesley, you’ll just say you never need help.”
Angel closed his eyes, mumbling into cushion of her malleable chest.
“What was that?” Cordelia looked down at the dark head, nestled in her breast making grumbling sounds.
“I said fine.”
“I don’t think that’s all you said,” she laughed, bringing up her fingers to tickle at the short hairs at the nape of the vampire’s neck.
Angel lifted his head at the ministrations then looked down at the soft cushion he’d buried his face in. The giggling body underneath was as naked as he was and scenting the air with a recognized and always welcomed fragrance. “You WERE bluffing.” He said accusingly.
“Pleeaase, Angel, like I would every give up making love to you. Hmmph. If you hadn’t been so grumpy you would’ve noticed sooner. Now let me up.”
“Why? You don’t want me too. I don’t want too.” Angel was back to whining.
“Because you’re tired remember and you need to rest to heal. Later.” She quickly kissed him.
Angel shook his head tightening his hold. “Well, I’m up now.” He moved adjusting his hips to show Cordy just how awake he was.
“That’s not saying much that part of you is always up.” Cordy rolled her eyes.
“Whose fault is that?” He nuzzled into her neck caressing along her side rounding her hip, his fingers inching to the soft triangular patch of curls.
“Better be mine.” The tips of her nails trailed down Angel’s spine, back to his neck, wrapping around him, shifting her thighs making way for Angel’s teasing touch. “Are you sure you’re healed enough? Maybe I should check.” She asked with the concern that was fighting her desire.
“You are checking,” Angel reassured the young woman with a slight chuckle, his lips moving to the small scared marks evident on the smooth skin on Cordy’s neck. His tongue swirling moistening the area as his fingers repeated the pattern causing tremors under Cordy’s flesh.
“Angel,” she gasped, wrapping her long legs around him, trying to fit the vampire in her. Angel pushed back, continuing with his incessant teasing, brushing through the curls, rubbing at the extended bud, massaging the moisture around, but never relieving the pressure that was building in Cordy‘s belly tensing her every muscle and squeezing at her nerves. “I’ll never be so mean so early in the morning if you stop teasing, I swear.” she begged.
“Angel,” she whimpered in complaint as his hands and lips left her.
Angel rose up on his elbows, imprisoning the young woman under him. “I don’t know Cordy, love of my life, my soul mate, my….”
“Angel,” Cordelia whined.
Angel smirked at Cordy’s pout.
“You’ll pay for this.”
Angel laughed. “So much for not being mean.” Angel leaned down to capture her full lips, shutting off any more words.
Cordy sighed accepting the kiss, her hips eagerly complying with Angel’s hands raising her legs back around his waist. She gasped as he filled her, their kiss becoming more fervent. Angel’s hips moved, pushing deeper. Cordy gasped for air, her lips grazing Angel’s cheek as he burrowed his face back into her neck.
Hips moved simultaneously, force using force to create a delicate beautiful friction. Angel growled being swallowed by the heat. His fangs pierced the marks, instinctually claiming the woman he loved once again because it was allowed by her loving willingness. Cordelia’s voice tried to cry out in a scream only to be choked into a gasp as her blood was given to Angel and the intensity of his thrusts bombarded her nerves, squeezing at them until they exploded into a million flying colors.
The combined life flow of Cordelia’s blood pounding in his veins and her satin tight channel pulsating and contracting around him in her release surrounding his every dead cell, every nerve, every part of his body. The rush effused him with a moment of true life and pushing him over the edge. Angel growled out Cordelia’s name shuddering into her body, the feeling of being alive spilling out of. Angel groaned its loss but rejoiced in the continuing warmth soaking into his skin, evidencing that the love that permitted such a miracle was encased in the woman holding him and would be there always.
Angel shifted, keeping Cordy’s body close, licking at the marks that had once been Angelus, but now were only his.
Cordelia tenderly ran her hand through the thick hair at her cheek, scratching at the vampire’s scalp.
Angel rubbed further into her hand, a cross from a whimper and a moan softly growled from his throat. “Mine.”
“Mine.” Cordelia whispered in agreement and in her own murmured claiming.
Angel smiled kissing her gently, tucking her into him. “Now I’m tired.”
Cordelia smiled. “Me, too.”
“The little starving birds?” Angel cocked a raised brow.
“Stupid birds, if they can’t feed themselves.” Cordelia snuggled even closer.
Part 2
Lilah flexed her fingers happily. Freedom, finally from that damn cast. She groaned. Her delight disappeared as her eyes caught the memo again.
Great. Just Great. She read it again. It wasn’t the fact that she was being ordered to Linwood’s office that annoyed her per se. She was actually grateful for it. At least the Senior Partners weren’t going to out right kill her for that last time traveling Angelus fiasco. She had heard Jeremy hadn’t been so lucky. Still. Linwood was assigning her a new partner. Which meant, most likely that she was to be watched for any more screw-ups. God please don’t let it be another Jeremy.
***
Lilah’s eyes first went to Linwood at his acknowledgment. She nodded respectfully and then turned to the other presence in the room. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Good to see you, too, Lilah.” Lindsay raised his fake hand.
“Sir,” Lilah swirled around to her boss. “He quit in snit, grabbed my ass. He should be dead.”
“Lilah, it was the hand. It was evil.”
Lilah could almost believe the sincere tone that uttered that nonsense if she hadn’t saw the rolling of Lindsay’s eyes. “This one’s new, won’t be going near your ass.” He smirked showing his new prosthetic hand.
“Great.” Lilah rolled her eyes as she sat in the chair in front of Linwood’s desk.
“Lilah, I do understand your hesitation, Lindsay has re-interviewed with the Senior Partners. This is their order. They feel with your combined strengths that the Special Project will flourish. Your first project together as been assigned.” Linwood shoved binder towards the two younger lawyers.
Lilah’s body hurt as she saw the file edging to her. She squelched down the remembered pain and cleared her throat. “That particular project,” Lilah took a deep breath,” failed two times.”
Linwood leaned back in his chair. “Yes, Lilah, we know that they were yours and that they failed.”
Lilah choked her gulp. “Then we know. And the vehicle that would allow this project is dead.”
“Yes, but you very aptly kept a copy of the spell and Lindsay found another spell-caster. So, this time between the two of you we expect that it will get done, correctly. That’s all.” Linwood dismissed the lawyers.
Once the doubly thick polished doors slammed, Lilah turned on Lindsay. “This is a set up. You are setting me up.” She glared.
“Now, Lilah, why would you say that? I’m here to help.”
“With this plan? You do realize that it has failed TWICE,” she glared, “and I’ve ended up in the hospital each time,” she added.
“Side effects of war, Lilah, just side effects.” Lindsay’s gave a cocky salute with his prosthetic hand.
Part 3
Lindsay sat behind the desk.
“That’s my desk.” Lilah glared.
“True, but the way you’re pacing it’s safer over here. Those heels of yours look lethal.”
Lilah glared throwing the file on the desk. “It doesn’t work.”
Lindsey leaned up. “It can. You just went about it wrong.”
“What?” Lilah was ready to fly over HER desk and throttle the condescending lawyer.
Lindsay ignored the flashing eyes and clenching fists directed at him. “What were the problems before?”
Lilah glared for a moment at the question then blew out a burst of air and threw up her hands. “Angel and well Angelus.” She resumed her incessant pacing.
“Why?”
Lilah glared again at Lindsay patronizing tone. “ Look, I don’t know why your here but DO NOT think that if any one dies out of this third try it WON’T be you. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Lilah, Lilah, I come in peace.” Lindsay raised his hands.
Lilah scoffed.
Lindsay shook his head. “Believe it or not I’m back, really, life sucks and I just decided to go where I had little bit more of control over it and a great 401 K. And in my wanders back, I found the spell caster.”
“So what? We try to do the time portal again and we lose.” Lilah gave up her pacing and slumped in the chair across from Lindsay.
“Because of Angel.”
“Well, YEAH, it’s not really a surprise anymore and then there is Angelus – he’s not real controllable.”
“Don’t worry about Angelus.”
“Don’t worry about Angelus?” Lilah repeated incredulously. “He’s worth worrying about. Jesus. We ARE going to die.”
“We aren’t going to die. And as for Angel we won’t let him figure it out.”
Lilah stared at the attractive man. “Believe me letting Angel know wasn’t on our high list of priorities.”
“But he found out.”
“Because of the little shit Jeremy throwing his card around like a big fat neon flashing sign and I ended up in a cast.”
“Be grateful, he ended up dead. Angel found out because he knew Cordelia was missing, this time he won’t.”
Lilah gave a puzzled look, considering Lindsay’s statement. “What’s your plan?”
Lindsay pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket.
Lilah took it. “This is….not the same spell.” She corrected as she reread it.
“Substantially, the same but with a crucial added difference. Cordelia’s soul not her body will be transported through the time portal. Her body will be safely here useless. Angel will be focused on that.”
Lilah narrowed her eyes. “Okay. Angel won’t jump to the conclusion that her soul as been tossed…when? But, how will Angelus know that there is a soul floating around in the etherlands?”
“We’ll tell him.”
Lilah tapped her fingers together. “Lindsay, I see that you’ve given this some thought and are quite smug about it, but it’s STUPID. Angelus doesn’t want to destroy Cordelia’s soul so much as destroy it by turning her. He wants the body. Believe me this I know.”
“We’ll give it to him. We send the soul back to a time that it has a pretty young body, Cordelia’s body, to go to. We send Angelus after it.”
“Lindsay, he doesn’t a want a child’s body. He wants the grown up version. And that body is protected by Angel.”
Lindsay shook his head. “Not in Sunnydale. Read his history. In Sunnydale the only woman, teenager actually, Angel was obsessed with was the slayer. There’s no indication from his files that he even noticed Cordelia except as a teenager that was a part of the slayer’s small group of friends. A very beautiful physically quite mature teenage Cordelia Chase. About 17, I’d imagine. It wasn’t until LA that their love blossomed to the destructive plateau that keeps getting in our way.
***
“You don’t think that even slayer obsessed Angel with a soul wouldn’t get just a little protective of a teenage girl that was being stalked by his past evil self. I bet he would notice her then.”
“You’re forgetting that he wasn’t always the vampire without a soul then. He lost his soul in 1998. That Angelus wouldn’t give a damn about protecting a teenage girl.”
Lilah nodded, and then raised her eyes in question. “Why do we even need the past Angelus, just send her back, and let the 1998 Angelus deal with her.”
“Because that Angelus didn’t notice Cordelia. That past already happened. Cordelia lived through the Angelus period and ended up four years later soul mates with Angel. No, we need the Angelus that wants her.”
“I can’t imagine two Angelus’ being any safer than Angel and Angelus together in the same spot.”
“But, Lilah, it will be 1998, you and I will be safely in LA, just being introduced to the wonders of Wolfram & Hart and NOW we will be in LA with Angel who will be running around trying to figure why the love of his life is in a coma. Cordelia will be the only one facing two Angelus. Hell, if the 1998 version does notice her -let the Angelus’ fight it out. Either way, whichever kills her or turns her, we’re safe and the plan a success.”
“Don’t be so sure that Angel won’t come to us.” She looked at his hand to remind him of how dangerous that prospect could be.
Lindsay nodded in concession. “Okay, so maybe as the only ones at Wolfram & Hart that knows the plan, we should take a short sabbatical.”
“Hide?”
“Move our base of operations, rather. I don’t want to lose another hand, do you want to end up in the hospital again?”
“No. Where do we start?”
Lindsay held the paper back up.