Chapter Twelve
“It’s a mathematical description for time travel. The equation utilizes the theories of Einstein and Newton as well as…”
“It’s a real equation, not just a bunch of numbers?”
“It’s a theoretical equation, valid even.” Fred said, annoyed by Gunn’s interruption.
“Time travel is possible?”
“In theory, but it’s impractical, the power needed for it to be operational has not been discovered yet, if it ever will be. But the math is right.”
“But…”
“Wesley, you maybe the expert on demons and magic, but this is my area. It is description for time travel, the equation that would be needed to design a time machine. All that would be needed is the power to make it work.”
“This is nuts.” Gunn just shook his head.
“And going through a dimension portal wasn’t?”
“Magic is power.” Angel growled.
Wesley took the paper from Fred. Wesley nodded as he reread the incantations. “Yes, if the equations do truly depict time travel….”
“They do.”
“Then it is possible.”
“So, do it.”
“Angel, it’s not that simple. The spell and equation may create a time portal, in lieu of an actual machine, but we don’t know what time they sent Cordelia. We need to know.”
“No we don’t, we just need to go.”
“Angel, if the portal is like the portal to Pylea, we could end up in the wrong place or the wrong time.”
“Lawyer chick still has the use of her legs. Angel could go back and ask her.”
Angel nodded and turned to leave.
“I was kidding.” Gunn mumbled.
“Well, he wasn’t you saw that.” Wesley shook his head. “Angel wait, there may be some more information in the briefcase.”
Wesley pulled out a file and another loose piece a paper. “It’s the prophecy.”
“How would sending Cordelia through a time portal bring back Angelus?” Gunn asked.
“It wouldn’t….Angel.” Wesley held up the file. “It’s your history or rather a portion of Angelus’ – London 1880’s – 1890’s” Wesley winced as he looked through it. “Active wasn’t he? They must have gotten the information from Darla. …. Angel…Wolfram & Hart couldn’t bring Angelus here, so….”
Angel listened to Wesley’s words; they sounded as if they were coming from far away. Cordelia, his Cordelia was alone somewhere in the past, somewhere Angelus could touch her. He should be enraged or terrified, but strangely, he felt nothing but a eerie sort of calmness. As if he was on the outside of his body, looking in. The world was starting to fade.
Fred picked up the time portal spell again. “It’s a specific equation. The distance and velocity vectors aren’t variables but constants. I think the equation itself indicates the time period and coordinates.
“You think? We can’t afford to be wrong by even a day or city.”
“We won’t be or won’t be by much, I think. This is theoretical,” Fred defended at Wesley and Gunn’s look. “But, the portal should form in the same place, as for the time, that should be the same too, well give or take hours or days.”
“We…”
“Wesley, if were earlier, we wait, if it’s after, then we just find Cordy. We have the time, Angel still has is soul so obviously Angelus hasn’t killed Cordy yet.”
Wesley winced, and shot a concerned glance at Angel. The vampire hadn’t said anything in a while, no growls, no pacing, nothing.
“Angel, Angel…” Wesley waved his hand in front of the vampire. “I think he is in shock.”
“Yo, Angel,” Gunn snapped his fingers.
Angel slowly blinked. “I’m going. Angelus will not touch Cordelia.”
“Of course, we’re going. Angel, Winifred is right, Cordelia must still be alive, or the prophecy would have happened. And it is not necessarily true that she is in immediate danger from Angelus, just because they sent her back presumably to the latter 19th century London, doesn’t mean that Angelus has come across her or would kill her if he did. Angelus doesn’t know who she is; to him she would be just another young woman. Angelus didn’t kill everyone he came into contact with.”
“Yeah, and Cordy does know him, if she sees him, she will avoid him.”
Angel stared at his friends and laughed.
“The vamp is still in fly away zone. English hit him.”
Angel held up his hand, his burst of laughter dying into small sorrowful ironic gasps. Avoid Angelus? Just another woman? Angel thought back to Angelus’ appearance in the 20th century. The demon may have been obsessed with tormenting Buffy in Sunnydale, spurned on by Angel’s love for the slayer, but Angelus had noticed the beautiful dark haired teenager and if he hadn’t been vanquished, Angel had no doubt that after he got bored playing with Buffy, Angelus would have turned his attention to Cordelia.
Just has Angelus had planned to do when he made his brief appearance in LA. Avoid him; Angelus wouldn’t let her, not if he saw her. And he would see Cordelia, of that Angel had no doubt.
Angel shook his head at the foolishness of his friends. “No, sometimes Angelus did leave the beautiful, bright and spirited ones alive- insane and broken, but still, I guess you could say they were alive.”
Wesley, Gunn, and Fred shifted nervously at the wretchedness of Angel’s tone.
“Um, yes, well, we have the spell, we should probably get prepared to leave, then, yes..” Wesley was the first one to collect himself, sort of.
“Actually,” Fred hesitated; she held the spell in her hand. “I do think that the equation depicts the coordinates and time, but see, that maybe a problem.” She pushed her glasses up.
Angel growled. His mood had shifted again. The shock, the sorrow gone, in their place anger and impatience. He had to get to Cordelia.
Fred involuntarily moved closer to Gunn. “It’s the coordinates there, but not here. It’s a one-way spell.”
“Might be a problem?” Gunn looked at the young woman.
“Um, it’s just..”
Angel stifled his growl and took a unnecessary needed breath. “It works?”
“To there, I guess, yes, to there.” Fred fumbled.
Angel nodded. “Then do it.”
“Angel, this could be serious.” Wesley pushed his glasses up.
“Could be?” Gunn switched his gaze to Wesley.
Angel ignored Gunn. “Will the spell open the portal and take me to Cordelia.” He turned to Fred.
“Yes…most likely,” she shrugged.
“Angel?”
“Do it.”
“Angel, we have to get back.”
“No, I have to find Cordelia.”
“Angel…”
“Um, the portal will open. You can go through either way, we just can’t create it from there to get here.”
Angel nodded. “Then stay, keep the portal open. I will go and bring Cordelia back. Do it.”
“But the power source?” Fred looked at Wesley. “That’s magic. Will it be to maintain its power indefinitely?”
“Angel and I will go, you and Gunn stay. Do the spell every 24 hours at…” Wesley paused, calculating quickly. “10:00 pm.” He signed. “Angel, I don’t know how this works. I don’t know if there will be a time change…what I mean,” He said at the other’s looks. “Is whether there is a time difference or not. It’s almost 1am now in LA, but it’s almost dawn the next day in London right now. If the same holds true in time travel, then if we went through the portal now, Angel would be in flames. We can’t count on the same conditions that existed for Pylea. It would be best if we waited before leaving.
“No.”
“Angel.’
“I’ll take a blanket. Now let’s go.”
“I want to go.”
Angel took another deep unnecessary needed breath. Angel was reaching his limit; he could feel the rage and frustration threatening to take over. And that would not be healthy for his well- meaning friends.
“Wesley, you have exactly 15 minutes to gather whatever you’re about to say we need to get and to do whatever else you think we need to do. Gunn, you will stay with Fred and make sure Wolfram & Hart doesn’t try in anyway to interfere. Understood.”
“Angel, we can’t go like this.” Wesley waved at their clothes. “We are about to go on a rescue mission in 19th century London. “
“I’ll take care of that. Anything else. Fine.” Angel strode up the stairs of the lobby.
“I guess I’ll go get some weapons then.”
“I want to go.”
“Shush, Charles, I don’t think Angel is in the mood.” Fred said shaking her head.
***
Angel yanked out the wooden chest out from under his bed. Every year, every decade that past with it still in his possession, he would wonder why. Now, he knew. Angel pulled out the woolen suits and coins.
Souvenirs of a time that he loathed; a time when Angelus was at his best. Sure, there were times after London that Angelus made his evil mark on the world, but it was in London that he enjoyed it the most. He had his family that he led them into society, only then to guide them on how to destroy that same society.
Darla may have been older, she may have had the will, but it was Angelus that had the skill. And he used it well. It disgusted and saddened Angel, but mostly it terrified him that Cordelia would now be fully exposed to the evil of Angelus, to the demon within Angel.
Chapter Thirteen
Cordelia sat in the corner of her new room. She heard the sounds of voices, laugher, and yelling all mixing to create a rumbling thunder that penetrated the floor and walls. Cordelia had moved into the Inn, the second night after her confrontation with Jack the Ripper, and Angelus.
She had spent most of the rest of that night pretending that Pa was a slimy demon that needed to be hacked and disposed of. Cordelia didn’t know how she did it, but she did. And disposing of the body, turned out to criminally easy.
It’s seems that Whitechappel had so much crime, filth, and residents that minded their own business that no one noticed or cared that she was dragging bloody heavy sheets to the street and tossing them into the heap of trash lined along the alley. Cordelia had gone back to the room, blocking her tears and fears, just concentrating on the ritual of washing her body slowly and as thoroughly has she could with a rag and basin.
The next day she went to work.
The regular customers and staff had looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to put on another performance. Cordelia refused to acknowledge their looks and just smiled and served. Soon, they became weary of their watch.
When the taproom closed for the legitimate customers, she left to go to her room down the street, her stake firmly in her hand.
Cordelia had jumped as a silent dark figure sidled up to her side. Before she had time to react, the stake was on the ground.
“I just wanted to walk you home.”
Cordelia fumbled into the body of her skirt. Her hands were brought up swift and empty. “Not very polite, all I wanted to do was make sure you got safely home.”
“Right”
“It’s true, I’m intrigued. How do you know about us? I would’ve have remembered you if I had met you before…”
“Yeah, and I would be dead.”
Angelus shrugged. “You do know that the sight is the sign of the devil. So, what’s your disagreement with vampires.”
Cordelia stopped, glanced around, and thought quickly. She took a step back away from the vampire, her expression fearful. “Devil?”
“The devil, there is evil in you girl, why fight it?”
Cordelia widened her eyes and stepped back again, her hands going to her breast in shock. “Evil?”
Angelus studied her, and moved. But he was too late; Cordelia had taken that last step into the doorway of her boardinghouse. He tried to follow, but the spell that Cordelia was frantically reciting barred him.
“You think this will keep me out?”
“Long enough, for me to get to my room, where there will be no one to invite you in.”
Angelus growled.
Cordelia laughed. “Oh, keep that lame ass line about sight and the devil for loony tunes like Dru. Please.” She ran up the steps.
***
The next morning Cordelia awoke, feeling somewhat powerful, she had managed to keep Angelus at bay and get in the last word. She was feeling pretty good. Now if Angel would just show up.
The next night, she left the Inn, her stake still firmly at her side.
“You were expecting me.”
Cordelia had truly hoped that Angelus had grown bored. After all, Angel had always said that the demon had a limited attention span. Cordelia thought about that, Angelus’ obsession with Buffy hadn’t been that limited. Damn. She would have to deal with the demon. Like before, she scanned the area for Angelus’ companions.
“I’m alone.” He smirked at her investigation.
“Hmmph, that’s what you said the last time.” Cordelia continued to look around and above, and then back to her designation. She would never get to her room before Angelus could grab her. She knew Angel’s speed. But she had to try. Cordelia took off running, Angelus’ laughter echoing in her head.
“Tsk, tsk, I was alone last night and really now, you knew that wasn’t going to work again.” Angelus said, blocking the door. “Come, I have another gift.” Angelus swiftly snatched the stake, tossed it on the ground, and pulled Cordelia to the side of the boarding house.
Cordelia fumbled into her skirt.
“You are a little arsenal aren’t you?” Angelus laughed, watching her. “Am I going to have to search you?”
Cordelia glared and stopped the movement of her hands.
“That’s better, I just wanted to give you this.” Angelus pulled a single stem blood red rose out from his cloak. “One thing of beauty to another.” He handed it to her.
Cordelia stared at the flower. Its beauty was hideous. She shook her head.
“Take it, then I’ll leave for tonight. Don’t….well….”
Cordelia grabbed at the rose. “Ouch,” She dropped the flower as its hidden thorns stung her fingers.
“A thing of beauty with bite, just like you.” Angelus smiled as he clutched her fingers. “Bleeding? Let me kiss it and make it better. I hear it works.”
Cordelia pulled with all of her strength, trying to free her hand from Angelus’ steel grasp.
Angelus licked his lips, his countenance changing to that of a demon. “Just a kiss, a taste.”
Cordelia pulled more frantically.
Angelus demon face stretched into a dangerous leer. “A taste.” He plunged Cordelia’s captured fingers into his mouth. Angelus sucked, his tongue manipulated the small cuts, drawing out more blood. His body tensed and a low growl almost a purr vibrated throughout his body.
Cordelia’s torso stilled, as her free hand dove into the pocket of her full skirt. She pressed the stake firmly against Angelus’ mid section, pressing in time with each of the vampire’s growls.
Angelus’ gold eyes faded to brown as the stake broke his skin. He leaned up and stepped away, releasing Cordelia’s fingers from his mouth, but not his hand.
Cordelia and Angelus stared at each other. Angelus broke the still silence first. He rolled his tongue in his mouth, grinning. “You will be mine.” He laughed and dropped Cordelia’s hand suddenly, and just as quickly disappeared into the night.
The next morning, Cordelia asked Gerty for a room at the Inn. The old woman had been disappointed that Cordelia’s request was not a concession to working after hours, but still Gerty gave Cordelia a room.
It wasn’t that the dark haired woman was such a great wench, but Gerty knew that soon, a man, maybe even a gentleman would notice Cordy. Because the woman may be strange with her odd notions about soap and cleanliness, but she was beautiful, unique among the common whores that plied their wares.
And Cordy would be noticed, by some one other than the normal riff raff downstairs and when that happened, Gerty wanted to be on the ground floor of that discovery. Gerty knew that the girl’s high and mighty standards would fall then and Gerty wanted to be around to catch the discarded silver that would be sure thrown towards Cordy.
Cordelia had hopped with some insane thought that moving would deter Angelus, but it hadn’t. He came to the Inn, walking in at either the invitation of some woman that lived upstairs or by Gerty. Gerty seemed to take a likening to the vampire. Granted the innkeeper didn’t know he was a vampire, all she saw was a handsome, well-dressed young gentleman- gentleman- haw.
So, Angelus was now a nightly visitor at the Inn, he would come into the taproom, sit and stare at Cordelia, all the while grinning. It was unnerving. There had been moments when she would turn and see him and think Angel and start towards him. Then Angelus would grin and it would hit her, really hit her. One of them was going to have to die. She was going crazy.
Cordelia had tried to fight it. She went up to him in the taproom, put a wooden stake up to his chest and told him in no uncertain terms that if he came in there again, she would stake him. Angelus just laughed and pulled her to his lap. Cordelia shuddered as she remembered the feel of his tongue and teeth tracing her neck.
Angelus said he wanted her, that he would have her. She made some smart-ass comment back about that she wasn’t blonde, weak. What she should have done was rammed the stake into his chest for Pa, for all the evil Angelus had done and was still to do. But she couldn’t. And somehow, Angelus knew it. He just laughed. And told her not to worry, he had all the time in the world; soon she would be begging him. God, Cordelia hated him.
She looked down at the blood red roses strewn across the floor and the sketch crumbled beside them. Not even original. But then again, technically, it was before Angelus little tributes to Buffy.
Cordelia stumbled up from the floor, it had been fifteen days, and soon she just might have to accept that Angel wasn’t coming. She couldn’t live here. Cordelia didn’t doubt her ability to adapt if push came to shove. But she did her doubt her ability to live with Angelus around. Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream.
Cordelia blinked and waited. No sound of running footsteps people to the rescue. There never was when a whore yelled. Cordelia shook her head and grabbed a poker; she was again going to have to be the one to pound some sense into an overeager, sick customer. She went across the hall and down the back hall. She paused at the door and took a deep breath. Actually, she was all for bashing some disgusting male’s head in right now.
Cordelia froze as she burst in.
“Thought this might get you out.” Angelus stood holding the whore in his tight grip, ignoring her struggles.
“Angelus let her go.”
“No. Don’t see why I should, not at all.” Angelus bent towards the squirming woman’s neck.
“Angelus.” Cordelia dropped the poker and brought out a stake.
Angelus smiled. “She will be dead, before you even have a chance, unless…”
“What?”
“I’ll I want is a taste, just a taste. I don’t want to end this, but I really do need another taste and well…if you won’t oblige I will take my fill from this piece and who knows maybe I will just have to finish this game and kill you.”
Cordelia stepped back shaking her head. “No.”
“I understand that trust may be a problem. But, believe me I only need a taste and then the games can continue, otherwise….well, she dies and you.”
“You can’t get to me.” Cordelia prayed that a crossbow would magically appear in her hand. She could never get to him in time with a stake.
“I got you here didn’t I, with no magic to protect you. By the way, you never did explain to me how you got that piece of magic. What exactly are you?”
Cordelia closed her eyes, she wished she could tell him she was a great witch that would smite him, or a slayer that would stake him, or even a seer that could foretell his agonizing demise, but all she was a young woman that could see the soulless vampire’s rebirth into the wonder of Angel. And that wasn’t going to help her right now.
“Let her go.” Cordelia stood straight.
“You know my terms?”
“A taste. Yes, let her go.”
Angelus smiled. “And here I thought you were all tough.” Angelus dropped the woman and had Cordelia in his arms in an instant.
Cordelia closed her eyes as she felt the prick and pressure of Angelus’ fangs penetrate her skin. Angel, she prayed, as the blood slowly left her body.
Cordelia felt strange, there was little pain, not anything equal to the visions, just a prick, then and a coolness that flowed from her neck to her toes. She was beginning to feel light headed when Angelus ripped his fangs from her neck. Cordelia slumped to the ground.
Angelus growled and turned to the whore on the floor. He swiftly went to the woman and plunged, draining her quickly without thought, but instinct. He tossed the empty vessel to the floor.
“No, “ Cordelia cried.
Angelus went to Cordelia, kneeling and cradling her agonized face. “Such beauty, strength, steel even, weakened by heart and naivety. You’ve seen the Ripper, the human equivalent of the demon, you know me, you do don’t you, but you still believe that you can do something? Odd, but intoxicating. I can’t decide. Do I break your spirit or do I just take it away. Perplexing, interesting question, but I do know I will taste you again,” Angelus leaned in his tongue lapping up the trickle of blood on Cordelia’s neck. “You taste divine.”
Cordelia blinked and grasped onto his strong arms. “Angel.” She whispered.
Angelus smiled and left, thinking the plea on Cordelia’s lips was meant for him. Soon. He laughed.
