***
The vampire backed away from the door going back to the stairs. It was a potentially tense moment but averted by rationalization and hopeful thinking.
He hurried up to the bedroom. She would be back. He had a major rage moment when he woke up and realized that Cordelia was absent. Well, after his major chuckle moment. God, he had been stupid.
The vampire settled his self on the bed and waited. He buried his head into the pillow as he scented her coming into the room. Patience, he willed. Patience.
“You’re awake. Can’t fool me.” She brushed his shoulder.
“I didn’t think you’d appreciate me dragging you out of Wesley’s office.”
“How much of that did you hear?” she narrowed her eyes.
“Oh, I don’t know, that you suddenly decided that you don’t like the way I make love.”
“I never said that.”
“It didn’t feel right.” He mimicked.
“Angel.”
“And telling Wesley. I thought spreading sex tales was for the boys in the locker room. Tsk. Tsk. Cordy.”
“Angel…” Cordelia stood unsure at the vampire’s tone.
“Cordy,” The vampire grabbed her hand pulling her onto the bed. “I’m not mad. Wesley was right and I understand why you are feeling hesitant. I do too.” He shrugged sitting up against the backboard of the bed.
“You do?” Cordelia puzzled.
“Sure. We were in Sunnydale, not a happy memory place, you surrounded by Angelus’ and Angels’. Not a stress-free time. Hence, shoving you into the bathroom.”
“But…”
The vampire reached out his hand to cup her chin. “You are mine. I get a little anxious when others even other me’s get involved. What if you liked one of the others better.”
“Angel, I wouldn’t…”
“Of course not. But, don’t you think it’s time you proved it,” he grabbed at her head, pulling her lips towards his.
Cordelia jerked back. Okay, the too gentlemanly vampire was gone, but now…Her eyes widened in a sickening thought.
“You are quick on the soulless bit aren’t you? It’s just the soul bit you are slow on.” Angelus laughed, clamping his hand over her mouth, his body covering hers immobilizing it.
“Ooh, no kick to the groin or sneaky vamp hunter move. God you are wondrous, all mine, and this time I’m not wasting time on games.” He plunged his fangs and cock hard into the struggling body.
Cordelia fought but her body was pinned the only leeway given was when the vampire thrust, but it was too fast and hard for her to move. The blood was draining fast from her body. The world was spinning and fading, but nowhere did she get the answers of how she was dying in Angelus’ embrace.
***
Angelus withdrew from the lax body. He sensed the hotel as he drew a cut into his chest. Wesley was gone and the only vibrant heart was from the woman down the hall. Convenient. Cordy would need food when she woke. Angelus cradled the body close to his chest urging her lips over the flowing self-made wound.
He growled as her cooling lips sucked taking in the blood that filled him.
Angelus gently laid the woman on the bed. He debated about leaving and going to the nourishment down the hall, wanting to give Cordelia a gift when she woke. But, he didn’t know if Angel had ever been invited into Fred’s room before, probably, but it wasn’t a chance he would take just then. This time he would wait patiently.
Wesley wasn’t in the hotel, Gunn wasn’t. Fred wouldn’t bother the couple. He would have all night. Then he would act. So, he just waited, pulling the body close, studying the soft contours and the strength underneath. God, she would be amazing when she woke and was finally his.
Part 19
Cordelia pushed against the body that held her. She was starving. She growled and shoved, the body next her held nothing to cure the hunger.
Angelus shot up at the movement. “Sleeping beauty awakes.” He smiled.
Cordelia looked at the vampire and then her surroundings. “I’m hungry.”
“Of course you are.”
“Well, if you knew that why isn’t there a body tied up for me. It’s not like there isn’t one just down the hall.” She growled.
Angelus sat up. His beautiful childe definitely grooved right into the undead mode.
“She’s in her room, I can’t get in.”
“You didn’t even try did you?” Cordelia rolled her eyes.
“A waste of time and possible alarm ringing.”
Cordelia stared at the vampire. “You, dumb ass, have Carte Blanc into Fred’s room, she invited you in months ago.”
“Oh.” Angelus brows rose. “Was the soul doing her too?”
Cordelia smacked him. “Don’t be an idiot.”
Angelus lurched, covering Cordelia’s body with his own. “I’m your sire.” He growled a warning.
“Pfft.” She pushed. “I’m hungry.”
“I want to have sex.”
“I want to eat.” She kicked at the vampire.
“You aren’t acting right.”
“Maybe you should’ve driven me crazy first. Hmmph.” Cordelia got off the bed. “Go get her. I can’t. I’m dead.”
“You expect me, your sire to feed you?” He growled.
Cordelia walked over to the vampire, stroking his chest. “I expect you to feed me so I’ll have the appropriate desire to fuck you into next week and then go kill Wesley so he doesn’t figure out the time spell to change this little divergence.”
“Oh.”
“Oh.” Cordelia backed up. “Before you go though, tell me. You aren’t my Angel, so what- in Angel A and B’s little sortie to bag the Angelus’ he got killed and you decide to take his place? Though, I’m still a little hazy why you are here. You had a soul when we left 1998.”
“Your Angel?”
“Well, he was the one I knew.”
Angelus chuckled. “It’s really kind of funny. The Angel B, as you called him, me, decided that he wanted the future of the other soul boy so he killed him, really, he had good intentions, love you, keep you safe, but he forgot one important thing in his obsession, his soul wasn’t bound. So, here I am- and I’ve really missed you. Can’t tell you how happy I am that I got to finish what I started in 1998 or was it 1898. When we are done here, I’ve still a grudge to settle with the slayer.”
“Still obsessed with the blonde one, that makes me warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Oh please, revenge is all I want. She interrupted something that should have been done four years ago. You are mine.” He pulled Cordelia towards him, sharp teeth nicking at the permanent marks displayed.
“Oh, I can understand revenge, I’ve a list. After you feed me, maybe I’ll tell you,” she teased, kissing at him, biting at his mouth.
Angelus kissed back then pushed. “You are going to be handful.”
“Did you really expect anything different?”
“No.” Angelus laughed.
“Hey.” She called as the vampire moved towards the door.
Angelus turned.
“Less shock and more cooperation if you don’t show up at Fred’s door-naked. She’d blush, then that quick brain of hers would start to think rapid thoughts and she keeps experiments in her room ones that always seem to shoot sharp deadly objects.”
Angelus nodded, opening the closet. “Any suggestions. Don’t want to look gay.”
Cordelia chuckled and went under the vampire’s arm to pull out some clothes. “Leather pants and a tasteful black sweater.”
“No color?”
“No soul. And I think I can tell you this now, you look really hot in all black. Mysterious, sexy, dangerous, edible. But, hey, go for the biker Lorne look if you want.”
Angelus gripped at her shoulders. “Joke, tease all you want, but KNOW what you are.”
Cordelia cocked a brow. “And what exactly am I other than a vampire, a very hungry one at that.”
“You are mine. You will do what I say.”
Cordelia scoffed. “Get over yourself. When I was Angel’s I never did what he said unless he had a good reason. That won’t change. Deal with it or chose another playmate.”
“You are a pain in the ass.”
Cordelia laughed. “I think that was one of the unspoken reasons why Angel loved me and why Angelus wanted me, what do you think?”
“I think you are mine,” Angelus shoved her against he wall, pounding in her with one stroke, moving then with a force that had Cordelia slamming into the walls.
Cordelia clutched at the dark head, pushing back with inhuman force, letting the violent coupling continue into both vampires were gasping and shuddering.
“You’ll do.” She moved her hips releasing the vampire, giving him a coy smile.
Angelus laughed. “You are mine.”
Cordelia laughed. “Whatever you think, sire.” She bowed. “I’m hungry.”
“Bitch,” he laughed pulling on the pants Cordelia had thrown out of the closet and tugging on the sweater she picked out.
“But, I’m cute.” She smiled after the vampire.
“You’re fucking gorgeous and you know it.” He shut the door.
Cordelia stared at the closed door. God she really was hungry.
Part 20
Cordelia paced the room, gnawing at her lips. Waiting, wondering, thinking, not at all sure what she would do when the vampire came back with Fred.
She swirled as Angelus returned, Fred bundled up in his arms. The girl was still alive but scared to death. Wow, was that enticing. Cordelia stopped in front of Angelus. “Thank you.” She kissed him and then looked at the young woman. “Surprised aren’t you. Don’t worry, the surprises don’t end here.” Cordelia took the stake from behind her back and shoved it into Angelus chest. She stepped back as the dust settled.
“Fred,” Cordelia spoke, her eyes remaining on the dust. “Run, go to your room and stay there, don’t under any circumstances let me in. I am really hungry right now. Go. Call Wesley, tell him to get his ass here immediately with a crossbow. Please, go, don’t talk, don’t ask, just run.”
“Cordy?”
“GO.” Cordelia flashed her demon face.
Fred didn’t take a second longer.
Cordelia moved around the dust pile, slumping to the ground, her fingers twirling in the remains. What had she just done?
Part 21
Wesley waited at the entrance for Gunn. One more second and he would go in. Fred said she was safe in her room, but Wesley couldn’t take that chance.
“Wes.”
Wesley nodded at his friend. They both walked in scanning the lobby finding it empty. The cautiously walked up to the first floor, going first to Fred’s room.
“Fred,” Wesley called out gently, praying to hear an answer.
“Oh thank god,” Fred ran to the door. “Cordy’s a vampire, Angel is dust, she did it, I saw her, then she told me to run in here and stay and call YOU,” she rambled to Wesley.
“Where is she?” Wesley swore silently that he would remain calm and focused.
“I think still in their room, I don’t know for sure. I stayed here. I think maybe I heard her go downstairs but I think she came back, I don’t know. Vampire’s are quiet and I just don’t know.” Fred blinked. “What happened?”
Wesley nodded and raised his crossbow and opened the door to Angel and Cordelia’s suite. “Cordy?”
“Over here, don’t come any closer, you did bring the cross bow.”
Wesley flicked on the light switch resisting the urge to shut it off again at the sight.
“Cordy, what-?”
“What’s going on? What’s happening? What the fuck? What are you trying to ask, Wesley?”
Wesley moved in closer studying the girl slumped against the wall. Empty containers of Angel’s pig blood littered the ground by her feet.
“Do you have your soul?”
“No. At least I’m pretty sure I don’t. It took five containers of this shit for me not to leave the hotel or beg Fred to let me in. I got sick. This stuff is gross. I’ve never tasted human but it smells so much better.”
“You didn’t leave and the turning process could create a blood lust that is so instinctual that you wouldn’t realize that you had a soul, but you didn’t leave, didn’t kill any one.”
“I killed Angel.” She laughed. “I don’t have a soul, Wesley, forget that semi good option out of all this shit. I’ve only memories and the feelings that accompany them, but those feelings are fading pretty fast now.”
Gunn clenched his jaw trying to ignore the sock to his gut as Cordelia admitted to being a vampire, just as he tried to ignore the sharp nails Fred pierced into his arms at Cordelia’s each acknowledgement.
“Will you tell us what happened?” Wesley move closer unsure about Cordelia’s demeanor. She said she was a vampire without a soul but she had said nothing to threaten anyone, her only kill had been Angel.
“Stay back, please.” She held out her hand. “I don’t know when it’s going to snap.”
“Snap?”
“The hunger is gone. Like I said I got sick.” She waved a hand at the empty containers. “But the smell, human, I really want it.” She looked up at Wesley. “You have to listen to me.”
Wesley took a step back and nodded.
Cordelia licked her lips and returned a nod. “It wasn’t Angel that returned through the portal.” She held up her hand. “Don’t interrupt me I need to finish this while I still want to.”
Wesley shut his jaw and nodded.
“I told you that something had gone wrong that you sent another Angel, Angel B, a vampire with a soul but with even more issues than ours to 1998 to fix what Angel and I had done. Well, that Angel decided to become our Angel. I didn’t realize it at first, just thought it was nerves or something. I went to you,” she glared at Wesley.
“I told you that I thought something was wrong, but no, you said it was because Angel had faced two Angelus’ and another Angel. Well, you were wrong. It was because THIS,” She slapped at the dust on the floor,” Killed Angel and came back in his place. The idiot, while wanting our Angel’s future forgot that his soul wasn’t bound and viola.” She waved her hand in front of her dead body.
Wesley refused to react or beat himself up. He would be sure to do that later. “You killed him?”
“He killed Angel.”
“Are you sure you don’t have a soul?”
“Wesley, it isn’t a matter of a soul, Angel, our Angel, is MY Angel, that wasn’t him.” She waved her hand at the dust. “It wasn’t Angel or the Angelus I would accept. He killed Angel.”
“Okay.” Wesley nodded. “What…”
“Wesley, Geez, use that brain of yours. You have to go back a fix it. Make sure that Angel B doesn’t kill Angel. He has to go though, because he did stop the other fuck up.”
“The other…what?”
“You sent Angel B back because Angel and I had sex as soon as he got there, he was going to mark me again. He wanted the younger body. Though, why he couldn’t have been happy with the older body is beyond me, you saw me, is that body really any better than this,” she jerked to her form.
Wesley gulped. “You were and are beautiful, I would venture my opinion that even more so now, or well, a day ago a least when you were alive.”
Cordelia laughed. “Thanks, I think. Anyway, I was pretty disappointed that we got interrupted. Angel B showed up. Watching, all of them watching, Angelus 1, 2, Angel B, it was a freakin porn movie, should’ve made popcorn for the degenerates.”
“Um, Cordy?”
“Right, you’re blushing. Don’t do that, it brings the blood to surface. I can almost taste it. I could just decide to eat you or maybe turn you. I love you. You’re family. Maybe you kiss better as a vampire.”
Wesley jerked his cross bow up. “You were saying something other than that.”
“You don’t love me?”
Wesley bowed his head. “I love the non-vampire Cordy.”
“That’s not fair. I didn’t ask to be a vampire.”
“No, you didn’t. And you are being very nice by telling us this and not killing us.”
“I am aren’t I?”
“Yes.”
“It’s kind of weird, but I still remember everything, the feelings and everything.”
“Yes, I’ve read that some vampires retain their humanity longer than others, you clearly have.”
“Oh, are you sure you don’t want to be a vampire, think of how smart you’d be, and all the books you could read over the many years. It could be fun.”
“No, Cordy.”
“Hmmph. I’m getting hungry again.” She scrunched up her face at Wesley. “You have to go back. I can’t go. I want too, really. But, I’m pretty sure that I would go straight for my soul and destroy it and probably try to kill Buffy at the same time. See, that’s where I was. Angel and Angel B shoved me into Buffy’s house, while they were supposed to fix everything. He said I’d be safe. Am I safe? I told him I didn’t want to go.” Cordelia looked to the ground.
“You have to go Wesley, you have to save Angel.”
Wesley nodded. “I will.”
“Promise.”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Cordelia took another deep breath. “I still love you all but you better do it now, Wesley.”
“Cordy.”
“I’m a soulless vampire, Wesley. You are my family. It’s not safe. Do it.”
“I love you, Cordy.” Wesley shot his crossbow.
“Oh shit,” Gunn jerked.
Fred ran to the dust. “No. Oh god, no.”
Wesley turned his back to his friends. “Fred, a portal, now. When Angel was sent.”
Fred blinked up through her tears. “Right.”
“Fuck.” Gunn shook his head. “English, you can’t go alone.” He ran after Wesley.
***
Fred and Gunn sat across Wesley’s desk. The young brunette held the wafer in her hand. “I almost don’t want to know if we mess up again.”
“He’s going without me.”
“Charles, we have to stay together in case something else goes wrong.”
Gunn grunted. “Let’s hope this works.” He swallowed the thin wafer.
Fred nodded as she did the same.