Part 8
Angel wasn’t sure that he believed a word that he was hearing. But they did and in their version of events Cordelia Chase had walked out of Sunnydale. He needed that version to be true.
“Angel,” they all jumped.
“You want to know where Cordelia Chase is.”
“Yes, please.” Wesley shoved at his glasses.
The door burst open, Jack ran in. He skidded to a halt. “Hey, you didn’t kill them. Fuckin A. Business. A four horned, snaggled toothed grizzly large fucker about to decimate a man in the parking garage under the Lincoln complex.”
Wesley stood. “A Vortual. I’ll need a sword.”
“I’m going need an axe,” Gunn looked at the vampire. “Got a weapon’s cabinet in this place.”
“Where do you think you both are going?” Angel stared.
“With you, man.”
“Yes, Vortual’s are very prolific fighters. They have the strength of ten very strong men. A match even for a vampire with your skills, you’ll need us.”
“I work alone.”
“No anymore. Hey, English, found ‘em.” Gunn stood in front of an armory, pulling out a sword and tossing it.
Wesley caught the sword easily.
Gunn yanked out an axe, then a large broadsword. “Here.” He tossed the vampire’s sword to him. “I call shot gun, you still have the Plymouth right.” He asked as he headed out the door, Wesley following.
“Charles, normally, I sit in the front seat.”
“I called shot gun, tough.”
Angel blinked at the retreating men, then at Fred. “I work alone.”
Fred waved smiling at the vampire. “Be careful.”
“What are you doing sitting at my desk,” grumbled Jack.
“Go away,” Fred shooed the rumpled man.
Part 9
“That thing wasn’t such a bad ass. Whooped his tail.” Gunn headed back into the office.
Fred looked up from her computer. “I didn’t think Vortual’s had tails.”
“They don’t, Fred.”
“Oh, where’s Angel. Oh, hi, Angel.” The young woman smiled as the vampire entered. “Is any one hurt? I found the first aid kit.”
“No, we’re cool.”
“Good, because that’s Cordy’s job.” Fred sat down. “I ordered some food, coffee and tea are over there,” she pointed to a table by the window.
“Hey, girl, you got some clothes, what happened to the bag.”
“I think I offended Lorne, or just brought back bad memories of Plyea. He came back by with some clothes. Angel, would you like me to get you some blood.”
“No.” Angel stared at the young woman, who had taken over his office.
“Are you sure? Cordy told me which spices you liked best in your blood.”
“Girl, you know he hates cinnamon, just doesn’t have the balls to tell her.” Gunn laughed.
“Oh, you really don’t like cinnamon in your blood?”
“I can’t ever imagine even trying it.”
“Oh. Right.”
Angel stared at the humans. Wesley going straight to Angel’s desk, digging back through some books, and writing on a pad.
Gunn was perched on the edge, cleaning the axe he had been using, even though he had already cleaned it before leaving the parking garage. Angel hadn’t wanted to admit but both had been helpful in his fight with the demon.
They handled their respective weapons with confidence, working together as a team, seeming to know when to let Angel fight and when he needed their help. They knew him, but he had no idea who they were.
He had been completely confused at their light banter and friendly insults as they rode to the garage or their exaggerated bragging in an attempt to outdo the other on their prowess on the ride back.
“Angel.”
The vampire looked at the self-proclaimed rogue demon hunter. That label no longer seemed so foolish.
“You were going to tell us where Cordelia is.”
Angel stared then sat down, making his decision. “When I left Sunnydale, she was in private hospital right outside the town, attached to life support. Dead to the world except she still breathed. If she’s been transferred to another facility I don’t know, don’t want to know.”
Gunn’s fist swung slamming into the desk covering the gasps coming from Fred.
“What happened to her?” Wesley said in a valiant to keep his composure.
“Wesley,” Fred jumped up, tears clouding her eyes. “We have to go. We have to be with her, she can’t be alone, she can’t.”
“Her parents?” Wesley asked the vampire.
“Dead.”
“Wesley.” Fred cried. “Charles tell him, we have to go.”
“Fred.” Wesley hugged the young woman. “Fred, we can help best by finding out what went wrong, okay. We’ll fix it. Will get her back, okay.”
Fred blinked slowly nodding. “Right, sorry,” she gulped down her sniffles, wiping at her face. “I just…”
“Fred, we all love her.”
Fred gave a small smile and nodded again.
Wesley took a deep breath turning to face the vampire. “What happened?”
“What happened?” Gunn shot out. “I’ll tell you what happened- Angelus, that bastard did it.”
Angel waited for Gunn’s angry glare to rest on him, to blame him, but the black man’s eyes remained on Wesley.
“Gunn, it couldn’t have been, if something had happened to Angel and Angelus managed to get that close to Cordelia, he would’ve turned her, not put her in a coma. That’s not how Angelus wanted her. You remember what Angel said when Angelus was brought forward the last time. He said that Angelus’ plan in 1898 was to turn her, not…well…not kill her.”
Angel narrowed his eyes at Wesley, but the man was too concentrated in his own thoughts to notice. Angel looked again at the human’s in the room, starting to believe them.
There was no way possible that Wesley knew that unless Angel had told him. And the fact that Angel did showed that the vampire had trusted the humans.
“Then what happened to her?” Gunn turned to the vampire.
Angel braced himself for hearing the words that he would have to speak and for the anger from the human’s that obviously loved Cordelia Chase.
“Gunn, Angel wouldn’t know.”
“What do you mean he wouldn’t know? He was there.” Gunn insisted.
Angel remained silent, also wondering what Wesley meant.
“His memories are affected by whatever went wrong. Car accident?”
“A car accident?” Gunn jumped up. “We’ve got Cordy running from two fucking Angelus and you choose to believe that she got hit by a car, now that doesn’t make any damn sense.”
“But it would, it would explain him,” Wesley pointed to Angel.
“Wesley?” Fred blinked. “I…”
“If Cordelia is in a coma in Sunnydale, she couldn’t come to LA. And that’s the result.” He pointed to Angel. “ Cordy wouldn’t have been here to meet Angel, she wouldn’t have received the visions from Doyle. This,” He waved his hand around the office. “Was where Angel and Doyle were before Cordy came and took over, making it Angel Investigations, before Wolfram & Hart blew it up.”
Angel was really starting to hate that law firm. He had some dealings with them but not enough for him to care one way or another. But to repeatedly try to kill Cordy and blow up his home. He was getting pissed.
“But, without Cordy, no Angel Investigations, because she didn’t talk Angel into accepting paying clients as well as help the helpless. She wasn’t here to be with Angel after Doyle died. She wasn’t here to give him her friendship and love. Hell, she wasn’t here to give him us. I know I didn’t work with this Angel, he works alone….”
Angel narrowed his eyes again at the man. Angel didn’t like his tone on that last bit.
“And Gunn, it was her idea for Angel to pay you.” Wesley continued.
“It was? Cheap bastard.”
Angel glared at the black man. Angel didn’t like his tone either.
“And Fred would still be in Plyea, because Cordy wouldn’t have gotten herself sucked in the portal.”
Fred nodded. “Yeah, it wasn’t me he came to save. Angel’s so wonderful the way he’s always jumping in Portals to save Cordy.”
Angel was beginning to like the young woman.
“So, you see without Cordy, you get him, sullen, anti-social, dark broody, probably way over the top melodramatic.” Wesley pointed to Angel.
“I am not melodramatic.” Angel said suddenly. “I’m in the room you know.”
“You are too.” Gunn rolled his eyes and focused back on Wesley. “I get without Cordy we get the whole vamp loner with a grudge against life and a guilt trip to match, but I’m not buying a car accident.”
Angel growled a tiny bit. Obviously, Gunn didn’t get the fact he was in the room.
“But, Gunn-”
“But, no, Wes. A car accident? You really think Angel would let Cordy get hit by a car. The vamp has the reaction of,” Gunn snapped his finger. Angel slightly nodded totally agreeing with Gunn on that point.
“Not if he was dead.”
“Dead?” Gunn pointed. “He’s right there.”
“Not him. But Angel. If Angelus killed him in 1998, then he wouldn’t be there to protect Cordelia.”
“Wes, man. You said that in 1898, Angel beat the shit out of Angelus and I saw it in the hotel, Angel would’ve killed him if we hadn’t tranqed both of them.”
Angel really liked that. What a feeling of satisfaction that must have been.
Fred cleared her throat. “Wesley, Angelus couldn’t have killed Angel.”
“He’s not infallible, and…”
“Wesley, if Angel didn’t send Angelus back then who did? “ she pointed to Angel. “Soul. If Angelus didn’t go back, then he wouldn’t have been cursed by the gypsies.”
“Possibly Giles. If Cordelia didn’t have any other options left to protect herself from Angelus, she would’ve gone to Giles and Buffy.” Wesley suggested.
“Would that be before or after she got hit by your car?” Gunn rolled his eyes.
“I’m just saying, that Angelus wouldn’t leave Cordy in a coma.”
“Maybe he fucked up, didn’t get the chance to make her into another crazy dead bitch or maybe he just changed his mind. Why make this shit up, just ask the vamp if he knows how Cordy ended up tied to a hospital bed.”
The three humans’ gazes locked on the vampire.
