Part 63
Gunn wanted to ask how in the hell Cordelia had a vision. But judging from the tense silence of the vampire Angel wouldn’t be receptive to anyone questioning the young woman just yet or ever.
Shit. Cordelia wasn’t supposed to be getting those damn things anymore. Gabriel was Angel’s seer not Cordy. But, Gunn couldn’t deny that Cordy’s screaming; clutching her head, writhing on the floor had all the hallmarks of a vision, a particularly bad one at that. It had been so long, Gunn almost forgot what they had been like for Cordy.
Gabriel had, did whine a lot about the visions hurting, but they were never were as devastating as Cordelia’s had been. Wesley had said it because Gabriel was half Brack-something demon, like Angel’s first seer, lessening the pain and giving her the ability to survive the visions.
Well, Gunn wanted things to remain as they were, Cordelia may have been upset when she lost the visions, but it hadn’t bothered him any, just like he knew it hadn’t bothered Wesley or Angel. The visions had been killing her.
None of the men had wanted her to suffer like that again. Gunn, like everyone, had been silently pleased that the visions were no longer Cordelia’s burden, would no longer cause her any pain no matter how much she complained that her Immortality would keep her safe
Gunn didn’t give a shit about Immortals’ miraculous healing abilities, he had been in the room when Methos had told them that the only human seer he knew of got her head blown out. How in the hell does some one, even an Immortal, survive that? Fuck.
Methos jerked as Gunn’s shoulder knocked into the Immortal as the black man’s fist smacked at the steering wheel.
“Sorry, man.” Gunn grunted.
Methos merely nodded recognizing that the black man’s silent outburst had everything to do with the woman in the back seat. Methos looked over to Duncan. The other Immortal expression was tense. Methos wondered if the Highlander’s preoccupation had to do with Cassandra or Cordelia. Methos decided he didn’t want to ask. Methos got the distinct impression that either topic would not be welcomed by the vampire who would definitely overhear.
Duncan was still stunned by the scene of Cordelia crying on the ground in pain. Duncan couldn’t imagine a pain that could cripple her so. In the time that he had known Cordelia, she had faced every change, every task, and every battle with courage, strength, and humor. Nothing broke her, not her death, not her new destiny, but whatever happened inside her head had. If that was what being Angel’s seer entitled, Duncan had to find a way to stop it. The idea of Cordelia facing that pain on a regular basis was unpalatable.
Cordelia was grateful for the silence. But she was more grateful for the vampire holding her. Cordelia wasn’t naïve. She knew what standing on the sidelines watching her battle with Cassandra had cost the vampire. Just has she known what his continuing silence was doing to him now. When she thought about it, truly thought about it – it was amazing how much Angel would do for her, curbing his instincts, who he was, because she had asked him to.
Cordelia glanced down at the hand holding hers. She took her free hand brushing at the fingers intertwined with hers. So, strong, so gentle. She gazed up at the brown eyes, giving a slight smile. “I love you,” she said softly having to give Angel that at least when she knew he wanted so much more.
Angel leaned in cupping her chin. “Whatever it is, it will be okay.” He whispered, his voice deep with reassurance.
Cordelia gave a small chuckle. “You’ll fix it?”
“I’ll….”
Cordelia drew his hand away. “You can’t, I wish you could.” She said sadly, separating their hands going back to her spot on the other side of the car.
Angel swallowed his growl not wanting to accept that there was something else out there that he couldn’t protect Cordelia from. Angel had to know what had gotten Cordelia so upset. “Cor….” he stopped as the determined hazel eyes locked on to his.
Cordelia was deliberating shutting him out. Her sadness and tears were gone, replaced by anger and a coldness that he had never seen before. Before he could say anything else she was out of the car heading into the hotel.
Part 64
“Cordy,” Fred blinked up from the lobby counter. “Wesley,” she called as she ran towards the young woman. “Angel found you. What happened? You’re okay? Wesley.” She called again.
“Cordelia?” Wesley came out of his office.
Cordelia turned at the sound of his voice. A true genuine smile took over her face. She hurried over to her friend and watcher. “I always knew that you were too untasty to be dinner.” Cordelia raised her hand, her fingers flitting over the gauze tapped to his throat. “You’re okay, right?” Her eyes shot up to Wesley’s.
Wesley nodded temporarily silenced by the tenderness and worry apparent in the young woman’s eyes. Cordelia really did have beautiful eyes. “You?”
“Long story. You could’ve died.” Her concerned happy eyes squinted into dark slits. “You could’ve died.” She repeated.
“Cordy.” Wesley puzzled at his friend’s change in demeanor.
Cordelia turned her gaze going to the stairs of the lobby. “Gabriel, you have your coat on…and a bag, were you planning to leave us?”
Gunn hurried over to Wesley. “Some major weird shit just happened.” He whispered.
Wesley turned. “She’s alright?”
“Who the fuck knows? Maybe Angel, “ Gunn tipped his head at the silent vampire that was attentively shadowing Cordelia’s every movement. “ She took the Immortal bitch’s head, became a freaky fireworks show, and had a vision, a bitch of one. Angel said it was like the Vocal demon thing. Freaked me out, she froze, eyes’ wide, crying.”
Wesley wondered how freaky could be a noun, verb, and adjective. Wesley shook away the nonsensical thought concentrating on Gunn’s other words. “A vision….Vocah, impossible.”
“I saw her, Wes, it was the same as before, just worse, Angel said the dead crying eyes were Vocal, Vocah, whatever.”
Wesley considered the words of his friend, and then turned to watch as Cordelia walked up to Angel’s seer for the last three months.
“I asked you a question, Gabby, going somewhere,” Cordelia pointed to the bag in Gabriel’s hand.
The blonde kept stepping backwards as she had been doing since Cordelia first approached her. “I thought I would stay with friends as it seems I have none here, even after all I did for everyone.”
“Did? Could you explain exactly what you did for us,” Cordelia waved her hand around the lobby.
“I am Angel’s seer.”’
‘Aww, right, all those visions you had while he was gone, the ones since he came home, truly a great seer. Tell me seer, have you had any other visions, I mean other than that last one, the one that almost got Wesley killed and got me kidnapped by a crazy Immortal, Cassandra, do you know her?”
“I don’t know what you are babbling about, you’ve gone crazy, help me,” Gabriel swirled looking at the other occupants in the large room.
“Cordy’s vision, what was it.” Wesley jerked his head towards Gunn.
“She didn’t say, just that we had to hightail back here.”
“Are you sure it was a vision?”
“Well, she didn’t actually say that either, but it was somethin’ somethin’ freaky that looked like a vision.”
Wesley shook his head. There was that ‘freaky’ again.
Fred ran up. “Why is Cordy being so mean, I mean, I don’t really care that she’s being mean to Gabby on principle, but why Cordy is being scary mean? I mean…I don’t know what I mean.” Fred slumped.
The blonde straightened her shoulders facing the brunette. “You actually think you can stop me.”
“I know I can. You’ve been stopped.”
“Fool.”
“Bitch.” Cordelia swung, every emotion that was triggered since the Quickening focused in her fist as she knocked the blonde across the room.
“You don’t know what you are up against.” Gabriel scrambled getting to her feet.
Cordelia pulled her sword. “I just took a head, I liked it, and I’ll take yours. Now, tell me how you did it.”
“I’ll kill you.”
Fred blinked as she listened. “Cordelia just hit Gabriel and Gabriel just said she’d kill Cordy, what’s happening?” She blinked again at Gunn and Wesley.
Both shrugged, moving a little closer to the women, not sure what they were supposed to do.
Cordelia stepped forward. “It’s over, the only way you can possibly live is if you tell me how and why.”
Gabriel laughed. “Try it.” Her body seemed to grow in stature, her blonde hair receding as her frontal lobe expanded and pulsated.
Angel ceased his shadowing and jumped forward as Gabriel transformed into something he had ever seen before.
“Cute. I saw the techno version, I thought it was your best look.” Cordelia swung not going for the neck like expected but slashing at the wriggly claws that shot out of Gabriel’s chest.
Fred leaned back. “I knew she wasn’t normal.”
“I knew those were weapons.” Angel commented stunned as squiggly arms regenerated out what had been Gabriel’s amble breast, the limbs waving in the air towards Cordelia.
“Attack of the killer tittys” Gunn yelled as he vaulted over the chair reaching for the weapons cabinet.
“Oh my,” Fred gulped twirling around still stunned that the annoying blonde was morphing into a very ugly demon with clawy extra arms for breasts. “I knew she wasn’t normal,” Fred mumbled again as she ran to the stairs.
Wesley scrambled back to his office grabbing for the crossbow on his bookcase.
“A Bracken demon?” Angel yelled as he ran towards Cordelia.
Wesley skidded to a halt. “There was no reason to ask for a blood test, she had a vision, obviously now that was not accurate.” Wesley shot off arrow.
Angel grunted and yanked at Cordelia, kicking out at the demon that once was the petite blonde, trying to break the clawed, breast thrusting, squiggly, strangle hold the demon had on Cordy.
Duncan’s sword was in the air. “Methos.”
Methos’ sword was already slicing at the appendages that seemed to pop everywhere out of the demon.
Fred ran back down the stairs dragging a small suitcase. She bit her lip, praying as she set up her experiment. She flicked the box, and pointed. She squeezed her eyes as the sharp axe blade swung from the depths of the suitcase. She didn’t start breathing again until Gabby wailed, whimpered, and fell to the ground.
The dead body on the floor held no resemblance to the petite young blonde woman. Rather it was a larger humanoid demon with a too big misshaped cranium and multi appendages draped lifeless on the tiles.
The room was silent each occupant staring, none could claim victory. The body was definitely dead but whether the fatal blow was accomplished by Gunn’s axe embedded in the demon’s chest, Wesley’s arrow that pierced her stomach, Angel’s sharp dagger that pinned the demon’s neck to the floor, the three swords standing straight up in the lifeless form or the circular blade catapulted from Fred’s suitcase, was anyone’s guess.
Angel was the first to move yanking his weapon free. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Wesley, but that’s not a Bracken demon even half of one.” He repeated his earlier comment.
Wesley rolled his eyes, heading back to his office to get his Demonic Encyclopedia.
Gunn shook his head. “Girl, was this you?” He pointed to the circular blade.
“I’ve been experimenting, I like to make things.” Fred held up the mobile catapult she had built.
“Damn, that’s where the toaster went.”
Methos grabbed his sword and Duncan’s handing the Highlander his. “It’s got to be over now,” Methos sighed going up to Fred. “That was really nice and you’re really scary, Winifred Burkle.”
Fred bit her lip, giving a small embarrassed smile. She was pretty sure that the old handsome Immortal gave her another complement.
“Cordy,” Angel went to stand next to the young woman her gaze fixated on the dead body. “Cordy,” he said sharply as Cordelia kicked at the lifeless body over and over again.
“Cordy,” Angel called again, pulling the young woman away from the body, worried at the tears streaming down Cordy’s face.
“She…” Cordelia clenched her jaw. “She did it.” Cordelia glared up to the vampire. “All those people are dead because of her.” Cordelia broke free from Angel, going back to the body. “It was her fault.” Cordelia went to kick at the dead body, only to choke slumping to the ground, sobbing into her hands. “All those helpless, dead. We couldn’t save them. I didn’t see them.”
“What people, Cordy?” Angel knelt by the young woman scared to touch her. Her tears and sobbing making her fragile as if his touch could break her, but that same fragility brought an intense need to protect the young woman. He hesitantly reached out, brushing at the hair that was mixing with the tears on her face.
“The helpless,” tears muffling Cordelia’s breaking voice. “The helpless in my visions, all dead, because I didn’t see them.” She blinked up to Angel’s concerned gaze. “I let them die. It’s my fault.”
Angel’s heart split into two as Cordelia’s anger turned into sorrowful self-blame. His need to protect became overwhelming.
“We saved…” Gunn looked at the dead demon then back to the crying girl huddled in Angel’s embrace. “Who the hell did we save?”
“Not now.” Angel called as he picked up Cordelia’s trembling form taking her up stairs.
***
Cordelia scooted away from the vampire once she was on the bed, curling up away from him.
Angel sat on the bed, moving closer. “Cordy.” Angel’s hand reached out to tenderly caress the curve of her hip, trying to sooth the young woman. “You didn’t let anyone die.”
Cordelia shook her head into the pillow, squishing her body further from Angel’s comforting touch.
“Cordy,” Angel said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere, so stop.” He pulled Cordelia towards him, ignoring her resistance, curling her shaky body into his lap. His arms kept her secure against him. “It’s over now, talk to me.” His voice was soft but the order unmistakable.
Angel was relieved when Cordelia finally conceded, the tension fled as her body melted into his embrace.
Angel had to lean into to make out her soft words.
“I never lost the visions, I just didn’t see them. I don’t know how. But, after the Quickening, it was like Vocah all over again, all the visions that the Powers had sent for the last few months flooded through me,” Cordelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I felt them, all of them, all of the victims that had died, because I hadn’t seen them. I believed her, I believed that the Powers took my visions, but they didn’t, I believed her and they all died.”
Angel lifted Cordelia’s face. “Everyone believed her, Cordy. Everyone.” He emphasized. “That thing was having visions, you weren’t.”
“But, I was, Angel. All the time, whatever she was having wasn’t sent from the Powers. They were lies, I should’ve known. I’m your seer, I should’ve…. all those people.”
“Should’ve ignored the evidence? You didn’t know about the visions, not until now. YOU are not responsible.”
“I should’ve known.” Cordelia shook her head into his chest.
“No, Cordy, shush.” Angel stretched out along the bed taking Cordelia with him, he continued to whisper that it wasn’t her fault, his gentle caresses kept tempo with his assurances.
“I’m so tired.” Cordelia said softly.
“Shush, then sleep, baby, just sleep,” Angel’s voice was soft and lyrical in its beckoning.
***
Lilah threw up her hands. “That’s just great.” She looked down in disgust at her ruined fashionable jacket.
“I think his head just blew up.” Lindsay flicked a piece of goo of his cheek.
“YA THINK.” Lilah brushed at sticky mess spattered in her hair. “This is wonderful.”
“I think Gabriel’s dead.” Lindsay held the phone receiver to his shoulder again.
Lilah snorted in disgust. “Why stop there, Lindsay, I don’t think I get the fact that the sky is blue and the grass is green.”
Lindsay hung up the phone. “Linwood wants us and the head popper to stay put, he’s sending the mystics to do an autopsy on why exactly this guy flipped his lid.”
Lilah groaned at the message and the delivery. “We know why he’s dead. The white hats figured it out, killed Gabriel, and blew his gasket. Why else?”
“Linwood isn’t quite as confident as you are that the sky is really blue and the grass is really green.”
Lilah flopped in her chair. “Could this night get any worse?”
“Don’t ask, if you don’t want the answer.” Lindsay eyed the empty stained seat next to the couch for a long minute before deciding on the corner of the desk to wait.
Part 65
Angel took one more look at the sleeping woman. He softly closed the door and went to rejoin the others.
“Wesley?”
The watcher pushed at his glasses. “Gabriel was a Mediica. Mediicas are very susceptible to psychic influences and when attacked or in danger their abilities extend to being able to generate physical manifestations to meet the threat.”
“So, the wiggle arms growing out of her breast aren’t always there?” Fred frowned at the dead body.
“Jesus, even as a whacked demon, the girl was fixated on her breast. Walking, talking boob blonde joke.” Gunn plopped on the counter.
“Gunn.” Wesley cocked his head.
“What?”
“Now that Gabriel has been identified, perhaps you could dispose of her in the furnace. I would but, Angel I imagine has some questions for me and hopefully, he also has some answers.”
“Playing the brain card, Wus-ley” Gunn jumped to his feet. “I am so going to need disinfectant.” He grumbled, tossing the body over his shoulder, trudging towards the basement stairs.
“Angel.” Wesley looked to Angel.
The vampire shoved his hands in his pockets. “Cordy said that after the Quickening she experienced all the visions that she had been getting but couldn’t see. She said that that things’ vision were false.”
“There were victims, Angel. We did save innocents.”
Angel looked up the stairs his thoughts on the woman tucked in his bed. “Cordy was positive, she blames herself for those that weren’t saved. Somehow, the visions, the visions sent by the Powers, weren’t getting through, blocked somehow. Does a Mediica have that power?”
“No.” Wesley considered. “But, from what I was able to briefly read, it isn’t unusual for a Mediica to create a symbiotic relationship with a more powerful psychic. They feed off that beings energy and give physical protection if needed.”
“There is another being out there that could hurt Cordy?” Angel said tensely.
“Questionable, if Gabriel was in such a symbiotic relationship, then once she died, the other being would be weakened, possibly dead.”
“Cassandra’s foresight wasn’t like that.”
Wesley shook his head towards Duncan. “Do you really know that?” Wesley cocked his head.
Methos stepped up. “Cordelia killed Cassandra. That’s what enabled Cordy to have the visions, the Quickening. Gabriel was still alive at that point. It’s some one else, some one that would have a reason to want to block Cordelia’s link to the Powers, someone with…”
“With law degrees.” Gunn said as he went straight under the counter to pull out a big bottle of Lysol. “That’s how Angel knew where Cordy was.”
Wesley rubbed his forehead. “It would be hard to argue that Wolfram & Hart wasn’t deep in this. Angel, where are you going?”
“To make sure this is finished. Stay with Cordy.” He ordered.
Part 66
“Can we get this thing out of my office yet,” Lilah paced in front of the mystic pathologist.
“It does seem that the implosion…”
“Explosion,” Lilah pointed to her stained jacket.
The doctor continued, ignoring her interruption. “Was caused by the break with its symbiotic partner. That demon is obviously dead.”
“Lilah,” Lindsay held up his hand to stop her next retort.
Lilah gave the doctor a tight smile. “Then it can be removed.”
“I see no reason to keep the carcass.” The doctor exited the door only to return flying across the room, landing against the wall, and dropping unconscious to the ground.
“This is your fault.” Lindsay said under his breath. “You had to ask.”
Lilah rolled her eyes at the other lawyer and turned to the intruder. “Angel, hello, it seems the vampire detectors are once again operating with their usual efficiency.”
“You might want to get some new ones.” Angel strode into the office, his gaze narrowing on the dead demon on the couch. “New client or who I came to kill.”
“Angel, isn’t this visit a little unnecessary, we can only assume that you’ve gotten you’re seer back.”
“That’s only reason YOU’RE not dead. But, I do think this follow up call is necessary. You see,” Angel moved swiftly, grabbing both lawyers by the neck. “I need you both to understand this- Cordelia’s off-limits. You go after her again. I will kill you.” He tightened his grip on the lawyers and smiled as they turned to blue. He released them before they lost unconsciousness.
Angel stepped back and waited until they both struggled to their feet. “I do have one question, though, Gabriel’s fake visions, what were they?”
Lindsay coughed. “Staged events.”
“So, the victims weren’t victims.”
“Well,” Lindsay shrugged. “Would it make you feel little better that some of them were innocents and needed to be saved, time frame and all, couldn’t always get the right players for the role assigned.”
“No” Angel looked in disgust at the couple. “Do we have an understanding, now? Good,” he nodded to the lawyers. Angel paused in his exit and went back to Lindsay. “I really thought you might have learned your lesson the last time.” Angel snatched at the lawyer’s prosthetic hand wrenching it off and waving it in Lindsay’s pain filled face.
“I really did, oh well, some people are just slow learners.” Angel tsked with the plastic hand at Lindsay’s glare and clenched teeth.
Angel left with the hand still waving in the air, without pausing or looking back he tossed the hand over his shoulder.
30 seconds later, Wolfram & Hart security ran in. “The monitors showed that the vampire with a soul was coming this way.”
“Really? Did they?” Lindsay picked up his tossed around hand from the floor. “Christ.”
“Ms. Morgan, Mr. MacDonald, are you…”
“If you say anything more, I will order you to be killed.” Lilah interrupted. “Now, get him out of here,” She pointed to the unconscious doctor on the floor,” Have that burnt,” she waved to her sofa and the dead demon on it. “ And while you’re at it, have every single vampire detector in this place burnt.”
“I’ll…have to check with the section head…” the guard stuttered under Lilah’s cold stare.
“Then do it,” Lindsay cut in. “And when you do, suggest that the replacements at least have some knowledge of what the hell a vampire is.”
“Yes sir, mam.” The guard quickly ordered his men to clear the office of the unwanted bodies.
“So, you want to go out for a drink, I could use one.” Lindsay looked down at his aching wrist and the plastic hand that should be attached.
“The only place I am going is home to take a shower.”
“That will work, you got any scotch?”
Lilah gave a hard look at Lindsay and stalked out the office.
“Was that yes or no?” Lindsay waved a two-handed single wave after the woman.