Title: Inevitable: 2 
Author: SKauble
Posted: Nov 05
Email
Rating: R/NC-17
Category: Angst, smut
Content: C/A
Summary: This is the Last in a trilogy. The first is Indisputable. It *is* necessary to read Indisputable for this to make sense. This part explores the ramifications of the incident in Indisputable. The second, Inevitable (1)
Spoilers: I pretty much go off into my own little world fairly quickly. But if you haven’t ever watched AtS then I guess there are some spoilers so stop if you don’t want to know.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: TIO/GTCA only.
Notes:Apparently Inevitable has been a thinly veiled excuse for me to let the smut bunnies run away with me. As I’ve stated before, smut’s not my thing – don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it doesn’t really suit my writing style. So, of course, I have to go and dedicate an entire part of this trilogy to it. I’m obviously uber frustrated.
Notes 2: This fic is from the forum
Darkness Within, based at TIO You won’t find it posted anywhere else (and if it is, It will be without my permission and I WILL be miffed.) DW is a forum strictly for Beige Angel fics (C/A), and some fics posted there explore areas not all readers will find to their taste, thus a membership by request-only forum.
Notes 3: Be warned – There is some mild bondage of the silk scarf tying variety in this part. If that’s gonna offend you in any way that’s cool, but please don’t read any further. If you are opposed to reading that particular brand of smut but still want to know what minuscule plot advances are made in this part just let me know and I’ll send you a summary of what happens so that you’ll be all caught up for Invaluable. I’m nice like that.
Notes 4: Not really necessary but I like to see how many notes I can squeeze in. It’s late, I’m tired and my life, as a general rule, sucks. So if there are typos in this, poor grammar, or vampires who are picnicing in the noon day sun, tough. Although I’m sure I’ll be back to fix it
Thanks/Dedication:This story is part of Cali’s birthday present so it’s hers to do with as she pleases. Mucho thanks to Cali for the lovely pic. *sigh*
Feedback:Always appreciated, never discouraged
Chapter Three
For the hundredth time that morning Cordelia wished to God that she’d stopped for coffee before making her way to the office. Angel’s ultimatum had been ringing in her ears since he’d delivered it the night before and she still had no idea how she was going to explain what would seem like an impossible change of heart to the friends in front of her who were even now waiting for the reason behind her serious proclamation that they needed to talk. Sighing resignedly she figured that she’d just follow her normal course of action – winging it.
“Well, I guess there’s no real way to sugar coat this Wes, but last night during vision duty apparently Angel showed up to help out.”
Wesley’s eyebrows jerked upwards in surprise. The vampire had made it perfectly clear that he had a new mission and the visions Cordelia received no longer played a part in it.
“I see. I don’t suppose he mentioned why.”
Leaning back in his chair, arms an legs spread out in a deceptive picture of relaxation, Gunn addressed Wes’ query.
“Nope. Not like he stuck around for coffee and a chat afterwards. Just killed and ran.”
With a nervous clearing of her throat Cordelia corrected Gunn’s erroneous belief.
“Actually Angel did do some chatting last night. He stopped in right after you went home, Gunn.”
Easygoing position abandoned, Gunn sat straight in his chair not at all happy to hear that Cordelia had face to face time with the vampire alone.
“You okay?”
It was obvious by the look on Wesley’s face that he to shared his friends concern and the worry written there was exactly what Cordelia had hoped to avoid.
“I’m fine, guys. Geez, you make it sound like I spent the evening with a serial killer.”
This time only one of Wesley’s eyebrows rose making her painfully aware that, given Angel’s gruesome history, that probably wasn’t the best attempt at levity. Squaring her shoulders Cordelia prepared herself to drop her little bombshell on her coworkers. Although she had absolutely no doubts as to her ability to push them into doing things her way, the past months had been tiring, both physically and emotionally, and she wasn’t sure she’d be up for another lengthy confrontation given last night’s bout with Angel.
“Actually things went a lot differently than I expected. Angel’s ready to come back.”
Gunn reacted before Wesley could form a coherent thought to Cordelia’s revelation.
“What?! He’s kidding, right? First he can’t wait to kick us to the curb and now he suddenly wants to be one of the gang again? So you ripped him a new one and made the dude cry, right?”
He seemed supremely confident in his belief that Cordelia would have used her sharp tongue and withering wit to cut the vampire down to size and send him packing with his tail between his legs. In the face of such faith she winced at what she was going to have to tell them.
“Umm…It was less of a blistering set down and more of an agreement to go back to work at the hotel starting today.”
The words were pushed out in such a rush that both men believed that they must have misheard.
“Excuse me?”
Cordelia knew that they were going to make her repeat it and if Wesley hadn’t been so recently on death’s doorstep she would have thrown something at him to ease her internal discomfort.
“I told him we’d come back to work at the hotel. Look, I can understand if you guys don’t want to go. Angel was a bastard to all of us and believe me when I say that the last thing in this world I want to do is to spend any substantial length of time with him but,” Cordelia paused for effect, “I’m so scared somethings going to happen to you guys. I don’t know how I’d go on if that happened.”
Surprisingly Cordelia found that it wasn’t hard to bring tears to her eyes at that thought. The worry, pain, and exhaustion of the last few months were catching up with her and she often found herself feeling overwhelmed lately.
Seeing the glossy sheen in Cordelia’s eyes stunned both men and suddenly they were tripping over themselves to relieve her anxiety and promise to abide by whatever she decided.
“It’s okay, girl. You know we follow where you lead.”
“Quite right, Cordelia. I know how hard it’s been for you without a champion and if you feel the need to have Angel resume responsibility for the visions meant for him then I, like Gunn, take no issue with that.”
A deep, shuddering breath was released all at once as Cordelia realized that she wasn’t going to spend hours convincing them to go back. Angel had told her that she needed to be at the hotel in the morning and she didn’t doubt that reprisals would be swift if she defied him, and even though she knew she’d show, more than anything she didn’t want to be trapped there alone with the unpredictable vampire.
Once again tears swam in her eyes as she realized that her friends had no real wish to be back in Angel’s employ but were willing to do this solely because they cared about her. For the first time in a long while she felt a small burst of happiness flow through her. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
Chapter Four
Okay, this was bad.
The minute they’d arrived at the hotel Angel had appeared in the lobby crushing Cordelia’s faint hopes that he’d sleep the days away leaving them relatively undisturbed. The first thing he’d done was ask to see Wesley in his office. A frisson of apprehension shot down Cordelia’s spine as she remembered his threat to tell Wes about what had happened between them. Although the rational part of her was telling her that she’d done as he’d ordered and so he’d have nothing to gain from exposing their secret, the small part of her made up by hours upon hours of fears was whispering furiously that she really didn’t know this Angel, didn’t know what he would do. Snapping to attention she caught Angel’s eyes giving him a look of furious warning. The moment the door closed behind him her shoulders slumped in reaction to his response – a small smirk and a flirtatious wink.
Angel gestured for Wesley to take the seat in front of the desk. Sitting in his own leather chair he looked expectantly at the man once again in his employ.
“Well, Angel. You wanted to talk to me?”
The small smile tugged again at the vampire’s lips.
“Actually, Wes, I thought you might have some things to say to me.”
Wesley didn’t bother to attempt to disguise his surprise at Angel’s willingness to converse with him. For weeks upon weeks he’d gone out of his way to make it perfectly clear that he had nothing to discuss with any of them. And now Wesley found himself burning with questions as to what had caused this turnabout. From what he could see it wasn’t prompted by any sense of wrongdoing on as he could discern no real notion of remorse of Angel’s part.
“Yes, well, while I have to admit to being somewhat relieved that you’ve decided to once again address Cordelia’s visions, I do have to wonder how this will fit in with your plans for Darla and Drusilla.”
“They’re dead.”
Short and to the point Wesley couldn’t help but gawk at the man across from him as the stark words, said without feeling, revealed the fate of what he had still believed to be Angel’s top priority.
“When – How?”
Angel’s piercing gaze met and held Wesley’s.
“They were in the way. They were keeping me from things that really mattered and it took me a damn sight too long to realize that.”
Leaning slightly forward to emphasize his next point, Angel further shocked Wesley with his next words.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there Wes. I’m sorry you were hurt.”
Not sure what to say to that, Wesley merely sat, staring at his former friend with an expression on his face that he had a sneaking suspicion bore a great resemblance to a gaping fish.
“If it helps any, the people who were responsible for what happened, those who knew and did nothing to stop it, they’ve all been…set straight.”
And oddly enough Wesley found that it did help. Although, at least to himself, he was willing to acknowledge the hypocrisy of the thought given his reaction to the deaths of the lawyers Angel had left to Darla and Drusilla, the fact that Angel had avenged him by whatever means meant that in some small way they hadn’t completely lost their friend during the time that they’d been apart. Still the pain was fresh, and no just the pain of his gunshot wound.
“That’s odd, Angel. I was sure you no longer cared.”
Standing up Angel walked around the desk preparing to leave the office. Before he passed the former watcher completely he reached out placing a strong, reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“You’re family, Wes. I’ll always care.”
And as the vampire left, a swirl of silence in his wake, Wesley had to wonder about the part of him that was pleased to be thought of as part of a family, to be worried about even when strife reigned supreme. After years of aloof distance within his own family he had to admit that despite the pain and anguish of the last few months this felt…good.
Leaving the office Wesley was just in time to hear Angel explaining the details of a new case to Gunn. He sketched out the lead that the two men would be pursuing during daylight hours; information “given” to him by one of the many demon snitches in the seedy underground of L.A.
“Abbott tends to keep to a pretty strict routine so you should be able to find him at Beyer’s Gym in about half an hour.”
Knowing that they’d have to leave right away in order to get across town and begin surveilling their target both men began gathering the few things they’d need for the job at hand. While grabbing a small dagger, just in case, Wesley glanced around in search of Cordelia. When he couldn’t find her he realized that she was probably off in the kitchen in pursuit of her much needed morning coffee. While he was hesitant to leave without letting her know where he and Gunn would be he shrugged inwardly concluding that she knew how to reach the both of them and, as it was her idea to return to work with Angel after their conversation of the previous night, she had most likely settled on a way to deal with him.
Chapter Five
The expression sculpting his face was a fierce and predatory thing as Angel watched the men leave. He’d been quick to send Wes and Gunn off on a lead that, while legitimate, would eat up the majority of their day leaving him plenty of time to work things out with his delectable seer. He’d heard her making coffee and then remaining in the kitchen to drink it as if she could somehow avoid him for long. But now he could sense her coming closer and positioned himself against the wall next to the doorway that would lead Cordelia back into the lobby.
Before she’d even taken her first full step into the room she was spun around and pressed tightly between the hard wall behind her and the hard muscles of the vampire in front of her.
“Ang-”
The word hadn’t fully formed before it was swallowed by the firm lips crushing hers. Had she even been able to mount a defense it would never have survived the sensual onslaught currently deluging her senses.
Angel’s tongue swept into her mouth taking possession with an absolute assuredness that made Cordelia’s head spin. With the small part of her brain that could actually process anything other than the mind numbing passion overtaking her, Cordelia thankfully acknowledged the arm slipping around her waist and pulling her to him just as her legs began to give out beneath her. And then even that small part of awareness was gone as Angel’s cool tongue slid over her own, twirling around it and drawing it back into his mouth to suck at it gently.
The taste of him exploded through her and pulled a small, erotic whimper from her throat. The noise seemed to startle them both and Angel reluctantly ended the kiss yet leaned forward to rest his forehead on hers, preserving the air of intimacy enveloping them.
“Good morning, Kitten.”
It took a moment for time to catch up with Cordelia who was still in a slightly bliss induced daze. When it did, however, she noted two things. First, Angel had released her and while not putting a decent amount of space between them she at least had some breathing room. And second, he’d used that damn nickname again.
“I thought I told you not to call me that.”
Most beings in existence would know well to heed the battle cry of a fuming Cordelia Chase, and yet Angel merely smiled and brought a finger up to gently tap her nose in a move that, when coupled with his next words seemed almost certainly suicidal.
“But I like calling you kitten…kitten.”
An unholy fire lit the rich, hazel depths of her eyes as they shot to his, but before she could begin to release the verbose spewing of acidic fury he deserved she was completely and utterly distracted by the merry glints of humor twinkling in his gaze. Releasing all of her pent up anger in a long, breathy sigh Cordelia frowned in tired resignation.
“You really are a jerk, you know that?”
The amusement which, moments before, had twinkled only in his eyes now seemed to flow from his entire being lending him a boyishness that accentuated his eternal youth as opposed to his customary broodiness which had always lent him an air of disconsolate timelessness.
“Yeah, but I’m your jerk.”
Harder than the visions, more difficult than being fired, worse than just about anything she’d encountered was resisting the almost overpowering temptation to return the teasing smile. She had missed Angel so much and now not only was he back, but all of those things she’d had to struggle to bring just briefly to life – talking, humor, that gorgeous smile – were infinitely more accessible even though they seemed combined with an almost insane level of possessiveness. It was taking everything she had not to respond when faced with so much of what she’d wanted for so long. Of course that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.
Closing her eyes, Cordelia pictured every painful moment she’d suffered over the past few months because of the vampire before her. She forced herself to silently recount each second of uncertainty that had taunted her with doubts of self-worth, every tear which fell as her best friend became just one more person to leave her, just one more example of her apparent destiny to be alone. So despite the fact that her heart was begging to be filled with him again and that damn mark was pulsing with a need that echoed throughout her entire body she focused only on the seemingly endless pain she’d received at Angel’s hands and the memory that he’d cared about her before and left; just because he had new feelings didn’t make them any more reliable than the old ones.
Taking a deep, calming breath Cordelia silently recited her one, new, unshakable truth – Angel was her Champion; not her friend, not her family, not anything more. That way the hopeless got helped but she didn’t get hurt…well, at least not any more than she already had.
Angel watched the momentary gleam that had appeared in Cordelia’s eyes die a quick death. While part of him was frustrated by her constant rejection of what they now were, most of him was just grateful that the spark had been there at all, not matter how briefly.
He knew that she wasn’t immune to him, her response to his every touch made that clear. But, unfortunately it wasn’t her body he needed to worry about; it was her heart. Angel clearly saw her struggles to remain apart from him; he knew that she thought that she could withhold that part of herself. What she didn’t seem to realized, what she steadfastly refused to acknowledge was that her heart, like every other perfect inch of her, was his. She didn’t actually have a choice about giving it to him, only about admitting that she had. Of course, with Cordelia’s monumental stubborn streak obtaining her concession could possibly take even more time than even he had. And he’d be damned if he gave her one second longer than he had to to get them past this “awkward” phase and on to where they belonged.
Angel had been very open with Cordelia about how her presence allowed him the luxury of embracing both his soul and his demon; and while his soul urged gentle words and longing glances it was his demon that he’d given free reign in his dealings with Cordelia now. If he wanted to break down the walls that she had erected to protect her heart then meek, romantic gestures were hardly the way to go; especially with his brash, little spitfire.
No, he couldn’t sneak by her defenses; he had to overwhelm them. He had to swamp her in an endless sea of sensation that left her reeling, incapable of denying him anything, of withholding from him that which was his due. No matter what nonsense her brain might spout her body understood to whom it belonged. And, frankly, since he’d permanently shed his pathetic need to adopt some weak, pale, “slayer-approved” version of who he truly could be, he had no qualms whatsoever in using that incomprehensibly perfect body as not just their battleground, but as his greatest of weapons against her heart.
And with his resolve radiating from every line in his body he allowed Cordelia to push her way past him signaling an end to the first skirmish in their war of wills.
Chapter Six
She was going to scream. She was literally going to scream. Okay, she probably wasn’t literally going to scream cause that would definitely attract attention of the unwanted kind, but she might just explode. That would show ’em, she thought. Bits of Cordelia everywhere and she wouldn’t even have to face any repercussions. It could work.
Letting go of her violent fantasies Cordelia dropped her head into her hands as her weary mind tried to deal with the events of the past two weeks.
At first it had just been the kissing. Although the way Angel used his mouth could hardly be characterized as “just” anything. In the mornings he’d always found some way to oust Wes and Gunn from the office so that he could attend to what he’d taken to calling “the first business of the day”. No matter what task she’d tried to occupy herself with, no matter how avoidy or even outright offensive she’d tried to be she’d invariably ended up in Angel’s arms, his tongue thrusting against hers leaving her dazed and lightheaded while his expert hands proved his claims of ownership.
And unlike the first morning he wasn’t content with stopping at just one kiss anymore. With each passing day the embraces lasted longer, grew more heated and while she was nearly oblivious in the moment, when it passed she was invariably left to wonder just how long Angel would be willing to confine himself to these more preliminary, amorous gestures. Then yesterday she’d gotten her answer.
She’d woken late, caught in yet another erotic dream in which Angel touched her, tasted her, but never quite enough to give her the release she so desperately needed. Even an icy shower hadn’t been able to wash away the tingling responses of her body to the phantom caresses she was still experiencing. Nor was it enough to drive away the cobwebs from weeks of restless sleep.
By the time she’d stomped into the office Wesley and Gunn had already been sent out on their daily “give the vampire time to maul his seer” errands and Angel was alone in the lobby, perched on the corner of her desk clearly waiting for her.
“God, don’t you have anything better to do? Geez, even without demony badness there’s plenty of just run of the mill wrong doing going on all the time around here. How ’bout you put those vamp senses to good use and go sniff out some people in need. And you know, rich people in need wouldn’t be exactly unwelcome.”
Angel had merely smirked indulgently at her tirade. As he rose from her desk Cordelia saw that laid out behind him on the smooth wooden surface was his duster. It had been chilly the previous morning and while she had been hunting through her closet for one of her thicker jackets she’d noticed Angel’s long black coat rolled up into a ball precisely where she’d left it since that night he’d sent her home in it. Not wanting to deal with the feelings it elicited she’d put it in a bag and then set it by the door of Angel’s office as she left for the night.
And now it was back. Obviously Angel had laid it out in such a manner for a reason, and if that reason was to make her relive the memories it evoked then it was working; her brain began playing through every one before it came to a screeching halt sending Cordelia’s eyes shooting to his as the last one wound its way through her mind.
“Don’t worry, Cordelia. It’s probably for the best that we stopped when we did. After all, as much fun as it was tearing off your clothes last time, I seem to be short of a jacket to send you home in.”
Before she’d turned even half way in her attempt to flee Angel caught her arm and spun her round taking advantage of her loss of balance to propel her downwards until she was laid out on top of the very item of apparel that had sparked this new madness.
Despite her clear understanding of the futility of her actions, Cordelia began to struggle, pushing at the vampire’s shoulders in an attempt to dislodge him from his position above her. Making no headway she prepared to let him know just what she thought of his caveman-esque behavior, but as their eyes met and clashed she found herself being seared by the burning licks of amber flames that had consumed him.
The startled “oh” that fell from her lips was quickly taken advantage of as Angel’s mouth covered hers with a demanding fervor that made clear that it would take more than the white hot melding of their lips to satisfy him.
With the last vestiges of conscious thought, Cordelia tried once last time to dislodge the hard form above her. Unfortunately, while Angel’s actions had not robbed her of ambition their sensuous ferocity had stripped away the higher levels of reasoning needed to devise a workable plan. With only instinct to rely on she hurled herself forward hoping to unbalance her captor and wiggle her way free. As plans went this one was rather sad and though she was aware of that fact she also knew that there were only two roads open to here at that moment – escape or surrender.
As her body surged forward in her last attempt at self preservation she found instead that she had thrust herself headlong into the ardent caress of the very one she was trying to evade. And her path was chosen; surrender.
Caught in the maelstrom of their combining and escalating need there was no way that Cordelia’s body could have restrained the groan of satisfaction that shook them both as Angel’s hands moved to fill themselves with the supple breasts she had unwittingly offered him. Her breath hitched and then stopped completely as she felt an answering call from the vampire as his fingers found her nipples, hard and eager begging for his commanding touch.
The sound of tearing fabric allowed Cordelia to momentarily surface from the sensual haze encompassing her as her mind briefly touched on the significance of the sound, knowing that the duster she was lying on had indeed been a silent assertion. But that and all other thoughts were lost as she was once again submerged in a raging sea of passion as Angel’s mouth replaced his all too knowing fingers leaving them free to blaze a new path.
Her short, flouncy skirt had already been removed as any type of realistic barrier due to first the struggling and now writhing of the Seer’s lithe body, and so it was spared the fate of her blouse. Alas, her delicate, lace edged panties were not. Rent cleanly with no more than a swift tug, Cordelia was given no time to contemplate their loss as she was at once filled with a long, thick finger. Even had she miraculously retained some sort of decision making capability she would have been able to take no other actions than those allowed her by instinct as her hips thrust forward to seat him deeper within her.
She would never admit this to the arrogant vampire, but feeling a part of him fill her again gave Cordelia a sense of rightness, of being whole that had been lacking since that night that seemed so long ago. Although she hadn’t understood at the time she now knew – he’d changed her. Angel had made himself a part of her that night, made herself a part of him and no matter how furious or betrayed she still felt she had to admit that it seemed wrong somehow to be without him, to try to exist separate from his influence, his touch.
As a second finger speared into her welcoming heat she felt his lips leave hers. Drawing in a desperately needed gulp of air she could still hear his words as they blew over her skin.
“It’s okay, Kitten. I know what you need. Open up for me and let me take care of you.”
And she did. Although still trapped beneath him Cordelia’s thighs relaxed, opening for Angel and the fulfillment he promised, the completion she wasn’t sure she could live without for one more day.
In that nearly microscopic part of the Sunnydale native’s brain that retains clarity despite passionate provocation on the all too likely chance that one is about to fall victim to some apocalyptic evildoing…or PCP gang, Cordelia realized how truly unfair it was that while she could barely squeeze out monosyllabic grunts in response to the electric sensations crashing over her Angel was still forming complete sentences – with meaning!
“That’s right. This is what you need, isn’t it?” The low, soothing timbre of Angel’s voice was accompanied by the heavy slide of a third finger. “You’re so proud, so stubborn. Don’t worry, I can wait, but know right now Cordelia, I won’t see you suffer.”
Her head rolled from side to side as an almost pained whimper escaped her lips. Cordelia wasn’t sure which she hated more; the low words spilling from Angel’s lips or the fact that her body was proving them correct. As his large fingers forced her muscles to stretch to accommodate them, the writhing brunette could do nothing but meet their every thrust, mindlessly riding the vampire’s large, masterful hand as ecstasy too long denied pulsed through her, forcing even her very heartbeat to follow it’s lust laden shuddering.
Whimpers converted to cries and cries became roars as Cordelia’s body was at last granted what her dreams had so cruelly withheld – bliss.
As she waited for the mild convulsions to subside she felt Angel lift her arms, fitting them gently into the sleeves of his duster. Slightly disoriented in the wake of an onslaught of such magnificent pleasure Angel, although very close, seemed to be speaking to her through a long and narrow tunnel.
“Cordelia. Cordelia.” She felt him shake her slightly to gain more of her attention. “Take the rest of the day off, baby. I want you to go home and take a long nap. I think you’ll find that your sleep will be far more restful now.”
The sudden realization as to exactly why her sleep had been so unfulfilling, had left her feeling so drained of late snapped her head upwards, her stare boring into brown eyes still haunted by streaks of amber.
“This can’t go on, Angel.”
Although he nodded his head in agreement Cordelia felt sure that his next words would not create an accord between them.
“You’re right, Kitten. This can’t go on. I meant it when I said that I won’t watch you suffer. Not when there’s something I can do about it. This needs to be resolved and soon. I said I’d give you time but I never meant for it to drag on this long. Don’t you get it yet? We’re no longer separate people. We’re one entity; two halves made whole. And no matter how confused or angry you are that can’t be undone and you can’t hide from it.”
Angel’s hand slid from its place on her arm to tangle in her hair. Bending his head down to hers Cordelia expected a kiss but instead found his lips in a whisper of a touch against hers as he spoke low and softly.
“Make the decision soon, Cordelia, or I’ll make it for you.”
And so the next morning when she had awoken she made her decision.