REVENGE
Angel stopped outside the closed bedroom door and debated knocking. He even lifted a hand to rap on the wood but at the last second changed his mind and dragging in a deep un-needed breath, just opened it. The second he stepped over the threshold he was met with the whistling hurl of an axe and was forced to duck and let it fly over his head. It clattered to the floor outside.
Hearing another ominous hissing sound he looked up again just in time to catch a badly aimed knife by the handle in mid-air. “Cordelia, will you…”. He dropped the knife and dived to the side when a double-sided battle hammer came hurtling towards where he was standing.
Furious to have missed so many times Cordelia bent back down to the weapons chest and rummaged around for something else that was capable of inflict bodily harm on him. The rat-faced bastard!
Panic and rage made her jittery and she cut her finger on one of the swords tucked away along the front but other than her harshly heaving breath she made no sound; until a hard arm passed around her waist and lifted her bodily away from the trunk.
Then she let loose. Hoarse enraged screams tore out of her throat like battle cries as she whipped and tossed herself backwards and then forwards. Her hands clawed at every part of him she could reach and her legs kicked back with a savagery borne of pain and humiliation.
“Get off me, you bastard”! Her voice became shrill and then lowered again into throbbing growls. “Don’t you touch me. Get your fucking dead hands off me“.
Angel swore and gritted his teeth, wishing he hadn’t had to do this before he’d at least tried to explain. But even now he couldn’t just let her hurt herself, which she would if she carried on. He should have known she wouldn’t have just been waiting, quietly hurt, to have things explained to her. No- not Cordelia all she wanted was his head in a bucket or dust- either or would do. It was just one of the Cordeliaisms he admired her for.
He lifted his chin out of the way of her thrashing head and lowered her enough so that she banged against his shoulder, and did his level best to avoid her madly swinging legs. Jesus, this girl could do some damage when she wanted to!
Angel knew he had two choices. He either let her wind down or he forced the issue and pinned her down. He didn’t particularly like the idea of either so he tried to reason with her. “Cordelia, please will you…”He moved his head aside from her frenzied attempts to head butt him. “Listen to me …please.
“No” She yelled unequivocally “I don’t want to hear anything from you. Lemme go” her voice was hoarse from yelling now as well as emotion and had only half the previous volume and a dry sob fell from her lips.
That betraying sob hit him harder than anything else could have done, and abruptly he reached his limit. His knee hit the bed as he hauled them both on top of it, despite her still thrashing body. Then forcing her down on her back he threw his leg over hers and flattened himself, using his weight to contain her violent struggles.
Cordelia went beserk and fought like a wild thing. Her eyes were narrowed hazel slits spitting fire and her lips were drawn back in a snarl not so different from the one he’d worn earlier. Desperate hands curved into claws raked his face and neck until he snagged them both and forced them out to the side and pressed down onto the bedspread.
It soon became obvious that wouldn’t work as her head came up again. Cordelia was using every part of her body to fight him and had no intention of stopping.Dammit, this is madness. Desperate, Angel forced her hands together to free one of his own, and then pressed that down over her mouth, silencing her and keeping her head from rearing up.
She heaved a few more times “Stop it” he growled, fed-up. She did but only because she was shaking with exhaustion and with it came a measure of sanity that forced her to see the futility of fighting him. She was trapped- for now. But her eyes still promised retribution and there wasn’t an ounce of reason in those furious hazel orbs.
Their eyes met and clashed. His troubled but determined; hers filled with maddened hate. Angel sighed heavily and dropped his head to rest it for a second next to hers. Then lifting back up he looked down at her. “If I move my hand are you going to start yelling again”? he asked tiredly. She didn’t try and answer just glared. Angel frowned, “Nod or shake your head”. She did neither.
“Fine. Have it your way”. He kept his hand were it was except to make sure he wasn’t pressing hard enough to bruise her skin. Then rested on an elbow and straddled her properly so he could lift up a little and not crush her much smaller body with his heavy one.
“I’m sorry about today”. He could feel her bare her teeth at his apology. “Will you just listen to me”. He glared down into her hot eyes. “You don’t.. you can’t even guess what Darla is capable of, and she has power here. I had to ..”Angel shook his head and willed her to understand what he was telling her. “I had to put her off the scent”.
There wasn’t a flicker of understanding in Cordelia’s eyes. So he kept trying to reach her. “For what you said, Darla would have ripped you limb from limb. I just couldn’t let that happen”. A film of moisture covered her eyes and he knew he’d touched on one of the sore spots. That he’d hurt her.
“I’m sorry I hurt you” he whispered, she tried to turn away but he wouldn’t let her. “I had no choice. There was no way Darla would accept anything less than …” He struggled to another stop. Violence, physical abuse any and all these things. “If I hadn’t, Darla would have”. She’d been quiet and still long enough for him to risk lifting his hand.
“Do you think I wouldn’t have preferred that”? She spat at him with her strained voice throbbing with pain.
“Maybe you would” he agreed low, then his voice hardened. “But I’ll never let her put her hands on you”. Cordelia stared up into his hard face, and shored up her anger to cover the still weeping wounds the day had brought her.
“Then let me go” she demanded, her face filled with resolve.
“No” he didn’t, wouldn’t even consider it and his head shook and eyes lit from within. “I won’t let you go- never. Forget it”. He tried to tamp it down but the pain and anger he’d been burying all day wouldn’t be suppressed. He dragged in a breath and his arms trembled with the force of the emotions roaring through him. “Don’t you ever bring that up again”. He demanded painfully and seeing her open her mouth to speak again, swooped down to take her mouth with his.
Cordelia tried to turn away but hard fingers cupped her chin and kept her in place with her jaw open while he plundered her vulnerable mouth. Pain mounted in Angel as he forced her to accept his kisses. God- he’d fantasised so many times about kissing her, but never like this. He wanted so much from her but had never dreamed of using force. Now he had no choice, he needed to reach her and didn’t know what else to do.
“Please don’t fight me, Cordy” his words filled her mouth between the heavy slide of his tongue as he tried to make her soften. His lips brushed over hers as they trembled beneath him before tasting her deeply again. “I’m sorry I hurt you”.
Tears brimmed and fell from her eyes, trailing down her face to their fused lips and helplessly, Cordelia felt the hard cold ball of ice surrounding her heart melt and crack under the heat of his desperate devouring kisses and the throbbing emotion in his strained voice. He took her breath inside him and plunged inside again, massaging her tongue with his and sliding over her white teeth before dipping deeper to stroke the roof of her mouth.
He freed her chin and angled his head as he felt her tongue draw along his. It was her first willing response; hope soared and his fingers speared into her tear soaked hair to caress the soft skin around her ear. “I hate you” she said against his lips, but the echo of pain was muted now.
“I know. I deserve it”. Angel agreed softly and carried on kissing her. Gentle now though. Taking his time and using every ounce of skill two centuries had given him. Light brushing kisses, soft exploring ones, gentle matings of tongues where little more than heat and taste mingled. Anxiety quivered in his belly as the need for forgiveness consumed him.
“You hurt me” she accused, kissing him back and then turning away as more hot tears spilled as the bitterness of betrayal mutely stabbed at her heart. Pain and remembrance burned in both of them. Cordelia gasped as Angel nuzzled into where her jaw joined her neck and kissed the telltale bruise from when he’d held her off the ground with a grip around her throat. “I’m sorry” he repeated and suckled gently on the skin as if to make amends. “I’ll never do it again. I promise”.
“You better not” she hiccuped then gazed up into his contrite face. Then it hit her. God she was in love with him. Why else had it crippled her so much to have him betray her that way. How could she not forgive him when she needed to so much. Needing to hide she turned back to him and tugged her hands from his. Then curled inwards with her face buried in his neck. Angel closed his eyes with relief and turned on his side to tuck her into the curve of his body, tenderly stroking a hand up her back and crooning soothing nothings while she got herself back together.
A little later on Cordelia lifted her head and stared at him with no embarrassment on her tear stained face. “So is this where you make love to me now”? She asked him bluntly and shook her hair out of her eyes were the strands had stuck to her damp skin.
“No” Angel shook his head and smiled a little when she went back to glaring at him.
“Why the hell not”? His smile widened and he could feel the toes of one foot brushing against his leg impatiently.
“Doesn’t take you much time to recover does it”? He sighed then and used one hand to tenderly smooth back her hair, doing a better job than the head toss had done. “You’re not ready” he admitted, and gazed deeply into her eyes.
“You’ve had a rough day and your feeling needy right now. Not exactly a good idea to jump into ..lovemaking”. He left it at that even though it wasn’t the whole truth. The whole truth included the fact that he wasn’t ready either. No matter how much he wanted her and he did; so much he ached with it. He was still afraid.
He was afraid of himself and what would happen if he made her his. He was ruthless and obssessive to a point where sanity fled and instinct drove everything. It was true of the demon but even more so the man he’d once been. Darla hadn’t lied when she’d told him that was why she’d picked him as her mate. He’d seen and heard of it in his father, and remembered it in his human self. He didn’t know if he was ready to lose control like that or if she was even prepared for it.
“So are we done with kissing then”? Cordelia interrupted his musings impatiently and he felt her shift against him.
“Why”? He asked her and tried not to groan when her wriggling rubbed her against his fully engorged sex.
“Because I want some more, Dumbass. Since that’s all I’m gonna get anyway”. Angel grinned and rubbed her red nose with his; noting the high flush on her face and the heat coming off her body. Hazily he wondered about that, then simply put it down to the fight she’d put up.
“If you insist” he agreed huskily and willingly sank back into her.
***
THE NEXT NIGHT
Angel slept through the whole day with a semi-naked Cordelia in his bed. He woke up feeling warm through to the bone and his spurt of surprise quickly turned to alarm when he felt the heat emanating from her still figure beside him.
“Cordelia” he turned her over and winced at the sizzling feel of her bare arm. Then he could do nothing but stare in horror at the fever ravaged face of the girl he loved. Her face was red with white circles under her bruised eyes. Sweat poured off her, soaking her hair, and when he tried to shake her awake, she didn’t even moan.
Now on her back with his terror struck body leaning over her, Cordelia opened her mouth and coughed up mucas, and yet she still didn’t wake up. Angel remembered the dead boy and his frantic roar for Willow echoed throughout the house.
***
After a while they were able to rouse Cordelia enough to get her to open her eyes which scared Angel even, more since they were as glassy as cloudy crystal with nowhere near the usual sparkle and intelligence. With Willow on one side and Angel on the other they tried to get some sense out of her and some water into her and failed on both counts.
“This your fault” stormed Willow to an already distraught Angel. “Grabbing her like that and ..and tossing her around like a rag doll” she was half way towards hysteria but guilt had him half believing her anyway.
“It can’t be” he shook his head but the look of pained guilt on his face had Spike heaving a huge disgusted sigh.
“We don’t know what the hell it is. So how about not tossing around accusations, Pet”. He advised Willow with a warning look aimed in her indignant direction.
“ooh, I might guess you’d stick up for him”.
“Put a sock in it will you” he snapped and watched Angel pace back and forth like a caged animal. Fucks sake, riddled with guilt again. Why do I bother?
“This is getting us nowhere” Angel almost howled still pacing and dragging his hands through his tousled and spikier than ever dark hair. “I don’t know what to do? Someone tell me what to do” he looked pleadingly at a stone faced Willow.
“Okay that’s it, that’s so unlike you it’s bloody well freakin’ me out. You’re obviously losing it. So I’m taking charge” Spike inserted aggressively and the fact that Angel didn’t even argue pissed him off even more.
“You” Spike pointed a Willow. “I know it won’t do me a bit of good to say stay away from ‘er. But for god’s sake keep to the corner, and just watch or something. All we need is another sick girl and as for you” He whipped around to grab Angel’s coat and tossed it to him. “Come on, we’re going out”.
Angel snapped too and levelled a thunderous scowl on the blonde. “I’m not going anywhere” he growled long and low with his body tense and obviously dying to release his frustration on something, preferably Spike.
“Oh yes you are, Pal. You said you wanted to do something. So were doing it. We’re going for a Doctor”. Spike grabbed the car keys off the table and tossed them to Angel who caught them purely out of reflex. “You know a Doctor. A human Doctor”?
“Not personally no. But I know a vamp who does” Spike smirked when Angel’s dark eyes focussed properly on him and a hard smile tipped up the corners of his lips.
“You mean at the farm don’t you”?
“Smart, Grandpa. Very smart. Next thing I know you’ll be back to your old self again. I bloody wish”.
***
THE FARM
“Hey Benny, me old mate. How are ya. Been to the Old Sod recently”? Spike grabbed the vamps collar when he tried to dive past him. Not that he’d have got very far since Angel appeared next out of nowhere. Benny gulped at finding himself surrounded by two very intent, black leather coated male vampires.
“That wasn’t very polite. Do you feel slighted, Spike”? The hard cold voice of the taller one made Benny wish he’d stayed in bed tonight and let Larius have the day shift, instead of giving in to persuasion and the offer of a juicy titbit for dinner.
“Nay, Benny didn’t mean anything by it did you, Benny” Spike ruffled his hair and ‘accidentally’ banged his head against a nearby desk- hard!
“What do you want”? Benny asked them in a slightly quavering voice, but pulling himself away with a sniff is if that would stiffen his suddenly limp as noodles backbone.
“We need a doctor Benny, and you are going to get us one”. Spike leaned a hip on the desk he’d already abused Benny with and gave him a wolfish smile.
“Not on your life and I don’t care what you do to me” Benny gulped again when the dark stranger took a threatening step forward. His yellows eyes darted back to Spike’s ice cold blue ones. “You know how it is? What can I do? The doc’s in the secure wing cos he’s so, ya know.. important and stuff”.
“Oh we know how important Doctors are Benny” agreed Angel ominously “that’s why we need one. Care to reassess your situation here. Before I rip your head off your shoulders and then.” He paused to smirk without any sign of relenting on his hard dark face. “Then just go and find him myself”.
Angel didn’t give him time for much thought but wrapped long fingers around his throat and crushed the flesh between his fingers. The similarity to the hold he’d had of Cordelia wasn’t lost on him. Only this time he used a crushing grip that would eventually pop Benny’s head right off his shoulders. After a long agonising time of course.
“I wouldn’t piss him off, Benny. Really I wouldn’t. Trust me on this one and just cough up the doc will ya” advised Spike silkily, watching his ‘pal’ writhe in that powerful hand.
“Okay, Okay” wheezed Benny through the constriction. Angel dropped him back to his feet and then crowded closer with Spike doing the exact same.
“Now don’t disappoint us, Benny”. Benny looked up at Spike and folded completed.
“I can’t bring him to you or I’m as good as dead anyway. But I’ll give you the key and you can get him yourself. But you have to bring him back- deal”.
“Of course we’ll bring ‘im back. Would I risk a hair on your head? We’re mates aren’t we? Hurts me ‘eart to think otherwise”
Dr Parker was tired, mentally beaten down and almost filled with despair. None of it showed on his kindly wizened old face. To anyone looking at him he’d seem like a cheery leprechaun with his bright red hair and sideburns, wrinkled face and deep kindly, brown eyes that seemed to swallow every other feature.
He heard the door being unlocked and looked up from his bed. He frowned heavily and his shoulders sagged even more. He’d only just got inside his room and the bag next to his feet attested to that fact.
The door opened to reveal one vampire and ..two men. Doctor Parker shook his head, not possible, vampires then but why the human faces? One was blonde and the other dark haired and both of them powerful, virile young men. They made him feel old just looking at them, but his interest soon perked up.
“Are you the Doctor” asked the dark haired one with the intense midnight dark eyes. He simply nodded and waited for someone to tell him what was going on.
“Good, you’re coming with us”.
And that it seemed was that.
***
THE MANSION
The ride back to wherever they were taking him was to the Doctor totally surreal. The blonde maniac drove while the dark haired one who introduced himself as ‘Angel’, funny name for such a large man, thought the Doctor; accompanied him in the back seat.
“So is anyone going to tell me about my patient? Talk about a dam bursting he thought afterwards when the obviously frantically worried vampire finally wound down from a detailed description of every single detail of ‘Cordelia’s’ condition.
“You can help her- right”? Asked Angel with a pleading look in his eyes. The Doctor felt like the world had turned on its axis, not so different from when it had gone to hell actually only this was the opposite.
“I can try”
“Don’t try do” the vampire snarled and then sat back to stare broodingly out of the window. It didn’t last long. “Can holding a girl by the throat make her ill”?
“Well, I guess it would depend” replied Parker cautiously and shrank back a little in the seat. In the front Spike snorted with laughter. “Put ‘im outta ‘is misery for chrissake”.
“Well manhandling certainly isn’t good for human health” the doctor advised archly and then firmly shut his lips.
An hour later, Dr Parker snapped his bag shut and folded his hands on his lap before looking up at the anxiously hovering entourage, headed by the vampire. “She has influenza. A bad case of it too”
“Influenza” repeated Angel, aghast as images of his home and village back over the centuries came to the fore and the deaths from that illness. Before panic could really get hold of him the Doctor continued.
“Treatable of course; medicine will keep the temperature within acceptable limits and enable you to get fluids down her. Which I might add is the most important”. Dr Parker spoke directly to Willow assuming it would be this girl doing the nursing.
“What else”? Interrupted Angel and he gave Willow a piercing look that brooked no argument. “I’ll be looking after her”.
The doctor only just managed not to stare. His eyes darted back to the throat he’d surreptitiously checked on and reassured by the lack of bruising, shrugged his thin shoulders.
“It depends really on how strong she is to how quick she’ll recover. Assuming no blood loss” he gave a piercing look of his own. “Three days of fever and illness followed by five to ten days recovery before she’s back to normal”.
Angel’s brows had snapped down as soon as the word blood crossed the doctors lips. “There’ll be no blood loss”. He growled the assurance through gritted teeth.
***
BACK AT THE FARM
There was a light tap on the pipes. Knock, knock, tap tap followed by the flush of a toilet. The tired and pale looking man snapped his head up and his mouth hung open in shock. Terror filled him for an instant before steeling himself he went over to the sink.
He couldn’t resist a glance at the door, locked tight for just an instant; listening with straining ears for any indication that this might be a trap. Finally as satisfied as he could be, the man kneeled on the floor and unscrewed the attachment to the wall.
“Here” He hissed as clear as he could and still low enough to escape detection.
“I have a report to make” came a disembodied voice from Dr Parkers cell.
“Do it then” his eyes darted back to the door.
“There’s been an ‘unusual’ development. I need to see Grogan”.
“That’s not possible. You know how dangerous that is”. He hissed.
“Grogan needs to arrange a visit with ‘Her'”. The man’s eyes widened to an impossible degree.
“Are you insane?” he hissed. His mind reeled from even the thought of it. They never said her name, ever. Only Grogan was able to contact her as the pharmacist.
“I’d to it but you know how carefully they watch me!”
The man nodded even though he couldn’t be seen. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was the last Doctor in Sunnydale he would have surely died after the last rebellion attempt.
“It’s too risky” the man demurred.
“I think she’ll find what I have to tell her interesting enough to take a risk”. The Doctors voice paused as he carefully contemplated his choice of words. “I think I may have stumbled across an answer to the question”.