Title: When Goddesses Play Games 
Author: Helen
Posted: 14/01/04
Rating: NC-17
Category: Smutty as I can make it actually!
Content: C/A
Summary: Loki’s little escapade with Angel and Cordy caught the attention of another powerful being.
Spoilers: S1/2. between TSILA and Judgement.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution:
Notes: Sequel to When Gods Play Games and is set in S1/2
Thanks/Dedication: This fic is dedicated to Sach for being such a good friend and persistent stalker (wink). Love ya babe!
Feedback: Pretty please.
PROLOGUE
Angel jerked awake at the usual point in the dream and groaning silently turned on his back. His eyes stung, a common after-effect and he scrubbed them with his hands. The side of the couch pressed into his elbow and growling in frustration he dug back before realising the futility of picking a fight with a piece of furniture.
Damn, they had to find a new office soon. Preferably before he lost any more of his rapidly disappearing sanity. Sighing lustily he twisted back on his side and stared at the archway into Cordy’s kitchenette.
With no obvious distractions his mind wandered back to the recurring dream, that’d been plaguing him ever since Loki’s little joke at the antiques store. As dreams go it was short, vivid and halfway between the hottest dream of his existence and the worst nightmare he could imagine, yet constantly dreaded.
He’d been about to come; could feel the blissful ecstasy start to pull him under to join Cordelia in an explosive orgasm when he’d felt it. That horrific sting and tug at his soul. His back had bowed as unable to stop the stormy onrush he’d hurtled into it, only to come out the other side, anguished and mute with terror. Those few seconds had felt like a life-time, until he’d dimly realised that he was intact still.
The crushing relief had sent waves of exhausted tremors through his body as he leaned over her, still buried deep inside her warmth. Meanwhile Cordelia had lain trustingly underneath him, never knowing just how close he’d taken her to the edge.
Depending on his mood and whether they’d been squabbling or not, the dream came about once or twice a month. Like he needed any reminders about how dangerous love was for him. Obviously even the platonic kind was enough to tweak his curse and as for Loki’s note; he wouldn’t put anything past that sick bastard!
The sound of the key hitting the lock forewarned him of Cordelia’s return and he hurriedly shut his eyes and resumed a sleeping position. He wasn’t up to conversation with the sharp eyed brunette; she had a disconcerting habit of seeing right through him.
TWILIGHT ZONE
“You are just ‘out there’ aren’t you”? Asked Cordy, shaking her head in wonder; though the annoyed glimmer of heated caramel in hazel eyes belied any implied sympathy in the gesture.
She flung back the covers off her legs and swung sun-kissed brown legs over the side. Her feet instinctively hunted for her fluffy slippers before braving the cold of the floor, while she eyes pinned her uninvited and extremely unwelcome guest to the spot with a ferocious scowl.
“Do I have a sign on my door that say’s ‘Freaks and weirdo’s of the universe – welcome’ or something? Cos hello! You’re not. This is my home and maybe I do have a ghost and a vampire living with me, right now. But so what? Doesn’t mean you can all just… waltz in here whenever you want”.
Cordelia stalked over to the cloaked figure and sucking a much needed breath prepared to finish her tirade in true Cordy style; ending with this creep’s ass on the floor *outside* her door. “I want you out of my apartment right this second, are we clear”? Her hand was just reaching for where she assumed the arm would be when she was left blinking and grasping at any empty space.
“You’re nothing if not direct, Cordelia. An admirable trait in any human”. The voice was coming from behind her and Cordy whirled to gape at the cloaked woman- the voice sounded female but in her experience you could never tell.
Cordy found her voice and her eyes narrowed into slits of rage, Oh, you are so gonna regret this. “Dennis” she yelled, spitting fire at the figure sitting on the edge of her bed! No one was allowed on her bed- ever. Where the hell was Angel when you need him? Typical guy, never around when you want some demon ass kicking done.
“You’re phantom can’t help you, Cordelia. Or he would have done so before now. But you must know that already”; was the calm, utterly assured reply. Cordy immediately felt her bloody pressure shoot off the charts and advanced on the figure with a stiff finger stabbing the air in front of her.
“What have you done to Dennis? You.. you lameass freakzoid. If you think you scare me with your big dumb cloak and stupid vanishing tricks then you can think again. I fight demons and crawlies that would make you look like a…” Cordelia stumbled to a halt when a slim hand rose up to pull back the hood of the cloak.
“… beautiful woman” she finished befuddled. Brows lowering thoughtfully, Cordelia tilted her head. “Is that magic, or do you really look like that”? Distracted, the question just popped out, though it wasn’t so much envy as a very real confusion that made her ask it.
Geeze, she looks like a china doll. Not exactly high on the demony scale of intimidation tactics. Reassured if not exactly thrilled Cordelia carefully looked her over.
With hands on hips, her sharp hazel gaze assessed a heart-shaped face, full pouty lips and wide spaced luminous blue eyes, surrounded by golden ringlets and a high braided coronet. Ouch on the curling tongs. Someone desperately needs advice on hair care already.
Golden brows rose in sardonic humour at the question and Cordy gave her a rueful grin and threw up a hand towards her. “I mean, since when do demons look like something straight out of a Cosmo beauty ad”? Cordelia explained “and why the musty cloak. You never heard of, ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’? You’re only young once ya know. Well at least humans are”.
“Thank you for the compliment, Cordelia and yes I do look like this without needing to resort to majicks”. Replied the woman with a light laugh. “and I’m not a demon, at least not by your definition”. The golden head lifted and those startlingly blue eyes swept the air before settling back on Cordelia. “Also to set your mind at ease, your ghostly friend is fine”.
“Great, good to know.” Cordelia waved a dismissive hand in the air, wanting to get back to the point. “Anyway, you wanna run that whole. ‘I’m rondite and I’ve come to help you’ ..yada yada yada. By me again; I kinda missed a lot of it what with being so.. ya know”? Cordy shrugged, unapologetic but with a wide smile to soften the blow.
“Irritated”? Asked the woman with a bright smile. “And it’s Aphrodite”.
“Oh yeah- sorry, sounds kind of familiar though. Do I know you from some other time or something”?
“Or something. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll explain it all to you”.
SETTING THE SCENE
Angel clicked the door closed with as little noise as he could make, then silently trudged into the living area of the apartment he was currently sharing with Cordelia. The light of pre-dawn was just starting to make itself known and he was pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate being woken so early unless it was a certified emergency.
Exhaustion ached in his bones and for once dawn dragged at him, making the need for sleep even stronger. Shrugging out of his coat, he let it fall on a nearby chair; then stood with shoulders slumped in fatigue, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the couch. But while he might have got away with leaving a shower until after he’d slept; now- living with Cordy he knew he’d catch hell if he left it til later.
Just picturing the hands on hips stance, followed up with sharp caramel eyes zeroing pitilessly on him, had him swinging in the direction of the bathroom; her imaginary voice echoing in his ear.
“…. own fault for staying out ALL night. Geeze, you’d think we weren’t deafeningly quiet around here or something. Don’t think I haven’t figured out what your problem is, Angel. Get over it. So your little hidey hole got blown up- go find a new one”. She’d even be making those little shooing motions with her hands, thinking that had him smiling ruefully.
Not that she’d said anything yet, but it was coming. He could feel it every time she threw that speaking glance his way. What could he say? – He was trying to find a new place but was coming up with a big fat zero. He’d tap into Doyle’s ex-contacts again later, he decided.
The hot water of the shower sluiced over his body, draining away beside his feet while water dripped down his face, running from the dark hair plastered to his skull. He bent his head to let the jet pound at the back of his tense neck muscles; almost groaning in relief at the soothing warmth.
There was another, bigger reason why he needed to move into a place of his own. His head jerked a little and the knuckles of his hands turned white as he pressed his palms into the wall tiles. “Cordelia”. He whispered her name without realising he’d spoken. She was fast becoming his newest obsession, overriding any thoughts of Buffy and Sunnydale.
It wasn’t just the fact that he’d made love to her, though her not knowing it was an irritation that burned under his skin. It was the everyday things, the way she’d move her body around his, curving this way and that in perfect harmony to get past or reach around him for something. Or the way she just handed him his blood, warmed to just the way he liked it- like it was nothing more sinister than tomato juice.
She never forgot he was a vampire and she didn’t try and brush it off or ignore it. She just accepted it with a careless ease that in the past he’d dismissed as Cordy simply being her usual self-centered self. He’d been blind and an asshole and he couldn’t have been more wrong. She was just one classy lady. Strong, resilient and loyal; traits he’d come to treasure and rely on.
The continuous measured rhythm of the spray was having a soporific effect and unconsciously he relaxed both body and soul. His mind stayed on Cordelia. On how her dark straight hair looked like a glossy waterfall; and the times when he could hardly resists the urge to run his hands through it and find out if it felt as soft as it looked. He’d missed that when he’d made love to her.
Too relaxed to worry about that little slip he simply groaned low in his throat and lifted his face into the spray. She had a gorgeous smile. His own lips stretched just thinking about it. Like sunlight it warmed you from the inside out. Being on the receiving end of one was becoming an addiction for him.
His brow quirked, even the guilty one twisted his insides out and that was despite knowing it would always herald trouble for him. Like mangled flooring, expensive shopping on company account, mistaken identifies, unacceptable clients, misplaced files and new boyfriends. The list was endless and yet all but the last held good memories for him.
Unexpectedly, affection and lust pooled in a confusing mix in his gut. He didn’t recognise it in time to suppress it. He was falling for her.
“No”! The stunned denial came out harsh and loud and jerking the shower valve to off, Angel stumbled out of the tub, oblivious to the water forming puddles on the smooth floor. Unnoticed by the troubled vampire an unseen hand, dropped towels on the puddles to soak up the water.
“I am not falling for Cordelia, she’s just a good friend- the best” he insisted desperately. Then, snatching up a towel he wrapped it round his naked hips with hands that shook. “I’m just tired is all- not myself” it was reassuringly possible and he began to relax again.
You were distraught when she went into that vision trance. So much for relaxing. “Like I said- friend” he gritted out, refuting the annoying inner voice; that had gotten way too mouthy over the last few months.
You’d have done anything not to lose her, ANYTHING. “I’m not going to lose Cordelia”. Never said you were- possessive aren’t you.? “Oh shut up- vampire here; comes with the territory, nothing new in that”.
Finished arguing with himself he only just managed not to slam the bathroom door before stalking over to the couch, and dragging on a pair of navy sweats, flopped down on it. Starkly brooding dark eyes burned a hole in the ceiling for almost an hour before they finally drifted shut.