Part 8:<\/b>\u00a0An Unforeseen Occurrence<\/p>\n
\u201cHello my Queen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia slowly opened her eyes and found the smirking form of Angelus leering at her. Her impulse to coil back in fear was stopped. She was handcuffed to a pole. And why the hell did her head feel so weird?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re so beautiful,\u201d Angelus whispered. He gently stroked Cordelia\u2019s cheek. He was only slightly put off when she shied away from his touch. It would just take a while to adjust to the new him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t touch me,\u201d she said with more bravado than she had.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia,\u201d he whispered. \u201cI love you. I can worship you. I can make you a Goddess. I can make the world worship you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be worshiped. I want Angel back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angelus stood slowly, a look of anger on his face. \u201cYou\u2019d rather have that impotent jackoff than me? I can give you the world. What can he give you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia fixed her most steadfast glare on the vampire. \u201cHappiness,\u201d she said simply.<\/p>\n
Angelus screamed in frustration. Taking a chair, he threw it with all his might into the wall, shattering it into pieces. He paid no attention to his Queen as he slammed his bedroom door when he left.<\/p>\n
Cordelia struggled against the handcuffs, her eyes never leaving a pointed leg of the now broken chair.<\/p>\n
************
\nGunn stumbled down the hallway, using the wall to support his weight. It took most of his strength to knock on the apartment door.<\/p>\n
The door opened in a flash, nearly sending Gunn crashing to the floor. Fred was by his side in an instant. \u201cMy God, Charles! What happened?\u201d Blood oozed from a gash on the back of his head.<\/p>\n
The rest of the gang had heard the commotion and came running. Willow had grabbed an ice bag from the freezer, and Tara was toting a First Aid kit from the bathroom.<\/p>\n
Fred gently settled her boyfriend onto the couch. Clutching his hand, the terrified girl couldn\u2019t be pulled away. Tara had to administer treatment around her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn, where\u2019s Cordelia?\u201d Willow asked.<\/p>\n
Gunn shook his head. \u201cI dunno,\u201d he said. \u201cHe took her.\u201d Gunn was openly crying. \u201cCordy and I went to get some of the supplies we needed. When we got back to the truck, he came out of nowhere. Son of a Bitch hit me with a crowbar or something. By the time I came too, Cordy was gone.\u201d Trying to hold back the tears, he said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I lost her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Princess is gone?\u201d Groo asked shocked. \u201cWe must get her back. We must find where Angel took her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a fine thought, Pumpkin, but where the hell would we start? This is a big city,\u201d Lorne said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne\u2019s right,\u201d Willow agreed. \u201cIt\u2019s like a needle in a haystack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we must save her,\u201d Groo insisted.<\/p>\n
Tara finished taping a bandage to Gunn head. \u201cGuys, it\u2019s been said. The chances of finding Cordelia are slim. We need another plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already have one,\u201d Gunn said through his tears. \u201cWe go ahead with Plan A. The best way to save Cordelia is by saving Angel first. We collect the ghost dude and his necklace, and the problem is solved. Vampy gets his soul back and he can\u2019t hurt Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Gunn\u2019s right,\u201d Willow said. \u201cIt\u2019s just not feasible to go around every hole in Los Angeles trying to find Cordelia. This is the best option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn accepted the Kleenex Fred offered and wiped away his tears. \u201cThe stuff is down in the truck. I managed to put it in before Angelus clubbed me. Has everything else been taken care of?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Willow answered. \u201cTara and I went and rented a couple cheap cars today. They should more than do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got the van that we needed from my friend,\u201d Lorne said. \u201cThe color\u2019s been changed and the license plates are fake, so that\u2019s all set.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d Gunn said. \u201cThen tomorrow we do it. Tomorrow we save our friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
**********
\nAngelus sat Indian style a few feet away from his Queen. His eyes were transfixed on her shapely curves that were accentuated by her tight jeans and tank top. She truly was a most beautiful woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it so hard to believe that I could love you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t love me,\u201d Cordelia snapped back at him. Whatever drug she had been given had long since worn off. \u201cYou just want to control me. You just want me to be your bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d Angelus angrily denied. \u201cI want to treat you the way that you deserve. I want to give you all the things Soulboy couldn\u2019t. To give you all the things he was afraid to give you. You know Nancyboy loved you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia stared at Angelus in shock. Cordelia had noticed all the little things, but she denied them. She thought maybe he was transferring his feeling for Buffy to her. Maybe because he saw her as Connor\u2019s mother, so he felt obligated to love her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Cordelia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Angelus spat. \u201cHe was afraid that if he acted he\u2019d lose his soul. And ya know what?\u201d He bent down so he was eye level with the Seer. \u201cHe was right. Like a fart in the wind, the soul would have been gone. But a part of him didn\u2019t care. You know why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Cordelia asked, despite her fear of the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knew that I loved you, too. He wasn\u2019t afraid that I\u2019d hurt you. He was afraid of what I\u2019d do to everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true. It can\u2019t be\u2026\u201d Cordelia trailed off as she suddenly fell limp.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d Angelus was feeling for her pulse in seconds. It was strong and steady. \u201cWhat the hell?\u201d Angelus shouted. Suddenly his nose began to twitch. Leaning closer, the vampire smelled it. Or rather, he didn\u2019t smell it.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s without soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
***********
\nThe \u2018fantasma\u2019 smiled and placed the small crystal bead on the necklace.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as you wished,\u201d he said to the Senior Associates. \u201cNow the Seer shouldn\u2019t present you with any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n