Chapter 14<\/b><\/p>\n
Cordy stared at her toes. The big toe on her left foot was fatter than the other one. She couldn\u2019t decide if she should exercise the right one to bulk it up or put the left one on a diet.<\/p>\n
Ever since the cast had come off her right leg a week ago, she\u2019d had this toe dilemma. Of course it wasn\u2019t the only dilemma she had, but it kept her mind off the bigger one. The Angel-sized one. So, back to the toes\u2026<\/p>\n
She could only assume it was because her right leg had been wrapped in plaster for six weeks and the toe had shrunken from inactivity. She\u2019d never noticed a defective toe before then, and what were the chances *she* of all people would have a genetically imperfect toe? It had to be the cast. Satisfied she\u2019d made the right diagnosis, she gave her digit a mental pep talk.<\/p>\n
Inactive toe \u2013 meet your new workout routine.<\/i><\/p>\n
She began to slip her feet from her fashionable Jimmy Choo slides that she just adored. She had them picked out a month before the cast came off, and as soon as it had she had flown to the Beverly Center to pick them up \u2013 with a side trip home first to shave the jungle of hair that had grown on her formerly cast-covered leg.<\/p>\n
And now that she had them, she took every opportunity to revel in the amazing fact she had two feet with shoes on each foot again! That awe was what had led to the discovery of her malformed toe and the soon-to-begin toe Pilates.<\/p>\n
Too bad I\u2019m not still sleeping with Angel. He could have sucked my toe until it was as swollen as the other one.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cStop it,\u201d she chastised. This was exactly the reason she was concentrating on her toes – so she wouldn\u2019t be thinking about Angel and the big black void in her life without him. Oh, he was still there, but not as *there* as she still wanted him to be. Since her last date with David and the Sheila Squid, she was trying on a daily basis to just accept that Angel was never going to be hers. She also recited daily just exactly why that was a good thing.<\/p>\n
Repeat after me: noAngelusnoAngelusnoAngelusnoAngelusnoAngelus and no blood sucking wounds to the neck.<\/i> She didn\u2019t really care about the blood sucking thing, but she figured it was best to have more than one reason to give up the love of her life, however not her own idea it was, and that was the only other thing she could think of. Well, that and any future dental bills a man with two sets of teeth might incur, but she concluded that was probably stretching believability and knocked that one off the list.<\/p>\n
Thus, the toe problem came at just the right time giving her something else important to do with her overactive mind.<\/p>\n
She freed her feet of the Choos with a slight tug; the bottoms of her feet being damp from resting naked on the leather insoles. When they met the cold marble floor she hissed at the sudden chill and couldn\u2019t stop the image that flashed through her mind of Angel\u2019s cool hands kneading her instep until her entire leg was noodle limp. She stretched her feet and allowed the vision to continue. His even frostier mouth surrounded her digits, his tongue tasting each one for all their subtle differences as his strong hands slid up her calf. While his palms supported her leg, his fingertips tickled her skin with whispery circles.<\/p>\n
\u201cMmm, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes jerked open and wildly searched around for possible eavesdroppers. She grabbed the armrest to straighten her slumped body surprised she had slid down in her seat and succumbed to the memory so completely.<\/p>\n
When is this going to end?<\/i><\/p>\n
A weary sigh and loud thud echoed through the deserted lobby as she plopped her elbow on the desk and rested her chin in her propped up hand.<\/p>\n
She casually glanced around the wide open space to make sure no one was within sight lines of her toe gymnastics. The only person around was Wesley and he was in his office with his nose in a book. That sight was so typical she had to consciously process he was actually there and not just a wall mural. But he was not in a position to see beneath her desk, and if he\u2019d noticed her semi-wet daydream he hid it well.<\/p>\n
Okay, time to take care of skinnytoeitis. No more sexy Angel mouth. I\u2019m all about the toe.<\/i><\/p>\n
Silently she began to count the number of reps she was performing under the desk. As she slowly bent and then flexed her toe over and over again, the numbers began to slur in her mind and she skipped 12 and went straight to 52. Fifty-three became 68 and before she realized it, her head was no longer in her palm but comfortably nestled in the crook of her arm on the desk and her flexing toe routine morphed into a flexing routine of a completely different nature.<\/p>\n
She stretched every muscle in her body, her skin memorizing the feel of Angel\u2019s as he completely but lovingly enveloped her. It felt like they were floating on a thin layer of air that kept all the tiny hairs on her body standing at attention and made the slide of skin against skin smooth and sensual.<\/i><\/p>\n
His moan, deep and strong, blew through her senses like a ghostly wind gusting through creaking pines sending shivers to her soul. The mountain of his shoulder blanked out the light from the small lamp casting her struggle to keep her secret in shadow. The blackness made the words that wafted across her lobe on the cool breeze of his breath even more chilling.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it, say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She strained to hold the words she longed to say from breaking through her vibrating lips. His mouth hummed against the skin on her jaw nudging her to work the joint and speak. Velvety lips skimmed behind her ear before lazily sliding down to her neck\u2019s pulse that was about to burst through and sing her heart\u2019s secret. Hovering there he groaned, frustrated yet hopeful, and pleaded again with a voice trembling and thick.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had to bite her lips to keep from succumbing to this powerful man\u2019s simple prayer; her breath dying in her mouth unable to pass through her clenched jaw. She tasted copper when she bit her tongue to stave off the urge to scream as his mouth circled her nipple. The forbidden utterance he begged to hear was shoved back down her throat where it formed a husky moan.<\/p>\n
He responded to her sexy vocalizations by increasing his pace from lazy to frenzied as he flicked repeatedly and then swirled wet circles with his tongue over and over. She shivered and clutched at the valley between the sharp peaks of his shoulder blades pressing him harder, deeper into her breast. As his teeth nipped at the soft flesh of her breast, she gasped, her dry mouth and throat making it impossible to speak even had she the nerve.<\/p>\n
Laving the pale mark his teeth left, he moved to bury his nose underneath her breast and licked at the beads of sweat there mewing at the salty tang that covered his tongue.<\/p>\n
Goosebumps rose as his mouth slid around and found a ticklish spot on her rib. She jerked and he stayed there, torturing her with his lips and teeth, his mouth hot and breath cool, all the while splaying his hand around her hip and pulling her thigh over his waist.<\/p>\n
Trapped beneath the weight of him, her center writhing against the hardness of his pelvic bone, her skin tingling at the feathery touch of his lips, and her muscles clenching from the grasp of his palm on her hip, her world was about to explode. As if he sensed as much, his face lifted to freeze her gaze to his.<\/p>\n
Fixed to the liquid, shiny pitch of his eyes, she thought she could fall and never touch bottom. She prayed he wouldn\u2019t ask her again because she knew his voice would push her over the edge into that blissful oblivion.<\/p>\n
He drew breath but instead of speaking, he slid his hand around and between her legs and thrust his finger inside her. Only then did his words come as smoothly as his finger fucked her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it. Say it once.\u201d<\/p>\n
She flailed within the bastion of his arms, her spirit ready to flee but her body tethered by a single digit. He stole her breath with each stroke and yet willed her to breathe with his stare. Touching his mouth to her belly, his eyes watched hers as he kissed his way lower burning her skin with his lips as his finger continued its hot licks inside her.<\/p>\n
She was in hell and about to ascend into heaven. With each touch, she fell further under his spell. He repeated his mantra, \u201cSay it, say it, say it,\u201d between kisses and plunges until he reached her clit. She watched as the tip of his tongue fluttered against it and felt his finger grind into the sensitive spot inside her and her resolve imploded.<\/p>\n
Arching high, her back left solid ground and her fingers clutched and clung to his soft hair as she screamed what he\u2019d waited forever to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Startled from her dream by the sound of her own voice shouting the words she\u2019d kept caged within her breast for months, Cordy jerked up, her mouth open and panting, with the feel of cool saliva trickling down her chin.<\/p>\n
With no thought about how unladylike it was, she wiped away the drool with the back of her hand as she eyed the immediate area around her desk looking for him.<\/p>\n
God, please don\u2019t let him be here. Please, please, please.<\/i><\/p>\n
Her sleep encrusted eyes scanned the cavernous hall. The early afternoon sun warmed the normally cool veins of the marble but the eerie silence chilled the enormous room and Cordy couldn\u2019t stop her shivers. (Thanks, guys, for watching my back while I slept, by the way<\/i>). Feeling her heartbeat racing, she took a few deep breaths and spread flat both palms on her desk to steady her still trembling body.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy, are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n
From behind her left ear, Angel\u2019s voice sounded panicked and breathy as if he\u2019d just run a thirty-second mile. When she jumped at the unexpected intrusion, she felt her world begin to tumble backward only to be just as abruptly halted by one of Angel\u2019s arm on the back of her tipping chair and the other crossed over her torso grabbing the opposite armrest.<\/p>\n
She blinked a few times to stem the dizziness and finally focused on worried brown eyes only inches from her sleepy, droopy-lidded ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel! Wha\u2026what did you hear? I mean why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour heartbeat\u2026you sounded scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Good. I mean good for you, but I\u2019m fine. Just a bad dream. No need for the dramatic rescue routine.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her attempt at brushing off his help, Angel had taken a breath and his eyes widened in shock and blatant desire.<\/p>\n
**Mmmm, smell that? Our woman was having a wet dream. Why waste all those delicious juices on a dream, babe, when the real thing’s right here? What are you waiting for? Stick it to her.**<\/p>\n
Maybe if I thought she was dreaming about us, I\u2019d agree with you. Obviously, she\u2019s got someone else to dream about. Probably David Nabbit.<\/i><\/p>\n
**I told you to slice that little perv up while we had the chance.**<\/p>\n
When Cordy realized what he was doing, her words faded into the heady air settling between them and she froze in panic.<\/p>\n
Oh, God, he\u2019s scenting me. He knows that I was dreaming about sex. Damn! I have so got to train my inner vamp radar. Maybe I should take a yoga class? Or something else Far Easty involving wind and butterfly wings? Or maybe I\u2019ll just sit here staring into his eyes like a lovesick schoolgirl and watch his mouth move because those lips are so worth missing lunch for and, oh look, his tongue is in there and it looks yummy. It tastes pretty damn good, too, as I recall. Very soft but strong and my, my, it\u2019s so long. Ah, look, he\u2019s smiling. He\u2019s so cute when he smiles. His cheeks dimple up just a little and his eyes get a little scrunchy, and then he\u2019s laughing and\u2026and\u2026wait a minute. What is he laughing at?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you laughing at?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, crap, did I just lick my lips when I was thinking about his tongue? Did I say that out loud? Oh, crappity, crap, crap!<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cMe? Uh, what did I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, not you exactly. More like what\u2019s stuck to your forehead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel righted the chair, planting all four wheels firmly on the floor once again. Releasing the armrest, he brought his left hand up to pluck the post-it from its sticky perch on her hairline.<\/p>\n
\u201cOw,\u201d she said as Angel pulled a few hairs along with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. Hmm. I believe it\u2019s a message from your boss.\u201d Sitting back on her desk, he straightened his spine in mock imitation of Wesley before reading the note to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia, if you insist on sleeping on the job, at least have the courtesy not to snore and disturb the rest of us who are actually working for a living.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me see that.\u201d Cordy snatched the note from Angel. \u201cHumph. It does not say that. It says he\u2019s gone to the magic shop for some stinky herbs. And I do not snore. I breathe daintily like a lady.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike a lady with a deviated septum. Cordy, I\u2019ve heard you snore and there\u2019s nothing dainty about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you know about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s mouth tightened into a sly grin and his eyes narrowed. There was a glint of dare in them that suddenly dimmed to a dull ache as his lips slackened and the ends bent down.<\/p>\n
**Go ahead, chicken boy. Tell her the last time you heard that foghorn of hers. Was it the elevator after I\u2019d tasted her for the third time? Or was it before that, in that hotel room with the satin sheets? Been so long, you\u2019ve forgotten, haven\u2019t you?**<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t forgotten. That\u2019s the problem.<\/i><\/p>\n
Cordy watched the moment of memory wind across his expressive features and then his struggle to decide whether or not to say something. She sighed silently when the battle was over unsure whether she was happy or glad he wasn\u2019t going to remind her of their time in bed together.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s bout of indecision was brought to you by sleep deprivation and hunger. On your guilt shelves in December.<\/i> She couldn\u2019t make up her mind any more than Angel could, and it was driving them both insane. One minute she wanted to run into his arms and kiss every inch of his face all the while telling him she loved him and apologize for being so stupid as to keep this secret. Then the next she was positive it was better this way. There was nothing to fear, no risks for anyone to take, and no one to get hurt as long as they stayed just friends. Except both of them hurt every day. Silently and alone.<\/p>\n
And it was beginning to show. It seemed every day since the Sheila debacle, the two of them butted heads on everything. Knowing the reason why they were tap dancing around each other didn\u2019t stop them from doing it. She was beginning to wonder if they could ever work together again.<\/p>\n
God, what I wouldn\u2019t give for a refresher on that whole amnesia thing. I wonder if I can get Angel so mad he\u2019d drive over me in the Plymouth?<\/i><\/p>\n
No, she decided, that wouldn\u2019t work. He\u2019d never risk denting his precious baby, and she wasn\u2019t referring to herself in this case. She inwardly groaned and decided it was time for round one to begin. No use putting off the inevitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, Angel. Are you going to answer me or not? What do you know about my snoring which, of course, doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel got up and stumbled backward, the very picture of a man caught thinking impure thoughts. \u201cI\u2026uh\u2026hear you almost every day. You know, if you\u2019re going to keep falling asleep at your desk, it would probably be more efficient to just move the business to your bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped in his tracks and quickly turned his back to Cordy. She watched his head snap back and forth and imagined he was chastising himself for the bedroom comment. A part of her wanted to laugh, another part wanted to hug him for being so cute, and yet another wanted to scream at him to just say it! Just get it over with. Tell me I\u2019m hot and you want to do all kinds of nasty things to me.<\/i><\/p>\n
But she knew he wouldn\u2019t do it and that royally pissed her off. Every day her love got all mixed up with anger at the man for not stepping up to plate and saying what he felt. But every day she also became more disgusted with herself for keeping the lie about her returned memory going and the verbal boxing they were doing was extremely tiring.<\/p>\n
Today she was exhausted. The lack of sleep caused by the incessant sex dreams along with her inability to stop thinking about Angel all the time made getting actual rest nearly impossible. The insomnia had been piling up for weeks, and she\u2019d finally reached her limit.<\/p>\n
So rather than carry through with antagonizing Angel as she normally would, she decided to try for once to let him off the hook.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy bedroom, huh? Well, why not? It\u2019s not like there\u2019s any other kind of business going on in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened as she realized she\u2019d just gotten Angel out of the pan and put herself smack dab in the fire.<\/p>\n
With Angel staring at her with eyes that would make a Grave\u2019s disease patient proud, his mouth opened as if to speak and immediately snapped shut. He repeated that action several times before Cordy\u2019s patience ran out.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t strain yourself, big guy. It\u2019s not like my love life or lack thereof is any big secret around here.\u201d<\/p>\n
**Don\u2019t be sad, baby. Bring those luscious tits over here and let daddy Angelus lick that dry spell away.**<\/p>\n
\u201cGot that right, Barbie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel gulped, not to swallow the retort to his demon\u2019s crudeness but to strangle the hearty \u201chell yeah\u201d from bursting out. Luckily, Gunn\u2019s well-timed entrance distracted Cordy from his obvious bobbing Adam\u2019s apple.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard enough about the amazing Mr. Nabbit to last a lifetime. Wouldn\u2019t you say so?\u201d Gunn\u2019s stare did nothing to shake Angel who was still trying to recover from the image of Cordelia\u2019s breasts wet from the tongue bath he\u2019d just given her.<\/p>\n
When Angel didn\u2019t immediately answer him, Gunn loudly dropped the axe he\u2019d brought in from his truck on the counter. The noise jostled the day-dreaming manpire from his reverie.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh \u2013 what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said little Miss Pity Party\u2019s love life was hot news for awhile there. Learned more about geeky computer guy than I ever wanted to know. Ain\u2019t that right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat computer guy? Oh! You mean Nabbit? Oh, right, David. Well, she did have a tendency to drone on about him. Frankly, I thought it was overkill.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Gunn and Angel shared manly, all-knowing grins, Cordy fumed. Oh, no, he did not just go there. Not when I gave him a pass on recriminations for the day.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? What the hell is that supposed to mean?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Angel only smiled because he loved the flame that engulfed her cheeks when he made her angry. Also, getting in a few digs about the ill-fated Nabbit affair was something he loved to do, and he\u2019d been doing it more than he should since her last date with him.<\/p>\n
When Cordy had said dating was too hard while still in the cast, he had been ecstatic but cautious. She could very easily have changed her mind once she slept on the matter. However, three weeks and one cast removed later, and she hadn\u2019t mentioned getting back on the David horse yet. He hoped his constant digs about the tiny millionaire would make her think twice about starting up again now that she was almost back to full health. The term “backfire” probably had his picture next to it as the number one definition, unfortunately, so he wasn\u2019t holding his breath – so to speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, Cordy, we all knew it had been a long time since you\u2019d actually dated anyone, so we didn\u2019t want to say anything to spoil your enthusiasm. But you really did yammer on and on about his cars and penthouse and the fancy restaurants\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not yammer about David. Cordelia Chase does not yammer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s right, Angel,\u201d Gunn said. \u201cShe didn\u2019t yammer. Dating the queen of all things yammer myself, I can verify that what Cordy did was not yammering. It was annoying and boring, but not officially up to yammering speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel seemed to ponder this for a second before replying. \u201cSo what would you call it then? Chattered, prattled, gabbed\u2026oh, I know! She yakked.\u201d Turning to face a very offended Cordelia, Angel continued enjoying every second of her rising ire. \u201cYou, Miss Chase, are a yakker.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?! I never\u2026you don\u2019t know\u2026oh, just shut up!\u201d Crossing her arms, she stared at Gunn daring him to agree. \u201cAnd you! Why are you even here? Your yammerin\u2019 girlfriend is out doing who knows what with physics, and I haven\u2019t had a vision, so what\u2019s with the axe and your ever-so-helpful presence?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn held up his hands trying to peacefully back out of the fight that was about to consume the office. He\u2019d been an unwilling witness to far too many between these two of late, hence staying away from the place except when absolutely necessary. It made seeing Fred a little more difficult, but she seemed more than willing to escape the tension and spend time with him at his apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo need to bite my head off. I\u2019m here to help you, remember? You said you wanted to train. You know, get that leg recertified for kicking evil’s booty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her shoulders relaxed and a little of the steam she\u2019d built up was released. \u201cOh, right. Sorry. I\u2019ll just get changed and join you in the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel couldn’t keep the stunned and hurt look from his expression or his voice. \u201cWait a minute. You\u2019re training with Gunn? Why? You always train with me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no big deal. He was here yesterday morning while you were still doing the coffin routine when I mentioned needing to get back in shape. He offered to help and I said okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? I\u2026I don\u2019t do anything with coffins. You know that – and why didn\u2019t you ask me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were sleeping, duh. Besides, I can decide who I want to train with, and since I yak and apparently annoy you I\u2019d think you\u2019d be grateful for the reprieve. I\u2019ll be back in a minute, Gunn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quirking her brow at Angel, Cordy snapped her head before she turned the rest of her body and vanished into the bathroom to change clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to train Cordy, it\u2019s no skin off my back,\u201d Gunn said.<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s gaze tried to bore a hole through the door that Cordy had slammed in his face. He didn\u2019t bother turning around to answer Gunn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Cordy\u2019s made it clear she doesn\u2019t want me. Don\u2019t work her too hard.\u201d In a second he was up the stairs and had escaped to the solitude of his room and a few good hours of brooding.<\/p>\n
Gunn watched him storm off and then glanced toward the bathroom door temporarily shielding him from the other stubborn mule.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn, Fred. I hope you\u2019re as smart as I think you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~<\/p>\n
Newton’s third law of motion
\nIn a system where no external forces are present, every action force is always opposed by an equal and opposite reaction force.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what we have to work with. Two equal and opposed forces constantly actin\u2019 and reactin\u2019 but never movin\u2019 forward. WE will be the external forces to get these stubborn jackasses, pardon my French, to leave the safety and warmth of their antiparticle natures and transform, by means of our own kinda demony particle accelerator, into supercharged electrons bound to one common nucleus of love. It should be pretty easy if you take into consideration\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, lamby pie, but we mere demon and mortals have no idea what you\u2019re talking about. Could you break that physics mumbo pie chart down into simple apple or cherry and don\u2019t leave off the whip cream?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorne seemed to speak for the others in the currently closed but soon-to-be opened Caritas. On stage, bathed in a soft pink spotlight, Fred stood next to an easel which held a large pad with a colorful, childlike drawing of arrows, swirls, something that looked like a wrecking ball and two stick figures \u2013 one man and one woman. She\u2019d just gotten started and already Lorne, Wesley and Gunn were fidgeting.<\/p>\n
Ever since Cordy had called off their secret plan to make Angel jealous, Fred had been sinking deeper into a pit of despair watching two friends who\u2019d done so much for her drift further apart. The days and nights in the hotel were spent dodging one volley after another between Angel and Cordy, the two of them so obviously frustrated and lonely but too proud and intractable to admit it. The tension had forced her to retreat into her room or hide out at Charles\u2019s place, and she was pretty sure she was beginning to get an ulcer worrying about them.<\/p>\n
The straw that broke her back was two nights earlier. She and Charles had picked up dinner for everyone at City Wok and they had all just finished eating when Angel opened a fortune cookie. Why he did it when he wasn\u2019t even going to eat the darn thing was beyond her, but that didn\u2019t stop him. The fortune was pretty benign – actually it wasn\u2019t a fortune at all. When did they stop putting fortunes in them? Anyway, it was something about today being the perfect day to give that special person a gift.<\/p>\n
After he\u2019d finished reading it, all eyes in the room shot to Cordy and then they just as quickly darted from her to stare at their empty plates. Angel caught the movement of the others and even though he wasn\u2019t sure if Cordy had noticed, he didn\u2019t want to take the chance that she had.<\/p>\n
So, he made a joke. Lame and pathetic as his always are, but the point was he hurt Cordy in the process. He said, \u201cLucky there\u2019s nobody special in my life then,\u201d and tried to laugh it off.<\/p>\n
Of course, Cordy didn\u2019t just sit there and take it. She came back with, \u201cLucky for her you mean. Being the skinflint you are, anyone special in your life would be lucky to get a chewed wad of gum out of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shots fired on both sides and the war was on for the thousandth time. It wasn\u2019t a particularly bloody battle as theirs went, but it gave Fred indigestion and that was pretty difficult to do. She made up her mind as she threw up her Hunan Chicken that this had to stop one way or another. Either they had to tell each other they were in love or they had to admit it wouldn\u2019t work and move on.<\/p>\n
Later that night she quietly knocked on Lorne\u2019s door. She knew he was the only other person who was aware that Cordy had regained her memory, and Fred desperately needed a confidante. Surprisingly, he had agreed with her assessment that something needed to be done. She fully expected him to tell her not to interfere and just let fate take its course. The only thing that made him change his typical opinion was the fact that their problems were affecting everyone. Both Angel and Cordy were so unfocused that they might end up unable to help the people who needed them.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Lorne had agreed to support Fred in whatever she decided to do. With his nod of approval, Fred began to formulate a plan. Now, two days later, she had told them all to meet at Caritas at 4:00 to discuss the problem of Angel and Cordy. She had expected some resistance or at least raised eyebrows from Wesley, but all he\u2019d said was, \u201cThank God.\u201d Gunn\u2019s reply was similar only more colorful. Thus, the gang was ensconced in a deserted bar to hear what she had to say. Unfortunately, how she was saying it was the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, well, it\u2019s simple. We all know that Angel and Cordelia love each other, right? I mean that\u2019s not a big secret. We all figured that out months ago, right? I mean all of us except for the two antiparticles in question.\u201d Fred stared at each man with excited and hope-filled eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Angel and Cordy are antiparticles?\u201d Gunn asked.<\/p>\n
Fred bobbed her head up and down, so Gunn continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because they\u2019re antiparticles, they don\u2019t want to be around the same nucleus thing which means their love forces are equal and opposite?\u201d he asked not sure he understood a thing he was saying nor anywhere near right but trying to support his girlfriend in her effort to bring science into a totally unscientific situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, um, kinda but not exactly,\u201d she said, a warm blush covering her cheeks thankful that her boyfriend was trying to help even if he was totally clueless.<\/p>\n
\u201cFred, I think I understand what you\u2019re saying, but isn\u2019t there a flaw in your theory?\u201d Wes pointed out. \u201cCordy has amnesia and doesn\u2019t realize she\u2019s in love with Angel, thus the torment we\u2019ve all been going through, but especially Angel, over the past few months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred looked to Lorne and he gave her a nod and wink confirming their decision to divulge Cordy\u2019s secret.<\/p>\n
\u201cYa see, that\u2019s not entirely true. Cordy sorta got her memory back a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Gunn and Wesley shouted at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was she thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n
They continued to speak at the same time, both confused and angry at being kept in the dark, until Lorne stood on his chair and hushed them with a sustained high note.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, kiddies, we get that you\u2019re upset. But the princess swore us both to secrecy and as much as I like you guys, I fear her more. So get over it.\u201d He stepped down, brushed off the purple silk jacket and waved to Fred. \u201cCarry on, sweet pea. I think the boys will behave now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred was still a little wobbly from hearing the disappointment in her boyfriend\u2019s and boss\u2019s ravings, but she cleared her throat and timidly stepped forward to continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right then. Like I said, Cordy does remember and she definitely does love Angel. But the reason she hasn\u2019t said anything was because \u2013 well it sounds a little silly now \u2013 she wanted Angel to fight for her. I mean she wasn\u2019t sure, even though we all know it\u2019s true, that Angel loves her, and all she wanted was for him to just tell her and make her feel she was important to him. That was why she was dating David Nabbit \u2013 to make him realize he could lose her and get him to act. But that plan didn\u2019t work obviously and made her even more sure that Angel doesn\u2019t really care about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d Wesley interrupted. \u201cAngel is only trying to do what he thinks is best for her. As long as he believes she doesn\u2019t remember anything about their\u2026their\u2026trysts, if you will, then he\u2019s willing to let her find someone else. Lead a normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s normal around here?\u201d Fred asked, her frustration with Angel\u2019s reasoning apparent. \u201cBesides, Cordy isn\u2019t normal and doesn\u2019t want normal. Angel\u2019s just being stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said it. For someone as old as he is, he can come up with some pretty dumb ideas especially when it comes to women.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not dumb, Gunn,\u201d Wesley said. \u201cHe just has a difficult time believing that he deserves love much less a life with someone he loves.\u201d Wesley\u2019s stomach acid churned when he once more recognized how familiar his own psychology mirrored a killer vampire\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell he\u2019s just gonna have to get used to the idea,\u201d Fred stomped her foot to emphasize her determination. \u201cHe loves her and she loves him, and we<\/b> are going to make sure they tell each other before all of us end up killin\u2019 them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorne\u2019s ruby eyes glistened in admiration. To no one in particular he dreamily sighed, \u201cShe\u2019s such a mamma bear when her cubs are threatened. Rwarrrr.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, pay attention.\u201d Fred\u2019s voice was strong as she got into her zone. \u201cThis is what we\u2019re gonna do. Hold all questions until I\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The page on the pad was flipped and another picture of childish scrawl was displayed. This one was of a house, some more swirls that could be smoke, and many stick figures – one with fangs – and the two men and a demon looked at each other and grinned. And as Fred pointed to an obvious demon stick with horns and a tail, the plan \u2013 code named Taco Run – unfolded like fine silk before the amazed male audience.<\/p>\n
The air was redolent with relief and confidence, not just in the pint-sized woman on stage, but in themselves. For the first time in what seemed longer than just months, they were taking charge of the unbearable situation and their lives.<\/p>\n
The only hitch in the plan was getting through it without dying by the hands of one of the not-likely-to-appreciate-the-interference love birds\u2026er\u2026mules.<\/p>\n