{"id":3078,"date":"2015-06-29T19:57:51","date_gmt":"2015-06-29T18:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/?p=3078"},"modified":"2015-06-29T20:52:49","modified_gmt":"2015-06-29T19:52:49","slug":"starting-over-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/29\/starting-over-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting Over. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter Two<\/b> \u2013 Changes<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do we know about this guy other than three years ago he went evil and killed most of Cordelia\u2019s graduating class which\u2026 By the way? Not making me like him any more, know what I\u2019m saying?\u201d Asked Gunn frowning, his voice hushed.<\/p>\n

They were seated in the lobby of the Hyperion, Fred by his side, Wesley and Lorne across from him. Each member of the investigations team wore similar expressions \u2013 frowns, because this part of the night just wasn\u2019t in the current job description.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all intents and purposes Angel is a good man,\u201d Said Wesley, rubbing the back of his neck, tiredly, \u201cBut\u2026 What little I know of him isn\u2019t exactly much to go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate to say this, guys, but that\u2019s not really the issue here.\u201d Fred looked between her friends, a little sadly. \u201cTomorrow night, he\u2019s gonna walk into Caritas, see Cordelia sitting there and be wondering why there\u2019s no fabulous birthday party. He asks her and we\u2019re back to having a real bad day again\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasn\u2019t that the understatement of the century? If this thing went the way they were all figuring on? Then it\u2019d be more than a bad day.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, things happened, things beyond their control.<\/p>\n

They tried their damndest to keep a semblance of normality in Cordelia\u2019s life, pulled the wool over her eyes every single day just to make sure she didn\u2019t get herself upset.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, their plan worked and everything was good for another day. On others\u2026 On days like today, Angel had walked in. She knew him from her high school days, those days she rarely ever talked about. It was easy to keep up the pretence when some of the only people who knew about it were seated in this very room.<\/p>\n

Right now it wasn\u2019t Cordelia they were worried about; it was Angel.<\/p>\n

If he showed up tomorrow night then the likelihood was, he was going to ask questions. Inquisitive, worrying questions. And if his questions were the questions that Fred thought he was going to ask? It was going to throw Cordelia\u2019s world into orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do we do? We been keeping up this routine for her sake for as long as possible and now he shows up, we gotta change it?\u201d Gunn rubbed a hand tiredly across his face, not liking this idea any more than the others did.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps not\u2026\u201d Wesley looked up from his seat, tapping his pencil against his thigh. \u201cMaybe I could get there early tomorrow, try to catch Angel before he goes into the club? Explain what\u2019s happened to Cordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill that work?\u201d Fred wondered aloud. It was only one day, one night really. Maybe they could swing this without Cordelia getting hurt too much? Gosh, she hoped so. The last \u2018bad day\u2019 they\u2019d had, Cordelia had cried for three hours straight before asking to be taken back to her doctor, to have it explained all over again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno he seemed pretty inquisitive if you ask me. Like the type who\u2019d ask more questions as soon as he got answers?\u201d Lorne offered.<\/p>\n

Wesley sighed, \u201cIf there was any way to get in contact with Angel, tell him to just forget about tomorrow night I would but\u2026 He didn\u2019t leave a number, anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lorne shook his head, gravely. \u201cNothing but the smile on Cordelia\u2019s face. I hate to say this\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen don\u2019t.\u201d Wesley snapped.<\/p>\n

They all knew what was coming, Fred realised. Angel could be good for Cordelia. She was always happy, always smiling but\u2026 There was something missing, something they\u2019d lacked since the day of her accident. It felt wrong, deceiving her like this and if Angel came in, blowing the lid off everything they\u2019d done then\u2014Where did that leave them?<\/p>\n

Where did that leave Cordelia?<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we should sleep on it.\u201d Said Fred, sensibly, twisting a lock of hair around her fingers. \u201cWe can decide what to do tomorrow, right? It\u2019s not as if we need a decision now or anything\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Wesley stood, ending the conversation as he gathered his books together. \u201cI\u2019ll go talk to Angel tomorrow night. The sooner this is sorted out, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fred glanced at Gunn and Lorne nervously, watching as Wesley headed out of the lobby and into the office, closing the door behind him. He\u2019d looked stressed lately, more so since Lorne had called from the club announcing that their problem had a name and its name was Angel.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think I should go talk to him?\u201d She whispered, knowing that right now a world of guilt was hanging over Wesley\u2019s shoulders. He blamed himself; she knew he did, for everything that had happened this past year.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t easy, not for any of them, but a lot of it had taken a toll on Wesley. Cordelia\u2019s accident, losing Groo the way they had \u2013 it had all led up to this moment, this moment when watching Wesley walk away with the weight of the world on his shoulders was harder than any routine they had.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave him be for a while, Freddikins.\u201d Said Lorne, shaking his head. \u201cHe\u2019ll come round.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hope so<\/i>, thought Fred, sighing so gently that no one else heard, Maybe Angel\u2019s what Cordelia needs\u2026 Maybe\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Usually, Angel didn\u2019t go in for things like this. Social situations, parties and get togethers like the one he was attending tonight made him uncomfortable, mainly because his two modes with people were bite and avoid.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d vowed that tonight would be different.<\/p>\n

Last night had been strange, to say the least. He\u2019d spent most of the night chasing a demon across the better half of LA, only to wind up in a karaoke club and find himself enjoying talking to Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d changed a lot since high school. The way she held herself, the way she talked \u2013 everything was different about her. Angel suspected that underneath still lay the deeply sarcastic, biting young woman who wasn\u2019t afraid to speak her mind but\u2026 Outside she was quieter, almost.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d grown up.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for Angel? He\u2019d never changed.<\/p>\n

The guilt had started not long after he\u2019d left the club. How could he think of another woman when Buffy was back in Sunnydale? How could he think of even entertaining notions of just being around someone like Cordelia when the reason he\u2019d left Buffy was because he\u2019d come to realise he could never give her a normal life?<\/p>\n

He was a hypocrite, he\u2019d decided after a particular bout of brooding confusion. He was a hypocrite because six months down the line he\u2019d be walking out on Cordelia, proclaiming the same thing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not you, it\u2019s me\u2026<\/i> He might say, insulting her intelligence with the oldest blow off in the book. How can I give you something normal when I\u2019m\u2014Not? <\/i><\/p>\n

Angel sighed, his mood blackening by the second as he spun the wheel of the GTX, knuckles tight on the wheel.<\/p>\n

Why am I going? <\/i>He asked himself for only about the thousandth time that hour, glancing over at the small gift bag on the seat. He\u2019d gone shopping earlier that night, actually braving the Beverly Center mall and picking up a small, tasteful silver necklet for Cordelia\u2019s friend.<\/p>\n

He might be out of the loop on parties, but he knew that you didn\u2019t turn up at one on the arm of someone who was actually invited, without bringing a gift.<\/p>\n

He turned the corner to Caritas, pulling up to the large industrial parking lot and shutting off the engine.<\/p>\n

I could just go in there and tell her that something came up\u2026<\/i> Angel pondered, staring dead ahead of him as a knuckleheaded guy and his girlfriend pulled up in the car in front of him. Tell her that there\u2019s a demon\u2026 Some business I need to attend to? <\/i><\/p>\n

The more he thought about that idea, the more he liked it\u2014Until he thought about Cordelia, actually being a decent person for all of half an hour and listening to his stories, telling her some of his own.<\/p>\n

Sighing, Angel got out of the car and headed down into Caritas, only having to pass through the barriers once this time before being granted safe passage.<\/p>\n

The club didn\u2019t look any different than it had the night before. No pretty banners or balloons, nothing to signal that this was indeed a birthday party, until Angel cottoned on. 21st century and banners, balloons and the like were probably carbondated. Maybe the classier kind of birthday party just didn\u2019t have those things now, instead favouring the normal look for the surprise element perhaps?<\/p>\n

He looked over the heads of the crowd, slightly bigger than last night he was pleased to note, before he saw her, standing at the bar and glancing around, taking a sip from her glass every so often.<\/p>\n

He walked over, trying to smile but not look serial-killer stalkeryish \u2013 when she pulled out her phone, dialling a number.<\/p>\n

\u201cGunn? It\u2019s Cordelia\u2026\u201d She started, \u201cListen, our pigeon stool\u2019s nowhere to be seen. I\u2019m gonna finish my drink, say goodbye to Lorne then head home, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel blinked, startled. Same Cordelia, same cell phone \u2013 hell, same bar as last night\u2026 Exact same words, except this time, she\u2019d said another name. Gunn.<\/p>\n

Same everything.<\/p>\n

Different feeling.<\/p>\n

Last night, he\u2019d been almost mildly surprised at seeing her in this bar, in LA. Now, there was dread, fear almost. What the hell was with the big sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu he was getting? Was this some kind of joke?<\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked up and there, just like last night, was the same smile that almost split her face, the same surprised look in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God, Angel? What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel blinked again, staring at her. \u201cWhat\u2019s\u2026 I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGee,\u201d She smiled tentatively, \u201cI didn\u2019t think that\u2019d be such a toughie. Are you okay, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not okay. <\/i>Angel continued to look at her, watching the curve of her lips for that telltale \u2018gotcha\u2019 smile. Nothing came. Instead, Cordelia just looked increasingly worried, glanced down at his crotch area for the leather pants and then back up again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, wait. You\u2019re not, like, evil right? I mean, are you\u2026\u201d Cordelia hooked her fingers into claws; leaned forward and screwed up her face into the same cute-as-hell look she\u2019d given him last night, \u201cGrrrr, still?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Said Angel softly, almost disbelievingly, \u201cThere\u2019s not actually a cure for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you just crack a joke?\u201d She looked at him, surprised.<\/p>\n

Angel guessed he had just cracked a joke \u2013 albeit sarcastic, like it had been. Those were the exact words he\u2019d used last night\u2026 The exact words she\u2019d used. What the hell\u2019s going on? <\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She moved forward before he could get the rest of the sentence out, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.<\/p>\n

Angel was speechless. There was no party here tonight, no banners and balloons. Cordelia was here, just like she\u2019d been last night \u2013 dressed differently, hair hanging down around her face \u2013 but it was like living that night all over again.<\/p>\n

He held her close for a moment, before she stepped back, looking up at him and smiling again. \u201cSo what are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 Business.\u201d He lied, feeling his heart sink a little.<\/p>\n

Cordelia\u2019s bullshit-o-meter had always been high. Tonight, it seemed, it was higher. She looked pointedly at the gift bag in his hands, raising her eyebrows. \u201cDating business?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked down at the gift he\u2019d bought for \u2018Fred\u2019, wondering whether he\u2019d dreamt everything that had happened last night. On the stage, the lights were shining brightly, Lorne singing again, a different song.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel?\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned his attention back to Cordelia, puzzled. \u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Buffy here? Is that who you\u2019re meeting?\u201d She hopped off her stool, looking around the club for the rest of the Sunnydale crew, her expression growing increasingly more worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuffy and I\u2026 We broke up.\u201d Said Angel, gently, watching the same expression pass across her face.<\/p>\n

Sympathy.<\/p>\n

Angel felt none of the anger he\u2019d felt last night. Confusion maybe, sympathy\u2026 A little sadness even, but none of the anger. Something was wrong with Cordelia \u2013 and he intended to figure out what.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove sucks, huh?\u201d She asked, trying to pave over her conversational faux-pas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it does.\u201d Angel nodded, giving a little smile. \u201cSo, what about you? What\u2019re you doing in LA?\u201d<\/p>\n

He listened in silence as she told him the exact same things she had last night \u2013 even nodded and smiled in all the right places. But as he listened, Angel could feel his heart sinking even more.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t dreamt last night, he knew that for certain \u2013 this wasn\u2019t even d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu, something was wrong, very wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you can see my plan didn\u2019t work out,\u201d Cordelia continued, unaware that Angel was barely taking in what she was saying. \u201cMy first acting gig? A national, by the way, I got set up to be part of some televised cult sacrifice. I got rescued by Groo and Doyle and from there, my part in the whole helping the helpless deal from great sucking evil was sealed, only it was my idea to start charging the helpless and get a little money to actually, y\u2019know, buy stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel smiled again, wondering how long he could keep this up before he started looking like creepy serial killer man. As a general rule, he didn\u2019t smile. Smiling tended to welcome people into talking to him, into introducing themselves and making the kind of small talk that Angel avoided like the plague.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t smile. He brooded. It was a simple fact of life, like\u2026 People. People like Cordelia. They were the typical kind of girl, bitchy, shallow, vapid \u2013 they didn\u2019t change.<\/p>\n

Except Cordelia had changed. She\u2019d changed so much that Angel barely recognised the girl sitting in front of him and now, he\u2019d been drawn deeper into her life than he\u2019d ever imagined. He wanted to know what was going on, why he was getting the biggest sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu ever imagined while she couldn\u2019t remember a thing about last night.<\/p>\n

He wanted to know why he felt drawn to her when this was Cordelia, the girl from Sunnydale who\u2019d made Buffy\u2019s life a living hell at every opportunity.<\/p>\n

Angel wanted to know why he was beginning to look at Cordelia in a whole different light than he would have been if he hadn\u2019t met her last night.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlumcake!\u201d From behind him, the green demon he\u2019d been introduced to the night before approached. Same demon, different coloured suit and a drink in his hand, smiling broadly as he came upon the pair, \u201cHow nice to see you gracing our presence again\u2026 Who\u2019s our friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Cordelia could introduce them, Angel turned. \u201cI\u2019m Angel\u2026 Lorne, right?\u201d He asked, eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n

Cordelia was shocked. She stared at the pair open-mouthed for a moment before a look of \u2018duh\u2019 passed across her face. \u201cOh, you guys have met?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly.\u201d Said Angel, tersely, his eyes never leaving Lorne\u2019s. Last night, the guy had been as frosty as hell, wanting Angel out of there before things got ugly, he presumed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 Uh\u2026\u201d Lorne\u2019s eyes shifted to Cordelia, trying to regain some of his composure. \u201cCordelia, honey, you wanna go get me a drink? Angel and I, we have some unfinished business to attend to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re damn right we do.\u201d Angel snarled under his breath, watching as Cordelia picked up her own drink, puzzled, heading away from them and to the bar. He turned on Lorne again, eyebrows drawn together in a frown.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t care where they were \u2013 he wanted answers, wanted to know just what the hell was going on tonight and when, exactly, he\u2019d fallen head first into the twilight zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalm down, Angelcakes\u2026\u201d Said Lorne, wondering where the hell Wesley and all his explanations had gotten to. \u201cI\u2019ll explain everything, I promise, I just need you to calm down, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel glared at him, aware that there was a No Violence clause in the club but stepping forward anyway. \u201cLook, I know something\u2019s going on and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s enough, Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The owner of the voice came to stand in front of him, right next to Lorne \u2013 his expression the same. For a moment, Angel was startled. The last time he\u2019d seen him was back in Sunnydale three years ago, being carried from the remains of Sunnydale high school on a stretcher.<\/p>\n

\u201cWesley?\u201d He looked different. No longer the stuffy, suited Watcher, Wesley had a rugged look to him, a tired look on his face that Angel suspected a good nights sleep would be nowhere near to fixing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand you\u2019re confused,\u201d Said Wesley in the clipped British tone Angel was used to, \u201cBut practically manhandling Lorne in his own establishment is no way to get answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t\u2026\u201d Angel began but from the look on Wesley\u2019s face, argument was futile. He\u2019d get his answers, providing he behaved like a human being about this. And maybe, <\/i>thought Angel, if I don\u2019t ask too many questions. <\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cCan we use your office?\u201d Wesley glanced at Lorne, an unspoken understanding passing between the two.<\/p>\n

Lorne nodded, giving a little head tilt to signal that Cordelia was on her way over. \u201cPlumcake, 3 o clock and approaching fast\u2026\u201d He murmured under his breath.<\/p>\n

The three men turned, seeing her balancing a tray of drinks in her hands. \u201cOkay, I got a Seabreeze, a pigs blood and a non-alcoholic beverage for Wesley. I think I got it covered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saw me come in?\u201d Asked Wesley, realising that he wasn\u2019t as stealthy as he might have hoped.<\/p>\n

\u201cGunn told me you were coming.\u201d She smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Wesley smiled somewhat tightly, though Cordelia didn\u2019t seem to notice, before taking his drink from the tray. \u201cListen, Cordelia, Angel and I have some business we need to attend to, so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Angel knew what was happening, the tray of drinks had gone up in the air, spattering across the back wall of the club.<\/p>\n

Cordelia reared backwards, clutching her head.<\/p>\n

He was by her side in an instant, stopping her from hitting the floor as his arms wound around her. Cordelia cried out in agony, rocking forwards as pain racked her entire body.<\/p>\n

Angel felt useless \u2013 completely unable to understand what was happening or do something about it as Cordelia\u2019s arms flailed, fingers scrabbling for purchase to hold onto something \u2013 anything. Wesley and Lorne shared a look, before Cordelia stopped crying out, becoming still in Angel\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

She buried her face in Angel\u2019s chest and he could feel the whimpers through his coat, his hands tightening at the small of her back. \u201cEasy, easy\u2026 It\u2019s okay.\u201d He murmured, though everything was clearly not okay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWesley, you wanna explain what\u2019s going on now?\u201d He asked darkly, not letting Cordelia go for a second. The closer she was to him, the better he felt, the more he felt like he was actually doing something.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think your explanation just took a back seat,\u201d Said Wesley, softly, taking Cordelia\u2019s arm as she looked up, leading her over to a seat as Angel and Lorne looked on. \u201cWhat did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

For Cordelia, the streets had passed by in a blur. They\u2019d dropped her off at her apartment an hour ago, Fred already there with an ice pack and a hot bath (nothing that Phantom Dennis couldn\u2019t already provide), armed with a worried look on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you see? Are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Questions. Always questions. Like she wouldn\u2019t tell them what she saw? Or like she was going to say, \u201cWell actually? No. My head\u2019s splitting apart with the severe suck-fest drool-o-rama vision I have going on but please, sit down, eat my food, wait around until the guys come back and tell you that hey, Cordy-watch is over\u2026 You can go home now!\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n

Moaning softly, she pressed her fingertips against her forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this guy just showed up?\u201d Asked Fred, softly. \u201cThis\u2026 This Angel guy?\u201d<\/p>\n

She could feel flesh ripping, bones snapping as the demon tore into its victim with teeth as sharp as knives. <\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Cordelia murmured, wishing that Fred would just stop talking. \u201cHe just turned up at the club, looked at me sorta weird and started asking me all these questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cQuestions?\u201d<\/p>\n

God, if she had to explain one more thing her head was going to explode, seriously. The Powers That Be? Not exactly lacking with the visions lately and the more the Powers sent the visions? The more her head hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuestions.\u201d Cordelia repeated softly, feeling the dull throbbing behind her right eye growing worse. \u201cIt was weird, y\u2019know? It was like he was looking at me and\u2026 And expecting something and\u2026 Well, I didn\u2019t know what the hell he wanted. I was just thankful he wasn\u2019t ripping my throat out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Screaming, so much screaming\u2026 Was it ever going to stop? <\/i><\/p>\n

The silence outside her head made her look up. Fred was never silent \u2013 she was always mulling something over, mumbling to herself about numbers and figures that meant nothing to Cordelia. \u201cOh, he\u2019s good now,\u201d She nodded, feeling like rocks were dropping inside her head, \u201cTotally throat-ripping free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUhm, that doesn\u2019t really make me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia looked at Fred, \u201cLong story. But Angel\u2019s good, most of the time at least. Providing he doesn\u2019t get all groiny with someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGroiny?\u201d Fred was almost afraid to ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019know, biblical,\u201d Cordelia snorted, \u201cAs in the com-shuk me vibe that Groo had going on when he first came to LA and\u2014Speaking of which, where is he today? He is coming back for your birthday tomorrow, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Did she really have to ask? Groo wouldn\u2019t miss something as important as this. It was Fred\u2019s first birthday back in this dimension, the first birthday since she\u2019d been spirited away through the portal in the Los Angeles Public Library and Cordelia was determined to make a big deal out of it.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d invited Fred\u2019s parents, two of the nicest people she\u2019d ever had the fortune to meet, and had organised the biggest get together that Caritas had ever, or would ever see.<\/p>\n

It was gonna be huge \u2013 providing that things like visions tonight didn\u2019t get in the way. Tomorrow, Chase Investigations was closed for business and the partying would commence. Groo had to be there.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Said Fred, light brown curls bobbing as she nodded her head. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia smiled. Of course he wouldn\u2019t miss it, this was Groo, after all. \u201cOkay, I hate to be Ms. Anti-Social and everything but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Fred stood up, gathering her things together as she got off Cordelia\u2019s bed. \u201cI can just sit waitin\u2019 out in the living room with Dennis until the guys come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFred, you can go home.\u201d Cordelia reminded her, \u201cThe Powers? Not gonna hit me with a double whammy tonight, trust me.\u201d Or at least they wouldn’t if they knew what was good for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I know, I just\u2026 I told Wesley I\u2019d stick around while he, Gunn and Angel went to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel?\u201d Cordelia looked at Fred, stunned. \u201cWhat does Angel have to do with my vision?\u201d<\/p>\n

Okay, this one was new. She had a vision and Angel was tagging along? This bizarro-world was getting kinda tired. Since when did he care what happened to anyone other than Buffy?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell uh, Wesley said they might need some help on this stuff I\u2026 I can go check if you want me to?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia rubbed her temples in concentric circles, more puzzled than usual. Sure, she got that Angel was, like, stronger than human and everything. Hell, she\u2019d even go out on a limb to say that he was a good fighter, the whole four times she\u2019d seen him do it but\u2026<\/p>\n

Tagging along to solve her vision brain? What was wrong with the staff they had? And could they honestly afford taking someone else\u2014<\/p>\n

Woah there, Jumpy! <\/i>She told herself sharply, There\u2019s nothing to say that Angel\u2019s even considering becoming staff. He\u2019s a\u2014A guy, he could just be tagging along for the whole violence thing and\u2026<\/i> Cordelia blinked, trying to clear her mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d She told Fred, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, I just thought that maybe\u2026 Never mind. I\u2019m gonna get some rest, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched as Fred nodded, fussing around her for a couple of minutes before finally shutting off the light, wishing Cordelia pleasant dreams and shutting the door behind her.<\/p>\n

She breathed out, slowly, watching the shadows as they changed shape on her wall. Well, tonight was\u2026 Interesting, I guess. First, Angel shows up and drops the bombshell from Not-Hell in the form of him and Buffy no longer doing the whole angst-o-rama thing and then, vision, and apparent weirdness with the gang that I\u2019m not part of. Could this night get any weirder? <\/i><\/p>\n

Of course, it could. She\u2019d been fighting the good fight for just over two years now, things could always get weirder, or worse, which was the usual way for things to go round here.<\/p>\n

Cordelia blinked, closed her eyes and felt a searing flash of pain. I know, already! They\u2019re working on it\u2026<\/i> It wasn\u2019t like they listened. They never listened. It didn\u2019t matter which vision happened \u2013 knife in the eye guy, eyeball in the back of the head girl \u2013 they always came back to her, asked why they couldn\u2019t be saved, why the Powers hadn\u2019t given her the visions sooner.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, Cordelia thought she was going out of her mind. Other times, she knew she was. You didn\u2019t dream about things like that and not be high up on the crazy-o-meter. Some of the time, they weren\u2019t even dreams, they were just\u2026 Visions. Mini-visions, she supposed, showing her things that had gone and things that were going to come unless the guys got with the program just a little bit quicker.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now would be good, guys,\u201d She muttered to the ceiling, watching as the girl being eaten by the nasty-looking demon flashed in front of her face, \u201cRight now would be really<\/b> good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part 3<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter Two \u2013 Changes \u201cSo what do we know about this guy other than three years ago he went evil and killed most…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-to-be-continued-fic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}