Part 4<\/b><\/p>\n
Later that night…<\/i><\/p>\n
There\u2019s something that happens when a woman puts on a dress. The right dress, that\u2019s really all it takes. And suddenly, what was once hidden, or overlooked, comes alive. The very air around her crackles with an enticing electricity that pulls at everyone, seducing the male eye like a siren\u2019s song.<\/p>\n
She feels it too. That much is obvious. She walks differently, moves with a languid grace that even she wasn\u2019t aware she had. Her femininity becomes something alive, something that pulses through her. It brightens her eyes. It makes her skin glow. All because she has put on a dress.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something else that routinely happens whenever a woman puts on a dress. She wants to be told how she looks. Repeatedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d Fred asked Angel for the third time. She stood very still in the middle of his room. Her apprehension was palpable, beneath the thin skin of her chest he could almost make out the rapid beating of her heart. From where he sat on the edge of his bed, Angel struggled to hold back a groan.<\/p>\n
He tried to think of what to say, the perfect words that would convince her, so that she would stop asking. For a moment, Angel stayed silent. The soft sounds of Norah Jones filled the room and Connor cooed along, while Fred waited, looking down at her hands, like she didn\u2019t recognize the long, tapered pink-tipped fingers as her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cFred, you look very nice.\u201d Angel spoke slowly, hoping the gravity and intonation in his voice would convey all that she needed to hear. Beyond \u201cnice\u201d and \u201cpretty,\u201d his mind was drawing a blank. You\u2019d think with all the time I spent reading, I would be better with the adjectives.<\/i><\/p>\n
Fred did look nice. More than nice, in fact. She had always had a subtle beauty. There was something innately girlish and sprite-like about her that it took men time to notice. Angel\u2019s artistic eye had seen it almost from the beginning. Fred\u2019s lure had always been that subtlety. She was the kind of woman whose layers would have to be unwrapped in order to be fully appreciated.<\/p>\n
But tonight, tonight all those secrets had been laid open. Tonight the wrapping paper was just as pretty as the present it concealed.<\/p>\n
In the soft muted light of his room, everything about Fred seemed to sparkle, from her eyes to the borrowed baubles on her ears to the high heels she teetered on. She\u2019d nervously gnawed most of her lipstick off, but in Angel\u2019s mind, it only added to the look. Fred didn\u2019t need it anyway, the pretty blush that had risen charmingly on the apples of her cheeks spoke volumes more than makeup ever could. She looked delicate and innocent and\u2026<\/p>\n
on the verge. Like she isn\u2019t sure what\u2019s going to happen, but she can\u2019t wait until it does. <\/i>Angel\u2019s lips curved up at the thought, his earlier annoyance fading. \u201cYou look very very nice,\u201d he told her. I used two very\u2019s that time. That should do it. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about my hair?\u201d Fred asked. Her heavy hair was pulled up in a classic twist, bringing attention to her slender neck. Better not tell her that though. People never seem to like neck compliments from vampires. I don\u2019t know why. We\u2019re connoisseurs of the neck. It\u2019s like an opinion from an expert. <\/i>\u201cIs something wrong with my hair?\u201d Fred asked when he didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. No. No it\u2019s all there,\u201d Angel assured her. He understood follicle concern, at least.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood, good,\u201d Fred muttered to herself, nodding rapidly. Glancing down she carefully smoothed the dress over her hips. She looked up. \u201cCordy picked out my dress. Do you like my dress?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel had been worried about the dress. He knew Cordelia had picked it out. Cordelia had a certain style, one that her confidence and stature allowed her, but one that would not necessarily translate well on little Fred.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d gotten even more worried after what Gunn had said at dinner. He\u2019d made it sound like the dress was verging on indecent. Angel didn\u2019t want Fred running around town in some tiny scrap of material. And not just because she would look cheap.<\/p>\n
God knows what it would have done to Wesley and Gunn. <\/i><\/p>\n
Angel had been noticing Wes\u2019s growing affection for the physicist for weeks, and now, with Gunn\u2019s admission at dinner\u2026I have a sneaking suspicion there\u2019s going to be a fistfight over who kisses who at midnight. <\/i>Luckily, Fred\u2019s dress wasn\u2019t anything like he\u2019d feared. Like always, Cordelia had come through.<\/p>\n
It was short, that much was true. It barely grazed the middle of her thighs, which momentarily gave Angel pause. At least it\u2019s not too tight. <\/i>The dress was held up by fragile spaghetti straps and the black material glittered unobtrusively whenever Fred moved. But it worked. Cordelia had somehow found a way to bring out a side of Fred Angel had never noticed before. Sensuality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very pretty dress Fred,\u201d he said simply.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut how does it look when I turn?\u201d she immediately asked. She started spinning around in wobbly circles, unused to balancing on three-inch heels.Okay, now that just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. <\/i>With a shake of his head and a vampiric burst of speed, Angel shot off the bed and grabbed her, stopping her before she got too dizzy.<\/p>\n
When he let go, she lurched precariously to the left but caught herself. \u201cI got it, I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFred, you need to calm down,\u201d Angel said. He took her by the shoulders, mostly for emphasis, but also to keep her vertical. \u201cYou look great.\u201d From the direction of the crib, the baby chirped quietly. \u201cSee. Connor agrees. And he has excellent taste in women,\u201d Angel joked. Hey, he can\u2019t get enough of Cordelia. Sounds like good taste to me. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just,\u201d she said, not looking at him, \u201cit\u2019s just that I feel like a princess.\u201d She ran her tongue over her now-bare lip. \u201cI mean, I know I\u2019m not a head-turner,\u201d she told him, staring at his shirt collar.<\/p>\n
Angel tipped her chin up. \u201cFred, I guarantee, heads will definitely be turning tonight.\u201d I can think of two heads in particular. And then they\u2019re going to tear each other\u2019s head off fighting over her. Maybe I shouldn\u2019t let them take any weapons tonight. <\/i><\/p>\n
Blissfully unaware of Angel\u2019s growing fear about an impeding bloodbath, Fred went on. \u201cI mean, I\u2019m not like Cordelia. You should see what happens when we go out.\u201d Angel felt his hands fist. Please Fred, I don\u2019t want to know what happens.. I already have anger management issues. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cShe makes guys all speechless and stuttery,\u201d Fred said.<\/p>\n
Tell me about it. I was Mister Smooth Bad Guy for hundreds of years and two minutes with Cordy has me thinking I need speech therapy. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cEven in this dress, I could never be like that.\u201d Fred was starting to ramble now. \u201cShe\u2019s gorgeous. And I can\u2019t believe she thinks she\u2019s fat. I would die to have that body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel nodded. I\u2019d die to have that body too. Under me. No, wait, on top of me. No, pressed against the wall of the shower. No, I know, under me but on top of the desk. That\u2019s it. Or maybe we could do that move from the Kama Sutra. I\u2019ve been wanting to try that since the mid 1800\u2019s. It\u2019s not like it\u2019s impossible. Cordy did used to be a cheerleader. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cFred, you won\u2019t just be turning heads tonight,\u201d Angel said, taking her hand in his, \u201cyou\u2019ll be stopping hearts.\u201d He put her hand on his chest. \u201cSee, not beating. You\u2019re doing it already.\u201d She giggled. Angel brought her hand up and lightly kissed the top of it. \u201cYou really do look lovely.\u201d Fred smiled shyly as more color flooded into her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHope I\u2019m not interrupting anything,\u201d they heard a teasing voice say. They both turned to see Cordy smiling widely just outside the room. Fred giggled and took her hand back.<\/p>\n
Her eyes went wide as Cordelia entered. \u201cOh. Oh Cordelia. You\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no,\u201d Cordy cut her off. \u201cYou Fred. Tonight it\u2019s all you.\u201d Cordelia moved closer, looking her over with a practiced eye. \u201cYou look unbelievable,\u201d she told her shorter friend. \u201cYou\u2019ll be making all the guys drool tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Fred asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. And speaking of drooling men,\u201d Cordy grinned and brushed a strand of Fred\u2019s hair into place, \u201cGunn and Wes are downstairs in the lobby, VERY anxiously awaiting your arrival.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred couldn\u2019t contain her self-conscious smile. \u201cOh, oh I better go then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell yeah.\u201d Cordy pointed at Angel. \u201cYou stay up here much longer and Mister I Have a Permanent Soul Now might try and put the moves on you.\u201d Both women smiled at Angel. He just stood there, unblinking, a silent statue.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, well,\u201d Fred said, grabbing her sparkly clutch purse from the night table. \u201cBye you guys.\u201d She waved nervously at them, stepping out into the hall. \u201cHappy New Year,\u201d she called out as she left. Cordelia moved to the doorway to watch Fred negotiate the stairs.<\/p>\n
Angel had wanted to tell Fred Happy New Year. He\u2019d wanted to repeat how nice she looked. Maybe remind her to keep Gunn and Wesley under control. Unfortunately, it appeared he had lost the ability to form words. Why would he be able to speak\u2014since the moment he\u2019d heard her voice and turned around, Angel had barely been barely able to THINK coherently. And his knees were suspiciously weak.<\/p>\n
The dress was red. Of course she\u2019d pick red. Because the world is against me. I mean, I knew a long time ago that God had forsaken me. But I never thought He\u2019d decide to torture me like this. <\/i>The strapless burgundy dress was slim-fitting, hugging every inch of Cordelia\u2019s body from the tops of her barely-covered breasts to the tips of her toes. This was a dress designed to entice.<\/p>\n
While she had gushed over Fred\u2019s dress, Angel had watched Cordelia as if in a trance. He knew at one point they had said something to him, or at least about him, but he could barely hear them. And then, when Cordy walked back to the door to watch Fred walk away, he saw\u2026<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no back. Does she know half of her dress is missing? <\/i>Angel closed his eyes, thinking he was seeing it wrong, but when he re-opened them, all that glorious skin was still there. The back plunged dangerously low, barely covering her tattoo. It was a testament to modern technology that the dress was somehow managing to stay on.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s\u2026God, she\u2019s\u2026she\u2019s not going out like that. She can\u2019t. <\/i>Angel shuddered. He hadn\u2019t needed Fred to describe what happened when Cordy went out. He\u2019d seen it before. Her easy careless sexuality entranced everyone in the room. Men sat up straighter, adjusted ties, debated with friends over who would approach her.<\/p>\n
Usually Angel\u2019s glare had them backing off, and when it didn\u2019t, a few choice words sent them running. But I won\u2019t be there tonight.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cAngel? Did you hear what I said? Cordy asked as she glided back in the room and over to the full-length mirror in the corner. Doesn\u2019t she think it\u2019s odd that I put a mirror in here? Doesn\u2019t she ever wonder why? <\/i>She examined herself carefully, adjusting the glittering necklace. \u201cAngel, didn\u2019t Fred look incredible?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmmm? What? Yeah. Yeah, incredible,\u201d he managed to say without squeaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel so proud,\u201d Cordelia gushed, wiping at a tiny lipstick smudge. \u201cLike we\u2019re parents sending our daughter off to the prom or something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel was poleaxed by her comment, nearly bowled over as her casually uttered words sent a barrage of images racing though his mind.<\/p>\n
Cordelia, lying on his bed, propped up by pillows, nursing a baby girl with a fuzz of dark hair.<\/i><\/p>\n
Angel awkwardly trying to place a pink bow on the head of a squirming toddler in purple overalls. <\/i><\/p>\n
Angel and Cordelia nervously holding hands in a school auditorium as their little superstar danced clumsily on stage. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cHelloooo? Are you in there?\u201d Cordy snapped her fingers in front of his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Sorry,\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n
She gave him a sympathetic look. \u201cBuffy flashbacks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d He hadn\u2019t been expecting that.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, cause I mentioned prom,\u201d Cordelia explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d Angel nodded. \u201cNo. Not exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d she said. Thankfully she looked like she wasn\u2019t going to press the issue. She took a step back and held her arms up. \u201cWell, go on. Tell me how I look. Shower me with praise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look\u2026.\u201d Angel trailed off. How am I supposed to find a word to describe her. There are no words. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cProportional?\u201d Cordy filled in, repeating what he had said to her the day before.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery proportional,\u201d Angel agreed. \u201cAnd\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about achingly beautiful? Worthy of the cover of Vogue?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d he said. \u201cIf that\u2019s the look you\u2019re going for.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled widely up at him. \u201cAhhh, now that\u2019s my Angel. Always such an ego-booster.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t seem upset, but Angel was. He hated that he couldn\u2019t have simply told her how she looked. Made her blush. Let her know what she did to him. She was right. She is achingly beautiful. <\/i>Angel knew this, because right then, it hurt to look at her. It would have been easier if he hadn\u2019t had to see her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy, what are you doing here anyway?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh! What with your clumsy attempt at a compliment, I completely forgot!\u201d She wagged her finger at him. \u201cDon\u2019t move.\u201d Ha! Like I could. <\/i>She raced back to the door, grabbed the bag she\u2019d apparently left just outside and then ran back to him. Unlike Fred, Cordy moved like she\u2019d been born in heels. \u201cHere you go,\u201d she proudly presented the bag to him.<\/p>\n
Angel was never quite sure what to do when people gave him things. He awkwardly took the bag, but didn\u2019t look inside. \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n
She rolled her eyes when he didn\u2019t just open the bag. \u201cSupplies. For boys night,\u201d Cordy gestured to him and over to where Connor lay. \u201cI splurged on the good stuff. Tonight my friend, you will be drinking lambs blood, which Harvey the Butcher says is the caviar of the blood world. And I bought that expensive baby formula that Sarah Jessica Parker feeds her kid. Connor will be slurpin\u2019 like the rich and famous!\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t know what to say. He\u2019d never met anyone like her. Every time he thought he finally knew Cordelia, she managed to surprise him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy, you didn\u2019t have to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure I did,\u201d she shrugged, taking the bag back from him. \u201cIf my boys are spending the night in, they are going to spend it in style.\u201d Cordelia put the bag down on the bed and started digging through it. \u201cAnd\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more?\u201d Angel wondered.<\/p>\n
She handed him a videotape. \u201cAnd I also brought you \u2018Steel Magnolias,\u201d she said. Angel opened his mouth and Cordy promptly slapped her hand over it. He ached to dart his tongue out and taste her.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook Angel, I know it\u2019s your favorite movie, I\u2019ve caught you watching every time it\u2019s on, so don\u2019t even bother to deny it. And lets skip the part about how it\u2019s this big secret and if I tell anyone you\u2019ll chain me to a wall and make with the torture.\u201d She let him go.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia,\u201d Angel said though clenched teeth, even as his mouth started to water at the mention of chains. Not so much into the torture anymore, but chains, now that\u2019s a nice idea. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cAngel, I promise I won\u2019t tell,\u201d Cordelia said, raising her right hand. After a beat she dropped it and asked witheringly, \u201cYou don\u2019t cry EVERY time you watch it, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh come on! Who doesn\u2019t cry during Steel Manolias? With the diabetes? And the way the husband comes home and the baby\u2019s crying and Julia Roberts is just lying there, clutching the phone? It\u2019s heartbreaking. <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I don\u2019t cry,\u201d Angel said. She looked at him speculatively, like she wasn\u2019t sure she believed him. \u201cNo more than you cried at the end of \u2018Rudy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Immediately her eyes began to water. \u201cHis father finally got to see him play football for Notre Dame. It was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
They looked at each other and started laughing. Jealous that he was being ignored, Connor gave a little yelp for attention. It worked. Cordy was standing over the crib before Angel could blink.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey kiddo,\u201d she said, wiping at her eyes. \u201cGuess what Connor. One day, when you\u2019re older, you can watch \u2018Steel Magnolias\u2019 and sob your little heart out, just like Daddy. Won\u2019t that be fun?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey!\u201d Angel cried out, insulted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAhh,\u201d Connor said soberly, like he didn\u2019t care much for the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m just kidding,\u201d Cordy soothed. \u201cI would never make you watch that stupid girly movie.\u201d She moved his teddy bear closer and fussed with his blanket. \u201cYou have fun tonight sweetie.\u201d She leaned over more and brushed a soft kiss on his temple. \u201cHappy New Year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordy straightened and turned around, inhaling sharply when she almost ran right into him. He was close enough now to see the way her pulse fluttered, to notice the flare of something indefinable in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a happy New Year too, \u2018kay big guy,\u201d she said softly. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She gnawed on her bottom lip, unconsciously mimicking what Fred had done earlier.<\/p>\n
The next song on the C.D. came on. Norah\u2019s sultry voice launched into \u201cDon\u2019t Know Why\u201d and Cordelia started to lean closer to him and then paused.She kissed Connor\u2026is she going to kiss me too? <\/i>Angel stood perfectly still, even as blood rushed screaming though his body, he kept still, waiting to see what she would do.<\/p>\n
Cordelia gulped audibly and Angel closed his eyes and warm dry lips pressed tentatively on his cheek, just left of his mouth. A split second of softness and then it was gone.<\/p>\n
Angel opened his eyes and there she was, right in front of him. And she was blushing. He\u2019d never seen her blush before. She was beautiful when she blushed.<\/p>\n
Angel was debating internally whether he should kiss her back when a car honked outside. Cordelia briefly turned to the window and then back to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my ride,\u201d she practically whispered. \u201cI have to go.\u201d But she didn\u2019t. She just glanced down at the baby and than back at Angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re waiting for me,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n
But Cordy seemed to be waiting for Angel. To do what, he didn\u2019t know. Her eyes seemed to be asking something, but he didn\u2019t have a clue what she wanted. Outside the car honked again. He panicked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave fun,\u201d Angel muttered in a suddenly raspy voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight. Yeah,\u201d she said, eyes flickering, before she stepped around him and walked out, closing the door behind her.<\/p>\n
As Norah Jones sang \u201cYou\u2019ll be on my mind, Forever,\u201d Angel stood there, rubbing his hand over his heart, trying to ease the tightness in his chest.<\/p>\n