****<\/p>\n
\u201cVampires don\u2019t have reflections,\u201d Angel pointed out needlessly. \u201cWhatever you saw couldn\u2019t have been me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia moved her hands to his chest and pushed herself out of his arms. Standing back, she tucked her hair behind her ears, licked her dry lips and tried to calm down. \u201cI know what I saw. You walked up behind me and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning ten shades of red wasn\u2019t the norm for Cordelia, but he could feel the heat of her blush. She captured her bottom lip between her teeth, tugging nervously at the plump flesh. Whatever it was Angel was supposed to have done, she seemed to find it disturbing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2014that mirror isn\u2019t normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe he was a little too curious about the cause of the blushes, but Angel was no longer in a hurry to leave. He stepped closer to the mirror, planning to inspect it and fully expecting to see nothing but the reflection of the room in its silvery surface. Cordelia grasped his arm and moved along beside him inching closer despite her fear of what she might see.<\/p>\n
There was a man in the mirror standing next to Cordelia, one dressed like him. Angel could only presume that it was him and tried to recall the details of the sepia-toned daguerreotypes that were taken so long ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee,\u201d Cordelia poked him with a finger. \u201cTold you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel leaned in, raising a hand to his head. \u201cDoes my hair really look like that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, that\u2019s not important right now,\u201d he received another poke of his ribs. \u201cPay attention, Angel. You can worry about your gel issues later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staring at the reflection, Angel couldn\u2019t help but marvel at the fact that he could see himself. Damn, he looked good. Really good. He looked better than he remembered. When Cordelia\u2019s words finally registered, he met her gaze in the mirror. \u201cGel issues?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre the least of our problems,\u201d Cordelia huffed as he turned to face her. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a magic mirror on our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019d have thought she\u2019d be more enthusiastic about it. But, truthfully, anything that could produce the reflection of a vampire had to have a pretty powerful spell cast upon it. Chances were that its purpose had nothing to do with vampires at all. \u201cWhat exactly did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia let out a deep sigh. \u201cIt\u2019s stupid. We should just forget we found this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll keep it in my room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? No!\u201d<\/p>\n
Grabbing hold of his wrist, Cordelia tried to drag him toward the exit. When he didn\u2019t budge, she let him go, calling him a stubborn, narcissistic doofus. The name calling didn\u2019t bother him so much as her avoidance of telling him what she\u2019d seen. This time he demanded answers, \u201cCordy, tell me what you saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glared at him for a few seconds, refusing to speak. \u201cFine. You want to know? I\u2019ll show you. Look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel was already facing her. He let his gaze drop down from those angry hazel eyes to the soft curve of her lips, the creamy golden skin of her throat down to the swell of her breasts and the little glimpse of cleavage his height afforded him. The sudden smack of her hand against his arm caught his attention. Annoyed at the distraction, he flicked his gaze back to hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked me to look.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI meant my reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning slowly, Angel was glad that vampires didn\u2019t blush. He focused on Cordelia\u2019s image in the mirror. Slowly, it hit him. It wasn\u2019t just the room that looked perfect. So did their clothes. There was no sign of the traces of dust they\u2019d picked up during their room to room search. And Cordy\u2019s hair wasn\u2019t quite the tangled mess she\u2019d just made by running her hands through it.<\/p>\n
The sight distracted him from other observations as he thought about the fact that he liked Cordelia\u2019s long hair. It looked so soft, touchable. He wondered how it would feel if he let his fingers comb through it, if it trailed across his skin as they\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cSee!\u201d Cordelia pointed frantically at the mirror. \u201cYou\u2019re touching me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s hands were clenched closed at his sides. He was certainly not touching her, but his mirror image was doing just that by lifting his hand to the silky strands of Cordelia\u2019s hair, running his fingertips through it, lifting it to his lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re leaving,\u201d Angel swiftly guided Cordelia out of the room without looking back at the mirror. The floor boards creaked beneath them as they scurried back into the hall. They shut the door to the suite leaning back against it as they looked anywhere but at each other.<\/p>\n
Breathily, Cordelia muttered, \u201cWell that was weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should probably get an expert to check that mirror out,\u201d Angel certainly wasn\u2019t going back in there with Cordy anytime soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn expert,\u201d Cordy nodded. \u201cRight.\u201d
\n****<\/p>\n
Down in the lobby, Wesley had steeped his tea to perfection having finally decided to take a break from research when his name echoed down from above. The tea cup crashed against the floor in tiny porcelain shards. He nearly slipped on the spilt tea as he rushed toward the weapons cabinet for a crossbow.<\/p>\n
Charging into battle, he took the stairs two by two.<\/p>\n
Wes was gasping for air by the time he reached the top of the fourth flight of stairs. He held onto his crossbow with one hand and the banister with the other. The rush of blood pounded in his ears as he looked down the hall to his left and then swept his gaze to the right only to see Cordelia and Angel strolling casually toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s with the crossbow?\u201d Cordelia stepped in front of Angel just in case Wesley had a twitchy trigger finger. He wasn\u2019t likely to do something he\u2019d regret if she was standing in the way.<\/p>\n
Still holding the weapon toward them, Wes cautioned her to step away from Angel. \u201cI heard you call out for help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because I did.\u201d Looking rather furious that he would come up here armed and ready to fight, Cordelia stood akimbo between the two of them. \u201cWere you really planning to use that thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tilting his chin a degree higher, Wes confirmed it, \u201cOnly if necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel looked hurt. \u201cWhat did I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier, you made reference to trying out beds together. At the time, I thought you were making a poor attempt at humor.\u201d Wesley lowered the crossbow to his side. \u201cHowever, upon hearing Cordelia\u2019s muffled scream, to which I originally attributed to the discovery of a rat\u2019s nest or another roach infestation, followed by the bellowing of my name, I was naturally concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally,\u201d Angel gritted his teeth biting back the fury he felt, not at Wes, but over the fact that his suspicion was necessary in the first place.<\/p>\n
Wesley sensed that Angel wasn\u2019t very pleased with his assumptions. \u201cAh, I apologize for the confusion. What is the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel keeps touching me,\u201d blurted Cordelia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Wes raised the crossbow again. Ordering her to, \u201cMove aside, Cordy. One of you had better start explaining.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia only demanded that he drop the crossbow. \u201cTell him what you did, Angel.\u201d She reached back to smack his shoulder.<\/p>\n
Taking a step away from her, Angel held his hands up in the air in hands-off mode. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me. Not exactly,\u201d he corrected considering that it would probably be better if he left out the part where he\u2019d been thinking about touching her. \u201cWell, it was, but it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy, perhaps you could clarify what the hell is going on here,\u201d Wesley crossed his arms still holding his bow at the ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d she rolled her eyes. \u201cLet me do the talking. Angel keeps screwing it up.\u201d It was easy enough to explain their task. She\u2019d been talking to him about her scheme to redecorate when they\u2019d gotten into the argument about whether Angel would even allow it. \u201cWe were checking out rooms for me to fix up. I wanted one to keep my stuff in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley glanced over at Angel, saying nothing about the fact that he knew Cordelia sometimes slept in his room after she\u2019d had a vision. It was understood that the room was hers as long as she was in there. Or so he believed.<\/p>\n
Though he\u2019d noticed that the two of them appreciated each other\u2019s looks, it seemed superficial, nothing more than a basic attraction and the mutual understanding that friendship was the most important thing between them. At least, that had been Wes\u2019 spin on the little looks they sometimes sent each other\u2019s way when the other wasn\u2019t watching. Most days he thought he was imagining it.<\/p>\n
After all, Cordelia seemed convinced that Angel\u2019s undying love belonged to Buffy Summers. And that was hardly a subject Wesley was going to bring up around Angel. It sometimes popped up during conversations with Cordelia, usually when they were reminiscing about their Sunnydale days. It was clear that Cordy hated the lingering effect of Angel\u2019s love affair with Buffy. He took that simply as friendly concern for the broody vampire\u2019s emotional and social wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that\u2019s all it ever was, Wes hoped, considering that Cordelia wasn\u2019t keen on the fact that Angel had touched her. \u201cPerhaps you should skip ahead to the crucial part,\u201d Wes suggested when Cordelia started to describe their explorations in greater detail than was necessary.<\/p>\n
Sighing, Cordelia explained that they\u2019d gone into the Helios Suite. Wesley found it interesting to learn that the hotel named its suites in that manner. He cut in saying, \u201cHyperion is actually a variant form of Helios, the god whose chariot carried the orb of the sun across the heavens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, but I\u2019ve had enough history lessons today,\u201d Cordelia stopped him.<\/p>\n
Wes got in one more point before letting her continue. \u201cIt\u2019s rather ironic, don\u2019t you think, that a vampire lives in a place with such a focus on the sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel found a dark corner to skulk in while Cordelia continued on with the story of their run-in with the magic mirror. He was certain that the mirror picked up on his thoughts. It was a good thing he\u2019d gotten them out of there before it revealed the naked part.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I was standing there,\u201d Cordy was saying, \u201cwhen I saw Angel in the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was intriguing, decided Wes, breaking in long enough to clarify, \u201cYou saw his reflection?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia nodded. \u201cYes. At first I didn\u2019t think about it. He was just standing there behind me and he looked really good. Not like that,\u201d she waved carelessly in Angel\u2019s direction which made the vampire scowl. \u201cI mean really hot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re certain that it was him?\u201d He needlessly reminded her that vampires had no reflections. \u201cWas Angel in the room at the time?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another nod. \u201cI heard the floor boards creak. That room isn\u2019t very stable. Even if it didn\u2019t have a freaky mirror in it, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d stay there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concluding that they were dealing with some form of enchantment or curse, Wesley encouraged Cordelia to tell him everything. The more details he had, the more likely it would be to discover the mirror\u2019s true purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne minute I was just looking at his reflection and the next thing I saw was Angel macking on my neck,\u201d Cordelia complained, her gaze sliding toward Angel. \u201cHe was really into it, too. I thought I was going to end up with a gigantic hickey at the very least.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat never happened,\u201d Angel stepped out of the shadows to defend himself.<\/p>\n
Cordelia rubbed her neck noticing that her skin still tingled at that spot. She could almost feel Angel\u2019s lips against her pulse point making her tremble at the delicious sensation. \u201cNo, of course not, but I saw it just the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou screamed because I\u2014my mirror image was kissing you\u2014yours?\u201d Angel tripped over the words. She\u2019d been so scared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuh! Vampire at my throat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy, I would never hurt you,\u201d Angel tucked a finger under her chin forcing her wandering gaze to settle on him. \u201cYou know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hand found a home on his chest again. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley suddenly felt like he was intruding which only made him more uncomfortable about his earlier suspicions. Clearing his throat, he commented, \u201cThat was quite a complex aberration. Most mirrors are used for scrying spells or to enhance images. The latter may be at play here, but there is obviously more to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t suppose that creepy tentacle demon has a cousin who\u2019s playing tricks on us?\u201d Cordelia suggested, dropping her hand, but still standing close to Angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Angel assured her that wasn\u2019t the case. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and told himself that it was accidental that his fingertips trailed down the length of her hair as he released her. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re dealing with a demon, but a magic mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia let out a soft pfft, \u201cMagic schmagic. It\u2019s perv-o-vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, perhaps these supernatural effects have a purpose.\u201d The image had certainly shaken Cordy up, but it was quite impossible to come up with a hypothesis until he had witnessed the effects for himself. \u201cLet\u2019s have a look, then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t bother,\u201d Cordelia suggested it was a waste of time. \u201cIt\u2019s broken. We\u2019ve got enough bad luck around here without messing with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBroken? That could be significant,\u201d Wesley told them, censuring Cordelia for leaving out that important detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, I was too busy worrying about Fangs-R-Us nibbling on my neck to notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley chuckled inwardly at their priceless expressions. \u201cPerhaps it would be best if I examine this mirror alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He got no arguments from either of them.
\n****<\/p>\n
Leaving his crossbow in Cordelia\u2019s hands, Wesley entered the Apollo Suite retracing their steps toward the bedroom. The ornate mirror was easy to find on the far wall. It was rectangular, approximately 5\u2019x3\u2019 in size. From this distance, he could clearly see the fractured shards of glass along its surface, a circular impact point centering in the lower right corner.<\/p>\n
As described to him, the reflection of the room was bright and clean in comparison to the reality laid out before him. Several possibilities raced through his head. Common spells known to be used by those with a passing knowledge of magic.<\/p>\n
This sounded like something else. The manifestations in the mirror had taken a life of their own, their actions different than their real counterparts. It wasn\u2019t until Angel had entered the room that Cordelia noticed anything significant. He theorized that the mirror\u2019s interactive magic might require two participants.<\/p>\n
There was only one way to gather more information and that meant experiencing the effects for himself. Angel was only a shout away in case of trouble, but Wes expected none. These type of things were usually little more than illusion.<\/p>\n
The floorboards creaked woefully with each step he took. He\u2019d noticed this in other parts of the hotel, but put it down to the fact that the Hyperion had been around for nearly eighty years. It was bound to have dry rot and termites in places. Doubtless having a demon squatting here the entire time did not help the matter.<\/p>\n
He felt a wisp of something tickling his cheek and brushed at his skin to rid himself of it. A cobweb, he presumed. The room was full of them.<\/p>\n
Wesley approached the mirror at a slow pace watching intently as his image grew more and more succinct. The man reflected there was well kempt, rather rugged in his masculinity, and exuded self-assuredness. Seeing that it was him, Wes stood up a little straighter to match the confident pose of his reflection.<\/p>\n
Examining the image, Wes decided he liked what he saw there. \u201cNot bad if I do say so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting on with his task, he moved his attention to the details of the room reflected in the mirror. There were subtle differences to be seen beyond cleanliness. Personal objects were scattered across the dressing table. The bedcover was turned down in preparation for bedtime, a chocolate laid out upon the pillow.<\/p>\n
From the corner of his eye, Wes caught a flash of movement. It was a subtle shift in the mirror\u2019s visual field. As if a fine mist had rolled into the room it covered every surface he could see. He was no longer alone. She was there, behind him walking slowly, steadily toward him, her penoir softly flowing around her feet, reaching out for him.<\/p>\n
Wes turned around, a sudden shriek escaping as he held up his hands to ward off an attack. There was no one there. Angel and Cordelia burst into the room only seconds later, but the image was once again the still reflection of the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a woman,\u201d Wesley gulped, wide-eyed with equal parts wonder and fear. \u201cFor a moment, I thought she was behind me, but she was only in the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Angel silently pondered Wesley\u2019s discovery, Cordelia was faster to guess what he\u2019d seen. \u201cThis woman wouldn\u2019t be a skanky blonde with big\u2014emeralds, would she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Wes gave her an odd look. \u201cAs a matter of fact, she was a redhead, quite slim, rather tall, wearing a blue nightgown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel looked at the mirror and then back at the two of them. He asked Wes, \u201cThis redhead didn\u2019t have a little mole right there, did she?\u201d pointing at the base of his throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2014,\u201d Wes thought about it. \u201cYes, I believe she did now that you mention it. She was also wearing a rather unusual necklace. Emeralds, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHah.\u201d Cordelia muttered something about chippies that went over Wesley\u2019s head. Angel seemed to get it, his scowl returning.<\/p>\n
Surmising, \u201cI take it that you two know this woman,\u201d Wesley asked for details. \u201cDid you see her when you were in here before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWay, way before,\u201d Cordelia returned rather grouchily. \u201cAnd it was just him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe woman you\u2019re describing sounds like someone I saw when I was here back in 1952,\u201d Angel explained causing a memory to flicker to life in Wes\u2019 head.<\/p>\n
He snapped his fingers. \u201cOf course! That is why she looked familiar. Cordelia, you\u2019ve seen her, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denying it, Cordelia walked back toward the sitting room. \u201cHave not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t recall the details, but we\u2019ve seen her face before,\u201d Wes assured her. \u201cIn one of the newspaper articles we pulled while doing research on the Hyperion.\u201d<\/p>\n
They were deep in the midst of rebounding \u2018have too\u2019 and \u2018have not\u2019 when Angel barked at them to shut up. \u201cWill you two stop arguing and look at the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia and Wes turned simultaneously to stare at their reflections aligned perfectly in the mirror. They\u2019d been reduced to cute five year olds each holding the opposite ends of a tug-of-war rope. \u201cHow degrading,\u201d Wes muttered as he straightened his tie.<\/p>\n
Snorting at the sight, Cordelia leaned in to tell him, \u201cI so would\u2019ve won.\u201d<\/p>\n
As they watched, the mirror\u2019s image swirled filling with a misty haze that fell away to reveal the redheaded woman. There was no mischief in her deep green eyes. Only sadness, loneliness and fear. She spoke to them. No voice emanated from within the mirror, only shadowed whispers almost like a half-remembered dream.<\/p>\n
Help me.<\/i><\/p>\n
The plea was clear as a bell. Her hand reached out to them. To Wesley, it seemed like she was speaking directly to him, begging for his help. He lifted his hand toward the mirror\u2019s smooth surface, closer to the feminine hand searching for his.<\/p>\n
A hard vice closed over his wrist jerking Wes\u2019 hand away from the mirror. \u201cDon\u2019t touch it,\u201d Angel knocked him back a step. \u201cWho knows what that might do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley realized that he hadn\u2019t been fully aware of his actions. \u201cThank you. I believe you are right in that regard. The mirror itself might be dangerous, but I believe that it would be safe enough to handle its frame.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could put it in my office,\u201d Angel suggested. It would be safe enough down there.<\/p>\n
\u201cA haunted mirror,\u201d Cordelia thought they were nuts to suggest keeping it. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley shrugged, \u201cAt least he didn\u2019t suggest his bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s eyes got big and round. She was about to let him have it for putting the idea into Angel\u2019s head when she realized the vampire was watching for her response. With a casual shrug, she told Wes it didn\u2019t matter. Smirking, \u201cI\u2019ve already got my ghost. Dennis isn\u2019t creepy and knows just how to make me relax after a hard day.\u201d<\/p>\n
It took all of Angel\u2019s restraint not to growl. He\u2019d stayed at Cordy\u2019s place long enough to know there wasn\u2019t anywhere Phantom Dennis didn\u2019t go. Good thing Dennis was already non-corporeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fairly certain this isn\u2019t a haunting,\u201d Wesley told them. He decided to steer clear of asking about ghostly relaxation techniques. \u201cMore like a curse, it seems that the woman is trapped within the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA curse? Like Angel needs another one.\u201d She really hated the idea of having that mirror around. Considering what happened earlier, it wasn\u2019t safe to be around it if Angel was in close proximity. Not unless she could learn to control her imagination, that is.<\/p>\n
Hello, Cordelia wasn\u2019t about to admit that she\u2019d fantasized about Angel pressing his lips against her neck. It wasn\u2019t her fault that the mirror made him look so hot. He wasn\u2019t even there. That made it comparable to imagining Jude Law. Why couldn\u2019t it have been Jude in that mirror instead of Angel?<\/p>\n
She could only guess that the second incident was a continuation of the first. The only time Angel was ever seductive like that was when he was drugged or evil\u2014or in one or two really hot dreams that left her sweaty, aroused and tangled in her sheets. The first time she\u2019d called in sick, because obviously it had to be delirium. When it happened again not too long ago, Cordelia had put it down to the fact that they\u2019d been working out down in the basement earlier that night and attributed it to hormones.<\/p>\n
Angel reminded her that the woman was one of the ones he\u2019d left behind presumably to be devoured by the Thesulac demon. \u201cI have a responsibility to save her if I can, Cordy. If I\u2019d stayed\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t brood about it now.\u201d Cordelia didn\u2019t want him to blame himself for this. \u201cYou can\u2019t control everything. If you want to help, we can help. Wes can do research.\u201d<\/p>\n
After much discussion, it was decided to hang the mirror in the hotel lobby. Being on the ground floor, it was the most stable area of the hotel. And it offered them the comfort of being roomy enough to avoid falling into the mirror\u2019s effective range.<\/p>\n
And Cordelia was happy about keeping it out of Angel\u2019s bedroom. No telling what it would show if she was lying in Angel\u2019s bed post-vision and that thing turned the whammy on again.<\/p>\n