Part 8<\/b><\/p>\n
Angel wasn\u2019t sure that he believed a word that he was hearing. But they did and in their version of events Cordelia Chase had walked out of Sunnydale. He needed that version to be true.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel,\u201d they all jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to know where Cordelia Chase is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, please.\u201d Wesley shoved at his glasses.<\/p>\n
The door burst open, Jack ran in. He skidded to a halt. \u201cHey, you didn\u2019t kill them. Fuckin A. Business. A four horned, snaggled toothed grizzly large fucker about to decimate a man in the parking garage under the Lincoln complex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley stood. \u201cA Vortual. I\u2019ll need a sword.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going need an axe,\u201d Gunn looked at the vampire. \u201cGot a weapon\u2019s cabinet in this place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do you think you both are going?\u201d Angel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith you, man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Vortual\u2019s are very prolific fighters. They have the strength of ten very strong men. A match even for a vampire with your skills, you\u2019ll need us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI work alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo anymore. Hey, English, found \u2018em.\u201d Gunn stood in front of an armory, pulling out a sword and tossing it.<\/p>\n
Wesley caught the sword easily.<\/p>\n
Gunn yanked out an axe, then a large broadsword. \u201cHere.\u201d He tossed the vampire\u2019s sword to him. \u201cI call shot gun, you still have the Plymouth right.\u201d He asked as he headed out the door, Wesley following.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles, normally, I sit in the front seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called shot gun, tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel blinked at the retreating men, then at Fred. \u201cI work alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred waved smiling at the vampire. \u201cBe careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing sitting at my desk,\u201d grumbled Jack.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo away,\u201d Fred shooed the rumpled man.<\/p>\n
Part 9<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cThat thing wasn\u2019t such a bad ass. Whooped his tail.\u201d Gunn headed back into the office.<\/p>\n
Fred looked up from her computer. \u201cI didn\u2019t think Vortual\u2019s had tails.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t, Fred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, where\u2019s Angel. Oh, hi, Angel.\u201d The young woman smiled as the vampire entered. \u201cIs any one hurt? I found the first aid kit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, we’re cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood, because that\u2019s Cordy\u2019s job.\u201d Fred sat down. \u201cI ordered some food, coffee and tea are over there,\u201d she pointed to a table by the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, girl, you got some clothes, what happened to the bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I offended Lorne, or just brought back bad memories of Plyea. He came back by with some clothes. Angel, would you like me to get you some blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d Angel stared at the young woman, who had taken over his office.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure? Cordy told me which spices you liked best in your blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGirl, you know he hates cinnamon, just doesn\u2019t have the balls to tell her.\u201d Gunn laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, you really don\u2019t like cinnamon in your blood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t ever imagine even trying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stared at the humans. Wesley going straight to Angel\u2019s desk, digging back through some books, and writing on a pad.<\/p>\n
Gunn was perched on the edge, cleaning the axe he had been using, even though he had already cleaned it before leaving the parking garage. Angel hadn\u2019t wanted to admit but both had been helpful in his fight with the demon.<\/p>\n
They handled their respective weapons with confidence, working together as a team, seeming to know when to let Angel fight and when he needed their help. They knew him, but he had no idea who they were.<\/p>\n
He had been completely confused at their light banter and friendly insults as they rode to the garage or their exaggerated bragging in an attempt to outdo the other on their prowess on the ride back.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vampire looked at the self-proclaimed rogue demon hunter. That label no longer seemed so foolish.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were going to tell us where Cordelia is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stared then sat down, making his decision. \u201cWhen I left Sunnydale, she was in private hospital right outside the town, attached to life support. Dead to the world except she still breathed. If she\u2019s been transferred to another facility I don\u2019t know, don\u2019t want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn\u2019s fist swung slamming into the desk covering the gasps coming from Fred.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d Wesley said in a valiant to keep his composure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley,\u201d Fred jumped up, tears clouding her eyes. \u201cWe have to go. We have to be with her, she can\u2019t be alone, she can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer parents?\u201d Wesley asked the vampire.<\/p>\n
\u201cDead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley.\u201d Fred cried. \u201cCharles tell him, we have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFred.\u201d Wesley hugged the young woman. \u201cFred, we can help best by finding out what went wrong, okay. We\u2019ll fix it. Will get her back, okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred blinked slowly nodding. \u201cRight, sorry,\u201d she gulped down her sniffles, wiping at her face. \u201cI just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFred, we all love her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred gave a small smile and nodded again.<\/p>\n
Wesley took a deep breath turning to face the vampire. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Gunn shot out. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what happened- Angelus, that bastard did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel waited for Gunn\u2019s angry glare to rest on him, to blame him, but the black man\u2019s eyes remained on Wesley.<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn, it couldn\u2019t have been, if something had happened to Angel and Angelus managed to get that close to Cordelia, he would\u2019ve turned her, not put her in a coma. That\u2019s not how Angelus wanted her. You remember what Angel said when Angelus was brought forward the last time. He said that Angelus\u2019 plan in 1898 was to turn her, not\u2026well\u2026not kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel narrowed his eyes at Wesley, but the man was too concentrated in his own thoughts to notice. Angel looked again at the human\u2019s in the room, starting to believe them.<\/p>\n
There was no way possible that Wesley knew that unless Angel had told him. And the fact that Angel did showed that the vampire had trusted the humans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what happened to her?\u201d Gunn turned to the vampire.<\/p>\n
Angel braced himself for hearing the words that he would have to speak and for the anger from the human\u2019s that obviously loved Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn, Angel wouldn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean he wouldn\u2019t know? He was there.\u201d Gunn insisted.<\/p>\n
Angel remained silent, also wondering what Wesley meant.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis memories are affected by whatever went wrong. Car accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA car accident?\u201d Gunn jumped up. \u201cWe\u2019ve got Cordy running from two fucking Angelus and you choose to believe that she got hit by a car, now that doesn\u2019t make any damn sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it would, it would explain him,\u201d Wesley pointed to Angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley?\u201d Fred blinked. \u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Cordelia is in a coma in Sunnydale, she couldn\u2019t come to LA. And that\u2019s the result.\u201d He pointed to Angel. \u201c Cordy wouldn\u2019t have been here to meet Angel, she wouldn\u2019t have received the visions from Doyle. This,\u201d He waved his hand around the office. \u201cWas where Angel and Doyle were before Cordy came and took over, making it Angel Investigations, before Wolfram & Hart blew it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel was really starting to hate that law firm. He had some dealings with them but not enough for him to care one way or another. But to repeatedly try to kill Cordy and blow up his home. He was getting pissed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, without Cordy, no Angel Investigations, because she didn\u2019t talk Angel into accepting paying clients as well as help the helpless. She wasn\u2019t here to be with Angel after Doyle died. She wasn\u2019t here to give him her friendship and love. Hell, she wasn\u2019t here to give him us. I know I didn\u2019t work with this Angel, he works alone\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel narrowed his eyes again at the man. Angel didn\u2019t like his tone on that last bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Gunn, it was her idea for Angel to pay you.\u201d Wesley continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was? Cheap bastard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel glared at the black man. Angel didn\u2019t like his tone either.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Fred would still be in Plyea, because Cordy wouldn\u2019t have gotten herself sucked in the portal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred nodded. \u201cYeah, it wasn\u2019t me he came to save. Angel\u2019s so wonderful the way he\u2019s always jumping in Portals to save Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel was beginning to like the young woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you see without Cordy, you get him, sullen, anti-social, dark broody, probably way over the top melodramatic.\u201d Wesley pointed to Angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not melodramatic.\u201d Angel said suddenly. \u201cI\u2019m in the room you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are too.\u201d Gunn rolled his eyes and focused back on Wesley. \u201cI get without Cordy we get the whole vamp loner with a grudge against life and a guilt trip to match, but I\u2019m not buying a car accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel growled a tiny bit. Obviously, Gunn didn\u2019t get the fact he was in the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, Gunn-\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, no, Wes. A car accident? You really think Angel would let Cordy get hit by a car. The vamp has the reaction of,\u201d Gunn snapped his finger. Angel slightly nodded totally agreeing with Gunn on that point.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot if he was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDead?\u201d Gunn pointed. \u201cHe\u2019s right there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot him. But Angel. If Angelus killed him in 1998, then he wouldn\u2019t be there to protect Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWes, man. You said that in 1898, Angel beat the shit out of Angelus and I saw it in the hotel, Angel would\u2019ve killed him if we hadn\u2019t tranqed both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel really liked that. What a feeling of satisfaction that must have been.<\/p>\n
Fred cleared her throat. \u201cWesley, Angelus couldn\u2019t have killed Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not infallible, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, if Angel didn\u2019t send Angelus back then who did? \u201c she pointed to Angel. \u201cSoul. If Angelus didn\u2019t go back, then he wouldn\u2019t have been cursed by the gypsies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly Giles. If Cordelia didn\u2019t have any other options left to protect herself from Angelus, she would\u2019ve gone to Giles and Buffy.\u201d Wesley suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould that be before or after she got hit by your car?\u201d Gunn rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just saying, that Angelus wouldn\u2019t leave Cordy in a coma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he fucked up, didn\u2019t get the chance to make her into another crazy dead bitch or maybe he just changed his mind. Why make this shit up, just ask the vamp if he knows how Cordy ended up tied to a hospital bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three humans\u2019 gazes locked on the vampire.<\/p>\n