{"id":7560,"date":"2015-10-30T13:01:49","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T13:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/?p=7560"},"modified":"2015-10-30T13:02:08","modified_gmt":"2015-10-30T13:02:08","slug":"folie-a-deux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/30\/folie-a-deux\/","title":{"rendered":"Folie a Deux"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: Folie a Deux.<\/b>
\nAuthor: Samsom<\/b>
\nPosted: <\/b>
\nEmail<\/a><\/b>
\nRating: <\/b>R
\nContent: <\/b>Cordelia\/Lindsey, Cordelia\/Angel
\nCategory: <\/b>Angst.
\nSummary: <\/b>The events of Epiphany tossed about and redone.
\nSpoilers: <\/b>See summary
\nDisclaimer: <\/b>Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
\nDistribution: <\/b>Just ask
\nNotes: <\/b>
\nThanks\/Dedication: <\/b>Thanks to Damnskippytoo<\/b><\/em> for encouraging me to finish this when I didn\u2019t know how to, and Starlet2367<\/b><\/em> for her words of praise and awesome beta skills. There\u2019s a reason I love these ladies, and it\u2019s not just because they\u2019re hot mammajammas.
\nFeedback:<\/b> Yes please.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s a nice girl like you doing in a dive like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia puts her shot glass down half drained, turning in the direction of the smoky voice, with a stare made of too many hard nights patching up broken friends and her own fractured heart.<\/p>\n

Lindsey looks at her, not smiling, his tie undone and his hair unkempt.<\/p>\n

\u201cHard day in hell, dear?\u201d she asks in reply before turning back to face the mirrored wall behind the bar. \u201cOn second thought, I don\u2019t give a crap so get lost. You\u2019re ruining my good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The music from the stage swells and dies, and Lindsey doesn\u2019t move, motioning the bartender for his own brand of rot gut.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad lots of those lately, haven\u2019t you Cordelia? Good times, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turns her head sideways, and gives him a look. \u201cYou should know.\u201d She tosses back the rest of her shot and stifles the need to cough as the bartender sets up Lindsey.<\/p>\n

He mimics her, swallowing the whiskey smoothly before chuckling at her. His glass lands back on the bar with a dull clunk. \u201cWho\u2019re you fooling, Cordelia? You\u2019re not here because you\u2019re torn up over the evil law firm. You\u2019re here \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

Temper flaring dangerously close to the red line, Cordelia holds up a finger. \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d She turns a gimlet eye on him. \u201cDon\u2019t say his name. I\u2019m not here to socialize, and I\u2019m not going to talk about him with\u00a0you<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pauses. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about Angel, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smoke from the other customers permeates the air and Cordelia inhales some as she laughs. \u201cSure you do. You\u2019re all about Angel, Lindsey. You wake up thinking about him and you probably go to sleep thinking about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

She flicks a glance down at his artificial hand. \u201cI know you think about him when you can\u2019t knot your tie.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a low blow, courtesy of the girl she used to be, and the lines around Lindsey\u2019s eyes tighten in response. He wants to clench that hand, she can see the muscles under his hundred dollar shirt contract with the need, but it doesn\u2019t go anywhere.<\/p>\n

Dead nerve endings.<\/p>\n

She can relate.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you Cordelia? What are you thinking about right now? Your visions and how they\u2019re going to kill you one day soon? Or maybe how you\u2019re going to make next month\u2019s rent?\u201d<\/p>\n

He pauses and laughs bitterly. \u201cNo. You\u2019re thinking about Angel, and all the ways he\u2019s fucked with your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stares straight ahead, fingers drifting over her empty shot glass. He wasn\u2019t lying, but she still didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

He stares at her profile, and scoots his bar stool closer, making a dull scraping sound against the sod-dusted bare floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd guess what Angel\u2019s doing right now, while we\u2019re both sitting here not talking about him?\u201d He whispers the words close to her ear, and the puffs of his breath are hot with whiskey and the slightest tinge of cigarette smoke.<\/p>\n

She waits, bending her head slightly and looking down at her feet hooked on the bar stool.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s fucking Darla.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain shimmers through Cordelia\u2019s body like shock waves from an explosion. Hot heat burning her dry eyes and her lungs frozen in the act of taking in air.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d She says, her voice strangling on the booze coating her throat.<\/p>\n

But he does. She can hear it in his voice. It\u2019s not malicious, or mean. It\u2019s full of heartache and pain and dangerously close to what she hears in her own voice when she speaks these days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do. The Hyperion is pretty dramatic tonight with the lightning slashing across the balconies. Broken windows and a clear view into Angel\u2019s suite.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hears it all in Lindsey\u2019s voice, his pain painting an ugly picture she can\u2019t close her eyes against.<\/p>\n

Lindsey slides closer to her, his legs caging her bar stool, knee brushing her thigh.<\/p>\n

She looks down sideways and notes it, raising her steady gaze to his face.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s asking her something with those blue flamed eyes, and she\u2019s not sure she\u2019s going to say no. Not tonight, not with the images in her head making her brain implode faster than the visions will.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

His ride is a battered, ancient pick up truck.<\/p>\n

The front seat is a bench, torn faux leather and a stick shift that only has four gears marked in faded white paint. The radio looks older than her grandfather\u2019s cigars and brandy, and probably doesn\u2019t get great reception judging by the static coming out of the speakers.<\/p>\n

The back of the bar is darkly lit and perfect for the kind of wrong she\u2019s indulging in.<\/p>\n

Lindsey\u2019s tongue in her mouth is not unlike velvet wetness and his kisses taste like whiskey and cigarettes.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not heavy on top of her, and his hips are pressing pleasantly into her crotch, giving her the kind of pressure she\u2019s been missing the last year or so of her life. Tilting her head back, she gives his mouth room to slide over the skin of her throat and the sensation has her closing her eyes.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s not imagining someone else\u2019s mouth doing that, or someone else\u2019s hand drifting up to the hard point of her nipple. He rolls it softly between his thumb and forefinger and she threads her fingers through his too long hair, bringing his mouth back up to hers and kissing deeply.<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t wonder why Lindsey picked her. She knows that if Buffy were closer at hand he\u2019d be knocking on her door instead of tracking Cordelia down. But then he\u2019d run the risk that Buffy would just as soon grab a stake and go knocking on Angel\u2019s door as climb into the front seat of his pickup with him. And revenge isn\u2019t as good if Angel\u2019s too dusty to notice it.<\/p>\n

Part of her thinks that too.<\/p>\n

She supposes that makes her pathetic, but instead of dwelling on it, she just slides her hand up the knots of Lindsey\u2019s spine like she imagines Darla is doing with Angel.<\/p>\n

He rumbles something low in his chest and she feels the vibration against her breasts. His hand slides her shirt up, baring her torso and begins to pick and tug at her jeans but he can\u2019t do much more than that so she helps him out.<\/p>\n

They slide down easily enough and he gets his fingers under her panties, making her pant a little. The skin between her belly button and her pubic bone trembles with stimulated nerves and she moves little, moans a little and wishes this was all it took to forget and feel something else besides the cracks in her soul.<\/p>\n

He rises between her legs and she undoes his pants as he slides hers down her thighs.<\/p>\n

The night isn\u2019t cold but she shivers at the air hitting her bared skin, and inhales the smell of old axel grease and gas stains.<\/p>\n

He pauses and looks down at her with unreadable eyes, reaching for the glove box. His pelvis leans into hers and she moans again at the contact.<\/p>\n

But before he can reach for what he needs, the truck rocks suddenly, back and forth and Lindsay is thrown to the side, into the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d He rasps, righting himself. She looks past him to the driver side window and a demon\u2019s face appears there, peering in. \u201cOh my God!\u201d<\/p>\n

She scrambles up, trying to get out from underneath Lindsey, to get to her purse, but his legs are tangled with hers and all they do is throw each other off balance even more, twisting around for leverage.<\/p>\n

The door groans and creaks and finally, with a dull metallic sound, rips away.<\/p>\n

Night air rushes in and Cordelia and Lindsay are pulled out of the cab, and thrown to the ground. Dirt and rocks grind into the skin of her hands and she spits some dust out of her mouth, Lindsey landing beside her with a heavy grunt.<\/p>\n

She looks up, taking in the three demons surrounding them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t good,\u201d she mutters, rolling over on her hip and sitting up. She frantically yanks the flaps of her jeans up and pulls her shirt down, desperate for some coverage.<\/p>\n

\u201cYa think?\u201d Lindsey turns incredulous eyes on her as he pulls up his own jeans.<\/p>\n

\u201cSilence!\u201d The biggest demon points at Cordelia with a clawed finger. \u201cYou! Destroyer of our spawn, you will bring the others!\u201d<\/p>\n

She looks up at them, confused, alcohol dulling her ability to think. \u201cAre you sure you\u2019ve got the right girl?\u201d She asks finally. \u201cI don\u2019t remember destroying any\u2026\u201d The demon turns its head and she spies the third eye at the back of its head. \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turns back to her, eyeing her balefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree are responsible. Three must die.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stiffens suddenly, turning to the other two and then they all turn back around and consider her again. \u201cTwo are gone, two must be replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advancing on her, two of the smaller ones grab her arms and flips her onto her stomach, holding her head between their hands. She tries to fight them but it doesn\u2019t do much good.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, guys, there\u2019s got to be another way\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She rolls her eyes at the way Lindsey tries to lawyer his way out of the mess, and wishing like hell the guys were here.<\/p>\n

Hell, she\u2019d even take \u2013<\/p>\n

A grunt comes from over her head and one of the sets of hands falls away, freeing her to turn her head.<\/p>\n

A shadow stands on the top of Lindsey\u2019s truck, darker than the night around him, and her heart squeezes tight, pain and relief vying for space inside her body.<\/p>\n

The Skilosh who are holding her let go and she scrambles to a standing position, helped by Lindsey\u2019s hand on her elbow. She makes a run for the stakes in her purse but Angel has the remaining Skilosh in hand before she gets too far, beheading one and then throwing an axe at the one running towards her.<\/p>\n

It falls at her feet, still.<\/p>\n

Silence is punctuated by her heavy breathing and Lindsey glares at Angel.<\/p>\n

Angel looks at her silently, taking in her unbuttoned jeans and Lindsay\u2019s opened shirt.<\/p>\n

She glares back, refusing to feel ashamed, knowing he can smell them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d He asks quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she replies. \u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n

She buttons up her pants and walks towards Lindsay\u2019s truck. \u201cTake me home, please.\u201d She throws over her shoulder, walking past Angel like he wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

Just like he hadn\u2019t been there for months.<\/p>\n

Lindsey grunts an affirmative, and walks around the other side of the truck, getting in with her.<\/p>\n

The headlights shine brightly on Angel\u2019s pale face as the truck backs away from him, and Cordelia stares past him, dry eyes unblinking.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Lindsey is pouring his third shot of Southern Comfort when Angel finds him.<\/p>\n

The sound he makes when he realizes there\u2019s a garrote around his neck is strangled off, and his feet leave the carpet as Angel jerks up, making the wire dig into the skin of his neck.<\/p>\n

The pain, though, is secondary to the vamped-faced demon over his shoulder, snarling at him with a hostility that\u2019s new and old at the same time.<\/p>\n

The security in this building sucks, he thinks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Linds,\u201d Angel speaks casually around his jagged teeth but Lindsey isn\u2019t fooled.<\/p>\n

Angel\u2019s pissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you\u2019ve been getting to know my friends,\u201d he continues, dragging Lindsey\u2019s head back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the pretty ones,\u201d he chokes out, knowing Angel won\u2019t kill him.<\/p>\n

The rope jerks tighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay away from Cordelia, Lindsey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsey tries to turn his head to glare at Angel and only succeeds in tightening the garrote into his flesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, you want her<\/i> too? Using Darla isn\u2019t enough for you, you selfish, undead asshole, you have to have Cordelia too?\u201d He chokes the words out, wishing he had a stake, a pencil, a fucking toothpick<\/i>.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d make the sumbitch work.<\/p>\n

\u201cDarla isn\u2019t mine, Lindsey, you dumb hick,\u201d Angel says against his neck. \u201cAnd she isn\u2019t yours either. You\u2019re just gonna have to learn to live with that.\u201d There\u2019s no vindictiveness in Angel\u2019s voice, just understanding, and that\u2019s something Lindsey can\u2019t fight.<\/p>\n

He goes still, stops trying to struggle, and waits for the garrote to cut through his flesh, cut his veins, end everything.<\/p>\n

Angel leans into him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry she\u2019ll never love you, Lindsey, and I\u2019m sorry I failed you when you came to me. Sorry you made the wrong choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pressure on his neck disappears in the blink of an eye and he nearly collapses, reaching out one hand to the table in front of him for support.<\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia,\u201d he says, his voice sandpaper rough.<\/p>\n

The vampire pauses at the open front door but doesn\u2019t look back.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay away from Cordelia, Lindsey. Forget her name, forget what she looks like, forget what she feels like. This is the only warning you\u2019ll get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

She feels him coming like a distant storm, ozone charging her skin everywhere.<\/p>\n

When she opens her hung over eyes, she sees him standing over her. \u201cI didn\u2019t invite you in,\u201d she whispers, knowing it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll always find a way in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to say I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he replies, sitting on the edge of her bed.<\/p>\n

She sighs, the anger leaving her alone with the hurt and ashes of the last few hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what, exactly, Angel?\u201d She turns on her side and props her head in her hand, staring at the outline of his wide shoulders. She can\u2019t see his face, but she can hear the regret in his voice. \u201cFor being a super-powered jerk for the last two months?\u201d She pauses. \u201cOr for something else?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s still, and she knows he\u2019s not going to make any confessions to her tonight. A fact that hurts her more than she thought she could be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you have slept with him?\u201d He bends his head before looking at her again. \u201cI mean\u2026if the Skilosh hadn\u2019t interrupted?\u201d<\/p>\n

She blinks in the dark, leaning back to stare at the ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want, Angel? Reassurance of your place in the scheme of things? You, then everyone else?\u201d She turns her head to stare at the shadow of him. Which was so appropriate because hadn\u2019t he been nothing but a shadow haunting Angel Investigations for a long time now?<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thrust is clean and quick because she doesn\u2019t want to draw this out any more than she has to, the need to hurt him long past.<\/p>\n

Only she thinks she does.<\/p>\n

Hurt him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut – and this is the pathetic part \u2013 it would have been about you.\u201d She turns back to the ceiling, staring. \u201cJust like everything else is about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silence stretches between them and then she hears a rustle of movement.<\/p>\n

Angel climbs on the bed and straddles her body over the covers, knees at her hips.<\/p>\n

He leans over her and she wonders if this is what Darla saw earlier \u2013 his shoulders blocking out everything, closing them in on the bed until there was nothing and no one else left in the world.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it\u2019s just her that feels that way.<\/p>\n

He presses a hand over her heart, feeling it beat under his palm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to give up tonight,\u201d he whispers in the air above her. \u201cI felt so lost, so cold and alone and hopeless. I tried to \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

She knows what he tried, what he actually did, but he won\u2019t say it. Even now, he won\u2019t say it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I knew what I was missing.\u201d His fingers curl into her chest, like he\u2019s trying to cup something. \u201cMy heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

He leans down and kisses her on the mouth, just a peck.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that why you slept with Darla?\u201d She makes the final cut as his lips hover over hers. \u201cBecause you realized you missed me?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not really a question, just a way to bury the knife deeper.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t say anything, no stammering or excuses. He just sighs and climbs off her, sits on the edge of her bed again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t about missing you, Cordelia. It was about trying to lose myself in oblivion.\u201d He turns his head in her direction and his eyes are like pinpricks in the dark. \u201cEverything was so hopeless; I just wanted to lose myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo why didn\u2019t you come to us, Angel?\u201d She asks quietly. \u201cWe\u2019re all about helping the hopeless, or did you forget?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I forgot how I felt when I was with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how did you feel?\u201d she asks, heart hammering.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a moment of silence before he whispers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFound.\u201d<\/p>\n

She breathes for the first time in months, and moves on the bed, kicking off the covers and taking hold of his shoulders before swinging a leg over to straddle his lap.<\/p>\n

He cups her hips, surprise written on his face.<\/p>\n

She leans into him, presses her forehead to his.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d she sighs, voice full of tears. \u201cDuh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel pulls her closer, arms tight around her.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still so much to work out \u2013 where Darla was, whether Gun and Wesley could forgive him, her missing clothes<\/i> – but for right now, everything is perfect again.<\/p>\n

~*~*~<\/b><\/p>\n

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

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