{"id":7572,"date":"2015-10-30T13:51:57","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T13:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/?p=7572"},"modified":"2015-12-11T10:20:35","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T10:20:35","slug":"happy-valentines-day-cordelia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/30\/happy-valentines-day-cordelia\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Valentine’s Day, Cordelia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: Happy Valentine\u2019s Day, Cordelia<\/b>
\nAuthor:<\/b> samsom<\/strong>
\nPosted:<\/b> Feb 07
\nEmail<\/b><\/a>
\nRating:<\/b>R for what I\u2019m not sure. Just playing it safe.
\nCategory:<\/b> Valentine Challenge fic
\nContent:<\/b> C\/A subtext
\nSummary:<\/b>Cordelia\u2019s not having a good Valentine\u2019s Day.
\nSpoilers:<\/b> S1.
\nDisclaimer:<\/b> The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
\nDistribution:<\/b> Please ask first.
\nNotes:<\/b> For the \u201907 Stranger Things<\/strong><\/em> Valentine\u2019s Day Fic Exchange. This nearly killed me folks, and though it\u2019s not my best effort, I hope its good enough.
\nThanks\/Dedication:<\/b>For mph0506<\/b><\/em>. Your prompts were Post-Doyle\u2019s death, bad date, and vodka. Loved them, but they nearly did me in. Hope you like. Special life-saving thanks to Starlet2367<\/b><\/em> for pointing this thing in the right direction..
\nFeedback:<\/b> What, like I\u2019m doing this just because?<\/p>\n

\n

Cordelia turns the key in the lock and opens the door, walking into her apartment and tossing the roses onto the coffee table.<\/p>\n

She had an hour to get the demon slime out of her hair and off her skin before Scott picked her up, and she intended to use every second of that time.<\/p>\n

Slipping out of her clothes, she wrapped a towel around her body and hurried into her bathroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cDennis, turn the shower on, please?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trusting her ghost to set the temperature to her liking, she pulls the towel loose and steps into the hot spray, groaning as a day\u2019s tension and grime are washed down the drain. Dennis aimed the spray at the back of her neck, making her groan again, hanging her head as he loofahed her back for her.<\/p>\n

Everyone should have a ghost, she thinks.<\/p>\n

But not Dennis.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s all hers.<\/p>\n

Fifteen minutes later, fresh and pink, she hops out and dries quickly, thinking of what she\u2019ll wear. Drying her hair takes another ten, and she mousses the underside before applying her make up.<\/p>\n

Slipping her robe tight, she heads into her bedroom, eyeing the choices lying on her bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the wine colored number, myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mind going blank, she whirls around and comes face to face with a dead Irish hero.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, princess.\u201d His smile is heartbreakingly familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoyle?\u201d<\/p>\n

She blinks her disbelief. Yes, she believes in ghosts \u2013 hello, living with one \u2013 but not this ghost.<\/p>\n

Not this one.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not happening. NOT happening.\u201d She turns and runs out of the room, straight into the kitchen. She pauses to see if she\u2019s being followed, but when no one else appears next to her, she goes to the fridge, and brings the Absolut out of storage in her freezer.<\/p>\n

Her father\u2019s favorite, seeing him through endless dinners with business partners, and critical in-laws. The night he told her and her mother about the tax mistake, he\u2019d done four shots before getting the courage to admit his failure.<\/p>\n

She hopes one will do, taking down a shot glass and quickly pouring herself a shot.<\/p>\n

Burning her throat like frozen hellfire, she coughs spastically, calms herself then pours another.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw come on, princess, it\u2019s not as bad as all that, is it? Seeing me?\u201d<\/p>\n

She pauses in the act of bringing the glass to her mouth, and narrows her eyes at her dead almost-boyfriend.<\/p>\n

Then she slams the glass down on the counter, spilling the contents over the back of her hand, reaches over and slaps him, trusting that he\u2019s corporeal enough to feel the pain.<\/p>\n

He is.<\/p>\n

\u201cOw! That hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood! I\u2019m glad! You deserved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d I do? Besides save LA, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sucker punched Angel, sent him over the edge and down at least four stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a vampire, he could take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had bruises!\u201d<\/p>\n

Doyle opened his mouth but she cut him off by holding her hand up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, AND, you gave me the best kiss of my life, before you went all hero-ey and DIED on me \u2013 JUST when you were getting interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

She reached down and grabbed the glass again, taking her second shot without looking away from him, but she eats him up with her eyes, heart squeezing with pain because she misses that stupid offended expression that makes him so adorable.<\/p>\n

Made.<\/p>\n

Made him adorable.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s dead, even if he\u2019s standing in her kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looks down, the vodka pushing through her body with every beat of her tired and aching heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you\u2019re here to sell, I\u2019m not buying. I\u2019m going on my date, and I\u2019m going to pretend this didn\u2019t happen. So just go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Voice croaking with the kind of rush of grief she hasn\u2019t felt since the night she watched him disintegrate, she turns on her heel and walks out of her kitchen.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWine?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looks up at the waiter holding out her chair and smiles winningly at both of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolut on ice, please. I\u2019m celebrating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott, her perfect preppie with a portfolio pauses in the act of seating himself and blinks his pretty green eyes at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, I\u2019ll have one to.\u201d He says to the waiter, seating himself. \u201cWhat are we celebrating?\u201d<\/p>\n

She leans forward and smiles, hoping her chin dimples the way his does.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy freedom.\u201d She whispers, righting herself when she realizes she\u2019s leaning to the left.<\/p>\n

Scott leans back in his chair and frowns slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poor Scott. Cute, but totally clueless. Vampires have souls, she wants to say, and half-demons left you stupid, painful gifts as legacies instead of their breathing-plus friendship.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t get rid of me that easily, Cordelia. I\u2019m here for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

She swings her head around and frowns at Doyle, standing next to the potted plant on her right.<\/p>\n

She frowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo away.\u201d She mumbles, flipping her napkin into her lap and spreading the linen.<\/p>\n

Scott\u2019s head jerks up from the menu.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighs, rolling her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot you\u201d She handwaves and Scott\u2019s eyes follow, landing on the potted plant. \u201cHim.\u201d<\/p>\n

The waiter brings her drink and she grabs it, trying to put some grace behind the move, and sips slowly, letting the burn chase more of the pain away, leaving numbness like a blanket coating her insides.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you ready to order, miss?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nods.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrout, green beans, baby new potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doyle kneels on her other side and whispers urgently.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrincess, this guy \u2013 he\u2019s not everything you think he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turns to him in the middle of ordering and glares at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you were more, but I never got to find that out, did I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The waiter and Scott begin to sound like the same person, and she finds herself annoyed that she can\u2019t tell the difference.<\/p>\n

Cordelia swings her head back around and the room spins, but she manages to settle on the waiter.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I need to repeat my order?\u201d She narrows her eyes and the man swallows.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course not.\u201d He takes her menu like it was a snake about to bite him, and turns to Scott.<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t hear his order because Doyle won\u2019t stop talking. Throughout dinner, one more Absolut on the rocks and dessert, he whispers to her.<\/p>\n

Scott is bad news; Scott is not just interested in dating her.<\/p>\n

She ignores him, and eats. The food could have been cardboard, but she swallows and makes proper noises when Scott asks her how it is.<\/p>\n

She stops hearing anything by the time the check arrives, and closes her eyes, Doyle\u2019s voice echoing in her head.<\/p>\n

\n

Her head pounding is what wakes her up, brings her out of that dark ocean she’s floating in, and back to the present. There\u2019s a distant drip, and something thickly wet against her back.<\/p>\n

When she opens her eyes, she\u2019s tied to a wooden x-cross, arms on either side of her head, propped on a platform.<\/p>\n

She groans and lifts her head, stomach churning from alcohol and food and the smell that lets her know she\u2019s in the sewers.<\/p>\n

She blinks blearily and sighs.<\/p>\n

Happy Valentine\u2019s Day, Cordelia.<\/p>\n

She never thought anything could top Xander\u2019s insane put-a-spell-on-everyone-but-her whopper, but evidently all she had to do was wait.<\/p>\n

Maybe she should just stop dating completely.<\/p>\n

Scott is now decked out in a red robe and chanting over a symbol \u2013 a glowy-eyed snake with a sword.<\/p>\n

How original.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel\u2019s gonna kick your ass,\u201d she says, both to break his chant and because it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

Scott turns his hooded head, and she sees his eyes, so cute before, glow at her. Power, she thinks. He\u2019s got a smidge.<\/p>\n

Doyle walks out of one of the tunnels and shakes his head up at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis master wants to impregnate you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She rolls her eyes, exasperated.<\/p>\n

\u201cJeez, was he in a fraternity with Wilson Christopher or something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe quiet!\u201d Scott barks. \u201cHe\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doyle nods.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meets her eyes and smiles.<\/p>\n

Then Angel crashes down through a grate in the ceiling, landing heavily on Scott\u2019s altar and scattering the bones and candles. He\u2019s holding a sword about half as big as he is, and she recognizes it as one that she got last month on Ebay.<\/p>\n

His eyes immediately seek her out.<\/p>\n

She tries to look confident, but doesn\u2019t think the green tint on her skin is conveying anything but a hangover.<\/p>\n

\u201cVampire!\u201d Scott snarls and flies backwards, beyond Angel\u2019s reach, pulling a sword from his robe. \u201cYou\u2019re too late! My master comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growling, Angel jumps down and clasping the hilt in both hands, spins a full revolution and splits the metal snake symbol over the ruined altar in half.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot tonight, and not with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

He jumps forward, meeting Scott\u2019s howl of outrage with his own growl, and Cordelia watches as the swords clash heavily, echoing into the distant tunnels and scaring some homeless, no doubt.<\/p>\n

She struggles not to comment on the obvious sword and snake metaphor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHasn\u2019t changed, has he?\u201d Doyle appears next to her, casually leaning against x-cross. \u201cThe hair still sticks up pretty badly, yeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes still twinkle and he still smiles like she remembers, but suddenly it doesn\u2019t hurt as much anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you happy, Doyle?\u201d<\/p>\n

He swings his head, surprised at her question.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I am.\u201d He shrugs slightly. \u201cI\u2019m not saying it couldn\u2019t be better. I miss my single malt scotch, but yeah, I\u2019m happy. The sacrifice, it was right and good. The world needs Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sounds sure, and she lets herself breathe for the first time since it happened. There was nothing she could have done, nothing she could have said, that would have changed the outcome.<\/p>\n

Doyle didn\u2019t blame her. He was at peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss you.\u201d She says simply.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss you too, princess. Always will. But I left you in good hands. He\u2019ll see you through.\u201d He nods at Angel and steps off the platform, smiling up at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake care of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nods, unable to say anything that wouldn\u2019t get garbled by her tears, and watches as Doyle walks away a second time, going through the tunnels whistling, and she listens, straining, until she can\u2019t hear him anymore.<\/p>\n

When she looks at Angel again, Scott is impaled on the far wall, sword sticking out of his mid-section, half way up from the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow. Overkill much?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel swings around and leaps onto the platform, reaching out and pulling the iron manacles from the wall, freeing her wrists. She slumps, the tunnels spinning, and Angel picks her up in his arms, lifting her against his chest and stepping off the platform again.<\/p>\n

She groans and covers her eyes, leaning her head against his shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, take it easy, the room, she spins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nods slightly, hoping he\u2019ll understand. He does, settling her against his chest and walking back through the same tunnel Doyle came out of.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d you find me?\u201d She asks, curious.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve it or not, I dreamt Doyle was pulling me through these tunnels and saying your name. It didn\u2019t feel right, so-\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat didn\u2019t feel right?\u201d She questions, peering up in the darkness at his face.<\/p>\n

He pauses a second before answering.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour date. It didn\u2019t feel right, and I know you said to give you some room, trust your instincts but \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

She snorts, and the sound is rude and loud in the concrete enclosure.\u00a0\u201cYeah, I think we better rethink my instincts. Not as sound as they should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

She decides not to mention Doyle. She and Angel are both getting to the point where it doesn\u2019t hurt as much, and bringing him up might raise Angel\u2019s hopes of getting their friend back all over again.<\/p>\n

Doyle\u2019s not coming back, and she doesn\u2019t want to see the disappointment chase away the hope from Angel\u2019s face again. It hurt more than she wanted to admit the last time.<\/p>\n

And what that means is best left unexplored.<\/p>\n

She leans her head against his chest and closes her eyes, tired and ragged.<\/p>\n

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

His voice is quiet, close to her ear, and the sound rumbling up through his chest makes her shiver, nipples suddenly tightening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen did you start drinking vodka?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughs softly and allows herself to fall asleep, knowing she\u2019s safe.<\/p>\n

With Angel, she\u2019s always safe.<\/p>\n

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

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

Title: Happy Valentine\u2019s Day, Cordelia Author: samsom Posted: Feb 07 Email Rating:R for what I\u2019m not sure. Just playing it safe. Category: Valentine…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-completed-fics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7572","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=7572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7572\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}