{"id":793,"date":"2015-06-21T17:00:18","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T16:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/dir\/?p=793"},"modified":"2018-10-23T17:53:02","modified_gmt":"2018-10-23T16:53:02","slug":"gloomy-sunday-5-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/21\/gloomy-sunday-5-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Gloomy Sunday. 5-6"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part V<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure how she\u2019d moved him into her bed, but when he opened his eyes, that was where he was. Her crisp cotton sheets were pulled unfamiliarly tight against his bare toes. She must have tucked him in. She laid against him, mouth gaping, breathing wetly against his shoulder. <\/span><\/p>\n

Had he pulled her in with him? Or had she slid in and snuggled up of her own free will? He couldn\u2019t really remember and maybe it didn\u2019t matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe the most important thing was that she was there.<\/span><\/p>\n

She slept, her face serene and peaceful. It was her and yet not. It was a Cordelia he\u2019d never seen \u2013 vulnerable and trusting. No chatter, no thinly disguised defenses masquerading as flirtation and snark. She just \u2026 was. And he didn\u2019t want to let her go. He pressed himself against her, reveled in the barest whispered murmur that no human could have heard. <\/span><\/p>\n

She stirred against him, hitched a leg up around his hip and arched against him, sleek and supple. He caught her, held her, squeezed \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you awake?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t say anything, but twined her arms about his neck and slid to completely cover him.<\/span><\/p>\n

He cupped a shoulder, shook it minutely. \u201cCordelia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShleeping,\u201d she muttered drowsily, and her body went lax again.<\/span><\/p>\n

He strained his neck to see the bedside table. Seven o\u2019clock. He didn\u2019t need to open the blinds to know the sun had set and even the dusk had dimmed to the tepid deep blues of early evening. Cordelia wriggled in a slow sleep tinged curve, somehow slipping even closer, but she was warm and he didn\u2019t mind. She was safe here \u2013 with him \u2013 for the moment at least and she felt good. <\/span><\/p>\n

He smoothed hands down her body as if to confirm it, down toned legs roughened with a hint of stubble. He cupped rounded buttocks, dipped into the curve of her back. He spread his fingers to better map her body, teasing out goosebumps and shivers and then a low, pleasure tinged moan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you awake?\u201d He asked again, voice deeper than before, hoarse with sleep he told himself because if you don\u2019t say the lie out loud it doesn\u2019t count.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShhhh,\u201d she whispered against his skin and he clenched her tighter. \u201cShhhh,\u201d she hummed, but her body was awake enough to strain against him, to part for his fingers, to dampen for him and open for him and taste slick and salty \u2026 for him \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

She raised her arms, pulled off her shirt and tossed it over her head and was nude, glimmering in the dark as only he could see her. She leant forward, fumbled for the light but he caught her, guided her back and propped himself over her, pooling his thumb in the curve of her throat, and then sliding it down until she gasped her breath and her hips seized.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her eyes were wide on his. \u201cI can\u2019t not,\u201d she said brokenly and he leant down to kiss her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d he said afterwards, but kissed her again before she could respond. He didn\u2019t want to think how her whimpers thrilled him, so he didn\u2019t think and simply moved. She moved with him, and this time she curled her hand around him, and brought him to her, a farmer lovingly urging a thirsty, stubborn ox to drink, whispering pleas in sweet tones while offering an even sweeter temptation.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019d never been one to say no for long, and he had never been very good about saying it to her. Instead, he let her pull him inside her and if he could remember dying he would swear this was what it felt like.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was sweetly beautiful, but he drew out and played her like a master, moving slowly, purposefully. She struggled fruitlessly against his resolve, hurling her body at him, digging her fingers into his arms for leverage, cursing him in pants and gasps. He delighted in her pleas, reveled in the details of her \u2013 the soft nubby brown of her nipples as he pinched them, rolled them, suckled them into his mouth and teased them with his tongue. He palmed her ass, spread her cheeks, slid his fingers down until she froze with shocked pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShhh\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pleasure coiled at the base of his spine, Cordelia\u2019s fingernails scratching the back of his neck. His muscles were corded solid with the effort of holding back when her eyes flew open, and she caught her breath long enough to lash out at him one last time:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still mad at you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She yanked a hand free and slapped it over his mouth hard enough for his lips to sting. \u201cThat\u2019s right. Cordelia<\/i>.\u201d And then her gaze clouded and her brow furrowed and he had the sudden, panicky feeling that she was about to cry.<\/span><\/p>\n

He framed her face cautiously, smoothing tangled brown strands of hair back free with his fingers, holding her close. \u201cCordy\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She burrowed against him, breath hitching suspiciously, but thankfully her cheeks stayed dry. \u201cIt\u2019s okay. I\u2019m okay,\u201d she said, but her breath plumed as the room temperature plummeted, Dennis\u2019 nervous energy flickering around them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he whispered back, but he wasn\u2019t sure which of them he was talking to \u2013 maybe them both. \u201cI wish,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t let\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She snaked an arm around his neck, pressing it closer to her hot cheek.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She moved wistfully against him, bearing down on him until he could almost forget the poignancy of her whispered words and simply lose himself in the heat of her body. But it had to be more than that now because he couldn\u2019t close his eyes but had to watch her, study each crease of her forehead, learn the tiny wrinkles bracketing her mouth as she gasped his name, struggling for breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, good lord!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The door flew open, slamming against the wall and she flew off of him, scrabbling across the bed and under the mounded covers on the floor. Wesley stood in the doorway, rumpled and horrified.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bright lights flared and Angel instinctively shot up a hand to cover his eyes from the piercing glare.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAngel? What the devil \u2026 Cordelia?\u201d Wesley\u2019s voice careened up crazily in shocked horror as he apparently put two and two together. \u201cSor– I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d he stuttered, and backed toward the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel spied his pants but they were too far to reach without standing and he couldn\u2019t move without showing Wes even more than he\u2019d already seen. It would have been fine if Wesley had actually left, but while trying he bumped clumsily into the wall next to the open door and slumped against it instead, overwhelmed. <\/span><\/p>\n

He rubbed two fingers against his forehead, as if to scrub the image out of his head, or more fully comprehend the situation. Angel wasn\u2019t sure which. But he couldn\u2019t wait forever; already Cordelia\u2019s heartbeat was thumping fearfully. So instead, Angel rose as nonchalantly as possible and reached for his pants.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just talk to you \u2013 Oh, dear Lord!<\/i>,\u201d Wes practically shrieked, flinching from the sight of Angel\u2019s full nudity. \u201cI don\u2019t need to see that, Angel, you\u2019re \u2013\u201d He gulped and then slapped a hand over his eyes, muffling his own voice. \u201cI\u2019m just going to be leaving now. Perhaps when you\u2019re both decent \u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A slingback flew out of the hall, through the door, and clobbered Wesley on the head. \u201cOuch!\u201d He grasped his head in shock and turned to glare primly at the empty hallway. \u201cWell, that was quite rude!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou took the words right out of my mouth,\u201d Angel muttered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not all that just came out of your mouth,\u201d Wesley shot back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWesley,\u201d Angel said slowly, enunciating clearly. \u201cGet out!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As if on cue, the door wavered, and then banged shut forcefully. The bolt locking was loud in the shocked silence. Wesley watched Angel warily. \u201cApparently, Dennis is requesting that I stay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel groaned silently, then sat back down and cursed the haunted apartment and its devoted ghost. \u201cOkay, fine. Just \u2026 hand me my pants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would Dennis lock me in here with you?\u201d Wesley\u2019s eyebrows lowered in concern, and then in suspicion. \u201cWhere exactly is<\/i> Cordelia?\u201d And averting his eyes, Wesley stepped over to the chair and flung Angel\u2019s pants toward him. \u201cCordelia?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Silence. Angel dressed, zipping his pants and reaching for his shirt in quick economical movements.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u201cStop it, Wesley,\u201d Angel said shortly. \u201cGive her a minute.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wes ignored him. \u201cCordelia, are you alright?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The embarrassed, gusty sigh was unmistakably Cordelia\u2019s. \u201cI\u2019m fine, Wesley.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel snatched up his coat, shouldered into it. \u201cOf course she\u2019s fine,\u201d he bit out. \u201cCordelia\u2019s always fine. Haven\u2019t you noticed? Nothing fazes Cordelia. The visions don\u2019t hurt; the helplessness doesn\u2019t bother her, she just always. Feels. Fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley shifted uncomfortably, reached unobtrusively behind him and tested the door knob.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still locked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cErr, uh,\u201d he stammered, \u201cnot to interrupt anything more, but really – why has Dennis locked us all in here? Surely I\u2019m not a necessary part of whatever,\u201d his hand flailed descriptively, \u201cis going on here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cordelia\u2019s voice floated up. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s nervous of what else Mr. Moody is going to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis wasn\u2019t all me, Cordelia,\u201d Angel said flatly.<\/span><\/p>\n

She popped up, wrapped neatly in a cotton sheet. \u201cAre you implying that this is my<\/i> fault?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel jerked open the curtains and stared outside. He was not going to start this argument. Not now. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt most certainly does<\/i> matter!\u201d Wes exclaimed. \u201cNeed I remind you two of the curse that is meant to prevent exactly this type of activity?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel could feel Cordelia\u2019s glare hot on his back. \u201cOh, we didn\u2019t forget,\u201d she said oh so sweetly. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t apply in this situation. Isn\u2019t that right, Angel?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s none of your business, Wesley.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley pursed his lips disapprovingly. \u201cIt would seem that Dennis disagrees. He\u2019s uncomfortable with whatever it is the two of you are doing, and quite frankly, so am I.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel\u2019s jaw jutted out menacingly, his voice lowered in a hushed threat. \u201cWesley, it\u2019s none of your business.\u201d He watched Wes unblinkingly, until the slight man gulped and inched closer to the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just as Wes reached out to try the doorknob, Cordelia exploded in a frustrated huff. \u201cOh, come on, Angel! Is that any way to talk to a guy who cares about you and your future? He\u2019s concerned! Why don\u2019t you explain it to him the way you explained it to me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley’s glance bounced from one to the other and then he whispered fervently, \u201cDennis, please!\u201d He jiggled the doorknob again. No luck.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia,\u201d Angel warned, but she was on a roll and ignored him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018What about the curse?\u2019 \u2018Not a problem,\u2019 he said. The height of romance! Not a problem.<\/i>\u201d Angel was glaring at her, and she was spinning out of control … \u201cSo forget the concern! He simply finally found a safe way to have sex,\u201d she said blithely, cruelly. \u201cI just never thought it\u2019d be me. I haven\u2019t decided yet whether to be honored or insulted \u2013\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel was behind her in a second, wrapping an arm around her, covering her mouth with his hand. \u201cStop it, Cordy,\u201d he said soothingly, and dropped his chin down to her shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surprisingly enough, she did. Normally, his command would have sparked an outburst unlike anything he could prepare for, but not today. Today, she was exhausted and her head still throbbed from the last vision and confronting him earlier had left her feeling like an old wrung out dish rag.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was always pushing him and probing and today she\u2019d pushed for one answer when all she\u2019d wanted to hear was its opposite. She hadn\u2019t heard it. And she never would.<\/span><\/p>\n

But he was still there, wrapped around her, comforting her as if he could sense how tightly strung she felt, that her iron hewn spine was softening and that if she let go for just a moment, it just might snap \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

She leant backwards against him, and sighed heavily.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Wes huffed. \u201cThis is spectacularly awkward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel frowned. \u201cWhy are you here, Wes?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI went to the apartment this morning. I found the latest victim there, as Cordelia described. The cops were just coming as I left and,\u201d He looked apologetically at Cordelia. \u201cI thought you might want to know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She shrugged, a brave attempt at insouciance. \u201cI knew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And cared. They all knew it, even if she wouldn\u2019t admit it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to put our energy together to figure this out,\u201d Wesley said resolutely. \u201cObviously the Powers That Be intend for us to do that, or they wouldn\u2019t keep sending such traumatizing visions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something Angel isn\u2019t telling you,\u201d Cordelia said suddenly, ignoring the stiffening of the body behind her. \u201cI wonder if the two are related.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley turned an inquisitive gaze to them, and Angel jerked free.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go to the Oracles,\u201d he said, and aimed a dark look up at the ceiling. \u201cDennis. Open the door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The door unlatched obediently and swung open.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley huffed in bewildered injury. \u201cHow does he do that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cordelia shrugged, watching the dark swirl of leather as he disappeared. \u201cHe\u2019s Angel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Part VI<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

She put clothes on and met Wes in the kitchen. He was puttering about busily so she set the table. Her mother would be embarrassed if she knew, but there was a lot about Cordelia that her mother would no longer appreciate. At least having Dennis kept her from having the do the dirtiest of household cleaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about him,\u201d Wesley said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cordelia slid into a chair and propped her elbows up on the table. \u201cSo am I,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about you too,\u201d he added, and she smiled. This worrying thing still felt new. She liked it.<\/span><\/p>\n

When she didn\u2019t say anything, he tried a different tact. \u201cWhat isn\u2019t Angel telling me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her stomach growled loudly, and Wesley shot her a pointed glance. \u201cWhen\u2019s the last time you ate?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToo long,\u201d she complained. \u201cIs the food done yet?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just soup and sandwiches.\u201d He put a plate in front of her, filled her bowl with tomato soup and sat down. \u201cEat and talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened last week. Maybe two weeks ago.\u201d She crunched into the sandwich and nearly moaned. Fresh cucumbers, tender spinach, creamy avocado \u2026 did she really have all this in her fridge?<\/span><\/p>\n

He shook out the paper napkin she\u2019d neatly folded, and placed it on his lap. \u201cI stopped at the store on my way over. I thought you might need some restocking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She mumbled her thanks around the mouthful of food and kept chewing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI asked him about that demon you mentioned \u2013 the one that caused him such injury. He didn\u2019t seem to know what I was talking about.\u201d Wes was a noisy eater, chomping with relish, and slurping his soup loudly. She swallowed a thread of disgust.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got scars,\u201d she said simply.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s impossible. Vampires don\u2019t scar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Frustrated, she pushed the sandwich away. \u201cTrust me, Wesley. I just got a real up close and personal look.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wes gulped and immediately changed the subject. \u201cDid he tell you anything about the demon that night?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She thought back. \u201cHe was really confused. Kept zoning in and out and didn\u2019t really say anything. I think it might have been purple. And it must have had three claws on each hand. He had scratches,\u201d she gestured at the locations where he\u2019d been wounded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was purple? Could be a Szago demon,\u201d Wesley mused. \u201cOr a Kangu!\u201d Excitement lit his eyes and he fumbled for his bag on the floor. \u201cThey have an amazing ability where they can both levitate and spontaneously regenerate their claws. Although, I think perhaps they\u2019re a lime green. And possibly extinct,\u201d his voice petered out as he buried his nose into a huge, dusty tome.<\/span><\/p>\n

She rolled her eyes. \u201cNice to know that some things never change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

****<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel brushed dust from his coat after shouldering the hidden door open. Like all secret entrances, it was rarely used and had required just the right amount of brutal force in order for him to move it. Not that strength was an issue for him. Residual adrenaline was zipping through him, coursing through borrowed blood and pooling in silver tingles in his knees and ankles. <\/span><\/p>\n

He bounced lightly on his toes and fisted a hand almost contemplatively. He\u2019d walked four blocks out of the way, down an alley and waited nearly an hour before he\u2019d found what he\u2019d been searching for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vamps. A pack of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019d taken his time, letting them throw a few desperate punches before taking them apart. No wisecracks. No jokes. Just the simple ease of violence, the reassuring crunch of breaking bones. The peaceful whoosh of vampires disintegrating into dust.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flicking a match against its box he watched it flare to life. The incantation bowl awaited, dried thyme and hog\u2019s hair strewn perfectly. He tossed the flame toward it, but his fingers fumbled. The match tumbled down, extinguishing instantly on the damp floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

His hand was gashed open nearly to bone. A year ago, it would have been a paltry insignificance, but now it stung and made his fingers clumsy. He thought of Cordelia for a moment. Wished she were here with her bandages and fussing. But then he forced her out of his mind. He had to focus and thinking of Cordelia had a disturbing tendency to distract him. Striking another match, he tossed it into the bowl. \u201cI beseech access to the knowing ones,\u201d he said and stepped through the now glowing doorway.<\/span><\/p>\n

The oracles reclined against cold marble, gazing at him with resigned expectation. He laid his offering on the ground, and waited for their acknowledgment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpeak, lower being,\u201d the female finally commanded. \u201cWe grow weary of your silence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend \u2013 my seer,\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs in trouble,\u201d she finished for him. Lights shifted behind her, gold gleaming into silver; her blue eyes bored into his unchangingly. \u201cShe struggles to orient you and yet you are lost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She strode toward him, around him. The shoes hidden beneath her heavy velvet robes clicked hollowly on the marble as she strolled, eying him musingly. \u201cYour touch has been poisoned, your mind and your feelings blurred until you know not which way to look or who to be. She will die unless you learn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He lunged forward, desperation heightening each movement, each crack of his voice. \u201cWhat? Cordelia \u2013\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman toyed with her robes, a throwback gesture to the girl she\u2019d never been. \u201cShe softens to the world. She has awakened to the sight but cannot see what awaits her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean? She\u2019s seeing people that we can\u2019t help! Why send her visions if we can\u2019t save the victims?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe does not see everything,\u201d the man cautioned stonily. \u201cThat is reserved for the powers alone. Yet she knows your cowardice, she sees how you run from what you believe is your fate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Angel spun to him, hands flung out in entreaty. \u201cMy fate?\u201d Dread swamped him, icy realization clamping his muscles into knots. \u201cI used to think it would be Buffy. But Cordy can\u2019t possibly still think\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFate is the just the view from one window. She knows this,\u201d the woman cut in. \u201cBut all she knows might soon wither, unless\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnless?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour job is to save the innocent, warrior,\u201d she reminded him. \u201cYou must learn how to save yourself to save them all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She swirled around him but he spun with her, bracing his feet and squaring his shoulders. \u201cThis mystical gibberish isn\u2019t going to work this time. If Cordelia is in danger, I need to know about it. I need to save her.\u201d They remained stubbornly silent and anger coursed through him, roughening his voice and sharpening his glare. \u201cI\u2019m going to save her, and you\u2019re going to help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She wavered, casting her eyes toward the other in search of advice but Angel knew how to finish her off. \u201cShe\u2019s my link to the Powers that Be,\u201d he reminded her. \u201cWithout her, I\u2019m out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She shimmered coolly, icy blue eyes flashing at him. \u201cThe demon seeks strength through your weakness, and she is yours. He will destroy her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fury rippled through him, face shifting into sharp fangs and an enraged growl exploding from him. \u201cI\u2019ll kill it,\u201d he snarled. \u201cWhat is it \u2013 how can I find it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But it was too late. The temple dissolved around him, and the basement loomed large, lit only by the embers of the rapidly dying fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

****<\/span><\/p>\n

She was helping Dennis put away the cleaned and dried dishes when she heard it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEureka!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She glanced up at the ceiling. \u201cI cannot believe he actually says that,\u201d she whispered. A dinner plate suspended in mid air waggled in unmistakable agreement before floating to join its counterparts in the cupboard. She stuck an old battered tea kettle in the sink and turned on the water with an impatient yank. Under the running water, her fingers looked shriveled and \u2026 old.<\/span><\/p>\n

And one of her fingernails was broken. She couldn\u2019t even remember when that had happened, and if that wasn\u2019t a sign that everything was changing \u2013 that she<\/i> was changing, she didn\u2019t know what was.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not right, Dennis,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not right. This isn\u2019t supposed to be happening to me.\u201d She wasn\u2019t the sad martyr-y girl, the one that fought against the odds in the name of honor and duty. She was the hot girl that married her doctor or lawyer or banker and lived happily ever after in Beverly Hills. While saving lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some day, she\u2019d figure out how that actually worked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley skidded into the kitchen, cheeks flushed with excitement, eyeglasses askew. \u201cCordelia, did you hear me? I said, Eureka!<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard.\u201d Crossing her arms over her chest, she eyed him impatiently. \u201cWhat\u2019d you find out?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I initially thought it had to be a Szago demon, as they\u2019ve not only got the three claws but are renowned for their claw use in battles. In fact, it is commonly believed that it was, in fact, a Szago demon that was responsible for \u2013\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWesley,\u201d she warned, banging the tea kettle down against the stove top. \u201cCan you get to the point?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His excited glow faded the tiniest bit and guilt flushed her cheeks. She\u2019d sounded like a shrew. Maybe she should really care, but there was more important stuff going on than the un-annotated history of Szago demons. \u201cI\u2019m making tea,\u201d she offered and he beamed a smile at her.<\/span><\/p>\n

All was forgiven then.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, after cross referencing several different texts, I think what we\u2019re dealing with is a Desgial demon. Reptilian, clawed, four eyed and multicolored, although strong emotions such as rage, jealousy, fear tend to turn them such bright colors as magenta, turquoise and purple, when they\u2019re visible which is infrequent at best.\u201d He opened a book to a photo and slid it across the table to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

She ignored it. \u201cHow do you kill it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more, Cordelia,\u201d he said. \u201cDesgial demons feed off emotional highs and lows. They attack psychically to create emotional peaks and valleys, and then bleed their victims dry, metaphorically so to speak.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The tea kettle whistled shrilly. She jumped, startled. She thankfully turned to fix the tea, eager to not have to look at Wes while she processed his words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGo on,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey leave a wide path of suicides,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were especially prevalent during the Great Depression, although it was difficult to tell which people were their victims because there\u2019s no physical damage to the body, just \u2013\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn overwhelming loneliness,\u201d she said bleakly. \u201cThey make people feel alone and then feed off that emotion until what? Their victims die?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the suicide itself is a real reaction to an unnaturally intense level of depression.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She poured water into a ceramic cup and dropped a tea bag into it. \u201cThese people kill themselves because of what this demon makes them feel?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, yes,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

She turned, handed his tea to him. Dennis fluttered anxiously, nudging a kitchen chair behind her legs which she gratefully sank into. She expected Wes to ask for sugar, for cream, but he didn\u2019t and she was glad she had a moment to absorb his words. To question.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does this have to do with Angel?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wes sipped delicately at his tea. Amazing that a man with such slopping dining habits could drink tea so precisely. The cup clinked lightly against the saucer. He meticulously fished out the bag and deposited it neatly into the dish.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps they had an encounter in the sewers,\u201d he said, \u201cand something happened that freed this demon, made it able to attack, to feed. And because of that\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe PTBs are sending me the visions to make Angel fix a problem he created?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrecisely.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She thought for a moment, and then folded her hands neatly and rested them on the table. \u201cSo,\u201d she said. \u201cHow do we kill it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wes pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose in a move that was eerily reminiscent of Giles. \u201cFirst we have to find it. And the visions aren\u2019t exactly giving us a head start in that department.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They both sat for a moment, in silence. It weighed on her, pressed against her, until \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWait a second,\u201d she said suddenly, shooting out of her chair. \u201cThere\u2019s one thing both victims had in common.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Wes asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMusic,\u201d she said. \u201cThat really quiet music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He slouched back into the chair, eyes fogging with contemplation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAngel heard it at the first house. You knew<\/i> it would be playing at the second house.\u201d He turned a concerned glance toward her. \u201cI didn\u2019t think to check for it at the third.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Years ago, as Cordelia had quailed at the first of a million departures from home, her mother told her that if her smile was big enough, no one would see past it. She\u2019d held both of Cordelia\u2019s hands tightly within hers and warned that if people saw weakness they would use it to break her. It was one of the few things Cordelia could remember learning from her mother – that to smile in the face of terror was the epitome of strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

And so Cordelia smiled. Large and toothy, with a carefree shrug thrown in. \u201cWe should go fast, so we\u2019re back before Angel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley, to his credit, didn\u2019t question her resolve. \u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

****<\/span><\/p>\n

The house was small, nestled in between two just like it in varying shades of cream and mocha. The police had left, stringing yellow crime scene tape across the door. Wesley brushed it aside and tried the doorknob. It was locked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without Angel and his super door breaking strength, it took Wesley nearly thirty minutes to pick the lock of the back door. Her shoulder bag vibrated repeatedly, but she knew who was calling without even looking and she definitely knew better than to answer. She left the bag behind as they snuck into the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was immaculate. Plush white carpets, lush oriental rugs, vibrant paintings hung on otherwise stark, empty walls. \u201cHe was in \u2013\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cthe bedroom,\u201d Cordelia finished. Duh. She\u2019d gotten the vision. Of course she knew where he\u2019d been when he died.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCheck the living room stereo first,\u201d she said instead, hoping she wouldn\u2019t have to go in the bedroom. She didn\u2019t want to see the carpet crusted with dried blood. She didn\u2019t want to see the permanent stain of their failure to save yet another innocent soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wesley\u2019s eyes scanned the house, filing away details so busily she could almost hear his mind working. At her words, he moved to the stereo and cranked up the volume knob. Nothing. Studiously avoiding her eyes, he gestured to a nearby door. \u201cThat\u2019s the bedroom if I remember correctly. I\u2019ll investigate,\u201d he offered. \u201cYou stay out here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She sunk into the soft couch, beige leather with minuscule stitching. She breathed \u2013 in through the nose, out through the mouth \u2013 just as she\u2019d done in yoga before she gave up on anything that required that much silence and self-contemplation. It had bored her then, much like watching Angel\u2019s endless tai chi rotations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why work so hard to focus your energy on doing nothing? Especially when there was so much to do in life? She\u2019d never understood before, but now, the simple breathing relaxed her. She closed her eyes and pulled her legs up to her chest. In. (through the nose). Out. (through the mouth). In (through the nose). Out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Piano notes clinked softly, a sadly melodic tune, veering from plaintively sweet into a creepy minor key. It sounded \u2026 familiar.<\/span><\/p>\n

A woman\u2019s voice sang, but it was too quiet, and she craned her neck back to better hear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia?\u201d Wes was standing behind her. \u201cCan you hear it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust barely,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat is she singing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll turn it up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Moments later, she could hear the voice. Eerily familiar, sweetly beautiful, sad enough to bring tears to even her eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Death is no dream, for in death I\u2019m caressing you, with the last breath of my soul, I\u2019ll be blessing you\u2026<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

It faded away as Wes turned the stereo off, but she knew.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same song,\u201d she said softly. \u201cDon\u2019t you recognize it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He watched her silently, but she couldn\u2019t talk around the knot of sadness clutching her throat. \u201cWe should go back,\u201d she finally said.<\/span><\/p>\n

He held the door open for her. And he drove the motorcycle home slowly, like he had a precious child behind him. She wanted to nudge him, to tell him to speed up. That she was a perfectly capable adult and she could hang on just fine. But instead, she wrapped her fingers around the seat edge and rode in silence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 7<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part V He wasn\u2019t sure how she\u2019d moved him into her bed, but when he opened his eyes, that was where he was….<\/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-793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-completed-fics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793","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=793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}