{"id":970,"date":"2015-06-21T22:23:42","date_gmt":"2015-06-21T21:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/dir\/?p=970"},"modified":"2015-11-16T12:12:39","modified_gmt":"2015-11-16T12:12:39","slug":"time-to-go-home-1-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/21\/time-to-go-home-1-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Time To Go Home. 1-2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: Time To Go Home<\/b>
\nAuthor: <\/b>Chelle<\/strong>
\nPosted: <\/b>07\/23
\nRating: <\/b>N-17
\nCategory: <\/b>Angst
\nContent: <\/b>C\/A
\nSummary: <\/b>When Cordy awakes she finds the world she left and her family in shambles.The spell to forget Connor has worked on Cordy too.
\nSpoilers: <\/b>Specs and Spoilers for next season.
\nDisclaimer: <\/b>The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
\nDistribution: <\/b>AA, NF
\nNotes: <\/b>I want to credit califi<\/b> and DamnSkippy<\/b> for putting the bug in my ear to write this. It isn\u2019t exactly the story their challenges asked for, but the idea for it definitely sprung in my mind from their posts.
\nFeedback: <\/b>Sure
\nThanks\/Dedication: <\/b><\/p>\n

\n

Part 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Angel stood pacing behind the head of the conference table, his black Armani suit jacket slung over the back of his chair. \u201cI don\u2019t expect you to fail me on this one again and I can assure you that I won\u2019t handle it well if you do. Am I making myself clear enough for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes Mr. Angel,\u201d the nervous voice on the speaker phone answered back just before Angel switched off the connection.<\/p>\n

Fred looked at Gunn who sat to her left at the massive table. \u201cIs it just me,\u201d she whispered. \u201c..or has Angel started actin\u2019 all\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWolfram and Hartish?\u201d Gunn finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I mean, I kinda thought taking over Wolfram and Hart meant\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDestroying it and using its resources for the purpose of good as opposed to helping it get back on its feet,\u201d came Wesley\u2019s answer from the seat to her right.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel, his attention turning back to his fragmented family members, now his partners in sin, placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, clearing his throat to signal that he was ready for their undivided attention. \u201cWesley, how\u2019s the information the Senator requested coming along?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019ve been meaning to talk to you about that Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d he asked coolly.<\/p>\n

There was a pause before Fred decided to be the brave one, or the dead one, \u201cIt\u2019s just that, well, he\u2019s\u2026.he was Billy\u2019s uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Angel\u2019s voice was eerily cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do remember Billy?\u201d Gunn chimed in. \u201cBadass rage mojo against women and the uncle who hired Wolfram and Hart to set him free?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel just stared at his betrayers. Even if they couldn\u2019t remember Connor, they had to understand the other reason he was doing all of this, the reason that kept him awake most nights at a vigil by her side, watching her sleep her beautiful, young life away. He had had to make the deal with Wolfram and Hart to save Connor, he had had to keep it to save Cordy. He had signed away his already damned soul for the chance to find a way to give her her life back. It had been a bargain actually, his life for hers. Curing Cordy from her endless sleep was worth a hell of a lot more than his useless soul.<\/p>\n

Angel clenched his jaw at his supposed friends. This was the third attempt in the last month since he had taken over Wolfram and Hart that they had tried this little intervention talk. It was going to stop. Now. \u201cHow\u2019s that serum to cure cancer coming along Fred? Or how about the inner city youth center you\u2019re building downtown Gunn? Or better yet, your thorough and extremely expensive documentation of the genealogy of every known species of demon Wes?\u201d<\/p>\n

The three partners looked down, an expression of guilt and self loathing crossing each of their faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these things cost money,\u201d Angel continued. \u201cLots of money. Wolfram and Hart type money, and it just so happens that the Senator is one of the company\u2019s top paying clients. It\u2019s just business,\u201d he looked between the three who now stared back at him. \u201cSo get over it and stop trying to play some moral high card with me. You all knew what this company was about before you signed on for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wesley stood, meeting Angel\u2019s accusing glare with one of his own. \u201cI don\u2019t believe any of us had much of a choice in the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men continued staring at each other even as the door to the room creaked open. \u201cMr. Angel,\u201d the middle aged woman requested his attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d he asked, prompting her to enter, his eyes never leaving Wesley\u2019s.<\/p>\n

She approached her employer and spoke to him in a hushed tone, handing him a note before leaving the room.<\/p>\n

Angel turned and stared at the note, his eyes growing unfocused. He looked up and opened his mouth but found his voice trapped underneath a torrent of emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel, what is it?\u201d Wesley asked, his angry tone replaced with one of concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Well, Skip had promised to take her to a higher plane of existence, but she had never expected anything like this. The room was lavishly beautiful. The bed that she awoke in was tremendously huge, larger than any king size bed she had ever seen, and the linens were all made of a washed silk and alternated in cream and white colors. Besides the bed, there were only two other pieces of furniture in the room, an armoire that matched the massive size of the bed and a round antique table with a large crystal vase, grossly overstuffed with fresh white orchids that made the room smell like heaven. Maybe it was. Cordelia scooted herself off of the bed and walked to the table, leaning in to inhale the intoxicating sent.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my,\u201d a short, stocky woman exclaimed as she walked through the door carrying a tray that held a bowl of soup, toast, and a bottle of water. \u201cYou really shouldn\u2019t be up my dear,\u201d she scolded sweetly, smiling at Cordy as she laid the tray on the bed.<\/p>\n

Cordelia turned, somewhat startled by the intruder, but relaxed as soon as she saw the woman\u2019s round, comforting face. She looked to be just over middle age, with salt and pepper hair that was expertly placed in an old fashioned bun that gave off a \u2018grandmotherish\u2019 air. Cordy smiled back at the woman and sat down on the bed by the tray, she was really hungry.<\/p>\n

\u201cSlow down dear. You\u2019ve been out of it for quite a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, It feels like I\u2019ve been asleep for a year, I\u2019m starving,\u201d Cordelia spoke through a mouth full of toast before guzzling down the bottle of water. She swallowed and tried to regain a little grace before asking any of the million questions that were running through her head. \u201cSo, where\u2019s Skip? Off on another mission for the higher ups?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman looked slightly confused, \u201cI don\u2019t believe I understand dear. Skip who?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSkip, you know. Big guy that brought me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d the woman\u2019s face relaxed in understanding. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m not used to referring to my boss by his first name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour boss huh?\u201d Cordy looked impressed. \u201cGuess good ol\u2019 Skip\u2019s got more pull than he let on,\u201d she said, finishing off her soup.<\/p>\n

The woman smiled proudly at the empty dishes and pushed a button next to the bed. Immediately a younger woman entered the room, grinning excitedly at Cordelia and wordlessly left with the tray in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what now\u2026\u201d Cordelia looked at the woman questioningly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbigail, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what now Abigail? Do I wait here until Skip comes back or will I be handed over to someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no. No one else is allowed to come here. It\u2019s strictly forbidden. He would have our heads if we permitted such a thing.\u201d For the first time Abigail\u2019s face frightened Cordelia. The smile and twinkle were gone and her voice took on a militant tone, mixed with a shade of fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Cordy reasoned. \u201cSo Skip\u2019s the only one allowed in here besides you and\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJanice? Oh no, I guess I didn\u2019t make myself quite clear dear,\u201d Abigail\u2019s soft and soothing tone returned. \u201cIn the four months you have slept here, there has been a staff of seventeen women taking care of you night and day. We have been completely devoted to your every comfort. It\u2019s been a privilege and an honor to have been on duty the day of your awakening,\u201d she beamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour months?\u201d Cordy was shocked.<\/p>\n

Abigail nodded her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Skip, your boss, has he been here since he placed me in your care?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes. He comes in every night and sits with you until dawn. It\u2019s been a distressing time for him I\u2019m afraid, but he never gave up hope that you would awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this isn\u2019t normal then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNormal dear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYa know, this kind of transition, the sleeping for four months thing,\u201d Cordelia was trying to be polite, but the \u2018dear\u2019 thing was starting to get on her nerves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, no dear,\u201d Abigail was beginning to wonder if she should have insisted that the girl stay in bed. She may have looked like the picture of beauty and heath upon waking but her strange questions were beginning to indicate otherwise. Well, she wasn\u2019t about to risk her job, or her bargained soul for that matter, by giving the girl an answer that he wouldn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

The door to the bedroom opened partially and Janice stuck her head into the room. \u201cHe\u2019s on his way ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you Janice,\u201d she smiled before the younger woman shut the door. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we get you out of that nightgown and into something more presentable,\u201d Abigail took Cordelia by the hand and led her to the armoire.<\/p>\n

Cordelia\u2019s mouth began to water as soon as she opened the mirrored door. Versacci, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, she WAS in heaven. She turned to Abigail. \u201cThese are mine?\u201d she asked with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes dear. Mr. Angel is a very generous man. Nothing but the finest. Especially when it comes to you my dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia\u2019s mind began to spin and the room seemed to close in on her. \u201cMr. Angel?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Abigail smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cTall, dark, brooding, cruelly handsome Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is quite attractive. Of course you won\u2019t tell him I said that, will you? I mean how would it look, a woman of my age and position saying such a thing about the president and CEO of Wolfram and Hart,\u201d she laughed at herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWolfram and Hart?\u201d Cordy\u2019s voice sounded weak and vulnerable in her own ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes dear, the benefactor of this marvelous facility.\u201d Abigail motioned with one hand.<\/p>\n

Cordelia swallowed hard, the word dear echoed around her brain and made her nauseous as she walked quickly to the window and opened the heavy drapes. The city streets below were filled with the remnants of L.A.\u2019s rush hour traffic. She felt dizzy but couldn\u2019t tell if it was from looking down out of the twenty-ninth story window or the fact that she was still in L.A., in the clutches of Wolfram and Hart, a Wolfram and Hart that according to this mad woman was run by Angel. Stumbling back from the window, she felt Abigail\u2019s cold hands reach out, steadying her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh dear, here sit down for a moment while I find you something to wear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia stared blankly, pushed over the edge by the bizarre world she had awoken to. It was a test. That\u2019s it. It had to be. Skip and the Powers were always giving her tests to see if she was ready. This was some kind of Matrix virtual world and she was being tested. That had to be it because the alternative was too frightening, too gut wrenchingly terrible to imagine.<\/p>\n

\n

Part 2<\/b><\/p>\n

The quick bath she had been \u2018allowed\u2019 to take before dressing had been refreshing, if not relaxing as Abigail stood over her like some rosy cheeked watch dog. Still, it had given her time to clear her mind for a moment and realize, with a creeping dread, that this was not some higher plane of existence or even a test for that matter. She was actually in Los Angeles, trapped in some kind of malevolent, yet extremely posh spa slash rehabilitation center.<\/p>\n

She stared at herself in the armoire mirror and smoothed down the material of the dress Abigail had laid out for her. It wasn\u2019t the one she would have picked but that didn\u2019t really matter. They were all gorgeous. She looked at her face and tried to produce a smile, but failed. She thought about Angel and the claim by Abigail that he ran Wolfram and Hart now. Maybe he finally defeated them, took them over and was now using their resources and obvious wealth to continue the mission. That was possible. Except, why still call it Wolfram and Hart? Why not keep the name Angel Investigations or change it to something else?<\/p>\n

She took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed. There was a good reason. There had to be, and Angel would be here in a few minutes to clear everything up. Her heart skipped uncontrollably at that thought and she looked at the closed bedroom door. The last time she spoke with him she had been ready to confess her feelings for him, to take the dive off of the cliff of sanity by telling him she loved him and hoped for his love in return. He had seemed excited about their meeting that night, anxious even, but that was at least four months ago. A lot could change in four months. It seemed as if a lot had.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Angel swerved into the parking garage, startling a pedestrian as the wheels of the sports car screeched into an unmarked space. Bolting out and across the lot he pushed the elevator button, waited half of a second and bounded toward the stairwell of the building. His mind raced faster than his feet as he flew up the stairs three at a time. Cordy was awake, alive.<\/p>\n

For four months he had kept her here, locked away in her twenty-nine story tower as if she were some enchanted princess. That\u2019s what he had turned her into anyway. A fairytale princess, locked away in a tower that only he could enter. It infuriated the others at first, that he kept her from them, never telling them where she was, but he was desperate. He had to keep her all to himself. She was the only thing he had left, the only thing good in his world gone wrong. So he had locked her away, protecting her as if she were too fragile, too beautiful to be touched by the ugly, dark world that lay in wait for her.<\/p>\n

He would come every night, sit with her, read to her, talk to her, hold her hand, begging her to wake up, sometimes ordering her to. Those hours spent with her at night became his true life, who he really was, who he really wanted to be. Being near her, alone with her, made the mask he wore for Wolfram and Hart bearable, he could put it on knowing that it was what kept her alive, safely locked away in her tower. A beautiful princess sheltered from an evil world she had so willingly sacrificed herself for.<\/p>\n

He tried not to let out a hysterical chuckle at describing Cordelia as a princess, but it wasn\u2019t too ridiculous really, technically she had been a princess once. Right after they had returned from Pylea it had been the office joke for a while, \u2018Princess Cordelia\u2019. Until finally she had slapped him on the back of the head and told him to knock it off already. His face cracked a small smile at the memory of that day. Cordy didn\u2019t like being called a princess, and after that day he never did call her that again, not aloud anyway.<\/p>\n

He could hear her words shuffling around in his mind, telling him to \u2018knock it off\u2019. He argued back at the voice. It was his fantasy damn it. He could call her whatever the hell he wanted to. She was his princess and he was her dark knight, fighting the evils of the world to keep her safe. He closed his eyes in embarrassment at his silly, childlike fantasy. It had seemed so sane the first time his mind pretended that it was true, what an idiot. Oh well, it had kept him alive while he watched in agony as she slept. But now she was awake, there was no need for fantasy any longer. He banished the word \u2018princess\u2019 from his mind.<\/p>\n

Angel turned the corner of the hallway and passed the plastic smiles of the nurse maids without a word. He paused at the door and gently pushed it open.<\/p>\n

The word \u2018princess\u2019 was suddenly replaced by the words queen and goddess as Cordelia gracefully rose from the bed, the black designer dress hugging her body.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel?\u201d he wanted to weep at the sound of her voice.<\/p>\n

Angel had planned out over the last few months everything he would say to her at this very moment, but it all seemed irrelevant somehow as she stood there with a mixture of hope, uncertainty and fear crossing her face. His body reacted all on its own as he crossed the room, doing what he had wanted it to do ever since the night she had phoned him and asked him to meet her.<\/p>\n

Okay, the kiss was a shock. She hadn\u2019t expected it and had flinched just before his lips met hers, but he was too quick, he had captured her with his mouth before she could move away. A bolt of lightening flashed through her face and down to her belly at the feel of his soft cool mouth covering hers. She melted when he tilted his head and urged the slant of her mouth open with his tongue. The kiss was long and sweet yet possessed a hot passion that had obviously been building for what seemed like a lifetime or two. She wrapped her arms around him and tenderly stroked the hair on the back of his head, making him give off a soft groan that vibrated into every cell of her body. Her mind spun as he pulled her even closer to him, kissing her as if the world were ending and beginning all at the same time.<\/p>\n

He slowed and pulled his head back slightly, keeping her tight in his arms and looked at her face. Her eyes opened lazily and she grinned up at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d were the first shaky words she heard him speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cMmhm,\u201d she continued to grin.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t smile back, his face looked desperate and tired and he pulled her closer again, burying his head in the crook between her head and neck. \u201cGod Cordy. I\u2019m so sorry. I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d he whispered against her skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh,\u201d she soothed as she stroked the back of his neck, unsure of what he was apologizing for or why she was consoling him but unable to endure the sound of pain in his voice. She stood there holding him, letting his hands alternated between hard and gentle caresses on her back as he assured himself over and over that she was really there.<\/p>\n

A few moments later, and after the fog of love and lust from the explosive kiss cleared her brain, Cordelia pushed away gently and let loose the torrent of questions that plagued her mind. \u201cAngel, what happened? What am I doing here, how long, and why does that scary little woman keep calling you \u2018Mr. Angel\u2019? And what about Fred and Gunn and Wesley and Lorne? Are they okay? Where are they? And why in the hell are you running Wolfram and Hart?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel finally smiled at her. He stroked her face. \u201cEveryone\u2019s fine, they\u2019re waiting for you at home and as for the rest of it, none of that matters now. Not any more. You\u2019re awake and you\u2019re you,\u201d he leaned in to kiss her again but she placed a hand on his chest, firmly stopping him. She needed answers and if he kissed her like that again she\u2019d be too drunk to find them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel please. I need to know what\u2019s happened. I have a right to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel had hoped that as long as they stayed in the room together that the enchantment would last, that the outside world and the evil that it brought couldn\u2019t touch them, couldn\u2019t hurt her. But this wasn\u2019t his fantasy world. Cordy was no longer the sleeping princess, unable to control her part in his state of make-believe. She was alive, awake, and asking for answers. Answers he wasn\u2019t sure he was ready to give.<\/p>\n

He dropped his arms down from the embrace he had held her in and took her hand, leading her to sit down beside him on the edge of the massive bed. Cordelia looked expectantly at Angel as he began. \u201cCordy, what\u2019s the last thing you remember, before waking up?\u201d he prompted her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to meet you, at the lookout,\u201d she concentrated. \u201cThen Skip came,\u201d Angel\u2019s jaw clenched at the name of the demon who had betrayed them all. \u201cHe said that I had to make a decision, either go to you, tell you that\u2026 that I loved you,\u201d she looked down. \u201cOr come with him and save the world. I don\u2019t remember anything after that. It\u2019s like a huge void.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel lifted her chin. \u201cYou were in a coma for four months Cordy, but you\u2019ve been gone for over a year. I can\u2019t explain it all to you now, just trust me when I say that everything is going to be alright now. You don\u2019t have to worry about anything, I\u2019ve been taking care of you and I\u2019m going to continue to take care of you. I\u2019m never going to let anything happen to you again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what about Skip? And this thing with Wolfram and Hart? Please tell me you crushed those bastards, took over their company and are just debating on a new and improved name?\u201d she asked hopefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cSkip\u2019s dead. He was evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia looked shocked and sad. She felt betrayed and stupid and Angel could see it all over her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d his eyes bore into her as if they could make his point more clear. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t have known. What you did, what you tried to do Cordy was so brave. You\u2019re the most courageous, selfless person I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gave him a tight grin at the complement. It hadn\u2019t made her feel any better but she appreciated him for trying. \u201cAnd Wolfram and Hart?\u201d he was going to explain that one in detail.<\/p>\n

Time to stall. \u201cWell, that is a very long story, one we don\u2019t have time for if I\u2019m going to get you home. Fred, Wes, Gunn, and Lorne are waiting to see you and they\u2019re already pissed at me for not letting them come.\u201d<\/p>\n

She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand in a plea.<\/p>\n

\u201cCordy, please. I don\u2019t want to talk about Wolfram and Hart or evil demon guides any more tonight. I know you deserve answers and you\u2019ll get them, all of them. It\u2019s just that a lot has happened in the last year, I\u2019ve had to make some difficult decisions and I\u2019m afraid that you might not like me very much after you\u2019ve found out about some of the things I\u2019ve done, I\u2019ve had to do. So, give me tonight okay. I just want to look at you and hear you tell me again what you were going to tell me that night at the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked uncomfortable and fidgeted nervously. She didn\u2019t know if she could say it again.<\/p>\n

He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, trying to coax the words from her mouth. \u201cI want to say it Cordy, but I can\u2019t. Not until you do. Please,\u201d he begged. He wanted her to make the first move, to invite him into her heart so he would know that he hadn\u2019t pushed his way in.<\/p>\n

Cordelia wanted answers and she wanted them now, but Angel\u2019s voice was full of vulnerability and his expression made him seem like a condemned man waiting for his pardon. \u201cI was going to tell you that I was in love with you Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas?\u201d he prodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm,\u201d she smiled sweetly.<\/p>\n

He pushed air from his lungs in a long, sensual sigh of relief and reached out for her, kissing her hard and deep. She was lost. She met his hunger with that of her own, only breaking free from the roughness of his lips to allow herself to breath.<\/p>\n

Angel nuzzled his face into her neck, kissing and tasting her skin as she panted for air. His arms pressed her gently back and her head fell to the soft bedding. She sighed with pleasure as he worked his way up and down her neck and back to her mouth, consuming her in another bruising kiss. She pushed at him, once and then again, finally he lifted his head and looked down at her with eyes full of dark desire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d he was puzzled and seemed a little irritated at the interruption.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel,\u201d she breathed, still lacking oxygen. \u201cYour soul.\u201d It was both a question and a statement.<\/p>\n

Angel stared at her as if he couldn\u2019t quite comprehend the relevance of such a statement. \u2018My soul,\u2019 he mentally repeated to himself, pulling his mind and his body from the seductive scene. He raised up and offered out his hand for her to do the same. \u201cA lot of things have changed in the past year Cordy,\u201d he began in a defeated tone, \u201cUnfortunately my soul is not one of them.\u201d He stood slowly and helped her to her feet. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he looked around sentimentally. \u201cThis room makes me forget what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not. Come on. Time to go home,\u201d he placed his arm around her protectively. \u201cI\u2019ll have your things sent over to the penthouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe penthouse?\u201d Cordelia didn\u2019t like the look on Angel\u2019s face or the tone in his voice. His once soft and loving demeanor now seemed cold and commanding, as if leaving the room required some sort of emotional shield to protect him from an awaiting danger. She hesitated and pulled back a little as he tried to walk her to the door. \u201cAngel?\u201d her voice quivered slightly.<\/p>\n

He could hear the fear in her voice. He tried to relax, it wouldn\u2018t do to scare her now, she\u2018d be pissed and scared enough later. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful Cordelia, you\u2019ll love it,\u201d the soft tone returned as he placed his arm back around her and urged her along. His muscles seemed to tighten around her almost painfully as soon as they had exited the room. The once soothing and protective gesture now seemed possessive and domineering. A strange stillness came over her, like the calm before a storm. The clothes, this prison he seemed to have kept her in, the way he avoided telling her about Wolfram and Hart and that he loved her in return, none of it seemed right. The weak and defenseless feeling Angel had seduced her into inside of the room vanished. Her mind cleared and the once troubling questions stood in an orderly line at the back of her brain, patiently waiting. Waiting for the storm to arrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night Mr. Angel. Congratulations Mr. Angel. We\u2019re all so pleased Mr. Angel,\u201d a chorus of voices called out through artificial smiles as they past each woman. They were beginning to make Cordelia\u2019s skin crawl. \u201cOkay,\u201d she said to him in a shivery voice. \u201cThe whole Mr. Angel thing\u2019s gotta go.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Angel knew that the answers to her questions about Wolfram and Hart had to come out sooner or later, but he also knew Cordelia. She believed in actions and physical proof of something before she believed in words. \u2018People lie,\u2018 she would always say matter-of-factly \u2018Actions don\u2019t\u2019. That was his defense, his reasoning for not answering her. If he had told her about his deal with Wolfram and Hart and what he had to promise in that deal, he knew that she would be furious. So, he would just have to stall until he could show her that the deal wasn\u2019t so bad. Prove to her that this could be a way of life for all of them. His soul was already damned and as for the others, well, he had convinced himself that eventually he\u2019d be able to strike some kind of bargain with the \u2019Senior Partners\u2019 so that his friends could be set free.<\/p>\n

He glanced over at her when they arrived at the apartment building as he handed the valet his keys. She\u2019d been silent during the entire ride. The last words she had spoken were in the parking garage before the trip over. \u201cWhere\u2019s the Plymouth?\u201d she\u2019d asked with suspicion, as if testing his answer. He\u2019d told her that he had left it behind, as he opened and closed the door for her. \u201cAlong with the rest of me,\u201d he\u2019d said under his breath after her car door was safely shut. After that, nothing, no questions, no more declarations of her feelings, just, nothing. She had stared out of the car window in deep contemplation the entire way. A thought kept nagging at him. She knew him too. She knew that he wasn\u2019t going to answer her questions and had decided to watch, test, and collect all the information she could in order to find those answers herself, and she would too. He knew that, because he knew Cordelia. He knew how she worked and what she thought about the world and him. \u2018People lie,\u201d her words sounded in his head again. \u2018Actions don\u2019t.\u2019<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Cordelia was startled from her thoughts when the car door opened. She got out silently and watched Angel give the keys to the valet. He was lying to her. Okay, so he hadn\u2019t told any out right blatant lies, but he had said everything was going to be alright, and all of her instincts told her that that was a lie the minute they had left the room. She knew something terrible must have happened because, hello, four month coma, but it wasn\u2019t just that. She sensed that her coma had been just a side effect of a much more horrific event that he had no intension of telling her about. Her anger flared and she glanced at him heatedly while they waited for the private elevator, but when she saw his face, the lost look in his eyes, her heart broke. He wasn\u2019t just lying to her about something, he was lying to himself too. The comment about the Plymouth should have clued her into that little fact. Angel loved that car, he identified himself with it. It was old, a classic, dark, attractive and virtually indestructible. It was him and he had \u2018left it behind\u2019. She swallowed deep and reached out to touch his arm in the quiet elevator, wondering what else of himself he had \u2018left behind\u2019.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Angel could see Cordelia\u2019s mind working. She was looking at him now in the moving elevator. She was reading him, and reading him right. That was a good thing actually, he guessed that it was what he had wanted all along. If she could work it out on her own, find out the truth by herself, then he would be spared looking into her eyes while he explained just what he had done. She\u2019d be angry of course, but angry was good. He knew anger and had faced hers on more than one occasion. It had always worked out in the end and it would work out this time too. He prepared for her angry rant, for her demanding words ordering him to tell her what was going on, and now.<\/p>\n

But her expression changed, her eyes softened and almost looked damp. She reached out and touched his arm gently as if to say \u2018I\u2019m so sorry\u2019. It infuriated him. She was supposed to be getting mad at him, they were out of their enchanted room and the big bad world was closing in on them one floor at a time. She knew he was keeping things from her, awful, terrible things. He could tell by the flash of anger he saw cross her face, but then it faded and all that was left was pity.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t supposed to happen this way. He was supposed to stall and avoid for as long as possible until eventually she realized what was going on. She\u2019d be mad, outraged, but then he could be punished, could be forced to atone for the wrongs he had caused her and his failure to protect her. That was the way it had always gone with her anyway, it was what he knew. But now she was screwing up the system, jumping from mad to pity and sorrow in a matter of seconds. It wasn\u2019t right, wasn\u2019t what he had wanted, and it was making him feel weak and that was something he couldn\u2019t afford to be right now.<\/p>\n

He took her hand from his arm and placed it back down at her side, never looking over at her. \u201cWe\u2019re here,\u201d he said coldly and exited the elevator.<\/p>\n

There were two muscular bodyguards flanking each side of the wooden doors and greeted Angel as he ushered her through the entrance. \u201cGood evening sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as the doors pushed open Cordelia heard a loud squeal and was bombarded in a massive group hug.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my gosh,\u201d Fred exclaimed as everyone backed away to get a good look at their friend. \u201cI can\u2019t believe it. You really are here,\u201d the girl said tearfully, engulfing Cordelia in another strong embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia,\u201d Wesley smile was wide but somewhat sad. \u201cWe\u2019ve missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll second that princess,\u201d Lorne lifted his glass from a nearby table.<\/p>\n

Gunn placed a hand on Cordy\u2019s shoulder, \u201cIt\u2019s been hell without you here, Barbie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiterally,\u201d Fred\u2019s muffled voice came from Cordelia\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cFred, air is becoming an issue here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d she slowly raised her head and backed away with an embarrassed smile. \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia smiled at her friend\u2019s. \u201cS\u2019okay. I guess I could say I missed you guys but to me it only seems like I\u2019ve been gone a day.\u201d She began to walk around and take in the apartment, the expensive furniture, the art covering the walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you like it?\u201d Fred followed her. \u201cAngel had Wolfram and Hart buy it for ya months ago. It\u2019s yours, you don\u2019t even have to work for the company or anything.\u201d Fred\u2019s excitement had gotten the best of her. She fell silent and looked at the others. Everyone\u2019s face dropped, and their eyes searched for something in the room to look at, anything but Cordelia.<\/p>\n

There was the truth, cold and hard. She knew she would find it if she waited long enough. Cordy turned and crossed her arms, looking at Angel with disappointment. \u201cOne prison for another, huh? I bet there\u2019s a closet full of designer clothes here too, and a staff to wait on me hand and foot.\u201d she reproached.<\/p>\n

Angel just looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on kids,\u201d Lorne motioned. \u201cLet\u2019s all venture into that gourmet kitchen in there. My drinks a little flat.\u201d Everyone but Cordy and Angel slowly left the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know what happened,\u201d he began quietly. \u201cYou weren\u2019t here. It was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA dark time,\u201d she mocked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do that Cordy. The world was ending. I was losing my family left and right. I had no choice!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you made a deal with the devil? Why?\u201d her voice shook slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo save you,\u201d \u2018and Connor\u2019 his mind silently uttered the name before he could stop it.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do that,\u201d she gritted her teeth. \u201cDon\u2019t use me as an excuse for giving up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you have to promise, you\u2019re soul, the mission, your destiny?\u201d the tears beginning to shine in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of it,\u201d he whispered, looking at her with eyes full of hopelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of it,\u201d she ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have!\u201d he pushed out a frustrated breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?!\u201d he was outraged and let words he didn\u2019t mean slip before he could stop them. \u201cThis is YOUR fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n

He had said it, there was no stopping now. \u201cYou left, let Skip trick you into leaving me. He sent you back a few months later. I was so glad to see you, you looked so beautiful. But I was too wrapped up in my own emotions to realize that YOU weren\u2019t really there. They used you Cordy. The Powers. They sent your body back to us possessed by some demon, here to destroy the world,\u201d he paused and ran a hand through his hair. \u201cThe things you said,\u201d he relived the moments in his mind. \u201cThe things you did. You destroyed me Cordy,\u201d he sat down on the plush sofa, exhausted by the horrible memories flashing in his mind.<\/p>\n

She was quiet, letting everything he had said sink in. It was all so unbelievable, but somehow she knew it must be true.<\/p>\n

He looked up at her, waiting for her sympathy, the pity she had shown him earlier in the elevator. He didn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel, why didn\u2019t you tell me that you love me?\u201d she was suddenly hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d he said, unsure at the change of subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in the room. Why didn\u2019t you say it after I did?\u201d<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t he? No he didn\u2018t. He\u2019d meant to, but when he had heard her say those words, all he could do was react, show her, not tell her. Cordy believed actions, not words. \u201cCordy, it\u2019s hard for me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d she interrupted. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to love someone who makes bad decisions, who inadvertently hurts people while trying to do the right thing. Someone who is possessed by an evil demon who tries to destroy everyone and everything that that person loves. I should know. I love you.\u201d She was ranting know, her voice was breathless and quivered against the sobs that she so desperately held back.<\/p>\n

She turned to the stone faces who exited the kitchen. \u201cAnd what about all of you? Did you all make this brilliant deal too, or are you just along for the ride?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia,\u201d Wesley tried.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! I don\u2019t want to hear it. I can\u2019t believe all of you. You could have stopped him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel stood at her accusing tone. He\u2019d made the deal. They were just as innocent as she was in all of this. \u201cCordy, they had no choice. It had nothing to do with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has a choice Angel,\u201d she condescended.<\/p>\n

Rage at her tone, at the thoughts of what her \u2018evil\u2019 persona had done to him, their family, took him over. \u201cThis isn\u2019t even about them Cordy! It\u2019s about you not being able to forgive me! For not being able to save you this time, for not knowing it wasn\u2019t you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cForgive you?!\u201d she huffed with astonishment. \u201cThis,\u201d she motioned with her hand to the room around them. \u201cThis is what I can\u2019t forgive Angel. This apartment, the clothes, the money, the car, Wolfram and Hart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a time that all of these things would have made you the happiest woman on the planet,\u201d he closed his eyes as soon as he said it. He didn\u2019t mean it. He knew he was just reaching for weapons that would hurt her, like she was hurting him.<\/p>\n

She stilled and looked at him for what seemed like an eternity. \u201cYes Angel,\u201d her voice became as soft as a whisper. \u201cThere was a time when I would have loved to have had all of these things, but not at any price, not even then. There is a line that I just can\u2019t cross,\u201d she looked between Angel and her stunned friends, \u201cand right now you\u2019re all so far across that line that I just can\u2019t see you at all.\u201d Tears began to stream from her eyes as she bolted through the front doors of the apartment.<\/p>\n

The burly bodyguards started to give chase but Angel stopped their pursuit. \u201cLet her go,\u201d he was shattered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that went well,\u201d Lorne downed his drink and headed back to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel?\u201d Fred asked weakly.<\/p>\n

Angel didn\u2019t answer. He looked at the four guards. \u201cMake sure she has a car waiting out front for her. You two, tail her. Don\u2019t let her out of your sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYo man, I\u2019m goin\u2019 after her,\u201d Gunn announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Angel turned. \u201cI\u2019ll go. She just needs a while to cool off, to let everything sink in. Besides, I know where she\u2019s going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d Wesley asked.<\/p>\n

Angel looked back at the open doors. \u201cHome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part 3<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Title: Time To Go Home Author: Chelle Posted: 07\/23 Rating: N-17 Category: Angst Content: C\/A Summary: When Cordy awakes she finds the world…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-to-be-continued-fic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970","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=970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}