apachefirecat

The Hero and the Idiot, posted 12-15-10, posted K+/PG
Characters: Angel/Cordy, Dennis
Dennis knows Angel is a dumbass and yearns to knock some sense into the Vampire without a soul.






Angel is a dumbass, and Dennis knows it. It pains him endlessly that the moody Vampire is indeed the dumbass who Cordelia loves though she yelled at him that he was not that dumbass, a mistake she's bemoaned countless times. Everybody Dennis knows considers Angel a hero, but Dennis knows the truth for he sees it in his beloved Princess' anguished eyes every night.

He's the one who's there for her when she cries, who holds her though she can barely feel the ghostly whisper of his existence crawling over her skin. He's the one who dries her tears and tells her that it'll be all right, though she can't really hear him.

He's the only one who knows just how much of a dumbass Angel is for having Cordelia love him but never opening his eyes and heart to her, and though he can never tell him, he would love to also be the one who gets to kick his dead, dumb ass straight into Cordelia's bed where it belongs! Instead he holds the only real friend he's ever had through another torturous night of a broken heart and curses Angel for being the biggest dumbass he's ever known.

The End




The Princess' Special Friend, posted 12-14-10, rated K+/PG
Characters: Cordy, Dennis
Cordelia's very special friend takes care of his Princess.






Sometimes she's so exhausted that she barely makes it through the bath he has drawn for her before she walks in, and though she never speaks a word of it aloud, he knows, understands, and fulfills her needs before she can ask him. He pulls the plug out of the tub when she falls asleep while bathing, and the gurgling sound stirs her enough from her slumber that she drags herself together and quickly washes the remaining soap away. Then he's there with a big, fluffy towel for her to step into and dries her as she pads to her room, her beauty marred by her concentrating frown as she fights to just continue her delicate steps to her bed.

The towel drops to the floor as she falls into her bed, and though her words are incoherent as she immediately drifts off to dream of a world of peace where Angel is hers, Dennis understands his best friend's words clearly for they share an unspoken connection of the hearts like no other. "Thank you, Dennis," she says, and his world is complete again as he sits beside her, watching her dream, and combing unseen fingers through his Princess' hair.

The End




The Question, posted 3-19-08, rated K/G
Characters: Angel/Cordy, Lorne
Angel surprises Cordelia when he sings to karaoke because he wants to, not because he has to.






Two pairs of eyes - one hazel and the other red - watched the Vampire's every move as he made his way up onto the stage. I can't believe he's actually going through with this, Cordelia thought. It had just better not be Barry Manilow. The wailing's going to be bad enough as is, but if . . . Her thoughts shattered as he began to sing, and she was startled to find that his singing voice was actually pleasing to her ears for the first time.

I see the questions in your eyes
I know what's weighing on your mind
You can be sure I know my part
Cuz I stand beside you through the years
You'll only cry those happy tears
And though I'll make mistakes
I'll never break your heart

She had no ideal what had changed his skill so greatly since the last time she had heard him sing. Maybe Lorne had been working with him out of sheer desperation to perserve his ear drums - at least from the infamous Manilow-loving Vampire with a soul - or perhaps Angel had actually consented to lessons when Lorne finally decided to try one last time to reopen Caritas. Cordelia didn't know how Angel had managed it; she only knew that she was simultaneously and completely captivated and blown away.

I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky
I'll be there
I swear like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there
For better or worse, till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear

His dark eyes sought out her beautiful face among the sea of Demons, Vampires, and other Supernatural customers. He smiled when he found her, and from that moment on, it was clear from the worshipful way he gazed at her that the song was meant only for her. Neither could tear their eyes away from the other nor did they want to.

I'll give you every thing I can
I'll build your dreams with these two hands
We'll hang some memories on the wall
And when there's silver in your hair
Won't have to ask if I still care
'Cause as time turns the page,
My love won't age at all

It had only been a few years ago, though it now felt like a completely different lifetime, that Cordelia would have scoffed if some one had said that Angel even just might love her, but since their very first date, she had began to learn that she meant to him as much as he meant to her. Through all the trials and tribulations they had struggled through, she had also learned that there was nothing in Heaven or Hell that was more powerful than their love.

When he had finally achieved his soul, Buffy had returned, demanding a second chance. That was the last time that Cordelia had feared that she would lose Angel to another woman, and he had quickly eased her fears that time when he had looked Buffy straight in the eyes and told her that he was not interested in any one other than his beloved Cordy. That had made the Slayer furious, but nothing could have pleased Cordelia more.

With time, they had grown closer than Cordelia had ever thought that she could be with any one. She had been saved from his visions, and the return of his soul had proved to mean the loss not only of the curse but also of Angelus. Cordelia had finally taught Angel to be open with his feelings, and he was constantly surprising her with some new romantic notion. Thereby, she was not surprised that the song was meant for her; it was just everything else - from his wanting to sing it to her from the stage to his sexy, crooning voice - that surprised her.

And I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky
I'll be there
I swear like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there
For better or worse, till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
I swear

As he continued to sing, Cordelia realized that no truer words had ever been spoken. Though she did not wear his ring on her finger, they were already united - two halves of the same whole. Each was empty without the other, and it took them being together for them to be complete. She loved him. She told him that every night as he did her, but there were no words to describe the depth of that love.

Only this song with its promises of constant companionship and unlimited loyalty even came close. He was with her wherever she went, and he was always in her thoughts and in her heart. She had never thought a love like what they shared could exist, but he had taught her otherwise. He had proven to her both in word and in deed that they had been granted the ultimate love.

They had been allies since Sunnydale and friends since shortly after reuniting in Los Angeles. They had been employer and employee for most of the time she had been in Los Angeles as well as Vampire and Seer ever since Doyle's death. Yet they were also so much more than that. They were soul mates, their hearts and souls entwined deeper than most people ever dare to dream. They were meant to be together and always had been. They were one another's destinies.

And I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky
I'll be there
I swear like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there
For better or worse, till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
I swear

As he finished the song, his eyes focused solely on her gorgeous face, his heart was thundering so madly in his chest that he feared he might deafen the entire audience. Angel had wanted a heart that beat for a very long time, but now that he had one, he often found that he did not quite know what to do with it. Even as he hoped he was not having a heart attack and his sweaty palms clung tightly to the microphone, he spoke, his timid voice sweeping over the captivated audience, "Cordelia Chase, I love you. There are no words to describe everything I feel for you, my darlin', but that song is the closest I could find."

Cordelia could only smile brilliantly as he spoke to her, but then her joyful expression turned to shock as he knelt on the stage. Her heart beat madly against her ribcage, and a nervous lump rose in her throat as her hazel eyes watched his slightly-trembling hands pull the tiny, black box from an inside pocket of his black trench coat.

Angel saw her shocked expression and prayed to the Powers that it was not a bad sign. Lorne had told him he wouldn't regret doing this. The Demon had better be right, or . . . His trembling fingers closed around the box, and his thoughts instantly trailed off as he clutched it. He took a deep breath and, his eyes never moving from Cordelia, brought the box out. "Cordelia," he spoke again into the microphone, his subconscious glad that the crowd was so shocked to see the Vampire with a soul so obviously in love that they were actually being quiet. He paused, took another deep breath, flicked the box's lid to reveal a beautiful, diamond ring, and then in one quick rush of words, asked, "Will you make me the happiest Vampire in all of existence and marry me?"

At first, she could not believe what her startled eyes were telling her, but then she squealed so loudly that he nearly dropped the box. She stood in such haste that she knocked her forgotten drink and sent it spiralling off the table. Never once did she notice, however, as she raced toward the stage. "Of course I will!" she exclaimed, tears of joy brimming in her delighted hazel eyes, just as she threw herself on him, hugging him to her more tightly than she ever had before.

Fighting to keep his own tears of joy and relief from showing, Angel returned her hug. He buried his face in her silky hair and enhaled its delicious aroma. "I love you, Cordelia Chase," he murmured softly.

She pulled back just enough to gaze adoringly at him as she told him, "And I love you, Angel." With that said, her lips met his in a passionate kiss that turned both their worlds upside down for the millionth time.

As Angel and Cordelia continued to kiss, every body and thing else in the world completely forgotten despite the enormous applause, a soft chuckle emitted from a certain green Demon. His red eyes sparkled as he looked at the trio he sat with. "I told you he'd do it."

"It's so sweet!" Fred exclaimed, smiling happily.

"By crickey," Wesley murmured softly, "I didn't think he'd actually be able to pull it off."

Fred turned to fix Gunn with a look. "When are you going to do something like that fer me?" she demanded in her thick Texan accent.

"I . . . huh . . . I . . . " Gunn stammered helplessly. Lorne, Wesley, and even Fred laughed at his obvious neverousness, and after a moment's hesitation, Gunn joined in his companions' laughter.

After a few minutes, however, Wesley glanced back at the stage. "Huh, Lorne," he spoke hesitantly, "as glad as I am for Angel and Cordy, you might want to call in the firing squad."

"What?" Lorne asked, his green brow creasing with confusion for just a second before his yellow eyes turned back to the newly-engaged couple. They were even more lost in one another now, and from the way Cordelia was beginning to pull on Angel's clothes and his hands were caressing her body, he realized they must have actually thought they were alone. He chuckled and shook his head as he rose to go remind them of the audience before they could embarrasse themselves.

The End




The Stars Speak, posted 1-21-13, rated K+/PG
Characters: Angel/Cordy
She was taken from them far too soon.







He liked to come up here when the others were away killing things and scheming on how to kill things. It was the only peaceful place in the entire Wolfram and Hart corporation, and Lorne loved this little, private sanctuary that the younger members had taken to calling Angel's Batcave. He suspected Angel would be mad if he knew he came here when it wasn't occupied, but Angelcakes could no more keep his Batcave to himself than Batman could keep his slew of Robins, Batgirls, and the one Alfred out of his.

Lorne smirked as he wondered idly if he would be more of a Robin or a Batgirl. He didn't fit either role, he decided quickly as he watched the stars filling the night sky, for he wasn't a fighter and they both were. Angel had plenty of Robins. Gunn, Wesley, and even Spike, to a certain extent, fit that bill, but Batgirl was supposed to be the right hand woman for both guys. She was to be there when they couldn't be, and to be there to support them and hold them up when they were determined to fight but could hardly swing a right hook.

There was only one woman, Lorne thought, who could fill that role for their Batman. Fred tried, bless her heart, but was no more of a fighter than he was. Angel's Batgirl hadn't been a fighter, either, not in the literal sense, but hers had been an old, warrioress soul. Lorne thought of her now, as he always did when he watched the stars in the one place in the whole city where the night sky could actually be seen for the neon lights.

He was a city boy. He loved the thrill and excitement of the city as much as Cordelia had, but he loved it here, too, with the cool, night wind caressing his green cheeks and the stars stretching out before him in an endless, dazzling array. He always thought of when he saw the stars for they sparkled like her smile always had.

She'd always been quick with those smiles, too, he thought with a sad smile and a pain in his heart. She'd always had a smile for him even in the darkest days for she was constantly trying to uplift the spirits of those around her. He'd heard the tales of the way she'd been in high school, but that had been high school. Some people left their school personalities behind, but Cordelia had and she had grown as beautiful and bright, both inside and out, as the stars Lorne now watched.

He remembered something some time about the deceased putting the stars in the sky. He knew well, too, the story from The Lion King about how the Kings of ancient past looked down on those they'd left behind from the stars; his smile grew as he remembered taking Cordy and Fred, and dragging Angel and the boys along, too, to see The Lion King on Broadway. That had been a great show, but he had lived a greater one.

He had seen love up close and personal. He had traveled from one dimension to find another kind of love than any he'd ever heard about waiting for him in this world. He had known a family. He had been a part of that family, and he grieved for it and its mother now. The team was not the family they had once been, and they all knew the reason why: Their heart had been taken.

Far too young, far too soon, the one woman who kept them all going, their Batgirl, their Seer, the woman without whom so many of their missions could not have been completed or even began, their Cordelia had been killed. And she had gone, he knew, to her death willingly under the premise that what was to happen to her would save the whole world. The girl who had once been considered the most selfish and spoiled brat to ever walk the halls of Sunnydale High or, Lorne suspected, from the stories he'd heard, any high school really, had become so giving, caring, and kind that she had given the ultimate sacrifice to save the world: She had given her life and, in so doing, left them all behind.

Angel's wasn't the only heart she broke by sacrificing her life and then returning trapped by Jasmine in her own body to wreck evil in the world and try to force everybody together under one omnipotent, but wicked, power. She had broken a piece inside of them all, and Lorne knew that no matter what they did, how many times they saved the world, or how hard they tried to pretend that everything was normal, or normal for them at least, none of them would ever be whole again without Cordelia's light shining and sparkling as only she could in their lives.

The Demon wiped tears from his red eyes and gazed back up at the stars. He always had liked those old stories, and he liked to pretend now that she was watching over them and that the stars were her smiles sent to try to cheer them. In truth, it only made him want to be with his friend more, but somewhere inside, some small part of him did receive a tiny bit of comfort to think that Cordelia was still watching them, still caring for them, and still wanting them to be together as a family.

But their family would no more grow back together than she would rise again from the dead. It took them too many years and too many deaths before they finally figured that out, and when they did, it was too late to save them. It was too late to save them, including himself, but there was one whom he still hoped to help as he labored on beneath them all, fighting the good fight no longer for a soul or to be redeemed but because he didn't know what else to do with himself and hoped that, in the battles, he could at least, for a little while, forget the pain that haunted his heart every night. He hoped to forget Cordelia, but Lorne knew he never would because love can not be forgotten.

"What are you doing?"

"What you should have done long ago, Brown Eyes," Lorne answers idly, knowing she'll try to stop him if she suspects what he's creating.

She rolls her eyes and grins playfully at him. "Like that hasn't been said, like, a million times before."

"Ye've got that right," Doyle agrees from beside her, grinning. From the look in the other Demon's Irish eyes, Lorne suspects he already knows what he's about. He winks at him. Doyle blushes, but his grin grows even as he looks away.

"This has been done a million times, too," points out Lorne. "You've been shining your lights since you died. Now it's my turn," he smiles, his red eyes twinkling mischievously, "and I'm going to let my little Demon light shine."

Cordelia laughs, and it sounds as musical as it ever did while they were alive. "Fine," she says, her hazel eyes shining like the stars. "Go ahead. Let it shine."

"Oh, you bet I will, honey." Lorne twists and throws the newest constellation out into the night sky. He hears gasps behind him but doesn't turn around.

"He's going to be mad," Fred says, and Lorne can hear her pout in her voice. "You made one without permission!"

"He's never mad," he confidently tells his friends, "where love is involved."

"Lorne!" Cordelia cries as a "C" explodes into the sky. "You didn't!" The "C" is joined by an "A". "Oh my God! You did!" she shrieks. "How could you?!"

"Wait for it," he instructs, avoiding her slapping hands. He grabs her wrists instead and holds her still.

"Look, Princess," Doyle says for him. "He's seein' it."

"I know, and it's just gonna upset him!"

"Why?" Lorne asks, knowing she won't have the answer. "You would have told him if you hadn't been killed. Now, at last, he'll at least know."

"But it doesn't matter!" she cries. "I'm dead!"

"Love always matters," Lorne says gently, and together, the growing group of their family in the clouds watches as Angel kills another evil Vampire and looks up to see the new stars shining in the sky. Cordelia cries as he cries.

Lorne feels her falling to pieces in his arms as Angel lowers his head. "Wait for it," he whispers knowingly, his red eyes shimmering with his own, unshed tears, and sure enough, as they look on, Angel raises his head again. He raises his head. He looks at the stars, and through his tears, he smiles. He smiles, because he knows, at last, that he is loved. She does love him, and that makes everything else worthwhile.

The End




The Wrong Kind of Fun, posted 7-18-06, rated T/PG-13
Characters: Cordy, Fred, Angel/Cordy, Gunn/Fred/Wesley
Cordy and Fred are having fun, but is it what the guys fear?





Loud giggling erupted from the office, and two ears pressed closer against the wooden frame of the door. Two pairs of eyes closed tightly as they listened intently, barely daring to breathe should they miss something important. "Hey, guys," a low voice whispered. "What's going on?"

Both guys sprang away from the door at the very second they heard the voice, their eyes flying open in surprise. They tried to appear innocent, but guilt covered both faces. "We were, um, just checking for, hum . . . Hum . . . Charles, why don't you tell him what we were listening for?"

Gunn was quick to speak before, both men hoped, the newcomer could tell that they were failingly attempting to invent a story on the spot. "English and I were listening for . . . for bugs. Yeah, that's it!" he continued, nodding swiftly. "Termites."

Red eyes glistened knowingly as he watched the two men before him. "If that's the case," he asked them in a hushed whisper, "why are we whispering?"

"We're not," Gunn immediately rebuffed.

"Oh, so you wouldn't mind me talking at a normal . . . "

As Lorne had been speaking his question, his tone had grown steadily higher until Wesley suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, abruptly silencing the Demon. Thinking quickly, the ex-Watcher hurried to explain, "You'll scare them. Termite ears are extremely sensitive to human vocals."

Lorne nodded understandingly, and Wesley reluctantly lifted his mouth but remained ready to silence his friend again should he need to. "Don't try to pull the wool with me," Lorne whispered offensively. "I may be a Demon, but I'm still a man. You're not looking for termites. You're listening in on the girls, and I want to know why." When neither man seemed forthcoming with an explanation, Lorne warned, "Of course, I could always just tell them that I found you eavesdropping on them and then ask what they were doing that the two of you thought you had to listen in on them."

"No! No! Don't!" Both men exclaimed simultaneously. "We'll tell you! Just don't tell them!"

Lorne grinned. "That's more like it. Now, why are you?" he insisted.

"Well, we, hum . . . Huh . . . That is . . . " This time it was Gunn's turn to stutter.

"We think they may be indulging in some fun," Wesley began to explain, choosing his every word with extreme care.

Lorne's brow furrowed in confusion, and his horns drew closer together. "What's wrong with that?" he questioned them.

"It's without us!" Gunn exclaimed, pouting.

Lorne shook his head slowly, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You two are eavesdropping on the girls because you're jealous because they're not spending their every moment with you and are actually having some fun between friends!" he demanded in a heated whisper.

"Sexual fun," Wesley amended gravely.

Lorne's mouth dropped open in shock at those two words, and his green skin grew lighter as he paled at the mere thought. He didn't have anything against Lesbians, but he just could not imagine Cordelia and Fred being such, especially not being such together. "No," he whispered after a long moment. "You've got to be kidding me! They wouldn't!"

Both men nodded gravely just as, as if to emphasize their affirmation, Cordelia's voice exclaimed from inside the office, "WOW, Fred! I don't believe you were able to build it that big!"

"What can I say? A little geometry goes a long way."

"Fred, you're cutting yourself short again. It's so big! It's so massive!" Cordelia exclaimed passionately with longing in her voice.

None of the three men standing just outside the closed office door could believe what they were hearing. "It can't be," Lorne whispered. "Do you really think . . . ?"

"I remember what Willow was like before she turned," Wesley whispered urgently. "None of us could have ever seen her becoming one, but she did."

"Here, Cordy, let me show you how," Fred's voice spoke from within the office.

"Thanks, Fred! I don't believe you're sssooo good at this! It's amazing!"

By this time, there were three ears pressed tightly against the door and three men listening intently instead of just two.

"Well, well, well," a voice chided suddenly from just behind the three eavesdroppers. Each man sprang away from the door as swiftly as if it had just burned them and whirled around only to confront Angel. The Vampire intently studied each of his guilty friends before asking in a hushed whisper, "So which one's Moe?"
Gunn almost raised his hand before Wesley spoke, "It's not what it appears to be, Angel."

"Really?" he asked, sarcasm heavy on his tongue. "Funny. It certainly looked to me like you were eavesdropping on Cordy and Fred."

"Okay," Wesley admitted, "so maybe it is, but . . . "

When he hesitated, Lorne quickly attempted to provide a cover for them. "They have a good excuse, Angel."

Angel questioningly arched a single eyebrow. "Don't you mean you?" he demanded in a hushed whisper. "You were listening in, too."

"I was only listening in to affirm the reason that they gave me when I found them eavesdropping first," Lorne rushed to explain.

"And what would that reason be?" Angel demanded, his dark eyes narrowed.

"Cordy and Fred are or, at least, we unfortunately have reason to believe that they are . . . "

When Wesley abruptly trailed off, seeming almost as if he had become frozen, Angel asked impatiently, "Well, Wes? Spill it already."

"Aw, man," Gunn pouted, "they're making out!"

"WHAT!" Angel suddenly roared.

"Sh!" Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne all whispered urgently.

"You don't want them to hear us! They'll find out we've been eavesdropping!"

"Good. Then maybe they'll tell you what idiots you are," Angel hissed angrily though in a low whisper.

"If you think we're so full of it," Gunn demanded heatedly, "why're you whispering again?"

"Because I want to know what in the Hell would put such stupid ideas in your heads."

The other men began to quickly fill Angel in on what they had overheard, including a few direct quotes, and by the time they had finished, Angel was stunned. It certainly sounded like they were right, but his Cordelia would never -! Angel had no sooner thought that than he heard his beloved's voice, broken by heavy breathing: "Fred, I think . . . I think I'm . . . gonna . . . I'm going to . . . "

"Of course you're going to, Cordy!" Fred exclaimed eagerly. "It can't take much more! I'm almost there, too!"

Four ears pressed closely against the door, and Angel tightly gripped the doorknob to keep it from being accidentally turned as they all pushed together, struggling desperately to catch each word with a deeply worried face on every one of the four. Heavy breathing and frantic pounding of something that not even Angel's ears could determine the identity of filled the room until Cordy's voice suddenly broke the silence. "Yes! Yes!" she exclaimed repeatedly. "Yes! Yes! YES!"

As Cordelia continued to exclaim happily, the pounding continued but was not half as loud as it had previously been. Finally, Fred's voice joined Cordelia's in her Texan yell that Gunn had previously thought only he could bring out of her. Shock filled the four faces even as the women rejoiced. Angel, blinded by the fury that came from losing his beloved to another of her own gender, turned the doorknob, and the four men tumbled into the room.

Cordelia's and Fred's exclamations and yells of delight broke off abruptly as they turned as one to stare in shock at the four men that now lay on the floor in a jumbled heap. "WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!" Cordelia exclaimed heated, furious that the guys had dared to eavesdrop on them.

Angel jumped to his feet first. "Cordy, how could you!" he exclaimed, unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

"How could we what?" she demanded.

"Don't play games!" Gunn exclaimed hotly as he sprang erect. His sad yet furious chocolate eyes were directed solely on Fred as he told them, "You know exactly what we're talking about!"

"No, we don't!" Fred exclaimed, hurt beginning to show in her eyes. "What in the heck are y'all doin'! How could ya eavesdrop on us like that!" Her Texan accent was growing thicker with each passing second.

"Huh, guys," Wesley tried to warn as he stood, helping Lorne to his feet as he did so. "They've got their clothes on."

Though his sentence confused Cordelia and Fred even further, it went unheard by Gunn. "How could you screw around on me like that!"

The entire room seemed to freeze at that one exclamation, and as the realization set in, the next events seemed almost to happen in slow movement. Angel, Wesley, and Lorne all winced and began to back slowly up. Anger that was belied only by the furious hurt that shone in their eyes set in to Cordelia and Fred. "How. Could. We. What!" they demanded in unison, their eyes flashing as they began to walk closer to their men.

"You know what I said!" Gunn persisted.

"Oh, I do not believe that you could think that of us!" Cordelia exclaimed heatedly through clenched teeth. Her eyes continued to flash furiously as she continued stepping closer to Angel and he continued backing.

"I didn't!" Angel protested.

"Oh, but you did!" Cordelia hissed. "You were eavesdropping just like the others! Hell, you were the first one to fall in through the door!"

"I . . . I . . . " Angel frantically raked his brain, trying desperately to come up with some excuse that might calm his beloved and save him from her fury.

"We were playing a stupid game!" Fred hollered. "A GAME! And y'all thought we were . . . we were . . . ! Ah can't even bring mahself ta say it!"

"I thought you knew me, Angel!"

"Yeah," Fred chimed in, her exclamation directed at both Gunn and Wesley who she glared at over Gunn's shoulder, "Ah thought y'all knew me too!"

"HOW COULD YOU!" the furious women again bellowed as they finally closed in on their men, Cordy backing Angel against the wall while Fred backed Gunn against Wesley. The hotel rang with the echo of the sound of the slaps that the girls gave their men's cheeks.

Lorne began to chuckle nervously, and both female heads snapped up in his direction, their eyes still narrowed. "You think it's funny!" Cordelia exclaimed. As one, Fred and Cordy moved towards Lorne, and he backed frantically until his back met the opposing wall of the hall. He tried to slip pass them but had no chance to do them as they swung their hands again, slapping each of his cheeks.

Cordelia and Fred turned to storm off, but Fred hesitated. "Hold on a sec," she told Cordy. "Ah forgot something." She turned and marched back towards Gunn who shrank away from her. Much to both Gunn's surprise and relief, Fred turned to Wesley and slapped him instead.

Fred swiftly rejoined Cordelia, and the two stormed off down the hallway. Cordy shouted back to the guys, "JUST SO YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T OVER!"

"YEAH," Fred chimed in, "THE WAR'S JUST BEGINNIN'!"

They then began to talk as they continued to storm off. "So, Fred, what do you say we go club hopping tonight?"

"Sounds good, Cordy. Maybe we can even pick up a couple of DECENT MEN who DON'T THINK WE'D EVER SLEEP TOGETHER!"

Silence fell as they stormed out of the Hyperion, leaving four stunned men in their wake. Angel was the first to speak long minutes afterward, and even then, his voice was soft and timid. "I don't know whether to be more relieved that they're not doing what you idiots made me think they were or," he admitted truthfully, "to be more afraid."

"Afraid," Lorne, Gunn, and Wesley all answered in unison as the four continued to stare at the last place they had seen the women.

The End




Triumphant Surprise, posted 10-20-08, rated G/K
Characters: Angel/Cordy, Buffy
A pro-Cordy, anti-Buffy fic with a twist.






She kept her head held high and a radiant smile upon her full lips as she stepped out onto the top of the staircase. Her hazel eyes seemed to barely touch upon the guests who were gathered below, giving off the air that they were insignificant, which, indeed, they were. Her pale fingers barely touched the banister as she slowly descended in what she hoped was a wispy, silvery cloud of awe striking elegance and breathtaking beauty, which, from the thumbs up sign Lorne gave her behind the blonde's back, she knew must be working.

She could feel all eyes riveting on her as she slowly walked down to join the foray, but she ignored them all, opting instead to keep her own gaze focused on the one thing that she felt, more than all else, was hers and hers alone. Her smile grew as she saw the amazed look on his face. It warmed her to know that, even after all these years together, which were far from being enough for a thousand lifetimes in his arms would never be enough, she could still rock his world with only her appearance.

She stepped off the winding staircase and glanced briefly at Gunn and Wesley, a silent acknowledgment to two of the brave men who had appointed themselves her guards. They stood straight and tall, flanking her like Knights would a Queen and giving her nemesis twin glares in silent warning of what they would do to her if she tried to harm even one of her luxurious, raven hairs. She perfectly hid a smirk at that thought; she knew her hair had never shone more brightly than it did this night, thanks to Fred's latest concoction.

Having given Wesley and Gunn their secret sign, she continued her walk of seduction. She glided across the floor, her eyes never leaving Angel's even as her foe tried her best to get Angel to answer whatever silly question she'd asked him. Angel only continued to stare so transfixed was he by her beauty, and the blonde beside him fumed until her face started to turn red.

Cordelia took her time moving to Angel as she sashayed, one hip at a time, though a cloud of graceful sensuality that tightened the throat and loins of every male present, and when she finally reached his side, she still didn't bother to even so much as glance at their visitors. Instead she wrapped her arms around her Vampire and kissed him. His lips parted eagerly underneath hers, and her tongue snaked into his mouth. She leaned into him as her tongue explored deep within his hot, familiar mouth.

She kissed him with ever growing passion while Willow's face turned as red as her hair. She leaned closer into his warm embrace when Xander called her name, one heeled foot raising in ecstasy. She kissed him still deeper when Giles harrumphed and Faith's smirking tone called, "Go for it, girl!" She kissed him until Buffy stamped her foot and squealed like a pig.

Then, with an air of complete innocence and while licking her lips in savoring Angel's sweet taste, Cordelia turned around to face the woman who had been her greatest rival throughout the years. She leaned against Angel as she pouted seductively. "Oops, didn't see you there."

Her hazel eyes bespoke another message, however, and that was that, by no means, was the Slayer and her little bag of tricks welcome nor would they be tolerated. To make her threat ever clearer, she let her upper lip pull back in the instinctive need to snarl that burned low in her belly, revealing to Buffy the greatest change in her since the last time they had laid eyes upon each other.

Buffy's mouth fell open in shock. Her jaw moved gradually, telling Cordy that she was trying to talk but could not get her big mouth to work well enough to form any actual words. Cordelia grinned a triumphant, fang-filled smile. She had at last managed to do the impossible: She had shut up the Slayer!

The End






Victory, posted 6-12-12, rated T/PG-13
Characters: Angel/Cordelia, Spike
For centuries, Angel has wanted one thing. Now, at last, it is to be his.






He had waited so many centuries, but now he could finally give himself what he needed. It wasn't the Shanshu, though what few friends he had still living thought it was. They would never know that he had passed on the Shanshu and told the Powers That Be to give it to Spike instead. No, he wanted something far different, and he'd had to wait far too long for it.

He wondered if she would still be waiting for him, but that question passed with a certain answer almost as soon as it occurred to him. She would be there for she had been waiting for this as long as he had. They loved each other, and at long last, they would be allowed to be together.

He had won the war for the Powers That Be. He had buried her, their son, who, though not hers by blood was far more her child than he would ever be his blood mother's, and so many other friends and allies that Angel could scarcely remember them all. He still heard most of their voices, however, each day as he tried to lay in bed to rest for the next battle that awaited him.

But there would be no more battles, not for him at least. The world finally had peace, and there were plenty of other soldiers to carry on the fight after he left. They would blame themselves for not being here for him now, but Angel had written Spike one last letter, explaining everything and, most of all, how this was what he wanted and, now that he had finally won the right to achieve his heart's desire, he would rip any one who tried to stop him limb from limb.

The blonde Vampire had always been a pain in his ass, but Angel knew he would comfort the other soldiers, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those mortals who had first helped him way back when the love of his life had still lived, and keep them from doing anything foolish. There were those who would consider his final action to be stupid and foolish, Angel knew, but nothing could be further from the truth. He knew what he wanted. He had strived and fought for it ever since he had laid his beautiful soul mate into the cold, hard ground, and now, at last, he would achieve it.

He looked up with a smile as he saw her coming to him. She was golden, and her dress flowed around her. Whatever cloth it was made of, Angel felt sure, had to be finer than the most luxurious silks in which Cordelia had always yearned to be clothed. He should have bought them for her, but at the time, he'd not thought it important. After her death, however, he had realized belatedly that whatever she wanted was important for one simple reason: She wanted it. It would make her happy, and that was what he wanted to do. There was only one other thing he wanted more, and that was to be with her.

"Angel," she called to him, and though she, too, was smiling, there were tears in her misty, hazel eyes. "I know what you're doing."

He met her evenly. "Then you know there's no sense in arguing with me."

Her smile grew, and yet there were still tears in her lovely eyes. "I wasn't going to," she replied. "The time is right . . . " She paused. " . . . at last," she finished. He heard the emotions in her tone and knew he was right. She had been there with him all along, doing what little she could to help him win and waiting with as much desperation and fragile hope as he had all these years for this time to come.

"I love you, Cordelia!"

"I love you too, Angel!"

"Then why are you crying?"

There was no more distance between them. He stood just before her light. She gazed up into his handsome face, and at last he could see the joy in her tear-filled, hazel eyes. "Because I'm so happy!" She grabbed him, hugging him tightly, and he went with her into the light.

When sunset came, Spike knew already, instinctively, that he was too late. He didn't see the dust that Angel had left behind for it had already been swept away in the wind, but he did find the note. He found the note, read it, hung his head, and smiled, and for the first time in millennia, Spike said a quick, little prayer not to any deity in particular but to ask that his friends' happiness last forever. And it did.

The End





Waiting For Eternity 8-20-08, rated K+/PG
Characters: Angel/Cordy
She will wait for him for an eternity.






Empty
And cold.
Lonely
And still as death.
That's how you left me,
In the grave you built
Where you buried me
Out of sight,
Out of mind.

The others still weep for me.
They question your judgment
At every turn, much as I would have
Were I still there,
But what of you, my Prince?
You've turned to the darkness.
They don't see it yet,
But I do from where I watch.

You're not the man I thought.
You're not the Vampire I dreamed of
Or the hero I gave everything for.
You've let them in.
You've allowed yourself to be blinded.
Silence the pain,
Silence the thoughts,
Silence the guilt.

But you've forgotten one thing
I never thought you'd want to.
You've shut the others away,
Turned off your emotions,
Blockaded your memories,
And you've forgotten me.

You think I'm gone, gone forever,
That I chose to leave you,
But you're wrong.
You were the one
Who chose to leave me.

I'm still here, still waiting,
As I did for so long in first
The Slayer's shadow and then Darla's.
I'm still out here waiting, Angel,
For you to rescue me,
But you're not coming, are you?

You've left me here,
Abandoned me to a death
That was not mine.
You never once investigated
To see what had happened,
How she had my body,
What had happened to my soul.

And so I wait
On a cloud
In a plane
That you can't see,
That you won't see
For lack of even trying,
For a rescue
That I'm beginning to think
Is never going to happen.

But I'm not in the ground
Where you laid me.
I'm not in Heaven,
Though the thought of Hell
I sometimes find comforting.
At least that would be
A different kind of pain.

I'm waiting but I'm
No longer in your heart,
No longer in your thoughts.
I'm waiting where you should
Be able to find a way
To see me if only
You'd just look
But you won't look
And you won't see
So I suppose I'm waiting
For eternity.

The End




What We Face We Face Together, posted 7-18-06, rated PG-13/T
Characters: Angel/Cordy
Cordelia refuses to accept being fired.





He waited there, in the dark that was such an old and comforting friend to him, listening intently. He knew they had not gone, not even moved one single inch from the table. All three still sat in the same spot that they had when he had fired them. He growled softly, allowing his frustration and anger to show with the sound so soft that it could only be heard by his advanced hearing and with a flash of his deadly fangs. He couldn't figure them out. Why didn't they leave? Were they in shock? In shock that he had dared to fire the three people that stood in his way of success?

His ears pricked. He sniffed the air. She was coming this way! Quickly, he started to flee, but even his superhuman speed was not enough to make his escape in time as a light was suddenly switched on, forcing his darkness to flee. He turned to her, morphing as he did into his full Vampire state, hoping to scare her away. "I thought I told you to leave!" he growled.

She stood in the doorway, looking calmly to him. He wondered why he did not scare her. Although she had been through a lot and had turned into a brave and beautiful young warrioress, he knew she still tended to be spooked rather easily. Had he lost his touch? Had he truly gone soft? She nodded curtly, and he violently shoved aside the thought of how beautiful her hair was and how he longed to be allowed to run his fingers through it and to smell her delicious shampoo once more. "You did," she admitted in a soft, calm voice.

"Then why didn't you?" he demanded, flashing his fangs in what he hoped she would take to be a warning.

Her eyes flashed darkly. How could he be so ignorant! How could he think so little of her! Was she really that meaningless in his life? Could she truly be that insignificant to him? Her emotions threatened to give her away as she remembered the way he had acted when she had had that vision that evening and had needed his help, when the innocent had needed his help and he had tried so determinedly to refuse that aid, but she refused to let him see her tears. She proudly raised her head and looked to him, her eyes a hard and cold mask once more, as she demanded, a note of a strange mixture of emotions to her voice, "Did you really think we would?" She took a step closer to him as she added, "Did you truly think you could get rid of us that easily, Angel?"

The dark flash in her gorgeous eyes had not gone unnoticed by him, and he had to force a smile. Cordelia Chase had always been beautiful and her looks, spirit, and very essence improved as she grew older, but she had always been most beautiful when she was her angriest. Then, something had changed in her eyes, even though it had only lasted there for a second. What was that he had seen in her eyes? Please Gods, he found himself thinking, much to his complete surprise, don't let it be tears. He couldn't stand hurting her, but he knew he had to do what he had to do. Her words then took him by even more surprise, and he stood, silent, unsure of what to respond with, feeling oddly helpless as he watched her cross the room to stand right before him. "I'm the boss," he growled, knowing all the time it was a lame excuse.

Her hands went instinctively to her hips as she glared up at him. She nodded again. "Yes, you're the boss, even though you rarely pay us anything. Do you really think we hang around here for the money, Angel? When, and again I stress this, you rarely pay us? NO! Of course not! We aren't going anywhere, and you can't make us."

Her eyes seemed to dare him to try. The palms of his hands itched, but not to hit her. With a dangerous flash of his sharp, deadly fangs, Angel growled, "You'll do as you're told. If I have to make you leave, I will! I want all three of you gone by the time I return!" He turned on his heel, his long, black trench coat flying around him as he did so, and started to stalk out the room.

But she followed him. If he thought she was going to let him escape that easily and go all Mister Dark and Broody again, by himself nonetheless, he really needed to check in with a psychiatrist, because there was simply no way that was going to happen. She wouldn't let it. Not even over her own dead body. But she knew that would never happen. He would never hurt her. Quickly, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Angel," she started but never got the chance to finish.

He whirled around at her touch, his fist flying around with him as he did so. She did not even flinch, and his hand stopped short, ending in cupping her cheek instead. Why in the hell hadn't he scared her? Was she as insane as he was?

His gentle touch sent a shiver down her spine. She turned her mouth slightly and allowed her lips to brush gently against the palm of his hand. When she looked back to him, she couldn't help but notice the confusion shining in his black eyes. "I'm not scared of you, Angel. I never could be. But don't get me wrong. It's not because you're not scary, 'cause you sure as heck are. You just don't scare me." She smiled up at him, flashing him one of her very best. "I trust you. So do the others. We're not going to leave you. I don't know what you're thinking in trying to send us away except maybe to keep us safe, but it's not going to work. We're more than just a detective agency and a damn good team. We're a family, Angel, and what we face, we face together."

"But you can't handle Darla or Dru! I'll get you hurt! Killed even!" he protested, starting to pull back away from her.

Her hands moved fast to catch his retreating hand. "No, you won't."

"Yes, I will, Cordy. You, of all people, should know the dangers, especially the dangers with Dru. She's insane, deadly and insane, and Darla's even worse right now. I couldn't save Darla." Tears flooded his eyes, and she ached to be able to reach out to him. "I've taken so many lives and failed so many others." He shook his head slowly and sadly from side to side. "I can't bare the thought of anything happening to any of you, least of all you. You have to leave! All of you! NOW!" He bellowed the last, jerking away from her and turning his back to her.

She let out a slow breath, knowing she had to have patience with him. Reaching out, she gently touched his shoulder and tried to turn him around to face her. "I'm not going anywhere, Angel, and neither are the others. You aren't going to get rid of us. Wherever you go, we'll be there. I know how bad Dru is, and I can only imagine how terrible you feel. But that won't happen to us, and just look at all the lives you've saved!" Tears welled in her own eyes. "I think I know what you're trying to pull off here, Angel, and it's not going to work. You're trying to get us out of the way, not only to protect us but also so that there'll be no one left to keep you from changing. I'll be damned before I let Angelus out!"

He dared to turn to look at her. She was so beautiful, and as her anger built, she grew even more beautiful! However, he could also see the tears welling in her eyes, and he hated himself for having put them there. Unable to deny the truth of her words, Angel just stood there, watching her in silence.

Feeling a little more optimistic now that she knew she had his full attention, Cordelia continued, her eyes flashing with each new sentence. "You may think unleashing Angelus is the only answer to bringing down Darla and Dru, but you're wrong, Angel! Angelus isn't you, but a Demon within you! We all have our Demons, and we all have to fight them, at both the best and worst times of our lives. Yours just happens to be able to be made flesh. But it's our friends and family that help us to fight those Demons. You can walk out that door right now. You can walk out and never come back. Or you can fight us, try to make us leave. Either way, I promise you, Angel, you won't win. Not this. If you fight us, we'll have to protect ourselves if it gets too bad, but I believe in you, Angel, and I know that you would never intentionally do anything to harm any of us. If you leave, we'll hunt you down. You're not the only one able to track, you know. But either way, we will find you, and we will not let you down. We will be there for you, no matter what you do, when you need us as you do now. You can't get rid of us, Angel, and Angelus is going to stay down in there! He's not coming out!"

Her tears were now flowing freely down her face. Oh, how he wished he could just kiss them all away! "Cordy..." his voice came out in a whisper. His hands ached to hold her, to comfort her; his own eyes filled with tears.

Her body was shaking with the intense feelings roaring within her blood. "By God, Angel, I love you, and I don't give a damn what I have to do, but I won't let anything bad happen to you!"

At those words, he couldn't control himself any longer. He had not even realized when he had returned to his human form, but he still moved too fast for her to be able to stop him even if she had wanted to. Angel pulled her trembling form into his strong yet gentle arms, softly tilted her head to look up at him, and lowered his own, pressing his lips against hers in a kiss that spoke to her and promised her undying love if only she would have him. He expected her to pull away, but to his utter and complete surprise and even more to his delight, Cordelia wrapped her arms around him, leaning her body to his, and kissed him back with equal passion.

He forced himself to part the kiss. "Cordy..."

As if sensing what he had in mind, she reached up and placed a fingertip softly on his lips. "Don't, Angel. I really do love you."

Her statement, simple as it was though with such enormous meaning and a wondrous blessing behind it, made his knees go weak. Reaching an almost trembling hand up to gently stroke her face, he reached out with his other arm to pull her even closer to him, their bodies pressing heatedly together. "I love you too, Cordy." And with that, he kissed her again, this time with even more passion than before.

The End




Why She Does It All, posted 6-2-13, rated K+/PG
Characters: Angel/Cordy
He's her reason.






There are so many times she tries not to think about what she's doing, how she's laying her life on the line for people who could never be worthy to have them save their asses. There are so many times she tries valiantly to ignore the pain of her visions and her fear of what they will eventually do to her. There are so many times when she's afraid for all of their lives, but then, in those rare times in between fighting Demons and saving the world, Angel smiles at her and Cordelia remembers why she does it all.

The End