Title: Here Be Monsters
Author: biggerstaffbunch
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that ME or 20th Century Fox does. I'd like to own Jason, but alas, Saban has that privilege.
A/N: In response to a challenge issued forth by the incomparable Dingo: I have a challenge for anyone...pretty much anyone...a Power Rangers/Angel crossover. Entailing what? Anyone notice how alike Jason and Dennis (Cordelia's ghost roommate) look? Explain that. Well let's see...a story of Cordelia/Jason...of at least two freaky dreams...and just for fun, let's throw in a Doyle/Angel pairing. Feel up to it? …Yup. J I hope I do your fics justice, Dingo!
Continuity: Set in S1, after A Rm W/a Vu, as for PR, set after Forever Red, logic be damned
Chapter One: In which our Heroine meets our Hero, and we see what waking up at 2 o'clock in the morning will do to first-impressions.
Chapter One
It was about 2.a.m when the sleek black Jaguar purred to a stop in front of Cordelia Chase's apartment building. Its lights blinked twice and then dimmed, and the tinted window of the driver's seat rolled down. A man tilted his head out the window to survey the darkened window of Ms. Chase's apartment. He looked at the scrap of paper tucked into the air-conditioning vent.
Cordelia Chase
Pearson Arms, Apt. #212
The car door opened slowly and a tall, well-built man stepped out. He grabbed the piece of paper still tucked into the vent and curled it into his fist. 'Here goes,' he thought to himself, smiling lazily. He looked up at the darkened window again. 'I'm sorry to disturb, Ms. Chase…but some things just need to be done. And Angel Investigations is the only place that can help me.'
With that, the man started up the cold stone steps leading to the heavy doors of the building. He pressed the buzzer once- twice- a third time.
A sleepy voice said, "Mhm, hello?"
"Ms. Chase?" the man said.
The voice was more alert now. "Maybe. Who is this?"
"My name is Jason Lee Scott, Ma'am. I'm the guy who called about that job? From London?"
"The job…the job…the job! Oh! Oh, shit shit shit!" There was fumbling. "Um, okay, come on up!"
A buzz.
Jason smiled as he stepped through the doors. If Ms. Chase was half as attractive as her sleep-laden voice, this was going to be most interesting.
OoO
Cordelia Chase was dreaming. It wasn't the happy sort of dream that you remembered later, either. It was the mean, nasty, freaky sort of dream that hanging out with a vampire and a drunk will get you. Cordy knew, she just freakin' knew that when she woke up, she'd have stress wrinkles. Ugh.
There was a monster of some kind, uglier than most of the baddies that were dealt with by Angel Investigations (okay, more like just Angel himself, because hello, getting down and dirty with the minions of Hell was so not in the job description anymore). It was tall and hulking and had leathery black skin and red eyes and- holy crap, it looked like an overgrown gorilla! An overgrown gorilla in a gold bodysuit!
And then there was the chick with the funky hat and overgrown potato sack. Ewww, well obviously, Fashion 101 was not a required course to be evil. If it was, these bozos flunked big time. Please, twin horns and frosted eyeshadow? The 80's went out for a reason, honey-
Cordelia was the only person in the world who provided a running commentary for her nightmares.
BZZZZZZZZZZ!
And then suddenly, the whacked-out looking gorilla man and his witchy compatriot stopped mattering. Because it was 2 a.m and someone was ignoring the Golden Rule: Cordy needs her beauty rest.
The harsh buzz sounded again and Cordelia's hand whipped out from under her covers to mindlessly swipe at her alarm clock. It took several pushes of the 'snooze' button for Cordelia to realize that it was the door buzzer that needed addressing.
With a groan, she got up and yawning, she padded to the door. She pressed the 'receive' button and mumbled, "Hello?" Probably Doyle, she thought savagely. In which case, he deserves to behold Night!Cordy.
It was an unfamiliar voice, however, that answered her.
"Ms. Chase?" No brogue, no barely-leashed tortured sigh. So no Doyle, no Angel. Who the hell was waking her up at 2 'o'clock in the A.M?
"Maybe," she said guardedly, suddenly more alert. She clutched the edge of her t-shirt. "Who's this?"
The buzzer crackled. "My name is Jason Lee Scott, Ma'am. I'm the guy who called about that job? From London?"
Cordelia scratched her head. London…well, there was Giles, but he wass back in Sunnydale. What-
"Cordelia, listen, this guy from London is coming in tonight. He's supposed to be some sort of demon expert, been in the field for years. He may want to join up with us. If he calls, tell him the number of the hotel room you were supposed to have reserved for him."
"Mhhm."
"Cordy? This guy is important. He has manpower, and we're always looking for extra manpower. And-"
"Okay, okay, Angel! Jeez, what do I look like, a secretary?"
-Oh, crap.
"-Um, the job. The job. The job! Oh. Oh, shit, shit shit. Okay, um, come on up!"
Cordelia swore under her breath just for good measure, and then she blew a breath out. When she had given the man her address this morning, it had been the result of a very hectic morning of missed auditions and mishaps in the filing cabinet that were apparently her fault. So she confused Pearson Arms with Holiday Inn, everyone made mistakes! But she never dreamt that she'd have to take him up on it.
And at 2. a.m, no less.
Cordelia sniffed and tilted her chin up defiantly. Well, okay, fine, she could live with some old dude kicking it at her place for a day or two, but she sure as hell was not gonna take the time to look nice. She patted her hair. Maybe the rat's nest would turn him off.
Cordy smirked and preened. As if.
There was a knock at the door. Cordelia yawned again and cricked her neck. She slid the lock out of place and turned the door handle.
The door swung open.
Oh. My. Lord.
The man standing in front of her was most definitely not an old fogey. He was tall and burly, wearing a crimson t-shirt and weather-worn jeans that clung to some very nice curves. Black boots and a leather jacket slung from his sculpted shoulders were ruggedly dusty, and expensive black shades sat on his head. His well-coiffed head. Mmm, he had dark hair and dark eyes, and a blinding smile.
Cordelia likes. Cordelia wants. Cordelia-
"Um, Miss Chase?" Jason reached up to touch his lip with a vague gesture. "You have a little-"
Cordelia gave a weak smile. Drool. Yes. Of course, she would have drool dripping down her mouth in front of the most delectable piece of-
"Haha," she laughed loudly. "I just woke up, you know how it is, um, how do you do, come in come in." She touched her hair self-consciously and silently berated herself for not combing it down.
"Thanks." Jason looked around, his eyes calmly surveying the room. "Nice place," he commented.
The lights flickered on an off, the windows banged open and shut, and the overhead fan picked up full-speed fluttering papers everywhere.
Jason turned to look at Cordelia with a raised eyebrow.
"Ghost," she said faintly.
It was going to be a long night.
OoO
"So," Jason said softly, scanning his eyes around the room, "You're saying you live with a ghost? And even though you work against demons and the supernatural, you're fine with this arrangement?"
The beautiful girl named Cordelia Chase gave a shrug, the edge of her tee-shirt riding up the length of a slim, tanned leg as she shifted on the couch. If he wasn't here on a mission, Jason had a feeling he'd have liked to inspect every expanse of her skin more closely.
"I'm okay with it- I mean, you live on a Hellmouth for eighteen years and you get used to the creepy crawlies. Besides, Denn- my ghost, he's pretty okay to live with. A great roommate." She giggles at her own joke. "And," she starts, her eyes widening, "Angel's always around to protect us from the super supernatural. You still have to meet him in the morning! Oh, God, please don't tell him I forgot to get you a hotel. Please. He'll absolutely go broody on me."
Jason laughed. Obviously Cordelia was a bit afraid of her surly-seeming boss. He leaned over and placed his hand on hers. "No problem," he said, his eyes fastening on her brown gaze. "Our secret is safe with me."
Cordelia seemed to falter for a second before she pulled away. "Well- haha, anyways. What about you? You said you're originally from California, what are you doing coming back from London?"
Jason gave a shrug. "I went to UCLA for a couple of years, decided it wasn't for me. I sort of wanted to- see the world, I guess. I have a friend who's in London studying ballet with a dance company there, so I shacked up with her for awhile. While there, a whole new world opened up to me." He swept his hand around vaguely. "This world. I learned afterwards that London is on what the books call a Hellmouth. My friend- she got attacked by a vampire." His eyes darkened. "Until then, living in Angel Grove, we were aware of monsters and aliens and shit like that. But we didn't know the stuff of nightmares, demons and vampires and werewolves, we didn't know they were real. If we had, I'd have been better prepared." Jason's fingers flexed as his gaze unfocused for a second.
Cordelia made a sympathetic noise. "Yeah," she breathed. "I used to hang out with this crowd that killed the creepy-crawlies like it was their job." She gave a smile. "Now it is my job. I guess that explains why you're here. Fight the good fight and all."
Jason shook his head. "If it was that, Ms. Chase, there are many other organizations in the world I could have joined up with. No, this is more than a simple desire to help. This is revenge." His eyes burned slightly and Cordelia seemed to shiver. "I've become well-versed in the lore of Angelus, and now I'm told that you are the only one who can help me get to him. A vampire with a soul. Confusing concept, but-" he shook his head. "I'm telling you why I'm here, because I'd rather not lie.
"I need Angelus's help, and in turn, I can help you all."