TITLE: Labyrinth
AUTHOR: Andrea [email] buttermilk55@hotmail.com [/email]
SPOILERS: None that I can think of
GENRE: Sci-fi, action, suspense, drama
SHIP: C/A, with some twist and turns regarding the other romantic couples...+ some crossovers at some point.
NOTE: This serves as a sequel to THE SACRIFICE but you don't really need to have read The Sacrifice to enjoy this one.
A Little Sacrifice resume: In the Sacrifice, you were introduced to Emily Chase, Cordelia's cousin. Emily had escaped from a mental institute in which the Chase family had her committed. She arrived in LA with a secret and a mission -- she was working for The Powers. Emily was able to see Ghost and spirits and her job was to help them cross over. The process was one that proved to be too painful for Emily to withstand, and therefore, because of her human nature, her mission and power killed her. She died in Cordelia's arms at the Hyperion, with Angel, Fred, Wesley and Gunn looking on. But before dying, Emily did leave something behind that would change the course of Cordelia's life forever. She left a message: Don't let what happened to me happen to you. Don't be afraid to save yourself. She also informed Angel about the prophecy which said that intimacy with a man of demon-blood could relieve the pain in which Cordelia found herself due to the visions. As the days went by, Cordelia's state worsened and eventually, after a long and heated debate, Angel convinced Cordelia that the risk was worth it if it was going to save her. Before, Angel made Cordy promise that if anything happened to him she would stake him without any hesitation. Despite fears and an unwillingness to risk Angel's redemption, Cordy promised. The two of them made love and as a result, Angelus was reborn. A very emotional and violent confrontation ensued between Cordy and Angelus in the basement of the Hyperion, where Emily had died, and while beaten to the ground, Cordelia heartbreakingly staked Angelus. Plagued with "visions" of Emily and Angel, and with the sudden arrival of the Scooby Gang, Cordelia began to shut herself from the rest of the world, until a very emotional talk with Buffy occurred. As the two were talking, sitting on the floor in the training room, Joyce Summers and Emily Chase's Ghosts appeared to the two of them, somehow trying to comfort the two lost women, and also to finish Emily's mission. By the means of her Powers, Emily was able to let Cordelia speak with The Powers face to face for the first time. They gave Cordy a choice. Angel had relieved her from the pain, but the visions remained...unless Cordelia wished to lose them forever. The moment of truth. Instinctively, Cordelia refused to lose them and chose to keep the painless visions. As the words left Cordelia's mouth, Angel's body fell from the sky, as if sent back as a token of The Powers' gratitude. No one understood what had happened, or how Angel had gotten back...or why...until Emily's Ghost appeared once again. Emily said her emotional goodbyes to Angel and Cordelia, separately, as Cordy realized that Emily had been the one to send Angel back. That was her mission. She was The Sacrifice. Emily gave her life to save Cordy's and Angel's. Angel and Cordy's relationship was now changed forever. But instead of the awkwardness that had been anticipated, a sense of comfort surrounded them. They all visited Emily's grave in Sunnydale, and under the midnight rain, Cordelia and Angel kissed....
So that's basically all you need to know if you haven't read THE SACRIFICE.
SUMMARY (Labyrinth): One month after the tumultuous events in The Sacrifice. When Cordy's life is threatened by a demon who traps her inside her own body, a journey inside her head may turn out to be a lot more than any of them bargained for...No rules, no guide...no way out. The demon plays off their fears, he plays off their insecurities...he plays off her memories...It's his game, inside her head....and they are all players.
Labyrinth
CHAPTER 1 -- Clueless
[i]"There is nothing wider and more powerful than the human mind.
The soul.
With its fears, its doubts. Its beauty and its strength. Its knowledge and its innocence. With its hopes and memories.
With its endless capacities and its restraint desire to be exposed."
[/i]
--
The hours went by slowly but surely at first. Then the days, and somehow the pain began to ease. The weeks passed them by, one by one, and, as it is often the case, things slowly got back to normal.
Or at least, as normal as it had ever been for them.
Cordelia, Angel, Wesley, Fred and Gunn all fell back into their demon fighting with ease.
It had been a months. A month, 2 days and 8 hours since Angel's soul had been restored and he had been sent back on earth to be exact. Not that Cordelia was counting or anything...
Right.
The image of Emily never left her, but contrary to before, this time, it was an image of a peaceful and free Emily that stayed in her mind. Once in a while, that image would be blurred a little, but Cordy had vowed not to allow herself to think of everything that her young cousin had gone through. The mental institute, growing up as a Chase, her life as a warrior for the Powers, her becoming one of the very things that killed her: a ghost...She liked to believe Emily's last words and the fact that she was now safe from it all.
Cordelia -- as well as Angel and the rest of them -- took comfort in the fact that Emily was probably in a better place. And that she was still there, with them, in her own way.
That evening, the moon watched wisely over that huge ball called earth. She hung brightly in the sky, surrounded by a handful of sparkly little companions who seemed to keep the sky pinned up in its rightful place.
Books and sheets of paper were spread out in a mess on Cordelia's kitchen table. Cutout articles of newspaper lay on top of a pile of research books, an emptied glass of blood stood nearby, while a pair of glass landed on the side of the wooden table. On the floor, some more books had been left to dry after proving to be useless to their search. Jackets were crushing one another on a tiny chair near the wall...
Another night, another case.
They had been having what had appeared to be one quiet, demon-free take-out dinner when Cordelia had been hit by a vision. Already equipped to deal with whatever kind of research they could possibly face right there in Cordy's apartment, they chose to stay instead of heading back to the Hyperion.
--
Outside, a shadow moved towards the window at a pace unknown to human kind, and looked inside Cordelia's apartment.
Red eyes appeared into the dark night, waiting.
--
Gunn and Wesley sat on one side of the table, occasionally arguing about what book and information made more sense. Fred sat across from them, giving a slight giggle here and there at their childish behavior, not to mention their obliviousness to what was happening right before their eyes.
Cordelia and Angel were sitting on opposite ends of the table, sometimes pretending to be reading, or researching, but mostly, they were busy sharing those silent looks that Fred had come to know so well.
Angel and Cordy had decided to take things slowly and with care when it came to their newfound relationship. Even in their attempts to keep it low- key and separate from AI, Fred had picked up on it very quickly. After everything that had happened, it seemed perfectly normal to her that these two would have realized how they feel about one another. What amused her the most -- beside their resolve to keep it low-key until they knew exactly where they were going with this -- was Gunn and Wesley complete obliviousness to those little things. The looks, the smiles, the little whispers. Fred sometimes shook her head with a laugh at how clueless the guys seemed to be. Sometimes she wondered if they were even aware of what had been happening between Angel and Cordelia in the last month. She'd promised Cordy and Angel that she would keep their secret until they thought the time was right to reveal it to everyone, but she couldn't believe that Gunn and Wesley weren't at least a tiny bit suspicious.
After all, they were Cordelia and Angel. Not the two subtlest people she knew.
Fred's lips curved into a tiny smile as she pretended to keep on reading, completely aware that Angel had not looked at the book he was holding for at least five minutes. Someone else might have found the situation uncomfortable, but Fred, for one, simply found it amusing. Besides, she respected their choice to figure things out before bringing it out in the open. It was only natural, especially since their relationship was one that was bound to be complicated. And it wasn't as if they were desperately trying to hide it... The guys were just blind.
Very blind.
"Man...What's up?" Gunn frowned, as Angel snapped out of his gaze with shock.
His head snapped and he stared at Gunn, horrified. Fred couldn't help the laughter that escaped her throat, which she forced down immediately after. Cordy innocently lowered her eyes down to her book, trying not to smile.
"Nothing. Nothing is up." Angel emphasized with a little embarrassment while Gunn and Wesley shot him a confused and concerned look.
The two girls held back a burst of laughter at Angel's distressed tone. Wesley turned to face them just as they were managing to put back on some distorted form of serious faces. Sensing the awkward silence in which they suddenly found themselves, Fred dropped her book on the table and decided to take control of the situation.
"You know what..." she exclaimed as if she'd just remembered something extremely important. "I just remembered that we have this book that could help..." she said with an overdose of enthusiasm.
"What book?" Gunn asked, curious.
"This book that I have..." Fred emphasized, as both, Cordy and Angel looked at her silently.
"I don't remember any book on green, gloomy, dud-infested hallways..." he countered.
"Yes...I..." Fred insisted, getting up suddenly. "I am positive that I have this book...back at the hotel." she heavily emphasized.
By that time, Cordy had figured out exactly what Fred was trying to do. She considered stopping her but the scene was just a tad too amusing for her to get up the courage to break it off.
"It can't hurt to look into it, since we have no clue what that vision meant..." Gunn agreed, getting up as well.
Fred waited for Wesley to follow their lead but he didn't. She rolled her eyes and walked towards him, pulling on his arm until he was up. He looked at her, a little confused by her sudden behavior.
"You're coming too." she smiled.
"Why? You guys can surely find the book and bring it back here without me..." he began but Fred immediately interrupted him.
"No." she informed him quickly. "We need you....you're...." she searched for something that would convince him. "You're the brain." she finished with a bright smile.
Wesley seemed pleased with the compliment and Fred proceeded to drag the two guys to the door. Then, Wesley stopped and turned to face Cordelia and Angel, who both looked conspicuously quiet. But, of course, only Fred really noticed.
"Aren't you guys coming as well?" Wesley inquired from the kitchen entrance.
Fred pulled on his arm forcefully, which stunned him a little.
"And leave this mess to Dennis?!" she exclaimed in a very convincing manner according to Cordelia. "We'll call you if we find anything." Fred smiled at Angel and Cordy.
Cordelia got up and walked her friends to the door. Wesley, Fred and Gunn disappeared into the night just as she closed the door behind them. A tiny, amused grin came over her lips as she stared at her own front door. She slowly turned around, and with a little sigh, leaned against the door behind her. Her bright eyes caught Angel's tall figure standing at a fair distance from where she was. He was staring at her with these eyes that she recognized so well.
Those eyes. She could easily get lost in them.
"There isn't any book, is there?" Angel softly pondered out loud, which made Cordelia smile brightly.
"Most definitely not." was her only amused answer.
Angel carefully, and slowly, took a step forward, getting closer and closer to her as he spoke.
"...She did that on purpose..." he couldn't help the genuine grin that passed on his lips for an instant.
"Big time..." Cordy replied, her voice a little lower, now that he was standing inches away from her.
Her back was still leaning against the door when Angel stopped walking. He cautiously lowered his face a little, as if he was going to whisper the softest secret to her ear. They seemed to stand still for a few seconds, lips millimeters away from one another, eyes locked in a transcendent embrace...
"We should tell her that's unnecessary..." he unconvincingly offered, referring to Fred's little stunt with the guys.
Cordelia attempted a nod, which came across just as convincing as Angel's words.
"Sure..." she whispered in an automatic voice.
As soon as the words had left her mouth, her lips were pressed against Angel's, dancing a dance they had both been craving for a while now. Angel felt her fingers softly brush the back of his neck. They marveled for a moment in the delicious embrace of their kiss before finally pulling away, still holding one another. A tiny grin - one of those he secretly reserved only for her - came across his lips. Cordelia couldn't help but return his smile, even as their faces stood inches apart.
"Hi." Angel whispered, suddenly at a lack for words.
"Hi." Cordy replied, staring into his eyes.
Angel sighed and rested his forehead against hers.
"I've been wanting to do this all day." He finally admitted, which brought a satisfied smile on Cordelia's face.
"I've been wanting you to do this all day." she assured him.
She then lifted her head up to his and kissed him softly. He wrapped his arms tighter around her as they heard the sound of the TV being turned off. Obviously unaffected by Dennis' not-so-subtle way of making his presence known, Cordy and Angel let a tiny, muffled giggle escape their throats as they continued kissing.
Suddenly the lights went out and an intense silence invaded Cordelia's apartment. Cordy sighed, pulled away from Angel's embrace and shook her head softly.
"Dennis.." She muttered, taking a step towards the living room. "Dennis, you're freaking out again." she warned him as she turned the lights back on in the living room.
Ever since the little incident a month back between Angel and Cordy, Dennis had been a little worried, and overly protective of Cordelia. He had witnessed first-hand what facing Angelus and killing him had done to her, and the last thing he wanted was for Angelus to somehow resurface. He had become a little edgy whenever Cordy and Angel were alone, and even though Cordelia had done her best to reassure her favorite ghost, Dennis still sometimes had a problem with the newfound closeness between his friend and the vampire.
"It's just kissing Dennis." Cordy reminded him from the doorway. "Chill." She then laughed, as if she was explaining the ways of life to a 6 year- old.
"Is there still a problem with Dennis and." Angel frowned as Cordelia grabbed his hand and led him into the living room.
"Dennis is just being Dennis. There is no prob." she began but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Her face dropped and she felt a loud pounding in her brain, as if it was about to explode in millions of tiny pieces. Her breath got caught in her throat and in less time than it took Angel to realize that something was wrong, Cordelia crashed onto the floor with a painful agonizing cry. She grabbed her head with sudden despair as Angel threw himself on the floor beside her.
VISION
[I]She saw images of chains, heard the sound of them clinging together. These images were intercepted with the sight of a large green corridor in which someone ran desperately.
Blood spreading on the floor.
The bright flashes of light blinded her vision for a few seconds. She saw the shadow of someone chained to a wall and then the bright lights appeared again, like the sun in the middle of summer.
Water.
She couldn't breathe..all she could see was water. Water everywhere..only water.
END VISION
The screaming stopped.
The agitation ceased.
Just as Angel's panic grew. He turned Cordelia over on her back only to find her unconscious. He shouted her name a couple of times but Cordelia never opened her eyes. She never responded.
She never got up.
The panic on Angel's face became obvious at the second he noticed the small traces of blood coming from Cordy's mouth. He grabbed her unconscious body and gathered her into his arms as his eyes filled with fear. Her body was shaking, as if she was receiving shockwaves.
"Dennis!" Angel shouted, as he carried Cordelia to her bedroom.
Just as the name had left his lips, Dennis pushed the door to Cordy's bedroom open while Angel helped Cordelia inside. He carefully laid her on the bed, fearfully whispering her name in that soft, worried tone of his.
"Cordy..Cordy come on."
Angel's eyes automatically filled with invisible tears as he reached to touch the side of her face.
The moment he did so, he was thrown across the room violently. His body flew until he hit the wall behind the door.
--
The air was cool.
All she could feel was the wetness on her face. She suddenly reminded herself to breathe, and that's when the panic began. She couldn't breathe.
She was lying in the water.
Cordelia was thrust back to consciousness and she jumped up. Her head snapped and as it emerged from the inch of water that covered the cold rocky ground, she gasped for air. Her hair was slightly wet, as were her clothes as she breathlessly looked around herself.
Her vision was a bit blurry but all she could make out in the dark were rocky walls, a low ceiling and lots of water. She was crawling in about an inch of water.in what looked like a creepy cave.
Her body aching, her heart racing and her hands bleeding, Cordy inhaled rapidly as fear settled in.
Where was she?
She held her breath for a moment. Her voice filled with fear, she spoke:
"Now [b]this[/b] could be a problem." she said to herself, trying not to panic.
--
AUTHOR: Andrea [email] buttermilk55@hotmail.com [/email]
SPOILERS: None that I can think of
GENRE: Sci-fi, action, suspense, drama
SHIP: C/A, with some twist and turns regarding the other romantic couples...+ some crossovers at some point.
NOTE: This serves as a sequel to THE SACRIFICE but you don't really need to have read The Sacrifice to enjoy this one.
A Little Sacrifice resume: In the Sacrifice, you were introduced to Emily Chase, Cordelia's cousin. Emily had escaped from a mental institute in which the Chase family had her committed. She arrived in LA with a secret and a mission -- she was working for The Powers. Emily was able to see Ghost and spirits and her job was to help them cross over. The process was one that proved to be too painful for Emily to withstand, and therefore, because of her human nature, her mission and power killed her. She died in Cordelia's arms at the Hyperion, with Angel, Fred, Wesley and Gunn looking on. But before dying, Emily did leave something behind that would change the course of Cordelia's life forever. She left a message: Don't let what happened to me happen to you. Don't be afraid to save yourself. She also informed Angel about the prophecy which said that intimacy with a man of demon-blood could relieve the pain in which Cordelia found herself due to the visions. As the days went by, Cordelia's state worsened and eventually, after a long and heated debate, Angel convinced Cordelia that the risk was worth it if it was going to save her. Before, Angel made Cordy promise that if anything happened to him she would stake him without any hesitation. Despite fears and an unwillingness to risk Angel's redemption, Cordy promised. The two of them made love and as a result, Angelus was reborn. A very emotional and violent confrontation ensued between Cordy and Angelus in the basement of the Hyperion, where Emily had died, and while beaten to the ground, Cordelia heartbreakingly staked Angelus. Plagued with "visions" of Emily and Angel, and with the sudden arrival of the Scooby Gang, Cordelia began to shut herself from the rest of the world, until a very emotional talk with Buffy occurred. As the two were talking, sitting on the floor in the training room, Joyce Summers and Emily Chase's Ghosts appeared to the two of them, somehow trying to comfort the two lost women, and also to finish Emily's mission. By the means of her Powers, Emily was able to let Cordelia speak with The Powers face to face for the first time. They gave Cordy a choice. Angel had relieved her from the pain, but the visions remained...unless Cordelia wished to lose them forever. The moment of truth. Instinctively, Cordelia refused to lose them and chose to keep the painless visions. As the words left Cordelia's mouth, Angel's body fell from the sky, as if sent back as a token of The Powers' gratitude. No one understood what had happened, or how Angel had gotten back...or why...until Emily's Ghost appeared once again. Emily said her emotional goodbyes to Angel and Cordelia, separately, as Cordy realized that Emily had been the one to send Angel back. That was her mission. She was The Sacrifice. Emily gave her life to save Cordy's and Angel's. Angel and Cordy's relationship was now changed forever. But instead of the awkwardness that had been anticipated, a sense of comfort surrounded them. They all visited Emily's grave in Sunnydale, and under the midnight rain, Cordelia and Angel kissed....
So that's basically all you need to know if you haven't read THE SACRIFICE.
SUMMARY (Labyrinth): One month after the tumultuous events in The Sacrifice. When Cordy's life is threatened by a demon who traps her inside her own body, a journey inside her head may turn out to be a lot more than any of them bargained for...No rules, no guide...no way out. The demon plays off their fears, he plays off their insecurities...he plays off her memories...It's his game, inside her head....and they are all players.
Labyrinth
CHAPTER 1 -- Clueless
[i]"There is nothing wider and more powerful than the human mind.
The soul.
With its fears, its doubts. Its beauty and its strength. Its knowledge and its innocence. With its hopes and memories.
With its endless capacities and its restraint desire to be exposed."
[/i]
--
The hours went by slowly but surely at first. Then the days, and somehow the pain began to ease. The weeks passed them by, one by one, and, as it is often the case, things slowly got back to normal.
Or at least, as normal as it had ever been for them.
Cordelia, Angel, Wesley, Fred and Gunn all fell back into their demon fighting with ease.
It had been a months. A month, 2 days and 8 hours since Angel's soul had been restored and he had been sent back on earth to be exact. Not that Cordelia was counting or anything...
Right.
The image of Emily never left her, but contrary to before, this time, it was an image of a peaceful and free Emily that stayed in her mind. Once in a while, that image would be blurred a little, but Cordy had vowed not to allow herself to think of everything that her young cousin had gone through. The mental institute, growing up as a Chase, her life as a warrior for the Powers, her becoming one of the very things that killed her: a ghost...She liked to believe Emily's last words and the fact that she was now safe from it all.
Cordelia -- as well as Angel and the rest of them -- took comfort in the fact that Emily was probably in a better place. And that she was still there, with them, in her own way.
That evening, the moon watched wisely over that huge ball called earth. She hung brightly in the sky, surrounded by a handful of sparkly little companions who seemed to keep the sky pinned up in its rightful place.
Books and sheets of paper were spread out in a mess on Cordelia's kitchen table. Cutout articles of newspaper lay on top of a pile of research books, an emptied glass of blood stood nearby, while a pair of glass landed on the side of the wooden table. On the floor, some more books had been left to dry after proving to be useless to their search. Jackets were crushing one another on a tiny chair near the wall...
Another night, another case.
They had been having what had appeared to be one quiet, demon-free take-out dinner when Cordelia had been hit by a vision. Already equipped to deal with whatever kind of research they could possibly face right there in Cordy's apartment, they chose to stay instead of heading back to the Hyperion.
--
Outside, a shadow moved towards the window at a pace unknown to human kind, and looked inside Cordelia's apartment.
Red eyes appeared into the dark night, waiting.
--
Gunn and Wesley sat on one side of the table, occasionally arguing about what book and information made more sense. Fred sat across from them, giving a slight giggle here and there at their childish behavior, not to mention their obliviousness to what was happening right before their eyes.
Cordelia and Angel were sitting on opposite ends of the table, sometimes pretending to be reading, or researching, but mostly, they were busy sharing those silent looks that Fred had come to know so well.
Angel and Cordy had decided to take things slowly and with care when it came to their newfound relationship. Even in their attempts to keep it low- key and separate from AI, Fred had picked up on it very quickly. After everything that had happened, it seemed perfectly normal to her that these two would have realized how they feel about one another. What amused her the most -- beside their resolve to keep it low-key until they knew exactly where they were going with this -- was Gunn and Wesley complete obliviousness to those little things. The looks, the smiles, the little whispers. Fred sometimes shook her head with a laugh at how clueless the guys seemed to be. Sometimes she wondered if they were even aware of what had been happening between Angel and Cordelia in the last month. She'd promised Cordy and Angel that she would keep their secret until they thought the time was right to reveal it to everyone, but she couldn't believe that Gunn and Wesley weren't at least a tiny bit suspicious.
After all, they were Cordelia and Angel. Not the two subtlest people she knew.
Fred's lips curved into a tiny smile as she pretended to keep on reading, completely aware that Angel had not looked at the book he was holding for at least five minutes. Someone else might have found the situation uncomfortable, but Fred, for one, simply found it amusing. Besides, she respected their choice to figure things out before bringing it out in the open. It was only natural, especially since their relationship was one that was bound to be complicated. And it wasn't as if they were desperately trying to hide it... The guys were just blind.
Very blind.
"Man...What's up?" Gunn frowned, as Angel snapped out of his gaze with shock.
His head snapped and he stared at Gunn, horrified. Fred couldn't help the laughter that escaped her throat, which she forced down immediately after. Cordy innocently lowered her eyes down to her book, trying not to smile.
"Nothing. Nothing is up." Angel emphasized with a little embarrassment while Gunn and Wesley shot him a confused and concerned look.
The two girls held back a burst of laughter at Angel's distressed tone. Wesley turned to face them just as they were managing to put back on some distorted form of serious faces. Sensing the awkward silence in which they suddenly found themselves, Fred dropped her book on the table and decided to take control of the situation.
"You know what..." she exclaimed as if she'd just remembered something extremely important. "I just remembered that we have this book that could help..." she said with an overdose of enthusiasm.
"What book?" Gunn asked, curious.
"This book that I have..." Fred emphasized, as both, Cordy and Angel looked at her silently.
"I don't remember any book on green, gloomy, dud-infested hallways..." he countered.
"Yes...I..." Fred insisted, getting up suddenly. "I am positive that I have this book...back at the hotel." she heavily emphasized.
By that time, Cordy had figured out exactly what Fred was trying to do. She considered stopping her but the scene was just a tad too amusing for her to get up the courage to break it off.
"It can't hurt to look into it, since we have no clue what that vision meant..." Gunn agreed, getting up as well.
Fred waited for Wesley to follow their lead but he didn't. She rolled her eyes and walked towards him, pulling on his arm until he was up. He looked at her, a little confused by her sudden behavior.
"You're coming too." she smiled.
"Why? You guys can surely find the book and bring it back here without me..." he began but Fred immediately interrupted him.
"No." she informed him quickly. "We need you....you're...." she searched for something that would convince him. "You're the brain." she finished with a bright smile.
Wesley seemed pleased with the compliment and Fred proceeded to drag the two guys to the door. Then, Wesley stopped and turned to face Cordelia and Angel, who both looked conspicuously quiet. But, of course, only Fred really noticed.
"Aren't you guys coming as well?" Wesley inquired from the kitchen entrance.
Fred pulled on his arm forcefully, which stunned him a little.
"And leave this mess to Dennis?!" she exclaimed in a very convincing manner according to Cordelia. "We'll call you if we find anything." Fred smiled at Angel and Cordy.
Cordelia got up and walked her friends to the door. Wesley, Fred and Gunn disappeared into the night just as she closed the door behind them. A tiny, amused grin came over her lips as she stared at her own front door. She slowly turned around, and with a little sigh, leaned against the door behind her. Her bright eyes caught Angel's tall figure standing at a fair distance from where she was. He was staring at her with these eyes that she recognized so well.
Those eyes. She could easily get lost in them.
"There isn't any book, is there?" Angel softly pondered out loud, which made Cordelia smile brightly.
"Most definitely not." was her only amused answer.
Angel carefully, and slowly, took a step forward, getting closer and closer to her as he spoke.
"...She did that on purpose..." he couldn't help the genuine grin that passed on his lips for an instant.
"Big time..." Cordy replied, her voice a little lower, now that he was standing inches away from her.
Her back was still leaning against the door when Angel stopped walking. He cautiously lowered his face a little, as if he was going to whisper the softest secret to her ear. They seemed to stand still for a few seconds, lips millimeters away from one another, eyes locked in a transcendent embrace...
"We should tell her that's unnecessary..." he unconvincingly offered, referring to Fred's little stunt with the guys.
Cordelia attempted a nod, which came across just as convincing as Angel's words.
"Sure..." she whispered in an automatic voice.
As soon as the words had left her mouth, her lips were pressed against Angel's, dancing a dance they had both been craving for a while now. Angel felt her fingers softly brush the back of his neck. They marveled for a moment in the delicious embrace of their kiss before finally pulling away, still holding one another. A tiny grin - one of those he secretly reserved only for her - came across his lips. Cordelia couldn't help but return his smile, even as their faces stood inches apart.
"Hi." Angel whispered, suddenly at a lack for words.
"Hi." Cordy replied, staring into his eyes.
Angel sighed and rested his forehead against hers.
"I've been wanting to do this all day." He finally admitted, which brought a satisfied smile on Cordelia's face.
"I've been wanting you to do this all day." she assured him.
She then lifted her head up to his and kissed him softly. He wrapped his arms tighter around her as they heard the sound of the TV being turned off. Obviously unaffected by Dennis' not-so-subtle way of making his presence known, Cordy and Angel let a tiny, muffled giggle escape their throats as they continued kissing.
Suddenly the lights went out and an intense silence invaded Cordelia's apartment. Cordy sighed, pulled away from Angel's embrace and shook her head softly.
"Dennis.." She muttered, taking a step towards the living room. "Dennis, you're freaking out again." she warned him as she turned the lights back on in the living room.
Ever since the little incident a month back between Angel and Cordy, Dennis had been a little worried, and overly protective of Cordelia. He had witnessed first-hand what facing Angelus and killing him had done to her, and the last thing he wanted was for Angelus to somehow resurface. He had become a little edgy whenever Cordy and Angel were alone, and even though Cordelia had done her best to reassure her favorite ghost, Dennis still sometimes had a problem with the newfound closeness between his friend and the vampire.
"It's just kissing Dennis." Cordy reminded him from the doorway. "Chill." She then laughed, as if she was explaining the ways of life to a 6 year- old.
"Is there still a problem with Dennis and." Angel frowned as Cordelia grabbed his hand and led him into the living room.
"Dennis is just being Dennis. There is no prob." she began but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Her face dropped and she felt a loud pounding in her brain, as if it was about to explode in millions of tiny pieces. Her breath got caught in her throat and in less time than it took Angel to realize that something was wrong, Cordelia crashed onto the floor with a painful agonizing cry. She grabbed her head with sudden despair as Angel threw himself on the floor beside her.
VISION
[I]She saw images of chains, heard the sound of them clinging together. These images were intercepted with the sight of a large green corridor in which someone ran desperately.
Blood spreading on the floor.
The bright flashes of light blinded her vision for a few seconds. She saw the shadow of someone chained to a wall and then the bright lights appeared again, like the sun in the middle of summer.
Water.
She couldn't breathe..all she could see was water. Water everywhere..only water.
END VISION
The screaming stopped.
The agitation ceased.
Just as Angel's panic grew. He turned Cordelia over on her back only to find her unconscious. He shouted her name a couple of times but Cordelia never opened her eyes. She never responded.
She never got up.
The panic on Angel's face became obvious at the second he noticed the small traces of blood coming from Cordy's mouth. He grabbed her unconscious body and gathered her into his arms as his eyes filled with fear. Her body was shaking, as if she was receiving shockwaves.
"Dennis!" Angel shouted, as he carried Cordelia to her bedroom.
Just as the name had left his lips, Dennis pushed the door to Cordy's bedroom open while Angel helped Cordelia inside. He carefully laid her on the bed, fearfully whispering her name in that soft, worried tone of his.
"Cordy..Cordy come on."
Angel's eyes automatically filled with invisible tears as he reached to touch the side of her face.
The moment he did so, he was thrown across the room violently. His body flew until he hit the wall behind the door.
--
The air was cool.
All she could feel was the wetness on her face. She suddenly reminded herself to breathe, and that's when the panic began. She couldn't breathe.
She was lying in the water.
Cordelia was thrust back to consciousness and she jumped up. Her head snapped and as it emerged from the inch of water that covered the cold rocky ground, she gasped for air. Her hair was slightly wet, as were her clothes as she breathlessly looked around herself.
Her vision was a bit blurry but all she could make out in the dark were rocky walls, a low ceiling and lots of water. She was crawling in about an inch of water.in what looked like a creepy cave.
Her body aching, her heart racing and her hands bleeding, Cordy inhaled rapidly as fear settled in.
Where was she?
She held her breath for a moment. Her voice filled with fear, she spoke:
"Now [b]this[/b] could be a problem." she said to herself, trying not to panic.
--