A time to dance 2

Title: A time to dance

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just write about them for the pleasure of it.

Summary: A little puff piece about Angel and Cordy and the beginning of a more intimate relationship between them.

Spoilers: Events up to and including Epiphany (no big spoilers)

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A time to dance…

By Aphrodite Sky ( ASkywalker5@excite.com )

Part One

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The two of them had never shared such a moment in all the time they had known each other. It was unexpected. There had been no 'signs' that this was coming. The Powers that Be had not sent Cordy a vision about this. This fact was another that seemed to make the entire situation unbelievable. Nonetheless, it had happened - it was happening, and Cordy had never felt such emotion and joy in her life.

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24 hours earlier…

Angel strolled into the foyer of the hotel to find Wesley, Cordy and Gunn 'discussing' the best way to recoup bad debts, and there were a lot of bad debts. It seemed that once you helped a person get rid of a demon, vampire or curse, they suddenly lost all memory of the incident taking place, and refused to pay.

"Guys," Angel called, "lets just leave it a while before we start sending out our own heavily armed gang to make the clients pay up."

All three of his friends turned in unison and stared at him. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to sneak up to you."

Cordy's face lit up as he said this. He can sneak up on me anytime, she thought.

"What's so funny?" Angel asked her.

She blushed, "Nothing's funny. I was just thinking that I'm glad you're back to being you and not all 'grouchy-I-don't-give-a-damn' like the last couple of months." ...And how great it is to be able to drool, I mean, look at you in all your glory, she continued in her mind.

Angel stared at her, convinced there was more behind the look she was giving him. Don't look for signs that aren't there, he told himself. Cordy thinks of you as a friend, nothing more. Why did that conclusion cause his stomach to lurch?

"What's the plan now? Do we have anything opening up?" That's the idea Angel, he told himself, change the subject. Anything to stop thinking about how gorgeous Cordy looks when she wears red……Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Angel looked questioningly at his friends.

"Nup. Nadda. Nothing." Cordy stated. "It appears that there is absolutely zero bad demon vibes going on at the moment"

Gunn stood up, "Come on then. Let's get out of this dusty place and have some fun. I know this great place just off Sunset." He grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair and began to make his way towards the door.

Cordy looked at Wesley. Wesley looked at Angel. Angel looked at Cordy.

"Why not," all three of them said at once.

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The bar Gunn had suggested was definitely not 'The Bronze'. Its décor was a relic from the 70's, complete with 'booths' right out of a bad sitcom.

"Gunn, 'great' is not the word I would use to describe this place. 'Seedy', 'Smelly', 'Putrid', they are some of the words I would use. I'd even prefer to be at the 'Bronze'" Cordy stated.

Gunn looked hurt, "What's a 'Bronze'?" he asked.

"The 'Bronze' is the place I first met Angel, its in Sunnydale." Cordy replied as she glanced briefly at Angel. He was looking around the rather crowded room, an uncomfortable expression on his face. "Angel?" Cordy said, "Are you with us? Earth to vampire-guy."

Angel turned, "Huh? Did you say something?" He peered at Cordy questioningly through the smoke haze.

Ooh, those eyes are so deep, Cordy told herself. I could get lost in them. "I said, this place is worse than the 'Bronze'," she remarked aloud.

Angel's eyes took on a far away look, as he remembered the 'Bronze'.

Uh, oh. He's thinking about Buffy, Cordy concluded. Why does Buffy always have to stuff things up for me? Angel will never look that way at me whilst the memory of Buffy keeps coming up.

Angel, however, was not thinking about Buffy. He had been half listening to Cordy and had heard her mention the 'Bronze' as the place the two of them had first met. Angel could remember that moment as if it were yesterday. Funny how your perceptions change with time, he thought to himself. Buffy had been his focus in those days, yet the memory lingered of the raven-haired beauty who had briefly flirted with him. She had been hard to miss, even then.

Cordy watched him reflecting on the past, and decided she had to break his thoughts away from Buffy. She grabbed his arm and began to pull him towards the crowded dance floor. "C'mon Angel, lets dance." She said

"I don't dance, Cordy. You know that," he protested.

"Too bad. Anyone can dance to this song, it has no beat."

"Cordy, I can't," he continued, but they had already reached the dance floor.

Cordy was nothing, if persistent, "Just stick out your butt, wiggle it a bit and shuffle your feet. It's so crowded here, no one will even notice you."

Angel did as Cordy suggested, and despite herself, she could not stop the grin that appeared on her face. He'd been right, he really couldn't dance. His attempts were genuine, but he just couldn't get his body to move in co-ordination. He almost shouted in relief when the music suddenly changed from the frenetic 'techno' beat to the smooth tones of a slow ballad.

Cordy saw his body relax as the first song ended and the next began. His eyes changed too, from blind panic to that same far away look as before. She held her breath as he lifted his arms to hers, and held her gently at the elbows. His eyes, she thought, it's as if he's looking straight through me, to my soul. Then something happened which Cordy had never experienced before. Her heart actually skipped a beat.

Angel heard her heart pounding, and heard, no, felt the skipped beat. A small smile appeared on his lips as he pulled her closer to him. Moving his hands from her elbows, he lifted her hands and placed them around his neck, his eyes never leaving hers. He slid his hands around her waist and gently pulled her even closer, until they were chest to chest, body to body.

Is this happening? I don't believe it. Am I dreaming again? These questions and others flew through Cordy's mind as Angel pulled her to him. The dulcet tones of the slow ballad were almost inaudible against the beating of her heart. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. The smoke, crowd, Wesley and Gunn were forgotten memories as Angel took over her every thought…

To be continued…