Title: Reality Check (part 1)
Author: Angelchica
Email: Angelchica622@hotmail.com
Summary: When Cordelia lands her first starring role in a major production, the set becomes somewhat real and its up to the Fang Gang to figure out a way back from the medieval times, if they can even remember who they are, before trouble ensures. C/A of course and a some F/G. This is part 1 of 2
Spoiler: This takes place after the third season finale. Only Angel resurfaced from the water and Cordelia is also back except they haven't admitted their true feelings to one another. Hopefully this didn't spoil anything!
Disclaimer: No I don't own any of the characters of course anyone in their right mind would not mind owning Angel I mean come on, just look at him!!!
Feedback: Please R & R!!! It's your reviews that push me into writing these stories!!! Let me know how I'm doing and what I should add or take out!!! If you have any ideas at all and want to see them put down in paper and on this site, let me know so I can try my best to make it a story!
**Thank you so much Katie for the idea! Great minds think alike! We started talking about this and all of a sudden everything just fell into place. This idea was awesome and I couldn't have come up with a better idea w/o your help! Thanks for the Latin too!***
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Landing the Job
It was a slow day at Angel Investigations and the gang was just in the lobby lounging around when they heard the door suddenly open. Cordelia came in walking towards them. They all got up and waited for her to speak. Angel looked at her and noticed that she didn't look to happy. He feared the worst. He didn't want to hear the words come out but he knew she wouldn't keep it in.
"Well?" Fred asked. Cordelia looked down at the ground and started to cry. Angel looked at her and was heartbroken. He knew how much this audition meant for her. She left the Hyperion looking forward to auditioning for the lead in a new movie. He knew she was a great actress and all he wanted was to go over to the production company and find out why she didn't get the job. Angel walked over to her and hugged her.
"It's OK. You'll find something better next time," Angel said trying to sound as comforting and soothing but he knew that in the long run it wouldn't work out as he would want to. He just needed to make sure that she would be alright.
"Something better? This was the job I was waiting for the longest time. It was the leading role," Cordelia said as she sobbed. They all looked at her sadly. They all felt bad for her. They knew how much she was counting on this job.
"Well what happened?" Gunn asked. He knew it wasn't the question she wanted to answer but he had to ask it anyways. She had been preparing for this day since he could remember. She had driven them crazy about it. She would go over her lines constantly until she would give herself a headache, worse than the ones she would get when the visions left their mark on her which if you think about it, is pretty bad but she didn't care.
"What happened? What happened was that my award winning tears was what got me the part!" Cordelia said as she started to laugh. Angel was confused. Fred rejoiced and gave Cordelia a huge hug. Cordelia turned to Angel knowing that he wasn't catching up to her sarcasm. Sometimes she wondered if he would ever actually join them in their century.
"I got the part, Angel. I gave such a beautiful performance. The tears came out when they were supposed to that they were so pleased that they gave me the job in an instant," Cordelia squealed. Angel let the smile out and gave her a huge hug. He still seemed a bit confused but he was starting to get used to her sarcasm and knew he would get it.
"So when do you start?" Fred asked impatiently with her southern accent.
"Tomorrow morning," Cordelia said excitedly. She couldn't believe that her dream to be a famous actress was finally going to come true. She had strived for this moment and finally everything seemed to be falling into place. She still knew she had to be careful.
"Can we come?" Angel asked. Cordelia hesitated. She remembered the last time that Angel had been on the set. She was working on a commercial that made her wear a skimpy bathing suit that she almost fell out of. She remembered how badly the director had treated her and Angel, being his chivalrous self, decided to take matters into his own hands and make him apologize but when he didn't, the situation got kind of sticky. She remembered how embarrassed she was but she can't help to smile about it now.
"I promise I won't do anything out of the ordinary. I'll be good," Angel said. Unless of course someone tries to disrespect her again, Angel thought to himself but made sure not to let that slip out otherwise there would be no way she would let him come.
"Angel, you yourself aren't ordinary," Cordelia pointed out. She just loved teasing him and giving him a hard time. Angel gave her that look she was waiting for and then finally gave up. "Alright you can come, but the minute you pull something off, you're gone."
The Hyperion doors opened and a client walked in asking for Angel. They all sighed and realized that they weren't going to be able to celebrate just yet for the City of Angels never sleeps, especially when you lead their lives. Being able to live a normal day without any of these demon infestations would be way of out of the ordinary for them.
"Come on guys, we don't have a day off," Fred said as they made their way towards the client.
* * *
"Are you certain this is going to work well?" Wesley asked as he looked into the written incantation written on the piece of paper he was holding. He looked at it and realized that it was all written in Latin. He excelled in Latin but he was more nervous about the fact that he could get recognized and possibly killed in what he was about to accomplish. He knew he was playing the wrong cards but he didn't care anymore. He didn't have any other choice. His betrayal cost him everything and now he had to settle with the consequences but now for some reason he just didn't seem to care anymore.
"Of course it will. Why wouldn't it? You are a very learned person. I can't thank you enough for finally coming to and realizing that you can actually be an important asset to our company," Lilah said.
"Look Lilah, I don't need to put up with this crap from you anymore. I'm not your friend. I never was and never will. I'm doing this because I want to, not because you want me to," Wesley said in an angry pitch in his tone. He hated that Lilah thought she had some kind of control over him which in fact she had none and he made sure she knew that.
"I don't care what your reason is to be doing this. I know why you are doing it but I couldn't possibly care less. I do care that you are on my side and that together we can take Angel down. We can hit him where it hurts him the most," Lilah said as she walked up to Wesley and put her hand on his shoulder. Wesley slightly tilted his head and then shrugged her hand off. She was trying to seduce him and Wesley knew it very well.
"Do you think he will help us?" Wesley asked a little nervous about their plot.
"Oh absolutely," Lilah said as she turned around to face Connor who was waiting there.
* * *
Angel pulled up his car in the back entrance of the company building. Fred and Gunn came out of the car. Angel started to but noticed that Cordelia was still in the car.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked her in a concerned matter. He knew Cordelia and knew that something wasn't playing right in her head.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous. This is the real thing. This isn't a commercial shoot. This is a movie and I'm going to be a part of it. My dream is coming true and I guess I'm still wondering if something will go wrong or something," Cordelia said.
"Look Cordy. Everything is going to be fine. Be excited. You are getting a chance to do something that some people only dream about doing. You on the other hand are doing it. You are going out there and going to make a name for yourself without the help of anyone. Nothing is going to ruin this, you'll see," Angel said.
Cordelia smiled. Somehow he just always did that to her. Always said the right things to make her feel better, to feel important. She loved that about him. She loved everything about him but she held back. She hadn't even told him the real reason why her and Groo had separated. She told him that things just weren't working out to well and that she just could no longer be his princess. She didn't tell him the real reason. She didn't tell him that she loved him. She knew who he loved and she knew that it wasn't her and she didn't want to do anything to get in between something she had no chance in.
"Thanks," Cordelia said with her award winning smile that got them all the time. Cordelia got out of the car and started to walk with Angel but then lost her balance a bit but Angel was right by her side to make sure she wouldn't fall. She was having a vision of herself in the movie. It all looked so real. She guessed that it was the final cut.
"Are you OK?" Angel asked her as he noticed that she was staring into space.
"I am now. The Powers sent me a vision about the movie. I guess it was their way of letting me know that everything is going to come out without a hitch. I guess they aren't so bad after all," Cordelia said to herself as they walked into the studio.
The studio was amazing. There were people walking all over the place with clipboards in their hands and head sets on. There were people walking around carrying props and others just chatting. Someone came up to Cordelia.
"Ma'am, are you Cordelia Chase?" the casting director asked to make sure.
"Yes that would be me," Cordelia said.
"Will you please come with me. We have to get you through wardrobe and make up."
Cordelia turned to Angel and smiled as she followed the casting director. Angel walked around the set and noticed that there was a chair with Cordelia's name on it. I bet she'll be excited to see that, he thought to himself. He walked some more but then something caught his eyes. There was a young man, maybe about 16 years old standing by a door holding a clipboard. Their eyes met for a second and then the young man disappeared into the adjoining corridor. The young man reminded Angel of his son. Maybe it was because he looked young but all Angel knew was that he missed his son and wished that he could be with him. He saw Gunn and Fred on the other side and went towards them.
The shooting went on as scheduled and Cordelia looked amazing, Angel thought to himself. They had her dressed in a long dress that was appropriate for the medieval times. They had her doing some of the little scenes with her maid. Angel didn't take his eyes off of her. She was so beautiful. He wanted to go up there and swoop her up in his arms but he knew that he couldn't. She didn't feel that way for him and even though she wasn't with Groo, he knew she probably felt heartbroken. They had broken up so suddenly with no warning and he knew she wasn't ready for that. Angel shook away his thought, knowing that what he had was going to have to be good enough for now.
Angel noticed that this director was nicer than the last one. His name was William Priceton. He always wore his sunglasses. Never took them off. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and wore a director's cap as well. He seemed somewhat familiar to him but he couldn't place it. Finally the director called it a wrap for the day and all the actors were dismissed. Cordelia ran to Angel and the gang.
"So what did you think? Be honest. If I totally suck then let me know," Cordelia said.
"You were awesome!" Fred said with so much enthusiasm as she hugged Cordelia.
"Yeah girl! I'm down with this whole acting thing. You think that maybe you can lend a brotha a hand and get me a gig?" Gunn asked.
"I don't think so," Cordelia said.
"Girl, you be trippin'," he said to her.
"Alright. Maybe I can get you guys to be extras or something in some of the fighting scenes. How does that sound?" Cordelia asked. They all shook their heads excitedly. Cordelia looked over at Angel.
"I can even get you one too. Maybe your melodrama can get you a part," Cordelia said jokingly as she walked away to talk to the casting director. She pointed towards them as she talked to the casting director. Then he walked away and Cordelia flashed them a thumbs up as she went over to get changed. Fred and Gunn started giggling and jumping up and down in joy and Angel just shook his head at the site.
* * *
"So how did it go?" Lilah asked. She was at her office and was going through some files and adding them to the computer. When she heard that Wesley hadn't responded, she looked up at him, expecting for him to answer her back knowing that something went wrong. She knew that she couldn't trust men. That's why she held her own.
"It went pretty good except for the fact that they were all there," Wesley said as his voice rose slightly at the thought of what Lilah would say or do.
"What do you mean they were all there?" Lilah asked as her brow raised. She knew exactly what he was talking about but she needed to hear it from him.
"I mean that they were there. Angel and the rest of them were at the shoot and somehow managed to get cast as extras," Wesley said to Lilah knowing she would be upset.
"Did he see you or recognize you? Because if you blew our cover I will kill you."
"No, fortunately. Being the director has its perks like wearing the hat and sunglasses but Connor here almost blew our cover," Wesley pointed his head towards Connor. Lilah looked over at him and gave him a reproachful look. Connor rolled his eyes.
"Look, he didn't recognize me alright and even if he did I would have made sure he knew that I hate him with all that I am," Connor said. Lilah smiled and waved Wesley over to her to fill out some more paperwork.
"I think we should go ahead with the plan tomorrow. I know it's a little soon but we can't risk Angel finding out what we're up to. He might be there again tomorrow but we won't give him a chance. What do you think? You up to it?" Lilah asked Wesley.
"Yes. Tomorrow then it shall be," Wesley said to her as he let out a sigh.
"Are you ready? If anything fails I need you there. Do you understand?" Lilah asked.
"Don't worry about me. I've been waiting for this moment and I won't let u down," Connor said with a smirk as he left the office and closed the door behind him.
* * *
Cordelia sat in front of the mirror. She was on a well deserved break. The director seemed to be in an edgy mood today and was working them all hard but she understood all the stress he must be going through since it was his first big production and needed to make sure that everything went well with no incidents. Cordelia looked at the mirror and saw only her reflection. She turned around and stared right into Angel.
"You shouldn't be in here. You can get in trouble. Besides, aren't you supposed to be on set or anything. You're not chickening out now are you?" Cordelia teased. She knew that acting wasn't exactly something Angel was big on except when it came to watching his hero Charleton Heston perform but this time it was he who is the actor.
"No of course not I was just seeing how you were. You seemed a bit tired," Angel said.
"Yeah I'm fine though. I'm just glad that the director had enough mercy to give us a break otherwise you wouldn't see me too cheery," Cordelia explained.
"You know you're really impressing me with this whole acting thing. I'm very proud of you," Angel said as he saw Cordelia smile. They heard someone knock on the door and yell out to them to get back on set.
"I guess we're up. It's time to let everyone else see your melodrama. Don't screw it up. It's the big scene. You don't want to look like a dork in the big screen," Cordelia said.
"Well it's not like I've never handled a sword before or anything," Angel said as he referred to his part in the movie which basically had him doing what he knew how to do best: fighting. Only of course without actually killing anyone.
"Yeah but don't forget. This is a movie, not real life and the people aren't vampires or demons. They are people even if their hearts don't reflect that," Cordelia said.
"I'll keep that in mind," Angel said as he opened the door and led Cordelia out to the set. They walked out into the set and noticed that almost everyone was in position. Cordelia went to her mark and was handed a sword. All the rest of the extras were there and held their swords. It was the massive fight scene that would define the whole moment. The minute the director yelled action, everyone started their scene. They were all engaged in their swordfight. Cordelia was grateful that Angel had taught her how to master the sword otherwise she would have had trouble as she looked at some of the woman that were trying to hold onto the sword which seemed like a hard enough task for them.
Angel brought his sword down and across on the people. It was actually a lot harder to pretend to kill them than to actually do the deed. He had to make sure that he brought the sword close enough but not to the point that it would make them bleed. Angel looked out to and spotted Fred and Gunn side by side doing their best to impress Hollywood. Angel "killed" one of the knights and then something caught his eyes. He noticed that the director went off to the back and someone else came into his place. He sneaked into the back room and didn't come out of there but then an extra came up from behind Angel so he forced Angel to forget the situation and engage in some more sword fighting.
* * *
"Could you have been any more closer to losing the moment?" Lilah asked annoyed.
"I'm here. Let's get this done," Wesley said as he went over to the middle of the pentagram that was drawn in the middle of the floor. Lilah lit the candles and placed them all at the corner of the star that was drawn in the middle. A bodyguard approached him with a steaming hot brand. Wesley held his breath and held out his wrist. He closed his eyes as the hot iron penetrated his skin. The bodyguard pulled it away and Wesley opened his eyes and looked down at his new mark. It looked like a triangle with an infinite sign in the middle. He looked up at Lilah and nodded his head for her to proceed. She overturned the container that she held and let the special contents fall on Wesley and the pentagram. Wesley looked up and then closed his eyes and readied himself to say the words he had taken time to memorize. The moment was perfect and anything wrong could mess it all up. Lilah motioned for Connor who already had the emblem branded into his skin, to enter the pentagram.
"Potestas mali evoco mens hominum sistere," Wesley chanted in Latin as the wind picked up and the candles dimmed until eventually there was no light left. In the darkness, Wesley lifted up the Angel Investigations business card.
* * *
The actors were still on set engaged in the fighting scene but they all felt the strong breeze blow through. Cordelia lowered her sword and looked around as she squinted her eyes in order to see clearly. She brought her hand up to her eyes. What was going on? This wasn't part of the shoot. They hadn't told her anything about it. She looked over to Fred and Gunn who were in each others arms, obviously appalled by the unknown special effects. She looked over at Angel who was staring back at her. He was just as puzzled as she was. The lights started flashing and you could hear some of the extras screams.
* * *
"Praeteritus hac charta mutabo et animae illorum quorum eliguntur includo," Wesley said as the candles suddenly lit back up again by themselves. Wesley continued to hold the card up towards the ceiling and held onto it as if it were his own life.
A strong breeze blew everyone in the room except for Wesley and Connor.
"Invoca! Invoca!" Wesley shouted with as he felt a strong force go through him.
A sharp light shone on them and just like that they were still, lying on the ground. Lilah went up to Wesley and Connor and poked at Wesley who remained immovable. Lilah got up and walked over to the set. She pulled through the curtains and was shocked at the sight. All of them were frozen, unmoved, lying on the floor with their eyes closed shut. Everyone was indeed a victim to the trance and it had worked like a charm or at least she hoped it did but she wouldn't know until it was all settled. Lilah walked over to Cordelia. She looked as if she was sleeping. Lilah hated her with all her might. She pretended to care about things that she shouldn't and Lilah couldn't stand her. Plus when it came down to fashion, Lilah knew she wasn't one to fight her. Lilah looked over to her side and smiled. She got up and walked over towards Angel who also was laying on the ground. Lilah knelt down and smirked. How she was loving this special moment.
"I guess you aren't immune to everything are you. Do you know how easy it would be for me to just kill you right this instant. I would but you deserve a long and painful death. One I know Wesley and your own son won't hesitate to make you go through. Plus if I kill you now, I wouldn't be able to kill that which you love and that simply isn't acceptable. You are going to pay, Angel. Mark my words, you will pay," Lilah said as she kicked Angel's side and walked towards the exit followed by her bodyguards.
Author: Angelchica
Email: Angelchica622@hotmail.com
Summary: When Cordelia lands her first starring role in a major production, the set becomes somewhat real and its up to the Fang Gang to figure out a way back from the medieval times, if they can even remember who they are, before trouble ensures. C/A of course and a some F/G. This is part 1 of 2
Spoiler: This takes place after the third season finale. Only Angel resurfaced from the water and Cordelia is also back except they haven't admitted their true feelings to one another. Hopefully this didn't spoil anything!
Disclaimer: No I don't own any of the characters of course anyone in their right mind would not mind owning Angel I mean come on, just look at him!!!
Feedback: Please R & R!!! It's your reviews that push me into writing these stories!!! Let me know how I'm doing and what I should add or take out!!! If you have any ideas at all and want to see them put down in paper and on this site, let me know so I can try my best to make it a story!
**Thank you so much Katie for the idea! Great minds think alike! We started talking about this and all of a sudden everything just fell into place. This idea was awesome and I couldn't have come up with a better idea w/o your help! Thanks for the Latin too!***
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Landing the Job
It was a slow day at Angel Investigations and the gang was just in the lobby lounging around when they heard the door suddenly open. Cordelia came in walking towards them. They all got up and waited for her to speak. Angel looked at her and noticed that she didn't look to happy. He feared the worst. He didn't want to hear the words come out but he knew she wouldn't keep it in.
"Well?" Fred asked. Cordelia looked down at the ground and started to cry. Angel looked at her and was heartbroken. He knew how much this audition meant for her. She left the Hyperion looking forward to auditioning for the lead in a new movie. He knew she was a great actress and all he wanted was to go over to the production company and find out why she didn't get the job. Angel walked over to her and hugged her.
"It's OK. You'll find something better next time," Angel said trying to sound as comforting and soothing but he knew that in the long run it wouldn't work out as he would want to. He just needed to make sure that she would be alright.
"Something better? This was the job I was waiting for the longest time. It was the leading role," Cordelia said as she sobbed. They all looked at her sadly. They all felt bad for her. They knew how much she was counting on this job.
"Well what happened?" Gunn asked. He knew it wasn't the question she wanted to answer but he had to ask it anyways. She had been preparing for this day since he could remember. She had driven them crazy about it. She would go over her lines constantly until she would give herself a headache, worse than the ones she would get when the visions left their mark on her which if you think about it, is pretty bad but she didn't care.
"What happened? What happened was that my award winning tears was what got me the part!" Cordelia said as she started to laugh. Angel was confused. Fred rejoiced and gave Cordelia a huge hug. Cordelia turned to Angel knowing that he wasn't catching up to her sarcasm. Sometimes she wondered if he would ever actually join them in their century.
"I got the part, Angel. I gave such a beautiful performance. The tears came out when they were supposed to that they were so pleased that they gave me the job in an instant," Cordelia squealed. Angel let the smile out and gave her a huge hug. He still seemed a bit confused but he was starting to get used to her sarcasm and knew he would get it.
"So when do you start?" Fred asked impatiently with her southern accent.
"Tomorrow morning," Cordelia said excitedly. She couldn't believe that her dream to be a famous actress was finally going to come true. She had strived for this moment and finally everything seemed to be falling into place. She still knew she had to be careful.
"Can we come?" Angel asked. Cordelia hesitated. She remembered the last time that Angel had been on the set. She was working on a commercial that made her wear a skimpy bathing suit that she almost fell out of. She remembered how badly the director had treated her and Angel, being his chivalrous self, decided to take matters into his own hands and make him apologize but when he didn't, the situation got kind of sticky. She remembered how embarrassed she was but she can't help to smile about it now.
"I promise I won't do anything out of the ordinary. I'll be good," Angel said. Unless of course someone tries to disrespect her again, Angel thought to himself but made sure not to let that slip out otherwise there would be no way she would let him come.
"Angel, you yourself aren't ordinary," Cordelia pointed out. She just loved teasing him and giving him a hard time. Angel gave her that look she was waiting for and then finally gave up. "Alright you can come, but the minute you pull something off, you're gone."
The Hyperion doors opened and a client walked in asking for Angel. They all sighed and realized that they weren't going to be able to celebrate just yet for the City of Angels never sleeps, especially when you lead their lives. Being able to live a normal day without any of these demon infestations would be way of out of the ordinary for them.
"Come on guys, we don't have a day off," Fred said as they made their way towards the client.
* * *
"Are you certain this is going to work well?" Wesley asked as he looked into the written incantation written on the piece of paper he was holding. He looked at it and realized that it was all written in Latin. He excelled in Latin but he was more nervous about the fact that he could get recognized and possibly killed in what he was about to accomplish. He knew he was playing the wrong cards but he didn't care anymore. He didn't have any other choice. His betrayal cost him everything and now he had to settle with the consequences but now for some reason he just didn't seem to care anymore.
"Of course it will. Why wouldn't it? You are a very learned person. I can't thank you enough for finally coming to and realizing that you can actually be an important asset to our company," Lilah said.
"Look Lilah, I don't need to put up with this crap from you anymore. I'm not your friend. I never was and never will. I'm doing this because I want to, not because you want me to," Wesley said in an angry pitch in his tone. He hated that Lilah thought she had some kind of control over him which in fact she had none and he made sure she knew that.
"I don't care what your reason is to be doing this. I know why you are doing it but I couldn't possibly care less. I do care that you are on my side and that together we can take Angel down. We can hit him where it hurts him the most," Lilah said as she walked up to Wesley and put her hand on his shoulder. Wesley slightly tilted his head and then shrugged her hand off. She was trying to seduce him and Wesley knew it very well.
"Do you think he will help us?" Wesley asked a little nervous about their plot.
"Oh absolutely," Lilah said as she turned around to face Connor who was waiting there.
* * *
Angel pulled up his car in the back entrance of the company building. Fred and Gunn came out of the car. Angel started to but noticed that Cordelia was still in the car.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked her in a concerned matter. He knew Cordelia and knew that something wasn't playing right in her head.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous. This is the real thing. This isn't a commercial shoot. This is a movie and I'm going to be a part of it. My dream is coming true and I guess I'm still wondering if something will go wrong or something," Cordelia said.
"Look Cordy. Everything is going to be fine. Be excited. You are getting a chance to do something that some people only dream about doing. You on the other hand are doing it. You are going out there and going to make a name for yourself without the help of anyone. Nothing is going to ruin this, you'll see," Angel said.
Cordelia smiled. Somehow he just always did that to her. Always said the right things to make her feel better, to feel important. She loved that about him. She loved everything about him but she held back. She hadn't even told him the real reason why her and Groo had separated. She told him that things just weren't working out to well and that she just could no longer be his princess. She didn't tell him the real reason. She didn't tell him that she loved him. She knew who he loved and she knew that it wasn't her and she didn't want to do anything to get in between something she had no chance in.
"Thanks," Cordelia said with her award winning smile that got them all the time. Cordelia got out of the car and started to walk with Angel but then lost her balance a bit but Angel was right by her side to make sure she wouldn't fall. She was having a vision of herself in the movie. It all looked so real. She guessed that it was the final cut.
"Are you OK?" Angel asked her as he noticed that she was staring into space.
"I am now. The Powers sent me a vision about the movie. I guess it was their way of letting me know that everything is going to come out without a hitch. I guess they aren't so bad after all," Cordelia said to herself as they walked into the studio.
The studio was amazing. There were people walking all over the place with clipboards in their hands and head sets on. There were people walking around carrying props and others just chatting. Someone came up to Cordelia.
"Ma'am, are you Cordelia Chase?" the casting director asked to make sure.
"Yes that would be me," Cordelia said.
"Will you please come with me. We have to get you through wardrobe and make up."
Cordelia turned to Angel and smiled as she followed the casting director. Angel walked around the set and noticed that there was a chair with Cordelia's name on it. I bet she'll be excited to see that, he thought to himself. He walked some more but then something caught his eyes. There was a young man, maybe about 16 years old standing by a door holding a clipboard. Their eyes met for a second and then the young man disappeared into the adjoining corridor. The young man reminded Angel of his son. Maybe it was because he looked young but all Angel knew was that he missed his son and wished that he could be with him. He saw Gunn and Fred on the other side and went towards them.
The shooting went on as scheduled and Cordelia looked amazing, Angel thought to himself. They had her dressed in a long dress that was appropriate for the medieval times. They had her doing some of the little scenes with her maid. Angel didn't take his eyes off of her. She was so beautiful. He wanted to go up there and swoop her up in his arms but he knew that he couldn't. She didn't feel that way for him and even though she wasn't with Groo, he knew she probably felt heartbroken. They had broken up so suddenly with no warning and he knew she wasn't ready for that. Angel shook away his thought, knowing that what he had was going to have to be good enough for now.
Angel noticed that this director was nicer than the last one. His name was William Priceton. He always wore his sunglasses. Never took them off. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and wore a director's cap as well. He seemed somewhat familiar to him but he couldn't place it. Finally the director called it a wrap for the day and all the actors were dismissed. Cordelia ran to Angel and the gang.
"So what did you think? Be honest. If I totally suck then let me know," Cordelia said.
"You were awesome!" Fred said with so much enthusiasm as she hugged Cordelia.
"Yeah girl! I'm down with this whole acting thing. You think that maybe you can lend a brotha a hand and get me a gig?" Gunn asked.
"I don't think so," Cordelia said.
"Girl, you be trippin'," he said to her.
"Alright. Maybe I can get you guys to be extras or something in some of the fighting scenes. How does that sound?" Cordelia asked. They all shook their heads excitedly. Cordelia looked over at Angel.
"I can even get you one too. Maybe your melodrama can get you a part," Cordelia said jokingly as she walked away to talk to the casting director. She pointed towards them as she talked to the casting director. Then he walked away and Cordelia flashed them a thumbs up as she went over to get changed. Fred and Gunn started giggling and jumping up and down in joy and Angel just shook his head at the site.
* * *
"So how did it go?" Lilah asked. She was at her office and was going through some files and adding them to the computer. When she heard that Wesley hadn't responded, she looked up at him, expecting for him to answer her back knowing that something went wrong. She knew that she couldn't trust men. That's why she held her own.
"It went pretty good except for the fact that they were all there," Wesley said as his voice rose slightly at the thought of what Lilah would say or do.
"What do you mean they were all there?" Lilah asked as her brow raised. She knew exactly what he was talking about but she needed to hear it from him.
"I mean that they were there. Angel and the rest of them were at the shoot and somehow managed to get cast as extras," Wesley said to Lilah knowing she would be upset.
"Did he see you or recognize you? Because if you blew our cover I will kill you."
"No, fortunately. Being the director has its perks like wearing the hat and sunglasses but Connor here almost blew our cover," Wesley pointed his head towards Connor. Lilah looked over at him and gave him a reproachful look. Connor rolled his eyes.
"Look, he didn't recognize me alright and even if he did I would have made sure he knew that I hate him with all that I am," Connor said. Lilah smiled and waved Wesley over to her to fill out some more paperwork.
"I think we should go ahead with the plan tomorrow. I know it's a little soon but we can't risk Angel finding out what we're up to. He might be there again tomorrow but we won't give him a chance. What do you think? You up to it?" Lilah asked Wesley.
"Yes. Tomorrow then it shall be," Wesley said to her as he let out a sigh.
"Are you ready? If anything fails I need you there. Do you understand?" Lilah asked.
"Don't worry about me. I've been waiting for this moment and I won't let u down," Connor said with a smirk as he left the office and closed the door behind him.
* * *
Cordelia sat in front of the mirror. She was on a well deserved break. The director seemed to be in an edgy mood today and was working them all hard but she understood all the stress he must be going through since it was his first big production and needed to make sure that everything went well with no incidents. Cordelia looked at the mirror and saw only her reflection. She turned around and stared right into Angel.
"You shouldn't be in here. You can get in trouble. Besides, aren't you supposed to be on set or anything. You're not chickening out now are you?" Cordelia teased. She knew that acting wasn't exactly something Angel was big on except when it came to watching his hero Charleton Heston perform but this time it was he who is the actor.
"No of course not I was just seeing how you were. You seemed a bit tired," Angel said.
"Yeah I'm fine though. I'm just glad that the director had enough mercy to give us a break otherwise you wouldn't see me too cheery," Cordelia explained.
"You know you're really impressing me with this whole acting thing. I'm very proud of you," Angel said as he saw Cordelia smile. They heard someone knock on the door and yell out to them to get back on set.
"I guess we're up. It's time to let everyone else see your melodrama. Don't screw it up. It's the big scene. You don't want to look like a dork in the big screen," Cordelia said.
"Well it's not like I've never handled a sword before or anything," Angel said as he referred to his part in the movie which basically had him doing what he knew how to do best: fighting. Only of course without actually killing anyone.
"Yeah but don't forget. This is a movie, not real life and the people aren't vampires or demons. They are people even if their hearts don't reflect that," Cordelia said.
"I'll keep that in mind," Angel said as he opened the door and led Cordelia out to the set. They walked out into the set and noticed that almost everyone was in position. Cordelia went to her mark and was handed a sword. All the rest of the extras were there and held their swords. It was the massive fight scene that would define the whole moment. The minute the director yelled action, everyone started their scene. They were all engaged in their swordfight. Cordelia was grateful that Angel had taught her how to master the sword otherwise she would have had trouble as she looked at some of the woman that were trying to hold onto the sword which seemed like a hard enough task for them.
Angel brought his sword down and across on the people. It was actually a lot harder to pretend to kill them than to actually do the deed. He had to make sure that he brought the sword close enough but not to the point that it would make them bleed. Angel looked out to and spotted Fred and Gunn side by side doing their best to impress Hollywood. Angel "killed" one of the knights and then something caught his eyes. He noticed that the director went off to the back and someone else came into his place. He sneaked into the back room and didn't come out of there but then an extra came up from behind Angel so he forced Angel to forget the situation and engage in some more sword fighting.
* * *
"Could you have been any more closer to losing the moment?" Lilah asked annoyed.
"I'm here. Let's get this done," Wesley said as he went over to the middle of the pentagram that was drawn in the middle of the floor. Lilah lit the candles and placed them all at the corner of the star that was drawn in the middle. A bodyguard approached him with a steaming hot brand. Wesley held his breath and held out his wrist. He closed his eyes as the hot iron penetrated his skin. The bodyguard pulled it away and Wesley opened his eyes and looked down at his new mark. It looked like a triangle with an infinite sign in the middle. He looked up at Lilah and nodded his head for her to proceed. She overturned the container that she held and let the special contents fall on Wesley and the pentagram. Wesley looked up and then closed his eyes and readied himself to say the words he had taken time to memorize. The moment was perfect and anything wrong could mess it all up. Lilah motioned for Connor who already had the emblem branded into his skin, to enter the pentagram.
"Potestas mali evoco mens hominum sistere," Wesley chanted in Latin as the wind picked up and the candles dimmed until eventually there was no light left. In the darkness, Wesley lifted up the Angel Investigations business card.
* * *
The actors were still on set engaged in the fighting scene but they all felt the strong breeze blow through. Cordelia lowered her sword and looked around as she squinted her eyes in order to see clearly. She brought her hand up to her eyes. What was going on? This wasn't part of the shoot. They hadn't told her anything about it. She looked over to Fred and Gunn who were in each others arms, obviously appalled by the unknown special effects. She looked over at Angel who was staring back at her. He was just as puzzled as she was. The lights started flashing and you could hear some of the extras screams.
* * *
"Praeteritus hac charta mutabo et animae illorum quorum eliguntur includo," Wesley said as the candles suddenly lit back up again by themselves. Wesley continued to hold the card up towards the ceiling and held onto it as if it were his own life.
A strong breeze blew everyone in the room except for Wesley and Connor.
"Invoca! Invoca!" Wesley shouted with as he felt a strong force go through him.
A sharp light shone on them and just like that they were still, lying on the ground. Lilah went up to Wesley and Connor and poked at Wesley who remained immovable. Lilah got up and walked over to the set. She pulled through the curtains and was shocked at the sight. All of them were frozen, unmoved, lying on the floor with their eyes closed shut. Everyone was indeed a victim to the trance and it had worked like a charm or at least she hoped it did but she wouldn't know until it was all settled. Lilah walked over to Cordelia. She looked as if she was sleeping. Lilah hated her with all her might. She pretended to care about things that she shouldn't and Lilah couldn't stand her. Plus when it came down to fashion, Lilah knew she wasn't one to fight her. Lilah looked over to her side and smiled. She got up and walked over towards Angel who also was laying on the ground. Lilah knelt down and smirked. How she was loving this special moment.
"I guess you aren't immune to everything are you. Do you know how easy it would be for me to just kill you right this instant. I would but you deserve a long and painful death. One I know Wesley and your own son won't hesitate to make you go through. Plus if I kill you now, I wouldn't be able to kill that which you love and that simply isn't acceptable. You are going to pay, Angel. Mark my words, you will pay," Lilah said as she kicked Angel's side and walked towards the exit followed by her bodyguards.