1 Past, Present, & Future
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia
Rating: PG-13 - R
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!
1.1 Prologue
It was different now. Everything was different, and it didn't help that one thought kept running through her mind every second of every day.
"If I was here…would this have happened?"
Cordelia couldn't help but think that. She understood it, but Groo didn't. He just…didn't understand that he couldn't be her number one priority right now. She was the only one who got remotely through to Angel, and that meant something. The visions still came. Groo took care of the demons, along with Gunn. Cordy was still trying to figure out what her vision of Angel meant.
She still felt his pain, anger, and hurt. It added on to her own, and it was killing her. Wesley had come back to the office a few days after being released from the hospital. She had spoken with him, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne, telling them about the visions. It was hard to though, talking to Wesley. She, herself, was upset with him; however, Angel's anger lingered inside of her.
She felt like jumping up and beating the shit out of him. Cordy knew he understood that too. Just by the way he looked at her, and with the gentleness he used when he spoke. Gunn had taken over as the boss, which surprised her, but the fact that it was Wesley's decision shocked her more. He thought they should remain aware of the visions.
"Each vision means something," he said after she had confessed what she felt. "We have to remember that."
The rest agreed.
Things with Wesley though, it worried her; especially if they had to come together in the end for a fight where everyone would be needed. Could they all pull it together? Lorne was still bitter, but hey, who wouldn't be? Gunn, he was upset cause he stuck up for Wes and then Wes let him down.
Fred was really the only one who spoke to him. Cordelia noted that they only talked about the situation when looking through books. Speaking of books, you couldn't step anywhere in the hotel without stepping on an open book.
Wesley was trying to redeem himself that much was for sure. Fred was the only one who knew if he had accomplished anything. No one, including herself, really wanted to talk about it…so they didn't.
At first, Cordy thought that Fred's connection to Wesley would have made Gunn angrier with Wes, especially since Fred and Gunn were apparently seeing each other when she left with Groo. That, she must say, she didn't see coming. She also didn't see that her and Gunn would still be together. That shocked the crap out of her, considering she was all magical now.
Fred had assured Gunn that her heart was with him while still making sure he understood that Wesley needed at least one person to be on his side. They made her sick sometimes, and jealous. The way they kissed each other good-bye and hello, and how they did it in secret…it was something she had just experienced with Groo, until she was yanked back into the cruel reality.
Now, here she was with him. The silence was choking her, but what was she going to do? Strike up meaningless chatter? Connor was the most important thing to Angel. He never thought he'd do anything good with his life, and always thought that all of the people he saved would never be enough to make up for what he'd done.
Connor gave him hope. He knew that, no matter what happened, if he'd lost all of them, as long as he had Connor…there was always hope. The man that she sat in the room with was hopeless. Determined, but hopeless.
They needed Connor back.
A knock brought Cordelia out of her thoughts. Angel didn't even blink as she got up and walked to the door. She cracked the door open enough for her to slip out. "Anything?" she asked Fred immediately. Fred nodded, "Wesley's on to something, but that's not why I'm here." "What happened?" Cordy asked, confusion laced in her tone.
"Someone's here to see you."
~*~
Gunn shifted in his seat. He was feeling a little uncomfortable right now. From what he's heard, when people from Sunnydale come to L.A., things don't really go too well. This chick, Anya, looked…well, she looked like shit. Her eyes, all Gunn could see was pain. He had asked if she wanted to talk about it, and she replied that she had no idea who he was, why should she talk to him?
He didn't blame her. Something was off a little, though. Gunn never really remembered Cordy mentioning an Anya before. "Anya?" Cordy called as she was heading down the stairs. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"
"Yes," Anya said as she stood and met Cordelia half way. "Xander called it off, he left me." "Oh, God, Anya." Cordy whispered as she pulled the girl into a hug. Anya began to sob quietly into Cordelia's shoulder. "Your ex, Xander?" Gunn asked from where he sat. Fred came over and smacked him in the arm.
Cordy glared at Gunn before turning back to the broken girl. "What happened?" Cordy asked as she led Anya over to a nearby couch. "A man I cursed once a long time ago…he was out to get revenge," she started, stopping every now and again to sniff. "He came to Xander, saying he was from the future. He showed Xander a fake future, but it scared him."
"Cursed?" Gunn asked. He didn't receive any glares or smacks though. Fred was even waiting for Anya's answer.
"Anya was a…vengeance demon," Cordy answered as Anya tensed a bit. "Until we destroyed her power center and made her normal, but that was years ago and she's not bitter…right?" Anya covered Cordelia's hand with her own. "I'm upset about the whole Xander thing, but the fact is that if you hadn't made me human…I never would have found…Xander.
"I wasn't really sure where to go, Cordelia. I just had to leave Sunnydale for bit." "I'm glad you came to the hotel, then, Anya." Cordy said with a smile. "Actually," Gunn chimed in. "Me and Groo kind of ran into her when tracking the demon from your vision. Groo said he'd take care of the demon and I brought…Anya back here."
"Once I found out who the two big men worked for…I just needed to see a familiar face." "I understand," Cordy said automatically. "I'd love to listen and be there, Anya, but I'm afraid things are a little crazy here. We can grab a bite, and I'll be happy to listen-"
"No," Anya said quickly. "I…I should have known better than to think your little, low-rate detective agency thing wouldn't be busy." Fred and Gunn exchanged glances at the lack of tact Anya showed them. "I'm sorry," Cordy said after a beat. "You've been through a lot and deserve a better welcome. We'll take a break, get some lunch."
"Lunch?" Fred echoed as if that were the only word she had heard. "Just me and you." Cordy added, totally ignoring Fred. Anya's face brightened. "Good, good. We'll talk about Xander and how men are the scum of the earth," Anya said giddily. "Over lunch."
Cordy grabbed her head suddenly and cried out, "Oh, no!" "Then why did you offer?" Anay asked. "Vision." She hissed. Gunn was there immediately. "There's pain?" he asked in shock. "It's big." Cordelia managed to get out. "Visions?" Anya asked with raised eyebrows.
"Cordelia gets visions of people in trouble from the Powers that be," Fred explained as she watched Cordelia. "They're usually not painful…unless it's big." Cordelia sat straight up with wide eyes. "What'd you see?" Gunn asked gently. She didn't answer. Instead she turned. "Vision?" Wesley asked weakly. She stood and walked over to him. He handed her the small book that was in his hand.
"You found something." Cordelia stated more than asked. Wesley nodded. "Sahjahn," he whispered. "Apparently he feels that what he's done to Angel isn't enough." Cordy finished for him. "How about we play fill in the blanks now?" Gunn asked.
"Looks like we're taking a trip," Cordy told them. "I saw Buffy…I saw all of us." "You saw the future?" Fred asked with raised eyebrows. "The powers show you the future."
"It makes sense," Wesley said. "Sahjahn wants Angel to suffer. He thinks he's destroyed Angel's future, now he'll go after his past." "But what's in the book?" Gunn asked with a furrowed brow. "The only thing I could find on Sahjahn," Wesley answered. "It's not much, but it's something. Angel wasn't his first enemy."
Cordy walked over and handed the book to Gunn. "So, you're going back to Sunnydale?" Anya asked. Wesley raised his eyebrows and looked to Cordelia. "Her and Xander broke up," she told him quietly then turned to Anya. "Right now, it looks like it."
"You can't be serious?" Gunn said as he stepped forward with the book. "We're actually going back to Sunnydale? Are you even sure that Sahjahn and Cordy's vision are connected?" "Even if they're not, I saw us in Sunnydale." Cordy reminded him.
Fred stepped forward as well. "Not to damper the spirits here, but," she started. "Who's going to take care of things in L.A. if Cordy saw us all at Sunnydale." "Actually," Cordelia said slowly. "I didn't see Groo in the vision. Something's telling me he stays."
"Have we thought about telling Angel that he's gonna have a blast from the past?" Gunn asked them. "You know he won't be happy."
"He doesn't have a choice." Cordy told them.
By – Colleen "Coll", Forker18@aol.com
Teaser: X-over with BtVS. Cordy gets a vision that sends the gang packing to Sunnydale, knowing that Sahjahn fits into it all but not sure how. Also, they get shocked when each member of the Angel Investigations gang realizes they have to deal with their past.
Genre: Angel: The Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance/Suspense/Action
Pairing: Gunn/Fred, Angel/Cordelia
Rating: PG-13 - R
Distribution: Sure, why not, just ask!
Spoilers: Up to Sleep Tight, and makes references to some rumors floating around on the net.
Special Thanks to: All the Forkers (Especially those @ the fanforum board! Love you guys!) and everyone @ FF.net for reviewing my fics!
1.1 Prologue
It was different now. Everything was different, and it didn't help that one thought kept running through her mind every second of every day.
"If I was here…would this have happened?"
Cordelia couldn't help but think that. She understood it, but Groo didn't. He just…didn't understand that he couldn't be her number one priority right now. She was the only one who got remotely through to Angel, and that meant something. The visions still came. Groo took care of the demons, along with Gunn. Cordy was still trying to figure out what her vision of Angel meant.
She still felt his pain, anger, and hurt. It added on to her own, and it was killing her. Wesley had come back to the office a few days after being released from the hospital. She had spoken with him, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne, telling them about the visions. It was hard to though, talking to Wesley. She, herself, was upset with him; however, Angel's anger lingered inside of her.
She felt like jumping up and beating the shit out of him. Cordy knew he understood that too. Just by the way he looked at her, and with the gentleness he used when he spoke. Gunn had taken over as the boss, which surprised her, but the fact that it was Wesley's decision shocked her more. He thought they should remain aware of the visions.
"Each vision means something," he said after she had confessed what she felt. "We have to remember that."
The rest agreed.
Things with Wesley though, it worried her; especially if they had to come together in the end for a fight where everyone would be needed. Could they all pull it together? Lorne was still bitter, but hey, who wouldn't be? Gunn, he was upset cause he stuck up for Wes and then Wes let him down.
Fred was really the only one who spoke to him. Cordelia noted that they only talked about the situation when looking through books. Speaking of books, you couldn't step anywhere in the hotel without stepping on an open book.
Wesley was trying to redeem himself that much was for sure. Fred was the only one who knew if he had accomplished anything. No one, including herself, really wanted to talk about it…so they didn't.
At first, Cordy thought that Fred's connection to Wesley would have made Gunn angrier with Wes, especially since Fred and Gunn were apparently seeing each other when she left with Groo. That, she must say, she didn't see coming. She also didn't see that her and Gunn would still be together. That shocked the crap out of her, considering she was all magical now.
Fred had assured Gunn that her heart was with him while still making sure he understood that Wesley needed at least one person to be on his side. They made her sick sometimes, and jealous. The way they kissed each other good-bye and hello, and how they did it in secret…it was something she had just experienced with Groo, until she was yanked back into the cruel reality.
Now, here she was with him. The silence was choking her, but what was she going to do? Strike up meaningless chatter? Connor was the most important thing to Angel. He never thought he'd do anything good with his life, and always thought that all of the people he saved would never be enough to make up for what he'd done.
Connor gave him hope. He knew that, no matter what happened, if he'd lost all of them, as long as he had Connor…there was always hope. The man that she sat in the room with was hopeless. Determined, but hopeless.
They needed Connor back.
A knock brought Cordelia out of her thoughts. Angel didn't even blink as she got up and walked to the door. She cracked the door open enough for her to slip out. "Anything?" she asked Fred immediately. Fred nodded, "Wesley's on to something, but that's not why I'm here." "What happened?" Cordy asked, confusion laced in her tone.
"Someone's here to see you."
~*~
Gunn shifted in his seat. He was feeling a little uncomfortable right now. From what he's heard, when people from Sunnydale come to L.A., things don't really go too well. This chick, Anya, looked…well, she looked like shit. Her eyes, all Gunn could see was pain. He had asked if she wanted to talk about it, and she replied that she had no idea who he was, why should she talk to him?
He didn't blame her. Something was off a little, though. Gunn never really remembered Cordy mentioning an Anya before. "Anya?" Cordy called as she was heading down the stairs. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"
"Yes," Anya said as she stood and met Cordelia half way. "Xander called it off, he left me." "Oh, God, Anya." Cordy whispered as she pulled the girl into a hug. Anya began to sob quietly into Cordelia's shoulder. "Your ex, Xander?" Gunn asked from where he sat. Fred came over and smacked him in the arm.
Cordy glared at Gunn before turning back to the broken girl. "What happened?" Cordy asked as she led Anya over to a nearby couch. "A man I cursed once a long time ago…he was out to get revenge," she started, stopping every now and again to sniff. "He came to Xander, saying he was from the future. He showed Xander a fake future, but it scared him."
"Cursed?" Gunn asked. He didn't receive any glares or smacks though. Fred was even waiting for Anya's answer.
"Anya was a…vengeance demon," Cordy answered as Anya tensed a bit. "Until we destroyed her power center and made her normal, but that was years ago and she's not bitter…right?" Anya covered Cordelia's hand with her own. "I'm upset about the whole Xander thing, but the fact is that if you hadn't made me human…I never would have found…Xander.
"I wasn't really sure where to go, Cordelia. I just had to leave Sunnydale for bit." "I'm glad you came to the hotel, then, Anya." Cordy said with a smile. "Actually," Gunn chimed in. "Me and Groo kind of ran into her when tracking the demon from your vision. Groo said he'd take care of the demon and I brought…Anya back here."
"Once I found out who the two big men worked for…I just needed to see a familiar face." "I understand," Cordy said automatically. "I'd love to listen and be there, Anya, but I'm afraid things are a little crazy here. We can grab a bite, and I'll be happy to listen-"
"No," Anya said quickly. "I…I should have known better than to think your little, low-rate detective agency thing wouldn't be busy." Fred and Gunn exchanged glances at the lack of tact Anya showed them. "I'm sorry," Cordy said after a beat. "You've been through a lot and deserve a better welcome. We'll take a break, get some lunch."
"Lunch?" Fred echoed as if that were the only word she had heard. "Just me and you." Cordy added, totally ignoring Fred. Anya's face brightened. "Good, good. We'll talk about Xander and how men are the scum of the earth," Anya said giddily. "Over lunch."
Cordy grabbed her head suddenly and cried out, "Oh, no!" "Then why did you offer?" Anay asked. "Vision." She hissed. Gunn was there immediately. "There's pain?" he asked in shock. "It's big." Cordelia managed to get out. "Visions?" Anya asked with raised eyebrows.
"Cordelia gets visions of people in trouble from the Powers that be," Fred explained as she watched Cordelia. "They're usually not painful…unless it's big." Cordelia sat straight up with wide eyes. "What'd you see?" Gunn asked gently. She didn't answer. Instead she turned. "Vision?" Wesley asked weakly. She stood and walked over to him. He handed her the small book that was in his hand.
"You found something." Cordelia stated more than asked. Wesley nodded. "Sahjahn," he whispered. "Apparently he feels that what he's done to Angel isn't enough." Cordy finished for him. "How about we play fill in the blanks now?" Gunn asked.
"Looks like we're taking a trip," Cordy told them. "I saw Buffy…I saw all of us." "You saw the future?" Fred asked with raised eyebrows. "The powers show you the future."
"It makes sense," Wesley said. "Sahjahn wants Angel to suffer. He thinks he's destroyed Angel's future, now he'll go after his past." "But what's in the book?" Gunn asked with a furrowed brow. "The only thing I could find on Sahjahn," Wesley answered. "It's not much, but it's something. Angel wasn't his first enemy."
Cordy walked over and handed the book to Gunn. "So, you're going back to Sunnydale?" Anya asked. Wesley raised his eyebrows and looked to Cordelia. "Her and Xander broke up," she told him quietly then turned to Anya. "Right now, it looks like it."
"You can't be serious?" Gunn said as he stepped forward with the book. "We're actually going back to Sunnydale? Are you even sure that Sahjahn and Cordy's vision are connected?" "Even if they're not, I saw us in Sunnydale." Cordy reminded him.
Fred stepped forward as well. "Not to damper the spirits here, but," she started. "Who's going to take care of things in L.A. if Cordy saw us all at Sunnydale." "Actually," Cordelia said slowly. "I didn't see Groo in the vision. Something's telling me he stays."
"Have we thought about telling Angel that he's gonna have a blast from the past?" Gunn asked them. "You know he won't be happy."
"He doesn't have a choice." Cordy told them.