Title: Green Card (Answer to A Cliche Challenge That Doesn't Suck)
Author: T. C.
Rating: R
Pairings: Cordelia/Angel; Cordelia/Lorne
Summary: Angel needs to stop Lorne from making the biggest mistake of
his life. This story deals with the plot cliche
'Cordy's getting married to someone else. Can Angel stop her?'
that was part of a challenge made at the ACangst list at
yahoogroups.
Spoilers: This story takes place after 'Birthday' but before 'Sleep
Tight.' Everything that happened before 'Sleep Tight' is
fair game for back story including events that happened when
Angel and Cordelia were residents of Sunnydale.
Disclaimer: The characters from 'Angel' belong to Joss Whedon (aptly
handled by David Greenwalt), 20th Century Fox, and the WB.
Author's Note: I hope that this is sufficiently angsty, I couldn't
help but exploit the inherent satyric qualities of this
cliche.
***********************************************************************
The Morvish demon had a beautiful voice. Her long, elegant neck
reached up as her last note trembled in the air. The iridescent
scales that covered her head, neck, and chest glittered in the filtered
light. Lorne closed his eyes, took a sip of his Seabreeze, and savored
the sharp citrous flavor and luscious sounds as they haunted the room.
Housecalls to a Morvish demon he did not mind at all. They had style,
a voice Celine Dion would die for, and chose lairs with incredible
acoustics. A cold drop of water ran down the back of Lorne's neck and
he shivered. Their lairs were a bit drippy, but still stylish. He
opened his eyes.
The cavern's walls were stained blue and green with various families of
lichen and alga and the deep pools in the back of the cave glowed with
eerie soft lights from under the water. The Morvish swam around in a
pool closer to Lorne, a shaft of sunlight spotlighting it. She
extended her neck in question. "You will help me, reader?" her melodic
voice trilled.
"Don't get your fins in a flap, Princess Ariel." The Little Mermaid
reference wasn't far off since it was the Morvish that inspired
sailors' tales of mermaids and sirens. Their lower body, mouth, and
eyes were a lot like a bottle nose dolphin's - sleek blue/grey tail and
body and a beaky mouth lined with small sharp teeth. Her eyes were an
inky black vortex that beckoned enticingly until she blinked with
transparent lids. Unlike the legend, the Morvish's upper body was
hardly that of a human female, instead it was more reminiscent of a
swan. A small head sat on top of a graceful, long neck, both decorated
with scales that shone red, green, and gold rather than feathers.
Gossamer wings that sparkled sliver and blue took the place of arms and
completed the picture. Morvish were stunning creatures, but they were
also temperamental divas.
Lorne winked at his impatient client. "Give me a moment to compose my
impressions, especially after such an exquisite performance." The
Morvish cooed and splashed delightedly at the flattery. Lorne took
another drink and closed his eyes again. It was a simple question
really - if she revealed herself to the human sailor she loved would he
join her in the sea to live happily ever after together - and he could
read her emotions easy enough, but the outcome was murky. But he
couldn't put off the heartsick demoness with pretty words for much
longer. Lorne opened his eyes and finished his drink. "Love is a
risky business, especially when it involves humans giving up their
humanity. I sensed some uncertainty about him so I suggest that you
refrain from revealing yourself in all your demon glory and just
continue crooning lullabies to him from the deep blue sea until you
are certain or you can try to hook up with someone from your own
species."
"Ooo," the Morvish pouted. Her clear lids fluttered. She fixed her
black gaze on Lorne. "Maybe I should give up on humans. Do you like
to swim, reader? I could sing for you everyday. Sometimes twice a
day."
"Twice a day, you say?" Lorne felt himself drawn into the depths of
her eyes. A little dip in the ocean wouldn't hurt. He stepped toward
the demon, but a fortuitous drop of water splashed down onto his nose.
Lorne shook his head and hastily backed out of the cave. "As tempting
as the offer is, my melodic chippie, I must decline. I'm not much of
an aqua-nut. Just the mention of a 'Jaws' movie and I get seasick.
But let me know how the love hunt goes, songbird." Lorne rushed out of
the cave and into the bright light of day. He put on his red fedora
to cover his horns, hiked up the collar of his lemon yellow jacket and
headed to where he had parked Angel's convertible.
The ambiguous nature of the Morvish's reading was worrying Lorne. They
were a relatively easy demon to read, not complicated at all. There
was no reason for the outcome to be unclear, he had only indulged in
the one Seabreeze if you didn't count the three he had with lunch.
Besides, he could give a stellar reading three sheets to the wind and
had on many occasions. The only explanation Lorne would get for
this occurrence would be from the Powers and fortunately he knew where
to find them. Unfortunately, he also had an idea of what they might
tell him.
*****
"Who's the most perfect baby in the whole wide world? Even though he
won't take a nap, who's the perfect baby?" Cordelia cooed. Connor
gave an answering gurgle and a little squeal as Cordelia lifted him
high in the air and then back down again. "Yes, it's you. Connor is
the most perfect baby in the whole wide world. Yes, he is."
Following the sound of Cordelia's crooning voice and his son's
delighted baby noises, Angel made his way downstairs. He stopped short
three quarters of the way down when sunlight blocked his path.
Cordelia had opened all the curtains while he had been sleeping
upstairs. Angel didn't really mind, he wasn't quite awake yet and it
gave him an opportunity to watch his Seer with his son. He settled
down into the shadows of the stairwell as Cordelia waltzed around the
lobby with Connor swaying in her outstretched arms. Watching them
together like that was almost a moment of perfect happiness. The only
thing that prevented Angelus' re-emergence was the knowledge that he
would never be able to join them. He would never dance with Cordelia
and Connor in the sun. He would never take them to the beach on a hot
summer day and help Connor build sandcastles and slather Cordelia's
body with sunblock. If he had known that one day he would have a son
and fall in love with a wonderful woman, he might not have destroyed
the Gem of Amara. Of course, there were alternatives - dancing in the
light of a full moon, a moonlight picnic on the beach with the waves
crashing around them - but Angel could never ask Cordelia to commit to
a life of alternatives to the sun. She had sacrificed enough for him.
She had given up her humanity to help him find his.
"Who's the broody vampire in the shadows?" Cordelia danced closer to
him and tilted Connor in his direction. Angel vamped and Connor
laughed. "Yes, it's Connor's Daddy. His big broody Daddy, but Connor
isn't going to brood is he? No way, this cute little brow will never
furrow." Cordelia brought Connor close to her and kissed said smooth
brow. She turned around to look at Angel, who was back in human face
and still frowning, over the baby's shoulder. She continued on in her
soft, singsong voice. "I chose to become part demon, Angel. Yes, I
did. It had nothing to do with you, Mr. The-World-Revolves-Around-Me.
No, it didn't."
"Who's the big liar? Yes, Auntie Cordelia is. Her fondest wish was to
become a demon. No, it wasn't," Angel emulated Cordelia's tone, but he
smiled to take the edge off. She was amazing. She wouldn't even let
him feel guilty for what he had done to her life. She deserved to be
dancing a child of her own with a loving husband looking on who could
give her sunshine, flowers, and make all of her dreams come true. Even
though the thought of Cordelia marrying another man punched his soul
into confetti, Angel wanted it for her because it would make her happy.
"Cordelia!" The front doors burst open and a disheveled Lorne stumbled
in. The commotion lured Fred, Wesley, and Gunn out of Wesley's office
where the guys had been subtly fawning over the shy physicists while
she worked on the computer.
Cordelia whipped around and immediately headed toward her friend.
"Lorne? What happened? Did that demon you went to read for attack
you?"
"No, my dearest, but your concern touches me." Lorne stumbled further
into the lobby. He met up with Cordelia in the middle of the room and
he fell to his knees in front of her. "I can't deny it any longer, I
love you, Brown Eyes." Lorne took Cordelia's free hand, the one that
wasn't holding Connor close to her side, and clutched it to his chest.
"Will you marry me, my lovely Pylean Princess?"
"Lorne, are you okay?" Cordelia asked in the stunned silence that
followed his question. She tried to withdraw her hand, but Lorne
gripped it tighter.
"Only overcome by my love for you. Please say yes."
It was on the tip of Cordelia's tongue to refuse and offer a scathing
review of his 'proposal,' but something in Lorne's eyes stopped her.
His ruby reds weren't snapping with sassy sarcasm, they were alive with
panic. The only other time she had seen that look on his face was
when they had been back in Pylea and his head had been severed from his
body and they had to reunite them before his body was mutilated. He
was serious and in trouble. "Yes."
An inarticulate growl escaped Angel as he jumped to his feet. He
started forward, but immediately recoiled as the direct light singed
his skin. He yelled in pain and fell back onto the stairs.
"Angel!" Cordelia screamed. She tugged Lorne to his feet and handed
Connor to him. "Lorne, take the baby. Angel, what were you thinking?
Fred, get the First Aid kit, it's in my desk."
The soft soothing touch of Cordelia's fingertips caressing his cheek
was balm enough for Angel. He barely felt a thing even though he did
wince when she carefully extended his arm and inspected the burnt
flesh. It was a sweet delicious torture having Cordelia so close and
touching him.
"Here you go, Cordelia." Fred offered her the First Aid kit. She gave
Angel a sympathetic smile and rushed back to Wesley and Gunn to watch
the proceedings from a safe distance. Lorne didn't move, just cradled
the baby nervously.
"I can't believe you. Two hundred and fifty odd years old and you
haven't learned that sunlight equals big flaming ouch," Cordelia
muttered. She sent him a stern glare and then went back to work
cleaning the burn with a cooling solution. It stung a bit, but Angel
wasn't paying attention. He was too busy watching Cordelia. She
chewed on her lower lip with her pearly white teeth as she smoothed an
antibiotic cream on his forearm and wrapped it in a bandage. He didn't
know why she bothered, it would heal fast enough without her medical
assistance and infection wasn't a threat. A part of him hoped she did
it because she liked pampering and taking care of him. That maybe,
just maybe it was an excuse to touch him. Angel couldn't resist
touching her any longer. He reached out and tucked a stray piece of
hair behind her ear, stealing a caress of the soft skin of her jawline
and neck as he did it.
A fussy wail from his son broke the moment that Angel was pretty sure
just wishful thinking on his part. Cordelia had never given him any
indication that she felt more than just friendship for him. Angel
looked away from her to Connor. Lorne. At the sight of the green
skinned demon he thought was his friend his previous anger and the
reason for it came back to him. "You," Angel snarled. His eyes
narrowed.
"You know what, I think the little nipper here is hungry. I'll just
take him to the kitchen and get him some grub." It might not have been
the best idea to propose to Cordelia, but Lorne needed a demon mate.
He had thought Angel would still be asleep and that they could explain
everything to him at once. It didn't sound so bad when everything was
explained. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen the big lug lurking in the
shadows, although he should have expected it.
"Don't move." Angel's agitation had reached dangerous levels. He
could feel it roaring beneath the surface. Lorne had proposed to
Cordelia! And she had accepted! What Twilight Zone episode was this?
"Fred, take Connor to the kitchen and get his bottle ready, please.
Wesley and Gunn can help you."
Usually when Angel would try to give them orders, Wesley or Gunn would
remind him that he wasn't the boss anymore. This was not a time to
argue. Fred went to get the baby from Lorne and Wesley and Gunn
turned to leave when Cordelia's voice cut through the momentary silence.
"Stop. Why don't you guys close the curtains instead? Then we'll all
go to the kitchen and get Connor his dinner."
"We have to talk," Angel protested. "About what Lorne asked and you
accepted."
"And we will. All of us," Cordelia assured him.
"It's none of their business," Angel stubbornly insisted. His jaw was
so set that it barely moved when he spoke. He didn't want the others
present when Cordelia explained why she had said yes. He wanted her
to explain to him not everyone.
"Well, Angel, since it is MY life then it really isn't your business
either," Cordelia challenged. She refused to back down even though she
saw the pain that flashed through Angel's eyes. She wasn't going to
apologize for her statement nor take back her acceptance of Lorne's
proposal. Cordelia narrowed her eyes as well and stared right back at
the irate vampire. Sometimes he made her so mad! So what if Lorne had
proposed to her?: He obviously had a reason for it and besides, it was
Lorne. It didn't hurt her ego to acknowledge that he didn't ask her to
marry him because she was the love of his life. Angel could be such an
overprotective goon.
During Angel and Cordelia's battle of wills, the others considered
their options. Lorne knew it would be best if he just stayed where he
was and waited for everyone else to decide things for him. Fred,
Wesley, and Gunn could do as Angel asked and retreat to the kitchen
with Connor and let them hash things out with Lorne in the lobby or
they could do as Cordelia asked and find out exactly what was going on.
Angel was a vampire and he would get glowery if he didn't get his way,
but Cordelia was Cordelia - who knew how her new part-demon status
would affect her when she was pissed. Fred took Connor from Lorne
while Wesley and Gunn closed the curtains. Angel's low rumbling growl
accompanied their movements.
"Stop with the epic growlfest." Cordelia slapped Angel lightly on the
shoulder. "You'll scare Connor." She stood and walked to the kitchen.
Everyone else took her lead and Angel had no choice but to follow.
"Okay," Cordelia started once the bottle was prepared and Connor was
contentedly sucking on it in Fred's arms. Cordelia loved to feed the
infant, but figured she would let Fred this time just in case she had
to step in between Angel and Lorne. She turned to Lorne with her
arms crossed over her chest. "What's with the sudden urge to marry
me?"
"If you say it's because you love her, I'm going to shove your horns
into your forehead." Angel smirked with satisfaction when Lorne backed
away from Cordelia. She said that her life was none of his business.
None of his business. She didn't really mean it, though, she was just
mad at him. They had been through too much for her life to be none of
his business. His life was her business. Everything from Connor to
his Shanshu was her business. He didn't know what he would do if she
really did mean it. He needed Cordelia's life to be his business.
"Angel, Lorne can love me if he wants to. You don't love me though,
do you?" Cordelia suddenly looked worried. She liked Lorne, but she
wasn't attracted to him. Unrequited love in the workplace was a messy
business.
"No, Warrior Princess, I don't love you." Lorne was almost offended by
the sighs of relief from both Cordelia and Angel. He understood the
jealous vampire's reaction, but Cordelia's was uncalled for. He wasn't
that bad of a catch. There were demons out there who would love to
hook up with a natty crooner such as himself. "This will be a marriage
of convenience and extreme necessity. My work VISA with the PTB has
run out and I'm losing my ability to read auras in this dimension. If
I don't forge a connection here and regain my abilities, they'll deport
me back to Pylea."
"But won't they know that you and Cordelia aren't in love." Fred
frowned. "They are the Powers That Be. Don't they know everything?"
"They like to think so, but they're not the INS, Freddikins. It's not
about love, it's about a connection. On Pylea, my abilities were
natural, but when I got here I needed assistance from the PTB for
them to work properly. It's the connection to the dimension that's
key, people. My connection was my business, Caritas, but that
collapsed like so much rubble."
"Why didn't you ask Fred to marry you? She's pretty." Angel sulked
malevolently from his position leaning against the counter. He was
pretty sure that Lorne was aware of his developing feelings for
Cordelia. If the former Pylean was his friend, how could he do this
to him? How could he put him through the agony of watching Cordelia,
not with a another man, but another demon.
"Hey," Wesley and Gunn protested Angel's suggestion. They both stepped
closer to a blushing Fred and glared at Lorne.
"I'm not denying the Yellow Rose of Texas' attractiveness, but I need
a demon mate in order to forge the connection." Lorne's eyes widened
when Cordelia's eyebrows rose and her foot started to tap the floor.
"Not that it was the only quality I considered. You're the most
gorgeous and generous part demon I know." Lorne tried the puppy dog
eyes that worked so well for Angel on Cordelia.
"Mate? What kind of connection are you planning on forging?" Angel
straightened. He reached out and pulled Cordelia back so that she was
standing at his side. He kept her hand encased in his. "There will be
no connecting or forging and there will especially be no mating."
"Relax, Angel." Lorne instinctively refrained from using a cute pet
name. His vampire friend was in no mood for such frivolity. "It's
purely a psychic connection."
"And purely my decision." Cordelia glared at Angel. "So, if it's just
the matter of linking up psychically, why do we have to get married?
You've walked around in my head before. And why the big showy
proposal?" She winced and struggled to release her hand from Angel's
punishing grip. "Let go, Angel, you'll break my hand." He didn't let
go, but the pressure subsided.
"It's a loophole in Pylean law. If you agreed to mate with me freely
without knowing about it just being a marriage of convenience than it's
still valid without us consummating it. We have to become mates
because that's the only way Pyleans can forge a psychic connection.
You haven't changed your mind, have you? Because it won't be for long,
I only had six months left until I got my permanent VISA when Caritas
took its final trip to kingdom come." Lorne frowned. If Cordelia
changed her mind, he could always go back to the Morvish. She seemed
eager to connect with him. Thinking of the Morvish reminded Lorne of
how she had paid her fee and he frantically searched his pockets.
"And, hey, I forgot to give you this to make it official. That is if
you still want to marry me." Lorne held out an engagement ring.
"Of course I'll still marry you, Lorne." Cordelia smiled. Her eyes
fell on the ring and they widened in surprise. She wrenched herself
from Angel's grasp and crossed over to her other friend. "Oh, my
God, it's gorgeous. Lorne, do you know how expensive this ring is?"
"Well, it's a three and a half carat Marquise diamond solitaire ring
set in eighteen carat white gold. It's cut is very good, it's the very
rare D color, and it's internally flawless. I would say around
seventy-five thousand." Lorne shrugged. He took Cordelia's left hand
and slipped it on her ring finger. "The Morvish I just read for dug it
out of a shipwrecked yacht. It was my fee. Thanks, Brown Eyes, you're
really saving my cute butt."
"No need to thank me. We're friends, Lorne, we help each other when
we're in trouble and this ring is, wow." Cordelia held out her hand
and admired the sparkler. "Look, it sparkles even in this crap
lighting."
Angel stepped forward and grabbed Lorne's hand. There was a tense
moment of silence until he shook the other demon's hand.
"Congratulations, Lorne." It was no use arguing with either of them
right now. Lorne was desperate and hadn't had time to think of any
other solutions and Cordelia was in her helping a friend mode and much
too taken with the diamond engagement ring to listen to him. He took
Connor from Fred to burp him and stood back while the others offered
Cordelia and Lorne their congratulations. It was time for him to stand
back and consider his options. There was a way to stop this marriage
and Angel was going to find it.
*****
Author: T. C.
Rating: R
Pairings: Cordelia/Angel; Cordelia/Lorne
Summary: Angel needs to stop Lorne from making the biggest mistake of
his life. This story deals with the plot cliche
'Cordy's getting married to someone else. Can Angel stop her?'
that was part of a challenge made at the ACangst list at
yahoogroups.
Spoilers: This story takes place after 'Birthday' but before 'Sleep
Tight.' Everything that happened before 'Sleep Tight' is
fair game for back story including events that happened when
Angel and Cordelia were residents of Sunnydale.
Disclaimer: The characters from 'Angel' belong to Joss Whedon (aptly
handled by David Greenwalt), 20th Century Fox, and the WB.
Author's Note: I hope that this is sufficiently angsty, I couldn't
help but exploit the inherent satyric qualities of this
cliche.
***********************************************************************
The Morvish demon had a beautiful voice. Her long, elegant neck
reached up as her last note trembled in the air. The iridescent
scales that covered her head, neck, and chest glittered in the filtered
light. Lorne closed his eyes, took a sip of his Seabreeze, and savored
the sharp citrous flavor and luscious sounds as they haunted the room.
Housecalls to a Morvish demon he did not mind at all. They had style,
a voice Celine Dion would die for, and chose lairs with incredible
acoustics. A cold drop of water ran down the back of Lorne's neck and
he shivered. Their lairs were a bit drippy, but still stylish. He
opened his eyes.
The cavern's walls were stained blue and green with various families of
lichen and alga and the deep pools in the back of the cave glowed with
eerie soft lights from under the water. The Morvish swam around in a
pool closer to Lorne, a shaft of sunlight spotlighting it. She
extended her neck in question. "You will help me, reader?" her melodic
voice trilled.
"Don't get your fins in a flap, Princess Ariel." The Little Mermaid
reference wasn't far off since it was the Morvish that inspired
sailors' tales of mermaids and sirens. Their lower body, mouth, and
eyes were a lot like a bottle nose dolphin's - sleek blue/grey tail and
body and a beaky mouth lined with small sharp teeth. Her eyes were an
inky black vortex that beckoned enticingly until she blinked with
transparent lids. Unlike the legend, the Morvish's upper body was
hardly that of a human female, instead it was more reminiscent of a
swan. A small head sat on top of a graceful, long neck, both decorated
with scales that shone red, green, and gold rather than feathers.
Gossamer wings that sparkled sliver and blue took the place of arms and
completed the picture. Morvish were stunning creatures, but they were
also temperamental divas.
Lorne winked at his impatient client. "Give me a moment to compose my
impressions, especially after such an exquisite performance." The
Morvish cooed and splashed delightedly at the flattery. Lorne took
another drink and closed his eyes again. It was a simple question
really - if she revealed herself to the human sailor she loved would he
join her in the sea to live happily ever after together - and he could
read her emotions easy enough, but the outcome was murky. But he
couldn't put off the heartsick demoness with pretty words for much
longer. Lorne opened his eyes and finished his drink. "Love is a
risky business, especially when it involves humans giving up their
humanity. I sensed some uncertainty about him so I suggest that you
refrain from revealing yourself in all your demon glory and just
continue crooning lullabies to him from the deep blue sea until you
are certain or you can try to hook up with someone from your own
species."
"Ooo," the Morvish pouted. Her clear lids fluttered. She fixed her
black gaze on Lorne. "Maybe I should give up on humans. Do you like
to swim, reader? I could sing for you everyday. Sometimes twice a
day."
"Twice a day, you say?" Lorne felt himself drawn into the depths of
her eyes. A little dip in the ocean wouldn't hurt. He stepped toward
the demon, but a fortuitous drop of water splashed down onto his nose.
Lorne shook his head and hastily backed out of the cave. "As tempting
as the offer is, my melodic chippie, I must decline. I'm not much of
an aqua-nut. Just the mention of a 'Jaws' movie and I get seasick.
But let me know how the love hunt goes, songbird." Lorne rushed out of
the cave and into the bright light of day. He put on his red fedora
to cover his horns, hiked up the collar of his lemon yellow jacket and
headed to where he had parked Angel's convertible.
The ambiguous nature of the Morvish's reading was worrying Lorne. They
were a relatively easy demon to read, not complicated at all. There
was no reason for the outcome to be unclear, he had only indulged in
the one Seabreeze if you didn't count the three he had with lunch.
Besides, he could give a stellar reading three sheets to the wind and
had on many occasions. The only explanation Lorne would get for
this occurrence would be from the Powers and fortunately he knew where
to find them. Unfortunately, he also had an idea of what they might
tell him.
*****
"Who's the most perfect baby in the whole wide world? Even though he
won't take a nap, who's the perfect baby?" Cordelia cooed. Connor
gave an answering gurgle and a little squeal as Cordelia lifted him
high in the air and then back down again. "Yes, it's you. Connor is
the most perfect baby in the whole wide world. Yes, he is."
Following the sound of Cordelia's crooning voice and his son's
delighted baby noises, Angel made his way downstairs. He stopped short
three quarters of the way down when sunlight blocked his path.
Cordelia had opened all the curtains while he had been sleeping
upstairs. Angel didn't really mind, he wasn't quite awake yet and it
gave him an opportunity to watch his Seer with his son. He settled
down into the shadows of the stairwell as Cordelia waltzed around the
lobby with Connor swaying in her outstretched arms. Watching them
together like that was almost a moment of perfect happiness. The only
thing that prevented Angelus' re-emergence was the knowledge that he
would never be able to join them. He would never dance with Cordelia
and Connor in the sun. He would never take them to the beach on a hot
summer day and help Connor build sandcastles and slather Cordelia's
body with sunblock. If he had known that one day he would have a son
and fall in love with a wonderful woman, he might not have destroyed
the Gem of Amara. Of course, there were alternatives - dancing in the
light of a full moon, a moonlight picnic on the beach with the waves
crashing around them - but Angel could never ask Cordelia to commit to
a life of alternatives to the sun. She had sacrificed enough for him.
She had given up her humanity to help him find his.
"Who's the broody vampire in the shadows?" Cordelia danced closer to
him and tilted Connor in his direction. Angel vamped and Connor
laughed. "Yes, it's Connor's Daddy. His big broody Daddy, but Connor
isn't going to brood is he? No way, this cute little brow will never
furrow." Cordelia brought Connor close to her and kissed said smooth
brow. She turned around to look at Angel, who was back in human face
and still frowning, over the baby's shoulder. She continued on in her
soft, singsong voice. "I chose to become part demon, Angel. Yes, I
did. It had nothing to do with you, Mr. The-World-Revolves-Around-Me.
No, it didn't."
"Who's the big liar? Yes, Auntie Cordelia is. Her fondest wish was to
become a demon. No, it wasn't," Angel emulated Cordelia's tone, but he
smiled to take the edge off. She was amazing. She wouldn't even let
him feel guilty for what he had done to her life. She deserved to be
dancing a child of her own with a loving husband looking on who could
give her sunshine, flowers, and make all of her dreams come true. Even
though the thought of Cordelia marrying another man punched his soul
into confetti, Angel wanted it for her because it would make her happy.
"Cordelia!" The front doors burst open and a disheveled Lorne stumbled
in. The commotion lured Fred, Wesley, and Gunn out of Wesley's office
where the guys had been subtly fawning over the shy physicists while
she worked on the computer.
Cordelia whipped around and immediately headed toward her friend.
"Lorne? What happened? Did that demon you went to read for attack
you?"
"No, my dearest, but your concern touches me." Lorne stumbled further
into the lobby. He met up with Cordelia in the middle of the room and
he fell to his knees in front of her. "I can't deny it any longer, I
love you, Brown Eyes." Lorne took Cordelia's free hand, the one that
wasn't holding Connor close to her side, and clutched it to his chest.
"Will you marry me, my lovely Pylean Princess?"
"Lorne, are you okay?" Cordelia asked in the stunned silence that
followed his question. She tried to withdraw her hand, but Lorne
gripped it tighter.
"Only overcome by my love for you. Please say yes."
It was on the tip of Cordelia's tongue to refuse and offer a scathing
review of his 'proposal,' but something in Lorne's eyes stopped her.
His ruby reds weren't snapping with sassy sarcasm, they were alive with
panic. The only other time she had seen that look on his face was
when they had been back in Pylea and his head had been severed from his
body and they had to reunite them before his body was mutilated. He
was serious and in trouble. "Yes."
An inarticulate growl escaped Angel as he jumped to his feet. He
started forward, but immediately recoiled as the direct light singed
his skin. He yelled in pain and fell back onto the stairs.
"Angel!" Cordelia screamed. She tugged Lorne to his feet and handed
Connor to him. "Lorne, take the baby. Angel, what were you thinking?
Fred, get the First Aid kit, it's in my desk."
The soft soothing touch of Cordelia's fingertips caressing his cheek
was balm enough for Angel. He barely felt a thing even though he did
wince when she carefully extended his arm and inspected the burnt
flesh. It was a sweet delicious torture having Cordelia so close and
touching him.
"Here you go, Cordelia." Fred offered her the First Aid kit. She gave
Angel a sympathetic smile and rushed back to Wesley and Gunn to watch
the proceedings from a safe distance. Lorne didn't move, just cradled
the baby nervously.
"I can't believe you. Two hundred and fifty odd years old and you
haven't learned that sunlight equals big flaming ouch," Cordelia
muttered. She sent him a stern glare and then went back to work
cleaning the burn with a cooling solution. It stung a bit, but Angel
wasn't paying attention. He was too busy watching Cordelia. She
chewed on her lower lip with her pearly white teeth as she smoothed an
antibiotic cream on his forearm and wrapped it in a bandage. He didn't
know why she bothered, it would heal fast enough without her medical
assistance and infection wasn't a threat. A part of him hoped she did
it because she liked pampering and taking care of him. That maybe,
just maybe it was an excuse to touch him. Angel couldn't resist
touching her any longer. He reached out and tucked a stray piece of
hair behind her ear, stealing a caress of the soft skin of her jawline
and neck as he did it.
A fussy wail from his son broke the moment that Angel was pretty sure
just wishful thinking on his part. Cordelia had never given him any
indication that she felt more than just friendship for him. Angel
looked away from her to Connor. Lorne. At the sight of the green
skinned demon he thought was his friend his previous anger and the
reason for it came back to him. "You," Angel snarled. His eyes
narrowed.
"You know what, I think the little nipper here is hungry. I'll just
take him to the kitchen and get him some grub." It might not have been
the best idea to propose to Cordelia, but Lorne needed a demon mate.
He had thought Angel would still be asleep and that they could explain
everything to him at once. It didn't sound so bad when everything was
explained. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen the big lug lurking in the
shadows, although he should have expected it.
"Don't move." Angel's agitation had reached dangerous levels. He
could feel it roaring beneath the surface. Lorne had proposed to
Cordelia! And she had accepted! What Twilight Zone episode was this?
"Fred, take Connor to the kitchen and get his bottle ready, please.
Wesley and Gunn can help you."
Usually when Angel would try to give them orders, Wesley or Gunn would
remind him that he wasn't the boss anymore. This was not a time to
argue. Fred went to get the baby from Lorne and Wesley and Gunn
turned to leave when Cordelia's voice cut through the momentary silence.
"Stop. Why don't you guys close the curtains instead? Then we'll all
go to the kitchen and get Connor his dinner."
"We have to talk," Angel protested. "About what Lorne asked and you
accepted."
"And we will. All of us," Cordelia assured him.
"It's none of their business," Angel stubbornly insisted. His jaw was
so set that it barely moved when he spoke. He didn't want the others
present when Cordelia explained why she had said yes. He wanted her
to explain to him not everyone.
"Well, Angel, since it is MY life then it really isn't your business
either," Cordelia challenged. She refused to back down even though she
saw the pain that flashed through Angel's eyes. She wasn't going to
apologize for her statement nor take back her acceptance of Lorne's
proposal. Cordelia narrowed her eyes as well and stared right back at
the irate vampire. Sometimes he made her so mad! So what if Lorne had
proposed to her?: He obviously had a reason for it and besides, it was
Lorne. It didn't hurt her ego to acknowledge that he didn't ask her to
marry him because she was the love of his life. Angel could be such an
overprotective goon.
During Angel and Cordelia's battle of wills, the others considered
their options. Lorne knew it would be best if he just stayed where he
was and waited for everyone else to decide things for him. Fred,
Wesley, and Gunn could do as Angel asked and retreat to the kitchen
with Connor and let them hash things out with Lorne in the lobby or
they could do as Cordelia asked and find out exactly what was going on.
Angel was a vampire and he would get glowery if he didn't get his way,
but Cordelia was Cordelia - who knew how her new part-demon status
would affect her when she was pissed. Fred took Connor from Lorne
while Wesley and Gunn closed the curtains. Angel's low rumbling growl
accompanied their movements.
"Stop with the epic growlfest." Cordelia slapped Angel lightly on the
shoulder. "You'll scare Connor." She stood and walked to the kitchen.
Everyone else took her lead and Angel had no choice but to follow.
"Okay," Cordelia started once the bottle was prepared and Connor was
contentedly sucking on it in Fred's arms. Cordelia loved to feed the
infant, but figured she would let Fred this time just in case she had
to step in between Angel and Lorne. She turned to Lorne with her
arms crossed over her chest. "What's with the sudden urge to marry
me?"
"If you say it's because you love her, I'm going to shove your horns
into your forehead." Angel smirked with satisfaction when Lorne backed
away from Cordelia. She said that her life was none of his business.
None of his business. She didn't really mean it, though, she was just
mad at him. They had been through too much for her life to be none of
his business. His life was her business. Everything from Connor to
his Shanshu was her business. He didn't know what he would do if she
really did mean it. He needed Cordelia's life to be his business.
"Angel, Lorne can love me if he wants to. You don't love me though,
do you?" Cordelia suddenly looked worried. She liked Lorne, but she
wasn't attracted to him. Unrequited love in the workplace was a messy
business.
"No, Warrior Princess, I don't love you." Lorne was almost offended by
the sighs of relief from both Cordelia and Angel. He understood the
jealous vampire's reaction, but Cordelia's was uncalled for. He wasn't
that bad of a catch. There were demons out there who would love to
hook up with a natty crooner such as himself. "This will be a marriage
of convenience and extreme necessity. My work VISA with the PTB has
run out and I'm losing my ability to read auras in this dimension. If
I don't forge a connection here and regain my abilities, they'll deport
me back to Pylea."
"But won't they know that you and Cordelia aren't in love." Fred
frowned. "They are the Powers That Be. Don't they know everything?"
"They like to think so, but they're not the INS, Freddikins. It's not
about love, it's about a connection. On Pylea, my abilities were
natural, but when I got here I needed assistance from the PTB for
them to work properly. It's the connection to the dimension that's
key, people. My connection was my business, Caritas, but that
collapsed like so much rubble."
"Why didn't you ask Fred to marry you? She's pretty." Angel sulked
malevolently from his position leaning against the counter. He was
pretty sure that Lorne was aware of his developing feelings for
Cordelia. If the former Pylean was his friend, how could he do this
to him? How could he put him through the agony of watching Cordelia,
not with a another man, but another demon.
"Hey," Wesley and Gunn protested Angel's suggestion. They both stepped
closer to a blushing Fred and glared at Lorne.
"I'm not denying the Yellow Rose of Texas' attractiveness, but I need
a demon mate in order to forge the connection." Lorne's eyes widened
when Cordelia's eyebrows rose and her foot started to tap the floor.
"Not that it was the only quality I considered. You're the most
gorgeous and generous part demon I know." Lorne tried the puppy dog
eyes that worked so well for Angel on Cordelia.
"Mate? What kind of connection are you planning on forging?" Angel
straightened. He reached out and pulled Cordelia back so that she was
standing at his side. He kept her hand encased in his. "There will be
no connecting or forging and there will especially be no mating."
"Relax, Angel." Lorne instinctively refrained from using a cute pet
name. His vampire friend was in no mood for such frivolity. "It's
purely a psychic connection."
"And purely my decision." Cordelia glared at Angel. "So, if it's just
the matter of linking up psychically, why do we have to get married?
You've walked around in my head before. And why the big showy
proposal?" She winced and struggled to release her hand from Angel's
punishing grip. "Let go, Angel, you'll break my hand." He didn't let
go, but the pressure subsided.
"It's a loophole in Pylean law. If you agreed to mate with me freely
without knowing about it just being a marriage of convenience than it's
still valid without us consummating it. We have to become mates
because that's the only way Pyleans can forge a psychic connection.
You haven't changed your mind, have you? Because it won't be for long,
I only had six months left until I got my permanent VISA when Caritas
took its final trip to kingdom come." Lorne frowned. If Cordelia
changed her mind, he could always go back to the Morvish. She seemed
eager to connect with him. Thinking of the Morvish reminded Lorne of
how she had paid her fee and he frantically searched his pockets.
"And, hey, I forgot to give you this to make it official. That is if
you still want to marry me." Lorne held out an engagement ring.
"Of course I'll still marry you, Lorne." Cordelia smiled. Her eyes
fell on the ring and they widened in surprise. She wrenched herself
from Angel's grasp and crossed over to her other friend. "Oh, my
God, it's gorgeous. Lorne, do you know how expensive this ring is?"
"Well, it's a three and a half carat Marquise diamond solitaire ring
set in eighteen carat white gold. It's cut is very good, it's the very
rare D color, and it's internally flawless. I would say around
seventy-five thousand." Lorne shrugged. He took Cordelia's left hand
and slipped it on her ring finger. "The Morvish I just read for dug it
out of a shipwrecked yacht. It was my fee. Thanks, Brown Eyes, you're
really saving my cute butt."
"No need to thank me. We're friends, Lorne, we help each other when
we're in trouble and this ring is, wow." Cordelia held out her hand
and admired the sparkler. "Look, it sparkles even in this crap
lighting."
Angel stepped forward and grabbed Lorne's hand. There was a tense
moment of silence until he shook the other demon's hand.
"Congratulations, Lorne." It was no use arguing with either of them
right now. Lorne was desperate and hadn't had time to think of any
other solutions and Cordelia was in her helping a friend mode and much
too taken with the diamond engagement ring to listen to him. He took
Connor from Fred to burp him and stood back while the others offered
Cordelia and Lorne their congratulations. It was time for him to stand
back and consider his options. There was a way to stop this marriage
and Angel was going to find it.
*****