Circus Freak

By: Luna

Genre: romance and horror

Plot Summary: Angel Investigations is called into action to investigate a few unusual murders- by clowns? Wesley, Gunn, and Fred hate clowns, but Angel and Cordelia have no idea why. So Angel and Cordy readily volunteer for this assignment, expecting the real killers to be something normal- demons and vampires or something like that. But what they find isn't what they were expecting!

Notes: Darla is not in the picture, Conner hasn't been born (yet), and Fred and Gunn are a couple (although I'm a big Fred/Wes fan). This fic is a Cordy/Angel fic. Also, Cordelia hasn't been demonized yet.

Author's Note: I got the idea for this fic after I saw an episode of Glory Days on the WB, where there are a bunch of murders committed by clowns. I got a brilliant idea for an Angel fic, and my writer's block has miraculously disappeared with my new inspiration.

Chapter One / laughter is the best medicine

The carnival was a beautiful place. Bright colours, flashing lights, crying children, cop cars... okay, maybe it wasn't that beautiful the particular night.

Wesley Windham-Pryce stood in the shadows, watching as a police investigation took place. One cop was speaking to a clown, whose makeup was smeared from his tears.

"I-I just don't know why anyone would kill Johnny!" he sobbed. The policeman nodded, and wrote something down on a pad of paper.

"So you think it was a 'rogue clown'?" The policeman asked. The clown nodded. Wesley sighed and turned, heading back to the Hotel.

***

"A clown?" Cordelia asked when Wesley got back. She was the only one at the Hotel when he arrived, Fred and Gunn being on a date and Angel- well, off being Angel.

Wes nodded. "Doesn't surprise me. Bloody clowns and they're red noses."

Cordelia looked at Wesley funny. "I have to admit that their taste in clothing is less than stellar, but they aren't killers."

Wesley sighed. Of course, Cordelia wouldn't think that clowns were to be frightened of. Demons and vampires were the REAL scary ones.

"They just scare me, okay Cordy? Sort of like your dress-"

Cordelia snorted at him. "It's called fashion sense. And you have none of it."

"I call it Hooker-wear."

"Have you been taking Xander Harris lessons?"

A door slammed and Angel came in; witnessing the two's seemingly endless bickering.

"Why hello, Angel, nice to see you too." he said loudly, turning the two's attention towards him.

"Looking good, Cordelia. Red IS your colour."

Cordelia shot a triumphant look at Wesley and smiled. "See? A man with taste."

Angel blushed. "So what's up?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

Wesley coughed nervously, and he and Cordy exchanged a look.

"He thinks that there are killer clowns on the loose." Cordelia said, totally tactless.

"That's not what I said! I thought there was only *one* clown!" Wesley exclaimed in defense.

"Only one clown? First of all, why clowns? They're-"

"Funny?" Cordy suggested.

"Yeah." Angel finished.

"Clowns are funny?" Gunn walked through the door, accompanied by Fred.

"They scare me. Those red noses-" Fred added.

"What do they need em for, anyway?" Gunn and Wesley finished in unison.

Cordy and Angel rolled their eyes.

"So, what's the story?" Gun asked as he and Fred made their way into the commons area.

"There was a murder at the carnival. A witness said that it was committed by a 'rogue clown'."

"Doesn't surprise me." Gunn said.

Cordelia threw up her hand in exasperation. "God, what is wrong with you people! Clowns aren't scary!"

"I wouldn't be to sure of that. When I was little, I had a bad experience with a clown." Fred said.

Gunn looked down at her with concern. "What happened?"

"A clown scared me. I guess there really wasn't much of a story there."

Cordelia groaned. "Okay, if everyone's so freaked out by clowns, I'll just go investigate myself!" And with that, she marched out of the Hotel. Angel sighed and ran out after her.

***

"Cordy! Wait up!"

Cordelia spun around, a glare plastered to her face. Her red dress was blowing lightly in the breeze, as was her dark brown hair, which had been trimmed recently.

"What do you want, Angel?"

Angel sighed. He had never met a woman so difficult since- well, he had never met a woman like Cordy.

"I've decided to come with you." He shrugged. "There are a lot more scarier things than a bunch of people who dress up in weird costumes who try to make people happier.

"Agreed." Cordelia said, and began to walk. Angel quickly ran and caught up with her, and they got into Angel's black convertible together, Cordelia in the passenger's seat.

***

"Damn carnivals. The lights are *still* on!" Cordelia muttered as they pulled up to the carnival, which had been closed due to the murder on the premises. They would open again the next day.

"We could always come back tomorrow. I mean, we're probably not gonna find anything now, I mean, who would the killer try to kill?"

"Us, maybe?" Cordelia said and hopped out of the car. She began to walk towards the entrance gate of the carnival, turning her head this way and that, making sure no one was around.

"Are you even listening to me?" Angel called after her. She turned back to him and with a twinkle in her eyes, shook her head no. He got out of the convertible and ran over to her, silent and as stealthy as a jaguar.

"Shh... There, there's the scene of the crime." Cordelia said, shushing him from instinct. She was beginning to be able to sense him whenever he was around. It was just a feeling that she got when he was within a few feet of her... or a 30-mile radius, she couldn't really tell.

"Am I that loud." Angel asked her, shooting her one of his ever-so-rare smiles.

"Yes, you're the loudest person I've ever met. Now be quieter and let me investigate." Cordelia shot him a look.

Cordelia bent down by the body outline and touched the ground gingerly.

"There's no blood, so we can rule out vampire clowns. Unless they were very neat, which I doubt."

"Wait, I smell something over here. Yeah, it's blood."

"Okay, I'll take a sample and bring it back to back to Wesley. It could be the killer's blood OR the victim's blood. Probably the victims, but we need to be sure. When we get back, tell Fred to hack into- well, wherever, just tell her to figure out who's DNA it is."

"Since when did you become the boss?"

Cordelia looked at Angel, annoyance steaming off of her.

"Look, if I hadn't come to L.A., this whole team would never have gotten off its feet. None of you would have made it, because I wouldn't be having the visions that told you all where to go to fight. Fred probably would never have been saved." Cordelia stood and began to walk back to the car, but Angel reached out and grabbed her arm.

"What's this Cordy? I've never heard you so bitchy before- since your High School days, Wait- are you on your period?"

Cordelia glared over at him and shook his hand off. "I'm just feeling unappreciated, okay? I gave up everything for this team and I brought everyone together, but nobody seems to care. I'm just a little mad, okay?"

Angel sighed and followed her back to the convertible. This was going to be one long night.

From out of the shadows, a figure stood, watching the two leave. A smile played upon his lips, and a red nose shone in the reflecting light from a car's headlights...

***

Cordelia arrived at her apartment, yawning with exhaustion. She wandered into her bedroom and pulled out a tank top and silk pajama pants and changed. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, and then froze. No, not now...

Cordelia was hit with the vision almost immediately after the premonition of it.

A man, with makeup on... a clown- he held a knife and was-- blood, a head rolled, and then another -a girl- she was in the clown's way... the clown smiled at her wickedly and then-- more blood and...

Cordelia lay upon her apartment floor, unconscious. A man entered the room, one body over his shoulder and a head in his hand and another body across his other arm. He walked into the room and dumped the bodies all around Cordelia. He then placed the head next to Cordelia's, facing her. He chuckled, and then left through the window.

***

Cordelia woke up and looked right into the open, dull green eyes of a severed head. Cordelia sat up and let out a high-pitched scream. Regaining a moment of her composure, she managed to cry out to her ghoulish roommate.

"Dennis, get the phone!!!"

Author's Note: Hope you liked it so far.

Questions, comments? Please review!