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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Cruel Intentions
"So that was a vision? What did you see?" Fred asked Cordelia as they lounged in her room. Cordelia was still feeling a bit weak from the vision she had received earlier.
"I saw Liam. He was fighting against Wesley in a match until death," Cordelia said. She was nervous about that. She didn't want to lost him. She loved him and she wouldn't be able to bear it. Then something came to her mind. The director of the movie came into her mind. He always wore the black turtlenect with sunglasses and cap. She knew he had reminded her of someone and now she knew who he was. Even his name resemled it. William Priceton was in fact Wesley. "So have you found anything yet on how to reverse this?" Cordelia asked hoping that she had had enought time to figure something out.
"Not yet but I'm almost there. I have to translate the language but I'm there. It has to do with trances which is what I think might be at play here," Fred said to her.
"Well get to it. We don't have much time," Cordelia said as she started to panic.
* * *
Liam heard some knocking at his door. It was late and he wondered who it was. He finished tucking his sister in and then went over to the door. He opened it and Sir Charles was there. He didn't know what the occasion was for his visit so it seemed odd to him.
"Charles, what are you doing here at this late hour? Did you forget something?" Liam asked him. Sir Charles walked in front of him and Liam noticed he wasn't alone.
"Grab him," Sir Charles muttered. The other knights entered the home and grabbed Liam. He struggled to break free from their grip but there were too many of them.
"What's the meaning of this?" Liam asked Sir Charles.
"Put him in the carriage," Sir Charles paused a moment and then spoke out again, "I'm sorry," he said to Liam who was still trying to break free.
* * *
"I've got it!" Fred yelled as she ran into Cordelia's room. Cordelia got up. Finally! She just hoped there wasn't like a major catch to any of this like there tended to be.
"Well?" she asked. She knew she could count on Fred to figure things out. She just had a way of getting to the bottom of things easily and Cordy admired that from her.
"You're not going to like it," Fred said to her scared at what her reaction would be.
"Fred, please, we don't have much time left. I need to know how to reverse this before any of this gets out of hand. Remember? Fight to the death?" Cordelia said.
"Right, sorry. Well it says that well, the only way to get back is to shed blood," she said.
"Oh, that's not to bad. Just give me a knife and it will all be taken care of," Cordy said.
"It's not that simple. Shedding of blood means death. People who were in what you called the movie, those people have to shed the blood and die. It doesn't say how many have to die but I'm sure it's going to be a great number and I don't think the people would just agree to the terms," she said. Cordy looked at Fred. She didn't like this. The people that were the civilians in the movie back in LA are the civilians of this time. If they were killed here then they would surely be dead back home. Just then Connor walked into the room. Cordelia looked over to him. She didn't like him being there. She knew he had something to do with this as well and knew she had to stay away from them as much as possible. She couldn't jeopardize it.
"My Lord sent me up to check on you. Are you ladies alright?" Connor asked.
"We're fine, now go away," Cordelia ordered. Connor left the room. Cordelia just stared off. Something was going on. Wesley was planning something and she didn't like it.
"Come on Fred. We need to go look for Wesley," she said as she pulled Fred's hand.
* * *
Liam looked out from the cell he was in. They had brought him down to the dungeon for something he didn't know. He wondered what it could have been and then thought about Cordelia. What if she had done all this to trap him? What if the King was jealous and decided to get rid of him? What if it had been Cordelia who sent him to the dungeon. All this began to play in his mind. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into and he only feared the worse. King Wesley made his way towards Liam and stared at him.
"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. What makes you think that you can defy all the rules and somehow still win?" Wesley asked. Liam didn't understand.
"What are you talking about?" Liam asked. The King ordered for the knights to open the cell. He motioned for them to leave and for Connor and Lilah to stay. Liam staye in the cell. He didn't know what the King had up his sleeve and didn't want to know. Connor lit a candle and held something over the burning candle. Then Wesley began to chant in Latin. Liam looked at him not knowing what to do.
"Invoca!" Wesley yelled. Something went through Liam. He couldn't explain it. All he felt was pain. He fell to the ground and tried to fight against it until it took complete control of him and then he lay motionless on the ground.
"Do you think the trance worked?" Lilah asked just as Cordelia and Fred arrived.
"What have you done!" Cordelia yelled as she went over to Liam but was held back by Connor. Cordelia struggled to break free but couldn't. The vision had taken so much out of her so she hadn't regained her strength just yet. Then Liam raised his head. He got up and walked towards Wesley. He motioned over to Cordelia. Connor let go of her.
"What is going on?" she asked. Then Liam walked towards her. He grabbed her by the arms and held on to her with his strong grip. His grip was much stronger than before.
"Liam, you're hurting me," Cordelia said. She looked up at his face and then was horrified. It was his game face. He was a vampire. Had they brought Angelus back? She fought to get lose and finally managed to. She ran up the stairs and she knew he was right behind her. She turned into one corridor into the next, trying to open all the doors until she found one that led outside. She ran until she came up to the woods. She turned around and noticed she was alone. She didn't trust it so she decided to run some more but right when she turned around there he was. Cordelia screamed.
"Angel, please. It's me. It's Cordelia! You've got to come out of this. They have you under some trance! You can break free! You're strong! I know you can do this!" she yelled out but then he reached out and slapped her so hard that it sent her to the ground.
"Angel, no, please. I know that you're in there somewhere. Remember the times we've had together. All those battles we fought together. All those times you saved me," Cordelia said as Angel kicked her stomach. Pain surged through her whole body.
"It won't work. The trance is too strong. No one has been able to break free from it," Wesley said with a snicker. He knew he was going to succeed. It was too powerful.
"Angel, remember your son. How you adored him. How we took care of him. Remember when you were by my side when Lilah sent me visions that scarred me. Remember all the times you were there for me to take care of me. All the times we talked about things you never thought you would let anyone else in on," Cordelia said. Angel kicked her again. He had no control over it. The trance powered everything in him. He grabbed a giant rock and held it above Cordelia's head.
"Angel, please don't do this. Angel, I love you," Cordelia said to him. Angel was about to bring down the rock when something in him surged out. He dropped to the ground and a red mist came out of him. He started coughing and then looked up and then at Cordelia who was lying on the ground.
"Oh my gosh. Cordelia!" he yelled out. She had passed out from the pain that he had caused her. How could I have done this, he asked himself. Then he looked up at Wesley and Connor. He put on his game face and headed towards Wesley and tried to strangle him. Connor and Lilah were trying to hold him back.
"How could you do this? First you take my son and now you almost make me kill Cordelia! I can kill you right now!" he yelled out to him. Wesley was having trouble breathing. Connor saw the rock Angel was holding before and grabbed it and threw it at Angel.
Angel felt the pain hit him and he let go of Wesley. He dropped to the ground and shook his head. He looked back up and saw that Wesley and the rest were running back to the castle. He wanted to run back and kill Wesley but he didn't. He went over to where Cordelia was. He couldn't believe he had done this to her. He picked her up and carried her to his home.
* * *
Cordelia woke up and squinted due to the lights. Then she saw him. She was hoping that it wasn't some kind of dream. It looked like it was too good to be true.
"Is it really you?" Cordelia asked him, not sure if it was Angel or Liam.
"It's really me. It's Angel," he said. Cordelia got so happy. She got up too quickly and felt all the pain go through her body. "Don't get up. I'm right here," he said to her.
"I'm so glad it's you. I thought I wouldn't get to see you again," Cordelia said to him.
"I'm so sorry I did this to you. I didn't know I was capable of it," Angel said.
"It's not your fault. You were under a trance. It's kinda impossible to back out of those things but yet somehow you did and I'm thankful for that," Cordelia said.
"Cordelia, what you said before, did you mean it?" he asked her. Cordelia's heart started racing. He remembered? Why is it they always remember the embarassing things, she thought to herself. She knew there was no way out of it, that she had to tell him the truth.
"Yes, with all my heart and I understand if you don't because-"
"I love you too," Angel said. Cordelia looked up at him and smiled. He bent down and gave her a kiss. The one they had been waiting for. She looked up at him and smiled. They heard someone knocking at their door. Angel got up and went over to open the door. He opened it and Sir Charles was there with Miss Winifred.
"Liam, I am so sorry about what I did to you. He was playing a trick on me. If there's any way I can make it up to you let me know. I really am sorry," Sir Charles said.
"No, I understand. Wesley has a strong power. Cordelia's in the room," he said to Fred.
"Well, I have some bad news for you. He sent me here to tell you something. He's challenging you to a joust and fight to the death and there's no way you can back out of it. He says either you show up or you give the Princess in. He didn't sound to happy."
"No!" Cordelia yelled as she tried to walk out towards Angel but was to weak and fell but was caught in Angel's arms. She looked up at him.
"Cordelia, you shouldn't be up. You're in no condition-"
"Angel, don't change the subject on me! You can't fight him! You can't! Please don't! Turn me in instead. Don't do this Angel, please. I had a vision of you. You can't go!"
"Angel? Why did you call him Angel?" Sir Charles asked Cordelia.
"Don't worry, I'll fill you in. It's a long story," Fred said to him. Cordelia looked up at Angel but she knew he was just as stubborn as she was. He carried her to the bed and layed her down. He looked into her eyes and smiled. This was the woman he loved. He knew he had to do this but he knew he would make it to see her again. He was happy that they were finally together. All this time and they finally admitted their feelings.
"I have to do this now before the sun rises. I'll be back to get you," Angel said as he left the room. He grabbed a sword and walked out into the dark early morning. Cordelia sat up even though it hurt her so much. A few tears streamed down her face. She didn't have a good feeling about this. She knew this pain wasn't going to be anything compared to what she was going to feel when he got killed. She got up again but then she heard a noise from the back door. She turned around and saw Wesley, Connor, and Lilah.
"It's a trick!" Cordelia yelled out but then Wesley grabbed her and put his had over her mouth so she couldn't talk. Her whole body ached and Wesley was forcing her to move and she could barely manage to do so. Sir Charles and Fred ran into the room.
"Let her go!" Sir Charles said as he pulled out his sword and motioned for Fred to stand behind him, out of harms way. Wesley had a huge grin on his face and motioned for Connor to go. Connor took out his sword and lunged towards Sir Charles. Cordelia knew that Sir Charles wasn't going to be able to get her out of this. Lilah went over to Fred and grabbed her by the wrists. Lilah looked at her and then smiled.
"Well aren't you just a cute thing?" she said sarcastically and then punched her in the face. Lilah sent Fred to the ground lying motionless. Wesley moved forward and out of Liam's house and dragged Cordelia with him. They walked up to the carriage and then waited a while. Then Connor came out of the house and ran into the carriage which headed towards the castle. Cordelia tried to fight her way out of Wesley's grip but she couldn't. She felt too weak and knew there was nothing to do but hope for the best.
"I didn't know you could joust," Lilah said to Wesley.
"I don't," he replied. Lilah looked at him confused. How was he going to win?
"Well, don't you think you should at least practice? Angel is a pretty good jouster."
"I don't need to practice. It's going to be sunlight soon. I'll let the sun take care of him for me since it affects him now and I won't even break a sweat," Wesley said.
* * *
Angel waited outside in front of the castle. There were a good number of civilians outside the castle walls. They must have heard about the match and they couldn't miss the spectacle. Angel heard a trotting up ahead and noticed that it was Gunn, or as he was known here, Sir Charles. He came up to Angel and got off of his horse. Angel noticed that he was badly bruised and bleeding. Angel knew something had backfired.
"What happened? Where's Cordelia?" he asked Sir Charles.
"He took her. It was a trick and we all fell for it. The only reason why I made it here before he did is because I took the short cuts. He's going to try to use her against you. Be careful with what you do. Think every step carefully," Sir Charles said.
"Don't worry. I know what I have to do," Angel said as he pulled out his sword. The carriage that carried the King arrived. Angel looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun would be rising soon. Hopefully he could finish this before the day finished him off. Wesley stepped out of the cage and pulled Cordelia out with him. Angel started to walk towards them. How dare he treat her like that, he thought to himself. He only could get so close until Wesley called the guards on him.
"Don't get any closer or I'll kill her," Wesley said to him. Cordelia looked up at Angel. She looked so tired, worn out, and in pain. Angel didn't care. He went through the guards. He didn't even have to try. He had regained his natural strength and the fact that he was furious made him even more stronger. He went up to Wesley and punched him. Cordelia took that moment to wriggle out of his grip and into Angel's arms. Angel kissed her forehead, happy that she was back with him. Angel looked at Wesley with hatred.
"Let's finish this," Angel said as he headed towards the back where his suit and lance were. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave alive if he didn't compete and he had no intention of giving Wesley that satisfaction. He went into the barn where he kept his belongings and started to put on the armor. Cordelia looked out the window and saw the sun's rays shooting across the sky. Angel wasn't going to be able to complete. He would be dead before he reached his horse. Cordelia went up to Angel and took his helmet.
"What are you doing, Cordelia?" he asked her as he still tried to put on his suit.
"You can't go out there and compete," Cordelia said as she put on the helmet.
"Why not?" he asked her. He didn't need this right now and especially not from her.
"Did you forget that if you go out into the sunlight, you'll make an ashy dinner for someone?" Cordelia asked sarcastically as she eyed a shovel in the corner and walked towards it making sure Angel didn't know what she had planned.
"You can't go out there Cordelia. You are hurt and you don't know how to joust," Angel said as he followed her. Cordelia turned around in front of the shovel and slowly got it behind her back without him noticing.
"I know the jist of it. Get the lance. Ride the horse and when the other man gets close, plunge this thing into him. I think I can manage," Cordelia said with a smile.
"Cordy, I'm not going to let you go," Angel said to her as he got closer to her.
"I didn't think you would. I love you Angel and I'm not going to let you go out there and die. I'm sorry," she said to him. Angel was confused.
"What are you sorry for?" he asked her. Cordelia held her breath and then exhaled.
"For this!" she yelled as she brought the shovel and hit him over the head. Angel fell to the ground unconscious. She didn't want to hit him but she knew it was her best shot. He would end up with a splitting headache but at least he wasn't dead. He would just have to thank her sometime if she made it through. Cordelia bent down and took the armor suit off of Angel. She put it on herself and then grabbed the lance. As soon as she picked it up, it fell right back down. It was a lot heavier than she thought. She turned around and looked at Angel. She went over to him and ran her fingers through his hair. She looked into his closed eyes and then kissed his forehead and smiled at him.
"I'm going to win this for the both of us. I won't let you down," she said as she gathered all her strength and went for the lance and this time held it up high and proud and went out the door. She saw the horse and mounted it and headed towards the crowd. Cordelia stopped as she saw Wesley in front of her, waiting for her, or better yet, waiting for Angel. Cordelia looked up at the sky. She knew she wasn't going to be able to fool Wesley for long but she needed every second she could possibly get. Wesley turned the horse around and Cordelia followed him. She noticed that Sir Charles and Fred were there right next to her calling out Angel's name. Cordelia didn't turn to look at them until she remembered that they thought she was Angel. She looked down at them.
"Good luck!" Sir Charles said to her as Fred waved her hand out to her.
"Thanks!" Cordelia said in her girly voice and then regretted it.
"Cordelia?" Fred called out to her. Cordelia kicked the horse to go faster and catch up to Wesley. They arrived at the stadium and they took their post. The crowd had grown in minutes and there was chaos going on everywhere. Cordelia took a breath. Jousting had never been an interest to her. She practically didn't even know what it was until now. Her heart was pounding. She was getting nervous and hoped she wouldn't let Angel down. She had to do this. She looked at all the people in the stands. They were all of the extras that had been hired to work in the movie that Cordelia was in. She still hadn't figured out a loop hole. She didn't want to risk their lives just to save her own. The sound of the trumpet disrupted Cordelia's thoughts and she looked straight ahead at Wesley. She remembered when Wesley and Lilah had talked and he had mentioned that he didn't know how to joust. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, Cordelia thought to herself. Cordelia looked around in the stands and she saw Sir Charles and Fred. Then she noticed that someone was standing next to them in the shadows. It was Angel. She knew he was going to be very mad with her but she could deal with that later.
The announcer finished his speech and the game was about to begin. Cordelia gripped the lance as firm as she could. Then Cordelia remembered when she had seen the movie, A Knight's Tale. Of course, the only reason why she had seen it was because of Heath Ledger but now when she thought about it she recalled how they talked about his focus always remaining on the target. That focus is what usually granted him the win. Cordelia smiled. She knew that in the end solely watching the hot guys in the movie would in fact pay off.
The countdown began in her mind and then the signal was made. Cordelia and Wesley trotted towards each other. Cordelia leveled the lance and had it pointed at Wesley. Her gaze never left his. She knew that Wesley was nervous as well. She could tell that his lance was shaking. They neared each other and then they hit. Cordelia hung on to the horse with all her might. She stopped the horse and noticed that she was still on it. She turned around and noticed that Wesley had fallen off the horse. He hadn't even touched her. She raised her arms up and then turned to look at Angel and then pointed to him so he knew that she could do this.
Wesley got back on his horse. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was pure daylight. Why wasn't Angel burning up into ashes, he asked himself. He turned to the stands and noticed Sir Charles and Fred. He then saw Angel, standing in the shadow that was cast. Wesley turned and stared at his adversary. He knew who it was right there. He was about to say something when then another thought came across him. He knew she was already hurt. All he had to do was aim for the pain. Wesley snickered at the thought.
Cordelia got into position. She knew she had knocked the wind out of Wesley and she couldn't wait to tell him it was her who had done the deed. She focused herself on Wesley again and got ready for the signal. She was going to win and she knew it. She looked up at the sky and noticed that it was getting overcast. The clouds had rolled in. The sun was being blocked by the clouds. She could hear the thunder nearby and could see the flashes of lightning. She could feel some sprinkles coming down. She was getting impatient as she saw Angel running towards him. Cordelia looked at the announcer. Hurry up, she told herself.
Finally he gave the signal. Cordelia and Wesley headed towards each other again. Cordelia passed Angel and she could just hear him calling out her name. Cordelia focused her stare and positioned the lance same as she had done before. She noticed that Wesley didn't have a good target with the lance. Maybe he was giving up before she ended up killing him but he didn't seem to be backing off. Cordelia and Wesley were closing up on each other and then they hit. Something hit Cordelia from the side, right where Angel had kicked her before. She had hit Wesley as well but she didn't get a chance to see. She felt so much pain. She was trying to hold on but she couldn't. Cordelia fell off of the horse and just kept still and she held on to her side. She felt something was there but she hadn't open her eyes since they had hit. Angel ran to her.
"It's going to be OK, Cordelia. Just hold on," he said to her as he took off her helmet carefully and then placed her head gently down on the ground. He started to unbuckle the the armor and then took it off. He noticed that there was a piece of Wesley's lance that had gone through her side. He could only imagine how painful it was.
"What happened?" she asked him in a quiet whisper. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was this sharp pain that would not go away. A pain that seemed to be taking an even greater toll as every second passed.
"Shh, don't worry. Don't say anything," Angel said as he looked into Cordelia's eyes.
"I'm so cold," she said to him as she trembled. Angel took off his jacket. Before he could place it on her she called out to him. "Pull it out." Angel knew what she was refering to but he couldn't bring himself to cause her anymore pain. He hesitated but he knew that in the long run it would help. He put his grip on the piece of the lance and pulled it out. Cordelia screamed from the pain and Angel couldn't bare the fact that it was his fault this had happened. He held his hand where her wound was.
"You're going to be OK, Cordelia. I promise," Angel soothed the words out.
"I should really think about getting manicures before I joust. You know how painful it is when press ons get ripped off?" she asked. She whispered the words out. She was trying to catch her breath every chance she got. Angel looked at her. Even when she was badly hurt, she was still trying to make everyone feel better and cracking jokes. Just then Angel's head rose. Wesley had done this to her. Angel looked back down at Cordelia and kissed her. Cordelia knew what he was going to do but she didn't have enough breath and energy to stop him.
"Sir Charles, stay with her," Angel ordered as he went over towards Wesley who wasn't too far away. He ran up to him and punched him hard in the face. Wesley shook his head and tried to clear his vision but he got punched again. Angel pulled out his sword. Wesley looked at him and did the same. The two engaged in a sword fight. They were matching each other's moves, none being able to over pass the other.
"I never thought you had this in you," Angel said to Wesley as his focus remained on Wesley's sword.
"Well, I have you to thank. You made me realize that I am needed elsewhere but I guess this worked out just fine. Now you get to watch your love die, that is if I don't kill you first," Wesley said. Angel was infuriated. He plunged towards Wesley and brought the sword across his arm. It cut Wesley but it didn't slow him down. They continued to fight when Angel heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Dad!" Connor yelled out as he ran towards them. Angel couldn't believe it was him.
"Connor?" Angel called out but at that moment Wesley brought the sword across Angel's back. Angel squinted at the pain. It had been a diversion. Angel should have known better than to have let his own son get the best of him. Angel fell to the ground in pain. He couldn't lose. He couldn't die. Not like this. Not when Cordelia was counting on him. Angel looked up at Wesley and saw that the sword was pointed at Angel's neck. Angel looked over to where Cordelia was lying. He could tell she was having trouble breathing. He looked at the people start to come down the stands. They were heading towards him. They were cheering on the King to kill him. Angel knew that if Wesley didn't do the deed, they would. Then he noticed some of them stopped and others fell back with them. He noticed how the crowd was looking at Cordelia in awe. They looked over at Angel and then at the King. Some of the civilians started running towards them.
"The King tried to kill the Princess. Kill the King!" the crowd roared as they all charged towards them. Wesley dropped the sword and ran towards the castle.
"Faithful knights! Charge!" Wesley shouted to his knights and pointed towards the crowd. Wesley knew that his knights would not disappoint him. The knights charged towards the crowd. They engaged in a battle. Angel remembered the scene that was in the movie. It was this scene. This is what they had rehearsed. Angel went over to Cordelia who was clinging on to life. She looked around and noticed the fight. She saw knights and citizens falling to the ground, dead. She looked at the sky and noticed that it was changing back. She looked up at Angel and motioned for him to look up. He looked at the sky and saw the same thing. The trance must be breaking as the people died.
"We're going to make this. You'll see," Angel said as he laid Cordelia's head on his lap.
"It got really cold," Cordelia said softly to him. Angel carefully tried to cradle Cordelia in his arms, trying to provide the heat he knew he couldn't give off. He noticed that down the road, there was an exit to the real world. He knew that was their ticket out of the trance. He picked up into his arms and started towards the exit. Angel turned and saw that Sir Charles and Fred rode off on the horse, in order to escape the massacre. Angel looked over to where Wesley was running towards. He probably wouldn't make it out of there. He looked for his son but there was no sight of him anywhere. Angel lowered his head and then continued to walk until he reached the exit and went through.
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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Cruel Intentions
"So that was a vision? What did you see?" Fred asked Cordelia as they lounged in her room. Cordelia was still feeling a bit weak from the vision she had received earlier.
"I saw Liam. He was fighting against Wesley in a match until death," Cordelia said. She was nervous about that. She didn't want to lost him. She loved him and she wouldn't be able to bear it. Then something came to her mind. The director of the movie came into her mind. He always wore the black turtlenect with sunglasses and cap. She knew he had reminded her of someone and now she knew who he was. Even his name resemled it. William Priceton was in fact Wesley. "So have you found anything yet on how to reverse this?" Cordelia asked hoping that she had had enought time to figure something out.
"Not yet but I'm almost there. I have to translate the language but I'm there. It has to do with trances which is what I think might be at play here," Fred said to her.
"Well get to it. We don't have much time," Cordelia said as she started to panic.
* * *
Liam heard some knocking at his door. It was late and he wondered who it was. He finished tucking his sister in and then went over to the door. He opened it and Sir Charles was there. He didn't know what the occasion was for his visit so it seemed odd to him.
"Charles, what are you doing here at this late hour? Did you forget something?" Liam asked him. Sir Charles walked in front of him and Liam noticed he wasn't alone.
"Grab him," Sir Charles muttered. The other knights entered the home and grabbed Liam. He struggled to break free from their grip but there were too many of them.
"What's the meaning of this?" Liam asked Sir Charles.
"Put him in the carriage," Sir Charles paused a moment and then spoke out again, "I'm sorry," he said to Liam who was still trying to break free.
* * *
"I've got it!" Fred yelled as she ran into Cordelia's room. Cordelia got up. Finally! She just hoped there wasn't like a major catch to any of this like there tended to be.
"Well?" she asked. She knew she could count on Fred to figure things out. She just had a way of getting to the bottom of things easily and Cordy admired that from her.
"You're not going to like it," Fred said to her scared at what her reaction would be.
"Fred, please, we don't have much time left. I need to know how to reverse this before any of this gets out of hand. Remember? Fight to the death?" Cordelia said.
"Right, sorry. Well it says that well, the only way to get back is to shed blood," she said.
"Oh, that's not to bad. Just give me a knife and it will all be taken care of," Cordy said.
"It's not that simple. Shedding of blood means death. People who were in what you called the movie, those people have to shed the blood and die. It doesn't say how many have to die but I'm sure it's going to be a great number and I don't think the people would just agree to the terms," she said. Cordy looked at Fred. She didn't like this. The people that were the civilians in the movie back in LA are the civilians of this time. If they were killed here then they would surely be dead back home. Just then Connor walked into the room. Cordelia looked over to him. She didn't like him being there. She knew he had something to do with this as well and knew she had to stay away from them as much as possible. She couldn't jeopardize it.
"My Lord sent me up to check on you. Are you ladies alright?" Connor asked.
"We're fine, now go away," Cordelia ordered. Connor left the room. Cordelia just stared off. Something was going on. Wesley was planning something and she didn't like it.
"Come on Fred. We need to go look for Wesley," she said as she pulled Fred's hand.
* * *
Liam looked out from the cell he was in. They had brought him down to the dungeon for something he didn't know. He wondered what it could have been and then thought about Cordelia. What if she had done all this to trap him? What if the King was jealous and decided to get rid of him? What if it had been Cordelia who sent him to the dungeon. All this began to play in his mind. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into and he only feared the worse. King Wesley made his way towards Liam and stared at him.
"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into. What makes you think that you can defy all the rules and somehow still win?" Wesley asked. Liam didn't understand.
"What are you talking about?" Liam asked. The King ordered for the knights to open the cell. He motioned for them to leave and for Connor and Lilah to stay. Liam staye in the cell. He didn't know what the King had up his sleeve and didn't want to know. Connor lit a candle and held something over the burning candle. Then Wesley began to chant in Latin. Liam looked at him not knowing what to do.
"Invoca!" Wesley yelled. Something went through Liam. He couldn't explain it. All he felt was pain. He fell to the ground and tried to fight against it until it took complete control of him and then he lay motionless on the ground.
"Do you think the trance worked?" Lilah asked just as Cordelia and Fred arrived.
"What have you done!" Cordelia yelled as she went over to Liam but was held back by Connor. Cordelia struggled to break free but couldn't. The vision had taken so much out of her so she hadn't regained her strength just yet. Then Liam raised his head. He got up and walked towards Wesley. He motioned over to Cordelia. Connor let go of her.
"What is going on?" she asked. Then Liam walked towards her. He grabbed her by the arms and held on to her with his strong grip. His grip was much stronger than before.
"Liam, you're hurting me," Cordelia said. She looked up at his face and then was horrified. It was his game face. He was a vampire. Had they brought Angelus back? She fought to get lose and finally managed to. She ran up the stairs and she knew he was right behind her. She turned into one corridor into the next, trying to open all the doors until she found one that led outside. She ran until she came up to the woods. She turned around and noticed she was alone. She didn't trust it so she decided to run some more but right when she turned around there he was. Cordelia screamed.
"Angel, please. It's me. It's Cordelia! You've got to come out of this. They have you under some trance! You can break free! You're strong! I know you can do this!" she yelled out but then he reached out and slapped her so hard that it sent her to the ground.
"Angel, no, please. I know that you're in there somewhere. Remember the times we've had together. All those battles we fought together. All those times you saved me," Cordelia said as Angel kicked her stomach. Pain surged through her whole body.
"It won't work. The trance is too strong. No one has been able to break free from it," Wesley said with a snicker. He knew he was going to succeed. It was too powerful.
"Angel, remember your son. How you adored him. How we took care of him. Remember when you were by my side when Lilah sent me visions that scarred me. Remember all the times you were there for me to take care of me. All the times we talked about things you never thought you would let anyone else in on," Cordelia said. Angel kicked her again. He had no control over it. The trance powered everything in him. He grabbed a giant rock and held it above Cordelia's head.
"Angel, please don't do this. Angel, I love you," Cordelia said to him. Angel was about to bring down the rock when something in him surged out. He dropped to the ground and a red mist came out of him. He started coughing and then looked up and then at Cordelia who was lying on the ground.
"Oh my gosh. Cordelia!" he yelled out. She had passed out from the pain that he had caused her. How could I have done this, he asked himself. Then he looked up at Wesley and Connor. He put on his game face and headed towards Wesley and tried to strangle him. Connor and Lilah were trying to hold him back.
"How could you do this? First you take my son and now you almost make me kill Cordelia! I can kill you right now!" he yelled out to him. Wesley was having trouble breathing. Connor saw the rock Angel was holding before and grabbed it and threw it at Angel.
Angel felt the pain hit him and he let go of Wesley. He dropped to the ground and shook his head. He looked back up and saw that Wesley and the rest were running back to the castle. He wanted to run back and kill Wesley but he didn't. He went over to where Cordelia was. He couldn't believe he had done this to her. He picked her up and carried her to his home.
* * *
Cordelia woke up and squinted due to the lights. Then she saw him. She was hoping that it wasn't some kind of dream. It looked like it was too good to be true.
"Is it really you?" Cordelia asked him, not sure if it was Angel or Liam.
"It's really me. It's Angel," he said. Cordelia got so happy. She got up too quickly and felt all the pain go through her body. "Don't get up. I'm right here," he said to her.
"I'm so glad it's you. I thought I wouldn't get to see you again," Cordelia said to him.
"I'm so sorry I did this to you. I didn't know I was capable of it," Angel said.
"It's not your fault. You were under a trance. It's kinda impossible to back out of those things but yet somehow you did and I'm thankful for that," Cordelia said.
"Cordelia, what you said before, did you mean it?" he asked her. Cordelia's heart started racing. He remembered? Why is it they always remember the embarassing things, she thought to herself. She knew there was no way out of it, that she had to tell him the truth.
"Yes, with all my heart and I understand if you don't because-"
"I love you too," Angel said. Cordelia looked up at him and smiled. He bent down and gave her a kiss. The one they had been waiting for. She looked up at him and smiled. They heard someone knocking at their door. Angel got up and went over to open the door. He opened it and Sir Charles was there with Miss Winifred.
"Liam, I am so sorry about what I did to you. He was playing a trick on me. If there's any way I can make it up to you let me know. I really am sorry," Sir Charles said.
"No, I understand. Wesley has a strong power. Cordelia's in the room," he said to Fred.
"Well, I have some bad news for you. He sent me here to tell you something. He's challenging you to a joust and fight to the death and there's no way you can back out of it. He says either you show up or you give the Princess in. He didn't sound to happy."
"No!" Cordelia yelled as she tried to walk out towards Angel but was to weak and fell but was caught in Angel's arms. She looked up at him.
"Cordelia, you shouldn't be up. You're in no condition-"
"Angel, don't change the subject on me! You can't fight him! You can't! Please don't! Turn me in instead. Don't do this Angel, please. I had a vision of you. You can't go!"
"Angel? Why did you call him Angel?" Sir Charles asked Cordelia.
"Don't worry, I'll fill you in. It's a long story," Fred said to him. Cordelia looked up at Angel but she knew he was just as stubborn as she was. He carried her to the bed and layed her down. He looked into her eyes and smiled. This was the woman he loved. He knew he had to do this but he knew he would make it to see her again. He was happy that they were finally together. All this time and they finally admitted their feelings.
"I have to do this now before the sun rises. I'll be back to get you," Angel said as he left the room. He grabbed a sword and walked out into the dark early morning. Cordelia sat up even though it hurt her so much. A few tears streamed down her face. She didn't have a good feeling about this. She knew this pain wasn't going to be anything compared to what she was going to feel when he got killed. She got up again but then she heard a noise from the back door. She turned around and saw Wesley, Connor, and Lilah.
"It's a trick!" Cordelia yelled out but then Wesley grabbed her and put his had over her mouth so she couldn't talk. Her whole body ached and Wesley was forcing her to move and she could barely manage to do so. Sir Charles and Fred ran into the room.
"Let her go!" Sir Charles said as he pulled out his sword and motioned for Fred to stand behind him, out of harms way. Wesley had a huge grin on his face and motioned for Connor to go. Connor took out his sword and lunged towards Sir Charles. Cordelia knew that Sir Charles wasn't going to be able to get her out of this. Lilah went over to Fred and grabbed her by the wrists. Lilah looked at her and then smiled.
"Well aren't you just a cute thing?" she said sarcastically and then punched her in the face. Lilah sent Fred to the ground lying motionless. Wesley moved forward and out of Liam's house and dragged Cordelia with him. They walked up to the carriage and then waited a while. Then Connor came out of the house and ran into the carriage which headed towards the castle. Cordelia tried to fight her way out of Wesley's grip but she couldn't. She felt too weak and knew there was nothing to do but hope for the best.
"I didn't know you could joust," Lilah said to Wesley.
"I don't," he replied. Lilah looked at him confused. How was he going to win?
"Well, don't you think you should at least practice? Angel is a pretty good jouster."
"I don't need to practice. It's going to be sunlight soon. I'll let the sun take care of him for me since it affects him now and I won't even break a sweat," Wesley said.
* * *
Angel waited outside in front of the castle. There were a good number of civilians outside the castle walls. They must have heard about the match and they couldn't miss the spectacle. Angel heard a trotting up ahead and noticed that it was Gunn, or as he was known here, Sir Charles. He came up to Angel and got off of his horse. Angel noticed that he was badly bruised and bleeding. Angel knew something had backfired.
"What happened? Where's Cordelia?" he asked Sir Charles.
"He took her. It was a trick and we all fell for it. The only reason why I made it here before he did is because I took the short cuts. He's going to try to use her against you. Be careful with what you do. Think every step carefully," Sir Charles said.
"Don't worry. I know what I have to do," Angel said as he pulled out his sword. The carriage that carried the King arrived. Angel looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun would be rising soon. Hopefully he could finish this before the day finished him off. Wesley stepped out of the cage and pulled Cordelia out with him. Angel started to walk towards them. How dare he treat her like that, he thought to himself. He only could get so close until Wesley called the guards on him.
"Don't get any closer or I'll kill her," Wesley said to him. Cordelia looked up at Angel. She looked so tired, worn out, and in pain. Angel didn't care. He went through the guards. He didn't even have to try. He had regained his natural strength and the fact that he was furious made him even more stronger. He went up to Wesley and punched him. Cordelia took that moment to wriggle out of his grip and into Angel's arms. Angel kissed her forehead, happy that she was back with him. Angel looked at Wesley with hatred.
"Let's finish this," Angel said as he headed towards the back where his suit and lance were. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave alive if he didn't compete and he had no intention of giving Wesley that satisfaction. He went into the barn where he kept his belongings and started to put on the armor. Cordelia looked out the window and saw the sun's rays shooting across the sky. Angel wasn't going to be able to complete. He would be dead before he reached his horse. Cordelia went up to Angel and took his helmet.
"What are you doing, Cordelia?" he asked her as he still tried to put on his suit.
"You can't go out there and compete," Cordelia said as she put on the helmet.
"Why not?" he asked her. He didn't need this right now and especially not from her.
"Did you forget that if you go out into the sunlight, you'll make an ashy dinner for someone?" Cordelia asked sarcastically as she eyed a shovel in the corner and walked towards it making sure Angel didn't know what she had planned.
"You can't go out there Cordelia. You are hurt and you don't know how to joust," Angel said as he followed her. Cordelia turned around in front of the shovel and slowly got it behind her back without him noticing.
"I know the jist of it. Get the lance. Ride the horse and when the other man gets close, plunge this thing into him. I think I can manage," Cordelia said with a smile.
"Cordy, I'm not going to let you go," Angel said to her as he got closer to her.
"I didn't think you would. I love you Angel and I'm not going to let you go out there and die. I'm sorry," she said to him. Angel was confused.
"What are you sorry for?" he asked her. Cordelia held her breath and then exhaled.
"For this!" she yelled as she brought the shovel and hit him over the head. Angel fell to the ground unconscious. She didn't want to hit him but she knew it was her best shot. He would end up with a splitting headache but at least he wasn't dead. He would just have to thank her sometime if she made it through. Cordelia bent down and took the armor suit off of Angel. She put it on herself and then grabbed the lance. As soon as she picked it up, it fell right back down. It was a lot heavier than she thought. She turned around and looked at Angel. She went over to him and ran her fingers through his hair. She looked into his closed eyes and then kissed his forehead and smiled at him.
"I'm going to win this for the both of us. I won't let you down," she said as she gathered all her strength and went for the lance and this time held it up high and proud and went out the door. She saw the horse and mounted it and headed towards the crowd. Cordelia stopped as she saw Wesley in front of her, waiting for her, or better yet, waiting for Angel. Cordelia looked up at the sky. She knew she wasn't going to be able to fool Wesley for long but she needed every second she could possibly get. Wesley turned the horse around and Cordelia followed him. She noticed that Sir Charles and Fred were there right next to her calling out Angel's name. Cordelia didn't turn to look at them until she remembered that they thought she was Angel. She looked down at them.
"Good luck!" Sir Charles said to her as Fred waved her hand out to her.
"Thanks!" Cordelia said in her girly voice and then regretted it.
"Cordelia?" Fred called out to her. Cordelia kicked the horse to go faster and catch up to Wesley. They arrived at the stadium and they took their post. The crowd had grown in minutes and there was chaos going on everywhere. Cordelia took a breath. Jousting had never been an interest to her. She practically didn't even know what it was until now. Her heart was pounding. She was getting nervous and hoped she wouldn't let Angel down. She had to do this. She looked at all the people in the stands. They were all of the extras that had been hired to work in the movie that Cordelia was in. She still hadn't figured out a loop hole. She didn't want to risk their lives just to save her own. The sound of the trumpet disrupted Cordelia's thoughts and she looked straight ahead at Wesley. She remembered when Wesley and Lilah had talked and he had mentioned that he didn't know how to joust. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, Cordelia thought to herself. Cordelia looked around in the stands and she saw Sir Charles and Fred. Then she noticed that someone was standing next to them in the shadows. It was Angel. She knew he was going to be very mad with her but she could deal with that later.
The announcer finished his speech and the game was about to begin. Cordelia gripped the lance as firm as she could. Then Cordelia remembered when she had seen the movie, A Knight's Tale. Of course, the only reason why she had seen it was because of Heath Ledger but now when she thought about it she recalled how they talked about his focus always remaining on the target. That focus is what usually granted him the win. Cordelia smiled. She knew that in the end solely watching the hot guys in the movie would in fact pay off.
The countdown began in her mind and then the signal was made. Cordelia and Wesley trotted towards each other. Cordelia leveled the lance and had it pointed at Wesley. Her gaze never left his. She knew that Wesley was nervous as well. She could tell that his lance was shaking. They neared each other and then they hit. Cordelia hung on to the horse with all her might. She stopped the horse and noticed that she was still on it. She turned around and noticed that Wesley had fallen off the horse. He hadn't even touched her. She raised her arms up and then turned to look at Angel and then pointed to him so he knew that she could do this.
Wesley got back on his horse. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was pure daylight. Why wasn't Angel burning up into ashes, he asked himself. He turned to the stands and noticed Sir Charles and Fred. He then saw Angel, standing in the shadow that was cast. Wesley turned and stared at his adversary. He knew who it was right there. He was about to say something when then another thought came across him. He knew she was already hurt. All he had to do was aim for the pain. Wesley snickered at the thought.
Cordelia got into position. She knew she had knocked the wind out of Wesley and she couldn't wait to tell him it was her who had done the deed. She focused herself on Wesley again and got ready for the signal. She was going to win and she knew it. She looked up at the sky and noticed that it was getting overcast. The clouds had rolled in. The sun was being blocked by the clouds. She could hear the thunder nearby and could see the flashes of lightning. She could feel some sprinkles coming down. She was getting impatient as she saw Angel running towards him. Cordelia looked at the announcer. Hurry up, she told herself.
Finally he gave the signal. Cordelia and Wesley headed towards each other again. Cordelia passed Angel and she could just hear him calling out her name. Cordelia focused her stare and positioned the lance same as she had done before. She noticed that Wesley didn't have a good target with the lance. Maybe he was giving up before she ended up killing him but he didn't seem to be backing off. Cordelia and Wesley were closing up on each other and then they hit. Something hit Cordelia from the side, right where Angel had kicked her before. She had hit Wesley as well but she didn't get a chance to see. She felt so much pain. She was trying to hold on but she couldn't. Cordelia fell off of the horse and just kept still and she held on to her side. She felt something was there but she hadn't open her eyes since they had hit. Angel ran to her.
"It's going to be OK, Cordelia. Just hold on," he said to her as he took off her helmet carefully and then placed her head gently down on the ground. He started to unbuckle the the armor and then took it off. He noticed that there was a piece of Wesley's lance that had gone through her side. He could only imagine how painful it was.
"What happened?" she asked him in a quiet whisper. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was this sharp pain that would not go away. A pain that seemed to be taking an even greater toll as every second passed.
"Shh, don't worry. Don't say anything," Angel said as he looked into Cordelia's eyes.
"I'm so cold," she said to him as she trembled. Angel took off his jacket. Before he could place it on her she called out to him. "Pull it out." Angel knew what she was refering to but he couldn't bring himself to cause her anymore pain. He hesitated but he knew that in the long run it would help. He put his grip on the piece of the lance and pulled it out. Cordelia screamed from the pain and Angel couldn't bare the fact that it was his fault this had happened. He held his hand where her wound was.
"You're going to be OK, Cordelia. I promise," Angel soothed the words out.
"I should really think about getting manicures before I joust. You know how painful it is when press ons get ripped off?" she asked. She whispered the words out. She was trying to catch her breath every chance she got. Angel looked at her. Even when she was badly hurt, she was still trying to make everyone feel better and cracking jokes. Just then Angel's head rose. Wesley had done this to her. Angel looked back down at Cordelia and kissed her. Cordelia knew what he was going to do but she didn't have enough breath and energy to stop him.
"Sir Charles, stay with her," Angel ordered as he went over towards Wesley who wasn't too far away. He ran up to him and punched him hard in the face. Wesley shook his head and tried to clear his vision but he got punched again. Angel pulled out his sword. Wesley looked at him and did the same. The two engaged in a sword fight. They were matching each other's moves, none being able to over pass the other.
"I never thought you had this in you," Angel said to Wesley as his focus remained on Wesley's sword.
"Well, I have you to thank. You made me realize that I am needed elsewhere but I guess this worked out just fine. Now you get to watch your love die, that is if I don't kill you first," Wesley said. Angel was infuriated. He plunged towards Wesley and brought the sword across his arm. It cut Wesley but it didn't slow him down. They continued to fight when Angel heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Dad!" Connor yelled out as he ran towards them. Angel couldn't believe it was him.
"Connor?" Angel called out but at that moment Wesley brought the sword across Angel's back. Angel squinted at the pain. It had been a diversion. Angel should have known better than to have let his own son get the best of him. Angel fell to the ground in pain. He couldn't lose. He couldn't die. Not like this. Not when Cordelia was counting on him. Angel looked up at Wesley and saw that the sword was pointed at Angel's neck. Angel looked over to where Cordelia was lying. He could tell she was having trouble breathing. He looked at the people start to come down the stands. They were heading towards him. They were cheering on the King to kill him. Angel knew that if Wesley didn't do the deed, they would. Then he noticed some of them stopped and others fell back with them. He noticed how the crowd was looking at Cordelia in awe. They looked over at Angel and then at the King. Some of the civilians started running towards them.
"The King tried to kill the Princess. Kill the King!" the crowd roared as they all charged towards them. Wesley dropped the sword and ran towards the castle.
"Faithful knights! Charge!" Wesley shouted to his knights and pointed towards the crowd. Wesley knew that his knights would not disappoint him. The knights charged towards the crowd. They engaged in a battle. Angel remembered the scene that was in the movie. It was this scene. This is what they had rehearsed. Angel went over to Cordelia who was clinging on to life. She looked around and noticed the fight. She saw knights and citizens falling to the ground, dead. She looked at the sky and noticed that it was changing back. She looked up at Angel and motioned for him to look up. He looked at the sky and saw the same thing. The trance must be breaking as the people died.
"We're going to make this. You'll see," Angel said as he laid Cordelia's head on his lap.
"It got really cold," Cordelia said softly to him. Angel carefully tried to cradle Cordelia in his arms, trying to provide the heat he knew he couldn't give off. He noticed that down the road, there was an exit to the real world. He knew that was their ticket out of the trance. He picked up into his arms and started towards the exit. Angel turned and saw that Sir Charles and Fred rode off on the horse, in order to escape the massacre. Angel looked over to where Wesley was running towards. He probably wouldn't make it out of there. He looked for his son but there was no sight of him anywhere. Angel lowered his head and then continued to walk until he reached the exit and went through.