This is a follow up to 12 Red Roses. I couldn't help writing another one; too many looseends and plenty of ideas flowing around in his empty space I call a brain. Oh yeah and I'm writing it as a celebration piece due to the fact I have got into Sr. Andrews Uni in Scotland!!!!! Apologies to Cordelia (bad-attitude), I didn't even remember about the mirror and I had just read the reviews to 'Valentine' and there were pictures in the
sunlight. I kinda forgot he wasn't a vampire!!!! Still handsome though.
Summary: Cordelia and Angel bath in the after glow of the night before. Cordelia proves just what she's made of in order to give Angel a break but she has to face what may happen. Cryptic huh?
Disclaimer: THE DON'T BELONG TO ME! They are the product of Joss and David's active imagination and the characters belong to WB, Fox and Mutant (Grr, Arr) Enemy Inc. he he he.
*************************************************************************************************
Tried and Tested
****************
Cordelia sat day dreaming at her desk. Wesley had volunteered to get lunch, feeling the change in the atmosphere since the previous day. Angel still had his nose in his book but instead of stern features and wrinkled brow her now wore an unmovable smile.
"Angel, where do the Oracles live?" Cordelia asked shyly.
Angel looked at her quizzically, "They live under the post office, why?"
"No reason, I just wanted to know where the people that give me this damn visions live. If they lived in a big mansion in Beverly Hills I would be very mad, but since they live underground I don't mind as much. " Cordelia grabbed her bag and tried to sneak towards the door.
Angel looked up and growled mischievously as he stopped Cordelias advances on the door. "Where do you think your going?"
Cordelia spun around and stumbled over her speech. "I'm just going to get a soda from the shop down the block. I'll be back in 10 minutes."
Cordelia scurried out of the door as Angel went back to his book.
30 Minutes Later:
----------------------
Cordelia sighed, impatiently. She had wondered around the maze of sewage tunnels, her little Italian boots were ruined. At last she arrived at a sandstone arch with a stone bird-bath like structure in the middle of the room. Cordelia stood in front of the arch, her hands on her hips.
"Oh great some mystical doorway, how do you open it? Open sesame! I command
you to open! Ahhh." Cordelia fell to the ground as a vision hit her. She saw herself sprinkling power into the bird bath and then saying some Latin words and the vision finished. Cordelia picked herself off the floor and done as the vision had showed her and she felt herself being pulled through the stone gateway, it opening and a bright light surrounding her. She found herself in a brightly lit room and she saw figures in front of her.
"What gift do you bring us, and what do you want? Yada yada yada. You get the point." A cheeky Irish voice instructed lazily. "Princess what are you doing here?" The voice asked, now full of life and surprise.
"Doyle!" Cordelia ran towards him and tried to put her arms round him but went right through him. "What happened there?"
"Princess, I'm dead remember. You can't touch me. So what can we do for ya?"
"Hold up if your dead then I can't kick your ass for giving me these damn visions? I hate you, Allan Francis Doyle. Why do I have your visions?"
"I'm sorry, I had to make sure that you and Angel stuck together. He needed someone there. I didn't count on being replaced by a snobby English bloke though."
"Forget about Wesley. I need your help. You see me and Angel kinda...well...you get the picture. Now I need to find a way to bound the curse. I mean why give him a soul to punish him then give him such an easy way to break it. Can you speak to the Gypsy people and ask them to take back the curse but leave his soul in tact?"
"So you and Angel finally got it together huh. I'm glad, took ya's long enough. We tested him last night to see if he would give up the side of the light for simple pleasure but he passed. The Gypsy Council won't take back the curse, but we at the PTB, are giving you a chance to win back Angels bound. Hey I would make a great gameshow host. You need to go through The Three Trials. Don't look at me like that." Doyle said gesturing at Cordelia cocked eyebrow. "I know it sounds a bit way off but it's true, I swear. You have to prove that you love Angel deep down and that if we bind Angelus then he will still have a reason to fight on i.e. You, we hope. Now I have to warn you they are badddd and dddangerous, and you might break a nail. Remember you can't hit me." He shouted as Cordelia went to slap his face.
"Great so I have face danger and icky things to prove I love Angel, what about him? Does Angel not have to prove his love for me?"
"Ah princess you see, he's done that already. He backed away last night when he felt Angelus surface and he restrained himself when he spent the night with you even though he wanted you. So you see he loves and respects you a lot, but do you feel the same? Right walk straight ahead and turn to the left, no right and good luck. I'll see you when you come back out, hopefully."
Cordelia walked forward, slowly and cautiously. The light vanished and she found herself in a cold, dark, musty room. She recognised the room as the lounge where Angel lived in the mansion in Sunnydale. A torch lit beside her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She saw a figure shift in the corner, she realise immediately that it was Angels form.
"Angel, what are you doing here? I'm meant to be doing this stupid Three Trails
thing and..."
Cordelia was cut off by her stifled scream as Angelus slowly peeled himself from the darkness.
"Cordy, Cordy, Cordy, do you ever stop babbling? You are giving me a head ache. Now as for Angel, I'm sorry but he is gone as is Buffy. Cordelia glanced to her left and saw the blondes limp form lying on the stone floor. So you see I can reek what ever havoc on the world I like starting with the English poof, Giles. Now I'm going to turn you and you can become what I am."
Cordelia stared into Angelus eyes and saw no evidence of Angel. She slowly reached for the holy water at the top of her bag and threw into Angelus' face. He screamed in agony and reeled back. Cordelia saw her change to either run or fight. She pulled out the freshly sharpened stake out of her bag and plunged it into the advancing Vampires heart. He wavered a moment as Cordelia closed her eyes waiting for Angelus' fangs in her neck. Instead she felt the dust on her clothing and then an intense heat as she slowly opened her eyes.
Cordelia found herself on wooden bridge over a flaming hell pit. She looked across to the other side and saw Angel reaching for her.
"Cordelia you have to walk across the bridge. It's not that far. Come on." Angel shouted to her.
She took a few tentative steps across the bridge but a plank crumbled under her feet and she jumped back to the other side. "How do I know your really Angel? And not Angelus."
"You know, it's me. Look into my eyes, I'm there not Angelus."
Cordelia looked across the increasing ferocity of the flames and saw the sparkle in his eyes that signalled Angel was in residence not Angelus.
"Cora, you have to trust me. Please Cora take my hand. I'll protect you, I won't let you fall."
Cordelia took slightly larger steps to avoid the burning planks. She reached for his hand as he pulled her across the bridge and firmly onto the other side. Cordelia watched as a split second later the bridge crumbled into the hell pit and was lost. When she turned back to kiss Angel he was gone and so was the fiery pits around her.
She was now in her apartment. Cordelia sat down on her bed, still feeling overwhelmed from the last test. She looked slowly around her room, the feeling of dread filling her heart. Something wasn't right. She climbed off of her bed and walked through to the lounge. A black duster lay across her sofa while it's owner sat with his back to her.
"Oh Angel, thank god you're here."
A small sadistic chuckle emitted from the person in front of her. "Angels gone Cordy and he isn't come in back. Now don't cry over spilt milk, I'm here instead."
The figure and turned towards her, his game face on. Cordelia no longer felt fear at the Scourge of Europe before her; she felt frustration.
"God how many times do I have to stake you before you stay dust? Not even Buffy had this problem, one prod with a sword and you disappear into hell. WHY ME? Now let me chain you up in the basement until Wesley can chant a spell and ,poof, Angels back." She asked hopefully.
"No spell will bring Angel back, he's gone, no soul left in here." He monitored to his heart. Cordelia whimpered slightly. "You'll just have to have me instead." Angelus cackling.
Cordelia walked towards him, the delight dancing in his eyes. "Angelus can't exist without Angel" She whispered as Angelus pulled her roughly into a hungry kiss. The power and the force he used made her wriggle from his hold but Angels face flooded her thoughts and she succumb to the inevitable.
A flash of light distracted Cordelia and she found herself back in the Oracles chamber standing in front of Doyle again.
"Congratulations princess, you won the star prize. You showed unconditional love, when you kissed Angelus, you excepted both the good side and the bad side of Angel. You also showed strength when you staked Angelus in the mansion. You killed someone you loved when he threatened Fate. You showed the most important thing; Trust. You trusted Angel with you life, you let him into your life and allowed a being that could easily kill you and the people you know to save your life. Cordelia you're very brave, your not the bitchy, insult slinging, ex May-Queen I once knew. Go home and tell Angel to visit me with a bottle of scotch sometime."
"Doyle I stopped being the bitchy Queen C when you died. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart." Cordelia blew him a kiss before she was flung back into her own realm.
Once she had pulled herself off the floor and dusted herself down she looked at her watch. She had been gone for nearly three hours. Angel and Wesley would be worried sick about her. She made her way back through the maze of tunnels and back to the office.
About The Same Time Across Town:
--------------------------------------------
Angel tossed and turned in his sleep. The white cotton sheets were wrapped tightly across his body, restricting him, limiting his struggles. In his nightmares the face of those he had killed flashed before his eyes, the pain he had caused them coming back to him three fold. The images blurred and slowly the pain stopped and the faces disintegrated. His nightmares turned into blank dreams and he woke himself up out of
confusion. Angel dressed, the thoughts still whirling through his mind. The blood lust had gone, the scream for the release from Angelus had ceased. The memories he carried of death slowly died down, locked forever in the back of his mind. The first rational thought that came into his mind was that the Shansu had finally happened and he was human. He ran to the bathroom mirror but disappointingly found no reflection. Hewas stopped from the rhythmic thumping of Cordelias bulky shoes on the stairs. She rounded the alcove a huge smile on her face.
"Cordelia, something has happened to me."
"Angel I know, I went to see the Oracles. I think you better sit down for this one. Doyle was there. He's an Oracle! I can't believe it, he's alive, sort of. Anyway he knew about last night, they've been keeping an eye on us, The PTB, and I asked I there was a way to bind Angelus, to make your soul permanent. Well there was. It was called The Three Trails, kinda sucky name but hey. I had prove my love for you so I did. I had to stake Angelus after he killed Buffy and save the world, so I did. Then they sent me to hell, to get back to here I had to trust you to save my life and I did just as the bridge crumbled. Then they had the cheek to send me to my apartment. You were there, well rather Angelus was, he said that your soul was gone and there was not spell to bring it back. I realised I couldn't live without you so I kissed him, if I couldn't have him, I
wanted a piece of you at least. Anyway I came out of the trails and there was Doyle. I realise I'm rambling so all you need to know if that I won and Angelus is bound. Your free in a sense. I would totally understand if you decided to go back to Buffy and Sunnydale, I'm sure Doyle would take away the visions and Wesley would do what ever Wesley does when he's not here."
The confused look left Angels face and a smile appeared in it's place. " God Cordelia, I can't believe what your saying. Why do you think I would go back to Buffy? She's happy now, normal almost, and you hear what I said last night. It's you I fell for. I didn't do last night out of just friendship. Come here." Angel pulled her down into his lap and kissed her passionately, not afraid of what could happen anymore. "We have to Wesley
about this. I bet $10 he faints."
Telling Wesley went better than they had thought. He simply nodded and went back to his Latin text, then proceeded to drop the book to the floor and wildly shake Angels hand, after making sure he was still going to have a job.
************************************************************************************************Now that the curse is taken care of this series will probably be more little adventures the two + one get up to, no babies or marriage, yet! Tell me what you think or even what you would like to happen.
sunlight. I kinda forgot he wasn't a vampire!!!! Still handsome though.
Summary: Cordelia and Angel bath in the after glow of the night before. Cordelia proves just what she's made of in order to give Angel a break but she has to face what may happen. Cryptic huh?
Disclaimer: THE DON'T BELONG TO ME! They are the product of Joss and David's active imagination and the characters belong to WB, Fox and Mutant (Grr, Arr) Enemy Inc. he he he.
*************************************************************************************************
Tried and Tested
****************
Cordelia sat day dreaming at her desk. Wesley had volunteered to get lunch, feeling the change in the atmosphere since the previous day. Angel still had his nose in his book but instead of stern features and wrinkled brow her now wore an unmovable smile.
"Angel, where do the Oracles live?" Cordelia asked shyly.
Angel looked at her quizzically, "They live under the post office, why?"
"No reason, I just wanted to know where the people that give me this damn visions live. If they lived in a big mansion in Beverly Hills I would be very mad, but since they live underground I don't mind as much. " Cordelia grabbed her bag and tried to sneak towards the door.
Angel looked up and growled mischievously as he stopped Cordelias advances on the door. "Where do you think your going?"
Cordelia spun around and stumbled over her speech. "I'm just going to get a soda from the shop down the block. I'll be back in 10 minutes."
Cordelia scurried out of the door as Angel went back to his book.
30 Minutes Later:
----------------------
Cordelia sighed, impatiently. She had wondered around the maze of sewage tunnels, her little Italian boots were ruined. At last she arrived at a sandstone arch with a stone bird-bath like structure in the middle of the room. Cordelia stood in front of the arch, her hands on her hips.
"Oh great some mystical doorway, how do you open it? Open sesame! I command
you to open! Ahhh." Cordelia fell to the ground as a vision hit her. She saw herself sprinkling power into the bird bath and then saying some Latin words and the vision finished. Cordelia picked herself off the floor and done as the vision had showed her and she felt herself being pulled through the stone gateway, it opening and a bright light surrounding her. She found herself in a brightly lit room and she saw figures in front of her.
"What gift do you bring us, and what do you want? Yada yada yada. You get the point." A cheeky Irish voice instructed lazily. "Princess what are you doing here?" The voice asked, now full of life and surprise.
"Doyle!" Cordelia ran towards him and tried to put her arms round him but went right through him. "What happened there?"
"Princess, I'm dead remember. You can't touch me. So what can we do for ya?"
"Hold up if your dead then I can't kick your ass for giving me these damn visions? I hate you, Allan Francis Doyle. Why do I have your visions?"
"I'm sorry, I had to make sure that you and Angel stuck together. He needed someone there. I didn't count on being replaced by a snobby English bloke though."
"Forget about Wesley. I need your help. You see me and Angel kinda...well...you get the picture. Now I need to find a way to bound the curse. I mean why give him a soul to punish him then give him such an easy way to break it. Can you speak to the Gypsy people and ask them to take back the curse but leave his soul in tact?"
"So you and Angel finally got it together huh. I'm glad, took ya's long enough. We tested him last night to see if he would give up the side of the light for simple pleasure but he passed. The Gypsy Council won't take back the curse, but we at the PTB, are giving you a chance to win back Angels bound. Hey I would make a great gameshow host. You need to go through The Three Trials. Don't look at me like that." Doyle said gesturing at Cordelia cocked eyebrow. "I know it sounds a bit way off but it's true, I swear. You have to prove that you love Angel deep down and that if we bind Angelus then he will still have a reason to fight on i.e. You, we hope. Now I have to warn you they are badddd and dddangerous, and you might break a nail. Remember you can't hit me." He shouted as Cordelia went to slap his face.
"Great so I have face danger and icky things to prove I love Angel, what about him? Does Angel not have to prove his love for me?"
"Ah princess you see, he's done that already. He backed away last night when he felt Angelus surface and he restrained himself when he spent the night with you even though he wanted you. So you see he loves and respects you a lot, but do you feel the same? Right walk straight ahead and turn to the left, no right and good luck. I'll see you when you come back out, hopefully."
Cordelia walked forward, slowly and cautiously. The light vanished and she found herself in a cold, dark, musty room. She recognised the room as the lounge where Angel lived in the mansion in Sunnydale. A torch lit beside her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She saw a figure shift in the corner, she realise immediately that it was Angels form.
"Angel, what are you doing here? I'm meant to be doing this stupid Three Trails
thing and..."
Cordelia was cut off by her stifled scream as Angelus slowly peeled himself from the darkness.
"Cordy, Cordy, Cordy, do you ever stop babbling? You are giving me a head ache. Now as for Angel, I'm sorry but he is gone as is Buffy. Cordelia glanced to her left and saw the blondes limp form lying on the stone floor. So you see I can reek what ever havoc on the world I like starting with the English poof, Giles. Now I'm going to turn you and you can become what I am."
Cordelia stared into Angelus eyes and saw no evidence of Angel. She slowly reached for the holy water at the top of her bag and threw into Angelus' face. He screamed in agony and reeled back. Cordelia saw her change to either run or fight. She pulled out the freshly sharpened stake out of her bag and plunged it into the advancing Vampires heart. He wavered a moment as Cordelia closed her eyes waiting for Angelus' fangs in her neck. Instead she felt the dust on her clothing and then an intense heat as she slowly opened her eyes.
Cordelia found herself on wooden bridge over a flaming hell pit. She looked across to the other side and saw Angel reaching for her.
"Cordelia you have to walk across the bridge. It's not that far. Come on." Angel shouted to her.
She took a few tentative steps across the bridge but a plank crumbled under her feet and she jumped back to the other side. "How do I know your really Angel? And not Angelus."
"You know, it's me. Look into my eyes, I'm there not Angelus."
Cordelia looked across the increasing ferocity of the flames and saw the sparkle in his eyes that signalled Angel was in residence not Angelus.
"Cora, you have to trust me. Please Cora take my hand. I'll protect you, I won't let you fall."
Cordelia took slightly larger steps to avoid the burning planks. She reached for his hand as he pulled her across the bridge and firmly onto the other side. Cordelia watched as a split second later the bridge crumbled into the hell pit and was lost. When she turned back to kiss Angel he was gone and so was the fiery pits around her.
She was now in her apartment. Cordelia sat down on her bed, still feeling overwhelmed from the last test. She looked slowly around her room, the feeling of dread filling her heart. Something wasn't right. She climbed off of her bed and walked through to the lounge. A black duster lay across her sofa while it's owner sat with his back to her.
"Oh Angel, thank god you're here."
A small sadistic chuckle emitted from the person in front of her. "Angels gone Cordy and he isn't come in back. Now don't cry over spilt milk, I'm here instead."
The figure and turned towards her, his game face on. Cordelia no longer felt fear at the Scourge of Europe before her; she felt frustration.
"God how many times do I have to stake you before you stay dust? Not even Buffy had this problem, one prod with a sword and you disappear into hell. WHY ME? Now let me chain you up in the basement until Wesley can chant a spell and ,poof, Angels back." She asked hopefully.
"No spell will bring Angel back, he's gone, no soul left in here." He monitored to his heart. Cordelia whimpered slightly. "You'll just have to have me instead." Angelus cackling.
Cordelia walked towards him, the delight dancing in his eyes. "Angelus can't exist without Angel" She whispered as Angelus pulled her roughly into a hungry kiss. The power and the force he used made her wriggle from his hold but Angels face flooded her thoughts and she succumb to the inevitable.
A flash of light distracted Cordelia and she found herself back in the Oracles chamber standing in front of Doyle again.
"Congratulations princess, you won the star prize. You showed unconditional love, when you kissed Angelus, you excepted both the good side and the bad side of Angel. You also showed strength when you staked Angelus in the mansion. You killed someone you loved when he threatened Fate. You showed the most important thing; Trust. You trusted Angel with you life, you let him into your life and allowed a being that could easily kill you and the people you know to save your life. Cordelia you're very brave, your not the bitchy, insult slinging, ex May-Queen I once knew. Go home and tell Angel to visit me with a bottle of scotch sometime."
"Doyle I stopped being the bitchy Queen C when you died. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart." Cordelia blew him a kiss before she was flung back into her own realm.
Once she had pulled herself off the floor and dusted herself down she looked at her watch. She had been gone for nearly three hours. Angel and Wesley would be worried sick about her. She made her way back through the maze of tunnels and back to the office.
About The Same Time Across Town:
--------------------------------------------
Angel tossed and turned in his sleep. The white cotton sheets were wrapped tightly across his body, restricting him, limiting his struggles. In his nightmares the face of those he had killed flashed before his eyes, the pain he had caused them coming back to him three fold. The images blurred and slowly the pain stopped and the faces disintegrated. His nightmares turned into blank dreams and he woke himself up out of
confusion. Angel dressed, the thoughts still whirling through his mind. The blood lust had gone, the scream for the release from Angelus had ceased. The memories he carried of death slowly died down, locked forever in the back of his mind. The first rational thought that came into his mind was that the Shansu had finally happened and he was human. He ran to the bathroom mirror but disappointingly found no reflection. Hewas stopped from the rhythmic thumping of Cordelias bulky shoes on the stairs. She rounded the alcove a huge smile on her face.
"Cordelia, something has happened to me."
"Angel I know, I went to see the Oracles. I think you better sit down for this one. Doyle was there. He's an Oracle! I can't believe it, he's alive, sort of. Anyway he knew about last night, they've been keeping an eye on us, The PTB, and I asked I there was a way to bind Angelus, to make your soul permanent. Well there was. It was called The Three Trails, kinda sucky name but hey. I had prove my love for you so I did. I had to stake Angelus after he killed Buffy and save the world, so I did. Then they sent me to hell, to get back to here I had to trust you to save my life and I did just as the bridge crumbled. Then they had the cheek to send me to my apartment. You were there, well rather Angelus was, he said that your soul was gone and there was not spell to bring it back. I realised I couldn't live without you so I kissed him, if I couldn't have him, I
wanted a piece of you at least. Anyway I came out of the trails and there was Doyle. I realise I'm rambling so all you need to know if that I won and Angelus is bound. Your free in a sense. I would totally understand if you decided to go back to Buffy and Sunnydale, I'm sure Doyle would take away the visions and Wesley would do what ever Wesley does when he's not here."
The confused look left Angels face and a smile appeared in it's place. " God Cordelia, I can't believe what your saying. Why do you think I would go back to Buffy? She's happy now, normal almost, and you hear what I said last night. It's you I fell for. I didn't do last night out of just friendship. Come here." Angel pulled her down into his lap and kissed her passionately, not afraid of what could happen anymore. "We have to Wesley
about this. I bet $10 he faints."
Telling Wesley went better than they had thought. He simply nodded and went back to his Latin text, then proceeded to drop the book to the floor and wildly shake Angels hand, after making sure he was still going to have a job.
************************************************************************************************Now that the curse is taken care of this series will probably be more little adventures the two + one get up to, no babies or marriage, yet! Tell me what you think or even what you would like to happen.