Chapter 10 – 'A Shock To The System'
Cordelia stared at her hand in disbelief. He had finally asked her. She stared down at the diamond and sapphire ring. It glistened in the low light of the opera house as she twisted it from side to side. Angel watched her with curiosity. He felt the usher enter their box immediately and then proceed to tap Angel on the shoulder.
"Excuse me sir. There is a phone call for you in the box office. They said it was urgent." Angel looked at Cordelia who looked back at her in equal confusion.
"Don't worry, Wesley is probably discovered I've been in at his tomes and wants to know where I have put his copy of '101 Ways To Skin A Demon.'" Cordelia laughed at him but he heard her nervousness as well.
"Hello?" Angel asked gruffly into the telephone.
"Angel, it's Fred. I know you are at the opera and you are going to ask Cordelia to marry you but you have to come home. Allen is ill and we really need you to come home. Please!" Fred begged as she tried to keep the tears away from her voice.
"OK Fred, calm down. We'll be there in twenty minutes OK. Call the doctor and get her to meet us at the Hotel. Don't panic. It is probably Colic. I read that babies get that a lot when they are young."
Angel returned to Cordelia who was wringing her hands in her lap. "It was Fred. She said that Allen was ill and asked if we could come home."
Cordelia reached down to ground to pick up her purse while Angel turned to the usher and told him to call their car.
"No, she just said that he was ill and could we come home." Angel pattered her hand and drew her close to him. "It's OK. It will just be colic or something like that. Don't blame yourself." He said as if he could read her thoughts.
Cordelia stared out of the window of the limo and twisted the new ring around her finger. She has left him alone of the first time in three months and it just happened that he fell ill. 'God, I might like my mother.' Cordelia thought to herself. Angel watched her. He could see her biting her bottom lip like she did when she wasn't in control. He was only slightly worried. Angel could remember when his sister got colic, he stayed with her through the night and made sure that she was fine. He stroked her hair and sung her Gaelic lullaby's to help her sleep. Angel closed his eyes against the painful memory. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice; he loved Cordelia and Allen too much.
"He'll be fine Cora, stop blaming yourself. This would have happened whether we went out or not." Angel tried to reason with the trembling Seer next to him.
"No Angel, this isn't just about Allen being ill. It's something much bigger and I don't like it." As the words left her mouth she collapsed into Angels arms fitting. He pulled the hair from her face, no longer having to wipe away the tears. He waited for her to come out of it and had to pin her to him when she did. "No! NO! God Angel No!." She cried, looking pleadingly at Angel to tell her it wasn't real.
"Cordelia what did you see?" Angel asked stroking her arms and combing the hair away from her face. The tears now trickled freely down her face though they were not of pain.
"It was Allens room. It was cold, the window was smashed and the wind was blowing in. I looked into his crib and he was gone, his blankets, everything. The Powers send us visions we can change so maybe this hasn't happened yet." Cordelia clung to Angel in desperation.
Angel could see that Cordelia was getting hysterical. He was scared. A Vampire that had seen, and caused, more atrocities in the last 250 years was scared of a vision sent by an invisible force. Angel knew what the visions could be like and seen the results. He knew his happiness wasn't to last. How could the Powers seal his soul and give the Scourge of Europe a child of his own...happiness? He was counting the days. his heart ached that his son could be in danger, he could fell it breaking piece by piece and he didn't know how to stop it.
Cordelia flew from the limo as it pulled up to the hotel door. The door was open, not unusual for a detective firm like theirs, but Angel could remember Wesley locking it when they left. Angel quickly followed Cordelia and ran to her as he heard her scream and sink to the floor. He cradled her in his arms as she cried unabated into his white shirt.
"Cordelia? What has happened?" He stared at an almost comatose Fred who was sitting rocking herself on the floor. "Fred?"
Fred looked up for the first time. "We didn't know…the spell didn't work…Gunn was here…Oh God Gunn…" She hung her head down and began to sob. "Come on Cordelia what's going on?"
"We can't stop the vision. They've taken our son. Allen is gone Angel." She shouted at Angel, futilely trying to pound on his chest. Angel stared ahead in shock. This wasn't right. The hotel was like a fortress with the spells Willow and Tara had placed around it. Something had gone wrong.
"Were is Wesley?" Angel demanded.
"He's outside checking the building out. Angel I'm so sorry but Gunn was here and we were tryin' t' calm him down. We couldn't get upstairs quick enough." Fred answered timidly.
Wesley burst through the door to find everybody on the floor. Cordelia looked haggard and her mascara had run down her face. Her eyes were swollen and red like Freds. Fred was sitting staring at him with eyes that pleaded with him to take the mess away. Angel looked defeated; he had already given up, his arms securely around Cordelia. No one could have prized them apart with out a mechanical device. Wesley moved down to Fred and pulled her to him. He had wished that the night had turned out differently. That Gunn had never found out their betrayal and that Angel and Cordelia had stayed home. Angel would have been by Allens bedside and would have stopped him being kidnapped. Angel stood up suddenly and straightened his figure out. Cordelia looked up at him with her swollen eyes in confusion.
"Right Wesley, get into the library and get looking at the scrolls. Fred, phone Sunnydale and get the gang here. I doubt this is going to be an easy find and kill story. Cordelia…" He took her firmly yet softly by the shoulders and brought her around to face him. "Cora, you have to go to the Oracles. I doubt that they would want this to happen to their Light." He spat the last word with disgust. "You have to ask them to help us or tell us where they have taken him."
Cordelia reached up to him and touched his cold hand with her warm fingertips. "What about you. Angel don't leave me, not now. Please I need you to stay with me."
Angel squatted down on the floor. "I'm not going to leave. I am going to go and see what is happening on the streets. Something tells me that the person didn't work alone. These spells were too powerful."
"Who helped them?" Wesley asked.
He didn't get an answer as Angel got up and made a run for the stairs. Once he was behind the door of their room he let the tears fall. He would have cried out in the utmost pain but he had to be strong. Cordelia needed him and most importantly, Allen needed him to be strong and find him. Angel knew exactly where to start.
Cordelia stared at her hand in disbelief. He had finally asked her. She stared down at the diamond and sapphire ring. It glistened in the low light of the opera house as she twisted it from side to side. Angel watched her with curiosity. He felt the usher enter their box immediately and then proceed to tap Angel on the shoulder.
"Excuse me sir. There is a phone call for you in the box office. They said it was urgent." Angel looked at Cordelia who looked back at her in equal confusion.
"Don't worry, Wesley is probably discovered I've been in at his tomes and wants to know where I have put his copy of '101 Ways To Skin A Demon.'" Cordelia laughed at him but he heard her nervousness as well.
"Hello?" Angel asked gruffly into the telephone.
"Angel, it's Fred. I know you are at the opera and you are going to ask Cordelia to marry you but you have to come home. Allen is ill and we really need you to come home. Please!" Fred begged as she tried to keep the tears away from her voice.
"OK Fred, calm down. We'll be there in twenty minutes OK. Call the doctor and get her to meet us at the Hotel. Don't panic. It is probably Colic. I read that babies get that a lot when they are young."
Angel returned to Cordelia who was wringing her hands in her lap. "It was Fred. She said that Allen was ill and asked if we could come home."
Cordelia reached down to ground to pick up her purse while Angel turned to the usher and told him to call their car.
"No, she just said that he was ill and could we come home." Angel pattered her hand and drew her close to him. "It's OK. It will just be colic or something like that. Don't blame yourself." He said as if he could read her thoughts.
Cordelia stared out of the window of the limo and twisted the new ring around her finger. She has left him alone of the first time in three months and it just happened that he fell ill. 'God, I might like my mother.' Cordelia thought to herself. Angel watched her. He could see her biting her bottom lip like she did when she wasn't in control. He was only slightly worried. Angel could remember when his sister got colic, he stayed with her through the night and made sure that she was fine. He stroked her hair and sung her Gaelic lullaby's to help her sleep. Angel closed his eyes against the painful memory. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice; he loved Cordelia and Allen too much.
"He'll be fine Cora, stop blaming yourself. This would have happened whether we went out or not." Angel tried to reason with the trembling Seer next to him.
"No Angel, this isn't just about Allen being ill. It's something much bigger and I don't like it." As the words left her mouth she collapsed into Angels arms fitting. He pulled the hair from her face, no longer having to wipe away the tears. He waited for her to come out of it and had to pin her to him when she did. "No! NO! God Angel No!." She cried, looking pleadingly at Angel to tell her it wasn't real.
"Cordelia what did you see?" Angel asked stroking her arms and combing the hair away from her face. The tears now trickled freely down her face though they were not of pain.
"It was Allens room. It was cold, the window was smashed and the wind was blowing in. I looked into his crib and he was gone, his blankets, everything. The Powers send us visions we can change so maybe this hasn't happened yet." Cordelia clung to Angel in desperation.
Angel could see that Cordelia was getting hysterical. He was scared. A Vampire that had seen, and caused, more atrocities in the last 250 years was scared of a vision sent by an invisible force. Angel knew what the visions could be like and seen the results. He knew his happiness wasn't to last. How could the Powers seal his soul and give the Scourge of Europe a child of his own...happiness? He was counting the days. his heart ached that his son could be in danger, he could fell it breaking piece by piece and he didn't know how to stop it.
Cordelia flew from the limo as it pulled up to the hotel door. The door was open, not unusual for a detective firm like theirs, but Angel could remember Wesley locking it when they left. Angel quickly followed Cordelia and ran to her as he heard her scream and sink to the floor. He cradled her in his arms as she cried unabated into his white shirt.
"Cordelia? What has happened?" He stared at an almost comatose Fred who was sitting rocking herself on the floor. "Fred?"
Fred looked up for the first time. "We didn't know…the spell didn't work…Gunn was here…Oh God Gunn…" She hung her head down and began to sob. "Come on Cordelia what's going on?"
"We can't stop the vision. They've taken our son. Allen is gone Angel." She shouted at Angel, futilely trying to pound on his chest. Angel stared ahead in shock. This wasn't right. The hotel was like a fortress with the spells Willow and Tara had placed around it. Something had gone wrong.
"Were is Wesley?" Angel demanded.
"He's outside checking the building out. Angel I'm so sorry but Gunn was here and we were tryin' t' calm him down. We couldn't get upstairs quick enough." Fred answered timidly.
Wesley burst through the door to find everybody on the floor. Cordelia looked haggard and her mascara had run down her face. Her eyes were swollen and red like Freds. Fred was sitting staring at him with eyes that pleaded with him to take the mess away. Angel looked defeated; he had already given up, his arms securely around Cordelia. No one could have prized them apart with out a mechanical device. Wesley moved down to Fred and pulled her to him. He had wished that the night had turned out differently. That Gunn had never found out their betrayal and that Angel and Cordelia had stayed home. Angel would have been by Allens bedside and would have stopped him being kidnapped. Angel stood up suddenly and straightened his figure out. Cordelia looked up at him with her swollen eyes in confusion.
"Right Wesley, get into the library and get looking at the scrolls. Fred, phone Sunnydale and get the gang here. I doubt this is going to be an easy find and kill story. Cordelia…" He took her firmly yet softly by the shoulders and brought her around to face him. "Cora, you have to go to the Oracles. I doubt that they would want this to happen to their Light." He spat the last word with disgust. "You have to ask them to help us or tell us where they have taken him."
Cordelia reached up to him and touched his cold hand with her warm fingertips. "What about you. Angel don't leave me, not now. Please I need you to stay with me."
Angel squatted down on the floor. "I'm not going to leave. I am going to go and see what is happening on the streets. Something tells me that the person didn't work alone. These spells were too powerful."
"Who helped them?" Wesley asked.
He didn't get an answer as Angel got up and made a run for the stairs. Once he was behind the door of their room he let the tears fall. He would have cried out in the utmost pain but he had to be strong. Cordelia needed him and most importantly, Allen needed him to be strong and find him. Angel knew exactly where to start.