"Awww, gee, Gunn, much as I would love to endure another soul-splitting agonizing psychic invasion for your benef- OWW!" - Cordelia, Fredless
--
There was something supremely sad about the way Douglas Sanderson III sat in the seat of the car.
Idle and completely whipped, the insurance salesman gave a small whistle as he stared out of the passenger side of the car, the cold, dark building looming up before him.
This was where all the crazy stuff happened. This was where all those stories Cordelia never told him. Here. In this place.
In this dark alley.
With the dark creatures. With the guy with the gun, and the guy peeing in the corner, and the guy throwing up-
"99 bottles of beer on the wall," he suddenly blurted. "99 bottles of beer!" Tugging at his tie, Douglas settled back uneasily, shifting back into his seat and checking his watch. "Take one down... pass it around... 98 bottles of beer..."
Cordelia, can you GET here now?
"98 bottles of beer on the wall-"
The low chuckling that came out of nowhere caught the song in his throat. With a chortle, Douglas swiveled in his seat, and suddenly found a dark-haired girl grinning.
Douglas blinked, the familiarity coming back to him as she tilted her hair, dark tendrils cascading down almost bare shoulders.
"Faith."
"Douglas," she returned. The low purr caused an uneasy smile on Douglas' face, because Faith, with her black tattoo painted seductively on her arm, and her darkly beautiful face, looked as much a part of this as Cordelia had. He felt such an outsider, and it scared him. "Fancy meeting you here."
He nodded, flickering his gaze back to the old closed Post Office behind them. "I'm just waiting for Cordelia."
"What? She left a hot guy like you all alone on this empty wasteland of a street?" Faith clucked her tongue and whistled. "Sounds like she's got her priorities all screwed, doesn't it?"
"She'll be back soon," he replied mechanically. "She's only going in to get her stuff and she said she'd be right back."
"Right. How long ago was that?"
He checked his watch. "Twenty-five minutes ago."
"Ah."
"She'll be back soon," he repeated. "We've got a flight to catch and Cordelia knows my mother-"
"Does she?" Faith queried . Lounging against the car door, Faith continued to study him with unnerving scrutiny. Douglas had never understood the expression 'undressing with their eyes' until just about now. He crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap.
"Yeah," he croaked, suddenly raspy. "They get along really well- what are you doing here?"
"Oh, me?" Faith shrugged, moving back slightly to dig into the pockets of her black pants. Her very tight black pants. "You know, typical Slayer stuff. Bored stiff, actually. You know, after a few years of this shit, it's all the same." She turned, producing a cigarette box and tapping out a long stick. "Ya know?"
He smiled politely. "I guess. Not really, no. It all sounds pretty exciting, the way Cordelia tells it."
"The way she tells it," Faith remarked, laughing idly. "If that was true, why the hell do you think she left?" Eyeing him, she suddenly winked. "Greener pastures, or some shit like that."
"I... guess."
Now his concentration focused on the stick that Faith was caressing, gently, ever so gently. Rubbing it, she kept a smooth rhythm, massaging the cigarette, then suddenly wrapping her lips around it, sucking it lightly.
She paused. "You okay?"
He blinked, suddenly pulling at his tie. "I... uh... Fine. Maybe I should go and look for Cord-"
"She's fine," With a broad palm, Faith pushed him back into his seat, suddenly inches away when she plucked the cigarette out of her mouth and teased it along his lips. "Got a light?"
"FAITH!" Saved. Douglas was saved. The exhalation of relief was stopped short when suddenly a hand loomed out of nowhere and slammed down on the back of the Slayer's head. Faith yelped, the cigarette crumpling into the seat as she straightened, and inadvertently smacked her head on the car door.
"FUCK, Fred!"
The other girl became visible as the very angry Faith whirled. It was the cute, thin girl from the hotel. The taller woman seemed angry, hands on her hips as she ignored Douglas and zeroed in on Faith. "I TOLD you not to do this!"
"Fuck off, Fred. I was just-"
"You were just gonna- I know what you were gonna do! I'm not letting this happen! I'm not!"
"HEY!"
"NOT another word. I know you're all Slayer and can kick my ass, but I have morals, buster! And I'm not going to ruin a perfectly good relationship just because YOU'RE bored, okay?!" Faith once again opened her mouth to protest, but Fred merely slammed a cellphone in her open palm and pushed her away. "Call Angel. He needs you. Get to work."
Faith wasn't one to take orders, Douglas could see that. Her face seemed to change color, and with a glare directed at him, she fought to keep her mouth shut, before she finally sidestepped the other girl and opened the cellphone, taking steps away from the car.
Well- this was kinda confusing.
The blank stare must have been obvious, because the girl called Fred, flustered and angry, just took a break, let it out, and smiled tightly at him. "I'm sorry," she said finally. The twinge of Southern accent was charming, actually. It fit her character, as she pushed up her glasses and widened her grin. "Some people, they just... I mean... Faith..." Visibly nervous, she blushed, fidgeting slightly. "Cordelia's kinda like... some people, not me, but some... of my co-workers... I think they may be tryin' ta... ya know... sabatoge your relationship with Cordelia..." She stuck her hands in her pockets, giving him time to adjust to that little revelation. "Just didn't wancha to get inta trouble or anything."
Douglas once again glanced to the Pressroom door. Wow.
He didn't really know what to think about all of this. Cordelia's ties... she had given the impression that they were like little gnats that needed to be swatted. Not hard to get away at all. Yet they had been here for running on six hours when they were originally only supposed to be here for two, and all these friends of hers-
He drew in a shaky breath, remembering the brunette called Faith with the dark, angry eyes.
"Thanks for your consideration," he finally said, grateful. At least Fred was nice. And Angel. Cordelia's friends weren't all bad, just... passionate in what they did. He supposed they needed to be, for their line of work.
"Your welcome." Fred fell silent, once again pushing up her glasses as she turned back to the Pressroom. "You waitin' for Cordelia?"
"Yes," he answered, slouching back against the seat. "She'll be right out."
"I'm sure she will," Fred said immediately. Sirens immediately came out in the distance, and she shivered slightly, almost in sync with him. "I'll never get used to that," she said after a moment. He shared a glance, and she explained, "Five years as a slave in a hell dimension kinda tends to scar ya, but the utter hopelessless of these streets... they can kinda get ya down when you're alone out here."
She had brown eyes, beautifully deep when she slipped off her glasses, stared at him searching.
"Want some company?" she asked frankly.
The smile on his features was answer enough, and Fred's own mouth pulled into a grin, as she opened the door and slid inside.
--
In the darkness of the hell dimension, there was no silence. Waves and tremors rocked the dirt and the rocks, and Cordelia struggled to hold her ground, dreadfully out of place in the hellness of this... well... hell.
In her tan leather jacket, olive green skirt, and nice leather pumps, she felt it, moving over the rocks, hand pressed against the rocky alcoves as she moved along the cliffs. Shadows among the fire revealed silhouettes of the other Champions, shouting orders at each other as they searched the cells, the alcoves, the fiery swamps.
Bethany couldn't have gone far, that was true enough. The Pressroom, at this moment, was the only way in or out and the guards guarding the entrance into earth would most likely prevent anyone else from coming in or out. They would spot her immediately.
In here, this was not Cordelia's realm. She was used to the heavens, the floating and the lights. She was used to Earth, with it's buildings and sewers. In those places, she knew her ground, she knew how to stay out of trouble, sometimes without even having to call on her Champion, or even her Light Bright powers to save her. It was all about the mental game, the home field advantage, and this wasn't it.
Not to mention the fact that it was just... icky in this place.
Cordelia sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against the rock. The dull throbbing in her temple was getting louder now, more insistent. Biting her bottom lip, she rubbed at her temples, massaging as she took a breath.
Damned visions.
The visions.
Cordelia's eyes shot open, suddenly breathing that much faster, heart pounding that much harder in her ribcage. It had been months since her first suppression, and she had worked so hard at maintaining control that it was almost unconscious now. The headache was really the only indication that the Powers That Be were still trying to jack her in, and now... NOW...
Licking her lips, Cordelia once again closed her eyes. She couldn't do it. She couldn't. She had sworn not to do it, and if she did then...
She was afraid of the rush. Of being overwhelmed. Of FEELING that again.
Cordelia's fingers gripped against the side, the cold, clammy feel of the stone seeping into her skin.
The sirens and growls slammed into her head, and Bethany was out there, and she was powerless to help.
CRAP.
"Fine," she whispered to her migraine. "FINE. But it's a one-shot deal, buck-O. And you BETTER get her off for this."
It was an uneasily, unsure breath she took as she moved back into the shadows.
Perched at the edge of the precipice, Cordelia had no choice than to damn herself the way she had damned herself a hundred times.
In an exact replication of the ten thousand times she had done this before, Cordelia closed her eyes, never hesitated.
The barrier that shut out everything that she hated and loved disappeared, and in that instant, Cordelia let the entire world back in.
It took her twenty minutes to stop sobbing.
--
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
The loud intrusion had barely disturbed the Hyperion Hotel. Connor merely looked up from his place on the couch, muttered something along the lines of 'filthy demon', and went back to cleaning his sword.
Wesley Wyndham-Price gave the approaching demon a glance, folding over the papers in his hands and straightening away from the desk.
"Skip. How are you?"
But, of course, the damned demon had eyes for no one but Angel. And Angel wasn't in the mood.
"Skip. Go away. I don't have time for this."
"You'll MAKE time, Vampire." The growl was a borderline sneer, breathing smelling of sulphur as Skip charged forward, suddenly very much in Angel's face. "You had something to do with this. I know you did."
Angel crossed his eyes, irritation giving way to resignation as he stepped back from Skip and slipped into the first available chair. "I had something to do with what," he stated frankly.
"Bethany. I know you have her. Give her back."
"Give her back."
"Angel-"
The growl was more than enough. "Look, Skip, I don't know WHAT you're talking about. Honestly? I could care less about Bethany or where she is. I have other problems."
The dismissing walk away was halted when Skip barked a cold sentence. "Since when have you not cared about the helpless."
Angel closed his eyes, a soft growl rumbling through his chest as he turned, demon meeting demon. "Since I became one of them." With a flash of his eyes, and a hiss in his voice, Angel nearly spit, "My wife is going to marry another man in less than a day, Skip. And currently, I seem to be a little helpless to stop it."
Skip didn't bite. The demon was always smart, sometimes too smart. He had planted tons of doubts in Cordelia's mind. He was the asshole that had made her leave in the first place. He had played Cordelia like a drum, and Angel never forgot.
"She's working for you, isn't she?"
"For a very large sum of money, yes," Wesley inserted, inspecting his nails.
Angel ignored him.
"Skip. I don't know where she is, okay? As much as I'd love to be able to trade blows over this, I have a business to run and a wife to get back, so you know your way out."
"Listen, you Vampire FREAK-"
A large ringing cut off his words, leaving the insult with a little bit of edge, but nothing else. Angel immediately turned, dismissing the demon guide and striding toward the counter, grabbing the receiver with one powerful surge.
"Hello?"
"Angel, it's me."
Cordelia. Oh, thank... Cordelia. "Hi."
"This is big, Angel." There was something about Cordelia's tone. A faint whisper that was missing the larger bite she normally had in her enunciation. She sounded... tired.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh?" She seemed startled by the observation. A quick intake of breath and a shake in her syllables, and suddenly she was back. "I'm okay. Just... tired. I kinda... had a vision."
The world stopped, tilted, and Angel clutched the phone to his ear for some sense of stability. The power of that sentence was over-whelming, to hear her say that...
"Oh."
"Angel, I know where she is."
Skip was still standing, arms crossed, on his face a large scowl. He clearly wasn't going anywhere.
"Okay."
"Look, it's pretty crazy, but Lilah and Skip? IDIOTS. Apparently, from what I got through the damned pipeline... Skip and Lilah were going to reenact the crime. Don't ask me WHY, they just were. Something about- trying to see if they could find the best way to try her case for malicious aforethought- it doesn't matter, BUT..." Skip began to tap his foot. Loudly.
"Hold on-"
"Angel?!"
Placing his hand on the receiver, Angel glared across the room to the invader. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all. Take your time." Moving his big, lumbering form through the hallway, Skip eased himself down next to Connor.
"Taken," Connor replied, without looking up.
"By whom?"
"Not you."
Angel smirked. "That's my boy." Turning back, he moved further into the office. "Cor?"
"Gee- THANKS, Angel. Nice to know you can put me on HOLD when it's YOUR freakin' damsel in trouble here!"
"Sorry! Sorry. Go ahead."
He heard a large sigh of over-dramatic exasperation before Cordelia
began again. "They wanted to see her powers- so they lifted the suppression."
Angel blinked. "Wait. You're saying they voluntarily gave Bethany access back into her powers?"
"Right. Idiots."
Angel couldn't help but grin. Turning the corner, he gave Skip a friendly wave. The standing demon glared back.
Angel ducked into the office.
"Okay."
"Great, now I can kill you."
"What?"
"My jacket, Angel! It's ruined thanks to that stupid mucky hell dimension. Do you know what that means?"
The tilt in tone suggested Angel better know what that meant. Of course, he didn't, so Angel did what he did best when confronted with something his wife thought he should know and he really didn't. He scrambled.
"That... you lost it?"
"NO. Dumbass! That you owe me eight hundred dollars! And I want them! NOW!"
"NOW?!" Angel clutched the phone even tighter. "Cordelia, if you kinda forgot, we're in a bit of an EMERGENCY, here!"
"Pfftt. That's 700 hundred plus 100 for that pain in the ass vision. I'm serious, Angel. I want it now. Or I'm not telling you where she is."
"All right, all right. Hold on." Once again peeking around the corner, Angel waved slightly. "Uh... Wes? Mind stepping into my office?"
"Yes, I do, Angel," he replied mechanically without looking up. "Thank you for asking."
"WESLEY!"
"You neglected to say please."
"WESLEY!"
He was really going to kill the bastard one of these days. Wesley was infuriatingly slow as he put aside his newspaper, standing and straightening his jacket.
Skip, Angel, and Connor watched as Wesley continued to slowly walk the Hyperion Lobby as if he was on a runway.
When Wesley finally rounded the corner, Angel grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.
"As much fun as THAT was," he growled, "Next time, GET your ass in here when I ask."
Wesley looked annoyed. "Angel, perhaps we should go over the rules again. One, you are NOT my boss. Two, the only reason we have not killed each other yet is because Faith and Cordelia-"
"CORDELIA is on the phone right NOW," Angel hissed, flailing his arms with the receiver obscenely.
"Ah."
"You have 800 hundred dollars on you?"
"Hardly, Angel," Wesley answered lazily, leaning against the door.
"Counterfeit?"
"Of course," he answered immediately, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his wallet.
Angel grinned. "Good. Take it over to Cordelia right away. She's in the Pressroom." Wesley gave a slight nod, and turned to go, when Angel suddenly stopped him. "Wait. She may need help. Where's Faith- Fred-Gunn- where IS everyone?"
"Busy," Wesley answered immediately. "There is the matter of a certain fiancé, after all. Looks like Matt Damon?"
"Oh... right." Angel grinned, taking his hand off the receiver and putting it to his ear. "Wesley's on his way right now."
"WESLEY!? What about you?"
"Well-" Angel peeked once again. Yeap. Still there. "I'm a little tied up at the moment."
"How tied up?"
"Bastard Demon Guide is in my lobby."
"Oh. Connor kill him yet?"
"He's about to."
"Got it. I'll be waiting. Tell Wesley to hurry his lily white ass up."
Grinning, Angel turned to the departing Englishman. "Wesley, Cordelia says to hurry your 'lily white as-"
"Sod off."
Angel blinked. "I think Faith's rubbing off on him."
Cordelia snorted. "Sure. Rubbing all over him."
Laughter suddenly burst through his lungs, coming out of his mouth and more than likely scaring every one in the hotel.
It felt good. He hadn't done it in a long time.
--
"I don't understand this. I wasn't propositioning anyone!"
Kate Lockley had a headache. It was the end of a very long, eighteen hour shift, and, judging by the ever more present crowd in the precinct booking room, it didn't look like she would be headed home any time soon.
Douglas looked considerably flustered as he sat in the wooden chair next to Detective Machiato's desk, miserable with the clanking of the handcuffs around his wrists.
"You calling my girl a liar?!" Charles Gunn was an intimidating man when he wanted to be. Douglas shrunk back into his chair.
"I... I..."
This guy was just way out of his league. Shaking her head, Kate came forward, hand on Gunn's shoulder. "If you would refrain from badgering the accused," she said firmly. The former gangster quirked an eyebrow. She pointed to the corner near her office, where Fred and Faith both sat. "GO."
"Ruin the fun," she heard mumbled past her. Gunn angled past the desks and pulled out a chair, settled into it like liquid. Fred immediately planted herself on his lap, letting him wrap arms around her tiny waist.
So what, did NO ONE know how to use a freaking chair anymore?
Almost if she was completely aware of what she was thinking, Faith twisted like a pretzel and winked.
Kate groaned.
"Okay," she said after a minute, turning back to the poor fiancé. "Just... sit here. I'll be back after I talk to... them."
"But I didn't proposition anyone!"
"Tell that to the judge!" Fred peeped from her side of the room. "I always wanted to say that," she giggled to Gunn.
Kate rubbed at her forehead. "You three. In my office. Now." Turning to the detective, she shrugged. "Just... HOLD him, for a minute."
"You got it."
"Detective Lockley! I didn't do it!"
Kate ignored his resounding cries, pushing Faith into her office and slamming the door. "I should arrest you three right now."
"Aww, come on, Kate. Fred's being truthful here. The guy's a horndog!"
Fred nodded earnestly.
"Right. Okay. WHO is going to mistake FRED for a prostitute?!" Kate blurted, crossed arms and narrowed glare meant to be intimidating.
"Look, how were WE supposed to know that a vice squad was cracking down on guys that very instant?"
"I was only being helpful," Fred said innocently.
Kate closed her eyes and counted to ten. "Are you guys the least concerned about what you're doing to this guy?"
Fred nodded immediately and opened her mouth to respond, but Faith did it first, plucking a book on lock-picking from Kate's bookshelf and perusing it idly.
"Fuck, no, Kate. Look. We've got a serious emergency, okay? And we agreed- you and Angel agreed- when it comes to the damned Powers and the mission, you'll help."
"I didn't realize that meant framing an innocent guy twice in the same day, whose only apparent crime was having the bad taste to fall in love with Cordelia Chase!"
She got three glares in response. Kate checked her clock.
Six O'Clock.
Great.
Yanking the book from Faith's hand, she pushed the lounging Slayer's feet off her desk and sat down in her chair, pulling out the paperwork. "How long do you want me to hold him?" she asked frankly.
"Couple hours," Gunn remarked, pushing Fred gently from his lap and getting up. "Long enough for us to find Bethany and get this deal with the Powers settled. We need Cordy for that."
"And pissing her off will help?"
"Nah, that's just fun," Faith quipped.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Listen, you-"
The door slammed open.
"Detective Lockley!" Lilah Morgan shook her dark mane off her shoulders with a manicured hand. "I want every one of Angel Investigations arrested right now."
It was then, that Lilah took the time to realize exactly who was standing in the room. Her eyes immediately skimmed past Gunn and Fred, through Kate, and zeroed in on Faith.
The lawyer took a full step back.
"Well, I wouldn't have very far to look now, would I?" Kate asked dryly. "What do you want, Ms. Morgan?"
Lilah was too busy having a glaring contest with Faith to have much of an answer. Kate raised her eyes heavenward and let out a sigh. Here we go.
"Well, if it isn't Lilah Fucking Morgan. Herpes break out in the form of PMS?"
Lilah recovered enough of the inner bitchiness to produce her own snide remark. "Leather. Again. How original. Tell me, Faith, you put on a few pounds or did those pants just get caught in the rain?"
Faith cocked an eyebrow, on her face a grin that would have made the Cheshire Cat proud. "No, sweetie, just a little tight from having to sew them after the fabulous fuck I had with my boyfriend. You know him, don't you?"
Oh, shit. "Okay, that's enough," Kate barked, moving around the desk and nearly tripping over Gunn and Fred. "This office is getting WAY too crowded, and YOU- what the hell are you looking at?" she snapped at the officers staring in the doorway. Planting herself between Faith and Lilah, Kate kicked the door closed. "Damned Nosy Idiots."
"Listen, you whore-"
"You're calling ME a whore? YOU, the idiot who sold her soul to evil? Wow, that's a bitch calling a Slayer black."
"Who's calling who black?" Gunn asked indignantly.
"Charles, I really don't think they meant you-"
"I did NOT sell my soul. It's a contract binding my soul should the event arise where it's needed- WHY am I sharing this with you?"
"SHUT UP!" Kate came close to bellowing, hands out as she pushed apart the two brunettes. "Just. SHUT UP. Both of you. Or I'll shoot you. BOTH OF YOU." Kate took the moment of silence to take a deep breath, and finally, turned to Lilah. "Arrest them on what grounds?"
Lilah held up a briefcase, proud smirk evident on her face. "They assisted with the escape of a client of mine. Accessory charges."
"This the Bethany case?" Kate asked.
"That's right."
"Right. I can't do that." Kate was frank, arms crossed, ignoring the smirk of triumph on Faith's face. "That's not my area."
"Obstruction of justice isn't your area?" Lilah scoffed. "Come on, Kate. You're the Scully of this place, you know the rules."
"MULDER, dammnit," Kate bit. "I'm MULDER. For the last damned time, SCULLY was the skeptic, MULDER was the believer, and did you guys even WATCH the show?"
"Kate-"
"Look, Morgan. I would love to put the entire Angel crew behind bars, especially that one," she thumbed a finger in Faith's direction. Faith winked. "But I can't. You know damned well anything in other dimensions or Powers related has nothing to do with me, and I'm not touching it."
"She's an official client-"
"Who's trial is being held in another dimension. Not touching it." Kate glanced pointedly toward the door. "You know your way out."
"I'm not leaving until you do your job and-" Lilah trailed off when Faith took a step forward, hands suddenly clenched into fists. That seemed to change her mind soon enough. "Fine." She replied angrily. "This isn't over."
"Yes," Kate answered. "It is. This Bethany case is NOT my problem. You guys deal with it. I'm NOT playing referee. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe Mr. Sanderson is entitled to a phone call."
She held the door open for Lilah. The lawyer couldn't resist another glance at her rival.
Faith, now back to lounging seductively in the wooden chair, next to Fred and Gunn, gave a broad grin. Slowly, deliberately, and meeting Lilah's gaze, she held up a middle finger.
Oh, Christ. Over a GUY?!
Kate slammed the door closed.
"Angel," she mumbled, "you shoulda just let me kill myself."
--
END CHAPTER