"You shouldn't worry. Angel does this kind of thing all the time."
"Makes tea?"
"Helps people. You know, he helps people with problems."
"So what's wrong with you?"
- Bethany and Cordelia, Untouched
--- -- --
Owww.
"Don't move, Cordelia. I can fucking choke you from here."
Cordelia blinked, the headache whispering stabs of pain into her head that became pulsing points of loud, more obnoxious, tremors.
"Oww."
"Don't move, Cordelia."
Oh, right. Bethany. That's why she was a freaking pancake. She opened her eyes, had to blink a few times to get her focus, and found her.
Like a rabid dog, Bethany stood before her, no more than five feet away, eyes wide with terror, body openly shaking with fear. Yeah. She had been in a hell dimension all right.
"Bethany..." Her words were whispered, gentle and soothing, a desperate attempt to keep the crazed girl from reaching that point where she would completely lose it.
Cordelia had been on the receiving end of it before, and it hurt. She still had the scars to prove it.
"Just... stay..." Bethany's syllables were chattered, stuttering as she held up an finger and once again pushed Cordelia against the cold hardness of the rocks.
"Bethany," she began again, struggling against the unseen force. She couldn't move. Crap. Taking a breath, she once again spoke, slower. "Bethany, I'm on your side, remember? You're not a killer-"
"Maybe I fucking am, all right?" Eyes wide with righteous anger, Bethany's pale, scared face was smeared with ashes and blood. She was openly trembling, and Cordelia saw it all.
There was a twist in her insides, a wrench that made her ache, and it almost impossible to smile, even as she tried, gentle as it seemed.
"Bethany," she tried again. "You don't to hurt me, okay? I'm your friend- "
"Look- maybe you are, maybe you're not, I don't care, all right?" Cordelia's hands clenched into fists, eyes riveted to Bethany's face, found the orbs wide and terrified. It was a desperate moment, but all she needed was one. Just one moment. "You can't trust anyone in this damned dimension, and I don't care if I have to kill you to get out of it-"
"Bethany!" This time, her voice was sharp, no longer soothing, no longer sympathetic. "I've got a damned good headache thanks to you, and my mouth tastes like blood. Not only that, I've got a bruise I can feel turning into a freaking bump the size of Mount Whitney on my cheek, and because of you my fiancé has been put into jail, twice. If you kill me, I will be VERY pissed off."
And there it was, that moment. The words glazed Bethany's eyes over, and in the second between the time she processed the words and she lost just enough comprehension to get angry, Cordelia felt the pressure gone.
It was all she needed. Pushing forward, she pushed her hands together, and before Bethany had time to blink, she slammed her hands into the younger girl's chest. Suddenly vibrant with light, Bethany suddenly jolted backwards, landing with a shake and a groan across the side of the room.
The glow faded as quickly as it came, but the resonance and awe stayed on Bethany's face as she openly convulsed, closed her eyes and let tears fall, sobbing softly.
Cordelia felt stranded. Her hands, dimming lightbulbs now brought back to their regular hue, fell to her sides, and she studied the girl with a breaking heart.
Dammit.
"I know it hurts," she whispered. "Okay? I know it does. Just give it time."
Bethany's eyes shot open, tears streaming down her face in angry torrents as she crumpled against the stone, curling into a ball.
Suddenly harmless. Suddenly lost. Never evil.
And very heartbroken.
Cordelia's heels dug into the dirt, around her, swords clanked and chairs moved with unseen power, but she felt no fear. There was no danger as she knelt down, and when Bethany's pale hand flailed out, Cordelia took it, clasped it against her, the warmth a contrast from the cold clamminess of Bethany.
"It's okay," she whispered, eyes suddenly moist as Bethany stared at her silent, pleadingly. God, she seemed to mouth, and Cordelia felt so very tired. Drained from the shock of Bethany's panic, the afterflow of emotions intensified with Bethany's contact. Fear, shock, calloused bitterness all seeped within her now, and hazel and blue orbs connected for just that one speck of time.
Suddenly, Bethany knew she was no longer alone.
"Is it better now?" Cordelia asked after a moment.
Still distrustful, still scared, Bethany gave a hesitant nod, extracting her fingers from Cordelia's grip and wiping at the streaks on her cheek, breathing heavily.
"Let's get you up," Cordelia said, sliding an arm around the younger girl and pulling up. Bethany damned near collapsed against her. "Damn. You're heavy."
For some reason, the insult made the younger girl smile, loll her head back to study Cordelia's face, and suddenly discover the bruise forming on Cordelia's cheek, the blood trickling from her mouth.
Her smile froze.
"Shit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
"Hey, you impaled me with a nail before. I consider this progress. Though it does hurt like hell," Cordelia groused, raising a palm to rest against her cheek. And the wedding. CRAP. The wedding!
"Oh, GEEZ."
"What?"
"Nothing," Cordelia mumbled, pushing Bethany into one of the lower chairs, and kneeling down in front of her. "You okay?"
"I just want to go home," Bethany mumbled, as Cordelia tilted her chin and inspected her face.
"Yeah, you and me both." Cordelia gave a sigh, and suddenly gave the room about a piercing stare. "God... they'll be back any minute."
"Cordelia?"
"Just a sec." Standing at the large, major opening, Cordelia gave the dimensional cavern a scrutinizing look. "Let me see if I remember how to do this."
"Do what?"
"Shut up, Bethany." Narrowing her eyes, Cordelia tried to concentrate, hands splayed out in front of her as she regarded the opening. "Here goes nothing."
She often wondered how much power she had retained in her fall from her status, how much she actually kept and how much she actually refused to use until now. It had was been surprising at first, how easily the memories came back, to discover that they not been wiped from her brain as they had all originally thought when she was returned, but buried way down deep.
It wasn't that she couldn't find them, it was that she never knew how to look.
A shift in her memories, like the combination of the dials on a lock, and suddenly, there it was.
The shift suddenly held a dark shield over it, masking it from sight.
"Cordelia? Can't we just get out of here?"
"No, because there are guards outside, and if you don't shut up, they'll come in here and you'll be dragged back to the hell dimension and you'll be damned eternally."
"I don't care."
"Shut up."
"I just want this over."
"Yeah, you and me both, shut up." Cordelia turned quickly to the other opening, once again standing before them and turning the locks.
"What are you doing?"
"Locking us in."
"Why?"
"I have NO idea." Taking a breath to stop her fluttering heart, Cordelia turned, wiping at her mouth and surveying the Pressroom. "But at least it buys us some time until I can get to my- to Angel." Moving forward, she finally found what she was looking for. Scattered on the floor, covered with dust, was her abused cellphone.
"I better not get roaming charges," she mumbled, flopping to the seat opposite Bethany, reaching into her pocket for Douglas' discarded hankerchief and holding it to the telekinetic's chin. Dialing Angel's number, she angled it against her shoulder, letting it ring.
"Hello?"
Oh thank God. Suddenly breathless, Cordelia straightened, felt her heart jump start at the sound of his voice. "Angel?! Oh, thank God-" The click muffled his response, and Cordelia groaned, slumping back into the seat. "Hold on."
"Cor-"
"Hello?" she responded, clicking over.
"CORDELIA!"
"Douglas?" She blinked, and suddenly groaned. Oh, God, Douglas. Bethany watched, confused.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"Oh, God... Douglas..." she sucked in her breath. "I know I said I'd be there as soon as I could but something came up-"
"Cordelia, a guy named JACK HAMMER just declared to the entire cell that I'm officially going to be his BITCH in the next twenty minutes!"
She blinked. "I... uh... Look, Douglas. I want to go, over there- WELL, WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM?!"
"He's got BICEPS THIS BIG-"
Bethany snapped her fingers, and suddenly Cordelia was pulled back to the present. "Oh, right, Douglas- remember that thing I was working on-"
"Cordelia! WHY does it-"
"SHE'S HERE, Douglas! And I gotta save her life, and I gotta go and don't be a bitch, okay?! Bye!"
"Cor-"
She cut him off with a finger on the send button. "Hi, Angel?"
"Cordelia?! Are you okay?"
"Angel! She's here, but we're stuck in the Pressroom and I don't know how long I can keep her in here. I need you guys."
He didn't hesitate, and it made her smile with relief. "Don't move. I'll round up the gang and we'll be right there."
"Okay."
"Cordelia?"
"Yeah." There was a moment of silence, and then. "Be careful."
"You know me. I don't listen, I rush headlong into danger without listening to anyone and get myself into lots of trouble- oh wait. That's you."
"Very funny."
"Be here. Soon."
"Sure."
He clicked off.
He left silence, a hint of a smile in Cordelia's face, and in the headlong rush of fear, there was the old anticipation, the old excitement...
She was breathing heavily now, almost sweating as her eyes locked with Bethany's.
"What now?"
"We find a way to get you outta here," she answered, launching to her feet and moving to the weapon's closet. "Without getting you killed, or - you know - more importantly- ME."
Bethany laughed, but the sound was cut short in her throat when Cordelia moved to the doorway leading to the hallway that entered to the earth dimension and almost ran straight into Lindsey MacDonald.
Cordelia yelped, pushing at the lawyer, keeping him from Bethany's sight.
"Lindsey! Hey. How ya doin'?
"I just heard. Is she okay?" Lindsey was breathless. His tie was unknotted, hanging in loose strands around his neck, and he was sweaty.
Ick.
"We don't know."
"Well, let me talk to the demon idiots in there," he growled, trying to push past her. "Maybe me and my evil hand can-"
"Get broken! They're not here. No one's here. But me. I'm here. But only because I'm waiting."
"Where are they?" he demanded, husky voice dark with emotion. "I'm not going to let them touch her, Cordelia-"
"Yes, I know, Lindsey, but they're not here. They're out- searching, and you can't get in there so you should just go home, and then I'll call you when I hear anything-"
"Lindsey?!"
Cordelia froze, and suddenly groaned when Lindsey stiffened in front of her.
"Bethany?!"
"Oh, DAMMIT. Fine," she muttered, resignation flowing through her agitated body as she moved aside. "Come in, loverboy."
She was pushed into the doorframe when Lindsey moved past her and straight into Bethany's waiting arms.
"EXCUSE you!" Blowing at the bangs sticking on her sweaty face, Cordelia rolled her eyes, moving back into the room and immediately 'locking' the entrance.
She turned just in time to catch Bethany and Lindsey engaging in a furious bout of tonsil hockey.
"Oh, great."
"Oh, God, Lindsey," Bethany clutched onto him tightly, hands cradling his face as she caressed his cheeks, eyes moist with unshed tears.
"Baby, you all right? You all right?" He closed his eyes, buried his face into her shoulder, rubbing rhythmically down her back. "God, I was so scared. I was so scared-"
"Can you two tone it down?!" Cordelia hissed, coming forward to attempt to get between Romeo and Juliet. "Have you forgotten that we're in some SERIOUS doo-doo?!"
"Doo-doo?"
"We gotta get her outta here," Lindsey breathed, wrapping an arm around Bethany's waist and moving toward the door.
"Are you mental?!" Cordelia's hands went to her hips, glaring through the hick lawyer. "We wouldn't get two blocks before the guards outside would take her out."
"I didn't see any guards."
"Yes, I know. They're surprisingly lax about who they let in," she drawled, rolling her eyes as she paced the room. "But if they see her, we're dead. It's okay. Angel's getting the group and when they get here, we can get out. So just KEEP the romantic fumblings to a minimum and-"
"HEY! Who locked the door?!"
Three forms swung to the dimensional opening.
"Oh, God," Cordelia whispered, the shadows of the Champions congregating around it.
"LIGHT BRIGHT!"
"SORRY! I um... had to fix my bra! Just a sec!"
"Your BRA!?"
"Your bra?" Bethany whispered. "How lame is that?!"
"How the hell are we going to keep them from getting in here?!" Lindsey hissed.
"It'll be okay," Cordelia said quickly, eyes suddenly focused on the weapons cabinet. No. Too obvious. She moved her gaze to Marksy's desk. "Here. Get in."
"Are you kidding?!"
"COME on!" Cordelia nearly growled her order, stamping her foot in emphasis. After a nod from Lindsey, Bethany grudgingly obliged, squeezing into the roll top desk.
"If you don't get me outta here soon, I'm going to be really pissed off."
"Bethany, you wanna deal with the room full of demons, be my guest," Cordelia snapped. "Until then, SHUT. UP." Pulling a chair for Lindsey, she instructed him to sit. "And KEEP QUIET."
"LIGHT BRIGHT!"
"COMING! Keep your shirts on!"
"I'm NOT wearing a shirt!"
Coming forward, Cordelia took only a minute to compose herself, before she managed a smile and raised her hand, concentrating to unlock the door.
"WHAT is your problem?!" she demanded, stepping back to let in Al and Miller.
"What was wrong with your bra?" Al asked, and suddenly blinked, zeroing in the fidgeting lawyer in the corner. "And how come he got to see it?"
"He came in here and went all girly man on me," Cordelia muttered. "Started weeping like a nancy boy, what was I supposed to tell you? A man has pride."
"He don't," Miller said, grinning as he came forward. "Hey, kid. How's the evil hand?"
"You know what? Fuck you," Lindsey snarled.
"Hasn't lost his bite, though," Al responded, swinging his sword around. "So tell us, kid. Where's your girlfriend?"
"If I knew, you'd think I'd tell you?"
"If he knew, he wouldn't be smart enough to keep it a secret," Miller groused, studying Cordelia. "He didn't give you a shiner too, did he?"
"No, the damned rat did!" Cordelia said. "Saw it, freaked out, fell on my ass."
"A rat WOULD scare you. Facing demons and it's a little damned mouse that I could have eaten."
"Eat the lawyer boy," Miller responded, nodding to Bugsy as he slunk in on his claws.
"Nah. Too slimy."
Cordelia shared a glance with Lindsey, shook her head ever so slightly.
Lindsey's jaw clamped, but he nodded. He had the sense enough to keep quiet.
"Any news, boys?" Cordelia asked, purposely casual as she moved to the front of the desk.
"Yeah. I've never been so damned tired in my life," Gypsy responded, shuffling to the desk and sitting down.
"Weren't you supposed to be gone by now?" Miller queried, thumbs tapping a rhythm on his stomach.
"Don't I wish," she grumbled, settling next to Lindsey. The young man's heart was racing, and even she could hear the shallow breaths. Licking her lips, she carefully placed a hand on his arm, hoping no one picked up the soft glow.
He immediately calmed down.
Thank GOD.
Miller let out a sigh, suddenly contemplative as he stared into the open dimension. "You know- we've searched that dimension in and out, and she's not there. She'd want to be going home, right?"
"You thinking-"
"She'd have to come through here, wouldn't she?"
Cordelia pushed at Marj, forcing him to get up when she threatened with a heel. "My seat first. And you guys are morons. Do you really think she'd come HERE? It'd be like going into the lion's den."
"A desperate human's apt to do some pretty stupid things," Miller mused. He had that gleam in his eyes, and Cordelia could feel the tension mounting within her as she purposefully got up, moved away from the desk to the other side of the room.
"Right, sure and do you really think she's desperate enough to get in here?! With all of us?"
"Could happen. Lots of little holes and caverns in here. She could have slipped by without any of us knowing." Miller suddenly had the entire group of champions quiet, eyes on all the locked dimensional doors. "Why are all the doors locked, Cordy?"
"To keep Boo from getting inside Monstropolis, Sully," she cracked. "Fine. You want them open?" Immediately she began to wave her hand at the doors, unlocking the combinations.
"That would be funny," Al mused, "If she was around here and none of us knew it."
Lindsey shifted uneasily, arms crossing as he scooted closer to the desk. Cordelia glared. God, idiot. BE more obvious.
"What if she WAS around here?"
"Well, why don't you guys go check?" she asked, indicating to the rooms. "Each Champion take a hallway. I'm not going anywhere, I'll -"
"Let her go right through."
Cordelia fell silent when suddenly Miller looked straight at her. "You know, Glow Bug, you've been acting mighty weird, lately. Not trying to hide anything from us, are you?"
She nearly lurched when her stomach dropped out from her under her, and nearly flipped her over.
There was a too loud laugh, and a narrowed glare as she responded, "Are you kidding? On my own time?"
"You've got Lindsey here? You were pretty nice to the guy- maybe he had something to do with it-"
"You think he's smart enough to-"
"I think he's smarter than he lets on. Smart enough to walk away from that law firm, wasn't he?" Miller suddenly whirled, the entire Champion group closing in on the hapless lawyer.
"I don't know crap, okay?" he responded, turning three shades of red.
Cordelia took two deep breaths, and suddenly moved forward. "Guys, leave him alone, okay, he's doesn't now anyth-"
"Well. I can certainly understand your type now, if this is the company you keep."
Cordelia blinked, froze, and closed her eyes against the voice that broke into the fray.
No- NO- NO-NONONONONONONONONONONO.
Turning on her heel, she didn't want to look. She did NOT want to look.
Her insides squelched and her headache suddenly grew ten times worse.
"Mrs. Sanderson!"
Miller stood directly behind her, head cocking at the view of the woman standing in the doorway between earth and the hell dimension.
"Who invited Judi Dench?"
Never even bothering to look back, Cordelia smacked him, moving forward with a huge smile plastered on her face. "Mother!"
"Don't you MOTHER me." Mrs. Sanderson III had a British accent (of COURSE she had a British accent) and stood ram rod straight as she stared down her nose at Cordelia Chase as if she was some sort of bug she wanted squashed. "Not after what you did to my son." She raised her eyebrow as she glanced at the company staring openly behind Cordelia's painfully smiling face. "Are these your so-called Champions? These ugly beasts?"
"Ugly beasts?!" Al grumbled, tail wagging despite his attempts to still it with his hands. "Now, you listen lady, back in my dimension, I'm known as quite the catch-"
"Young... thing, you will refrain from this conversation. This is between Ms. Chase and myself, and now you listen-"
"Mrs. Sanderson, I'm truly sorry but-"
"But what?!" She practically snorted, hands held daintily on her purse as she sniveled at Cordelia. "What you've done is inexcusable. Leaving the poor boy locked up, making us miss two flights, while you come here and consort with these low-lives, getting into bar fights-"
"Bar fights?!"
"Well, yes. I wouldn't presume my poor boy gave you that bruise! And you, carrying on when you're supposed to be married, tomorrow!"
Cordelia's mouth fell slack. She blinked, and once again tried to get in on the one-sided conversation. "Mrs. Sanderson, if you would only listen-"
"I've heard and seen quite enough, thank you. Just hand me Douglas' money, and his other things and I shall be on my way and you can be free to the little murderer you've caught-"
"What?!"
The world never really did swallow you up whole when you wanted it to.
"We have GOT to start LOCKING THAT DOOR!" Cordelia burst.
"Wait a minute-" Miller pushed his way to the front of the pack, the intimidating demon now looking down at the elder lady. "What murderer? What are you talking about?"
"Which one is it? They all look like heathens and murderers to me."
"Cordelia-"
"Guys!" Cordelia managed a weak, sloppy grin. "She's crazy, okay? She's loopy! I never said ANYTHING about a murderer or CATCHING a-" She found herself taking a step back.
"I'm quoting my son, and he has NEVER lied to me," Mrs. Sanderson said self-righteously.
"Oh yeah?!" Cordelia burst. "Did he tell you about the great sex we had when..." At the look the lady shot at her, Cordelia stopped herself. "But that doesn't really matter..."
"Cordelia-"
Suddenly she had a whole group of demons all staring down at her.
"CORDELIA, WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?"
"NOTHING!"
"What are you trying to pull-"
"Guys, I'm not pulling anything!" They were advancing now, and she was retreating, and Oh-SHIT she was going to kill Douglas' mom. "I never said I had found her, I said I was TRYING to find her-"
"Listen, Light Bright-"
Oh, shit. They were pissed. "Okay, guys? Who're going to believe, me or Judi Dench?"
"Judi Dench," they all announced.
"Did you SEE Iris?" Miller asked.
"Oh, for heaven's sake-"
"What the hell are you asking her for?" The voice belonged to Lindsey Macdonald. The young man stood straight and tall, anger blazing on his features. "She's only a dumb broad. She doesn't know shit. I'm the one that got her out. Only I know where she is."
Cordelia blinked. "DUMB BROAD?!"
She was still quivering from the insult when they all turned away from her and now advanced on Lindsey.
"I knew this little shit did something."
"Little shit?" Lindsey laughed. "Yeah, that's going to get you places."
"Where's your girlfriend, Lawyer Boy? Evil hand take her some place?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Um... Guys?" Cordelia closed her mouth as she crossed her arms, suddenly overwhelmed as poor Lindsey got pushed and prodded back and forth between the groups. Her eyes trained on the desk. Stay, Bethany, she implored silently. Stay.
"What, so now you want to listen to me? Now you suddenly care what the little human has to say? Well, guess what? FUCK you guys. I'm not telling you shit."
Mrs. Sanderson ruffled liked a peacock, and Cordelia closed her eyes, praying for a miracle.
She got a very dumb lawyer, instead.
"You'll tell us, you little beatnick, or we'll toss you head first into the biggest damned ditch you ever saw straight into hell."
Cordelia winced. She hated when they did that.
Lindsey was unfazed. He stood defiantly in front of all of them, and then, like most young men completely head over heels in love, did the most insanely, stupid thing.
"Catch me first."
With a yell, he slammed his fist into Miller's crotch.
Miller went down with a groan, hand suddenly cupping his nether regions as Lindsey whirled, and dove headfirst into the first hell portal he saw.
Cordelia's eyes widened. Oh, my-
Howling with rage, Miller scrambled to his feet.
The mass exodus left her breathless, and Cordelia found herself frozen to the floor when every Champion followed after him, running after Lindsey with spears and swords.
"Oh. My-"
"What happened?"
"GOD?!" Cordelia screeched, whirling and holding a hand to her beating heart when the figure spoke up right next to her. "GOD! DUMB ASS. Don't EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"
Faith grinned. "Hey C'.Cavalry's here."
--
END CHAPTER