12 HOURS LATER
Cordelia's mind drifted slowly to consciousness, but she kept her eyes closed.
'This must be a dream.' She told herself.
Her body felt as if it were floating on a cloud. Warmth replaced the biting chill of the evening air, and the air had lost its foul stench.
'Maybe I've died and I'm in heaven.'
"I think she's coming around." A familiar voice echoed through the haze of her swimming senses.
'Fred?'
Slowly she opened her eyes. Sweet sunlight danced around her through the open window of. her hotel room?
'Am I.'
"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" Fred's voice came clearer this time, and Cordy managed to move her head enough to see the face of her friend.
"Fred." she forced a weak smile, thrilled beyond reason to see a face she thought she'd never see again.
Through the miasma of exhaustion and confusion, seeing the long red hair of the girl sitting beside her bed was a welcome tranquillity. It was short though, as she blinked and focused in on her surroundings. She was back at the Hyperion.
'How the.'
"How did I get back here?" Cordy asked, mustering up enough strength to push herself slightly upright against the numerous fluffy white pillows supporting her head.
The red dress was sitting, folded up, on the chair at the other end of the room, she noted, and she was now wearing a dark blue tank top and gray PJ pants.
'Must thank Fred later for that.'
"Angel came in around 3 last night. You were asleep before your head hit the pillow." Fred said with a small laugh.
At the mention of Angel's name, Cordelia's blood ran cold.
"Angel! Oh God, where is he?" she spoke frantically, her words rushed. "Is he all right?" Fred smiled secretively, and nodded her head.
"He's fine, just a bit hungry was all. Couple cuts and bruises, but nothing serious." She reassured her friend.
With a relieved sigh, Cordy sank back into the pillows.
"Where is he now?" she asked curiously. A bit too curiously, she thought, but it didn't really seem to matter.
"Oh I kicked him out about an hour ago. I kept saying he needed his rest, but he insisted on staying here until you woke up." Fred informed her
. Cordelia blushed, retracting into her own thoughts for a moment.
'He stayed with me? All night?' A peculiar sense of warmth spread through her body at that thought, and a small smile touched her lips.
"You want to get cleaned up or anything? Wesley bought pizzas, they're down in the lobby if you think you can make it that far." Fred said, rising to her feet.
At the mere mention of food, Cordy's face lit up.
"Oh, yum!" she exclaimed, and moved to push the covers off herself.
She stopped mid-movement, and looked down at her legs.
'Wait a minute.'
They moved! Her legs were moving! Joy surged through her, and she nearly clapped her hands. She swung her now-animated limbs over the side of the bed. The feeling of soft carpet between her toes felt like heaven compared to the hours she'd spent walking in the heels. Her legs were jelly, and she nearly collapsed, but managed to steady herself on the bedside table.
'Just wash my face and go down for pizza,' she told herself mentally. 'It can't be too hard can it?'
Boy was she wrong. The instant she set her bare foot on the top of the stairs, cheery faces, and a multitude of hugs mobbed her. All of this she loved, and accepted with an array of smiles and laughs. Wesley told her his part of the adventure numerous times, each time adding in some new and exciting twist. With the gel out of her hair and the make-up off her face, Cordy felt comfortable and welcomed among all her friends and the thoughts of the last 48 hours nearly slipped from her mind.
Until he walked in.
Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, he entered the room unnoticed by the rest of the group. Cordelia noticed all too well and shivered as he swept passed the festivities without so much as a word; walking out to the patio. She stared after him, a plastic glass of Pepsi ( in her hand. He hadn't even so much as glanced in her direction, and his expression was stony and unresponsive as it sometimes was after a hard day of work. Sadness bubbled up in the pit of her stomach, and a lump formed in the back of her throat.
'God, this is all my fault!' she spat out silently.
Suddenly the party didn't seem quite so fun.
"Don't worry about him." Fred spoke behind her.
Cordy turned around, instantly masking her sadness. It wasn't appearing to work though, because Fred could see right through her happy smile.
"He's probably just needs time to cool off, that's all." Cordy nodded her head, and sipped her soda slowly.
"You think maybe I should go talk to him?" she asked, both praying and dreading that Fred would say yes.
The woman wouldn't be so kind though. Instead, she answered open-endedly.
"I think you should do whatever you think is right."
The room and party faded away as Cordelia fell deep into thought. A million different paths to choose, a million different bends in the road; all seemed wrong. Too many complications to take into consideration, too many consequences if the path was wrong.
'Do whatever I think is right huh?' she thought, taking a deep breath.
Then, throwing all other feelings out the window, Cordelia set down her glass and followed Angel out into the patio. *** (A/N - okay, I know I haven't posted for a while *bad Ariel! Bad!* but high school is much harder than I thought it would be! ( there's one more post after this then its done! All done! I have to ask this now. Does anyone out there have a copy of the episode "Waiting in the Wings" ?? if you have it on tape email me right now! Right now! I have to talk to you before my head explodes! Or if you know where I could get a copy of that ep.. I'd be forever in your debt!!!!!! Love ya! Conclusion soon. Thanks for reviewing guys! Love you all!)
Cordelia's mind drifted slowly to consciousness, but she kept her eyes closed.
'This must be a dream.' She told herself.
Her body felt as if it were floating on a cloud. Warmth replaced the biting chill of the evening air, and the air had lost its foul stench.
'Maybe I've died and I'm in heaven.'
"I think she's coming around." A familiar voice echoed through the haze of her swimming senses.
'Fred?'
Slowly she opened her eyes. Sweet sunlight danced around her through the open window of. her hotel room?
'Am I.'
"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" Fred's voice came clearer this time, and Cordy managed to move her head enough to see the face of her friend.
"Fred." she forced a weak smile, thrilled beyond reason to see a face she thought she'd never see again.
Through the miasma of exhaustion and confusion, seeing the long red hair of the girl sitting beside her bed was a welcome tranquillity. It was short though, as she blinked and focused in on her surroundings. She was back at the Hyperion.
'How the.'
"How did I get back here?" Cordy asked, mustering up enough strength to push herself slightly upright against the numerous fluffy white pillows supporting her head.
The red dress was sitting, folded up, on the chair at the other end of the room, she noted, and she was now wearing a dark blue tank top and gray PJ pants.
'Must thank Fred later for that.'
"Angel came in around 3 last night. You were asleep before your head hit the pillow." Fred said with a small laugh.
At the mention of Angel's name, Cordelia's blood ran cold.
"Angel! Oh God, where is he?" she spoke frantically, her words rushed. "Is he all right?" Fred smiled secretively, and nodded her head.
"He's fine, just a bit hungry was all. Couple cuts and bruises, but nothing serious." She reassured her friend.
With a relieved sigh, Cordy sank back into the pillows.
"Where is he now?" she asked curiously. A bit too curiously, she thought, but it didn't really seem to matter.
"Oh I kicked him out about an hour ago. I kept saying he needed his rest, but he insisted on staying here until you woke up." Fred informed her
. Cordelia blushed, retracting into her own thoughts for a moment.
'He stayed with me? All night?' A peculiar sense of warmth spread through her body at that thought, and a small smile touched her lips.
"You want to get cleaned up or anything? Wesley bought pizzas, they're down in the lobby if you think you can make it that far." Fred said, rising to her feet.
At the mere mention of food, Cordy's face lit up.
"Oh, yum!" she exclaimed, and moved to push the covers off herself.
She stopped mid-movement, and looked down at her legs.
'Wait a minute.'
They moved! Her legs were moving! Joy surged through her, and she nearly clapped her hands. She swung her now-animated limbs over the side of the bed. The feeling of soft carpet between her toes felt like heaven compared to the hours she'd spent walking in the heels. Her legs were jelly, and she nearly collapsed, but managed to steady herself on the bedside table.
'Just wash my face and go down for pizza,' she told herself mentally. 'It can't be too hard can it?'
Boy was she wrong. The instant she set her bare foot on the top of the stairs, cheery faces, and a multitude of hugs mobbed her. All of this she loved, and accepted with an array of smiles and laughs. Wesley told her his part of the adventure numerous times, each time adding in some new and exciting twist. With the gel out of her hair and the make-up off her face, Cordy felt comfortable and welcomed among all her friends and the thoughts of the last 48 hours nearly slipped from her mind.
Until he walked in.
Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, he entered the room unnoticed by the rest of the group. Cordelia noticed all too well and shivered as he swept passed the festivities without so much as a word; walking out to the patio. She stared after him, a plastic glass of Pepsi ( in her hand. He hadn't even so much as glanced in her direction, and his expression was stony and unresponsive as it sometimes was after a hard day of work. Sadness bubbled up in the pit of her stomach, and a lump formed in the back of her throat.
'God, this is all my fault!' she spat out silently.
Suddenly the party didn't seem quite so fun.
"Don't worry about him." Fred spoke behind her.
Cordy turned around, instantly masking her sadness. It wasn't appearing to work though, because Fred could see right through her happy smile.
"He's probably just needs time to cool off, that's all." Cordy nodded her head, and sipped her soda slowly.
"You think maybe I should go talk to him?" she asked, both praying and dreading that Fred would say yes.
The woman wouldn't be so kind though. Instead, she answered open-endedly.
"I think you should do whatever you think is right."
The room and party faded away as Cordelia fell deep into thought. A million different paths to choose, a million different bends in the road; all seemed wrong. Too many complications to take into consideration, too many consequences if the path was wrong.
'Do whatever I think is right huh?' she thought, taking a deep breath.
Then, throwing all other feelings out the window, Cordelia set down her glass and followed Angel out into the patio. *** (A/N - okay, I know I haven't posted for a while *bad Ariel! Bad!* but high school is much harder than I thought it would be! ( there's one more post after this then its done! All done! I have to ask this now. Does anyone out there have a copy of the episode "Waiting in the Wings" ?? if you have it on tape email me right now! Right now! I have to talk to you before my head explodes! Or if you know where I could get a copy of that ep.. I'd be forever in your debt!!!!!! Love ya! Conclusion soon. Thanks for reviewing guys! Love you all!)