***Seriously, thanks so much for all the feedback. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY appreciate it. Ahh. Well, I hope you review again. Hint hint. Also, I don't know HOW to type in bold or italics. Whenever I click on the little buttons it works on word but when I upload it's back to normal. HELP ME!***

Chapter 2

Cordelia tried to ignore the ringing of the alarm clock and burrowed deeper down in the warmth of her bed. As always it got the better of her and the palm of her hand slammed onto the clock, her fingers fumbling for the snooze button.

For a few minutes she stayed under the sheets. She felt weird today, like something wasn't quite right. She surveyed her room carefully. It looked the same as it always did. Same old junk strewn across the desk and vanity table, same old clothes discarded on the floor.

She closed her eyes again and tried to ignore the inkling but it just wouldn't go away. She sat up and looked around again. She narrowed her eyes and her head swung round so she was facing the window. The dark sky glared angrily back at her along with the gnarled branches of the tall oak tree that stood proudly beside the house.

"Funny." She said to herself. "I usually shut the curtains." She mused and stood up. She padded over to the window and peered into the gloom.

Dawn would soon be approaching and Cordelia was glad for it. It was only in the daylight that she felt something close to safe. Usually she couldn't bear to be alone at night. In the first few weeks in England she had had to camp on Wesley's bedroom floor.

As she looked out into the night, something below caught her eye. She stared down and tried to see what it was. It was a figure, definitely a person, running away. She shut her eyes in horror. If she couldn't see it, it wasn't real.

Very slowly she opened one eye and looked out again. The first signs of light were there and when she looked below again the only person she could see was Wesley waving up at her, a forced smile on his face.

She laughed with immense relief and mouthed a "Good Morning" down at her best friend. She pulled a hand through her coarse dark hair. She turned from the window and leant against the wall for a few minutes and took deep breaths.

"Pull yourself together Chase." She ordered herself and buried her face in her hands.

There was nothing going on. There was no danger. No one from her past new she was here. She was completely safe.

With those thoughts in mind she exited her bedroom and grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.



Wesley stood waving up at Cordelia trying to look natural. He felt like a twit stood in the garden holding a cricket bat in his blue checked pyjamas. He couldn't even play cricket.

He remembered when Cordelia had flitted around the village telling anyone who'd listen how he was destined to be the new captain of the local team. He didn't have the heart to tell her that actually, he had never played the game before and had no idea about the rules.

From the moment Wesley had woken up, he had known something was wrong. He hadn't slept well. His dreams were disturbed by twisted images and shadowed figures. He kept waking every so often and get that inkling that something was not quite right.

Finally, a little before seven, the inkling got the better of him and he got up to investigate. As soon as he had stood up the feeling got stronger and he was suddenly rather anxious. He had tiptoed across the hall to Cordelia's room to check on her.

If there was danger around then she was his first priority and he wouldn't even begin to investigate until he was positive she was completely safe. When he was assured that Cordelia was fine he went downstairs. He had grabbed the cricket bat from the back of the cupboard and gripped it tightly in his hand and edging into the kitchen.

His hands were sweaty and his grip was loosened and the bat started to slip. He look a fresh grip and slammed the kitchen door open, through the French windows opposite he saw a figure squeeze through the garden bushes and then the garden was empty, apart from Pepper the cat who sat in the middle of the lawn daintily licking her paws.

Wesley ran into the garden and over to the bushes. He could see where the person had squeezed through. He doubled back and headed to the great oak tree. He couldn't tell whether anyone had climbed up it, but he knew that someone had been stood under it. Tell tale cigarette buts littered the ground.

Wesley waved up at Cordelia as he spotted her peering past the hedge. Wesley's heart jumped, the last thing he wanted was Cordelia to suspect anything. She smiled back at him and then disappeared from the window. He became aware that he had been holding his breath and hastily let it out.

He had a pretty good idea of who had been loitering in the garden. And Wesley wasn't going to rest until he knew this new threat was annihilated.



Cordelia wrapped the towel tightly around her body and hurried down the hall back to her bedroom. She stopped in front of the mirror and leaned towards it, taking in her reflection.

The big black bags under her eyes were the only thing that gave away the image that she was fine. She opened the draw under the mirror and searched for anything that would hide the bags, the last thing she wanted was Wesley worrying himself about her.

She remembered shoving a cover up stick somewhere on the shelves about so she stretched up and her hands and grappled amongst the books and stuffed animals and god knows what else for the cover up.

She swore as she knocked of a dusty old file and papers came flying out of it along with a CD case that hit her on the head. She yelped and kicked the offending case. It didn't go very far.

With a sigh she knelt down to pick up the stuff. Her hand froze over an old photograph. She could fee lumps rising in her throat and tears gathering in her eyes. A small choking sound escaped her mouth and she shakily picked up the picture.

It was from happier times before everything had gone wrong. She started from the left and looked at each body carefully in turn.

Fred was first; a huge cheesy grin on her face, her arms wrapped tightly across Gunn's neck who was trying to smile for the camera but was rather red in the face and looked like he couldn't breathe. He probably couldn't, not with the grip Fred had on him.

Next came Wesley who was giving Fred a withering glance and tugging at Gunn's shirt. Cordelia smiled. She remembered the day clearly. She smiled in a bittersweet way, almost wishing she could go back and live it all again.

She moved on to herself. She was looking right at the camera, laughing. Her body was pressed against Angels, and instead of looking at the camera he was gazing down at her with, there was not any other word for it, adoration.

He looked Happy.

Cordelia felt a tug in her heart; there weren't words to describe how much she loved him. He had been her everything. Wherever she went, little things reminded her of him and when they were apart, even if it had only been for minutes, she felt like it had been a lifetime. She could never bring herself to tell anyone the torment she suffered everyday in England just been away from him.

He had hurt her in the vilest way imaginable, but you couldn't just switch those feeling off. For a while she had thought she had hated him. She had hated him. But hate and love was a painful and dangerous combination. They shouldn't be mixed. She was insanely glad that she would never have to confront him again.

***

Tears streaked down Cordelia's face, she wanted to look away from his face, and it was so close to her own. She couldn't bear to look up into those familiar dark brown eyes.

She was hurting. Shuddering gasps escaped her throat; nothing in this world could have prepared her for this. She had never imagined this could hurt so much, and it wasn't physical pain. She could not believe he was doing this to her.

It was the worst punishment he could have dealt her. His hands roamed up and down her body, she was powerless to stop them. He was thrusting into her faster and faster, but there was no pleasure in this for her. The only pleasure he was getting was from her pain. He fed of it.

He was kissing her now. She stayed as still as she could. His tongue straying into her mouth, she clamped her teeth down. He barely flinched, he laughed in her ear, mocking her attempt. His head moved down until he was gently kissing her neck.

This wasn't the ideal way to die. But she couldn't bear to be in this situation any longer. If death was the only was to escape this torment then death was fine with her. She shut her eyes and tilted her head for him.

His teeth sank deep into her neck, there had to be a better place than this, Cordelia prayed desperately. Raped and bitten by the darkest vampire she had ever heard of.

She could feel the blood been sucked from the wound, painstakingly slow. She wanted to say goodbye really. She would have liked to see them all one last time. But you didn't always get what you wanted.

She had accepted it now. She was a toy to him. Angelus wasn't even going to bother turning her like he did Drucilla. He wasn't going to tease her for months like he did Buffy. She didn't mean that much to him. She was simply a thing he used to pass the time.

And that hurt more than the way he was using her.

It was at that moment it all stopped. Cordelia almost smiled. Death actually didn't feel that bad. He had pulled out of her. Or maybe she just couldn't feel it anymore, she was dead. But she felt her eyes opening, and then her eyes were locked on his.

He grinned down at her.

"Don't tell me you didn't have fun baby." He said and stroked her cheek, brushing tears away.

She broke down in more sobs. He didn't care anymore. He stood up, zipped up his pants, smirked at her once more and left the room, whistling a tune as he sauntered away.

Cordelia couldn't even move. She couldn't stop crying. She didn't want too. It wasn't very often that she cried. It was a rare sight, but she didn't care who saw her. She wanted to cry ad cry until there was no tears left in her and then she wanted to curl up in a ball and never wake up.

"Cordelia," Wesley said, with deep remorse. With tremendous force he broke the bonds strapping him to his chair, cursing as the ropes caused burns on his flesh.

He hobbled over to her on his bruised legs. Her broken body lay on the floor; no effort was made on her behalf to cover herself up.

"Cordy," He said her name again; it only made her cry hider. He reached out to touch her fingers.

"Don't." It came out so weakly. He clutched her fingers tightly. "Don't fucking touch me Wesley! Leave me alone! Don't look at me! Don't, don't, don't!"

***Please review again! It keeps me going! This will probably be the last update for more than a week as I'm going away on Saturday, unless I work extra hard and get the next chapter up by Saturday morning. Hey, anything's possible!***