Title: Fever
Author: victoriamartynne
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: None, I think!
Summary: When Cordelia's life is threatened by a fever is it medical or mystical?
Angel said goodnight to Wes and Buffy and went back upstairs to Cordelia. Gunn and Fred had gone out for a drink and then they were staying over at Gunn's.
She was breathing heavy and sweating under the thick comforter. Every once in a while she would moan in her sleep or thrash against the pillows.
Angel pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat holding her clammy hand. With the other hand he flicked aimlessly through a book that Cordelia had left there, a trashy romance that he wasn't interested in reading.
Mostly he kept his eyes on Cordelia.
He knew something was going to happen when he saw tears begin to seep from under her closed eyelids.
He threw the book on the floor and leaned closer to her.
He picked up his cell phone from the bed side cabinet where he'd left it and called Wes telling him to get over here fast with Gunn and Fred.
Cordelia began to see pictures in her head. Then the pictures became reality. She walked down an alley slowly, she was limping. The heel of her shoe was broken and she was crying.
She stopped to pull off the offending shoe and jumped when a man stepped out from behind a dumpster.
"You scared me." She said and walked around him, only to be tugged back by the hair.
She screamed slightly as she hit the dumpster hard. "What are you doing?"
The man didn't answer.
He stepped out of the shadows and she saw his yellow eyes and ridged forehead.
She screamed but it was cut off as a hand clamped over her mouth.
His fangs sank into her neck and he sucked the blood from her.
She could feel the life slipping for her and the feel of the two pinpricks on her neck as they stayed embedded in her neck until she fell to the floor.
"Cordelia!" The man shouted. "Cordelia!"
"Wake up!" Angel shouted and shook her to wake her up from the catatonia she was in.
She sat up abruptly, gasping for breath and holding onto the side of her neck.
She whimpered and opened her eyes. "I'm dead."
"You look it." A voice muttered to her left.
She turned but saw blurred shapes moving around her. "I'm dead." She repeated.
Her head spun and she fell backwards, unconscious.
"Wesley, sort this now!" Angel ordered and paced around the lobby. "She cannot go through this every time she goes to sleep."
"I'm working on it."
"Then work harder, dammit."
"Angel, there's no need to get angry, I'm doing the best I can!" Wesley snapped but then softened. "It's hard on all of us, seeing her like this. But we'll sort it."
Angel nodded but didn't stop pacing. "She was so confused, she thought she was dead."
Gunn came down the stairs. "She woke up."
Angel ran past him and up the stairs.
Fred was sat on the bed next to the subdued and pale looking Cordy. Buffy was sat in the chair Angel had been sat in watching Fred bathe Cordelia's forehead, looking quite bored.
"Cordelia." Angel said and came straight across the room to sit next to her. "What happened?"
"I was in an alley and I was bit by a vampire. I died." She replied in monotone.
"You didn't die honey, you're still alive."
"No, I died. I could feel him suck the blood out of me." She told him and seemed to look straight through him.
He touched her face. "When did this happen?"
"Just then, I died."
"When does it take place?" He asked again and stroked her cheek with his finger.
"Just then I died." She replied once more. "I died tomorrow. I died. No blood, all gone. Taken, stolen."
Angel swallowed hard. "It's okay honey. Where were you?"
"In an alley, a dark alley. I'd broken my heel on a grate. Near a grate. A water grate. There was water, too much water. It was falling. I couldn't see the grate. I'd been to a party you see. Nobody talked to be, I was alone. Mr Pearson didn't talk." She babbled.
"Who's Mr Pearson?" Angel asked.
"George, party person. He invited me and didn't talk to me." She cried out and then passed out again.
"Angel, I've got it." Wes said an hour later. "There's a party tomorrow night by Mr George Pearson at his house on Hudson Avenue nest to the river. And there just happens to be an alley running next to the house."
"Wes, you're a genius. I could kiss you." Angel exclaimed and jumped up from Cordelia's desk where he had been sat with a mug of blood. He saw the look on Wes's face. "But I won't."
"Why don't you go and see how Lorne is going with Cordelia?" Wes suggested.
He nodded and bounded up the stairs, meeting Buffy half way.
"Angel, wait." She ordered and put a hand on his arm.
"What?" He asked impatiently.
"Can we go somewhere?"
"What? When?"
"Now. Or tomorrow night. I'm bored here." She pouted.
"I can't leave Cordelia; I can't believe you'd expect me to."
"But I came to see me and I've hardly spent any time with you."
"Look, Cordelia is sick and I'm worried about her. You came at the wrong time if you want company. You can either stay and help or go home because I haven't got time to do this right now."
He began to walk up the stairs.
"You never have!" She shouted at his retreating back.
"Angel." Cordelia whispered hoarsely from the bed as he came through the door, no longer in a state of catatonia or dementia.
Lorne had his hands on her temple rubbing in circles, trying to sense something.
"Sweetie, please, each time you lose concentration I lose concentration."
"Sorry." She apologised meekly.
"Let's try again." He put his hands back in position and she closed her eyes, ready to start again.
"How's it going?" Angel asked Fred.
"He doesn't know yet." She whispered. "He thinks that maybe her demon-ness has entitled her to endure some sort of test to see if she's eligible to be your seer in the force of good or if the demon in her will take control and be a force of evil."
"Cordelia could turn evil?" Angel asked the young Texan and pried his eyes off Cordelia to look at her.
"He isn't sure, he heard about something like this before."
"What happened?"
"She, uh, she turned, kinda, evil." Fred stuttered.
Angel turned and looked again at his helpless seer on the bed. Cordelia couldn't turn evil, she just couldn't.
Author: victoriamartynne
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: None, I think!
Summary: When Cordelia's life is threatened by a fever is it medical or mystical?
Angel said goodnight to Wes and Buffy and went back upstairs to Cordelia. Gunn and Fred had gone out for a drink and then they were staying over at Gunn's.
She was breathing heavy and sweating under the thick comforter. Every once in a while she would moan in her sleep or thrash against the pillows.
Angel pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat holding her clammy hand. With the other hand he flicked aimlessly through a book that Cordelia had left there, a trashy romance that he wasn't interested in reading.
Mostly he kept his eyes on Cordelia.
He knew something was going to happen when he saw tears begin to seep from under her closed eyelids.
He threw the book on the floor and leaned closer to her.
He picked up his cell phone from the bed side cabinet where he'd left it and called Wes telling him to get over here fast with Gunn and Fred.
Cordelia began to see pictures in her head. Then the pictures became reality. She walked down an alley slowly, she was limping. The heel of her shoe was broken and she was crying.
She stopped to pull off the offending shoe and jumped when a man stepped out from behind a dumpster.
"You scared me." She said and walked around him, only to be tugged back by the hair.
She screamed slightly as she hit the dumpster hard. "What are you doing?"
The man didn't answer.
He stepped out of the shadows and she saw his yellow eyes and ridged forehead.
She screamed but it was cut off as a hand clamped over her mouth.
His fangs sank into her neck and he sucked the blood from her.
She could feel the life slipping for her and the feel of the two pinpricks on her neck as they stayed embedded in her neck until she fell to the floor.
"Cordelia!" The man shouted. "Cordelia!"
"Wake up!" Angel shouted and shook her to wake her up from the catatonia she was in.
She sat up abruptly, gasping for breath and holding onto the side of her neck.
She whimpered and opened her eyes. "I'm dead."
"You look it." A voice muttered to her left.
She turned but saw blurred shapes moving around her. "I'm dead." She repeated.
Her head spun and she fell backwards, unconscious.
"Wesley, sort this now!" Angel ordered and paced around the lobby. "She cannot go through this every time she goes to sleep."
"I'm working on it."
"Then work harder, dammit."
"Angel, there's no need to get angry, I'm doing the best I can!" Wesley snapped but then softened. "It's hard on all of us, seeing her like this. But we'll sort it."
Angel nodded but didn't stop pacing. "She was so confused, she thought she was dead."
Gunn came down the stairs. "She woke up."
Angel ran past him and up the stairs.
Fred was sat on the bed next to the subdued and pale looking Cordy. Buffy was sat in the chair Angel had been sat in watching Fred bathe Cordelia's forehead, looking quite bored.
"Cordelia." Angel said and came straight across the room to sit next to her. "What happened?"
"I was in an alley and I was bit by a vampire. I died." She replied in monotone.
"You didn't die honey, you're still alive."
"No, I died. I could feel him suck the blood out of me." She told him and seemed to look straight through him.
He touched her face. "When did this happen?"
"Just then, I died."
"When does it take place?" He asked again and stroked her cheek with his finger.
"Just then I died." She replied once more. "I died tomorrow. I died. No blood, all gone. Taken, stolen."
Angel swallowed hard. "It's okay honey. Where were you?"
"In an alley, a dark alley. I'd broken my heel on a grate. Near a grate. A water grate. There was water, too much water. It was falling. I couldn't see the grate. I'd been to a party you see. Nobody talked to be, I was alone. Mr Pearson didn't talk." She babbled.
"Who's Mr Pearson?" Angel asked.
"George, party person. He invited me and didn't talk to me." She cried out and then passed out again.
"Angel, I've got it." Wes said an hour later. "There's a party tomorrow night by Mr George Pearson at his house on Hudson Avenue nest to the river. And there just happens to be an alley running next to the house."
"Wes, you're a genius. I could kiss you." Angel exclaimed and jumped up from Cordelia's desk where he had been sat with a mug of blood. He saw the look on Wes's face. "But I won't."
"Why don't you go and see how Lorne is going with Cordelia?" Wes suggested.
He nodded and bounded up the stairs, meeting Buffy half way.
"Angel, wait." She ordered and put a hand on his arm.
"What?" He asked impatiently.
"Can we go somewhere?"
"What? When?"
"Now. Or tomorrow night. I'm bored here." She pouted.
"I can't leave Cordelia; I can't believe you'd expect me to."
"But I came to see me and I've hardly spent any time with you."
"Look, Cordelia is sick and I'm worried about her. You came at the wrong time if you want company. You can either stay and help or go home because I haven't got time to do this right now."
He began to walk up the stairs.
"You never have!" She shouted at his retreating back.
"Angel." Cordelia whispered hoarsely from the bed as he came through the door, no longer in a state of catatonia or dementia.
Lorne had his hands on her temple rubbing in circles, trying to sense something.
"Sweetie, please, each time you lose concentration I lose concentration."
"Sorry." She apologised meekly.
"Let's try again." He put his hands back in position and she closed her eyes, ready to start again.
"How's it going?" Angel asked Fred.
"He doesn't know yet." She whispered. "He thinks that maybe her demon-ness has entitled her to endure some sort of test to see if she's eligible to be your seer in the force of good or if the demon in her will take control and be a force of evil."
"Cordelia could turn evil?" Angel asked the young Texan and pried his eyes off Cordelia to look at her.
"He isn't sure, he heard about something like this before."
"What happened?"
"She, uh, she turned, kinda, evil." Fred stuttered.
Angel turned and looked again at his helpless seer on the bed. Cordelia couldn't turn evil, she just couldn't.