Title: Shadows and Glimpses (2/?)
Author: QueenC
Feedback: queenc@HotPOP.com
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Cordelia/Lucius
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. AtS belongs to Joss Whedon and HP belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Distribution: Anywhere I send it. Anyone else wants it just let me know.
Spoilers: Through 'Birthday' on AtS. The first four books of HP.
Summary: What happens when you mix an amnesic Death Eater with a recently demonized Seer?
Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm changing a few things in the AtS world to make this fic work. First of all, Angel and Cordelia are not in love. They are just extremely good friends. Second, Holtz was never pulled from the past. Connor is still here. He's just a baby and staying that way. And finally, Cordelia's apartment is a two bedroom. I think that's it, for now. I'll let you know if anything changes. As always, Angel is Spike's sire. Words in *'s are emphasized, words in ::'s are thoughts, words in ~'s are dreams, and words in ^^'s are flashbacks. Enjoy!
Special Thanks: To everyone that reviewed this fic so far. It's good to know that I'm not just writing this for the sake of my muse.
******
The next morning came far too early for Cordelia, who only drug herself out of bed when Dennis refused to bring her covers down from the ceiling. Her eyes blurry and her brain still full of cobwebs and the last remnants of sleep, she clumsily made her way to the kitchen, smiling gratefully when she saw the already full coffee pot.
"Dennis, I don't know what I'd do without you," she exclaimed, eagerly accepting the cup of steaming liquid that floated before her. Taking a sip, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Ah. You're the best."
"You know, if one didn't know better, they would think you were *too* accustomed to having someone wait on you hand and foot," a silky voice said from behind her. Turning around, Cordelia smiled at the man standing in the doorway. "Then they obviously don't know about my past as the richest girl around," she replied dryly. Taking another drink of coffee, she asked, "Did you sleep all right?"
Lucius nodded, entering the room. "I can't remember having ever slept better," he answered honestly, pleased when she caught his small joke.
"Ha ha," Cordelia teased, laughing softly. "Would you like some coffee? I can't guarantee that there will be any left at the hotel by the time we get there. So if you want a caffeine boost, better now than never," she said.
"Yes, actually, coffee sounds lovely," he responded.
Nodding, the brunette poured him a cup. "Milk or sugar?" she asked over her shoulder. Pausing, she sighed, turning to look at him. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't really know that, what with the not remembering."
"No cream or sugar. I drink both my tea and my coffee black," Lucius said absently, then froze, a frown filling his face. "And I honestly couldn't tell you how I know that."
Cordelia shrugged, fixing his drink. Handing it to him, she picked up her own cup. "Hey, you know what vampires and demons are. At this point, nothing else you remember is going to shock me." Shrugging, she grinned at him over her cup. "Besides, if you were a normal case of amnesia, something tells me that the PTB wouldn't have such an interest in you."
Lucius nodded, considering her reasoning. Although he had no idea why these Powers that she continuously referred to would have an interest in him, he wasn't worried about it. After all, for all he knew, he could easily have been someone of incredible importance before his memory loss.
Although he highly doubted it.
Forcing his mind to temporarily shut down, he followed Cordelia's example and sat at the kitchen table, enjoying the comfortable silence that surrounded them. Savoring the strong flavor of the coffee as it burnt its way down his throat, he studied the woman who had pulled him from the gutter not twenty-four hours ago.
She was extremely attractive, of that there was no denying. However, she also had something about her, an edge, that he couldn't figure out the cause of. He knew, based on the glimpse she'd given him into her life, that she helped people in need, especially in the supernatural department. However, considering how much kindness she had shown him, he couldn't believe that she had seen anything so disturbing as to cause her to be jaded.
And yet she still seemed...off, somehow.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow, her eyes locking on the man sitting before her. "Lucius?" she questioned softly.
"Hmm?" he replied absently, still studying the light which surrounded her.
"Is there something wrong with my hair?" she asked. "Because, from the way you're looking at me, I'm half expecting there to be snakes coming out of my head."
Realizing that he'd been caught staring, his eyes widened and he quickly looked away. "I apologize," he mumbled. "I didn't mean..." Sighing, he shook his head.
Cordelia sighed. "Hey, it's fine. Although, the next time you get caught staring at a girl, you might want to try saying something like 'I couldn't help but look. You're a beauty to behold', instead of acting like you just got caught with your hand in the cookie jar," she teased.
Chuckling, he raised his gaze once again. "It's true," he said simply. "You are a beauty to behold."
Blushing slightly, the woman stood up. "Why, thank you! Now, I think it's time we got dressed and faced the music that is Angel Investigations."
Nodding, Lucius followed her from the kitchen, neither of them wanting to think about what had just transpired, and the emotions that had resulted from it.
******
"Hey Fred, you got that book about the flesh eating demons? I can't find it anywhere," Gunn said, turning from his spot on the couch to watch the brunette sort through a pile of books.
"Let's see. Flesh growing demons, flesh shrinking demons..." Frowning, the woman shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't seem to..."
Exiting the office, Wesley held up the book in question. "Flesh eating demons. Here you are, Gunn," he said.
Gunn grinned. "Thanks, English. Toss it here," he replied, holding up his hands.
Wesley gave him a disbelieving look. "This is an extremely expensive text that took the author decades to translate from its original language. Surely you don't expect me to toss it about the room like a beach ball," he stated.
Gunn rolled his eyes, rising to his feet. "Sorry, forgot about the rule that says we gotta do everything the hard way," he muttered, crossing the room. Taking the book from the English man, he grinned. "I'll just wait until you ain't around to throw stuff."
Wesley chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, please do." Turning around, he headed back to the office, only to stop when he heard Cordelia's voice.
"Okay, so this is Angel Investigations," the woman said, leading a tall, blonde man through the door. Pausing just inside, she smiled at everyone. "Hi guys! Got someone here in need of some help."
Gunn and Fred exchanged confused glances before turning their attention back to Cordelia. Wesley, meanwhile, merely stared at Lucius with an unreadable expression on his face.
Not waiting for them to say anything, Cordelia continued speaking. "Okay. Lucius, that's Wesley, Fred, and Gunn. Guys, this is Lucius. He needs our help."
Wesley was the first to approach the man. "Hello, Lucius. What seems to be the problem?" he asked politely.
Lucius stared back at the man, clearly uncomfortable with being the center of attention. "It would appear that I have amnesia," he answered.
Gunn frowned. "Did I miss something? Since when did we start scouting for clients? I thought we waited until the Powers sent something our way," he said.
Cordelia sighed. "They did. I had a vision of Lucius and knew I needed to help him. So, I did. And now we're all going to help him, because that's what we do," she replied, her tone daring someone to disagree with her.
Fred moved forward, her brown eyes raking over him. "Well, I don't see any external injuries, besides the cuts on the face and stuff. Nothing that would explain memory loss. Maybe he hit his head..." Walking up to him, she reached for his head, only to stop when he jerked away.
"Hey, Fred!" Cordelia exclaimed, easily stepping between them. "Here's an idea. Why don't we *not* get hands on with the overwhelmed client, okay? Let him have a seat, get to know you all a bit, maybe even tell you what he remembers. Then you can see about feeling him up."
Fred blushed, stepping back. "Oh, of course. How silly of me." Giving him a faint smile, she murmured, "Sorry about that. Five years in a cave kinda makes you forget basic manners."
Lucius returned her smile. "It's quite all right, my dear. Think nothing of it."
Wesley raised an eyebrow. "You're definitely upper class. At least, you speak that way," he suddenly stated. "Now, do you know anything more about your life besides your first name?" he wondered.
Before Lucius could answer, another voice said, "Is that my shirt?"
Turning toward the stairs, the blonde watched as a tall, dark-haired man entered the room. Suddenly, the feeling that he had felt earlier when looking at Cordelia returned, although this time it was much more intense. Instantly, he knew this was the vampire with the soul that she had mentioned.
This was Angel.
Cordelia smiled, walking up to the vampire. "Angel! Hey! How's Connor?" she asked, hugging him tightly.
Looking past her to the stranger wearing his clothing, he barely registered the hug. "He's fine. And, once again...is that my shirt?" he questioned.
Cordelia stepped back, nodding. "Yes. You left it at my house a while ago, and I figured that, since you hadn't asked for it, you wouldn't mind if I let Lucius wear it," she answered calmly.
Angel looked at his Seer. "I was *looking* for that shirt! I thought it had been destroyed in battle. It's one of my favorite shirts!" he exclaimed.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Angel, it looks exactly the same as your other shirts. And you'll get it back. I'm taking Lucius shopping this afternoon," she replied.
Lucius watched with interest as everyone instantly gave him looks of sympathy. Gunn even went so far as to step forward and pat him on the shoulder.
"It was nice meeting you, man," he said calmly. Then, he walked back to the couch, sat down, and opened a book.
Cordelia narrowed her eyes, then shook her head. "Pay no attention to them. Come on in, have a seat!" she exclaimed.
As if in a daze, he followed her farther into the lobby. Feeling eyes on him, he turned, his gaze locking with Angel's.
"Well, at least you don't look *bad* in my shirt," the vampire stated. "Although I look better." When no one made a move to agree with him, he frowned. "Right, guys?"
Wesley absently nodded. "Yes. Angel, do you suppose I could speak with you...in private?" the former Watcher questioned, tearing his gaze from Lucius.
Angel nodded. Heading toward the office, he glanced at Cordelia. "And don't think I didn't hear you mention you answered a vision on your own. We *will* have a talk about that later," he growled.
The brunette rolled her eyes, waving him toward the office. "Yeah, yeah. Save it, Mr. Does Whatever He Pleases. Go find out what has Wes in such a tizzy already. I want to get some research in before lunch," she replied calmly.
Angel frowned, doing as she said. Walking into his office, he gave Lucius one last look before shutting the door, mumbling something about shirts and reflections.
Clapping her hands, Cordelia grinned at the rest of the room. "Right! So, that went better than expected. See, Lucius? There was no need to worry about Angel ripping you apart for wearing his clothing!" she exclaimed.
Lucius paled slightly at her words. "That was a possibility?" he gasped. Swallowing, he glanced back at the closed door, freezing when Angel glanced through the window at him. The vampire gave him a frown, then pulled the blinds closed sharply.
******
Author: QueenC
Feedback: queenc@HotPOP.com
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Cordelia/Lucius
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. AtS belongs to Joss Whedon and HP belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Distribution: Anywhere I send it. Anyone else wants it just let me know.
Spoilers: Through 'Birthday' on AtS. The first four books of HP.
Summary: What happens when you mix an amnesic Death Eater with a recently demonized Seer?
Author's Notes: Okay, so I'm changing a few things in the AtS world to make this fic work. First of all, Angel and Cordelia are not in love. They are just extremely good friends. Second, Holtz was never pulled from the past. Connor is still here. He's just a baby and staying that way. And finally, Cordelia's apartment is a two bedroom. I think that's it, for now. I'll let you know if anything changes. As always, Angel is Spike's sire. Words in *'s are emphasized, words in ::'s are thoughts, words in ~'s are dreams, and words in ^^'s are flashbacks. Enjoy!
Special Thanks: To everyone that reviewed this fic so far. It's good to know that I'm not just writing this for the sake of my muse.
******
The next morning came far too early for Cordelia, who only drug herself out of bed when Dennis refused to bring her covers down from the ceiling. Her eyes blurry and her brain still full of cobwebs and the last remnants of sleep, she clumsily made her way to the kitchen, smiling gratefully when she saw the already full coffee pot.
"Dennis, I don't know what I'd do without you," she exclaimed, eagerly accepting the cup of steaming liquid that floated before her. Taking a sip, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Ah. You're the best."
"You know, if one didn't know better, they would think you were *too* accustomed to having someone wait on you hand and foot," a silky voice said from behind her. Turning around, Cordelia smiled at the man standing in the doorway. "Then they obviously don't know about my past as the richest girl around," she replied dryly. Taking another drink of coffee, she asked, "Did you sleep all right?"
Lucius nodded, entering the room. "I can't remember having ever slept better," he answered honestly, pleased when she caught his small joke.
"Ha ha," Cordelia teased, laughing softly. "Would you like some coffee? I can't guarantee that there will be any left at the hotel by the time we get there. So if you want a caffeine boost, better now than never," she said.
"Yes, actually, coffee sounds lovely," he responded.
Nodding, the brunette poured him a cup. "Milk or sugar?" she asked over her shoulder. Pausing, she sighed, turning to look at him. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't really know that, what with the not remembering."
"No cream or sugar. I drink both my tea and my coffee black," Lucius said absently, then froze, a frown filling his face. "And I honestly couldn't tell you how I know that."
Cordelia shrugged, fixing his drink. Handing it to him, she picked up her own cup. "Hey, you know what vampires and demons are. At this point, nothing else you remember is going to shock me." Shrugging, she grinned at him over her cup. "Besides, if you were a normal case of amnesia, something tells me that the PTB wouldn't have such an interest in you."
Lucius nodded, considering her reasoning. Although he had no idea why these Powers that she continuously referred to would have an interest in him, he wasn't worried about it. After all, for all he knew, he could easily have been someone of incredible importance before his memory loss.
Although he highly doubted it.
Forcing his mind to temporarily shut down, he followed Cordelia's example and sat at the kitchen table, enjoying the comfortable silence that surrounded them. Savoring the strong flavor of the coffee as it burnt its way down his throat, he studied the woman who had pulled him from the gutter not twenty-four hours ago.
She was extremely attractive, of that there was no denying. However, she also had something about her, an edge, that he couldn't figure out the cause of. He knew, based on the glimpse she'd given him into her life, that she helped people in need, especially in the supernatural department. However, considering how much kindness she had shown him, he couldn't believe that she had seen anything so disturbing as to cause her to be jaded.
And yet she still seemed...off, somehow.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow, her eyes locking on the man sitting before her. "Lucius?" she questioned softly.
"Hmm?" he replied absently, still studying the light which surrounded her.
"Is there something wrong with my hair?" she asked. "Because, from the way you're looking at me, I'm half expecting there to be snakes coming out of my head."
Realizing that he'd been caught staring, his eyes widened and he quickly looked away. "I apologize," he mumbled. "I didn't mean..." Sighing, he shook his head.
Cordelia sighed. "Hey, it's fine. Although, the next time you get caught staring at a girl, you might want to try saying something like 'I couldn't help but look. You're a beauty to behold', instead of acting like you just got caught with your hand in the cookie jar," she teased.
Chuckling, he raised his gaze once again. "It's true," he said simply. "You are a beauty to behold."
Blushing slightly, the woman stood up. "Why, thank you! Now, I think it's time we got dressed and faced the music that is Angel Investigations."
Nodding, Lucius followed her from the kitchen, neither of them wanting to think about what had just transpired, and the emotions that had resulted from it.
******
"Hey Fred, you got that book about the flesh eating demons? I can't find it anywhere," Gunn said, turning from his spot on the couch to watch the brunette sort through a pile of books.
"Let's see. Flesh growing demons, flesh shrinking demons..." Frowning, the woman shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't seem to..."
Exiting the office, Wesley held up the book in question. "Flesh eating demons. Here you are, Gunn," he said.
Gunn grinned. "Thanks, English. Toss it here," he replied, holding up his hands.
Wesley gave him a disbelieving look. "This is an extremely expensive text that took the author decades to translate from its original language. Surely you don't expect me to toss it about the room like a beach ball," he stated.
Gunn rolled his eyes, rising to his feet. "Sorry, forgot about the rule that says we gotta do everything the hard way," he muttered, crossing the room. Taking the book from the English man, he grinned. "I'll just wait until you ain't around to throw stuff."
Wesley chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, please do." Turning around, he headed back to the office, only to stop when he heard Cordelia's voice.
"Okay, so this is Angel Investigations," the woman said, leading a tall, blonde man through the door. Pausing just inside, she smiled at everyone. "Hi guys! Got someone here in need of some help."
Gunn and Fred exchanged confused glances before turning their attention back to Cordelia. Wesley, meanwhile, merely stared at Lucius with an unreadable expression on his face.
Not waiting for them to say anything, Cordelia continued speaking. "Okay. Lucius, that's Wesley, Fred, and Gunn. Guys, this is Lucius. He needs our help."
Wesley was the first to approach the man. "Hello, Lucius. What seems to be the problem?" he asked politely.
Lucius stared back at the man, clearly uncomfortable with being the center of attention. "It would appear that I have amnesia," he answered.
Gunn frowned. "Did I miss something? Since when did we start scouting for clients? I thought we waited until the Powers sent something our way," he said.
Cordelia sighed. "They did. I had a vision of Lucius and knew I needed to help him. So, I did. And now we're all going to help him, because that's what we do," she replied, her tone daring someone to disagree with her.
Fred moved forward, her brown eyes raking over him. "Well, I don't see any external injuries, besides the cuts on the face and stuff. Nothing that would explain memory loss. Maybe he hit his head..." Walking up to him, she reached for his head, only to stop when he jerked away.
"Hey, Fred!" Cordelia exclaimed, easily stepping between them. "Here's an idea. Why don't we *not* get hands on with the overwhelmed client, okay? Let him have a seat, get to know you all a bit, maybe even tell you what he remembers. Then you can see about feeling him up."
Fred blushed, stepping back. "Oh, of course. How silly of me." Giving him a faint smile, she murmured, "Sorry about that. Five years in a cave kinda makes you forget basic manners."
Lucius returned her smile. "It's quite all right, my dear. Think nothing of it."
Wesley raised an eyebrow. "You're definitely upper class. At least, you speak that way," he suddenly stated. "Now, do you know anything more about your life besides your first name?" he wondered.
Before Lucius could answer, another voice said, "Is that my shirt?"
Turning toward the stairs, the blonde watched as a tall, dark-haired man entered the room. Suddenly, the feeling that he had felt earlier when looking at Cordelia returned, although this time it was much more intense. Instantly, he knew this was the vampire with the soul that she had mentioned.
This was Angel.
Cordelia smiled, walking up to the vampire. "Angel! Hey! How's Connor?" she asked, hugging him tightly.
Looking past her to the stranger wearing his clothing, he barely registered the hug. "He's fine. And, once again...is that my shirt?" he questioned.
Cordelia stepped back, nodding. "Yes. You left it at my house a while ago, and I figured that, since you hadn't asked for it, you wouldn't mind if I let Lucius wear it," she answered calmly.
Angel looked at his Seer. "I was *looking* for that shirt! I thought it had been destroyed in battle. It's one of my favorite shirts!" he exclaimed.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Angel, it looks exactly the same as your other shirts. And you'll get it back. I'm taking Lucius shopping this afternoon," she replied.
Lucius watched with interest as everyone instantly gave him looks of sympathy. Gunn even went so far as to step forward and pat him on the shoulder.
"It was nice meeting you, man," he said calmly. Then, he walked back to the couch, sat down, and opened a book.
Cordelia narrowed her eyes, then shook her head. "Pay no attention to them. Come on in, have a seat!" she exclaimed.
As if in a daze, he followed her farther into the lobby. Feeling eyes on him, he turned, his gaze locking with Angel's.
"Well, at least you don't look *bad* in my shirt," the vampire stated. "Although I look better." When no one made a move to agree with him, he frowned. "Right, guys?"
Wesley absently nodded. "Yes. Angel, do you suppose I could speak with you...in private?" the former Watcher questioned, tearing his gaze from Lucius.
Angel nodded. Heading toward the office, he glanced at Cordelia. "And don't think I didn't hear you mention you answered a vision on your own. We *will* have a talk about that later," he growled.
The brunette rolled her eyes, waving him toward the office. "Yeah, yeah. Save it, Mr. Does Whatever He Pleases. Go find out what has Wes in such a tizzy already. I want to get some research in before lunch," she replied calmly.
Angel frowned, doing as she said. Walking into his office, he gave Lucius one last look before shutting the door, mumbling something about shirts and reflections.
Clapping her hands, Cordelia grinned at the rest of the room. "Right! So, that went better than expected. See, Lucius? There was no need to worry about Angel ripping you apart for wearing his clothing!" she exclaimed.
Lucius paled slightly at her words. "That was a possibility?" he gasped. Swallowing, he glanced back at the closed door, freezing when Angel glanced through the window at him. The vampire gave him a frown, then pulled the blinds closed sharply.
******