DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Never will be. Not unless Joss decides to adopt me
and give me the copyright. (Hey if you're gonna dream, might as well dream
big.)
SPOILERS: None. At least not really.
SUMMARY: This story is set in a somewhat AU. Cordy has a secret. There's a reason behind all the things her father gives her. Can Angel save her from her secret before it's too late?
DEDICATION: This one is for Drew and Kitka. Friends. My own personal Angel and Cordelia.
DISTRIBUTION: If you ask, I'll probably say yes.
Angel found Cordy sitting on the edge of the bed crying when he woke up that night. He noticed that she had a very loose shirt on. It looked to be one of his.
"What's wrong, Cordy?"
"My back," she sobbed.
"Let me see?" he asked gently, raising her face to look at him with his fingertips. She nodded.
He sat down behind her and lifted the shirt very gently, stopping when he reached the first welt. He didn't need to see anymore. He dropped the shirt and stormed out of the room.
///////////////////////
Cordy sat in front of the fireplace where she had built a fire, waiting for Angel to come back. She wasn't even going to try to sleep without him there. Where had he gone? What was he doing?
She wasn't even sure she wanted to know.
//////////////////
After seeing the welt on Cordy's back, Angel had to take action. He had promised himself he wouldn't kill her father. After all, he was still Cordy's father. But that didn't mean he couldn't hurt him. Badly. And that's just what he planned to do.
//////////////
"You!" Cordelia's father spat when he opened the door and saw Angel standing there. "Where's my daughter?"
"Where you'll never hurt her again. And now, in payment for the marks you left on her, you receive in kind times three." With that, Angel lashed out with the belt that he had held behind his back. Nine times the belt came in contact with Mr. Chase's body and nine times he cried out in pain. When he was finished, Angel bent over the broken man in front of him. "Now maybe you know how she felt. Trying to hide the marks you left on her day after day."
He left. He needed to walk now. He needed to calm down before he went back to the mansion and scared Cordy. That would be the last thing she needed right now.
////////////////////
He came back to the mansion just before dawn and found Cordelia asleep on the couch in front of a fire which had apparently died out just recently.
He knelt beside her and gently pushed the hair out of her face to see the tear tracks on her cheeks. Ever so gently, trying not to wake her up, he picked her up and carried her to her room where he tucked her into her bed and turned to go.
"Don't go." The whisper that came from the bed drew him back. "Where did you go?"
"Your father has received just payment for the marks he left on you. He has nine welts across his back."
"But, Angel, he only left three on me."
"The ancient ways say that what you send forth comes back to thee threefold. Therefore, nine welts for your three." He bowed his head. "After that, I had to walk for a while. I needed to calm down. I didn't want to scare you by coming back here all upset."
Cordelia didn't say anything more. She just reached up a hand to stroke his cheek. "Lay next to me?"
"Cordy, I - - I"
"I'm not asking for that. I just want you to lay here and hold me. Nothing more. Just hold me for today."
Her explanation laid to rest many fears he had. He stepped away from the bed and made sure that her curtains were tightly closed against the sun. Then, he slipped off his shoes and stretched out on top of the covers next to her, gently pulling her into his arms.
They slept that way all day and many other times after that. They were perfectly happy just to be close to each other.
///////////////////
A/N: There you go, Kit. If there's enough interest I'll consider a sequel.
SPOILERS: None. At least not really.
SUMMARY: This story is set in a somewhat AU. Cordy has a secret. There's a reason behind all the things her father gives her. Can Angel save her from her secret before it's too late?
DEDICATION: This one is for Drew and Kitka. Friends. My own personal Angel and Cordelia.
DISTRIBUTION: If you ask, I'll probably say yes.
Angel found Cordy sitting on the edge of the bed crying when he woke up that night. He noticed that she had a very loose shirt on. It looked to be one of his.
"What's wrong, Cordy?"
"My back," she sobbed.
"Let me see?" he asked gently, raising her face to look at him with his fingertips. She nodded.
He sat down behind her and lifted the shirt very gently, stopping when he reached the first welt. He didn't need to see anymore. He dropped the shirt and stormed out of the room.
///////////////////////
Cordy sat in front of the fireplace where she had built a fire, waiting for Angel to come back. She wasn't even going to try to sleep without him there. Where had he gone? What was he doing?
She wasn't even sure she wanted to know.
//////////////////
After seeing the welt on Cordy's back, Angel had to take action. He had promised himself he wouldn't kill her father. After all, he was still Cordy's father. But that didn't mean he couldn't hurt him. Badly. And that's just what he planned to do.
//////////////
"You!" Cordelia's father spat when he opened the door and saw Angel standing there. "Where's my daughter?"
"Where you'll never hurt her again. And now, in payment for the marks you left on her, you receive in kind times three." With that, Angel lashed out with the belt that he had held behind his back. Nine times the belt came in contact with Mr. Chase's body and nine times he cried out in pain. When he was finished, Angel bent over the broken man in front of him. "Now maybe you know how she felt. Trying to hide the marks you left on her day after day."
He left. He needed to walk now. He needed to calm down before he went back to the mansion and scared Cordy. That would be the last thing she needed right now.
////////////////////
He came back to the mansion just before dawn and found Cordelia asleep on the couch in front of a fire which had apparently died out just recently.
He knelt beside her and gently pushed the hair out of her face to see the tear tracks on her cheeks. Ever so gently, trying not to wake her up, he picked her up and carried her to her room where he tucked her into her bed and turned to go.
"Don't go." The whisper that came from the bed drew him back. "Where did you go?"
"Your father has received just payment for the marks he left on you. He has nine welts across his back."
"But, Angel, he only left three on me."
"The ancient ways say that what you send forth comes back to thee threefold. Therefore, nine welts for your three." He bowed his head. "After that, I had to walk for a while. I needed to calm down. I didn't want to scare you by coming back here all upset."
Cordelia didn't say anything more. She just reached up a hand to stroke his cheek. "Lay next to me?"
"Cordy, I - - I"
"I'm not asking for that. I just want you to lay here and hold me. Nothing more. Just hold me for today."
Her explanation laid to rest many fears he had. He stepped away from the bed and made sure that her curtains were tightly closed against the sun. Then, he slipped off his shoes and stretched out on top of the covers next to her, gently pulling her into his arms.
They slept that way all day and many other times after that. They were perfectly happy just to be close to each other.
///////////////////
A/N: There you go, Kit. If there's enough interest I'll consider a sequel.
