Title: A Sunnydale Tale
Author: victoriamartynne
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: None.
Summary: In 1998, Angel befriends Cordelia when the going gets tough.
He knocked on her door. "Cordelia?"
There was no answer. "Please Cordy?"
He heard her sigh and come to the door. "What do you want?"
"I'm sorry." He told her simply.
He saw the corners of her mouth twitch. "That it?"
He nodded and then smiled. "I'm sorry Cordelia, I never meant to drag you into all this but there was a reason I broke up with Buffy. And it does involve you."
"It does?"
He nodded. "Living with you and getting to know you have made me realise how much I've missed having friends. Or rather, a friend. But lately I've began to realise that maybe I like you more than a friend. I don't want to scare you by saying this either, so if you get uncomfortable just tell me. But Cordelia, having you in my life has made me realise how much I've been missing. Buffy and I were never friends, even Spike told us that. We just had the danger and the passion. That was our relationship. With you, I can see us having so much more. That is, if you feel the same way. And don't think I'm pressuring you into anything. I just wanted you to know how I feel about you so you can think about things and decide if you might like me too."
She smiled slightly. "Are you done?"
He gulped and nodded.
"I don't know Angel. And before you say anything that is not me saying I don't like you. I do like you. How much, I don't know. I do know how much I want to like you. A lot. But it's not a case of liking you or not anymore. I don't even know if my body will let me like you, never mind my head! I'm screwed up inside at the moment and I know I want to like you but whether or not I'll be allowed to I don't know." She scrunched up her nose. "Do you get that?"
He nodded. "Completely. You don't have to rush yourself into anything. Please know that. I can be as patient as you need me to be. I waited two hundred and fifty years for a friend. I can be as patient as you need me to be for something more. Is that okay with you?"
She nodded. "I guess."
"You guess? Is that it?"
"No! I mean, I'm happy with that if you're sure you're happy with it."
"I'm happy with it." He assured her.
"And I suppose the whole curse thing could reassure my head you're not about to take advantage of my weakened state."
"I would never take advantage of you!" He told her, outraged.
"I know that, but my head might not." She explained.
He nodded. "Okay. I accept that. As long as you do know that I'm not going to hurt you, ever."
"I know that."
"So, will you come out of your room now? If you're not going to school today I would like to actually see you."
She laughed. "Okay, I'll come out."
He sat down on the couch and watched her flop down next to him. He took her hand gently.
He waited to see what her reaction would be but she only entwined her fingers with his, tightening her grip on his hand.
She rested her head on his shoulder. "Can we keep this a secret?"
"What? Us?" He asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, I mean it is new and different for me and I have a great desire for not being beat up by your super strong ex."
He smiled. "She wouldn't hurt you."
She snorted. "Yeah, 'cause our argument today was very friendly."
"She might get pissed of at me or you but she wouldn't hurt you, you're human."
"But you're not. So, you're saying she'd hurt you, but not me?" She lifted her head to look at him.
He shrugged. "I don't know."
"I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
"I wouldn't be hurt because if you. And can we stop thinking of Buffy as a homicidal maniac? She's a slayer, protector of the innocent; I doubt very much she's going to go commando on you or me." He argued.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you big guy." She lowered her head on his shoulder again. "But can we keep it secret?"
"If that's what you want. But don't be scared of her okay?"
She nodded. "I won't."
"So, when do you plan on telling her?" He asked, stroking her index finger with his thumb.
"How about prom? That's coming up and I don't have a date." She told him. "You wanna be my date?"
"I thought the guys were supposed to ask the girls to that sort of thing?"
"They are, but seen as though you don't go to school and are officially old I have to break tradition and ask you. You wanna go?"
He nodded. "I could do prom."
"Good." She snuggled into his shoulder.
"Do I have to get a tux?" He suddenly thought.
She nodded. "Uh huh. And I get to buy a very expensive and very designer dress that I will never wear again."
"Why will you never wear it again?"
"Because after I leave school I'll be stuck here my entire life working. I won't be able to go to any of the colleges that have accepted me as my dad has officially cut me off from my college trust fund. I have the trust fund my grandfather left me but that won't cover the cost of college. I'll never go anywhere fancy to wear a prom dress again."
"I could help you with." He began but she cut him off.
"No."
"No?"
"No. I won't have you helping me Angel. When school ends I'll get a job and stay in Sunnydale the rest of my life while everyone at school goes off to college and become successful lawyers or doctors or another job that pays a lot of money."
"You'll always have me." He squeezed her hand. "You're not alone in this."
"I know that."
"And we don't have to stop here you know."
"We don't?"
"No, I mean, I'm only here on the hell mouth because I was told by someone I could help make a difference. Earn my redemption, I think the words were. But there are other places that I could do that." He told her.
"Like where?"
"Well, there's another hell mouth in Cleveland."
"Cleveland? I don't even know where Cleveland is." She objected. "I don't think I want to live in a place that nobody even knows."
"Or LA." He suggested.
Her eyes grew bright. LA, that close to all those designer shops. "I like it."
"You do?" He turned slightly so she lifted her head and he could look at her. "We could get an apartment and set up a business."
"What kind of business? I thought you want to earn your redemption by fighting evil?"
"I do, I mean, I have thought about this. I was going to leave after graduation anyway. Buffy would have been going away to college so it would have been pretty useless stopping here. I was thinking some sort of investigation business. People with problems, the evil kind, could come to me and I could help them. What do you think?"
"Angel Investigations." She said softly. "I like it."
"I never thought of a name." But he smiled. "I like it though. I suppose it has a bit of class."
"With me helping there'll be endless class." She promised.
"Maybe I should go to LA one weekend to find a place?" He mused. "That way when you graduate we can move straight there. No waiting."
"I could come with you if you want." She suggested. "After the prom maybe?"
"You can if you want to. I just thought you might like to stop here until we can move straight there. A clean break."
"I'd like to help you pick somewhere. I mean, I am going to be living there."
"Okay, we'll sort it out. LA we come." He smiled.
"And goodbye Sunnydale." She concluded. "Forever."
Author: victoriamartynne
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Spoilers: None.
Summary: In 1998, Angel befriends Cordelia when the going gets tough.
He knocked on her door. "Cordelia?"
There was no answer. "Please Cordy?"
He heard her sigh and come to the door. "What do you want?"
"I'm sorry." He told her simply.
He saw the corners of her mouth twitch. "That it?"
He nodded and then smiled. "I'm sorry Cordelia, I never meant to drag you into all this but there was a reason I broke up with Buffy. And it does involve you."
"It does?"
He nodded. "Living with you and getting to know you have made me realise how much I've missed having friends. Or rather, a friend. But lately I've began to realise that maybe I like you more than a friend. I don't want to scare you by saying this either, so if you get uncomfortable just tell me. But Cordelia, having you in my life has made me realise how much I've been missing. Buffy and I were never friends, even Spike told us that. We just had the danger and the passion. That was our relationship. With you, I can see us having so much more. That is, if you feel the same way. And don't think I'm pressuring you into anything. I just wanted you to know how I feel about you so you can think about things and decide if you might like me too."
She smiled slightly. "Are you done?"
He gulped and nodded.
"I don't know Angel. And before you say anything that is not me saying I don't like you. I do like you. How much, I don't know. I do know how much I want to like you. A lot. But it's not a case of liking you or not anymore. I don't even know if my body will let me like you, never mind my head! I'm screwed up inside at the moment and I know I want to like you but whether or not I'll be allowed to I don't know." She scrunched up her nose. "Do you get that?"
He nodded. "Completely. You don't have to rush yourself into anything. Please know that. I can be as patient as you need me to be. I waited two hundred and fifty years for a friend. I can be as patient as you need me to be for something more. Is that okay with you?"
She nodded. "I guess."
"You guess? Is that it?"
"No! I mean, I'm happy with that if you're sure you're happy with it."
"I'm happy with it." He assured her.
"And I suppose the whole curse thing could reassure my head you're not about to take advantage of my weakened state."
"I would never take advantage of you!" He told her, outraged.
"I know that, but my head might not." She explained.
He nodded. "Okay. I accept that. As long as you do know that I'm not going to hurt you, ever."
"I know that."
"So, will you come out of your room now? If you're not going to school today I would like to actually see you."
She laughed. "Okay, I'll come out."
He sat down on the couch and watched her flop down next to him. He took her hand gently.
He waited to see what her reaction would be but she only entwined her fingers with his, tightening her grip on his hand.
She rested her head on his shoulder. "Can we keep this a secret?"
"What? Us?" He asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, I mean it is new and different for me and I have a great desire for not being beat up by your super strong ex."
He smiled. "She wouldn't hurt you."
She snorted. "Yeah, 'cause our argument today was very friendly."
"She might get pissed of at me or you but she wouldn't hurt you, you're human."
"But you're not. So, you're saying she'd hurt you, but not me?" She lifted her head to look at him.
He shrugged. "I don't know."
"I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
"I wouldn't be hurt because if you. And can we stop thinking of Buffy as a homicidal maniac? She's a slayer, protector of the innocent; I doubt very much she's going to go commando on you or me." He argued.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you big guy." She lowered her head on his shoulder again. "But can we keep it secret?"
"If that's what you want. But don't be scared of her okay?"
She nodded. "I won't."
"So, when do you plan on telling her?" He asked, stroking her index finger with his thumb.
"How about prom? That's coming up and I don't have a date." She told him. "You wanna be my date?"
"I thought the guys were supposed to ask the girls to that sort of thing?"
"They are, but seen as though you don't go to school and are officially old I have to break tradition and ask you. You wanna go?"
He nodded. "I could do prom."
"Good." She snuggled into his shoulder.
"Do I have to get a tux?" He suddenly thought.
She nodded. "Uh huh. And I get to buy a very expensive and very designer dress that I will never wear again."
"Why will you never wear it again?"
"Because after I leave school I'll be stuck here my entire life working. I won't be able to go to any of the colleges that have accepted me as my dad has officially cut me off from my college trust fund. I have the trust fund my grandfather left me but that won't cover the cost of college. I'll never go anywhere fancy to wear a prom dress again."
"I could help you with." He began but she cut him off.
"No."
"No?"
"No. I won't have you helping me Angel. When school ends I'll get a job and stay in Sunnydale the rest of my life while everyone at school goes off to college and become successful lawyers or doctors or another job that pays a lot of money."
"You'll always have me." He squeezed her hand. "You're not alone in this."
"I know that."
"And we don't have to stop here you know."
"We don't?"
"No, I mean, I'm only here on the hell mouth because I was told by someone I could help make a difference. Earn my redemption, I think the words were. But there are other places that I could do that." He told her.
"Like where?"
"Well, there's another hell mouth in Cleveland."
"Cleveland? I don't even know where Cleveland is." She objected. "I don't think I want to live in a place that nobody even knows."
"Or LA." He suggested.
Her eyes grew bright. LA, that close to all those designer shops. "I like it."
"You do?" He turned slightly so she lifted her head and he could look at her. "We could get an apartment and set up a business."
"What kind of business? I thought you want to earn your redemption by fighting evil?"
"I do, I mean, I have thought about this. I was going to leave after graduation anyway. Buffy would have been going away to college so it would have been pretty useless stopping here. I was thinking some sort of investigation business. People with problems, the evil kind, could come to me and I could help them. What do you think?"
"Angel Investigations." She said softly. "I like it."
"I never thought of a name." But he smiled. "I like it though. I suppose it has a bit of class."
"With me helping there'll be endless class." She promised.
"Maybe I should go to LA one weekend to find a place?" He mused. "That way when you graduate we can move straight there. No waiting."
"I could come with you if you want." She suggested. "After the prom maybe?"
"You can if you want to. I just thought you might like to stop here until we can move straight there. A clean break."
"I'd like to help you pick somewhere. I mean, I am going to be living there."
"Okay, we'll sort it out. LA we come." He smiled.
"And goodbye Sunnydale." She concluded. "Forever."
