Chapter 30: A message in a bottle.
Title: Reunion time.
Author: Nikka
Author notes: Hi everyone, If you need to know about summary, rate and all the rest it's all in chapter 1 I'll just remind you that English is not my native tongue so you may find some spelling & grammar mistakes, you're more then welcome to let me know about them but remember you may find them while you read the story. Have fun.
Disclaimer: Angel & Buffy's characters are not my creation (wish they were) they belong to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Other characters that are not familiar from the show do belong to me.
Author's remark: My chapters as of ch 12 will no longer be reproof by Sigma due to the fact that I have no internet and I'm asking someone else to post the remaining chapters for me. I want to take this opportunity and thank sigma for all the help. And I hope you will continue reading my story even without the excellent work sigma has done. Thank you again sigma for all your great work.
"The library?" She asked surprised. "Is this the PTB's version of 'this is your life'?"
"You know where we are?" Doyle asked.
"Location whys, yes. Time frame, haven't got a clue." Cordelia looked around. It seemed like the old library, before it was exploded of course.
"You're in 11th grade. Ring a bell." Doyle tried to jog her memory.
"I'm on an astrophysical plane not senile." She teased him. "Okay so I'm 17. It's what? Late 1997 early 1998?" Doyle was impressed. "I'm in high school. What else?"
"Who are your friends?" Doyle asked.
"That depends on the month we're on." Now Doyle Looked confused. "If it's the beginning of the year I still hang with the popular crowd." She explained.
"And if it's mid year?" Doyle asked.
"Then I'm probably hanging with Buffy, Willow and dating Xander." She answered.
"You dated Xander?" Doyle was surprised.
"I thought you knew everything." Cordelia smiled.
"Let's say, I'm working on a need to know basis." He explained.
"Why are you so surprise. Aren't I dateable?" She seemed offended.
"Of course you are. As you remember, before I… well left I would have killed to go on a date with you. That's why I'm surprised about the choice you made."
"There's nothing wrong with Xander. He's a sweet man, and besides, I was different person back then."
"So why you broke up?" Doyle was intrigued.
"The idiot cheated on me with Willow, can you believe it?" Cordelia said in shock.
"So he wasn't sweet after all." Doyle commented.
"Doyle? What is it? The extraordinary love life of Cordelia Chase?" Cordy had enough and she wanted to get to the vision part.
"Sorry." He apologized. "Just to clarify, you and Xander are together.
"Is Angelus around?" Cordelia asked a bit frightened.
Doyle took a minute to think almost like he was consulting someone. "No. It's close but not yet." Cordelia sighed a sigh of relief.
"He can't hurt you. He wouldn't even know we're here." Doyle reassured her.
"I know, but it's too wired to see Angelus again, especially after all that has happened in the last three years.
"You mean, you and Angel falling in, love." Doyle looked at her and she seemed surprised. She didn't answer his question. Doyle turned around checking the place out.
"Doyle?" He turned to face her.
"Can you give Angel and the rest a message from me?" She hoped the answer would be yes, although she doubted it.
"Sorry, no can do." Doyle shrugged his shoulders.
"Doyle come on I need to warn them." She pleaded with him.
"Warn them about what? You haven't discovered anything yet." Doyle reminded her.
"I learned about the shadow who was looking for that book, what was his name?" She tried to recall. "Ha, Dorkanious." She screamed and alarmed Doyle.
"Yes you did, but you don't know if it's a good or bad thing." Doyle kept making it difficult for her.
"It doesn't matter, they need to know about this. Doyle please just tell them the name of the book you don't need to say anything else." Doyle was surprised by her confidence in her friends. She noticed that. "I meant Wesley or Giles would probably know what it is." She explained.
"If you think it's that important…"
"I do." She cut him off. "Please give them the message."
"Cordy I'm dead."
"So?" Cordelia didn't understand.
"I can't connect the real world, at least not people." He explained.
"How come? Denis can." She was surprised.
"That's because Denis never left, remember." He was right about that.
"But I've met ghost before, actually twice. Once they even possessed me." Cordelia still didn't understand.
"That was different. They were tormented, or trapped on the other plane and couldn't move on." Cordelia looked disappointed. "I can't do it I'm sorry."
"But they need to know." Cordelia wasn't about to give up.
"Then you send them the message." Doyle said to her surprise.
"Me?" She asked.
"Yes you Cordelia. The PTB's gave you power, so use it." He explained.
"Doyle I can't control my power. Not more then you could." She said confused.
"You're different. I was born half demon, you became one. And because of that you got extra power. You just don't know it yet."
"What kind of power." She was interested to know more about her demon part.
"I can't say. But it's powerful and you'll learn it in time." Doyle said what he could.
"Can that my power help me send a message to Angel?" She asked.
"In theory, it depends on you." Doyle answered.
"What do I need to do?" Cordelia didn't waste any time.
"Let me see." He looked at his watch. "Okay we have time before they come." Doyle was obviously waiting for someone to arrive. "You just think about the person you want to send the message to. You concentrate and visualize yourself talking to him and telling him the message." Doyle made it sound so easy.
"That's it?" Cordelia thought it would be harder.
"It's not that easy getting to that level of concentration. You really need to want it to work. You have to see yourself talking to Angel, like you're there in person." Now it sounded not so easy.
"Okay." Cordelia tried to concentrate; she closed her eyes and began to speak out loud. "I'm probably in Buffy's house in the bedroom laying on the bed unconsciousness. Angel is probably sitting next to me, watching over me." Doyle observed from the side. "Angel if you here me I found this book it's called…"
"Shorter." Doyle said and cut her concentration.
She opened her eyes. She was pissed. "What do you mean shorter?"
"The message needs to be shorter, like a word. It's not like you're sending him and SMS." Doyle smiled.
"And it's a good thing, considering he barely knows how to use the Damn thing."
"Okay?" Doyle asked making sure she got it.
"Okay." She said and closed her eyes trying to concentrate again. She visualized the entire situation again. "Dorkanious." She said. Nothing happened. "Dorkanious." She repeated it again. She repeated the word a few more times before she started to glow. She kept on repeating the word like a mantra. Doyle stood on the side; he seemed impressed she managed to it so quickly and on her first try. "If only she knew the power that lays in her." He said quietly to himself as he smiled.
Suddenly Cordelia opened her eyes they were milky white. She looked into thin air and said one last time "Dorkanious." Then she stopped glowing and closed her eyes.
"Cordy?" Doyle was afraid something went wrong.
She opened her eyes. They were normal. "I'm good. Do you think it worked?" She looked excited.
"I'm not sure. You did glow and did the eye thing, but there's no way to know for sure." Cordelia wasn't pleased but knew there wasn't anything more she could do.
"Please make it work." She whispered to herself hoping some mystical power will hear her plea.
He heard a knock. "Yeah, come in." He said.
The door opened and Buffy came in holding a book. "Hi." She greeted him.
"Hi." He said in return.
"How is she?" Buffy couldn't think of anything else to ask or say for that matter.
"The same." Angel answered.
"You look tired, do you want someone to relieve you? or better yet you can lay next to her and get some rest." Buffy couldn't believe she actually suggested that.
"No I'm good. How's everyone?" He asked.
"Gone." Buffy said with a bit of relief.
"Gone?" Angel didn't follow.
"Willow and Tara left after the spell ended. So did Xander and Anya. The rest came here, but they left about half an hour ago." Angel just looked at her. "They needed the rest." She explained.
"It's okay Buffy. They don't have to stay. There's not much they can do anyway." He looked at Cordelia and then at Buffy. "And Conor?"
"Downstairs with Lorne." Buffy said.
"Tell Lorne he can bring him up if he wants to rest." Angel said.
"I don't think he minds. He really loves him." She smiled. "He's so adorable, how can you not love him?" She felt awkward. "I didn't get a chance to tell you but he's a great kid, Angel."
"Thanks." He smiled at her.
"Anyway, the reason I came is to give you this." She handed him the book she was holding.
Angel looked at it. "Harry Potter?" He seemed surprised by her choice of books.
"Sorry it's the only thing I had that I thought might interest you." Angel looked at her with a weird expression. "It was either this or girls magazines." Buffy laid it out for him.
"Thanks that's grate." He smiled; obviously he thought Harry was better then 'Ten ways to know your boyfriend is cheating on you'.
"I guess I'll go now, unless you need anything else?"
"No I'm good, thank you." He looked at her. "For everything."
"No worries." She smiled. Before she left she gave Cordelia one last look. "She looks so peaceful, like she's only sleeping." Buffy looked at angel amazed, she couldn't believe she said that.
"I know. I forget to." H smiled at Buffy letting her know it's was all right.
"Well then." She was about to turn when suddenly a bright light came out from Cordelia. She was glowing.
Angel got up. At first he was shocked but then he leaned over to her calling her name. She didn't answer back. Buffy was just standing there staring.
"Cordy." Angel grabbed her and shook her but she didn't answer. Suddenly she opened her eyes. Angel jumped back. Cordelia moved her head and looked straight at Angel and said: "Dorkanious."
"What Cordy? what?" Angel didn't understand her.
"Dorkanious." She said again.
"Dork... what?" Buffy said.
"Dorkanious." She repeated the word, and with that she closed her eyes and the glowing stopped.
"What the hell was it?" Buffy asked in shock.
"Cordy? Cordelia?" Angel held Cordelia shacking her calling her name. "Cordelia answer me." He yelled.
"Angel I don't think she hears you." Buffy tried to calm him.
"Tell Lorne to come up and call everyone and tell them to come." Angel was obviously hysterical. "We need to know what it was? What she said? What it means?"
"I think she said Dork… something." Buffy tried too pronounce.
"Dorkanious." Angel remembered well. "Go. Call Giles and Wesley and Fred and everyone." Angel urged her.
"Angel, think for a second!" she snapped at him. "What good will it do to call everyone in?" She hoped he'd calm down and think rationally. "I'll go downstairs and get Lorne and then I'll call Giles and ask him and Wesley to come over. If someone knows what it means it's those two. We really don't need the rest."
Angel took a moment to think. "You're right, we'll do it your way."
"Okay." Buffy said and walked out.
"Lorne." She called out to him as she came down the stairs.
"What is it? I heard screaming?" Lorne asked worriedly.
"Angel needs you." Buffy said.
"Need me? What happened? Did something happen to Cordy?" Now Lorne was more then worried.
"Yeah, he needs you, go upstairs, I'll stay here with Conor." She ordered. Lorne ran up the stairs while Buffy picked up the crying baby. "Shh baby, it's okay. It's okay." She held Conor in one arm and used the other one to call Giles.
"Angel what happened?" Lorne burst into the room.
"It's Cordy." Angel told him everything that has happened. From the look on Lorne's face Angel knew he was clueless as he was.
"And now? How is she now?" Lorne looked at her, she seemed the same.
"She's fine, just like before." Angel was lost. They both stood there looking at her confused.
Dawn who woke up from the screaming peeped in from the hallway. "Is everything okay?" She asked Angel and Lorne.
"It's okay pumpkin, go back to bed." Lorne smiled a fake smile and it showed.
"Stop treating me like a five years old and tell me what happened." Dawn yelled at him.
"Dawn." She turned to see Buffy standing behind her holding Conor. "Can you please take Conor downstairs and put him in his pram. That's if Angel doesn't mind." Angel nodded his head for agreement.
"But I want to..." Dawn started to wine.
"Dawn please, do as I say!" Buffy tried to remain calm. "I need your help right now. There's a time and a place for everything." Buffy tried to explain.
"Yeah except me." Dawn frowned took Conor and went downstairs.
"I'm sorry about that." Buffy apologized to Angel.
"It's okay she's curious, I would be too if I was in her place." Angel seemed more relaxed.
"Giles and Wesley are on their way." Buffy said to Angel.
"Do you know what it was?" Angel asked hopefully.
"He didn't say." Angel was disappointed. "But he did say he has some ideas, so we'll just wait and see he should be here any minute now." And then they heard the doorbell.
"Just a minute." They heard Dawn from upstairs.
"Hi Giles." Dawn greeted him. "And Wesley." She added when she saw Wesley.
"Where's Buffy?" Giles said anxiously."
"She's upstairs." She didn't seem pleased, but Giles was too preoccupied to notice. Both he and Wesley rushed up the stairs.
"Nice to see you too." Dawn said to herself.
"Buffy." Giles called her as he reached the upstairs floor.
"In here." She cried out. Giles and Wesley rushed to the bedroom that was very crowded by now.
"What happened?" Wesley asked nervously.
"I thought Buffy told you?" Angel asked surprised.
"She told us in general, but I understand she said something?" Wesley looked at Cordelia, she seemed so peaceful and unaware to the chaos that surrounded her.
"She started to glow and then opened her eyes. They were milky white." Angel began to explain. "Then she looked at me and said Dorkanious." Angel looked at Wesley and Giles waiting for an answer.
"She said what?" Giles seemed surprise.
"Dorkanious." Angel said not understanding the big surprise.
"Are you sure?" Wesley asked. He seemed as surprised as Giles.
"Yes I'm sure. Why do you keep asking me that?" Angel was losing his patience.
"We better go downstairs." Giles suggested.
"No we can't, Dawn's there." Buffy didn't want Dawn to hear them talking.
"We can talk here I don't think she can hear us." Angel said as he glanced over to her.
"How can it be/ it's not suppose to exists." Giles said to Wesley.
"Giles what is it?" Buffy asked worried.
Giles walked over to the bed and set on the edge lowering his head. He looked frustrated. "Dorkanious is the Bogyman. " He said.
TBC