Part 8
Angel stared at the Cordelia on the screen. The sight made his heart stop…well if it had been beating in the first place. It was soul wrenching. Cordelia was curled up on a bed, clutching her knees to her chest sobbing uncontrollably. His palms itched to reach out and brush the hair from her face and to dry the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. He turned towards Lilah.
"What the hell did you do to her?" He screamed, lunging at her.
She gasped as he pushed her up against the wall. Grasping her neck, he shoved her upwards until she was looking down at him, choking from his crushing grasp. The security guards took action and rushed to her aid. Angel raised his arm, punching each man once, before they went down, unconscious. Oh he was mad.
"Why did you take her?"
Lilah wheezed, struggling to catch her breath. His clutch only got stronger, and she felt her trachea contract almost to the breaking point.
"WHERE IS SHE?" He screamed.
"Do…irs," she huffed.
"What?" He yelled.
"Down," she wheezed. "Stairs."
He let her down a bit. Easing up on his grasp, he went on. "Where downstairs?"
"Basement. We have rooms down there for some of our clients, like werewolves and such. She's in one." Lilah puffed, rubbing her neck.
Angel grabbed hold of her hair.
"Where are we going?" Lilah gasped out, wincing as she felt her scalp set on fire.
"We're going to those rooms. You're my guarantee I get there, and me and Cordy get out." Angel replied, tugging her to the door by her hair.
Lilah followed, as if she could go anywhere else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia didn't know why, but she couldn't stop crying. It was as if, once the floodgates were opened, she couldn't close them. She remembered everything now. She remembered the man taking her from the hotel, she remembered the first "vision" she had had of Angel, or the Russian man pretending to be Angel. He had played on all of her worst fears, the fact that Angel wouldn't need her anymore, had never wanted her. Then with Doyle, again, she had felt terrible after he died, thinking it was her fault. This was just too cruel….but somewhere deep inside of her she had to wonder if perhaps he was right.
She heard a muffled scuffle outside the door and looked towards it, brushing a few tears from her cheeks. A loud bang hit the door, and it gave a little. Cordelia jumped, moving to the other side of the room. She looked everywhere, looking for something to use as a weapon: a candlestick, a book, a chair, anything. She grabbed the lamp off the desk, pulling the plug from the wall. Moving to stand behind the door, she raised the lamp, intent on using it on the intruder.
The door suddenly gave way, and Cordelia let loose a loud yell, ramming the lamp into the head of the man. He fell instantly to the floor, and Cordelia felt a small glimmer of happiness go through her when she recognized the man as the Russian man. She looked up as someone else came into the room. Her jaw went slack, and she dropped the lamp.
"Cordy," Angel breathed, and threw Lilah into the room.
"Angel," she whispered, and moved away from him.
Angel was stung. Cordelia had moved away from him, not ran to him. He moved towards her slowly, holding out one hand, pleading with his eyes for her to come to him.
She looked from his hand to his eyes, her face contorting with tears. As she looked into his eyes again, she launched herself into his arms.
"Shhh, shh," he soothed her, running his hands through her hair. "It's going to be okay. I'm here now."
She sobbed loudly and clutched onto him in a death grip. Her hands held onto his jacket. All she wanted to do was just crawl inside of him, never feel like this again. He held her just as hard. Pulling her as close as she could get, he calmed himself as he felt her warmth and her heartbeat beating against his chest.
Lilah watched the two clutching at each other, each trying to find comfort. For once in her life she felt sorry, but more importantly, she felt. She looked on as Angel held Cordelia, rubbing her back, wincing as Cordelia flinched from him. The experiment had been a success. Cordelia had broken, it hadn't taken as much as she had planned, but somehow seeing the crest-fallen look on Angel's face wasn't as satisfying as she had anticipated. Turning towards the door, she sighed as the security guards arrived. She walked over to them.
"Where's Smilnov?" She asked the lead man, noticing that the Russian man was no longer on the floor.
"He just left the building. Didn't tell anyone where he was going," the mad replied.
She nodded. The little slime ball.
"What do you want us to do with them," The guard continued.
"Let them go. They walk out of here unharmed," she ordered, her voice tense.
Casting a glance back at Angel and Cordelia, she walked back up to her office…alone.
TBC in the Epilogue
Angel stared at the Cordelia on the screen. The sight made his heart stop…well if it had been beating in the first place. It was soul wrenching. Cordelia was curled up on a bed, clutching her knees to her chest sobbing uncontrollably. His palms itched to reach out and brush the hair from her face and to dry the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. He turned towards Lilah.
"What the hell did you do to her?" He screamed, lunging at her.
She gasped as he pushed her up against the wall. Grasping her neck, he shoved her upwards until she was looking down at him, choking from his crushing grasp. The security guards took action and rushed to her aid. Angel raised his arm, punching each man once, before they went down, unconscious. Oh he was mad.
"Why did you take her?"
Lilah wheezed, struggling to catch her breath. His clutch only got stronger, and she felt her trachea contract almost to the breaking point.
"WHERE IS SHE?" He screamed.
"Do…irs," she huffed.
"What?" He yelled.
"Down," she wheezed. "Stairs."
He let her down a bit. Easing up on his grasp, he went on. "Where downstairs?"
"Basement. We have rooms down there for some of our clients, like werewolves and such. She's in one." Lilah puffed, rubbing her neck.
Angel grabbed hold of her hair.
"Where are we going?" Lilah gasped out, wincing as she felt her scalp set on fire.
"We're going to those rooms. You're my guarantee I get there, and me and Cordy get out." Angel replied, tugging her to the door by her hair.
Lilah followed, as if she could go anywhere else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia didn't know why, but she couldn't stop crying. It was as if, once the floodgates were opened, she couldn't close them. She remembered everything now. She remembered the man taking her from the hotel, she remembered the first "vision" she had had of Angel, or the Russian man pretending to be Angel. He had played on all of her worst fears, the fact that Angel wouldn't need her anymore, had never wanted her. Then with Doyle, again, she had felt terrible after he died, thinking it was her fault. This was just too cruel….but somewhere deep inside of her she had to wonder if perhaps he was right.
She heard a muffled scuffle outside the door and looked towards it, brushing a few tears from her cheeks. A loud bang hit the door, and it gave a little. Cordelia jumped, moving to the other side of the room. She looked everywhere, looking for something to use as a weapon: a candlestick, a book, a chair, anything. She grabbed the lamp off the desk, pulling the plug from the wall. Moving to stand behind the door, she raised the lamp, intent on using it on the intruder.
The door suddenly gave way, and Cordelia let loose a loud yell, ramming the lamp into the head of the man. He fell instantly to the floor, and Cordelia felt a small glimmer of happiness go through her when she recognized the man as the Russian man. She looked up as someone else came into the room. Her jaw went slack, and she dropped the lamp.
"Cordy," Angel breathed, and threw Lilah into the room.
"Angel," she whispered, and moved away from him.
Angel was stung. Cordelia had moved away from him, not ran to him. He moved towards her slowly, holding out one hand, pleading with his eyes for her to come to him.
She looked from his hand to his eyes, her face contorting with tears. As she looked into his eyes again, she launched herself into his arms.
"Shhh, shh," he soothed her, running his hands through her hair. "It's going to be okay. I'm here now."
She sobbed loudly and clutched onto him in a death grip. Her hands held onto his jacket. All she wanted to do was just crawl inside of him, never feel like this again. He held her just as hard. Pulling her as close as she could get, he calmed himself as he felt her warmth and her heartbeat beating against his chest.
Lilah watched the two clutching at each other, each trying to find comfort. For once in her life she felt sorry, but more importantly, she felt. She looked on as Angel held Cordelia, rubbing her back, wincing as Cordelia flinched from him. The experiment had been a success. Cordelia had broken, it hadn't taken as much as she had planned, but somehow seeing the crest-fallen look on Angel's face wasn't as satisfying as she had anticipated. Turning towards the door, she sighed as the security guards arrived. She walked over to them.
"Where's Smilnov?" She asked the lead man, noticing that the Russian man was no longer on the floor.
"He just left the building. Didn't tell anyone where he was going," the mad replied.
She nodded. The little slime ball.
"What do you want us to do with them," The guard continued.
"Let them go. They walk out of here unharmed," she ordered, her voice tense.
Casting a glance back at Angel and Cordelia, she walked back up to her office…alone.
TBC in the Epilogue