Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Sadly...
Angel: It's unfortunate, ain't it?
Me: You're mean...
Angel: *rolls eyes* You mean just because I wouldn't let you beat Joss with a branch, hide him in a closet, and steal his ideas for yourself? Yep. I'm the mean one.
Me: Damn straight. *pokes him* *sigh* Well, you heard the man...pire. And, yes, I'm joining that long list of authors who kidnap their characters for their disclaimers. *sigh* I'm a follower at heart.
Chapter 1
Cordelia Chase was very much the Queen of Cool. No one disputed that. Even the teachers accepted her as the best of the best.
So why oh why was this happening to her??
Horrified, she gawked at the paper in her trembling hands. "Re...revoked?"
Her best friend, Harmony, patter her arm sympathetically. "You can always fight them."
Another member of her carefully chosen group, Danica, nodded fervently. "Yeah. You're Queen C!"
Cordelia inhaled deeply. "You're right. They won't get away with this." Pocketing the pink slip, she dazzled her friends with a white grin. "Tell me I can't drive for six months, will they?"
Harmony beamed. "There's the spirit. Now, have you given the Spring Formal any thought?"
Cordelia rolled her hazel eyes. "Harmony, I'm on the planning committee. Do you really think I've given anything else any thought?"
Her less-than-brilliant buddy's smile faded. "Oh...right."
"How about date possibilities?" Connie wanted to know. All of the girls leaned forward eagerly.
Their queen let her firey gaze sweep the Bronze. "Well, I haven't made any final decisions yet, of course. Matt Rodin's looking mighty promising, but John Michel's is fine too."
Her court let out long sighs. She smirked to herself as Jeanie said, "You *rule*, Cordy."
"I know," she replied happily. "Unfortunately for you all, I'll be ruling from home tonight. I have to study for a history test."
A chorus of 'aww's went up around the table and Cordelia put on her very best sympathetic expression before standing and slinging her purse over her shoulder and heading outside.
The Bronze may have been a great place to party, but it wasn't placed in very close proximity to her home, and that put Cordelia off. She wished the constructors would have thought a little about her pain for once as she looked around at the seemingly-writhing shadows.
Picking up her pace a little, the brunette chanced a quick glance behind herself. No one was directly back there, but that didn't make her feel any better. She bolted around the corner, heart racing.
'Calm down,' she silently berated herself. 'It's just darkness, you moron.'
A hand closed around her wrist.
She shrieked, instinctively batting at her assailant with her handbag. The burly young man jumped back slightly.
"Woah!" he exclaimed. "Chill out."
Placing one hand over her still-thudding heart, she snapped, "Geez, lurk much?" Taking a closer look, she recognized the boy. "Mark? Aren't you in my trig class?"
He nodded, shaggy blonde hair flopping endearingly over his forehead. "You looked lonely. I wanted to walk you home."
"Lonely might not have been the emotion," she muttered to herself, relief hitting her. "But thanks. A wandering buddy would be nice."
Mark smiled distantly as they headed towards her house once again. "Sunnydale's not a bad town, but you really shouldn't be alone at night. There are some very creepy people out."
"That's for sure," she agreed.
He paused. "Here, let's go this way."
A frown creased her pretty features. "Why? That's not the way to my place."
Mark shrugged. "It's a shortcut."
"To my house?" Suspicion bit at her. "How would you know?"
He gave another indifferent shrug. "I've been to a few parties down that way."
They stopped walking again and Cordelia looked around nervously. "Where are we?"
"In an alley." The young man stepped closer and she backed up. "Alone."
"In the dark," Cordelia finished, voice wavering. Her back touched brick wall and she shivered. "Mark, what the hell—?"
He touched her hair, then ran a lone finger down her cheek. She tugged back.
"Don't touch me, perv!"
He wasn't fazed. "No, Cordy, honey. I'm not a perv. Just a lonely man looking for affection..." His hand slipped down her neck to her shoulders. Prying fingers moved under the strap of her dress.
She yelped. "Hey! Get off of me!" Lashing out, she hit him in the nose.
He growled, shoved her more firmly into the wall. "That, my sweet, was a big mistake."
"My sweet??" Cordelia pushed frantically at his chest. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Kinda asking myself the same question."
This voice was new and Mark turned abruptly, hands still on Cordelia.
"Who the hell are you?" the intending rapist demanded.
The young man was tall and kind of lanky, in a filled-out, athletic sort of way. His brown hair was neatly spiked in the front and his skin was pale, but not unhealthily so. He wore baggy black jeans and a gray sweater, both of which lent him a shadowy look that had hidden him from sight.
Mark smirked, one hand still lazily pawing his prize. "Beat it, pal. You're intruding."
"No!" Cordelia cried. "Really, no. I don't mind at all."
The stranger took several menacing steps into the alley. "Intrusions can be good."
"Very good," Cordelia agreed, nodding emphatically. She struggled against Mark's probing hands.
The handsome young man glared at her captor. "I think you should take your hands off of her. Now."
Mark cursed, finally releasing her shoulders. "What are you going to go about it? This is between the two of us."
"Not from where I'm standing."
Grinning to himself, Mark made a fist and hit the newcomer hard. He was rewarded with two jabs to the stomach and a quick kick to the groin.
Cordelia stared as the blond boy collapsed in a whimpering heap. "Is he..going to be okay?"
"I don't know," her rescuer replied, sounding as though he thoroughly didn't care. "Let's get you home."
She nodded, then froze, remembering the last seemingly-trustworthy young man who had offered her companionship.
"Are you going to try to..." She frowned, hefting her purse warily.
He smiled a little. "No. I hate scumbags like that."
She relaxed. "God, me too!"
They walked in silence for a few minutes, Cordelia leading the way. Finally, she offered, "I'm Cordelia Chase."
"Angel," he responded.
She laughed. "I'm not an angel."
He stopped, looking slightly embarrassed. "No, uh...that's my name."
"Oh." She warded off an uncharacteristic blush and they lapsed back into silence.
By the time they'd reached her home, Cordelia's well-known mouth was moving again. "Thank you."
"Sure." Angel didn't look at her, choosing instead to inspect a nearby bush.
"Really. I, uh...think I owe you my life." She offered a gracious smile.
A blush lit his pale face. "I was just walking."
"Still." She looked over at him, smiling more slyly. "You should be properly thanked."
Angel scooted backward. "No, verbal thanks is great, really."
She thought about that. This Angel guy was sweet, more so than she'd thought was possible. He didn't care about rewards, which was both noble and infinitely weird. Cordelia shrugged.
"You go to Sunnydale High, right? I think I've seen you around."
"I'm in your art class," he murmured shyly.
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow, then." Giving him another broad smile, she unlocked her front door ('Mom and Dad on vacation, per usual') and slipped inside.
When she peered out the window to catch a last glimpse of her handsome rescuer, she saw nothing. He'd already disappeared into the shadows.
A/N: Ok, obviously this is an AU. Some background info: No Buffy. She didn't fit with the plot, so I stuck her in Cleveland or something. I'm not sure about vamps, but for now expect them. Also, expect some viewings of Giles, Xand, and Will...I think they'll be appearing.
Angel: It's unfortunate, ain't it?
Me: You're mean...
Angel: *rolls eyes* You mean just because I wouldn't let you beat Joss with a branch, hide him in a closet, and steal his ideas for yourself? Yep. I'm the mean one.
Me: Damn straight. *pokes him* *sigh* Well, you heard the man...pire. And, yes, I'm joining that long list of authors who kidnap their characters for their disclaimers. *sigh* I'm a follower at heart.
Chapter 1
Cordelia Chase was very much the Queen of Cool. No one disputed that. Even the teachers accepted her as the best of the best.
So why oh why was this happening to her??
Horrified, she gawked at the paper in her trembling hands. "Re...revoked?"
Her best friend, Harmony, patter her arm sympathetically. "You can always fight them."
Another member of her carefully chosen group, Danica, nodded fervently. "Yeah. You're Queen C!"
Cordelia inhaled deeply. "You're right. They won't get away with this." Pocketing the pink slip, she dazzled her friends with a white grin. "Tell me I can't drive for six months, will they?"
Harmony beamed. "There's the spirit. Now, have you given the Spring Formal any thought?"
Cordelia rolled her hazel eyes. "Harmony, I'm on the planning committee. Do you really think I've given anything else any thought?"
Her less-than-brilliant buddy's smile faded. "Oh...right."
"How about date possibilities?" Connie wanted to know. All of the girls leaned forward eagerly.
Their queen let her firey gaze sweep the Bronze. "Well, I haven't made any final decisions yet, of course. Matt Rodin's looking mighty promising, but John Michel's is fine too."
Her court let out long sighs. She smirked to herself as Jeanie said, "You *rule*, Cordy."
"I know," she replied happily. "Unfortunately for you all, I'll be ruling from home tonight. I have to study for a history test."
A chorus of 'aww's went up around the table and Cordelia put on her very best sympathetic expression before standing and slinging her purse over her shoulder and heading outside.
The Bronze may have been a great place to party, but it wasn't placed in very close proximity to her home, and that put Cordelia off. She wished the constructors would have thought a little about her pain for once as she looked around at the seemingly-writhing shadows.
Picking up her pace a little, the brunette chanced a quick glance behind herself. No one was directly back there, but that didn't make her feel any better. She bolted around the corner, heart racing.
'Calm down,' she silently berated herself. 'It's just darkness, you moron.'
A hand closed around her wrist.
She shrieked, instinctively batting at her assailant with her handbag. The burly young man jumped back slightly.
"Woah!" he exclaimed. "Chill out."
Placing one hand over her still-thudding heart, she snapped, "Geez, lurk much?" Taking a closer look, she recognized the boy. "Mark? Aren't you in my trig class?"
He nodded, shaggy blonde hair flopping endearingly over his forehead. "You looked lonely. I wanted to walk you home."
"Lonely might not have been the emotion," she muttered to herself, relief hitting her. "But thanks. A wandering buddy would be nice."
Mark smiled distantly as they headed towards her house once again. "Sunnydale's not a bad town, but you really shouldn't be alone at night. There are some very creepy people out."
"That's for sure," she agreed.
He paused. "Here, let's go this way."
A frown creased her pretty features. "Why? That's not the way to my place."
Mark shrugged. "It's a shortcut."
"To my house?" Suspicion bit at her. "How would you know?"
He gave another indifferent shrug. "I've been to a few parties down that way."
They stopped walking again and Cordelia looked around nervously. "Where are we?"
"In an alley." The young man stepped closer and she backed up. "Alone."
"In the dark," Cordelia finished, voice wavering. Her back touched brick wall and she shivered. "Mark, what the hell—?"
He touched her hair, then ran a lone finger down her cheek. She tugged back.
"Don't touch me, perv!"
He wasn't fazed. "No, Cordy, honey. I'm not a perv. Just a lonely man looking for affection..." His hand slipped down her neck to her shoulders. Prying fingers moved under the strap of her dress.
She yelped. "Hey! Get off of me!" Lashing out, she hit him in the nose.
He growled, shoved her more firmly into the wall. "That, my sweet, was a big mistake."
"My sweet??" Cordelia pushed frantically at his chest. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Kinda asking myself the same question."
This voice was new and Mark turned abruptly, hands still on Cordelia.
"Who the hell are you?" the intending rapist demanded.
The young man was tall and kind of lanky, in a filled-out, athletic sort of way. His brown hair was neatly spiked in the front and his skin was pale, but not unhealthily so. He wore baggy black jeans and a gray sweater, both of which lent him a shadowy look that had hidden him from sight.
Mark smirked, one hand still lazily pawing his prize. "Beat it, pal. You're intruding."
"No!" Cordelia cried. "Really, no. I don't mind at all."
The stranger took several menacing steps into the alley. "Intrusions can be good."
"Very good," Cordelia agreed, nodding emphatically. She struggled against Mark's probing hands.
The handsome young man glared at her captor. "I think you should take your hands off of her. Now."
Mark cursed, finally releasing her shoulders. "What are you going to go about it? This is between the two of us."
"Not from where I'm standing."
Grinning to himself, Mark made a fist and hit the newcomer hard. He was rewarded with two jabs to the stomach and a quick kick to the groin.
Cordelia stared as the blond boy collapsed in a whimpering heap. "Is he..going to be okay?"
"I don't know," her rescuer replied, sounding as though he thoroughly didn't care. "Let's get you home."
She nodded, then froze, remembering the last seemingly-trustworthy young man who had offered her companionship.
"Are you going to try to..." She frowned, hefting her purse warily.
He smiled a little. "No. I hate scumbags like that."
She relaxed. "God, me too!"
They walked in silence for a few minutes, Cordelia leading the way. Finally, she offered, "I'm Cordelia Chase."
"Angel," he responded.
She laughed. "I'm not an angel."
He stopped, looking slightly embarrassed. "No, uh...that's my name."
"Oh." She warded off an uncharacteristic blush and they lapsed back into silence.
By the time they'd reached her home, Cordelia's well-known mouth was moving again. "Thank you."
"Sure." Angel didn't look at her, choosing instead to inspect a nearby bush.
"Really. I, uh...think I owe you my life." She offered a gracious smile.
A blush lit his pale face. "I was just walking."
"Still." She looked over at him, smiling more slyly. "You should be properly thanked."
Angel scooted backward. "No, verbal thanks is great, really."
She thought about that. This Angel guy was sweet, more so than she'd thought was possible. He didn't care about rewards, which was both noble and infinitely weird. Cordelia shrugged.
"You go to Sunnydale High, right? I think I've seen you around."
"I'm in your art class," he murmured shyly.
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow, then." Giving him another broad smile, she unlocked her front door ('Mom and Dad on vacation, per usual') and slipped inside.
When she peered out the window to catch a last glimpse of her handsome rescuer, she saw nothing. He'd already disappeared into the shadows.
A/N: Ok, obviously this is an AU. Some background info: No Buffy. She didn't fit with the plot, so I stuck her in Cleveland or something. I'm not sure about vamps, but for now expect them. Also, expect some viewings of Giles, Xand, and Will...I think they'll be appearing.