If you can't imagine a Severus/Cordelia pairing, this chapter may not be your favorite in the series. I will get back to the rest of the characters in the next installment.
Chapter 2: Belonging
*****A Few Days Later*****
Lucius watched his daughter sparring yet again with the Chase girl. Severus, Willow, Tara, Minerva, Albus, and Buffy's friends from her house were there watching the show. The professors were on the opposite side of the room from their student spectators.
"Your daughter is impressive," Minerva remarked
"She is," Lucius agreed with a slight nod. The look of pride on his face said it all.
"Miss Chase is as well," Albus said. He glanced at Severus. "Don't you agree, Severus?"
Severus gave him a dark look but nodded without comment.
"I don't think I've seen Buffy this happy since she transfigured her first cup," Minerva said.
"She is a slayer. They come alive when they can fight," Albus stated.
Although this was true, Lucius still wasn't used to it. Spending a night fighting in the forest was his oldest daughter's favorite pastime. It was still, at times, hard to get used to. However, she disarmed Cordelia and flashed a beaming smile. Her obvious happiness made him happy. This was what he wanted ever since she first took her first step and smiled up at him. Her smile was everything to him, and he would do anything to keep it on her face.
"Finally. I didn't think they would ever stop," Draco complained. Seeing his sister do amazing feats no longer impressed him. He knew she was a total goddess-like-warrior. She had clearly been misnamed because Athena was a better name than Elizabeth.
"That was nearly forty minutes this time Cordelia," Buffy told her. "You're getting really good."
Cordelia looked smug. "I know," she said.
"Humble as always," Buffy remarked, laughing.
"All right, children. It's a half hour until supper," Minerva announced. The students began to disperse.
Severus couldn't bring himself to leave as this was the closest that he'd been to Cordelia in a few days. She was set to leave in three days, and he no longer wanted to keep her at a distance.
Flashback
Yesterday at lunch, Lucius had noticed his morose countenance and asked, "Why do you put yourself through this, Severus?"
"I put myself through nothing," he said haughtily.
"You clearly want Miss Chase, and she wants you. Why do you deny yourself a moment of happiness even if it's fleeting?" Lucius asked.
End of flashback
Severus did not reply to Lucius' question, but the words would not leave him. Now that he watched her fight his goddaughter, he could not help but think of what he would lose if he did not attempt to bring her close.
His life had mostly been one of misery or quiet contentment. Joy was foreign to him and happiness fleeting. The restoration of his beloved goddaughter was the first bit of happiness he had had since her disappearance. Now he had this beautiful woman who wanted him. Why did he continue to keep her at a distance? Her leaving would hurt no matter what.
He waited until after supper and followed her out of the hall.
"Miss Chase," he called out. When she didn't turn, he added, "Cordelia."
Cordelia heard him but was debating on how to respond. On one hand, she was pissed that he rejected her. On the other hand, she was curious.
Turning, she arched an eyebrow. "What do you want, Professor Snape?"
Severus winced at her use of his title. "I was hoping we could talk," he said.
"Talk? That's all we've done," she remarked.
"Please," he said.
"Fine. You can come to my room," she said, not willing to go down to his dark and depressing dungeon. She was already confused about what she was feeling. It wasn't like she loved the man yet, but she did feel a strong connection to him. His pain and darkness were familiar to her. Maybe it was growing up on the hellmouth or living so closely with Angel/Angelus. His dry, biting sense of humor, though, was uniquely his as was his keen mind. Gru had been gorgeous but dumb as a rock. His heart was worn on his sleeve, which, at first, she liked. Then it got very old. Severus was very different from any man she'd actually dated or even slept with. It was a challenge to figure out what he was thinking or feeling.
When they went into her room, Severus looked around with interest. It was as different was his own as it could be. There was color everywhere. The bed was beautiful and not simply functional.
"In such a short time, this room looks like you," he remarked with a small smile.
"It's easy to do with so many magic users around," Cordelia said. "So what's on your mind? I'm leaving in a few days."
"I know," he said. "I do not want you to leave with this distance between us."
"What do you want then?" Cordelia asked.
Severus took a step closer to her, so he could reach out and take her hand in his. "I would like to spend what little time we have together with you," he confessed.
Cordelia gave him a searching look, trying to determine his intent. Then he tugged her hand until her body touched his. Her hands went around his neck automatically, and she smiled.
"This is what you want?" she asked, wanting to be sure.
"It is," he said. "I am sorry for being short sighted."
"What made you change your mind?" Cordelia had to ask.
"I do not want to live the rest of my days without knowing you in every possible way," he shared. Then he kissed her.
Cordelia felt the impact of the kiss through every part of her. The man might live like a monk by all appearances, but he definitely knew how to kiss.
*****Several Hours Later*****
Severus was wrapped around the very delectable form of Cordelia Chase, unable to believe the pass few hours had even happened. They had come together quickly. Then again more slowly. They spent an hour talking and sharing things about their lives. Then he drew her down again, finding himself unable to resist her allure.
When breakfast hour came, Severus had the house elf bring a variety of dishes for a late breakfast. The America love of coffee had been shared the first month that Buffy returned to them, so the house elves knew how to make it. Cordelia loved fresh roasted coffee with vanilla creamer, so he made sure it was there for her.
"Are you ready to get up?" he asked, nudging her awake. "I have breakfast ready."
Cordelia opened her eyes with a smile. "I feel deliciously sore," she shared as she stretched.
"Really? Was I too rough?" he asked, concerned.
"You were perfect," she assured him as she sat up. In the night, she had put on her sleep shirt. "But my girlie parts are a bit rusty from non-use, so soreness isn't unusual."
Severus felt a flush of embarrassment at the America woman's frankness. Of course, Cordelia noticed and gave him a teasing grin. "Did my honestly make you uncomfortable?" she asked.
"No," he assured her. "I am just unused to it is all. I like that you don't waste energy on pretense."
Cordelia felt a warm glow at his smile and happily ate breakfast while they discussed what to do with her remaining time there.
Naturally, all eyes were on the couple as they came into the hall together. Both looked happy, so conclusions were drawn.
Buffy tried to keep her squeal of excitement contained as she knew her uncle would not appreciate it at all. Instead, she caught Willow's eye and pointed her chin toward the happy couple. Since Willow and Tara were sitting at the professors' table with Minerva, she quickly saw what Buffy was indicating and grinned.
Albus, too, smiled at the happy couple, glad to see that Severus was going to allow himself a brief moment of happiness.
Of course, Severus was not happy with all the attention and glared at his cheeky goddaughter when he noticed her unblinking stare. Unrepentantly, she flashed him a bold grin.
The couple decided that since it was Friday, and she was leaving on Sunday, that they would go to London. Severus did something he had never done before—cancelled all his classes.
The new lovers spent the day doing very muggle things—much to Cordelia's delight and Severus' discomfort. However, her joy was contagious, and he just wanted to be near her. They even spent time on London's famous Ferris wheel. Cordelia bought a disposable camera and took photos of them at Buckingham Palace and other tourist attractions. Severus found that he enjoyed every moment of it because Cordelia made it fun. Her delight brought him a warmth that he had never felt before.
For Cordelia, it was the first time in a very, very long time that she experienced pure fun and happiness. Sure, it was great to be in London, a city that she'd always wanted to visit. That was exciting but sharing it with Severus made it truly special. At times, he looked confused by non-magical things he saw. It had been many years since he had spent any amount of time around who he called muggles. They laughed and took pictures together. At times, he took pictures while she posed. Cordelia couldn't wait to see the guys back home and show them the pictures.
When they finally stopped for a leisurely dinner, she couldn't help but think about how badly she wanted him to meet her friends.
"I really wish you could meet my friends back home," she said.
"Tell me about them," he said. He knew about Angel already and how she'd gotten involved helping run a detective agency. She had shared how she received her visions.
"Well, I told you already about Doyle and Angel. When Doyle died and passed his visions to me, Wesley, Faith's watcher, came to town. He was a total tool but hot. I had a crush for like five minutes in high school," she said, grinning at the memory of their awkward and awful kiss.
"I hate him already," Severus said.
She laughed. "Oh, no need to be jealous. We totally didn't have any chemistry. The very worst kiss of my life, actually," she shared. "I am sure he'd say the same."
"All right. Maybe I will give him a chance," Severus said, knowing he would probably never meet the man.
"He got so much better when he quit the council and began working with us. When Angel went off the rails after Doyle died, he really stepped up and led us," she said. "By that time, we had Gunn. Charles Gunn. He was a leader of a gang, who kept the vamp population down in his neighborhood until his sister got turned."
"That is unfortunate," Severus said.
She nodded. "He's really good in a fight. Then there's Lorne, our empath demon friend. When he went to Pylea, the dimension he is from, they made me queen," she told him.
"You are serious?" he asked.
"I am," she said, grinning. She gave an abbreviated version of the time there.
"Humans were considered cows? And I thought pure bred wizards were insufferable at times," he remarked.
"I know, right?" she said, grinning. "But I did get to bring Fred back. She'd been trapped there for five years. She's a brilliant scientist. At first, she was a bit crazy, but then she became a part of the team, like mine and Angel's little sister." She finished up her dessert and paid with the card Buffy gave her before she left. Lucius made sure his daughter had muggle money just in case she might need it, and Buffy was happy to give it to Cordelia.
They strolled out of the restaurant holding hands, and a part of him still felt surprised that this was his life. That she found him attractive somehow. Her visions made her feel empathy and compassion that she claimed she didn't possess in her life on the hellmouth. He had trouble imagining her as being less wonderful than she was now even if his goddaughter echoed that story.
"I really wish you could meet my friends back home," Cordelia said.
He didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing.
"I think you would like Los Angeles," she said. "People there don't waste much time on the niceties that you find tiresome."
"Are you trying to say that rudeness is allowed?" he asked, grinning down at her.
Cordelia laughed. "Well, sometimes," she said. "What do you do in the summer when there are no classes? Is there summer school?"
"No," he said. "I don't do much. I work on potions. Make sure Poppy is stocked up for the school year. Nothing special."
Cordelia stopped and turned toward him. "Severus, why don't you come with me? Spend the summer with me in my world, in Los Angeles," she asked.
The thought terrified Severus. "I have a job, responsibilities," he said.
"I know," she said. "But there's only a few weeks left of school. You've been teaching for years. Don't you have, like, lesson plans someone else could follow?"
Severus considered her request. "I don't know," he said. He looked at her hopeful expression and found that he couldn't dismiss the idea out of hand. To spend weeks even months with her would be glorious. Of course, the parting would be even harder, but he would have so many memories of her to sustain him the rest of his lonely life without her once he returned home to Hogwarts.
"You know, if you liked being with me in Los Angeles, you could stay," she said. "My apartment even has its own ghost, so you wouldn't get too homesick."
Severus had to smile at that. "I would enjoy spending extra time with you," he said. "I do not know that I would fare well in America around so many muggles."
"Didn't you say your father was a muggle?" she asked.
"Yes. He was an abusive asshole, however, and the reason I had dark views of most muggles," Severus admitted.
"I'm sorry," she said, leaning up to kiss him. "I guess we should get back to the castle."
"Hogwarts?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yep. We can snuggle by a fire," she said.
No one had ever wanted to snuggle with Severus, and he had never wanted to say the word snuggle in his life. Now, though, he couldn't imagine wanting to do anything more.
****A Week Later****
Cordelia grinned at Severus, who set another vampire on fire. They had come to her hometown, the hellmouth, less than a week ago. She had not made it back home yet because Conner was a mess, but he loved Sunnydale. He didn't want to leave it. It was a lot smaller than Los Angeles, and the people were in need of a protector. Without a slayer there, they were vulnerable. He and Spike were the dynamic duo—much to Angel's dismay.
Angel had been overjoyed to see Cordelia whole and well again even if he didn't seem happy that she already had another lover. Severus curled his lip in derision, daring Angel to say one rude word to him. However, the vampire with a soul, who his goddaughter loved, was always polite, even deferential.
"Why is he nice?" Severus asked, on their third day in town. They were staying in Buffy's house, using the master bedroom. At first, it was strange since Mrs. Summer was gone, but Willow and Tara had moved most of Joyce's things out and put them in storage. Fred, Lorne, and Gunn had returned to Los Angeles before she arrived as Lorne's sensitive nature could not bear the darkness of the hellmouth.
"He's a nice guy," Cordelia said with a shrug. "And he's my best friend."
"I think he desires more from you," Severus said.
"He may. I might've too at one time, but he's cursed, Sev. One moment of happiness and he loses his soul," she said. "Believe me, you do not want to meet Angelus, the demon that lives inside of him. If we got together, and he didn't lose his soul, that would be almost worse. Not to mention, that thing that possessed my body slept with his son. There's no way I would ever cross the line with Angel even if I didn't already have you."
Severus nodded in understanding. The Connor situation was disturbing to him also. Not to mention, he supposed it would be hard to know that only his goddaughter, Buffy, could make the man truly happy. "I get that," he said.
They went out nightly to patrol. Normally, Spike patrolled with Conner, but Angel was soon to return home and was patrolling this night with his son on the other side of town.
"Watch out!" Spike called out.
They both turned as an ugly demon attacked.
Severus had lived through Buffy's memories, so he knew how violent the hellmouth was. However, getting to experience it firsthand was an entirely other thing. It was both awful and exciting. Never had he been so free to use whatever spell he wanted. There were no wand wizards on this Earth or magical police to censor him. He used a forbidden curse once or twice and waited to see what would happen—nothing did. The darkness and power of the hellmouth was intoxicating. However, he knew that he would not fall into the trap that Willow did as he was older and more experienced. Plus, Cordelia had no plans on staying much longer. To know that Cordelia and her friends did this often all the time while she was still in school was mystifying. Sadly, she was probably a Gryffindor, too. He could not help but admire her, though. His goddaughter didn't have a choice but to fight dark creatures. Her friends, however, did. Although he did not understand such selfless bravery, he did respect it and her friends.
Xander and Anya had married and were gone on their honeymoon. At first, Cordelia did not think it was appropriate for her to go to her ex's wedding. Then Xander had reminded her they were enemies and then friends before dating. Then enemies again and then friends. As his oldest friend next to Willow, her presence was totally appropriate. Anya didn't care as long as it was Severus giving her orgasms and not her Xander. Cordelia would never forget the look on Severus' face when he witnessed their discussion. She agreed to go to the wedding just to end the conversation. When the summer ended, they would be ready to join their friends on the other Earth. That would be when Severus returned home, too.
It was good to see everyone again. Now, though, Cordelia was ready to go home and have some privacy. If only Connor would stop being so troublesome, she would leave.
"I don't know what to do about Connor," she admitted to Severus as they walked with Spike back to the Summers' neighborhood.
"He'll get over it," Spike said. "He's young. You were the first kindness he had ever known since he was raised in a hell dimension."
"He has a point," Severus agreed. "I became infatuated with Harry Potter's mother Lilly when I was in school mainly because she was the first person to ever show me any kindness. I read more into her kindness than she meant, which is why I felt so betrayed by her engagement to Harry's father."
That made sense to Cordelia. When she made it to the house, she sent Spike and Severus in and waited for Connor.
"Hey, Connor," she greeted him as he slowly approached the porch. Angel greeted her and knew that she wished to speak to Connor, so he went past her inside.
He gave her a bright smile, glad his dad left them alone. "Hello," he said. His hopeful expression pierced her heart.
"Connor, I was hoping that we could talk," she said.
He sat on the top step next to her.
"I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you for stepping in here on the hellmouth," she began. "Without a slayer here, it's not a safe place at all."
"Oh, well, the vampires believe I'm a male slayer," he replied, grinning. "Didn't Spike tell you? We decided to let them think that."
"It's a good idea," she said.
"I like it here," he admitted. "It's not so big and noisy like Los Angeles. The people are nice."
"Have you considered going to school?" she asked. Sunnydale High School would be a good place for him.
He shook his head. "No. Dad and I talked about getting my GED. Fred sent off for the study manual already."
"That's so Fred," she said, smiling. "I can't wait to see her again. If they didn't have a case, she would've came for the wedding."
"She's really nice," he admitted.
"People are nice, Connor," she said. "I was the first nice person you met, right?"
He nodded. "You were," he said. "You were wonderful—you are wonderful."
Cordelia didn't like the look of adoration he was giving her and said, "Glad you think so. But you need to understand something, Connor. When you were born, I held you in my arms. I took care of you when Angel wasn't there. You were mine as much as his—I loved you like you were my son. I have hazy memories of you returning as a teenager, but you know that Jasmine bitch hitchhiked my mind and body. I would have never ever seduced you. It makes me sick that my love for you was twisted, and I am so sorry."
Connor glared and looked away. "I know," he finally said. "Dad told me. Lorne did, too. Then Fred."
"I want you to know that I do love you, Connor, but not in a kiss-you-with-tongue way," she said with a shudder.
"You don't have to gag," he grumbled.
"I'm sorry," she said, glad to see that he was not looking destroyed anymore. When she had first appeared with Severus, his hopeful expression quickly turned to hurt and then rage. Now, he just looked a bit dejected.
"It's okay. I guess I'll get over it," Connor said with a shrug.
Cordelia put her arm around his shoulder. "You will. You will find some cute little high school girl or a demon-human hybrid—I don't judge," she told him, grinning.
"Ha ha," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Is everything okay?" Angel asked from the doorway.
"It is," Cordelia said, standing up. "I think Connor is ready to forgive me."
"You didn't do anything," Angel insisted.
"I know," she said. "How about you? Are you ready to forgive me?"
Angel was surprised. "Forgive you for what?" he asked.
"I loved you, Angel. I know you were cursed, but I still loved the man Buffy always knew you were," Cordelia confessed. "But I didn't wait for you. Not only would we be too weird after Connor—" she pointed to the teenager who was listening to every word, "but I don't want to be second choice."
"You would never be that," Angel said.
Cordelia smiled. "We both know that's not true. Maybe one day, you'll be able to move on from Buffy," she said.
"She's younger than Connor now—I've moved on," Angel said quickly. Buffy came in for the wedding, and the two of them cleared the air. It was easier for him now after all he'd been through and having and losing Connor. His feelings for Buffy were easy to turn into affection and friendship. Buffy, without the burden of the hellmouth, was as joyful and carefree as she had been when he first spotted her before moving to Sunnydale. It made him very happy to see her in such a good place after sacrificing so much. One day, he hoped to see his son experience the same joy.
"Can you and I be real friends again?" Cordelia asked Angel. "You're my best friend. I depend on you and Wes. You've seen me at my worst."
"And your best," Angel added.
Cordelia nodded. "Definitely," she said. Then she hugged him, glad that things were good between them.
She told them goodnight and went to find Severus.
Connor stared at his father. "You love her?" he asked, not fully realizing what should have been obvious.
"She's an easy woman to love—as you well know," he said with a smile. "Are you going to be okay?"
Connor nodded. "Yes," he said. "I hate to think of what I felt for her being used by a higher power, especially after I was taken from you and taught to hate you."
Angel was gratified to hear him admit this as he had not been willing to discuss Holt at all. "You are a victim of my sins and Angelus. I am sorry," he said.
"I know you are," Connor said. His father had apologized over and over even though Connor was the one who had thrown him in a trunk and sunk him in the ocean last summer. His father may have a demon in him, but he was not evil. It had taken Connor a while to see that, but he did now.
For the first time since his return, Angel felt hope that someday things between him and Connor could be fixed.
*****The Next Day*****
Severus looked in the car's mirror as they drove down the highway. Buffy had given her and Severus the use of her mother's SUV since Cordelia's car was parked in her driveway where Angel had left it. They had stopped at a barber after she insisted that he could not sport hair nearly as long as his. Since he didn't care one bit about his appearance, he allowed her to have his way. However, he hardly recognize the well groomed image staring back at him in the mirror.
"You look great," Cordelia told him with a beaming smile. Although she did kind of dig his long locks, she didn't want anyone to mistake him for a homeless hobo back in L.A. Now his hair was much shorter but not as short as Angel's.
"I am glad you think so," he said. He was finding the car not too disturbing as the highway was void of heavy traffic. Then they entered the city, and he immediately tensed. "There are so many cars."
"Yes, Los Angeles has millions of people in it, but it has a lot less people than London," she pointed out.
"In London, we were not zooming along in a metal death trap," he said dryly.
She giggled, amused by his fear. "It's fine," she said. "We're not far from my place."
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into a small house on a street with lots of houses and yards.
"This is nice," he said.
"It is. Los Angeles is an expensive city. The only reason I could afford this house is it's a murder house and was haunted by a poltergeist, Dennis' murderous mom," she explained.
"How did you discover he was murdered?" he asked.
"We found his body bricked in the wall," she said. "I also had a vision about it."
When she stepped through her front door, she called out, "Dennis, I'm home!"
The lights blinked on and off in response.
Severus looked around at her cozy home with interest. "This is lovely," he said.
She flashed him a beaming smile. "Thanks," she said. "I was in this roach-infested, tiny apartment that made me so miserable, especially since I was raised in a mansion before Daddy lost all his money to the IRS and fled the country."
Severus hated that her family had abandoned her, but he admired the way she had carved out a life for herself without them.
"Would you like to be able to see Dennis?" he asked, wanting to do something for her.
"He's a ghost," she pointed out.
"Yes, and Hogwarts was filled with ghosts," he reminded her.
"Oh," she said. Then she smiled. "If you can do it, that'd be great!"
After he took out his wand, she said, "Dennis, this is my new boyfriend, Severus Snape. He is a wizard."
It was a minor spell to reveal the ghost to their sight.
Dennis was shocked but pleased. He spoke, moving his lips, but there was no sound.
"Can you unmute him?" she asked.
Severus tried. "It seems that the ghosts in this world are a bit different," he said. Dennis walked over to the white board that she had gotten him.
"It is very nice to meet you," Dennis wrote. Then he waved at Severus, who nodded. "I am very happy you are home, Cordelia."
"Me, too," she said. "I am so excited to see you! Do you like my hair? Buffy magically grew it. It was the coolest thing! Did you know that I was possessed by some higher power? She knocked me up with her demon self. Can you believe that?"
Severus took their bags into the bedroom as it was clear that Cordelia was set to have a long gossip session with her ghost friend. He gave her a fond smile as he went to explore the house that would be his temporary home.
He was in a home without magic, but the woman he loved was with him.
There was no denying it; he loved her. Staying in this strange muggle world was not easy for him, but he would do it to be near her.
When she made it to her bedroom, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even give you a tour!" she acknowledged.
"It is fine," he said. "I was able to find the room that was yours."
"The other room is a guest room, but I only have an old couch in it so far," she said.
"Do you want me to transfigure it into a bed?" he asked. "I can make it my room."
She looked surprised and a bit hurt. "You don't want to stay in here with me?" she asked him.
Severus moved to pull her into his arms. "Of course, I do," he said. "I just thought it'd be less crowded."
"I don't mind being crowded by you," she said. Then she kissed him.
Severus didn't mind either. When she pulled back, he could not refrain from confessing, "I am glad that I am here."
Cordelia gave him the smile that never failed to make his heart race. "I am, too," she said.
This time, he kissed her, happy to find a place in this crazy new world where he belonged.
By her side, he was home.
*****The End******
No idea yet for the new installment in this series, but it will be back at Hogwarts with Buffy and company. Review if you enjoyed this tale. Feel free to give me some ideas for future stories that you'd like to see.