Disclaimer: I only own the creature, so Angel and all the characters from it do not belong to me…unfortunately. Otherwise, I would probably be very rich, which I'm not, very talented, which I'm not, and very famous, which I'm definitely not. So don't sue me, 'cause like I said, I'm poor. (Me = Student, get it?)
Feedback: Lots and lots and lots, please, even if it's bad. Honestly, I'm addicted, ask my family. And thanks especially for the congrats, guys, you nearly made me cry. :)
* smiles smugly at the thought of results day glory *
Special thanks to Vicky for the email you sent, I feel all warm inside! And take note, all of the 'its' have been rectified (I think), thanks for pointing out the mistake.
Note: Okay, angst starts soon, folks, so get ready. See if you can guess what's coming…
CHAPTER 4.
* tap * * tap * * tap * * click *
"Boring."
* tap * * tap * * tap * * click *
"Boooriing."
"Cordelia, if you hate doing it so much, then why don't just swap with me like I said?"
Angel had tried not to let her get to him, God he had tried, but there is only so much even a two and a half century old vampire can take. The Internet search wasn't proving fruitful, so he could understand the girl's frustration, but the fact that she still pointedly refused to do anything remotely book related instead wound him up something chronic. He was finding it hard enough concentrating as it was.
Cordelia raised her eyebrows at him as if to say 'ooh, touchy' and focused back on the screen. Reaching to the side to grab her coffee, she brushed against something unexpected, and turned to come face to face with a pair of eyes.
"GAAH!"
Closing her eyes with a hand on her chest, she took a deep breath, willing herself to be patient with their guest. The creature blinked at her, twitching its whiskers in concentration. For some reason, it had felt the need to leave Wesley's side and stare intensely at her, as though it didn't trust her not to come over there and attack the pair of them. Maybe she was throwing off vibes or something.
It cautiously inspected the flashing coloured rectangle she seemed so intent on and, satisfied that it wasn't a threat, moved past her along the desk. She watched as it approached Angel, checking to see if the hostile energy between them was going to cause a fight. When he looked at it placidly and tickled it behind the ear, the creature felt it safe enough to leave them alone again. The human female and the demon sure did need constant supervision, if this was the way they were going to behave.
It gave them a telling off, squeaky rodent style, and hopped back down to the floor, returning to its post on Wesley's couch. Cordelia and Angel looked at each other, wondering what that was all about, and then returned to their tasks.
Scrolling through very unhelpful websites was not one of Cordelia's favourite pastimes, and she envied Gunn for being allowed to leave on the pretence that he had gang business to attend to. Cordy wasn't stupid. She knew he had just made an excuse not to have to do some research, but Angel had let him go. She consoled herself with the knowledge that he would probably have been of little use anyway, and there was nothing they needed hunting down and killing just at the moment.
Sighing loudly and slumping her head on her hand, she feigned falling asleep, just to get her point across. Angel looked up from his book again and narrowed his eyes at her warningly.
"Okay, okay, and I'm typing."
Two whole hours she had been at this. Two whole hours of the most inane, worthless, scientific jargon about animal research facilities, zoo welfare policies, supposed roaming beast sightings and demon lore. She was running out of ideas and out of stamina. And what was worse, 50% off discount sales at local clothing stores mocked her and enticed her by announcing themselves in flashing pop up boxes, many with the promise of free items and even prize money if she gave in and succumbed to temptation.
To add insult to injury, her newly procured copy of Cosmo called to her from her shoulder bag, the corner of the unread magazine poking seductively through the zipper. She bit her lip and averted her gaze, determined not to be so weak and shallow. But God, this was dull. Maybe just a quick break as a reward for her hard work. The guys would understand.
She slipped quietly from her stool, making her way discretely across the gap between her workstation and the copy of her beloved glossy. Without looking up from what looked like the original copy of the bible, it was that ancient, Angel reached out an arm and pulled Cordelia's bag a little closer to him along the counter. Spinning on her heel with a whispered 'damn!', Cordelia returned to her seat, a childish pout on her face.
Over on the other side of the lobby, Wesley tossed in his sleep, shifting and rolling over on the couch. Cordelia did not miss the movement, and she was immediately on her feet.
"Oh good, he's awake. He can come back and do some work with us then."
She skipped quickly past Angel before he could stop her, eager to get Wesley doing more research so that she would be relieved of the job. If anyone could find the answer, it was him, and she had star signs to read.
"Cordelia, don't…" Angel tried, but he was already too late. Since when did she listen to him anyway? This wasn't going to be good.
"Come on, sleepy head, time to make with the research."
Grabbing a wrist, she pulled on his arm, and he grimaced in response to the disturbance.
"Nnnn…Cawdeela…go 'way…"
"Oh come on, don't be such a big baby. Serves you right for staying up all night. Don't you want to know about our big breakthrough? That's right, we've sifted through all the useless stuff, so know there's only important stuff left to find! Come quick and see!"
She tugged on his arm again and he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Hmm? 'kay, coming."
Angel shook his head in disbelief. Cordelia was just lucky that her victim was too sleep deprived to realise what she had said.
"I've found a couple of possibilities on the net that might explain where it came from, and Angel's found some weird demon references that could be significant, but he can't translate some of the language and I have no idea what I'm looking for. We need your help, so you'll just have to save the sleep till later."
Only half listening to the droning voice demanding his attention, Wesley forced himself to his feet, trying to remember where exactly he was. Oh yeah, the hotel. That would explain why Cordelia's insistent fingers were cutting off his blood supply, then. In no condition to argue without his words inadvertently sounding like a whine, he let himself be pulled from the comfortable haven of the couch and, perhaps for the first time in his life, felt dread creep over him at the prospect of having to do more reading. Right now, that was the last thing he wanted to do.
A moment of clarity managing to shine its way through his fuzzy brain, he realised he had left his glasses on the armrest, and twisted in Cordelia's grasp to reach out for them.
Misinterpreting his resistance, Cordelia gave another sharp tug on his arm, angrily attempting to make sure he followed. Already unsteady on his feet, Wesley was yanked backwards suddenly and whirled round by the force of her pull like elastic that had been stretched too far and snapped. The momentum carried him forward along the route Cordelia had taken, weaving through some of the chairs in her way, but the speed and general unfocused state of his surroundings meant that Wesley misjudged the last few steps, tripping on a chair leg and virtually diving face first over the other side of it, landing on the floor with a thud.
With Wesley's arm suddenly ripping itself from Cordelia's hand in an attempt to brace his fall, accompanied by a startled grunt, she spun round, realising what she had done. She covered her mouth with her hand to try and suppress a giggle as Wes floundered around on the floor, a tangle of limbs and chair legs.
"Ow!" he yelled irritably, his mind having snapped back from the verge of sleep far too quickly for his liking.
"Oh God, Wes, I'm sorry", Cordelia half giggled, offering a hand to help him up.
A harsh hiss stopped her in her tracks and she froze, the creature launching itself off of the couch in her direction. Something sharp jabbed against her hand and she snatched it back, cradling it to her chest as she looked on in shock. The once cute and fury little animal had morphed into a clump of spines, its back bristling threateningly as it stood between her and her floored friend.
Obviously less aggressive than it seemed, the creature made no other move, simply warning her not to approach as it hissed and spat like a witch's cat. She backed off a few steps to give it some room, and the creature retreated, turning its attention to Wesley. The spikes that protruded from every inch of its body slowly sank away again, sheathed safely under its thick fur and returning it to its normal appearance. No longer baring its teeth, it pawed at Wesley's side, chattering nervously as he regarded it warily.
Before she even heard him approach, Angel was at Cordelia's side, leading her away slowly, just in case.
"Why did it do that?" she asked, somewhat dazed, "I didn't do anything…I wasn't trying to hurt it…"
"I think maybe it's just a little overprotective", Angel replied, looking back at the scene over his shoulder. "Wes, are you alright?"
"Um, yes, everything's…fine."
Still lying on the floor, he stared with renewed confusion at the creature now whimpering and grabbing handfuls of his shirt, concern brimming in its soulful eyes.
Angel took Cordelia's hand in his, examining the small puncture marks and the trickle of blood seeping from the wound.
"Looks like it got you there", he said, pointing at the evidence when Cordelia's lack of response worried him a bit. She shook off her shocked expression and forced herself to pay attention, for the first time noticing her injury.
"Oh, right", she said distractedly, "Um, I'll get the first aid kit. It's only a little scratch."
"The one in the bathroom got trashed earlier, but there's one in my room if you want me to get it for you…"
"No, that's okay, I'll get it. I'm not an invalid."
She set off for the stairs before Angel could fuss anymore, taking one last suspicious glance at the creature before she left. Angel watched her go with a frown, wondering if maybe she wasn't as 'alright' as she claimed to be. She looked shaken, but knowing Cordelia, she probably wouldn't admit that to anyone. He sighed at the thought, but decided he'd give her a little time before he tackled her about it. A chirp from the creature grabbed his attention, and he put it out of his mind, for the time at least.
Wesley pushed himself back up to his feet, brushing down his clothing in a feeble effort to appear calm. The creature still shuffled around at his feet uneasily, pleading eyes turned up to him as though it needed confirmation about his health status. He could only assume that what the creature had perceived as an act of violence on Cordelia's part had sparked the little thing into such rash behaviour, and now it looked about ready to burst with worry.
"Do you need some help with that?" Angel asked, approaching cautiously and wondering what they should do with it next.
"No, I can handle it. You'd better not come to close for the time being."
He bent down and picked the creature up, lifting it high up near his face so that it could see him clearly.
"See? Nothing to worry about. It'll take more than a shove from Cordelia to keep me down. I'm fine, good as new, fighting fit. Now please, don't attack anyone else."
The creature gazed at him, utterly oblivious to everything he had just said. But the soothing tone of his voice calmed it considerably, and it looked at least half convinced that he wasn't going to drop down dead. Wesley got the impression that even if it could understand him, it probably wouldn't believe him anyway, and inwardly groaned at the thought of the trust issues it and Cordelia were going to have from now on. More than ever, the importance of finding information about this unique little being weighed heavily on him, demanding that he find answers, and soon.
He placed the creature on the counter top and paused, planning his next move. The creature stared at him wide eyed, its previously lively attitude subdued and replaced by an anxious mood. Angel moved around them towards the fridge in the back, being sure to give them both a wide berth. Wesley noticed the creature watching him as he opened it up, removing his preferred breakfast ingredients from their shelf and making off, presumably in search of the microwave in the kitchen.
Wesley smiled when he saw the creature's gaze lingering in the direction of the big cold food dispenser, and decided that he was hungry too. That settled it then. The only way to solve this particular problem was the throw food at it until it went away.
* * *
Cordelia's hand began to throb and sting a little as she made her way up the stairs in search of Angel's room and, hopefully, a nice soft bandage to wrap around it. She made a mental note to stay well clear of the little beast from now on. Maybe she should suggest they get it a cage or a leash or something. On second thoughts, she didn't think Wesley would go for that. He'd probably give her a lecture when she got back down about appropriate behaviour around an animal. Stupid creature.
Pushing the door open with her good hand, she stepped inside the room and reached for the light switch in an attempt to illuminate the otherwise dim, vampire friendly space. She was rewarded with a dull * plink * when she flipped the switch, and in a brief flash of orange, the light bulb blew.
"Great", she mumbled to herself, not in the mood for fumbling around in the dark with only one hand, or entirely reasonable enough to want to deal with things that insisted on breaking when she touched them.
She balled up her fists and blew out a breath, wanting to keep a lid on her impatience lest she degenerate into throwing a temper tantrum or hissing fit. She really needed to get a hold of herself. That was the old Cordelia, and she was a much more tolerant person now. She'd always had the tendency to mood swing dramatically, and maybe react in the extreme to certain situations, but she was better than that now, and a little pain and a bit of a shock shouldn't be allowed to take that from her. Chill, Cor.
She made for the bedside table, guessing that it was as good a place as any to keep a first aid kit, and not knowing of a better place to start looking. Besides, you never know what interesting little nuggets you might find after an open invitation to search someone's room. Okay, so that was High School Cordy again. And anyway, yuck. What was she thinking? This is Angel, plus, vampire.
Nope, not in there. She closed the little cupboard door and stood up, catching the side of the table when she suddenly swayed. Okay, so that was weird. She wasn't usually the type to get all light-headed at the sight of a little blood. And besides, this sensation was different, one she couldn't quite explain. She must have gotten up a little too quickly and the blood had drained from her head, that was it.
After a pause, the strangeness passed, and she took a deep breath. There, all better. She turned to look at the rest of the room, wondering where to search next. Ah ha, the wardrobe.
Then she heard something that seemed completely out of place here, in this hotel. It was laughter, quiet and fleeting, as if caught on a breeze. But it wasn't any of the guys downstairs. It was the musical peal of a child, a faded giggle that chilled her in a way that she would never had thought possible. It wasn't particularly sinister, but it unnerved her, nonetheless.
Forgetting about her mission and her hand completely, she turned to the direction of the noise to face the open door, but the almost ghostly sound was silenced, like it was hiding from discovery. She approached the open doorway and looked down the hall. Nothing.
She whirled. There, at the very end of the corridor, a dim shadow disappeared around the corner, glimpsed so briefly in the corner of her eye that she wondered if she had in fact seen anything at all. Then the sound of lightly running footsteps reached her ears as an echo, the dispatcher retreating steadily away from her.
Cordelia didn't know why she did it, but she was suddenly compelled to take off after the vanishing shadow, even though it was no more than an apparition to her eyes that would probably prove to be nothing more than a figment of her imagination. She would reach the corner only to find herself alone, and the foolishness of her actions would be revealed. But she had to see for herself and find out.
Sprinting as fast as her heels would allow, she flew down the carpeted hallway, mindless of the treacherous rolls and dips that threatened to familiarise her with the musty pile. She should have taken heed, she realised afterwards, as a particularly malicious bit of floral design snagged her foot, sending her tumbling to the floor with an * oomph! *.
A burst of laughter echoed around her again, this time sounding closer, only just out of reach. Her breath came in short gasps now, exploding from her lungs in protest at her haste. A new sense of urgency compelled her onwards, though, despite her laboured breathing, and something akin to nervous exhilaration thrilled through her veins. She had to find the source of the sound, even for want of a rational reason.
Taking the last few steps a little more carefully this time, she rounded the corner…and stopped.
There, in the middle of the corridor, stood a little boy. He looked to be about six years old, his mischievous grin and deep brown eyes directed up at her and betraying his youth more than anything else. His overly long brown hair fell across his face in places, the rest tied back rather untidily behind his head. Scraggy tangles poked up rebelliously, telling of hours of reckless fun and tumble.
The little boy laughed again with that same melodious quality as Cordelia stared down, surprise and confusion stealing her words. He flexed his toes, drawing attention to his bare feet, and bounced playfully on his heels. His clothing, whilst probably intended to look smart, was rumpled and slightly dirty, his white shirt showing smudges and grass stains in even the most inaccessible of places. How he had gotten them, it was hard to tell, but more pressing questions were forming themselves in Cordy's mind.
She wanted to demand 'who are you', 'how did you get in here' and 'what are you doing', but realised that a certain amount of patience had to be employed when addressing six-year-old children. Not wanting to scare him away, or, on the other hand, provoke stubborn taunts and verbal abuse (always a possibility with wayward young impressionables and not unheard of in these parts), she put on her best smiley 'I'll be your friend' face and bent her knees, reducing the distance between the two of them.
"What's your name, little guy?" she asked, trying to project a calmness that she didn't feel. If she could feign normality and make the exchange seem like the most natural thing in the world, she could probably get him to talk with out much trouble, or get arrested as a potential child abuser, stalker, kidnapper, whatever, take your pick.
The boy grinned again in amusement, as though she had just spouted gibberish enough to give gobbledey-gook and double-dutch a run for their money. Leaning to the side, he averted his gaze to look at something behind Cordelia's back, and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Jerking her head round, she saw a very confused looking Angel standing at the corner watching her, a concerned frown on his face.
"Angel!" she cried, standing up straight and facing him.
"I, um, just wanted to check that everything was alright. You didn't come back down." He stabbed his thumb in the direction of the staircase and his frown deepened. "Are you…okay?"
Trawling her brain for a way to begin and explain everything in a way that made sense, she twirled back round again and opened her mouth to speak. Instead, she stopped, gasping at what she saw.
When she looked back down the corridor, the little boy had gone.
To be continued…