CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

" There you are," Angel found the green demon in his bedroom.

" Is there something you wanted?" Lorne asked looking around for his phone. He was meeting a client, one of the few who hadn't left town since the black out.

" I'm worried about the spell you done on Abigail," Angel began.

" Look Angel-cake. It's sweet of you to be concerned, but there's other things you should be worried about."

" This is one of them."

" The spell is working. Can't you leave at that?" Lorne asked.

" It's sure to wear off and if Abigail finds out you worked some mojo on her-"

" You're not going to tell her are you? She'd hate me and it will be the end of us. For good this time."

" No, I won't tell her. It isn't exactly my place to tell her."

" Good. I've got to go see a client."

" Avoiding the subject won't help Lorne," Angel said.

" Who's avoiding? I really do have to go," Lorne insisted and brushed past him and left.


" Angel? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Abigail asked after looking to see if Cordy wasn't around. She must be upstairs.

" Sure. What's up," Angel asked as they went into the office.

Abigail sat down on a chair, " I have something…important to tell you and you probably won't believe me. After all, you've known Cordelia a lot longer than me and she and I aren't that close. I've always been closer to Fred-" she stopped, realising she was babbling. " Angel, Cordy killed Lilah."

Angel stared at her and said nothing.

" I was in her room the other day and I saw the knife. It had blood stains on it and I figured she killed Lilah. Then she caught me and threatened me-"

" I know Abigail," Angel interrupted.

" What?"

" I know she's evil. I was denial about it but this confirms my suspicions."

" You knew? Why didn't you tell anyone? Then I wouldn't have gone into her room. She could have killed me."

" I'm sorry about that. But she didn't kill you." He sighed and rubbed his forehead, " It's obvious that thing is not Cordy."

"So…what do we do?"

" I'll talk to Wes. We'll have to come up with a plan to expose Cordy." Angel frowned, " And I think I may have one."


Lorne walked into the lobby to find everyone gathered around the counter.

" My sources got nothing on mystical birthing' or the big Kahuna. But Wanda—that demon you recommended—what a peach, by the way. Anyway, she sold me this cleansing abracadabra to clear my muddled mind." He told the group.

" You're empathic again?" Fred asked

" Please... you think this Dungeons & Dragons cloak is a fashion statement? I got to do this whole song and dance—" Lorne held up a long black coat.

" Well, we're getting nowhere. If you need extra hands..." Wesley asked.

" Sorry, I can only take my two. Ritual has to be performed solo. Just me and my shadow, secluded in a dark, dusty nowhere land. Ugh. But the upside is, I should be "all systems go" come sunrise." Lorne replied.

" Then you'll be able to read me?" Cordy asked him, smiling tensely.

" No worries, dumpling. Come morning, I will be a lean, mean, belly-reading machine."

Later that evening, Abigail watched as Lorne packed up some things for his cleansing ritual.

" Are you sure about this?" Abigail asked dubiously.

" Positive."

" As long as nothing will go wrong-"

" It won't. I'll be back later in 100 aura reading capacity." Lorne reassured her. " Wish me luck."

" Good luck," Abigail replied after he kissed her goodbye and left.

Lorne walked into the dark basement and paused by the door.

" Oh, fudgicle. "

Lorne took out a flashlight and walked forward through the still dark room. He began to set up some candles and lightning them.

Cordelia watched him from the catwalk, completely hidden by darkness.

Lorne began preparing the potions and incense at the candle-lit table in the basement. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and pick up a hymnal. Lorne the started to sing a song that sounds vaguely like a Gregorian chant, except that it has no words, only humming and ooing.

Cordelia silently walked down the stairs, holding a knife in her hand, the same one Abigail saw in her room. Just as Cordelia is standing behind Lorne, ready to stab him, someone turns on the lights. Cordelia looks up and Angel is standing in front of her.

" Angel..." she gasped.

Cordelia turned to flee, but Fred, Abigail and Wesley are armed, guarding her exit.

Lorne took a white cloth off of a ball (a Magic 8 Ball) and shook it. Then he asked it, " Has Cordy been a bad, bad girl?"

Lorne turned the "Magic 8 Ball" over, the triangle inside read:

"Definitely."


" All this time it was you, wasn't it?" Angel demanded Cordy.

" Took you long enough to figure it out but nice turn with the Lorne bait. You know, there was a time I would've seen that one coming eons before it ever crossed your tiny little mind."

" Because you're so clever," Angel said.

" On the scale of you to me, pretty damn."

" Until now,"

" All good things. So, what finally tipped off the great detective?" Cordy asked.

" It wasn't just me. Abigail found you out. Remember you were big with the threatening." Angel told her.

" So you chose to believe the word of Little Miss Nobody over there? An outsider?" Cordy crossed her arms, " For all you know, she could have been framing me."

" She's not a nobody and an outsider. She's an integral part of the team and is part of something huge. And I was tipped off by something else. Tongue. Slip of,"

" My sweet." Same phrase the BeastMaster kept using when he was whispering in Angleus's head. Thought it was a bit femme for the booming macho act."

" Little late to the table, but I might have a few scraps left." Cordy said.

" Why are you doing this, Cordy?" Fred asked her.

" This thing isn't Cordelia." Angel replied.

Cordy smiled and shook her head, " Is that what you think, hero?"

" She would never hurt her friends like this." Angel said.

" Or maybe you just don't know me very well."

" I don't want to know you." Angel said.

Cordelia tried to pull a knife on Angel, but he grabbed her wrist, averting her. With his other hand, he grabbed her neck, choking her.

" Where's Cordelia?" he demanded.

Just then, Connor jumped through the glass roof, landing near Angel and Cordelia.

" Connor, wait! Cordy's not what you think."

Angel reached for Connor, but Connor pushed him away hard, throwing Angel into Wesley. Lorne tried to shoot Connor with the tranquilliser gun, but missed. Connor kicked Lorne to the ground.

Fred aimed her tranq gun at Connor, but Connor grabbed her hand, redirecting the dart toward Angel as he tried to stand.

Abigail aimed her tranq gun at Connor and tried to get a good shot but he saw her and smacked her in the jaw with his elbow, sending her to the ground. He grabbed Cordy's hand and they both ran off.