Disclaimer: The characters are not mine and this story is not for profit. No infringement of copyright is intended - for entertainment purposes only.
Spoilers: None for the show. References to the previous story in this series, "Belief".
Author's Note: Hi everyone. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Sorry my hiatus was a little long. I needed to spend serious quality time with my loved ones while I was home for the holidays and this past week has been busy, settling in to a new school term. On that note, I have to warn you that my updates won't be quite as regular as they were in December. I'm going to be preparing my students for exams and that's going to eat into a lot of my free time. However, I'm still committed to finishing this story in the very near future, never fear.
Lorne finally makes an appearance in the series! I enjoy writing for the verdant demon, so I was happy when I realised it was important for him to make an appearance. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, your reviews are hugely appreciated.
Lorne knew a lot of people, not to mention a whole lot more who weren't really people at all. He was a spiritual and mystical go-to-guy. If he couldn't set you on your path directly, he could usually tell you who could or, at the very least, point you in the right direction with one of his trademarked cryptic clues. But even he had limits. And right now, he seemed to have reached his.
"The conduit can't help you this time, kids," he said. "The Powers? Well, they don't like to interfere in gypsy affairs."
"But Cordelia is their messenger," Wesley said. "Without her, the prophecies they have folded time to protect are meaningless. Surely they have to do something."
"You'd think. What can I tell ya? The Powers work in mysterious ways. They won't fix this directly. We're going to need a more creative route. I just wish I knew what that was. If Cordilicious could sing for me..."
"That's kind of hard right now," Gunn said, his patience wearing thin. "With her being in a coma and all."
"Hmm." The green demon thought for a moment. "Send Angelcakes over here. They share a connection. There's a good chance I'll get something if I read him."
"Angel's going to have to sing?" Gunn asked, faintly horrified.
Lorne grimaced. "Mr. Manilow and I are afraid so."
It took some persuading to get Angel to leave the hospital, but Kathy eventually got him to Caritas, leaving Wesley and Gunn to watch over Cordelia. When he arrived outside the bar, Angel was in no mood to wait around while Kathy found a parking spot. Instead, he leapt out of the still moving vehicle and hurried inside.
The evening was still early, so the club was quiet, with only a few regulars milling around. He found Lorne lounging by the bar, sea breeze in hand.
"Oh Mandy. Well you came and you gave without taking," he sang without pausing for pleasantries. "What do you see?"
"Well, hello to you too, Angelkins," Lorne said. "Aren't you the eager beaver. I see being in love hasn't mellowed you – much."
"How do I save Cordelia?"
"Well, looks like what I told the boys was wrong. The conduit is the answer," Lorne said.
"I need to go to the conduit?"
"No. Cordy does."
"Gee, Lorne, that's kind of difficult right now."
"Don't worry about the Princess," Lorne said. "That's all in hand. That's her quest. You have one of your own."
"A quest? Where? What?"
"In order to break the dark magic that is tormenting your soul mate, you need a powerful counter-spell of your own."
"And that would be...?"
"Forgiveness."
"Forgiveness?" Angel was confused, which was not an unusual experience for him when talking to the Host. "Who am I supposed to forgive?"
"You've got that backwards, sweetcheeks. You're the one who needs to be forgiven."
"By who..." Angel trailed off as he realised what the demon was suggesting. "The Kalderash have to forgive me in order to break the spell?"
"Bingo."
"That's never going to happen, Lorne. You know that. There has to be another way."
"That's it, Angelcakes. Your eggs are all in one ironic, gypsy-cursed basket," Lorne said. "But I'll tell you this much. It could still go either way at this point. So don't give up hope just yet."
"Where can we find them?" Kathy asked for the foot of the stairs.
As Lorne turned to look at her, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. If it were possible, he looked greener than usual as he fought the urge to be physically sick.
Kathy stopped and looked at the demon, confused by his reaction. "What?" she asked.
"Girl, you have some serious dark vibes coming off you. In waves," he said. "Whatever's building up in you, you'd better let go of it and fast. That way lies badness."
Kathy glared at him. "You don't know what you're talking about," she said. "I'm fine.
"What?" Angel asked. "What do you see, Lorne?"
"He sees nothing," Kathy said.
With that, she turned on her heel and left the bar.
"Lorne?"
Lorne slumped down onto a bar stool, still looking nauseous. "Nothing specific. But I could see her aura and it... let's just say it's not looking too good right now."
"What do you mean?"
"It's black, Angel. Pure black."
Wesley felt his eyes becoming heavy, his head beginning to nod. Sitting up straighter in his chair, he hoped Gunn would return soon with the dark sludge the hospital called coffee. He needed something to keep him awake.
He glanced across to the hospital bed where Cordelia lay. There had been no change. His heart was heavy with the though of what she had been through, what she was still going through. He hoped that they would find a way to help her soon.
He hadn't realised that his eyes had closed and he certainly didn't know how long they had been closed for when he was startled by a strange noise. Opening his eyes, he looked around for its source. His gaze fell on Cordelia's bed, rumpled and empty.
Cordelia was gone.
Just then, Gunn entered the room. "Man, I think this sludge is worse than the last batch," he said. He did a double-take when he saw the empty bed. "Where's Cordy?"
"I was rather wondering that myself," Wesley replied.
"How the hell did you lose a woman in a coma, English?" Gunn asked. Then, the expression on his face changed, from incredulity to abject horror. "Man, Angel's gonna kill us."
Kathy watched, armed folded, as Angel came out of the club clutching a piece of paper. An address provided by Lorne, she assumed.
"So, where are we going?"
"You're not coming," Angel said. "What Lorne said in there –"
"Is bull," Kathy said. "I didn't even sing for him, Angel. He didn't read me right. I'm fine."
"He saw something building in you, Kathy," Angel said. "You're a powerful witch. A good witch. But I've heard of even the best witches falling into darkness when they get too close to it. I don't want that to happen to you."
"It won't."
"What happened last month, when we fought Doodheks. You channelled some pretty powerful magics, and I - "
"Stop worrying about me," she said. "I'm fine. Really. Now come on. Let's find these gypsies and finish this."