Go TeamC/A
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Title: Baby, I'm Back!
Author: Dock
Posted here: 08/05
Rating: N-17
Category:
Content: C/A, C/Aus, C/S (friendship)
Summary: This is a sequel to The End of the World...Again? It's about two months after the apocalype was averted. Wolfram and Hart have found a way to unleash Angelus. The Fang Gang struggle to bring back his soul.
Spoilers: Same as the first story.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Nothing Fancy. Anyone can have it, just let me know where to look.
Notes: If you cannot accept the idea of Angel and Angelus being the same person (only with and without a conscience), I would NOT read this story. You won't like it.
Thanks/Dedication:
Feedback:Yes please. It makes me write faster.
Prologue
"Gavin, how is your project proceeding?"
"We're a go for tonight."
"So soon?"
"Yes. The gypsy woman is ready. Are you sure you don't want us to bring Angelus here?"
"No. The Senior Partners agree that it will take some time for Angelus to join our team. Besides he'll be eager to hunt his merry band of do-gooders. Who are we to stop his fun?"
"You're not concerned about his attachment to Miss Chase?"
"I'm sure he won't be happy we robbed him of the pleasure of killing her, but I don't forsee any problems. Angelus won't share his soul's love for his seer. He still has plenty of friends to torture. He'll probably want to finish what he started in Sunnydale."
"Umm..didn't he try to have the world sucked into hell there?"
Lilah shrugged. "Yes but Acathla was taken care of. He won't be able to try that again. What about the rest of the project?"
"The specialist is in the air as we speak. He seemed rather excited for the opportunity to dissect a higher being. It really is a shame we can't interrogate her first."
"I know. Her new powers make it too dangerous. We can't risk it."
"If that's the case, shouldn't we kill her right away?"
"NO! I want her alive. The drugs will keep her immobile. I want that bitch to feel every cut."
"Lilah, I realize you feel..angry about the role she played in Wesley's return to Angel investigations, but keeping her alive during the dissection IS an unnecessary risk."
"I am NOT a scorned lover. Wesley was a project. Nothing more. Cordelia Chase is the reason that project failed. I don't like losing. Taking her alive is a risk I'm willing to take and it's Miss Morgan to you. Now I want all the details. We don't want any more failures."
"We've been monitoring the couple's activities. They have their usual 8:00 reservation at Le Petit Renard. We anticipate Angel will once again refuse valet parking and park the car himself. When they take their shortcut through the alley, my snipers will knock them out. The darts have been specifically designed for their demons. The sedatives should work immediately. My team will move in from the adjoining building I rented. The gypsy will perform the spell there. Once the spell is done, we will return with the seer. Angelus will be left in the alley as directed. His drug should wear off quickly. We wouldn't want to cause any unwanted attention as corpses that walk out of the city morgue tend to do."
"What's the ETA of the specialist?"
"He will be landing at 8:30. He should be ready to start by 9 o'clock."
Lilah smiled. "Excellent. I'll have a mind reader standing by. I want to make sure Cordelia enjoys her final moments."
Gavin adjusted his tie. *What an evil bitch!* "Umm..I should check on all the last minute details."
"Gavin, you're sure he won't be able to be cursed again?"
"Yes. Her spell is designed in such a way that renders the old curse useless. He will be Angelus again and Angel will be gone forever."
"That's what I wanted to hear. You may go now."
"I will update you when it's finished Lil..Miss Morgan."
"I'll be waiting."
***
"I miss Connor."
Cordelia glanced over at her boyfriend. "He'll be home in a few days."
"I can't believe I let you talk me into letting him go. It's creepy."
"It's not creepy." She noticed his raised eyebrow. *He's totally starting to act like me.* "OK. It's a little creepy. Your son taking your ex-girlfriend's little sister to winter formal is not of the norm but our lives are never normal. It'll be good for Connor to be around other teenagers and Dawn deserves a nice high school memory. If she went with one of her classmates, Spike and Xander would have stalked her all night. Hell Buffy probably would have volunteered to chaperone the dance! Buffy and Spike can trust Conner to keep her safe. It's sweet when you ignore the creep factor."
Angel reached over and squeezed her thigh. "I know. It's just I let my only child visit the hellmouth alone so he could date my ex-girlfriend's little sister. Our lives might not be normal but this seems extreme even for us."
"It wouldn't be an issue if you weren't such a craddle robber."
He gave her a mock hurt look. "I didn't hear you complaining last night."
She snorted. "Then you weren't listening 'cuz I know I did some complaining!"
"We'll find a way around the curse."
"I know. Wes and Fred are on it." She saw him tense up. "Have I told you what a wonderful manpire you are lately?"
"No. I believe you called me a craddle robber."
She slid across the front seat and nuzzled his neck. "You are my sweet manpire. I love you for letting Wesley come back home."
"I know. It's getting better. Conner and Wes seem to be getting along." He growled as the car jerked. "Cor! Seatbelts!"
"Hmmph..you're no fun."
"We're almost there. Then you can bite me all you want."
"Pull over here for the valet."
"You know you point that out every time and I always say no. Maybe it's time to give up. There is no way I'm letting some stranger drive my car."
"You're so anal. You always park in the same spot and then you make me walk through that smelly alley."
He gave her a smirk. "Maybe that's because every time we go into that alley you always want to stop and make out."
"That's because we're always early. We have to do something to kill time."
"Well I just want to make sure we aren't late. You never know when you might get caught in traffic."
"Uh huh. I'm sure that's the reason."
He put the plymouth in park and did his best to wipe the smile off his face. "Looks like we're early again."
"I think that alley is the only reason you take me out to dinner."
He gave her his best innocent face. "That's not true. I know how much you love the food here. I just want to make you happy."
"I'm happy when you cook for me." She took his hand as he helped her out of the car.
"I know but we're never alone. Someone's always at the hotel."
"What's wrong with my place?"
"Dennis has already seen more of you than I'd like. I don't know why you insist on keeping that apartment."
"Because you haven't found a way to move Dennis yet."
"Don't you think it's time for Dennis to move on? It isn't healthy for him to cling onto this plane."
She smacked his chest. "Nobody messes with my ghost! You used to be nice to him."
Angel grumbled, "Yeah well that was before I found out how helpful he was in the bathroom."
"I don't know why you're still mad about that. So he scrubs my back. What's the big deal?"
He grabbed her arms and pushed her against the alley wall. "My hands are the only ones that are allowed to touch your body."
"Don't I have a say?"
"No" He smothered her retort with his mouth.
*If he wasn't such an amazing kisser I would so have to kick his caveman ass right now!* She reached around his neck and pulled him closer. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder before her world went black.
Angel felt the dart pierce his back. His growl never made it out of his throat before he collapsed.
One of the doors in the alley opened. A group of men dressed in black, a man in a suit and a woman stepped out.
"Let's move. Grab Miss Chase and load her in the van. Have another sedative standing by. If she so much as twitches, hit her again." Gavin turned to the woman. "Start the spell!"
Part 1Consciousness returned as if a fog was slowly being lifted. Angelus threw a rat that was nibbling on his hand. It hit the wall with a satisfying crunch. He pulled himself to his feet. The soul was gone. Memories started to flash through his brain. He tried to focus on how he ended up in this alley. Soulboy and the luscious Cordelia Chase were on their way to dinner. They stopped to make out like always...and now he was free. *Cordy!* Angelus frantically searched the alley. No heartbeat. No blood. No Cordelia. He sniffed the air. He pushed away the usual stench of the alley and concentrated on the lingering scents of humans. One of them was..familiar. A feral growl started from the tips of his toes and exploded throughout his body. Lawyers. He clutched his keys as he raced to the plymouth.
***
"Angel." Wesley rose when he saw Angel begin to rummage through the weapon's cabinet. "What's wrong? Where's Cordelia?"
"Wolfram and Hart took her."
"I'll call Gunn and Fred."
"Don't bother."
"Why? What's your plan?"
"I'm going to barge in there and kill everything that stands between me and what's mine."
"Angel, I.."
Angelus' yellow eyes glared at Wesley. "Look Watcher. I have no clue what those fucking lawyers are doing to her. I don't have time to kill you properly right now. But if you call me Angel one more time, I'll forego slow and painful and just snap your neck now! It's not as much fun for me, but I'll get over it. I have lawyers to kill."
Wesley grabbed a taser and lunged. Angelus easily sidestepped and caught his wrist. The last thing Wesley heard was laughter as his world went dark.
***
"Where is she, Gavin?"
"Miss Morgan. So good to see you."
"Cut the crap. Where is she?"
"She's in the lab. The specialist is preparing to begin. Don't worry. I already notified your mind reader. Plus the whole thing is being recorded. You can monitor it on channel 5."
"Fabulous." Lilah pressed a button and a big screen TV dropped from the ceiling. She switched it to the right channel. Cordelia was strapped to a table. She still wore her red dress. Just like Snow White, she was trapped in a waking death. Although no Prince Charming was going to come to her rescue. Actually her Prince would enjoy watching this Snow White get carved up. *Mental note: Send Angelus a copy of the videotape.* "Who says there's never anything good on TV?"
"There's Dr. Augerheim now." A human-like man with gray skin entered the lab. He was followed by one of the company's mind readers. Gavin absently noticed this was the first time he'd seen her without her identical twin sister nearby. "It won't be long now."
"Unfortunately you won't be alive to enjoy it." Angelus dropped the security guard's body.
"How did you get in?"
"Oh, you mean the vampire detectors. Well they detected me right before I killed them. They make a really cool squealing noise. 'Course it stops once you pull its heart out."
Gavin and Lilah backed away from the furious vampire. Lilah tried to remain calm. She handled evil on a daily basis. "Is there something we can do for you, Angelus?"
"There seems to be some confusion. I'm guessin' you thought I'd be grateful to you for freeing me. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk No matter how many files you have on me, you'll never know me." Angelus grabbed the man who'd been sneaking up on him and plunged his fangs in. "You'll never be able to predict what I'll do next."
"Let me remind you. We are on the same side."
Angelus started laughing. "You really are a stupid bitch. I'm going to enjoy killing you but first I need to deal with Gavin here."
"Me?"
"Yeah. It seems you took something that belongs to me." He pointed to the screen. "Do you know what happens to people who steal from me?"
"I was just following orders. I work for Miss Morgan. She ordered me to take Miss Chase for dissection and study. She wanted her alive so she'd feel every cut. She even insisted on a mind reader to make sure. My only goal was the removal of your soul. Lilah is the one who stole your fun. I advised her to let you kill your seer youself."
"Gavin, you little worm!"
"Shut up! There's no point in begging. No mercy. As someone once told me, there's just first and second." He had Gavin by the throat in a flash.
Lilah heard the snap as she ran. She had seriously misjudged Angelus and it was about to cost her her life.
Angelus helped himself to Gavin's wallet before chasing Lilah. She didn't get very far.
Lilah screamed when she was grabbed by her hair. "I can be of use to you, Angelus. I'm in charge now. Just tell me what you want and I can make it happen."
"You ordered my property stolen and tortured. Actually even if you hadn't, I still would have killed you. Why don't you people understand? When you torture Soulboy, you torture me. I'm stuck inside. I know you were banking on me being grateful. Let me give you some insight into Angelus. I don't like to feel indebted to anyone. It makes me cranky. But you are right about one thing. You can be useful to me. You're going to take me to Cordelia!"
***
"Wesley! What happened?"
"Angelus stopped by."
Gunn helped the dazed Englishman over to the red couch. "Please tell me you meant Angel." Wes shook his head. "Beige Angel?"
"Afraid not. It was Angelus."
Fred returned with the first aid kit. "No. That can't be. Cordy and Angel wouldn't.."
"I don't believe they did. Angelus came here to get weapons. He claimed Wolfram and Hart took her." His horrified eyes looked up at his friends. "Dear Lord! Wolfram and Hart have Cordelia. Grab some weapons. We need to get over there."
Gunn went to the weapon's cabinet. "I don't get it. Why does evil vamp care?" He tossed a crossbow to Wes. "Why do you think he left you alive?"
"I don't know. I'll think about it after we rescue Cordelia. Make sure you bring tasers and tranq darts. We should try to take Angelus alive."
"We promised Angel we'd stake him if he ever went evil again. I don't know about you, English, but I keep my promises."
"Don't lecture me. I know what I promised and I will keep it if I have to. Right now Cordelia is my priority and she happens to be very much in love with the vampire in question."
"Y'all both need to stop worrin' about what we may or may not need to do about Angelus. Either Wolfram and Hart have Cordy or Angelus does. I for one don't really like either possibility. Now both of you get in the truck!" The Texan stormed out of the hotel with two sheepish well-armed men trailing behind.
***
"Wake up sleepyhead."
Cordelia groaned. She felt like her head had been run over by a truck. Repeatedly. "Angel?"
"How do you feel?"
"Like someone tried to detach my head. I had the worst nightmare."
"Tell me all about it, baby."
"I was captured by..some baddies. They were going to cut me open." She shivered. "It felt so real. It was like I could feel the metal blade against my skin." She smiled. "And then you came to my rescue. You killed the baddies and carried me away." Cordelia finally managed to open her eyes. "Umm...Angel, where are we?"
"I rented this beautiful hotel suite for us. Don't you like it?"
Her head hurt like crazy and now she was completely confused. She tried to recall how they got here. "The last thing I remember was kissing you in the alley. How did we get here?"
"I carried you here."
"Huh?"
"After I killed the bastard who tried to cut you open, I brought you here."
"Oh God! It wasn't a dream?"
"Sorry baby. Don't worry. I didn't let them hurt you."
"Who were they? What did they want?"
"Explanations later. It feels like I've been waiting forever to fuck you."
"Excuse me? Are you insane? We can't risk your soul and what's with the crude?"
"Don't have a soul and what's wrong with fucking?"
Cordelia felt the air rush out of her lungs. "What?"
"Baby, I'm back!"
"How? Seeing me laid out and about to be cut open gave you a happy? This isn't funny."
Angelus jumped on the bed. "Who's laughing?" He rolled his eyes at her dumbfounded look. "Fine. Explanations now. Wolfram and Hart found a way to remove my soul. They were smart enough to leave me in the alley but they took you. They were going to dissect you for study. Not only that, Lilah wanted you to be alive so you could feel every cut. Dumb bitch thought I was just gonna let them have you. I came and got you. Now we're here. Answers given. So..you ready to fuck yet."
Cordelia clutched the covers. "Woah! Back up Fangboy. What the hell? Why would the evil lawyers want to dissect me?"
"Probably 'cause you're a higher being. They don't normally live in this realm."
"That bitch! She wanted me to feel.."
"C'mon. You can't really blame her for hating you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Cor, you stormed into the Watcher's apartment, found them mid-fuck, grabbed her clothes, threw them in her face and told her to get out. Instead of telling you to go to hell, Wussley backed you up and kicked her to the curb."
"Well she was using him. She took advantage of his dark time like another skanky ho we both knew."
"Don't start with that. Soulboy's responsible for that fuck up. I was just sayin' it's understandable is all."
"I can't say I'm broken up about you killing her. I know that's bad but I still hated her for the killer visions. I'm so not gonna miss her!"
"Umm..I didn't kill her."
"You let the bitch who tried to gut me go free? What kind of evil vamp are you? You were probably impressed by her creativity."
"No! Maybe a little and I didn't LET her go. She ran while I was busy killin' the thing tryin' to gut you. How was I supposed to know there was a secret passageway? I would have gone after her but I needed to get you out before the do-gooders showed up."
"Who?"
"There weren't enough weapons in the car. I had to stop at the hotel. I.."
"Oh God! What did you do? Was anyone there? Are they hurt?"
"Damn woman! Give a vampire a chance to answer. Just breathe. The baby snatcher was there. I told him who took you and what I planned to do to them. He tried to stop.."
"Wesley!"
"Quit your cryin'! I didn't kill him."
"You didn't?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"I've been killin' a long time now. I know the difference between unconscious and dead."
"Not that I'm complaining but why would YOU leave him alive?" She wrinkled her brow in confusion. "You saved me. Why?"
"Killing him wasn't the reason I went to the hotel. I didn't have any time to waste." Angelus stood up and began pacing.
"Why did you rescue me?"
"Because you're mine."
"Am I?"
"Yes." He walked around the bed to sit in front of her. "I know you're in love with soulboy but he's gone." He stroked her collarbone with his thumb. "I know how to please a woman. If you give me a chance, I could make you happy. You might even grow to love me."
"Angelus, I can't grow to love you." She grabbed the hand that was stroking her. "You've heard me say how much I love my sweet manpire. Where do you think you fit in?" The bed shook as he jumped up.
He put his fist through the wall with a growl. "So that's it? I resisted killing Wesley. I save you from being gutted. Do you even realize what I could have done to you while you were unconscious? I didn't even tie you up and you won't even give me a chance. You haven't changed. You're still a bitch!"
"Hey! Stop with the name calling and answer my question. Where do you fit in?"
"Don't talk to me like that. I'm don't put up with abuse. I give it. So stop. I get it. I don't fit in. It doesn't matter. You're mine. I'm not letting you go."
"With or without a soul you're still a dumbass. You are the 'pire' in manpire."
"Huh?"
"Listen carefully. I can't grow to love you because I'm already IN love with you."
"I told you not to play with me. I'm not a whipped puppy. I hit back. I'm a master vampire. A monster. A killer. I could snap your neck in an instant."
"Yeah! Yeah! In case you forgot, let me remind you. I can use my super glowy power and dust you without even getting up from this bed." She pat the spot he vacated. "Come here." She grabbed his hand. "I do love you."
"But I'm Angelus. You love the soul. I'm not him."
"I know who you are and I plan to do whatever it takes to get your soul back. That doesn't mean I don't love you too." He opened his mouth to argue. "Angelus, I gave up the world of black and white a long time ago. I don't need to think of you as two completely different people. I fell in love with Angel. Completely. Which means loving the man and the vampire."
"How? Why?"
"How? Kicking and screaming. Falling in love with you was so not on my list of things to do. Believe me I fought against it. I clung to denial like it was a designer original. Why? That's hard to explain. I don't know when I stopped telling myself you were two completely different people. I just know I did." She searched his eyes for understanding. "Angelus, do you love me?"
"I'm a soulless vampire. I..."
"Don't even think of giving me that crap. I know better. Do you love me?"
"I think so."
Cordelia leaned forward to gently capture his lips. "Do you love me?"
"Yes." He pulled her in for a deeper kiss. "I love you so much." He pushed her onto her back. "I want you now."
She pushed him up. "Are you sure you didn't kill Wesley? When you say unconscious, are we talking coma or just out like a light? When you say alive, do you mean he may be missing some body parts but he'll live?"
"Dammit woman! I don't want to talk anymore. Now is the time for fucking."
"You're such a romantic. I need to know if our family is okay. Please!"
"Fine." He walked over to wear his coat lay. "Here." He tossed her his cell phone. "Call them but we are fu..having sex when you're finished."
She rolled her eyes. "We'll fuck when I'm ready and not before."
Part 2"Angel Investigations. We.."
"Wesley! Are you alright?"
"Cordelia? Thank goodness. Where are you? Angelus in on the loose."
"I know. I'm in a hotel suite. I'm pretty sure I'm still in LA."
"Where is Angelus? Do you see any means to escape?"
"Actually he's standing in front of me."
"Dear lord! Cordelia.."
"Calm down. Have you called Sunnydale yet?"
Wesley was confused by her lack of fear. "I left a message. I tried all the numbers in your rolodex."
"Okay. Whenever they call, ask Willow to try the curse. I doubt it will work. Wolfram and Hart wouldn't have gone through with their plan if it was just a matter of recursing him."
"You're probably right. Speaking of Wolfram and Hart.."
"Don't even get me started. That evil bitch you were screwing ordered my capture and dissection."
"What?!"
"Yeah. She wanted to make sure I felt it too."
"By the time we got there, the place was crawling with police. They were carting off quite a few bodies. We feared the worst."
"I warned Lilah she hadn't seen Angel's bad side yet. They had no clue what they were doing."
"Cordelia, umm..what exactly is Angelus doing right now?"
"Pacing. He's waiting for me to hang up. One last thing, I don't want Connor coming home. I don't care what you have to do. Make sure he stays where he is." Angelus snatched the phone away. "Hey! I wasn't finished!"
"I think I've been more than patient. You keep forgetting who you're dealing with."
"Pfft. I haven't forgotten anything." She giggled when she saw Angelus start to undress. "What are you doing?"
"Getting undressed. What does it look like?"
"Not that I'm not enjoying the show or anything but why?"
"I let you call Watcherboy. I even let you talk about recursing me which we both know won't work. Now we're gonna have sex."
She arched a brow. "Oh really? I believe I told you not until I'm ready and right now I'm hungry."
In a flash he was on the bed. He grabbed her by the hair and twisted exposing her neck to him. He leaned in to whisper. "I think you need to start taking me seriously, little girl." She placed a hand on his chest. He could feel his flesh start to sizzle.
"I could say the same about you. Forcing me to do anything I don't want to do is NOT an option."
"You won't kill me."
"Your soul would never forgive me if I let you hurt me. You couldn't handle the guilt later." Her stomach growled. "See. We were on our way to dinner when I was kidnapped." Her bottom lip poked out in a pout. "I'm hungry."
Angelus looked down at his burnt chest. "Fine. I'll order room service."
"No. I was kidnapped, nearly mutilated and my boyfriend's soul was stolen. I've had a really bad day and you know what that means?"
"Small ham and pineapple pizza from Sal's."
"Don't forget the ice cream."
He gave her his best tortured face. "What flavor?"
"The special of the day is fine. Ben & Jerry's doesn't have a bad flavor."
"You expect me to pay?"
"Duh! What did you think? I was gonna sit here and watch you drain the delivery guy."
"Woman, you are.."
"I know but it's part of the reason you love me so much. Now order."
"You're just lucky Gavin keeps so much cash in his wallet and I still have that nice full feeling."
"Eww and you stole his wallet?"
"Yeah. It's not like he'll be needin' it. He's paying for the suite too. He's a pretty generous guy."
"Lilah the psycho bitch you let go but you kill Mr-I'm-going-to-bury-you-in-paperwork! What did he ever do to you?"
"He took you."
"What?"
"You don't think Lilah did the dirty work herself, did you?"
"That bastard!"
"Exactly. So who cares if Wolfram and Hart is down a few lawyers and some security guards. Don't you feel better knowing I didn't kill any innocent people to feed. I think that deserves a reward of the naked variety."
"Pfft. Don't you have a call to make?" He flipped his cell phone open and called. She could hear him mumbling into the phone but couldn't make out what hotel they were in. "Where are we?"
"In a hotel somewhere in Los Angeles."
"That helped."
Angelus jumped onto the bed and laid down next to her. "Whatever will we do to pass the time?"
"We can talk." She ignored his growl. "When did you fall in love with me?"
"I'm an evil vampire. I refuse to lie here and talk about my feelings."
She rolled over to rest her head on his shoulder. Her hand stroked his bare chest. "Please. I know Angel's answer. He doesn't like to talk about his demon." She smiled as he began to purr. "I love it when you do that."
"I love it when you make me do it." Her hand brushed his burn. He winced.
"I'm sorry." She kissed her scorched hand print. "Better?"
"Don't stop."
Her kisses turned to licks. "Answer my question. When did you fall in love with me?"
His purr grew louder. "I don't know when. I just know I do."
She gave one of his nipples a lick. "How long have you wanted me?"
He groaned when her tongue was replaced with her teeth. "When we first ran into each other here in LA."
Her head popped up. "Really?"
He pulled her head back down to his chest. "It was just lust back then."
"So you didn't notice me in Sunnydale either?"
"I noticed you but you came on so strong. I've had enough whores in my time. I like a challenge. OWW! What the fuck was that for?"
She sat up. "I'm not a whore!"
He grabbed her before she could leave. He threw a leg over her lower half and wrapped an arm around her chest. "I know you're not a whore. I didn't back then. Now, I know it was just an act." He planted a kiss behind her ear. "You looked so hot at the party. Soulboy was so happy to see a familiar face. You totally blew me off. I wanted to take you right there but the soul wouldn't cooperate. He needed to protect that dumb bitch Tina. Didn't do a very good job though."
"So you just wanted me because I wasn't interested?"
"I told you. I like a challenge. You've definitely been that. I'll never forget the day you showed up on my doorstep with your suitcases. I was standing there in nothing but a towel and you didn't even seem to notice. Your obliviousness to my charms didn't end there. I blame the soul. He stood back and let other men touch you." He nuzzled her neck. "I plan to make you forget everyone of them."
"How?"
He answered by capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Her moan was echoed by his.
"Delivery for room 607."
Angelus growled. "Are you sure I can't kill him?"
She giggled and pushed him away. "Answer the door and be good."
"I'm evil."
"Then be less evil. Don't make me fry your ass. I have other plans for it."
He caught her lips with a growl. "I'm gonna hold you to that." Angelus grabbed Gavin's wallet on his way to the door. "Give me the pizza."
"Sure thing, Angelus."
Cordelia screamed when the delivery guy pulled out a gun and fired it at Angelus. She watched him collapse mid lunge. She raced to his side. "What did you do to him?"
The man took a step back when Cordelia began to glow.
"Cordy, are you okay?"
"Wesley?"
"Thank goodness we got to you in time."
"How..What did he do to him?"
"He's only unconscious. Willow is sending a witch from her coven to perform the spell. Giles' assured me she's quite powerful. Willow doesn't feel strong enough to work with such ancient magics."
"How's Connor?"
"Not happy which is to be expected under the circumstances. He wanted to return home. I finally convinced him to stay put. I told him there was a chance Angelus might go after Buffy and her loved ones. He agreed to stay and protect Dawn. He warned me he wouldn't attempt to take him alive."
"I understand. It was good thinking but just so you know. Angelus wasn't planning on going to Sunnydale."
"I didn't think he would. At least not until we were all dead."
"He could have killed you before but he didn't."
"We'll talk about it after we get him back to the hotel and chained up."
"Where's Gunn?"
"He's waiting with the car." He continued at her raised brow. "Let's just say Connor isn't the only one with the stake first attitude."
***
"Cordy, I'm so glad you're alright. You are alright? He didn't hurt you, did he? Wesley said he was Angelus now. I don't know how he could have had his moment of perfect happiness 'cause you and he would never..I mean you and he didn't.."
"I'm fine Fred. He didn't hurt me and no. Angel and I didn't. Wolfram and Hart used a spell to remove his soul."
"Angelus is chained to his bed. He won't be going anywhere. Angel had the chains enchanted a while back. Just in case."
"He did?"
Wesley cleared his throat. "He told me about them when I returned. So Wolfram and Hart used a spell?"
Cordelia decided to let the chains drop. "Apparently. The plan was to leave Angelus in the alley and just take me."
"Why did Lilah only want you? Wesley said she was planning to dissect you. Why would she do that? I mean.."
"Angelus said Wolfram and Hart wanted me because I'm a higher being living on this plane. Lilah wanted me alive because Wesley chose me over her."
"Cordelia, I'm.."
"Don't even think of apologizing for what that bitch tried to do to me. She's gonna have to answer to the Senior Partners. They're not going to be too happy with her right now. Since Gavin's already dead, the blame will fall on her shoulders. It couldn't happen to a nicer girl. I don't plan on worrying about them. So when is Willow's friend supposed to get here?"
"In an hour or two."
"Okay. I don't expect the spell to work so we need to research other ways to return his soul. Get Lorne to check his contacts. Wes, I want you to hit the books. Fred, I want you to take the laptop to my apartment. There's a box in my closet. Dennis can help you find it. It has everything you need to perform the un-invite spell. You can research from there."
"Why do I.."
"Fred sweetie, I don't want you anywhere near Angelus. Gunn, why don't you go with her. Once the spell is done you can meet up with Lorne and help him."
"I think I should stay and watch Angelus."
"Don't worry. Wes and I will be here. The chains are enchanted so he isn't getting loose. Besides Spike should be here soon."
"Did you want him to come? You didn't mention anything. I'm afraid I didn't ask for his help."
"Don't worry Wes. He's on his way. Actually you couldn't keep him away if you tried. Trust me."
"Speaking of blondie vamp, why can't we do the same thing for Angel?"
"We can't. What Spike did isn't something we can do for Angel. Only Angelus can face the trials and be rewarded with his soul."
"Damn! No way is evil vamp gonna do it."
"I know. You guys have your assignments so get going."
Wesley polished his glasses. "What are you going to do?"
"Keep an eye on Angelus. He may be chained but he's nothing if not resourceful."
"Maybe Gunn should.."
"No. I'll be fine. In fact, I don't want anyone but Wes, Spike and I to go in there."
"Why? I.."
"Gunn, I know you're an important member of this team..family, but the whole Angel/Angelus thing is hard enough for you as it is. Spending time with Angelus is going to make it that much harder once we get Angel back."
"What about me?"
"Sweetie, I think Angel would rather you not meet his soulless half."
"I faced him in Pylea."
"Not exactly. That was the demon's purest form. Angelus can be just as hurtful with his words as he is with his hands. Wes and I know him and so does Spike. I really think it's for the best if you and Gunn don't see him like this."
"Okay. I guess I can understand that but aren't you the one he wants to hurt the most?"
"He won't hurt me physically and I can handle what he has to say."
"Cordelia, I think you might be.."
"Look Wes. I know what I'm talking about. I know who and what he is. I know if Angelus was to walk down those stairs right now and saw how close you were standing, your hand on my shoulder, he would snap your neck before you could blink." Wes snatched his hand away like he'd been burned. All three took a step back. "Just like I know I would dust him if he tried. Let me remind all of you. I have the ability to dust him up in his room from right here. I'm not a doe eyed teenager trying to justify why I can't kill my boyfriend even though he's killing people. Okay so I'm not exactly broken up over the dead lawyers but let them try to dissect you and see how sympathetic you are. Angelus is going to remain chained. I am going to do whatever it takes to get him his soul back. I don't plan on losing the man I love because some evil lawyers thought Angelus would join their team if they released him."
"Don't yell at me but why didn't the evil vamp join them?"
"Partly because they made the mistake of taking me."
"So?"
"He loves me."
"I thought the soulless one wasn't capable of love."
"You thought wrong. Now guys we need to start working. The world's champion needs our help."
Fred grabbed the laptop. "I'm ready. We'll find a way."
"Yes. Let's try to be positive. Perhaps the curse will work. Wolfram and Hart may have been counting on Angelus killing us before we could try to recurse him."
"Yeah English. Way to be positive."
"C'mon Charles."
"Okay. Let's go."
"I'll call Lorne."
"I'll check on Angelus."
"Everyone should check in on an hourly basis. We must remain on alert. Angelus is subdued but Wolfram and Hart may still have plans. Lilah might try something to salvage the situation. Watch your backs."