Title: Season of Solace
Author: Lysa
Posted: 16/06/05
Rating: R/N-17 [maybe]
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Category: C/A in BtVS
Content: C/A
Summary: Buffy teams Angel & Cordelia up to teach them both a lesson, but danger brings them much closer than the Slayer anticipated.
Spoilers: BtVS Season Three thru Lovers Walk.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Angel's Archive, Go TeamC/A, Just Fic, FSB. Anywhere else…please let me know.
Notes: Based on a challenge posted at AO by Impress posted Oct 2003.
A/N 2: I’ve pushed back Spike’s arrival in Sunnydale, so for the purposes of this fic the rebar incident took place during a situation in which he was not involved.
Thanks/Dedication:
Feedback: Yes, any FB is awesome. I really appreciate hearing from you!
PROLOGUE
South America, 1998
The stench of beer, old blood and demons awakened Spike from his pleasant dreams of violently putting the Slayer in her proper place. Raising an arm to block out the bright moonlight shining in his eyes, he failed to notice the beer bottle still clutched in his hand. A curse followed as the bottle hit his aching head, splashing warm beer across his black t-shirt.
“What the—,” he growled in confusion as his thoughts waded through the dullness that seemed to fill his head. “Where am I?”
Rolling his body to the side, he toppled off the hood of the Desoto, crashing to the ground with a thud. The beer bottle shattered, cutting his hand, blood mixing with the beer as it soaked into the dirt. When he opened his eyes, the lace-trimmed edge of Drusilla’s gown billowed softly in front of him.
Spike scrambled to his feet, completely uncoordinated, but sobering a bit when he managed to recall why he’d set himself up to get drunk. She’d left him. Drusilla had actually abandoned him and run off with a Chaos demon. It wasn’t that hard to find them considering this little watering hole was the only legitimate demon hangout east of Brasilia.
Spotting them at the park next to the cantina, Spike decided to plan his revenge over a few dozen beers. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now the dull ache was evolving into a thundering jackhammer. He plastered a smile on his face, hid his bleeding hand behind his back and tried to determine which of the two Drus was the real one.
“Hello, luv,” Spike leaned forward and then leaned back, wavering in his attempt at holding onto his balance. “Come to kiss and make up now, have we? Gonna tell me you were daft for running off with that sticky-faced idiot?”
Dru looked skyward staring at the moon, an eager smile spreading across her blood red lips. She clasped Spike’s jaw in her slender hand, holding him steady as she met his gaze again. The false warmth provided by the alcohol vanished as her words chilled him to the bone.
“Daddy’s home,” she said with such surety that Spike knew it to be true.
Only he didn’t want to believe it. Drusilla’s visions always held a measure of truth, even if they often came mixed up in madness. “No, no, no. World’s still here. That means Angelus’ plan to end it failed. Slayer got him.”
“Gone to hell and come back again,” she practically hummed. “He is weak, but grows stronger.”
Shaking his head only caused Spike to growl in reaction to the wave of nausea that hit. Then his alcohol-soaked brain provided another conclusion. “Maybe the world did end. This is hell. That’s why you left me.”
Dru pouted and then her dark eyes glittered coldly. “Not so. You left me first. Here,” she pointed to his head, “and here.” Then she flattened her palm over his unbeating heart. “It’s the Slayer who fills your thoughts and stirs your lust. I have to get my pleasures somewhere.”
Glancing behind her at the broad-shouldered Chaos demon, Spike didn’t see how she could compare that thing to him. “So you came over here to jab the stake a little deeper. Oh, I do like that,” he grinned before realizing what it meant that Angelus had returned.
His smile reversed itself, falling into a dark frown. “What has the world come to? A guy can’t even fantasize about a girl without her poofy ex coming back from the dead and getting in the middle of it.”
The rant was wasted on Drusilla, who was dancing around him. The Chaos demon hardly heard a thing as he busily tried to explain to Spike that he had no idea Dru already had a boyfriend. “I wasn’t talkin’ ‘bout me,” Spike growled his clarification to the horned demon. “I was talkin’ ‘bout Angelus and his bleedin’ heart soul.”
Spinning to a stop, Dru lifted Spike’s injured hand, running her tongue along the bloody trail across his palm. “Take me. Take me to him.”
The rush of pleasure at her touch gave him pause, but Spike pulled his hand away. “It’s not my bloody business. Gonna forget Sunnyhell and everyone in it. Plan to stay here and stay drunk until you realize that you’re mine. Mine.”
Enfolding him in her arms, Drusilla held his head against her chest, running her fingers through his soft blond hair and cooing his name. “Do you want me to be happy again, my Spike?”
“Yes,” he sniveled drunkenly into her shoulder.
“My Angel is lost,” Dru explained gently as if talking to a small child. “She will guide him, but I must point the way.”
Raising his head, Spike wiped at his face with his sleeve. “The Slayer? The only place she’ll be guiding Angelus is back to hell. Unless he got himself trussed up with a soul again and then she’ll just shag it back out again.”
Dru went right on talking, “I will tell her how to please him.”
“Slayer already knows that little secret.” That brought another scowl to his face. Thinking about Angel and Buffy made him want to drink or hurl, possibly both.
A little trill of laughter sounded as Dru corrected him. “Not the pesky Slayer, you naughty boy.” She tweaked his nose which drew a chuckle from the Chaos demon still watching them. “The one like me.”
It was impossible to think clearly. Spike had no idea what she was talking about. “There’s no one like you my goddess of the night, my pet, my black beauty, my ripe wicked pl—”
Interrupting, Dru sounded a deadly promise, “If she won’t please him, she will die.”
Spike huffed mockingly, “Yeah, cos we all know what happens when Buffy’s sweetie-bear gets pleased as punch. Last time he went off his bloody rocker. And that means I don’t want nothin’ to do with anyone else pleasin’ him either.”
“Let us leave this place,” Drusilla’s eyes turned pleading. “Come with me.”
“Anything for you.”
Behind them, the Chaos demon looked a bit forlorn, “Drusilla?” instantly bringing a smug smile to Spike’s face.
He added, “As long as your friend isn’t planning to tag along. There’s no room in the Desoto for those antlers.”
The Chaos demon blew Drusilla a parting kiss which she caught and then waved her slender fingers at him in return. Spike groaned disgustedly. Ushering her into the passenger seat, he rounded the car, hopped in and turned on the ignition.
“Let’s go then.” Screeching tires and a billowing cloud of dust followed in their wake.
CHAPTER ONE
Sunnydale High School
Even hell seemed quiet in comparison.
Angel watched from a distance as Buffy and Cordelia’s conversation quickly escalated into an argument. He stayed in the shadows, eavesdropping. Any interference would prove awkward and unwise. Experience taught him that the situation would diffuse if he just waited it out.
Getting trapped in the middle during one of their spats was an uncomfortable place, especially on the occasions when he couldn’t honestly take Buffy’s side in the matter. For the moment, he actually understood Buffy’s point, but Cordelia was obstinate as usual stating that she wasn’t going to let a little accident get in the way.
“So get used to seeing me again,” she added with a confidence that Angel took to heart. He needed a little bolstering of his own tonight.
Considering Cordelia’s recent experiences, Angel would have guessed she’d give her friends a wide berth. Like him, she was something of an outsider when it came to the Scooby Gang and he suspected there was a reason behind her return to the ranks. Assuming Buffy allowed it. Cordelia’s failure or success during this standoff might tell him whether his own arrival would be accepted.
“Forget it,” Buffy snapped, fists planted on her hips and matching Cordelia’s defiant glare. “It’s only been a week since you got out of the hospital.”
Cordelia’s chin raised up a notch. “It’s not as if you cared then, so why the concern now?”
The notion that she didn’t care riled Buffy up even more. She didn’t bother to point out the number of times she’d asked Willow or Xander how she was doing. Not that they knew much considering Cordelia had all but barred them from visiting.
Buffy settled for pointing out, “You were skewered by rebar.”
“I know. I was there.”
“Your wound is still fresh,” Buffy tried another tactic. “You’ll be a liability. Every vampire in Sunnydale will be after you.”
“That’s the idea. Hello, I’m the bait, remember.”
Standing her ground, Buffy refused to budge on the subject. “Patrolling is out. It’s too dangerous. Besides, I don’t think Xander would like it.”
“Puh-lease,” Cordelia seemed to think her cheating ex-boyfriend was the least of her worries. “He’s begging me to come back and I think he deserves to see what he’s missing.”
“Like that’s supposed to convince me?”
Cordelia shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder before casually commenting, “It was your fault it happened in the first place.”
“Mine?” gasped Buffy. “I wasn’t even there.”
“Exactly.” Explaining that she had a lot of time to think about it while she was stuck in the hospital, Cordelia told her, “You were probably off somewhere macking on your homicidal hottie. Otherwise you would have been there when Oz and I arrived at that demon den and found Willow all over Xander.”
Buffy looked horrified that Cordelia would think she was shirking her duty as Slayer, especially since there had been a deliberate avoidance of anything remotely intimate since Angel’s return. She’d had an excuse until Scott chose to break up with her. Now major awkwardness existed and Buffy couldn’t allow herself to risk history to repeat itself.
“We weren’t macking.”
“Getting groiny, endangering the world. Whatever,” Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Wasn’t once enough to teach you not to play with vampires?”
“We weren’t getting—,” flustered, she was getting flustered. “Angel & I were busy slaying the demon that kidnapped them.”
Cordelia didn’t exactly seem to believe her. “Busy, uh huh. Call it what you want. You owe me, Buffy Summers, so don’t try to keep me away.”
As a last ditch effort, Buffy pointed out, “This is the last place you ever wanted to be. Why now?”
“Maybe I like the thrill.”
Laughing at that one, Buffy scoffed at the idea that anyone who complained so much about the wear and tear of vampire dust on her designer clothes had other issues to deal with. She was about tell Cordelia that she’d like to see how she’d handle doing something more than offering opinions and playing vampire bait, when Buffy realized she was playing right into the other teen’s hands.
“Try again.”
“Civic duty?” Cordelia suggested after a thoughtful pause, adding a sour note. “I was really hoping to nab that Citizen of the Year award. Unless you’ve already bagged it.”
“I’ll put in a good word with the mayor next time I see him,” Buffy quipped. “I’m not buying, Cor. If you’re coming back just to be a bitch about things, you can save your breath.”
She could tell she’d hit a nerve as Cordelia’s brows arched high and stared back with equal intensity. Being a bitch was her God-given right and Buffy knew it would take more than just a bit of rebar to change that. Nothing would convince her that there wasn’t an ulterior motive involved.
The snarky comment Buffy expected was instead an honest offering. “I want to help.”
“Fine.”
Doing a double-take, Cordelia reeled in her next comment, surprised that Buffy was actually giving in. “Really?”
“Fine.” Turning on her heel, Buffy stalked across the school grounds toward the front entrance, muttering, “I think I’m gonna regret this.”
Cordelia’s triumphant grin flashed in the moonlight as Angel watched her leisurely stroll in the same direction. He moved out of the shadows as soon as she reached the steps, figuring that he might as well follow her example and just show up.
After Buffy suggested that things were too difficult between them to continue seeing each other, he had kept to himself at the mansion. The loneliness was harder than he imagined, different than he remembered. The experiences of his time in hell were fading, replaced by the vivid recollections of his two short years in Sunnydale. Some days it seemed like eons had passed between then and now. Others, it was only yesterday.
He had grown used to having these people around and thought he would be able to depend upon Buffy to acclimate him again, that they would resume their relationship despite its challenges. Obviously, he misjudged the level of blame each of them had attributed to the other and the guilt that came with their actions.
Angel thought it was worth it to try, but listening to Buffy as she showed him that stack of college brochures made him realize she had a right to have future plans that didn’t include him. It was also evidently clear he wasn’t even considered to be a part of that future. If she could leave Sunnydale, she’d said there would be nothing here to hold her back.
It was easy to conclude that she meant him, too.
What he felt for her had been simple, but true. Angel knew now that it fed a need he didn’t know he had. Because of that, he would have done anything for her to gain it back. Now it all seemed like a bittersweet dream replaced by a nasty taste of reality, something he was more than familiar with.
What he did to her and her friends was possibly unforgivable. Even now, the sound of Jenny Calendar’s fragile neck cracking beneath the force of his grip echoed in his head, just as a phantom ache seemed to gnaw at his chest where Buffy’s sword thrust sealed his fate. No matter that the wound itself had long since repaired itself; emotionally, it left a hole where his heart used to be.
Angel didn’t like the idea of being dismissed from Buffy’s life. It was one thing to admit that the feelings between them had changed, but to stay away also meant that he wouldn’t be a part of her mission here at the Hellmouth. He reminded himself that he was brought here to protect her, to help her. For now, that needed to be his primary focus.
The Scooby meeting tonight was likely to be an eye-opener.
Maybe Cordelia’s surprise arrival would distract them from the fact that he was also crashing their latest research party. She had a flair for making herself the center of attention and that was fine with him. He had no doubt that the others would accept her back into the fold since she was so determined to be there and because Xander and Willow regretted their behavior.
According to Buffy, both seemed to view the incident as a mistake, even though it obviously went beyond something as simple as indiscretion. Oz had apparently forgiven Willow and the two were trying to piece their relationship together again, something Angel admired and hoped to emulate.
Cordelia was in the lucky position of bestowing forgiveness on those who had done her wrong, assuming that was part of her plan. For him, it was the opposite.
***
“I know you’re out there,” Cordelia stopped in her tracks and reached for the stake in her purse. “Back off, buddy.”
Startled, Angel glanced around for sign of an imminent attack, but saw nothing. He hadn’t made a sound, either. Instinct alone had alerted her to his presence. On the top step, Cordelia whirled around, stake in the air as she backed closer to the door. Seconds away from what he figured would be an ear-piercing scream, Angel stepped forward, holding his hands up in mock surrender.
The Cordelia he remembered would have screamed first and run for the hills, hoping trouble wouldn’t follow. It seemed a lot had changed during the summer he missed. Angel said nothing, merely stepping into the light of the closest lamppost.
Recognizing him, she dropped her arm to her side. “Oh, it’s you.” Her hand kept a firm grip on the stake. “Great,” she added in a non-enthusiastic way that Angel was growing used to. His reception was hardly a welcome one and so far it seemed that his presence here in Sunnydale was merely tolerated for Buffy’s sake.
The unconscious stab at his ego caused his mouth to tighten up. Dropping the pretense of surrender, Angel moved silently up the stairs to stand beside her. Any amusement he’d felt at her brave attempt at defending herself faded quickly. He supposed she had a reason not to trust him, though it was hard to suppress the urge to remind her that there was a time he could’ve had her for the asking.
That wasn’t just his ego talking. No doubt it was a lucky escape. Considering her constant chatter, it was doubtful Xander had time to make a move despite the length of time those two dated. He couldn’t deny that Cordelia was a stunning beauty, but she possessed no tact whatsoever.
Buffy said she was the most irritating girl she’d ever met and there were times when Angel knew exactly what she meant. Though he hadn’t had a lot of first-hand experience. Ever since she discovered that he was a vampire, Cordelia had tended to ignore his existence unless it involved saving her life. Now that Angelus had attacked her in the cemetery, it was doubtful that behavior would change.
Frankly, it was just as well. He rarely knew what to say to her although there were times he was compelled to make an effort. That one time at the Bronze—
“Sheesh! Are you competing with Oz for stoic of the year award?” Cordelia snapped her fingers in front of his face. “C’mon, Angel, say something. It only takes one syllable to say ‘hi’.”
Opening his mouth, he closed it again, wondering what she expected. “Nice night,” he finally muttered, not knowing what else to say and inwardly cursing himself for sounding like an idiot.
Cordelia snorted. “Guess you left your vocabulary in hell because you weren’t this tongue-tied when you were evil.”
She moved toward the door when Angel’s hand closed over her wrist preventing her well-timed exit. A tremor shuddered beneath his touch, her body tensing up. They both glanced down at the stake and then up again. “Did you get the flowers? The nurse said—”
Drawing in a deep breath, Cordelia held it for a second, a hot flush spreading across her skin remembering the conclusions of the nursing staff. The way they had gushed over her tall, handsome boyfriend only to learn that he wasn’t any such thing. At the time, she didn’t want to see him any more than she wanted to see Xander.
Three days went by before she accepted any visitors into her hospital room. In the end, she’d allowed Xander in only to send him away again. Giles stopped by with a stack of homework and a Get Well card, telling her that her teachers wished her a speedy recovery. He was followed by a floating armada of shiny balloons brought in by Willow who made her apologies with stuttered whispers and tears in her eyes.
Apparently, Angel only made the one attempt to stop by, which was one more than Cordelia ever expected. Since returning from that hell dimension, he was even more of a reclusive mystery guy than usual. Not that she would have wanted him to see her like that. Hospital gowns were hardly haute couture.
“Yes.” Smiling at the memory, she was surprised that he brought up the flowers. He was asking in a tone that suggested it wasn’t quite appropriate for him to do something so personal. Pfft. He was probably scared that Buffy would find out her lapdog had done something without her say so.
Actually, his was the only offering that seemed remotely genuine. Xander’s huge bouquet, bore the stench of guilt despite the color they added the bland walls of her hospital room.
“So you liked them?”
Admitting, “I did,” she told him with a hint of the same amazement she’d felt upon receiving them, “thanks. I’ve never seen anything like them. They were gorgeous, unique.”
“Good.” Warmly, his gaze held hers as his grip shifted, softening and opening up to move down over the back of her hand. Angel tugged loose the stake, holding it up between them. “I think it’s safe to put this away.”
Snatching it out of his hand, “Says you.” Lightly poking his stomach with the end of the stake, Cordelia huffed, “How am I supposed to know if you’ve gone all homicidal maniac on us again.”
All she got that time was a low grunt as he absently rubbed the spot she’d poked. Cordelia’s gaze automatically slid down, watching Angel’s hand slide across the dark material of his shirt, fingers splaying over the taut muscles beneath. Her attention darted back up to discover that irritation had replaced his formerly calm demeanor.
“Umm, I guess we should get in there,” she backed toward the door. Angel followed step for step until Cordelia bumped into the metal door handles. Her heart rate sky-rocketed as Angel’s big body loomed close, blocking her in as his hand closed over her hip.
An irrational flash of fear swept over her only to realize seconds later that Angel was simply moving her out of the way in order to get to the door. He held it open for her, motioning her in and quietly reminding Cordelia that there was always going to be one constant between them. “Buffy’s waiting.”
***
Rupert Giles felt the tension rise the moment that Cordelia and Angel appeared in the library. Having informed them of their meeting, the group expected Cordelia and not the vampire. Point in fact, Buffy spent the first five minutes after her own arrival grousing over the fact that she had given in to Cordelia’s demands.
Though he suggested she might be quite useful in a research capacity during a more appropriate period of convalescence, no one seemed willing to believe Cordelia would go along with the idea. Asking was the only way to prove that theory.
He had continued to listen to Buffy regale the details of the encounter when it finally occurred to him that Cordelia had not arrived. Glancing down at his watch, he confirmed that nearly ten minutes had passed. “Buffy, I thought you said she was right behind you.”
Rising from her slouched position on a chair, Buffy considered the worst. “You don’t suppose she ran into trouble?”
“That’s Cor’s middle name,” quipped Xander worriedly.
Faith didn’t bother to suppress her scorn. “Real smart, B. I thought you knew saving the helpless was part of the job description here at Hellmouth Central.”
“You obviously haven’t spent much time with Cordelia,” Buffy scowled at the thought that anyone with stubborn bitch credentials would be considered helpless. Still, Cor wasn’t exactly in top form despite her arguments, no matter that Buffy had given in to them.
Xander and Willow were also on their feet, following along as the Slayer charged to the rescue. They pulled up short when the library doors swung open. “Where are you going? We just got here,” Cordelia pointed out.
“Saving you,” Willow explained, shrinking a bit at the sharp look she received.
Considering that Willow was probably the last person she wanted saving her from anything, Cordelia’s voice edged on iciness. “I can take care of myself. Besides, I found Angel skulking around outside.”
“‘Trouble’ sounds pretty accurate,” Xander met Angel’s steady gaze for a second before scooting forward to usher Cordelia into the room. It was somewhat gratifying to Giles to note that he wasn’t the only one experiencing a measure of discomfort over the vampire’s presence.
Buffy looked pale, quite ghostly in fact. She’d suggested to him that Angel wouldn’t be around anymore, but had left him without further explanation. The thought had been rather satisfying at the time. He would prefer Angel to stay out of Buffy’s life no matter that his assistance had been valuable in the past. Their relationship was as unnatural as it was destructive.
Now it appeared that Angel had changed his mind about staying away. Immediately walking toward her, Angel cupped her elbow and led her into a far corner. Cordelia and Xander didn’t bother with privacy; they squared off in the center of the room, arguing about her return and whether it was any of his business.
“Are you sure you should be back so soon?” Xander’s question seemed reasonable to Giles, but if there was one thing he had learned from his observations, Cordelia was not likely to be dissuaded from a decision once she made it. “Buffy said you wanted to patrol. It’s too soon.”
“I’m fine.”
This was going to be a long night. Giles sighed deeply and reached up to loosen his tie. Across the room, Buffy and Angel remained in deep conversation, far quieter but no less intense. Faith simply propped her feet on the table and looked on it all with a bored expression while Willow resumed her seat, nibbling at her nails, eyes as big as saucers.
It was times like these that Giles wished he had taken up an interest in paleontology or geology instead of joining the Watcher’s Council. Fossilized bones and rocks never caused such a ruckus. Removing his glasses, he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to suppress his growing irritation. Then a loud whistle pierced the air, his eyelids popping open in automatic response to note that Faith was the culprit.
Rising from her chair, she loudly clapped her hands together demanding attention. Giles noticed he wasn’t the only one with his mouth hanging open. He was about to shut it when Faith said, “Jeeves here has something to say.”
Replacing his glasses, Giles sent her a nod, his mouth a bit purse-lipped as he said, “Thank you, Faith. First of all, welcome back Cordelia. We are all pleased to see you recovered.”
She met his gaze from across the room and though her arms were folded across her abdomen in a somewhat defensive manner, Giles caught the hint of a smile that graced her lips. Moving on before anyone, namely Xander, could cut in with further protest about her decision to return, he reminded the group that they were there for a reason.
“The Watcher’s Council has sent word on a new prophesy.” Giles adjusted his glasses and began to explain the details of the situation. The others slowly filed back across the room.
Keeping a focus on the task at hand was the only thing that allowed Giles to tolerate Angel’s presence. Though he couldn’t bring himself to offer the vampire the same welcome he had given to Cordelia, for Buffy’s sake, he was determined to maintain his decorum. He watched Angel take a seat on the stairs, quietly settling into the background.
Before he could make a start on the details of the prophesy and the goals of their research activities, he noticed Cordelia was left standing as Faith now occupied her usual seat next to Xander.
Oh dear. The two were staring, no, glaring at each other now. Giles hastened to fix the situation. “Move over a bit, Willow. I’ll just squeeze in another chair.”
Cordelia took one look at Willow’s expression, grabbed an arbitrary book from the table and walked in the direction of the stairs. “I’ll just sit over here.”
Nudging Angel’s knee with her own, she prompted him to move over just enough to let her sit down. It was impossible to tell whether he was irritated or terrified by the intrusion of his space.
“Don’t get ideas,” she warned all too seriously. “No snacking.”
Chapter 2