Go TeamC/A
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Title: You Need To Share
Author: Scorch
Posted:
Rating: PG-15
Category: Light Violence
Content: C/Aus implied
Summary: Angelus gets a talking too!
Spoilers:
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: AO & NF, anyplace else just ask
Notes: I'm writing this off the top of my head so be gentle, I have a fragile, little mind!
Thanks/Dedication:For Lilyana.
Feedback:!!
Angelus sighed happily, feeling elated that he no longer had his soul, lost it in the Slayer's pants somewhere. He scowled in revulsion, what the hell had his soul been thinking? A Slayer for crying out loud, what was it about her? Apart from the willingness to spread 'em for him? Oh well, what's done is done and there's no use in moaning over spilt blood.
Cordelia left the library, shaking her head in pity at Willow's little outburst of jealousy, why couldn't she act her age about the whole thing? She was supposed to be the sensible one of the group after all. You had Buffy, pint-sized power house who had the ability to wow everyone with a roundhouse. Then you had Xander, he had the ability to wow everyone with his bad taste in clothes and pithy sarcasm. Next you come to Willow Rosenburg, short red-headed girl who wore green tights, plaid skirts and sneakers.
"Urgh, why she doesn't just ask for advice is beyond my comprehension" Cordelia said to herself as she pushed the main doors open and walked confidently to her car.
Angelus saw the brunette waltz towards her car, a swing in her step and little mutters coming from under her breath. He went to follow her when he realised she was muttering about him, or his soullful self rather.
"Oh Angel!" Cordelia mimicked in a whiny, high-pitched voice, "I love you Angel, and I'll love you forever if you tell me I'm yours!"
The vampire raised an eyebrow at her words and continued to listen intently.
"But Angel" Cordelia carried on, oblivious to her audience, "I'm the Slayer and everyone must do what I tell them, even you because I'm the Slayer and it's my sacred duty alone to whine. Now, you must obey my every command, do what I tell you when I tell you" she snorted back her laughter then changed her voice to a low pitch, clearly mimicking Angel.
"But Buffy, I can't let you whine alone, you mean to much to me" her words were interrupted by another snort of laughter. "Don't worry, I will do as you say mistress for I fear your mighty stake and your Slayer wrath. But please I beg of you, buy me a new leash this one's feeling a little tight"
Angelus felt his jaw drop, he was not the Slayer's puppy dog and he did not wear a leash. He walked towards her, fully intending to teach her a lesson she would never forget. "Cordelia?" he spoke out loudly, causing her to jump a mile in shock.
"Geez Angel" Cordelia snapped, voice returning to normal, she clutched a hand to her pounding heart, "You really need a bell. Hasn't anyone told you how rude it is to sneak up on girls in the dark?"
"Sorry" Angelus replied, making sure he sounded as contrite as possible, "Where are you going?" he asked, holding back on the need to drain her.
"Never mind" she huffed, "I was going home to get some sleep when you sprouted up from nowhere"
"Oh, would you mind giving me a lift to my apartment?" Angelus asked, his expression pleading with her while he kept his smirk off his face.
"Why, isn't your owner around to walk you home?" Cordelia asked haughtily.
"Buffy isn't my owner Cordelia, you'd do well to remember that" Angelus told her, yet again holding back from draining her outright.
"Sor-ree, didn't mean to insult your precious Buff-meister. Geez, get a grip"
They got into her car and began to short drive to his apartment. "Why do you let Buffy push you around all the time?" she asked bluntly.
"She doesn't push me around Cordelia" Angelus replied abruptly.
"Sure she does you just can't see it, your vampy nose had probably inhaled way too much of her bleach and now you're so clouded in a purple haze that you can't see straight" Cordelia pointed out as she turned a corner.
His head snapped to hers, "Stop the car Cordelia" his tone left no argument.
"Make up your mind sheesh, awkward much?" she pulled the car over to the side of the road and killed her engine. Turning to face Angel, the brunette gave him a look which stopped his words, "Think about it Angel. How many timed have you heard Giles and Xander make comments about you that Buffy ignored? Hell, how many comments have I made about you that Buffy's ignored? I honestly don't think I've ever heard her defend you at all"
"Not a dog" Angelus told her, more angrily than the last time because her words started to make some sense in his head. "I don't need a woman to fight my battles for me"
"No, you just lye back and take whatever her loser friends give out" Cordelia replied honestly, "You turn up at the graveyard when you're needed, you fight, you win, you listen to Xander berate you over and over. Do any of them thank you for your help? No. They just give Buffy and pat on the back, say well done and ignore you. Great! You must be so proud"
"I suppose you'd say thank you to me for saving you" Angelus deadpanned, her words floating round his head. He couldn't pinpoint one time when Buffy had not basically told him what to do or one point where she had defended him to her friends. He found it interesting how this self-obsessed girl had seen something he hadn't.
"Duh! I tried once but Buffy dragged you away, it's not my problem if you didn't stick around to hear me brand you as Supervamp extraordinaire" Cordelia pointed out as she looked at him. "You need to get a life Angel, and go live it someplace"
"I suppose you mean that literally" Angelus responded, amusement in his voice at their conversation.
"You're dead of course I don't mean it literally, what am I? Dense?" Cordelia demanded hotly, "If I was dense, I'd be calling me Angel..."
Angelus grabbed a tight hold of her arm and yanked her to him, ignoring her yelp of shock and sudden fear. "Listen to me very carefully Cordelia. I am not the Slayer's lapdog, I am not dense and I don't care one way or the other about someone defending me"
Cordelia stared into his angry eyes, her own wide with fear and shock, she had never known Angel to act like this with any of them, much less her. She yanked her arm out of his harsh grasp and sat back in her seat with her own angry glare at him. "Just because she hasn't fed you any treats today doesn't mean you can take your frustrations out on me Angel. I've done nothing but tell you the truth, if you have issues you feel the need to work out then join a gym"
"I don't have issues" Angelus growled at her, growing tired of her tirade at him and tired of letting her think he was Angel. "I don't care about what the boy or the little sidekick thinks of me and I really don't care what the Slayer doesn't say in my defence. What I do care about is deciding whether or not to let you out of this car alive"
"If you don't care then why are you getting all growly and tense?"
"I'm getting all growly and tense because you won't shut up and let this matter drop" Angelus barked at her, delighting in the way she jumped at the violent tone of his voice.
Determined not to let the irrate vampire get the better of her, Cordelia carried on not realising that was not the vampire with a soul she knew. "Truth hurts doesn't it Angel? Go on, tell me I'm lying and say that you enjoy being told what to do by your girlfriend, lie to me and say you love being kept on a leash"
Angelus brought the back of his hand in a resounding smack against her cheek, "Shut up Cordelia" he hissed at her, shaking with anger through knowing she was right in everything she said to him.
Cordelia's heart was pounding loudly through her ribcage, holding her stinging cheek and blinking back tears of hurt, fright and pain. She had never been struck by a man she had trusted to keep her safe, never been struck by a man period and she was so very, very frightened but still too stubborn to let him make her a victim of his abuse. "Poor Angel, what's the matter? Are you picking on me because you know your girlfriend can fight back? Is that what this is all about? You using me to make a statement to Buffy?"
Angelus stared at her, Cordelia's face showing every emotion clearly like a picture, fright, hurt, confusion, surprise and smugness. He knew he could kill her instantly and she would make a good first step in destroying the Slayer's life piece by piece but yet she showed no cowardice at his temper. Maybe there was more to the cheerleader then meets the eye. "If I want to make a statement Cordelia, it would be Xander, Willow or the Watcher I would kill, not you. The Slayer barely even thinks of you as a friend, more of an annoyance really" he told her casually.
"You should hear some of the things they call you" Angelus chuckled.
"The difference between you and me Angel, is that I honestly don't care what they think of me" Cordelia replied truthfully. "I'm not so insecure that my entire self worth depends on their approval, you on the other hand seem to seek approval. Trying to show yourself that you aren't what you think you are"
"And what do I think I am?" Angelus asked, curiosity overriding his anger for the minute, wanting to hear what she said to that.
"Simple, you're ashamed of who and what you are" Cordelia stated easily, "I bet when you were human you never got along with your parents. I bet you were the male bitch of your town and I bet you were the one that was known as the bad influence and black sheep of your family"
Her words hit close to home, too close for his liking. Angelus stared out of her car windscreen silently for a few minutes before replying to her statement. "Cordelia, I'm giving you this one chance to walk away alive. Get out of this car and walk away, don't look back and don't say another word. Not many people get this chance" he told her darkly.
"Don't be so melodramatic Angel" Cordelia said with an amused smile, totally oblivious to how close she had gotten to the truth of his human existance. "Besides, this is my car and where it goes, I go so if anyone should get out and walk away, it's you"
The vampire slowly turned to look at her, amber eyes locking onto her hazel ones and seeing into her eyes as something seemed to click inside her. Those hazel eyes darkened as she searched his eyes and expression for some sort of emotion but found only numbing coldness residing in there. "Angel?" Cordelia whispered with a frown of confusion, this was Angel wasn't it?
Angelus was shaking as rage seeped from his entire being, he could give it easily but he didn't like taking it. He reached out with his hand to caress the side of her face gently, "Cordelia, if you don't leave now then I will kill you"
"Why so angry Angel?"
His hand smoothed down to her shoulder and he squeezed painfully but she didn't register the pain from it, she was far too lost in the cold of the vampire's eyes. "Angel, everyone has something they'd rather forget and you have a chance to change all that, you have a chance to prove you're more than that. You are a good man and how, you may ask, do I know this. Simple. You help the people that hate you in an effort to make them see who you are" she stressed. "To make them see who Angel really is"
Angelus just sat there in silence again, what would she say if she knew he wasn't Angel? Would she still treat him like a man? Why did she stay after he hit her? Why was she being nice to him after he hit her? This was something new to the vampire, a chance to have a conversation with somebody who didn't seem to cower away from him. But mabe she was only like this because she thought he was Angel.
"I'm not Angel, Cordelia" Angelus told her seriously, his tone telling her he was not lying or making up a story. "I lost my soul tonight when I fucked Buffy. You're sitting here with a soulless vampire who wouldn't feel guilty about snapping your neck or draining you dry. You have two choices Cordelia" he told her. "One, you can run away from me like a scared, little girl, or two, you can stay and hear what I have to say"
Cordelia stayed.
The End
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