| Title: Queen of the Night Author: Starlett Chapter 7 "Cordelia?" She looked up to find herself face-to-face with a stranger. "Yes," she replied, her eyebrow arching in inquiry. "I have a message for Angel." He took a step forward. "Yes?" Cordelia repeated. He was practically on top of her now. "The Elders are coming for him." The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. "You want me to deliver this message to Angel?" "Well, actually," the man said, vamping out, "I think your dead body will get the message across nicely." Cordelia woke with a jerk, her heart thundering in her chest. "Oh, God," she panted. Her eyes darted frantically around the room. "Where am I?" The door opened. She reacted instinctively; grabbing whatever was on the nightstand and scrambling to her knees. A hulking shadow slipped in and stopped menacingly at the foot of the bed. Her hand tightened on the weapon. "Don't come any closer," she rasped. "I have a...a...." She looked down at her weapon. Prickles of fear-sweat broke out on her temples. "Cordy? You okay?" Through the blood pounding in her ears, the voice sounded tinny. And familiar. "A-Angel?" "Hey." He sat down on the bed and pulled the bottle of water from her hand. "What happened?" Her trembling legs gave way. "Some guy." She clutched his shoulders for support. "He said he had a message for you." "There was someone here?" His voice was flat, deadly. His looked around the room, searching for anyone stupid enough to have entered. "Yeah. I mean, no. It was a dream." Angel relaxed visibly. "Sounds like a bad one." He guided her into the bed, pulling the sheets over her shoulders. "Think you can go back to sleep?" His hands felt cool and soothing on her skin. "I...." She was so tired all of a sudden. Maybe if she just closed her eyes.... "That's right," Angel whispered. He stroked her hair off her forehead, his touch gentle and reassuring. "I'm here. Just go back to sleep." She felt like she was floating in warm water. "Angel?" "Hmmmm?" "Who're the Elders?" she slurred. His body stiffened. "What did you say?" She could barely keep her eyes open. "The Elders. That was the message. The Elders are coming for you." He was still as stone. "It's nothing, Cordy. Don't worry about it." "You sound funny," she said with a blurry giggle. "You're just tired," he said. "Now, go to sleep." She snuggled closer, pressing her hip against his leg. "'m glad you're here." She sighed, long and deep. "Elders, schmelders," she mumbled, slipping finally into unconsciousness. Angel stared at her, his hand frozen against her forehead. Title: Queen of the Night Author: Startlett Chapter 8 All I want is to see this Fu Man Chu guy and go home, Cordy thought grumpily as she dressed the next morning. The brocade-print Cavelli jeans, usually guaranteed to lift her spirits, weren't working their magic. She brushed her hair, eyes watering when she jerked too hard. Breathe, she reminded herself. It'll all be over soon. One way or the other. She slipped on her spikey, sling-back pumps, then opened the bathroom door. "How'd you sleep?" Buffy stood in the hall in a pair of black-and-white, cow-print pajamas. "Um, pretty well, thanks," she lied. This was just too weird, coming face-to-face with Angel's one-true-love after going to sleep with him sitting on her bed last night. "How about you?" Buffy shrugged. "All right." She looked down at her feet. "Angel and I patrolled. I thought...I hoped he might come back here." "He did come back here." Great. Mouth, meet foot. Buffy blinked, obviously surprised and not doing a good job of hiding it. "He told me about Connor." Perfect, Cordy thought. Just what we needed. A cranky Slayer and a guilty Angel. But she nodded in understanding. "Bet that was a shocker." Buffy made a valiant attempt at a smile. "You could say that." She fumbled with the button on her pajamas, twisting the little cow back and forth. When she dropped it, it was hanging by a thread. "You're so lucky." "Well, now there's a term I apply to myself often," Cordy answered dryly. "You get to see him every day. He obviously...cares about you. I don't even know if he thinks about me anymore." Cordy found herself in the awkward situation of consoling Angel's lover. Again. "You know that's not true, Buffy. You're the only person he's ever really loved." "Right." Buffy's eyes were old and tired. She wasn't the innocent girl with bad fashion sense that Cordy once knew. "Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you?" Cordy snorted. "We're friends, Buffy. That's all we've ever been. That's all we can ever be." But she couldn't get rid of the memory of Angel's hand, soothing her to sleep. "If two people love each other, there'll be a way. I have to believe that," Buffy said, her voice catching oddly. "Or I'd never take another step." "Ah, good, I see you've made yourself presentable," Wes said, coming up the stairs with his bag slung over his shoulder. As always, he was the most organized of the group, already packed and ready to go. "As presentable as I get these days," Cordy answered, grateful for the interruption. "You ready?" "Mmm hmm. Did you get something to eat?" "There's fruit and stuff," Buffy said in a close-to-normal tone, as if discussing matters of the heart with Cordy was an every-day occurrence. "Not really hungry. Thanks, though." "Willow tells me that Mr. Zhou comes around first thing," Wes said. "Angel's going to meet us there." The thought of seeing him lifted her spirits in ways the Cavellis hadn't. "By way of the sewers, I presume?" Wes nodded. "He still knows the system rather well, I take it." "Well, there's also Spike," Buffy said. Cordy watched her carefully, noticing the way the color rose in her cheeks at the mention of his name. "Spike's taking Angel to the herb shop? That's priceless." What she wouldn't give to overhear *that* conversation. Wes smiled. "Just like old times." "Or not," Buffy said, gazing out the window. |