| Title: Queen of the Night Author: Starlett Chapter 13 Mr. Zhou lived on private land inside the San Bernadino National Forest above Big Bear Lake. Getting to Fawnskin, the closest town, was easy. Getting to Zhou's house was harder. Cordy shivered as they passed the one residence, a ranch, within five miles of his driveway. She wondered if it was the neighbor whose phone he'd used to call her. How did the man survive with no phone? He probably lived in a fricking yurt. She wrapped her arms around her waist trying to quell the creeping sense of unease that had grown ever since her conversation with him two days before. "You okay?" Angel asked. The inside of the car had taken on the peculiar softness of a night-time drive, and his voice sounded muffled by the darkness. Cordy could see only the sketchiest outline of his features in the light from the dashboard, and suddenly, she was terrified that he would vanish, leaving her out in the woods all by herself. Her hand darted out and clutched his upper arm. "No," she whispered. Angel stopped the car and put it in park. He turned in the seat, covering her hand with his. "You don't have to do this, Cordelia." Cordy took a breath, trying to slow her pounding heart. "I do. You know I do," she said. "It's just so...dark," she murmured, looking out the window. She couldn't remember ever feeling so alone in her life. Angel sat quietly for a moment. "Cordy, get out of the car," he finally said, unlatching his seatbelt and opening the door. The bell chimed, then stopped when Angel killed the ignition. He climbed out, closing the door softly behind him. Cordy sat for a moment, staring at his shadow, then unlatched her seatbelt. Prickles of fear darted over her shoulders leaving behind a chill that unnerved her to the bone. Yet because it was Angel waiting for her, she pushed the door open and climbed out, just as he reached through the open window and flipped off the headlights. "Angel!" Cordy shrieked. He laughed, but not mockingly. "Come here," he said, walking around the car and resting on the hood. Cordy looked around her and could see nothing but a darkness so deep it pressed against her eyes like a black cloth. Her teeth chattered as the silence overtook her and she realized how far away from civilization they were. No cars, no TVs, no buses, no people.... She rounded the hood carefully and hopped up next to him, her denim-clad butt sliding easily along the black paint. Angel put his arm around her trembling shoulder and set his feet on the bumper. He pushed them along the hood until their backs rested against the windshield. Cordy shuddered again as her back made contact with the glass. "You cold?" Angel asked. "No, not really." "Scared, then." "Well, yeah," she replied, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Lots of stars out tonight," Angel commented, pulling Cordy tighter against him. She could feel the press of his body against her, big and strangely cool. It was as if there was nothing living beneath his clothes, but she knew that wasn't true. She'd never met anyone more alive. "Yeah," she said. Her heart began to slow its gallop. "It used to be this way all the time," he remarked, crossing one booted foot over another. Cordy slid her legs over so they rested right against his. Her feet barely reached his calves. "What do you mean?" she asked, blowing out a breath and releasing more tension. "All the lights, they're a pretty new thing. Up until about 75 years ago, you didn't see them so much. Just in the big cities." "So it was dark like this every night?" Cordy shivered again. She felt Angel shake gently against her as he laughed. "Yep. Every night. I miss it." There was a longing in his voice that startled her. It reminded her that Angel had lived lifetimes she knew nothing about. Lifetimes she didn't want to know anything about. She turned to look at him, but could only sense his presence in the inky darkness. He was starting to get warm, though, from her and from the residual heat of the engine. "Why?" she asked. "It's so lonely." Angel turned his head. Their noses bumped. "Is that what you're afraid of, Cordelia? Being alone?" She nodded, felt the soft slip of his skin against hers. "What's worse?" she asked. He kissed the tip of her nose. "Not much." He turned his face back to the sky. "When I was a kid, I used to lie in the fields and look at the stars. I dreamed about becoming a sailor so I could follow them. It sounds corny now, but back then, it was the only way a man of my station could see the world." He shrugged. "I guess I did follow them, just not in the way I expected." Cordy's heart twisted for the boy he must have been and for the hard hand death had dealt him. Off in the woods a bird hooted and another answered. Cordy noticed for the first time the sound of a creek gurgling nearby and the soft soughing of the wind. "It's not really all that quiet," she said. Angel shook his head. "No. Some things live their entire lives at night," he said softly. Cordy reached up and squeezed his hand. Angel laced their fingers together. "Zhou was right, you know," he said. "In what way?" Cordy asked. "I never really loved anyone until I met Buffy." "Angel..." Cordy started. "No, let me finish. After I got my soul, I lived on the streets, fed off rats. I was in New York City when Whistler found me and took me to her. I felt like my long, useless life suddenly had a purpose." Cordy turned over on her side, curling her legs up and over his and slipping her hand across his belly. His arm slid around her back, pulling her closer until her head rested on his chest. The buttons from his shirt pressed into her cheek and she listened hard for a heartbeat that wasn't there. "When I left Sunnydale and came to L.A., it was because of Buffy. "We couldn't be together. We knew that. But she was still my reason for being, Cordelia. She was still the reason I didn't just get up one morning and go for a walk in the sunlight." "Angel," Cordy breathed. Angel stroked his hand down Cordy's back, his fingers leaving tingling, heat-like imprints. "Then you and Doyle came along. I found, over time, that while I still loved Buffy desperately, and wanted her beyond reason, she wasn't everything anymore." He sighed and Cordy felt the rise and fall of his chest. "She was still the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the evening. But after I was up, you guys were what kept me going. You and the people we helped." He stopped, was silent for several long heartbeats. "When Buffy died, I thought I would die too. I know you know that," he said, squeezing her to him. "But when I didn't, I realized then that I'd finally moved on. Not in big steps, but in increments. It happened so gradually, I almost didn't see it." "And you were there the whole time. Guiding me through it. Being my friend. I need you, Cordy. For the way you get in my face, for the way you keep me from brooding too much, for the way you smooth out the rough edges of my life. "I know what it's like to be alone. And for what it's worth, you're not." Cordy hugged him tightly. The creek gurgled and the bushes rustled. She listened for a moment before she spoke. "We have a strange life," she finally said. Angel chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it." Cordy sat up and waited for Angel to do the same. She leaned over and kissed him, her lips resting softly against his cheek. "Thank you. I don't feel so scared, anymore." "Well, good. That was kind of the point," Angel laughed. He reached up and skimmed her face with his hand, cupping it around her jaw. "You've told me several times that, as long as you're alive, I'll never be alone. I want you to know that works both ways." "Even if I get married and have 10 kids?" she asked, laughing, leaning her face into his palm. She felt Angel's grin more than she saw it. "Even then. Though I can't promise to look after the husband. The kids, now...." He said, hopping off the car. He held his hand out and Cordy took it and slid off the hood. Her feet met solid ground and when she hugged him, the feeling of safety extended to her entire body. "I love you, Angel," she said, pressing her cheek to his chest. He squeezed her tightly to him, their bodies blending into one, long shadow. "I love you, too, Cordelia," he answered gruffly. "You ready to go?" Cordy nodded and pulled away. "Yeah. Let's do this thing." Angel started the car and flipped on the headlights. The darkness jumped away from the knife points of glare. "Should be the next driveway," she said. Angel grunted as the car hit a rut. "Next time, I'm renting a four-wheeler," he said. Cordy laughed. "Just think, I'm going to be stuck up here in four-wheel country for six whole weeks. What the *heck* am I gonna do?" Title: Queen of the Night Author: Starlett Chapter 14 "Ah, you made it," Mr. Zhou said as they climbed out of the car. He stood in the doorway, haloed in the light from the house. "Hello," Angel said, extending his hand as the old man came out to meet them. "It's good to see you," Mr. Zhou said. He shook Angel's hand and turned to Cordy. "And it's wonderful to see you, my dear. Are you ready for a little adventure?" Despite her lingering discomfort, Cordy smiled. "My entire life is an adventure. What's one more?" The old man laughed. "Just so," he said. "Angel, if you will bring in the bags, I will show both of you to Cordelia's room." Angel pulled Cordy's bags from the trunk, shouldering the overnight case and hefting the other. "Thank goodness for vampire strength," he teased. "I don't know how Gunn got this thing downstairs." "Yeah, well you try packing for a month-and-a-half," Cordy retorted. The house was a large, rambling rancher that opened into a soaring foyer and smelled vaguely of incense. The floor was made of pale, shimmering stone, and to one side a small fountain cascaded into a pond filled with koi. "Wow," Cordy breathed. "Yeah," Angel replied. As they stepped into the common area, Cordy saw two long, low sofas, covered with pillows, and several tall-backed wooden armchairs. A pair of narrow scroll paintings hung on either side of the stone fireplace, long stripes of calligraphy, the ink startlingly black against the white paper. The walls seemed to be mostly window, but because of the darkness, Cordy couldn't see the view. There was a simple dining table made of dark wood on the far right side of the room, with 12 chairs around it. That's a lot of chairs, Cordy mused, for a mountain retreat. Her thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Zhou called to them. "This way," he said, and she turned to follow his voice to the hallway on the left. The hall snaked back, jogging around a sleek black bathroom and opening into a sitting area. Off of the sitting area were several doors. Mr. Zhou was in the first room they came to, a large, airy one painted the palest blue. Cordy caught her breath at the sight of the bed. The intricately carved wood extended up in four posters, and flared out into a wooden roof that gave the effect of a sleeping chamber. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mr. Zhou asked. Angel slipped in behind Cordy and set her suitcase and overnight bag on the floor. "A Chinese puzzle bed," he said. "I haven't seen one of those since the Boxer Rebellion." Cordy turned to look at him. "Geez, Angel, historic much?" Mr. Zhou laughed. "This one is very old, but very sturdy. Most of my furniture is antique, brought over from China many years ago. But you needn't worry about hurting it; it is virtually indestructible. Much like your friend, here," he said, waving his hand at Angel. Angel inclined his head. "Young lady," Mr. Zhou said, claiming Cordelia's attention. "Your closet is here," he pointed to a door behind her. "And your bath is through here." He stepped forward, opening a door to a bathroom with marble floors and a sunken tub. "It gets chilly at night, but you still might like to sleep with the doors open," he said, gesturing to a set of French doors on the opposite end of the room. "If that is so, you may drop the mosquito netting around the bed. "Once you are settled in, come to the kitchen, both of you, for some tea. Angel, will you be staying, or do you plan to return to the city?" Angel glanced at Cordy. "I'm going right back," he said. "I have some work to do." "Yes, well, that is probably for the best. Cordelia and I have much to accomplish in a short amount of time." He stepped into the hall. "I will see you in the kitchen. Just follow the hall back to the foyer, and you will find the door off the dining area." "Thank you," Cordelia said, as the old man disappeared. She turned to Angel. "Can you believe this place?" He arched his eyebrow. "Not so worried about roughing it now, huh?" "It takes the edge off, that's for sure," she said, opening the closet door an hoisting her suitcase inside. She set the overnight bag on the bed with her purse. "Boxer Rebellion?" she asked. Angel grimaced. "You don't want to know. Let's just say it wasn't a high point of my long and not-so-illustrious life." "Ooo-kay," she said. "Sometimes the stuff you know freaks me out," she said. "You're not the only one," he replied. "Let's go get some tea. I need to get back on the road pretty soon." "You going patrolling when you get back?" They walked through the sitting room and started down the hall to the kitchen. "If there's time. Wes and Gunn were going out tonight, so I'm not too worried." "We never really talked about how we're handling the visions," Cordelia said. "I figured when you had one, you'd call. I'll keep the cell phone on all the time." Cordy snorted. "No, I'm serious. I'll leave it on, and when I'm sleeping I'll give it to Wes. Use that number, or call the hotel. One of us will be there to get the call." "Well, I guess that about covers it," Cordy said, a hint of sadness coming into her voice. They stopped at the kitchen door. Cordy could hear water running and the "chink" of pottery hitting the countertop. Angel put his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be hard on all of us, being separated this way." Cordy stared at her feet, unable to face him. "What if this is the last time I see you?" "Cordy." She kept her head down. "Cordy, look at me." He slipped his fingers under her chin and turned her face toward him. "If I thought that every time I walked away from you, I'd never leave." She smiled wistfully. "So, don't go." "You don't know how much I want to stay. But they're testing me, too. They're seeing if I can let you fight your own fight." She nodded resignedly. "I might have to make up some visions so we can talk, though." Angel laughed. "I think Mr. Zhou's a little too smart for that." Cordy smiled again. "Probably. But what am I gonna do without you guys for six weeks?" Angel pulled her to him. "I think the question is, what are we going to do without you?" Cordy felt the tears well up that she'd been holding back all day. "Oh, crap. Not now." "It's okay," Angel said, resting his chin on her head. Cordy took a couple of shuddering breaths and pulled away, wiping her face with the backs of her hands. "I'm such a crybaby," she said. Angel cupped her cheek in his hand and rubbed a thumb under her eye. "That's not a bad thing." "Maybe not to you," she said, trying for levity. "You don't have to live with the red nose." She turned and pushed open the swinging door. Angel followed her into the kitchen. "There you are," Mr. Zhou remarked. "The tea is nearly ready." He gestured to barstools sitting around the white-tiled island in the middle of the kitchen. "Please, have a seat." Cordy pulled a stool out and sat, watching while Angel did the same. He'd left his duster in the car, and wore a long-sleeved charcoal sweater and his black cargo pants. He was a shadow against the tiles, his hands pale smudges at the ends of his sleeves. "Green tea is okay?" Mr. Zhou asked, pouring a golden-green stream into handleless cups. "Yes," Cordy replied. Angel nodded. "Genmaicha?" Mr. Zhou smiled. "You know your tea, young man." Angel arched an eyebrow. "I grew up in Ireland." "And traveled the world, I suspect," Mr. Zhou said. He settled onto a stool and nodded to the mugs. "Help yourself." He pulled a steaming cup into his hands. "Traveled it more than once," Angel replied, taking his own mug of tea and sipping. "Yes, me too. But I find California is home now." Angel nodded and looked at Cordy, who smiled at him. "I know what you mean." |