False Claims

Chapter Thirty Two





Would he never finish this infernal research, Giles wondered as he heard the library doors slam open. When the bell had rung earlier, signaling the beginning of classes, he had felt safe in abandoning his post at the outer desk in favor of the books in his office that might contain references to explain the strange behavior of the Lorapred demon a few nights before.



But apparently his dedication to study was not shared by whichever misguided student felt that they could avoid class by hiding in his library. Making his way into the larger room, Giles was shocked to see Buffy. It wasn’t her presence that surprised the watcher, she often showed up in the middle of class. After all, protecting the Hellmouth was rarely a predictable business.



No, what worried him at this moment was the dazed look on her distressed face. Pale beyond reason, she seemed to drift, almost aimlessly, through the doors she had just forced open. Her arms were full of photographs clutched haphazardly to her chest.



Giles knew of only two things that could put that look on his slayer’s face. One was an injury to someone she loved and the other was Angelus. And if it was the latter there was every chance that it was also the former. The hundreds or so pictures that she was currently carrying towards the table gave further credence to his theory that the vampire was involved.



As the girl dumped her bundle onto the polished, wooden surface, Giles was distracted by the entrance of another of his young charges. In what he presumed was a bad omen, Cordelia carried a mid-size, red velvet box in her hands. He could only venture a guess that the contents of said box were extremely objectionable given the look of distaste on the brunettes face and the fact that she held the box as far away from her person as her long arms would allow.



She too went directly to the table to divest herself of her burden.



“Geez, Buffy, I don’t know why I had to carry this when you’re the one that kills things as a hobby.”



And the harbingers of doom just kept coming, Giles privately acknowledged as he walked, reluctantly to where the girls awaited. He couldn’t help but notice the differences in their demeanor.



Cordelia was right. Buffy dealt with death on a daily basis. She, herself, was often its cause. And yet every new blow to her life or the lives of those about whom she cared demolished her anew. It was a part of her open nature, evidence of her willingness to trust. This facet of her personality was both an asset and a liability. It allowed her to connect to the world and those in it in a way that enhanced her ability as a slayer. And yet that same strength was often compromised by the simple fact that when you’re an open door, anything can enter. And when it’s something unpleasant the results could be devastating. Angelus was the quintessential example of this.



By contrast, Cordelia was brimming with acerbic attitude. Unlike Buffy’s openness, whatever tragedies had plagued this girl’s life had built walls around her heart of the strongest stone. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, quite the contrary as her efforts to protect him from Angelus’ wrath had demonstrated. No, she cared deeply. But whereas Buffy expected people to return her affections and was therefore blind sided by betrayal; Cordelia anticipated heartache in all of her dealings, and when it occurred she accepted it as a validation of her beliefs and erected her walls that much higher.



Whatever happened must have been of a most severe nature as those walls were in full evidence now. And as he picked up one of many similar images, Giles was saddened to be proven correct.



The pictures of Cordelia in any manner of routine situations were all obscured with the repetitive declaration of ownership scrawled across each depiction of the girl. And while Giles mind reeled with the implications of Angelus’ assertion, it was working to the extent that he numbly observed that every pose in which the young woman was captured was lit by daylight.



Apparently Angelus had a new obsession and he had help.



Wanting to face the problem head on, Giles reached for the box and snapped open the lid before either distracted girl could voice a warning.



“Dear God.”



How many times would he end up uttering that phrase before this ordeal ended? He hoped it wouldn’t be needed on too many more occasions. However at this moment it was entirely justified. A hand! A goddamn hand. Someone else’s life had been sacrificed by the vampire, and for what? A sick offering to a girl who reviled him?



And yet, even through his haze of anger and disgust his agile intellect was conceiving questions which would require answers. Knowing that he should be comforting the children who appeared to be retraumatized by the opening of the parcel he still could not prevent one of these questions from springing forth from his lips.



“Why on earth would he send you a hand?”



“What? A hand? Of course he wouldn’t send me a hand. Well, I mean obviously he would send me a hand, but not just a hand...”



Cordelia stopped when she realized that she was hardly contributing to Giles’ understanding of the situation. Taking a deep breath she tried to focus on explaining this new development, but her attention was understandably diverted by the unattached hand artistically arranged on a soft bed of velvet. Leaning forward she quickly snapped the lid shut and employed an “out of sight, out of mind” strategy.



“Yes, Angelus sent a hand. However, he said the gift was the bracelet.”



Giles eyes shot from the box to Cordelia’s as he caught her last words.



“He said? You spoke to him? Did he give this to you personally? Are you alright, Cordelia?”



She knew things were bad when she babbled, but for the normally concise watcher to begin to ramble was most likely a sign of the apocalypse. Of course, only in her life could a chatty librarian trump a stumpy hand.



“Don’t worry, Giles. This was not a vamp to door delivery. I found it in my locker, along with all the proof I’d ever need for a restraining order.”



“Yes, indeed. Please, sit down girls.”



At that point even Buffy was able to briefly surface from her haze of denial long enough to join Cordelia in throwing a glare at the watcher that all of the “ewwws” ever spoken could not wholly express.



Comprehension dawning that he had just asked them to share space with a severed limb, Giles quickly rectified the problem by snatching the box from the table and placing it on the desk in his office.



Exiting his office once more, Giles began to question the now seated girls.



“Cordelia, I know that this must be trying for you.” He paused as Cordelia rolled her eyes at such an overwhelming understatement. “Yes, well. Things have obviously changed from Angelus’ perspective. Can you pinpoint when this change might have occurred?”



Glancing over at the blonde seated with her, Cordelia considered lying to the concerned watcher. She had thought having to pour out the intimate details of her encounter with Angelus had been hard when it was Giles. Never had she considered having to do the same with Buffy.



How do you tell someone that their vampire ex-boyfriend was stalking you and making with the romance? Cordelia rolled her eyes again, this time at her own stupid thought. Of course she didn’t know how to break that news. Who the Hell ever had news like that to break??



Knowing that Giles wouldn’t let her leave without answers and Buffy wouldn’t leave while there was a chance that Giles could force them out of her, Cordelia gave a mental shudder and the prepared to relive events she had planned to never again to revisit.



“Giles, the day after Angelus talked to you he came to my house.”



That captured the attention of both the watcher and his slayer. The watcher wondering why the demon had plagued the young girl once again, and the slayer wondering why her watcher had spoken with Angelus and not told her about it.



Seeing the look of betrayal creeping across her classmate’s face, Cordelia quickly nipped that in the bud.



“Look Buffy, I know that you want this to be about you and your tragic love affair with the dead, but today is about my trauma, and just ‘cause you helped cause it doesn’t mean you’re the center of it.”



It was bitchy but it worked as the blonde bit back the chastisements she was planning to unleash in Giles’ direction, and instead she sat back in her chair and waited for further revelations which seemed to have been purposefully concealed from her.



Having stopped that potential drama in its tracks, Cordelia continued, now addressing her remarks to Giles.



“He said that he was there to make sure that I was behaving, that I wasn’t planning on doing the bait thing while you weren’t looking. ‘Cause yeah, that’s my favorite hobby.”



Buffy’s spine stiffened as it suddenly dawned on her why Cordelia had stayed behind during the fight with the Lorapred. It wasn’t because she was sleeping with her watcher. It was because she’d been threatened by her psychotic ex. It was difficult for her to pick a feeling out of the emotional deluge swamping her. She’d narrowed it down to ecstatic joy or unbelievable horror. Giving herself a break today she decided to go with joy, knowing that she might as well get it where she could.



“So we talked and stuff and he disappeared into the night.”



Giles understood what was meant by “stuff ” and he respected Cordelia’s need to not dwell on specifics in Buffy’s presence. He was about to consol her but to his dismay she continued.



“Then, the other night at the Bronze some more stuff may have happened before he dragged me out of there.”



Giles turned his eyes, momentarily towards Buffy as he saw her curiosity begin to grow as awareness came that Cordelia was speaking in a sort of code. As a slayer she had amazing instincts and as a young woman she was quite intelligent. It was only a matter of time before she deduced what the brunette was trying wholeheartedly not to say.



“Then -”



“Oh dear God.”



The apparently staple phrase of his vocabulary slipped out, once again, before he could halt its escape. He felt even worse at the interruption as lovely hazel eyes turned to his, sympathy spilling from their depths. The knowledge that she had had yet another encounter with the brutal killer and her concern was reserved for those who had clearly failed to protect her was more than he thought he could silently endure.



“Actually, Giles, this one was okay. In fact, I totally kicked his ass.”







Chapter Thirty Three





And Giles knew. Just as surely as he had known that Cordelia’s open display of affection to Xander had been the cause of the drawings that had littered her bedroom floor, he was absolutely certain that whatever Cordelia had done to present herself as a challenge in Angelus’ eyes had sparked this personal level of possessiveness.



“You kicked Angelus’ ass?”



Cordelia scowled at Buffy’s incredulous tone. Sure, she may not be a slayer but she could handle herself. Not that she’d want to put that to the test every night, but she was more than up to the occasional challenge. Besides, she was not going to let Buffy chip away at any of the confidence she’d gained from her last encounter with Angelus. She better than anyone knew that she’d most likely need every scrap of it in the days to come.



“Just because you’re not ready to take him on doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t. Besides, some of us just don’t have the luxury of waiting.”



“Because he’s targeting you.” It was more of a statement than a question from the slayer and she was shocked at the reply the cheerleader gave.



“Because he was targeting Xander.”



Cordelia turned her gaze back to Giles as she tried to explain the reckless actions of which she knew he would not approve.



“I had to go. It wasn’t enough to break up with Xander unless I let him know. You see that, right Giles? I didn’t have a choice.”



As he stared into the girl’s worried eyes he wondered once again at the notions the rest of the group had about her. While the safeguards protecting her heart were numerous and quite strong in nature, the heart that they were protecting was larger than even his greatest expectations. He had often heard Buffy and Willow talking in the library about what Xander saw in Cordelia. They had always settled on the expedient answer that the boy was enamored of her beauty. But the greater knowledge he’d recently gained of the girl had shown him exactly why Xander was drawn to her. Sympathy welled up in the watcher for the cheerful young man and what he was losing to the monster who was their former ally.



“It’s alright, Cordelia. I know that Angelus has offered you little choice in your dealings with him. I am also aware how truly difficult this is for you to revisit. However, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to insist on hearing the specifics of your last encounter with Angelus. Please, Cordelia. If the key to this new obsession is contained in those details then there may be a chance for us to undo whatever was done.”



Giles felt like a cad for dragging the tormented girl back into what must surely have been a nightmare, but there truly was no other choice. If, indeed, there was any hope of returning to their previous status quo it would be found in the recollections she was now about to share.



“Well, you now about the drawings. Even after I saw Xander safe in the library I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that he was still in danger. I knew that breaking up with him wouldn’t be enough if Angelus didn’t know about it. Although he always seems to have the 411 on everything else in my life.”



“So I went out to tell him that I’d done what he obviously wanted. I found him at Oak Haven -”



Despite the fact that Giles always went into these conversations intending to listen patiently to the entire story, he found himself staying true to form as he disrupted her tale for his pressing questions.



“You found him at Oak Haven? Please tell me that you weren’t wandering the cemeteries of Sunnydale trying to track him down.”



Seeing the look of guilt that shot across her face, Giles realized that the truth she was about to reveal was actually worse then a young woman, alone, at night, scouring graveyards on the Hellmouth. Feeling an odd gurgle in the pit of his stomach, he wondered if he might not be developing an ulcer.



“I might have used the bond.” Seeing the watcher about to erupt in a massive spewing of large words and lecture-like tones, Cordelia spoke quickly to forestall him. “I know I’m not supposed to use it, Giles. But this was an emergency. Xander’s life was at stake and I didn’t think just once would be that huge of a deal. And like you said, I couldn’t very well spend the evening traipsing across random cemeteries.”



If Giles had felt like a cad before it was nothing to how low he felt at this moment. This girl had been thinking of nothing but protecting someone she cared about, and her use of the bond was at great personal danger; a risk she seemed willing to take in exchange for Xander’s continued good health. He had no place to reprimand her, and although his response was motivated purely by concern, he had to remember that she was desperate and traumatized, being stalked by the undead, and she was handling it in the best way she knew how. In fact, far better than he believed most people would.



“Yes, you are quite right, Cordelia. Please, continue your story.”



“I told him that I’d broken up with Xander so he should leave him alone. The jerk was so smug; he just wanted to pick up where everything had left off the night before.”



At this point it was becoming more and more clear what Cordelia had meant by “stuff”. The thought turned Buffy’s stomach. Sure, she’d slept with that body, but it had a soul in it at the time and that had to mean something. She clung desperately to that hope, as she felt the chill in her heart concerning all things Cordelia start to thaw as she realized that Cordelia didn’t even have that to hold on to.



“So I waited ‘til he was distracted and then I blew the rape whistle my dad gave me when I turned 14.”



And the admiration doubled. For both watcher and slayer the girl had jumped considerably in their estimation. And while, for Giles, this was a recurring theme in his dealings with Cordelia, for Buffy this was unfamiliar territory. Respecting this particular girl was something that had never once crossed her mind.



“Of course that dropped him like a stone.” Cordelia smirked at the memory, one of the few that Angelus had provided that she enjoyed replaying. “Then, when he looked up and got ready to grab me I doused him with holy water.”



Cordelia wasn’t sure, but she thought that the stunned, slightly opened mouth expressions on the faces of her audience might just be an insult. Did they really think she was that helpless? Sure, she was the first to admit that her plan had worked because she had the element of surprise, but that wasn’t a random occurrence. That had been her intention all along.



And did they really think that she would face a master vampire set on ruining her life without some form of weapons? How low was their opinion of her? Oh well, she thought with her characteristic realism, at least it can only go up.



“And he just let you go after that?” Surprise had driven Buffy’s voice up an octave to an ear piercing level that had both Giles and Cordelia wincing.



“Hell no!” Cordelia looked at the other girl as if she’d lost her mind. “Duh, I ran to my car and peeled out of there while he was still trying to find what was left of his face.”



All three paused to enjoy that image. Even Buffy savored the picture it brought to mind, glad to know that someone could hurt Angelus, even if that someone could not yet be her.



That thought, on top of the ordeals that Cordelia had been suffering while she’d been completely oblivious saddened Buffy. What kind of slayer was she if she couldn’t even slay something that was threatening everyone she cared about and yet Cordelia Chase could hunt him down in a cemetery and kick his ass? She wondered if it were possible for slayers to lose their edge.



It wasn’t the first time today that she’d asked herself that question, either. When Cordelia had opened the box in her locker and Angelus’ gruesome token of affection had been revealed, to her everlasting shame it was her who had screamed, and not the squeamish cheerleader. But there was no way that she could have stopped her horror from vocally expressing itself. She’d seen plenty of body parts of all kinds, but knowing that this was from Angelus made it personal in a way that none of the others had been. And that, more than anything was what drove the shrill sound from her throat.



As Giles watched the play of emotions on Buffy’s face he wondered how any of them would make it through what was sure to follow. Angelus had claimed Cordelia in action as well as theory. His gifts clearly demonstrated that he had moved past the idea of necessity and onto pure want.



Giles wanted to tell the girl to run, but he doubted there was a refuge out there in which she could successfully hide. No, her best chance of remaining outside of the vampire’s grasp was here, alongside the slayer.



This, too, confused Giles. Why was Angelus allowing her an existence away from his own? Like much of the particulars of this claim, it was unheard of. Not the games of course. The stalking, the gifts, the threatening or killing of loved ones were all standard “courting” behavior towards the victim that the demon intended to claim or turn. But those games always ceased once the bond was established. Not only did close proximity enable the connection to flourish, but continued distance was often uncomfortable for both the human and the vampire.



While Giles was certainly appreciative of Angelus’ apparent and uncharacteristic restraint, he knew better than to have any faith that it would continue for longer than it suited the vampire’s purpose.



“Cordelia, this changes things drastically. Your previous contact with Angelus had always centered on his bid for power and need to have you conduct yourself in ways that did not reflect negatively upon him.”



“But this, this is an open declaration of ownership. This is his way of alerting you to the fact that he intends to pursue you and enforce, in every way, his claim over you. It’s a situation I was sincerely hoping that we could avoid because if he’s truly opened himself up to the bond you share there may be no turning back.”



As sharp tendrils of fear curled round her stomach, Cordelia pushed aside the feelings of helplessness and adopted, instead, a careless, hardened affect.



“I don’t really care what Angelus wants to open himself up to. There’s no way that I’m dating the undead. Dating Xander was bad enough for my reputation, thank you.”



For once Buffy understood what Xander had always maintained about Cordelia. He had told both her and Willow that there was more to the girl’s acerbic nature than they knew. She hadn’t believed it then, but seeing the shadow of pain that crossed the brunette’s face as she spoke so lightly of her ex-boyfriend, Buffy could finally see that her words were merely the weapon she used to hold her pain at bay.



Giles, too, had notice the hurt look in Cordelia’s eyes and wanted nothing more than to assure her that Angelus would go away. That she would wake tomorrow and this would be nothing but a nightmare that would fade with every passing minute. But he couldn’t do that. If she were to survive until Buffy was ready to move against her former love she would have to be equipped with more than just a whistle and some holy water. She would need to be armed with the truth.



“Cordelia, at this time the best thing that you can do is to stay away from Angelus. The bond is no where near an overwhelming level, and it can be kept that way by maintaining a large degree of distance between yourself and the vampire. To that end, I think that the best thing to be done is for you to remain, at all times, with Buffy.”



“What?!”



“No way!”



It was objections in stereo as both girls made their dissatisfaction known. But the watcher was having none of it. This sad state of affairs called for extreme measures and he was not going to let their petty squabbling compromise Cordelia’s safety.



“Enough! This is not open for discussion. There is a monster out there who will stop at nothing to obtain his goals. If we are to meet this challenge we must do so with all of the resources available to us. This means putting aside any differences and focusing on getting through this with everyone’s life not just intact, but relatively unchanged.”



Cordelia could hear in the watcher’s tone that this was non-negotiable, and as it was motivated by genuine concern for her she decided to acquiesce - to a point.



“Alright, Giles. My parents will be home on Monday. Buffy can stay at my house ‘til then.”



Seeing that this was the greatest concession that he could obtain from the girl and that Buffy looked unhappy with even that compromise, Giles decided to accept what was offered and address the problem again come Monday.







Chapter Thirty Four





“Why are we here again?” Buffy questioned Cordelia as the woman in front of her pulled her left hand forward.



“We’re here because I want a manicure and you need one. I mean really, with your extracurricular activities you’d think you’d be in here every other day.”



For the 372nd time that day Buffy reminded herself that Cordelia was going through a “traumatic ordeal” and that’s why she was being so undiplomatic. Which of course didn’t explain her bluntness all those times that a vicious maniac wasn’t trying to date her.



Of course she did have to admit that her nails looked fabulous.



Hair done, face facialed, and nails painted, the two attractive young women made their way to the front of the salon to settle the afternoon’s bill. As Cordelia withdrew her trusty gold card she was surprised as the woman behind the counter waved it away. No one dismissed a gold card. Just as Cordelia was about to inquire into this unheard of oddity it was explained.



“The bill has been taken care of Miss Chase.”



Then again, Cordelia thought, that explained nothing at all.



“What do you mean it’s been taken care of? I always pay when I’m through.”



“Yes Miss Chase, but today’s session was charged to your account.”



“Excuse me, my account?”



The receptionist was beginning to look put out. What kind of person argued about a bill that had been settled?



“Yes, your boyfriend came in yesterday evening and set up an account for you. All your future visits have been paid for. If you don’t mind me saying you’re very lucky. He was terribly sweet and so handsome. He said that you always look so beautiful for him that the least he could do was see that you didn’t have to worry about the cost.”



As Buffy blanched at the ramifications of this new development Cordelia leaned forward and slapped her card down on the counter. Forcing the words out past her grinding teeth she made her position perfectly clear.



“I can pay for it myself. So take it off my “account” and put it on my card. Now.”



The older woman looked at both the card and its owner wearily as if dreading what she was about to say. Glancing at her blonde friend for help she saw that there would be no support forthcoming from the girl wearing an oddly stunned look on her face.



“I’m sorry, Miss Chase, but your boyfriend spoke to the manager and apparently they reached some sort of agreement because I was told that under no circumstances was I to accept any money from you.”



Cordelia wanted to scream. She could just imagine what kind of agreement Angelus would have made with the manager. Sure that it included the threat of dismemberment, Cordelia would normally sympathize with the woman, but dammit she wanted control of her life back! How had it come to this; that she couldn’t even go to the salon without the obsessive vampire being a part of it?



As her temper ignited, a tentative hand on her shoulder reigned in her anger for the moment.



“Cordelia,” Buffy began hesitantly, “there’s nothing to do here and it’s not their fault. You know that.”



Cordelia’s frustration grew at Buffy’s words. She knew that blame didn’t rest with anyone here, and she knew that there was nothing that they could do about it. But that only made her more upset, not less. Helplessness was not a state that she endured well, and yet it was an increasingly large part of her life since that fateful, cursed night.



Turning her glare on the slayer she bit out an abrupt, “Fine” and stormed out the door leaving the slayer to convey a silent apology with her eyes as she rushed out to catch the fuming brunette.



Reaching her, Buffy took hold of Cordelia before she reached her car.



“Geez, grabby much? Isn’t it bad enough that your loony ex-lover is not so slowly dismantling my life, but now you’ve got to ruin my outfit?”



Taking a deep breath and counting to three because she didn’t think Cordelia could last until ten, Buffy explained herself.



“Come with me. I want to check something out.” And not waiting for an answer she dragged her companion into the exclusive dress store situated next to the salon they had just left.



Pulling the resisting girl up to the counter, Buffy addressed the salesclerk.



“Excuse me; my friend would like to buy that dress.” Buffy indicated a dress at random with a sweep of her arm. “How much will that be?”



The clerk looked over at the seething brunette, her eyes narrowing then opening wide in recognition.



“Excellent choice. That dress is $843.00 without tax. Shall I put that on your account, Miss Chase?”



As Cordelia’s attention focused entirely on her, the unfortunate shop employee actually shrank back from the venom contained in her stare.



Once again Buffy was left to smooth over the situation.



“Actually, I think we’ll come back later. Thanks anyway.”



Grateful to simply be out of the laser-like glare of the tall brunette, the young employee smiled and nodded rapidly at the thankfully rational blonde who was prodding her friend in an effort to obtain a silent retreat. Feeling the anger flowing off of “Miss Chase”, she wished the smaller girl luck.







Chapter Thirty Five





The sun had set by the time they made their way back to the Chase estate. Buffy had dragged Cordelia to three more stores at which she had sworn she never shopped only to have it confirmed that there were evidently charge accounts set up in all of them and none would accept payment of any other sort.



The amount of time and effort that must have cost would have made such measures impossible for most people. And yet, Angelus’ new position and his access to the Hellmouth’s resources, both demonic and human must have greatly eased the undertaking.



As the scope of the vampire’s actions became clear Cordelia grew more and more silent. Not that Buffy could blame the girl. Slowly but surely Angelus was insinuating himself into every facet of her life. Buffy had fought with Angelus since his return, but she had escaped this intense, unrelenting focus. She wondered if she would have if Cordelia hadn’t caught his eye.



As the girls exited the car and made their way to the entrance, it was as if thoughts of the vampire had called him forth; for there he was, pacing restlessly in front of the large double doors, obviously waiting for Cordelia’s return.



Seeing Cordelia, Angelus’ eyes raked over her taking in every detail. Once satisfied with his detailed inventory he turned his burning amber gaze to Buffy. Anger coating his tone, he barked out his displeasure.



“What do you think you’re doing keeping her out this late, slayer?!”



Both girls were nonplussed by the question, although Cordelia seemed to recover much faster than Buffy.



“Excuse me! Did I turn seven when I wasn’t looking? It’s a half an hour after sundown; I’m hardly violating my curfew.”



Angelus swung back to face Cordelia, his eyes still golden but alight with a fire far from anger as they perused her figure once more. Smirking slightly he caught her hazel glare and held it effortlessly.



“Baby, you’ve just had the wrong people setting your curfew. You know that any time after sundown is dangerous and even my protection can only stretch so far.”



“Well, buddy; maybe I don’t want your protection.”



The smirk designed to annoy transformed into a genuinely indulgent smile as he addressed the girl’s complaint.



“Sweetheart, I’m not actually giving you a choice. You’re mine, and as such your security falls to me.”



Angelus was being completely truthful with the beauty before him, but he had to admit that his honesty was in large part motivated by the fury overtaking his wondrous pet right before his eyes.



Knowing that her control was precariously balanced he gently pushed it over the edge with his next question, intent on enjoying the fireworks soon to follow.



“Tell me Cordelia, did you like the bracelet?”



The reins of her temper broke with an almost audible snap as Cordelia lunged for the smug vampire before her. Just as she was about to make contact with his beautiful, hated face she was grabbed around the waist and swung out of reach of her target.



As Buffy tried to restrain the surprisingly strong girl, she was caught off guard by the dangerous snarling sounds coming from behind her.



“Don’t touch her, slayer.”



The words, uttered low, vibrated with a hatred that went bone deep.



Buffy jerked towards him, dropping into a fighting stance, but he paid her no attention as he stepped closer to Cordelia. In a quiet, soothing voice, the polar opposite of that which he had used with the slayer he spoke.



“Are you alright, Cordelia? You’re not hurt?”



Confusion swept through her body where rage had previously burned. “Are you serious? You push my buttons with your grotesque presents and stupid questions and you’re upset ‘cause Buffy stopped me from kicking your ass...again? You’re insane. Buffy never had to put her normally unmanicured hands on me until you came along. And then you’re all concerned?? What’s wrong with you? Seriously, does that whole blood loss thing before you die cause brain damage?”



Buffy rushed to put herself between Cordelia and the sure to be furious vampire when said demon threw back his head and released a shout of hearty laughter. She didn’t know what to make of this vampire. Where she had only ever experienced his overpowering dislike and vitriolic rhetoric, this new side of tenderness and humor was more than she could take in.



Angelus’ laughter melted away at the slayer’s actions. His voice reflected the seriousness of his warning as he cautioned the girl, “Don’t get between me and my pet, Buff.”



Looking over Buffy’s shoulder he grinned at Cordelia.



“Are you going to hide behind the slayer, Cordelia?”



A look of patently false distress came over Cordelia’s face as she addressed Angelus’ criticism.



“Oh no.” Her voice trilled in a mockery of disappointment. “The sadistic vampire thinks I’m a coward. Let me regain his good opinion by throwing myself into his death grip.”



Rolling her eyes scornfully at the wildly entertained demon she continued her tirade.



“Sheesh, you know that trick stopped working when I was like five.”



Far from being upset at not getting his hands on the openly scoffing girl, he was instead pleased that she could keep her wits about her even in her anger.



“That’s my girl, always thinking.”



“Pfft. Yeah, that’s what all this is about. You want me for my mind.”



As Angelus was about to detail exactly what he wanted her for, Cordelia continued.



“Look, I don’t know what you hope to gain with your little stunt at the crappy stores in this worthless town, but I can take care of my own bills. That’s why I have my daddy’s gold card.”



“Yeah,” Buffy muttered over her shoulder. “Way to be self-sufficient.”



Angelus’ face rippled, demonic features flicking on and off as his anger at the slayer’s words threatened to overcome him. Cordelia was his. His to care for and his to hurt. No one else had that right and he’d make sure Buffy new it even if he had to rip out her lungs as a reminder. He settled now for growling at the interfering girl although his eyes never left Cordelia’s.



“She doesn’t need to be self-sufficient and she doesn’t need her daddy’s credit card. She has me now.”



Although his attention had been on her he had been speaking to the slayer. But now his words were directed solely at Cordelia and the force of them sent shivers swirling across her skin.



“I’m giving you time, Cordelia. I don’t have to. I can take you now and we wont have to worry about who cares for your needs. The matter will definitely be settled in my mind, and yours.”



“You’re mine. I own you. Your mind, your body, your soul, they all exist for me now. I may have thought that I could be satisfied with having you in name only, but that was before I realized how truly glorious you are. No one’s done what you’ve managed to do. You challenged me, laid me out and walked away unscathed. How could you possibly think I’d ever let you go after that?”



“No, Cordelia, you are mine absolutely and I take care of what’s mine. No one else.”



Not willing to let that go unchallenged, Cordelia began her arguments.



“I don’t belong to anyone, least of all...”



Cordelia wasn’t one to hold back. When something crossed her mind it most likely fell out of her mouth. But the death promised in Angelus’ eyes as she rejected his claim to her stilled the words in her throat.



Angelus’ smile seemed carved from ice as he made clear the menace his gaze held. He knew that his luscious pet thought herself the recipient of the retribution he was foretelling, but she still hadn’t grasped that he had no intention of damaging her when hurting those around her would be far more effective.



“Let me be perfectly clear about this. To me this problem is easily solved by killing your father and thus eliminating the annoying “gold card” conflict. Allowing him to care for you anymore than I have would be a denial of my possession of you. Nothing would incite me to do that. You’re mine and mine alone. And Cordelia, I don’t share.”



Pressing even closer towards the shaken brunette Angelus put himself well within staking range of the slayer to deliver his dark ultimatum.



“If you buy anything in this town, use any services that I don’t provide, I’ll punish you, Cordelia Chase. And believe me, sweetheart, I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”



Tanking advantage of both girls’ distraction, Angelus reached forward and seized the slayer’s arms, jerking her from her protective position in front of Cordelia. With Buffy out of the way and Cordelia still stunned by his sudden movement and his earlier threats, Angelus surged towards her pulling her around to face the recovering slayer and tucking her body tight into his chest.



Running his hands down the long lines of her body, they groaned in unison as the eternal embers of their passionate fire flared to life. Denial of this all consuming force was getting harder for both of them even though they knew, each for their own reasons, that tonight could not bring the final inferno.



Angelus wanted more time. Time to sooth and shape his pet. Time to mold her into his perfect pleasure.



Cordelia wanted to survive and she knew that any chance she had at freedom would be lost the minute she tasted the full spectrum of delights to be found in Angelus’ arms. Those arms that wound around her now, calling forth a response she never knew rested within her.



Although it only took Buffy seconds to right herself and produce a stake, by the time she spun around she was in time to witness the almost pornographic show that the vampire and the cheerleader were providing.



Sensing that the slayer’s attention was now focused on them, Angelus decided to mix a little business with his obvious pleasure. The feel of his little pet writhing in his arms was amazing, but knowing that he was hurting the slayer took the eroticism to a whole new level.



Driving his steel hard member into the firm curves of Cordelia’s ass, Angelus dropped his head to the gentle slope of her neck drawn by his scent, sure and strong, pulsing through his woman. Pressing his lips to the mark that proclaimed her as his he smiled wickedly as he felt the shudders roll through her.



Touching his tongue to the healed wounds he tightened his arms as Cordelia’s legs failed her and his strength was all that kept her upright. He reveled in his effect on her. Knowing that right now she despised him, her heated reaction was just further proof that she was falling deeper and deeper under the spell of her bond to him and nothing she or anyone else did could alter that reality.



Buffy shook herself out of her stupor at seeing her boyfriend’s body draped all over Cordelia’s smaller frame. Raising her stake and stepping forward she paused once more as Angelus’ head jerked up and flashed his fangs at her in a clear threat to the neck of the girl he was holding.



Now it was Cordelia’s turn to pull from the haze encompassing her as she saw Buffy pause in her effort to free her from the vampire’s grasp. Feeling Angelus’ elongated fangs tenderly abrade the skin on her neck, she new what had given the slayer pause.



“What are you waiting for?” Cordelia called out to the hesitant blonde. “He’s bitten me before. I’ll live; go ahead and kill him.”



She felt the rumble of his chuckle deep within his chest as he yanked her head back. Thinking he was exposing her neck for a vicious bite she was surprised when instead he trapped her with his liquid velvet gaze.



“Ah, Cordelia. I love you too.”



And although his tone was mocking for the slayer’s benefit, what she saw in his eyes scared her to the depths of her soul.



He meant it. He actually believed that he was in love with her. Remembering what he had told her of vampiric love she shuddered in horror at the thought that he wanted her to participate in such a one-sided relationship. She wouldn’t, couldn’t become a slave to his desires, his needs.



Feeling her stiffen Angelus knew she received his message loud and clear. Satisfied with this night’s work he released Cordelia and gave her a gentle push in Buffy’s direction.



“Take better care of her slayer, or I’ll relieve you of that duty.”



And with those words Angelus whirled around and, as was his habit, disappeared into the night.







Chapter Thirty Six





As Cordelia walked out of her bedroom in her pajamas she was disheartened to see Buffy camped on her bed, clearly wanting to talk. Crossing the room and taking a seat she trembled in remembrance of that morning that changed her life.



“Alright, just spill it Buffy.”



“We have to see Giles about this.”



That wasn’t what Cordelia was expecting and definitely not what she wanted to hear.



“And what is Giles going to do Buffy? Go and hunt Angelus down? Kill him? Even if he wanted to we both know how that would end. And if he decided to be sensible he’d just end up wallowing in guilt that he couldn’t keep me safe.”



“Giles doesn’t wallow in guilt.” The slayer protested.



“Oh my God, Buffy. Have you ever even met the man? He feels responsible for everything. You being the slayer, all of us helping you fight, me being stalked by a deranged demon. You know I may not be overstocked in the tact department, but at least I’m not blind.”



Buffy was hurt. Not just by Cordelia’s words but also by the thought that there might be some truth to them. But wouldn’t she notice if Giles felt bad? After all, she spent more time with him than anyone. There was no way that Cordelia Chase would notice something about her watcher that she hadn’t. She believed that. Right now she needed to believe that.



That concept held firmly in her mind she lashed out at the far too perceptive brunette.



“Of course, Cordelia. You don’t want to tell Giles about tonight for his sake and not because you come off looking like a skank.”



Cordelia’s eyes flashed at the insult, and although she was the slayer, with all the strength and power that entailed, Buffy found herself shrinking back from the building rage she could feel flowing from the girl.



Realizing she was backing down from Cordelia, she straightened her spine and continued, even thought she knew her words weren’t entirely fair.



“You were all over him. You let him be all over you. And you were enjoying it; enjoying being touched by Angelus.”



On some level Cordelia understood how difficult this whole situation must be for Buffy, but, honestly, she’d had just about enough of pretending that it wasn’t her life that was being systematically dismantled, and not the blonde’s.



“Hello! Being compelled by a mystical bond here. What’s your excuse? After all, I may have been making out with the bastard, but you slept with him.”



Buffy shot of the bed and glared daggers at Cordelia as she refuted the verbal slap in her face.



“Shut up! I don’t need any excuses. I didn’t sleep with Angelus. I slept with Angel. You know the one with a soul who doesn’t send his loved ones body parts.”



“Pfft.” Cordelia waved away Buffy’s reasoning. “Who do you think was in there, watching, waiting, wrapped in that thin covering of Angel? Angelus may not be Angel, but he’s always been inside of him, every moment of you perfect little love affair.”



Things were fast passing the point of no return as the two distraught young women poured their frustrations out in the form of hateful barbs towards each other, the closest target at hand, while the true cause of their turmoil roamed the night unharmed.



“As usual, Cordelia, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”



“Well Miss Whorier-Than-Thou, I know this - I’m the one dealing with all the fall out from Angelus while you’re the one who set him free.”



Buffy was literally shaking with anger. Even though she had thought the exact same thing, she didn’t need to have it thrown in her face by some stuck up cheerleader.



“What should I have done, Cordelia? Checked for a medic alert bracelet that said “Allergic to Bliss”? Besides, Angel didn’t know either.”



“Well whose fault is that?”



Buffy was momentarily shocked into silence. What was Cordelia suggesting? Was she saying that this was Angel’s fault? Was she implying that he wanted to lose his soul?



“What do you mean? How was Angel to know about the stupid happiness thing? It’s no like he and that gypsy clan were on speaking terms.”



Cordelia wasn’t buying that lame excuse for a second.



“All I know is that if some gypsies put a wacky curse on me I’d have spent at least some of my century of down time trying to get a copy for my records.”



“Why?” Buffy’s voice was steadily rising. “How could he have possibly expected that Angelus would be back?”



“Back?!” Cordelia’s voice rose to meet the level of the slayer’s. “That’s the thing, Buffy. Angelus has always been there. No matter how deep he may be buried, no matter how hard Angel might try to ignore him, he’s there, 24/7. Angel’s a vampire, so Angelus will never be gone.”



“Don’t you get it yet? Angel is the temporary one. He’s the one that comes and goes. He’s just something the Kalderash added to make the demon suffer. He’s an additive. A desperate attempt to improve on something crappy. He’s like a slayer on the Hellmouth, like a candy apple paint job on a Yugo, he’s like a brand new baby on a fading TV show.”



“Face it, Buffy. Angelus will always be the Big Mac here. Angel, he’s just the side of fries.”



As Cordelia’s words burned their way across her brain, Buffy’s fury grew by leaps and bounds. Even as a part of her acknowledged the truth of the words being flung at her, a larger part just wanted them to stop. All she had left in this nightmare were her memories of Angel. She clung to those with every ounce of strength she had, slayer or otherwise. There was no way she would let Cordelia contaminate those with thoughts of Angelus.



And so she lunged at the brunette who retained enough good sense to throw herself to the side, avoiding the slayer’s blow.



“Buffy, no!” Cordelia shouted from her haphazard position on the floor. “We’re just arguing, no one needs to die.”



Buffy stopped her surge forward, an appalled look crossing her face.



“I wasn’t going to kill you, Cordelia. I was just going to hit you.”



Sensing that the immediate danger had passed, Cordelia picked herself off of the ground and made a show of brushing off the imaginary dirt that wouldn’t have the nerve to grace the Chase floors.



“Well, as fun as that sounds, I didn’t mean I would die, I meant you.”



For the first time that day Buffy felt genuine humor overtake her.



“Really Cordelia, I hardly think you could -”



“Geez, not me you idiot! Angelus. What do you think is going to happen if I show up to my apparently never ending photo shoot tomorrow with a black eye? I hardly think he’ll believe that I ran into a slayer shaped door.”



“Next thing you know I’m getting another special delivery, only this time its boxes filled with Bits o’ Buffy. God, I’m going to be in therapy ‘til I’m forty as it is. If I live that long.”



At that sobering and all too likely possibility, the girls decided to end their fighting for the night and get some rest in the hopes that they’d be better prepared when the real enemy came calling.







Chapter Thirty Seven





“Cordelia, wait up.”



But waiting up was the last thing Cordelia wanted to do as she made her way to the side of the bleachers. Bending down to retrieve a bottle of Gatorade from her bag, she hoped that Kyle had taken the hint that she wanted to be left alone. It was odd because a year ago she’d have loved to be on the receiving end of the tall, athletic blonde’s charm. Now it just annoyed her that his hair wasn’t dark, his eyes weren’t brown, his body wasn’t angles of cool, sculpted – Oh God!



The eyes that had drifted closed shot open as she realized that the picture forming in her mind was no longer of Xander but Angelus. Turning back towards the field in self-disgust, she instead ran smack into the young man she was trying to avoid.



“Hey, Chase. What’s your hurry?”



Letting out a frustrated sigh, she wanted nothing more than a little down time before she had to go back to cheering her team to a victory that, for once, she couldn’t care about less.



“Aren’t you supposed to be on the field Kyle?”



“Nah, the coach is going over plays with Matt. So I thought that this would be a good time to see what’s up with my favorite girl. I hear your back in now that you dumped that loser, Harris.”



Kyle was oblivious to the small start Cordelia gave as pain washed through her body and settled in her eyes at the thought of Xander.



It had been a week since Angelus’ gruesome ultimatum had resulted in her ending the only real relationship in her life. It was still painful, tearing at her heart when she saw him in class or passed him in the halls.



Giles had insisted that she continue to do research with the gang, most likely to keep an eye on her even though her parents had returned. But more often than not she found herself taking her book and drifting into Giles’ office, not enjoying torturing herself with cold have beens and not wanting to hinder the easy camaraderie shared by the others.



She was alone...again.



But even that was better than hanging around Kyle Sanderson.



“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Kyle. For all you know Xander dumped me.”



“Sure, Chase. Pull the other one.”



And with that he swung his arms across her shoulder and pulled her into his side.



“Friday night. You, me, dinner and a movie. What do you say, Chase? Ready to start working your way back up the social ladder?”



Her pain filled eyes slowly darkening with rage, Cordelia leveled her near black gaze at the foolish boy before her.



“I’m not sure what planet you live on, but if it’s one where I would ever go out with you then I hope a comet hits it and knocks it into the sun. I’m Cordelia Chase. I don’t climb social ladders, I build them. And let me tell you Kyle Sanderson, you wouldn’t even grace the lowest rung. Now you have three seconds to remove any body part from my personal bubble that you’d like to take home with you tonight.”



Kyle sneered down at her, but his bravado didn’t extend to actually testing her threat and he quickly pulled away from the seething brunette.



“You know, Chase, for a slut you’re pretty frigid. I can see why Harris would dump you.”



As Kyle made his way past the stands and into the bright lights of high school superstardom, Cordelia felt her hands clench at the unfairness that was her life. In one more burst of universal humor at her expense, the increased pressure on the bottle in her hand caused the red tinted liquid to shoot through the sports cap and rain down all over her uniform.







Chapter Thirty Eight





Muttering under her breath about Hellmouths and incompetent bottle manufacturers, Cordelia made her way into the locker room to try to wash out what she could of the cheery, red spots covering her.



Stomping over to the sink she grabbed a handful of paper towels, dampened them and began dabbing at the spill.



“Had an accident, baby.”



Cordelia spun around so fast she nearly fell over as she tried to pin down the location of that voice. Seeing the vampire resting comfortably against her locker she wondered if it was coincidence or if he knew that it housed her belongings. Rethinking that she realized that of course he knew. After all, he’d known just where her hall locker was, hadn’t he.



Starting as she meant to go on, her voice was firm as she questioned his presence there.



“What are you doing here, Angelus? Don’t you have things to kill, people to eat?”



Angelus grinned at the picture she made. He loved all of her moods, but this one, when she thought she was in control, was so adorable that he almost wanted to let her delusion continue. Almost.



“You know, I didn’t think you’d do it. I really thought you’d know better by now, Cordelia.”



Despite her resolve to retain some kind of command of this conversation, she still shivered as chills danced gently down her spine at his sinister tone. But brave to the end she tilted her chin up and faced him squarely.



“I’m not sure what your talking about, but with your endless list of rules that you seem to add to daily, that’s not to surprising. You know, for a demon you’re incredibly anal.”



Leaving crass puns by the wayside, Angelus focused instead on the original source of his displeasure. Straightening from his place at her locker where the echo of her scent had surrounded him, he made his way towards her to breathe in the real thing.



“Did you really think this would be okay, Cordelia? That I’d let you dance around in front of a sea of other men, wearing almost nothing? How could you possibly imagine that you'd be allowed to bounce up and down, exciting a bunch of witless animals who have no concept of the fact that you belong to me.”



“If you want to jump around nearly naked, I have a large bedroom waiting for us at the mansion, where you can wear all the skimpy outfits you please until I peel them off your supple, sumptuous body. Until then, if I see you on that field again, your game’s going to be called on account of massive deaths.”



Even before he had finished Cordelia was shaking her head at his words and the disturbing images they created. She could see that he was deadly serious about this new decree, but she wasn’t sure, even under the threat of torture, that she could give up one more piece of her life to this monster. Hadn’t she sacrificed enough? Panic leaking into her voice, she asked the only question her mind could form.



“God, when will you get out of my life and just leave me alone?”



Closing the distance between them, Angelus pulled her into his arms, laughing happily. His left hand pressing against the center of her back, keeping her anchored to him, his right hand came up to her chin, a long finger gently tilting her gaze up to his. With an aching tenderness so at odds with what she knew of his brutal nature, he dried the tears of frustration slipping softly from her eyes.



“Never, Cordelia. I’ll never leave you and you’ll never have a life without me in it. Don’t you understand yet? You’re mine, and eventually, you won’t be anything else. You won’t want to be anything else.”



Frightened by the certainty in his eyes Cordelia needed to infect him with the doubts plaguing her.



“You’re wrong. This bond isn’t everything. Giles says -”



Cordelia’s voice ground to a halt as she was hit with the fear that this line of defense might be putting Giles in danger. Her worries were confirmed as Angelus tensed and the warm eyes from moments before became cold and frosty.



“Giles says what, Cordelia? What ideas has our watcher been filling your head with?”



“Leave Giles alone!”



They both knew from past experience that this was most definitely one of Cordelia’s weak spots. Honing in on that and willing to make the most of these opportunities as they presented themselves, Angelus flashed his even, white teeth at her in a mockery of a smile.



“That’s not how it works, Cordelia. It goes more like this - You do as I say and I do what I want.”



Sometimes all Cordelia felt she had left was her pride, but she was willing to cast even that aside if it would keep safe one of the few people to ever really care about her.



“Please. Please, Angelus, don’t hurt him. Just leave Giles alone.”



Although her constant need to safeguard the watcher bothered him, he couldn’t deny that her begging was turning him on. Seeing this proud, stunning woman, his pet, pleading with him in a blatant admission that his will was supreme was stirring his body in pleasurable, but tonight, ultimately unsatisfying ways. And yet he couldn’t deny himself at least a taste of her luscious charms.



Looking down at her earnest expression his previous warmth returned.



“So, it’s a negotiation. Now we just need to figure out what you’re willing to offer for good old Rupert’s safety, and what I’m prepared to accept.”



Knowing that she was completely at his mercy in this matter she closed her eyes in resignation and asked the question she would give anything but a life to keep unspoken.



“What do you want?”



Not wanting to push the girl more than necessary, Angelus buried his satisfied smirk in her neck. Starting at the beckoning mark on the base of her throat, he slowly made his way upwards, trailing wet, open kisses as he went, making frequent sweeps with his tongue over satin skin to capture the warm, honeyed taste of her.



Reaching her ear he bit gently at the fleshy lobe, swirling his tongue around the dainty curves. His voice, smooth and thick with the passion she was evoking, curled its way into her overloaded mind.



“A date.”



Trying to break the ethereal chains that held her in his thrall, Cordelia blinked several times in an attempt to process what she had heard.



“A -A date?”



Setting her a step back from his hard, aching body, he captured her confused gaze once more.



“Yes Cordelia, a date. I want a night out with my girl.”



Still feeling trapped in a surrealistic nightmare, the denial came unbidden to her lips.



“I’m not -”



As his heated look penetrated the fuzziness blanketing her mind, Cordelia thought better of antagonizing the vampire when they had just reached an agreement.



“Fine.”



Cordelia’s tone conveyed her unhappiness with this outcome, but true to the nature of a teenage girl, she couldn’t help herself from asking -



“What do I wear?”



Relishing her acceptance, Angelus allowed her to put another step between them. Looking at her lithe body, barely covered in taut, flexible fabric, he knew he’d have to leave soon before his plans were sacrificed to his need to fill Cordelia with him ‘til she was bursting and there would never be any distance between them again.



“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.”



Despite dire consequences this might have for her life, Cordelia couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling.



“Yeah, ‘cause that worked so well last time.”



And there was his adorable girl again. Angelus turned before temptation could overtake him and made his way outside, pausing only long enough to call over his shoulder, “Friday at eight, Cordelia. Don’t make me come looking for you.”







**Chapter Thirty Nine**





“Come on, Kyle. Wakey, wakey. You won’t be any fun to kill if I can’t hear you scream.”



Kyle Sanderson could make out a voice as he swam up out of his unconscious state, but the words were fragmented, and what he could make out he was sure he was mishearing. Forcing his heavy eyes open, he surveyed his surroundings.



The room was dark and lit with candles, large and small and scattered across every surface and in many of the nooks recessed into the stone walls. There were no windows, or at least none that he could make out, and that being the case, he was at a loss for what time it was.



Attempting to read his watch, Kyle found that he could not move his arms. Testing other limbs he discovered that his movements, in general, were inhibited by what felt like some kind of coarse rope.



Hearing the sharp sound of metal scraping across metal, he turned his head to the side. Now within his view stood a tall, dark haired, muscular man. Realizing he must have been the one to speak, Kyle was having a difficult time reconciling the pleasant voice with the waves of menace and danger rolling from the large form.



Turning abruptly, the candlelight spilled over his captors face and Kyle couldn’t help thinking how good looking the chilling man was. Not that he liked guys or anything, he thought to himself to bolster the manhood badly shaken at being tied up by another guy.



“So, Kyle. Can I call you Kyle? ‘Cause really, if you can’t be on a first name basis with the guy who plans on peeling off your eyelids, then there’s just no interpersonal connections left in this world.”



Angelus smiled at the scent of terror that literally filled the room from floor to ceiling as his words penetrated into Kyle’s mind.



“Look man,” Kyle blathered out as he began to grasp the hopelessness of his situation. “Whatever you want, it’s done. My parents are loaded. They’ll give you anything you want. Anything, man.”



Angelus paused in gathering his tools and looked at the young man secured tightly to a large, antique chair.



“Hmmm. Negotiating. I’ve been doing that a lot recently. Tell you what, Kyle. I think that you and I need to work a few things out. But I don’t want anyone to worry about you while we take care of our business.”



“Now I’m thinking, a young, good looking man such as yourself must be fairly popular, right?”



Kyle wasn’t sure what this maniac wanted, but if discussing his life prevented anymore talk of eyelid ripping, then he was an open book.



“Yeah, I have friends.”



“And would you be willing to call one of those friends here to take your place?”



Kyle blanched at the thought, but as a twinkling light caught his eye, he realized that the man in front of him was twirling a rather large knife. Frightened beyond reason, Kyle could only say whatever he thought the deranged man wanted to hear.



“Sure man, whatever you want. Just let me go, okay.”



For the first time since he’d awakened he saw his captor’s pleasant demeanor slip and the underlying disgust shine through. Not understanding his next words made them no less chilling.



“She wouldn’t offer up her friends to me. She’d do everything in her power to protect them. What kind of man are you, Kyle.”



The friendly mask was back.



“Oh, that’s right. You’re the kind of man who touches what doesn’t belong to you.”



Although the words were all the more disturbing for the congenial way in which they were uttered, at least they had a meaning that Kyle could quickly grasp.



“Hey, is this about a girl? ‘Cause I have a girlfriend, so I don’t need to go chasing anyone else’s. Honest.”



Angelus leaned forward until he was mere inches away from Kyle’s ear. In a voice low and dangerous he enlightened the terrified young man.



“It’s not about a girl, Kyle. It’s about the girl. It’s about my girl and it’s about you thinking that you had any right to put your filthy hands on her.”



This man was deeply unstable, and Kyle knew that if he didn’t do something soon he wouldn’t get out of here alive.



“Look, I have no idea who your girl is, but if she said I touched her, she was lying. I haven’t touched anyone!”



Kyle had thought he knew the pinnacle of fear, but as he watched brown eyes submerge in a sea of amber his terror soared to new heights as he realized that he was in the presence of something inhuman.



“Cordelia wouldn’t lie. Which is immaterial since I saw you touching her. I could smell you all over her. And she’d be punished, too, except I saw her deal with your stupidity.”



Shit! Kyle knew now why Cordelia had blown him off earlier that night. This must also be why she dumped Harris. He briefly wondered if she knew her new boyfriend was a psychopath. But that thought was quickly swamped as his overwhelming fear returned full force.



“I didn’t know, man. I didn’t know you were dating her.”



Rising to his full height Angelus smirked down at his horror-filled captive.



“I don’t “date” Cordelia. I own her. She’s mine. Even if she’d wanted you to touch her, doing so would have cost you your life. But touching her when she told you to stop? You can’t even begin to grasp what that’s going to cost you.”



“Please! I’ll do anything to fix this. Anything! What can I do???”



Leaning against a wrought iron table, Angelus shot the boy a conciliatory smile.



“Well, Kyle. Like I said earlier, you and I have things to work out and I really don’t want your loved ones to worry. So here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re going to call one of those many friends you have and tell them that you’re taking off to L.A. for a while. That you’ve gotten tired of small town life. You do that and I guarantee that you’ll make it through the night alive. You don’t and -”



As Angelus stood he placed his hand on Kyle’s shoulder and proceeded to squeeze until he felt the joint dislocate. Enjoying Kyle’s howls of pain, he retrieved the cordless phone from the corner and calmly inquired as to the number he wished dialed.



“Now, now, Kyle, you have to stop screaming or you’ll give everything away. You’re tough. You’re an athlete; you know how to play through the pain. Don’t you want to live to see tomorrow?”



Finally Kyle managed to choke back his screams enough to make the call. Although his friend seemed worried at the tone of his voice, he was more envious of the fact that Kyle would be living the dream - Away from parents in a place like L.A.



Ending the phone call, Angelus replaced the phone and brought back, in its place, a long, straight edged razor. Placing it where Kyle was sure to see it, Angelus sat back and waited for the inevitable.



“No. NO! You said if I called you’d let me go.”



Angelus shook his head as he tsked the young man disappointedly.



“Do you get through school with those listening skills, Kyle? What am I saying, of course you don’t. You’re a football player. Well, if you’re not going to use them.”



And before Kyle could form a single response to what had been said, Angelus reached up, and with a flick of his wrist, neatly sliced off Kyle’s ear.



As the screams bounced off of the walls of the small room, Angelus continued talking as if nothing was amiss.



“Let me tell you something, Kyle. You’re terrible at making deals. Cordelia was much better at this than you. At least she always included “home; safe and sound” in her requirements. Not that I won’t keep my word, Kyle. You’ll definitely live to see tomorrow, but by then I’ll bet you wished you hadn’t.”



Circling around the hysterical football player, Angelus pondered where to strike next.



“You know, I’ll try not to make it too terrible. After all, that phone call was a huge favor.”



A blur of motion and a scarlet trail running down Kyle’s chest were the only evidence that a new cut had been made.



“You see, I have to kill you because you touched her. You felt the satin feel of her skin, the silky waves of her hair. You breathed in her alluring essence. And Kyle, all of those things are mine. And as I’ve already informed Cordelia, I don’t share.”



Another slash and the bones of three of the fingers on Kyle’s left hand came into view.



“But I don’t really want her to know I killed you. And you don’t know me, but that’s kind of a new thing for me.”



A gleam of light and his thigh was laid open.



“Usually, I’m a leave the corpse in your bed kinda guy. But here’s the thing. There are a lot of people in Cordelia’s life that I’m going to have to kill. But all of those deaths, they’ll break her down and tie her to me. Each one will leave her more and more alone until the only choices she has are me and the dark abyss of absolute solitude.”



A quick turn and a visible knee cap.



“But you, well, she won’t really care about you. Oh, she’ll be upset that I killed you, but you aren’t close enough to her to break her spirit, just enough to build up her resistance. So it’s all cost and no benefit.”



A silver arc and a precise incision through the naval.



“Now, Kyle. It’s getting late and your day’s almost up. So before I rip out your tongue; tell me what you know about Cordelia.”





TBC - The Dating Game





Aditional challenge by Impress



I've read a lot of fic that has Angel(us) being possessive and thinking if so and so (usually Xander) touches Cordy again..he was going to maim or kill him. So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write that very thing. You can assume Cordy and Angel(us) are together or A is just being possessive. But either way...he acts on his vamp instinct and maims/kills the person who touches what's his. Whether anyone finds out is up to you.