False Claims

Chapter Forty Seven





This was harder than she’d thought.



Buffy sighed deeply at the realization. They were arguing about Angelus; a normally sore spot for the young slayer, but now, with the inclusion of Jenny Calendar things seemed even more tense than usual. And Buffy hadn’t really believed that to be possible.



The worst part was that she was the reason Jenny was here to begin with. She’s called the computer teacher earlier that morning and asked if she would come over to Giles’ place and help them come up with some kind of plan to deal with the vampire.



It wasn’t that Buffy actually thought that they needed Jenny’s help. No, the inspiration for what was feeling more and more like a stupid idea was Cordelia. And why didn’t that surprise her. Ever since last weekend, when she and Cordelia had argued in her bedroom, Buffy hadn’t been able to push the cheerleader’s words from her mind.



Did Giles feel guilty all the time? Was she missing the emotional signals her watcher was putting out? Was she really so focused on her own issues that she was blinding herself to the turmoil of those she cared about?



Well, over the past week she’d learned the answer to those questions was a big gigantic “Hell yeah!”



Okay, she had to admit that the fact that Giles felt bad for letting the others involve themselves in the slaying business wasn’t so much of a shock. And his guilt for her not being able to have some normalcy in her life was less of a revelation, although certainly unexpected given his original opinion on the subject, and more of an idea that she shoved aside because sometimes she needed to have someone to blame when she had to cancel a date to save the world. It wasn’t that she really believed that it was Giles’ fault; it was just that he was one of the few safe people with whom she could vent her frustrations. He loved her, and she knew, absolutely, that her semi-childish rants at him would be forgiven.



But what had surprised her was Jenny Calendar.



Giles missed her. Not in the way that you wish someone would call or write and let you know how they were doing, but in the pained, longing looks, thought of a thousand little things to tell you today and you weren’t there sort of missing.



And it wasn’t just Giles. Willow missed her, too. Now that Buffy knew what to listen for she realized that Willow had practically bit her tongue to keep from mentioning Miss Calendar at least 8 times before she’d stopped counting in self-disgust.



It wasn’t that she had wanted to keep everyone away from the young teacher. It was just that Buffy had assumed that everyone felt the same way that she did. She thought that they had all felt betrayed and wouldn’t want the reminder of those lies that Jenny would bring. It hadn’t even occurred to her that some of her friends might have cared deeply enough for the teacher to be hurt by her absence.



Buffy didn’t want to ignore the pain of those closest to her. Truly she didn’t. She loved them, and she’d never purposefully do anything to hurt them. She knew that this situation had been hard on everyone. She wasn’t that blind. She just hurt so badly every minute, that it was sometimes hard for her to remember that other people were hurting, too.



And boy, that realization didn’t ease away any of the pain. No, now she just had more to feel bad about. Well she had decided that some of that stopped today. She might not be able to get Angel back, and she might not be ready to kill Angelus; but there were things that she could do. Things that would relieve some of people’s pain and maybe begin to unmake this mess for which she knew in her heart she would always feel responsible.



And so she’d called Jenny.



It had been hard, but when Jenny had arrived and Giles saw that she was there at Buffy’s request, the look on his face had more than made up for any lingering discomfort the slayer felt.



One thing down, 999,999 more to go.



As Giles watched the play of emotions on Buffy’s face he couldn’t stop the flood of affection that rushed through him. He knew how difficult this was for the girl. Despite the vast amounts of time she spent dealing with the vilest creatures walking the earth, things such as betrayal and dishonesty always caught her off guard. She expected the best from everyone and was therefore unprepared for the all too common human error.



But Buffy, for all the narrowness in the scope of her affection, deeply loved those around her. And though she may be slow to see their pain, when she did she would go to great lengths to end it. It was to that fine characteristic he knew he could attribute Jenny’s presence in his apartment.



God, he had missed her.



True, at first he’d been hurt by her omissions. But as the initial pain had faded he’d pondered the amount of people he’d kept in the dark concerning his true profession. He was even encouraging a young girl to hide her destiny from her own mother. Over time his belief in his right to judge Jenny had dimmed and instead he’d found himself simply wanting her comfort throughout this ordeal.



But Buffy had needed him, and though he didn’t regret for a moment standing with his slayer, it had left a hole in his hear that he was still struggling to fill.



But now, just having her there, seeing her face, smelling the musky spice of her perfume was a balm to his all too wounded soul. Love was a rare visitor in his often dreary life. Jenny had been his sunny day in the midst of a long frigid winter. But all too soon she’d been gone and he was left with nothing but the biting cold of loneliness once more. To have her close, to have a chance to regain what he had thought lost was the greatest gift his slayer could have given him.



Giles rubbed a hand wearily across his forehead. He knew that Buffy would have to grow up eventually, but why did it have to happen like this? Although he appreciated her new found maturity, the price was so high and he wondered, more than once, how she would be able to handle the emotional fallout when she was finally forced to kill Angelus.



Of course, right now when it came to the vampire Giles was far more concerned for Cordelia than he was for his slayer. Buffy’s problems were more internal as she tried to reconcile her love for Angel with the loathing inspired by Angelus. However Cordelia’s plight was external in nature, stemming from the demon and the bond he’d created with the girl.



Although Angelus had taken Cordelia from them that night in the cemetery, Giles’ instincts had proven correct and Cordelia had called him a few hours later from her bedroom, declaring all to be well. She had sounded groggy and confused, but since she was safe within the confines of her home, he had chalked it up to the unrelenting stress of a pursuing vampire.



Still, things had been quiet since then and Cordelia seemed to be handling things as well as could be expected consid -



“I’m leaving town.”







Chapter Forty Eight





“I’m leaving town.”



Giles had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t even heard the door open or the whirlwind that was Cordelia Chase enter. She was casually clothed in stonewashed jeans coupled with a deep red tank top and the lengthy tresses of her hair fell in attractive disarray down her back. She carried with her an air of urgency that bespoke more of her intention to flee than did her sudden proclamation.



“Cordelia. Sit down and tell us what this is all about.”



At the "us", Cordelia glanced around the room, taking in the presence of the slayer and Jenny Calendar. Focusing again on the watcher she waved aside his request.



“I don’t have time for a chat, Giles. I just didn’t want you to worry when I didn’t show up for school on Monday. So, that’s done. I’ll just be going.”



With a nod of his head to Buffy she silently placed herself in between the brunette and the doorway while Cordelia was saying her abbreviated goodbyes. Thus Cordelia was brought up just short of escape as Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, making it clear that she would not be moved. To those who didn’t know the blonde girl the picture would have been amusing. But all in this room were more than aware that the door behind her would not open until she permitted.



Giles took advantage of Cordelia’s frustrated distraction to approach the brunette. Placing a hand on her shoulder the flinch he felt rock her was not unexpected given the circumstances, but the immediate relaxing on realizing it was only him was a surprising glimpse at the trust this young woman had placed in him.



“Cordelia, please, let’s just discuss this for a moment. We don’t want you to do anything rash. I know that this has been terribly difficult for you, but I believe that it would be foolish at this time to leave the protection afforded by the slayer.”



“Protection? Protection!”



Giles winced slightly as Cordelia’s voice climbed in both volume and register.



“Giles, there is no protection. Not for me, and certainly not for any of you. Don’t you see, he knows. He knows that you’re all my strength...and my weakness.”



“You’ve seen him again.” Not a question, but a statement. This new need to leave the vampire’s sphere of influence was, Giles was positive, motivated by some new and frightening trauma to which the girl had been subjected. “What did he do?”



Turning to look up at him, Giles heart nearly tore in two at the haunted look of desperation visible behind the sheen of tears in Cordelia’s eyes.



A hush fell over the room for which Giles gave thanks, for otherwise he never would have heard Cordelia’s whispered response.



“He’s going to kill you. All of you. All of my friends, all of my family, teachers, fellow cheerleaders, everything that makes me who I am he’s going to destroy ‘til all that’s left is who he wants; a person who desires nothing but him.”



Giles had known all along that this would be part of Angelus’ plan, but to hear Cordelia speak of it in an empty monotone caused shivers to flutter across his skin as repulsive pictures filled his mind. Careful to keep his voice even, Giles attempted to gather further information on her interaction with the vampire.



“That’s what he did when you saw him last? He revealed his plans?”



Slowly the pained look in the glassy, hazel depths was being replaced by burgeoning self-recrimination.



“No. He made me understand them.”



Giles bit back a silent curse when, at his start of surprise, the internally directed loathing in her eyes bloomed and her bitter explanation poured forth.



“He gave me all the details, Giles. He wanted me to know why he was going to hurt me so badly. He wanted me to get it, and how sick am I, ‘cause I do.”



Cordelia grasped Giles shirt in a silent plea, almost as if she planned to shake him. Her wild stare pinned him in place as a torrent of words could no longer be denied.



“He’s right Giles. Angelus is right. As long as even one of you are alive, one person who ties me to who I am at this moment, I’ll never stop trying to find a way to get back here, to where I was, who I was.”



“He promised to do it quickly, not to make you suffer, but he’ll kill you all because he knows that I’ll choose to be with him if my only other choice is being alone. And - and Giles...I’m not sure that he’s wrong.”



Giles reached up and encompassed Cordelia’s hands in a soothing clasp. He needed to find the words to soothe the near hysterical girl, to make her see that there was nothing wrong with her and that these feelings were the product of mystical forces and the mental manipulations of an evil creature centuries in the making. But for all his wisdom, all his years, those words didn’t come. And in the end, all he could do was agree with this young woman who had amazed him with her strength and surprised him with her compassion.



“Where will you go?”



The air rushed from Cordelia’s body leaving her slightly lightheaded as she saw acceptance radiating from every line of Giles’ body. She had struggled all night trying to figure out what was wrong with her that she had seen Angelus’ point of view. Sure, she’d thought it was nauseating and horrific, but his logic had been clear.



But Giles also seemed to understand and there was nothing wrong with him, so maybe she was okay, too. Of course Giles hadn’t cried himself to sleep in a monster’s embrace. He hadn’t been carried home, yet again in his enemy’s arms. And he hadn’t been sent back to safety with a demon’s soft endearment and gentle push. Nope; there was definitely something wrong with her.



Which was just one of the many reasons that she had to go. Now. If she left then Angelus wouldn’t need to kill anyone. And if he followed her, well, she’d be careful and he certainly wouldn’t be killing anyone here if he was out searching for her.



Dragging her attention back to Giles she smiled wryly as she denied him his answer.



“You know it wouldn’t be in any of our best interests for me to tell you that.”



Giles gave a small nod of his head to concede the wisdom of her words.



“What will you do, then? You know you won’t be able to go to anyone you know, use any financial resources that can be tracked, do anything that would be characteristic of you that might attract notice?”



Suddenly this situation seemed just a tiny bit more tragic as Giles remembered the children researching in the library not all that long ago as Xander teased Cordelia about her acting aspirations. One more thing this girl would never do now.



“I know, Giles. Don’t worry, even Cordelia Chase can blend. I’ll just wear tacky clothes and try to look mediocre. Buffy does it everyday, how hard can it be?”



With a roll of her eyes and a slight twist of her lips, Buffy let the remark glide past. Giles was proud of his slayer who seemed to understand that this was a primary defense for Cordelia and no real reflection on herself.



“Look, Giles. I have some money. Not a lot, but enough to get a place to stay for a little while. I’ve told my parents that I’m going to be part of a sister school study program that will send me to San Francisco for the next few months. By the time they realize that something’s wrong I’ll be long gone. I’ll dump my car on my way to wherever I’m going and then, then I guess I’ll start over. Don’t worry; as I’ve been told lately, I’m quite the survivor.”



A truer statement was never spoken, and Giles knew that it was probably that more than anything else that drew the vampire to her. That internal core of strength sheathed by her extraordinary external beauty would be a hard combination to resist under any circumstances, but for a pleasure seeking demon with no concept of self-denial it was most likely impossible.



“When are you leaving?”



It was the first time Jenny had spoken since Cordelia had arrived. Although this morning she’d finally managed to convince Buffy of the fact that she hadn’t known about Angel’s ability to lose his soul until it was too late, she’d still carried the burden of guilt that if she’d been honest with them about who she was, maybe things would have turned out differently. And if she’d felt bad before, it was nothing to compare with her reaction on hearing of Cordelia’s plight. Knowing that another young, beautiful girl was being sacrificed to Angelus’ evil because of her clan’s arrogance in their belief that they wielded vengeance when it had so clearly wielded them was almost beyond bearing.



Cordelia read the guilt in Jenny’s eyes. She could recognize it easily as it seemed to be mirrored in the eyes of almost everyone saw recently; including her own. Smiling reassuringly at the woman she was glad to see once again at the watcher’s side she gave the only answer they all knew was available to her.



“Now.”



And even though they’d all expected just that response, the rooms three other occupants all burst into excited speech, stopping only when Cordelia held up her hand for silence.



“Look, all of you,” Cordelia glanced at Buffy to include her in her next words. “I know you’re all concerned, and I appreciate it more than I can say. You’ve done what you could for me and, more than anything, I wish I had a better way to repay you than by leaving. But I don’t.”



“It’s too dangerous for me to stay here; for me and for you. It’s dangerous for you because the more I care about you all the more Angelus will be determined to kill you. And it’s dangerous for me because all he has to do anymore is threaten any of you and I’m completely at his mercy. There’s no way I can take a chance with your lives. That’s why I always end up with him, and that’s why I have to go now.”



Overcome by emotion and the realization of what she was leaving behind, Cordelia’s voice was nothing but a harsh whisper.



“I know it’s sad, and I only say this because I’ll never see any of you again, but my parents...their not so great. You guys, you’re everything I have.”



And with that startling declaration ringing in their ears they were held still as Cordelia swept by the unresisting slayer and out of their lives.







Chapter Forty Nine





Dammit, dammit, dammit!



Cordelia felt like smacking her head against her steering wheel. Hard. Repeatedly.



How could she possibly be getting a ticket now?



Sure, she thought, she may have been speeding, but it was the Sunnydale Police Department. Since when did they care about wrong doing? Besides, if anyone could sympathize with the plight of someone fleeing from the supernatural, you think it would be them. And yet she was pretty sure that her excuse for speeding wouldn’t include mention trying to escape a homicidal vampire.



She was mad enough to spit as she realized that could actually see the ‘Leaving Sunnydale’ sign. She wondered if this wretched town would ever let her go.



Cordelia rolled down her window in response to the officers tapping and pinned a glowing smile to her face.



“License and registration, ma’am.”



“Yes Officer...uh” Glancing at his name tag she flashed her white teeth as she peeked up through her lashes. “Davidson. Is there a problem?”



“License and registration, please.”



Crap. Knowing that there was no way to get out of the ticket, Cordelia handed over her ID and fished her registration out of her glove compartment. As she watched the Officer Davidson walk back to his squad car to use his radio, she gave some serious thought to just taking off.



Tempting, but the last thing she needed was a car chase down a California freeway. Those [b]never[/b] turned out well, and fifteen news helicopters broadcasting her clandestine escape from the Hellmouth? Not of the good.



“Ma’am, would you mind stepping out of the car for me.”



No, no, no. Cordelia couldn’t believe this. Was there no one up there looking out for her? She couldn’t even remember if she’d really been speeding, but she sure as hell would’ve remembered driving so poorly that she’d have to take a sobriety test, wouldn’t she?



Arrgh.



Exiting the car, Cordelia was trying to remember what came after V if you were saying the alphabet backwards when she was suddenly spun around and pushed over her trunk as the officer cuffed her hands behind her back.



“What the hell is going on???”



“I’m sorry, Miss Chase, but you have an outstanding warrant for parking tickets. I have to take you into the station.”



Cordelia leaned her head briefly against the sun warmed metal of her car. She wasn’t sure that she could take anymore. But even as the despair rose within her, her proactive nature surged to the fore and began restructuring her escape plans.



She had cash on her, so whatever the tickets were she would pay them. Then she’d climb into her car and never look back at this stupid town where the police rarely did anything and when they did it was never helpful.



Straightening up she looked back over her shoulder. “Could you at least bring my purse please? And what about my car?”



“Officer Shale will retrieve your purse Miss Chase.” For the first time Cordelia noticed a female officer standing near the police cruiser. “As for your car, it will be towed to the impound lot where you can recover it when this matter is settled.”



With that he led Cordelia back to his vehicle and placed her in the back seat. As soon as Officer Shale joined them they pulled out and headed to the station.



“Look, I don’t mean to be difficult, but are these necessary?” Cordelia lifted her arms as best she could to indicate the shiny silver handcuffs biting ever so slightly into her wrists.



“Its procedure, ma’am.” Officer Davidson informed her.



With a sigh of disgust at the government in its entirety and the SDPD specifically, Cordelia wondered why anyone here even bothered to pay taxes for this kind of service. Deciding there was nothing to do but sit tight, she leaned back as much as her bound arms would allow and waited for downtown to come into view.



Only it didn’t.



In fact, not only did downtown not appear, they weren’t even passing the landmarks that would distinguish an alternative route to the center or Sunnydale. Actually, they seemed to be skirting the edge of the town and approaching the generally deserted and decaying areas.



It was as if all of her blood had turned to liquid lead and was pooling in her stomach. Knowing that what she was about to ask would destroy any small piece of mind that she might be able to retain until they reached their destination; she could not still the words begging to be spoken.



“You’re not taking me to the police station, are you?”



And even though she knew the answer before she asked the question, the reply still fell like a crushing weight onto her chest.



“You shouldn’t have tried to run, Miss Chase. You must have known he’d never let you go.”



Cordelia shivered at Officer Shale’s tone. It was as if she were being lectured on the dangers of drinking and driving instead of being instructed on her perceived duty to a demon.



“Please, don’t do this. You’re police officers. It’s your job to serve the public. Well guess what. I just so happen to be the public, so it would work out well if you let me go.”



“We serve the Master.”



With this answer, Officer Shale turned to appraise this woman so valued by her beloved Master. She was becoming legend among those who served Angelus. Taken as a pet, a bond much stronger than that which she shared with the powerful demon, and still this young woman resisted.



Being this close to her stirred a myriad of emotions in the policewoman. Knowing that without exposure to the vampire she revered she would surely die, she was in awe that Cordelia Chase would undertake to leave town.



Conversely, realizing how much she must mean to Angelus that he would allow her such defiance sparked a flood of jealousy in the older woman that she would never have the devotion that the Master seemed poised to lavish on the captured brunette.



But more than anything was a rising anger that this girl would dare to deprive the one she served of something in which he obviously found great joy. As a servant to his pleasure that idea offended what had become the very reason for her being.



Even as the building rage threatened to explode, Shale reined it in. The Master had been extremely specific that [b]no[/b] harm was to come to Cordelia Chase while in their care. No one would risk his terrible wrath by hurting her.



“You know,” Cordelia regained the officer’s attention, “the slayer’s going to be all over your asses for this. And, trust me, she can really be a bitch when she wants to be...which is most of the time.”



If Cordelia had hoped that the mention of Buffy would strike fear into their hearts she was left greatly disappointed. This time it was Davidson who spoke up.



“The Master wouldn’t let the slayer harm us. We are his and so he cares for us.”



Knowing it probably wouldn’t work, Cordelia couldn’t help but try that oldie but goodie ‘divide and conquer’.



“Wow, ‘cause you wouldn’t know it to hear him talk. I always get the feeling that he sees you guys as expendable.”



Again she was destined to have her hopes dashed as Officer Davidson laughed and she was treated to more evidence of their creepy, mystical brainwashing.



“We serve the Master and he watches over us. You think it’s strange; I can see that you do. But you’re the one who’s strange Miss Chase. He loves you. He wants you with him every moment. How can you run from that? Why would you even want to?”



Whatever Cordelia might have said was lost as the car turned onto Crawford Street and headed up the driveway of a very spooky looking mansion.







Chapter Fifty





He was in there. She knew it; she could feel him. Ever since she’d decided, early that morning, that she had to leave Sunnydale, there’d been this dull ache that ebbed and flowed throughout her entire body. It was reminiscent of the first few days with the flu and Cordelia had put it down to the utter emotional exhaustion of the night before. Now she knew better, for with every step she took towards the large wooden doors, the bothersome throbbing eased and in its place was a kind of peace entirely out of place given the current situation.



Knowing that it was this sense of well-being that was so dangerous to her, that would make her the author of her own demise, she decided to fight while she still could. Kicking out at Officer Davidson she made contact with his leg just as she wrenched her arm free of Officer Shale’s grasp. Turning and beginning a headlong flight driveway, she used her hard won athletic balance to keep herself upright as her hands were still shackled behind her.



Still, escape was not in the crappy cards she’d been dealt as strong arms surrounded her waist and Davidson pulled her up off of her feet. Carrying the struggling girl up to the now open doorway, he spoke low in her ear.



“There’s no point in fighting. He will have you. You might as well give in and enjoy it. Any one of us would kill to be where you are.”



And just as she was gearing up to argue, or at least to spit in his face, she was released. Almost against her will her eyes were drawn to the enormous stone fire place where Angelus stood with his back to her, hands braced against the large, heavy mantle, staring down into the flames.



Cordelia shivered, a mixture of fear and anticipation that, this close to the vampire, she could not control. She watched the thick muscles of his back bunch under his shirt as he straightened to his full, imposing height and slowly turned around.



Although his features retained their human shape, his eyes burned a fiery gold; evidence that demonic instinct was driving him now. Every gliding step, every tightly controlled yet fluid movement marked the being before her as a predator of the highest order and, despite her normal inclination which was fight or flight minus the flight, every cell in her body screamed at her to remain perfectly still as Angelus circled her like a shark on the verge of attack.



It seemed that her passivity had been the prudent course of action as the towering vampire stopped to the right of her, just out of her sight. Feeling his cool touch on her shoulder, she shivered as a finger traced its way down her arm to her wrist, leaving a curiously hot trail in its wake, considering the source. Feeling a gentle tug on the silver cuffs confining her hands, she heard Angelus’ voice for the first time since her arrival.



“I don’t think we need these any more. Do you Cordelia?”



And with a movement swifter than her eyes could register, he was standing in front of her. Hearing a click she felt her hands blissfully freed from their bonds. Moving to pull her arms forward to survey the results of their confinement, she found they were already gently clasped in Angelus’ much larger grip. Drawing them from behind her he brought her wrists up to his searching gaze. Beginning with the right, his eyes carefully noted every discoloration, no matter how minor, that marred her skin. As each new mark was discovered he tenderly soothed it with a soft kiss.



As his lips caressed the last of the markings Cordelia couldn’t suppress the small quivers that shot up her arm as his tongue slid out to taste her skin. Hazel hues were swallowed by dilating pupils and as sensations rushed through her at even those small touches, she dimly heard Angelus dismissing the officers still awaiting their master’s orders.



“Davidson, Shale.” The vampire may have been speaking to them, but his eyes never left Cordelia’s. “You’ve done well. It’s good to know that Sunnydale’s finest take lost pets so seriously.”



Under his piercing gaze Angelus watched as the sensual fire in Cordelia’s eyes was doused only to be reborn in the flames of anger. He could almost hear the words of outrage forming in her mind, but placing a finger firmly against her lips he halted their flow.



“You know better than that, Cordelia. We don’t fight in front of the help.” Glancing over Cordelia’s shoulder he spoke to his servants once again. “That will be all.”



And as if they were indeed domestics of the highest caliber, they simply turned and left their master to his pleasure without a single glance back at the girl they were leaving in a monster’s care.



As she heard the heavy door close, Cordelia lost hold of the last of the illusions she’d had of escape. Still seething, the hand he’d freed came up to remove the offending digit. She watched as his lips twisted into satisfied smirk as he recaptured her wrist and pulled her inexorably forward until her hands were splayed across the hard, uncompromising muscles of his chest. His eyes closed in a moment of bliss as her warm touch seared his skin even through the silken barrier of his shirt.



Clenched lids opened to reveal molten rivers of amber shot through with darts of desire as Angelus leaned into her until his lips brushed the curve of her ear.



“You know I would have gone slowly. I would have courted you.”



His hands slid from their place over hers to glide up her arms leaving echoes of sensations in their wake. Resting briefly on her shoulders his thumb smoothed over the rarely uncovered mark on her neck, reveling in the knowledge that it would never be hidden again.



Continuing his journey, he danced his fingertips down her rigid spine in a light touch that spun a fantasy of safety that was quickly dispelled as his palms pressed into the small of her back and she was propelled forward and crushed into the iron form before her.



“I would’ve done a thousand things to help you adjust. But never would letting you leave have been one of them. Either you don’t know me at all or you know me to well.”



As one hand kept her firmly imprisoned against him, his other crept up to tilt her gaze up to his.



Searching her gaze he found fear swirling in the caramel depths and he smiled. Not a twisted mockery of merriment, but a sincere look of contentment.



“Ah. Too well it is.”



“You knew I’d never let you go. Were you hoping I’d follow? Was this all one more desperate attempt to save your little friends?”



Suddenly she was free and he was once again at the fireplace, this time reclining against the thick stone. The look that he gave her was equal parts consideration and admiration.



“And the best part, Cordelia.” Angelus said as the admiration won out. “It was a fairly good plan. I can’t be without you, so I would have had no choice but to follow. And had you actually been able to make it off of the Hellmouth who knows how long you could have evaded me.”



“I’ve learned not to underestimate you as an opponent Cordelia. That’s why I’ve had people waiting at all of the main roads out of town for days now.”



And that was true. Angelus knew after their first date that Cordelia would try to run before too long. It wasn’t in her nature to just give up. And after their picnic the night before, he’d known that the new day would see her leaving this town with nothing but a trail of dust to show she’d been here at all.



While most people would try to hide behind the slayer, Cordelia instead chose to leave and lure him away from her friends. It was a bold and caring mood that was a clear representation of her character. And honestly, it made him hot.



Even though he knew she wouldn’t win this game that they were playing, the fact that she tried, continually, excited him no end. The stronger she was the more he longed to bend her to his will. Her constant rejections would only make her inevitable acquiescence all the sweeter.



Angelus found himself stirring in anticipation as he realized that Cordelia’s flight had officially brought the ‘dating’ period of their relationship to a close.



“You know, Cordelia” Angelus purred as he stalked toward the mesmerized beauty. “Normally I’d punish you for what you did today.”



Reaching her he traced a gentle finger down the side of her face.



“You need to understand that leaving me will [b]never[/b] be an option, and if I have to explain that to you again, you can bet that your correction would, at the very least, leave you unable to sit for days.”



He took a moment to enjoy the look of horror that crossed her face as that precise threat sank in. Brushing his thumb across the frown forming on her dusky lips, Angelus informed her why she had escaped punishment for that day’s escapade.



“Today, however, I’m inclined to let your lapse in judgment slide. Because, honestly, I don’t know how much longer I could have gone on as we were. Wanting you so badly. Needing you with me in every way. Dreaming of sleeping with you in my arms and waking you up with hard, fervent kisses as I bury myself deep in your welcoming heat.”



“No, this definitely had to end. And Cordelia, it ends now.”







Chapter Fifty One





“No, this definitely had to end. And Cordelia, it ends now.”



Those words ended any further hopes of conversation as Angelus swung the nonplussed girl into his arms and headed upstairs.



As they reached a heavy wooden door at the end of the second story landing, Cordelia glared at the vampire and readied herself to struggle, only to be engulfed in the shattering tenderness of his gaze.



“You’re finally home, Moonbeam.”



And with that loving declaration, he kicked open the door and entered what would now be their room.



Cordelia gasped in shock, and for the first time she was grateful for the arms that held her as she was sure she could not have stood unassisted.



A cascade of colors enveloped her senses as she took in every corner of the room, every surface, every possible inch of free space, all covered with vases upon vases of tulips. As their delicate beauty beguiled her, an arrow of sweet longing pierced through her at the tender emotions conveyed in this one gesture.



As her feet gently reached the floor, she realized that he was giving her time to take in what he had done. For her.



Turning, slowly, her eyes caressed each bloom, from virginal whites to sinful reds and every shade in between as she carved a space in her heart to remember this moment. For no matter what happened between them or how this nightmare that had become her life ended, in that one instant all she could feel was the radiant pleasure of the sweetest gift she’d ever been given.



Turning back to face Angelus, Cordelia looked up, confusion swirling in the depths of her eyes.



Bending until his forehead met hers, his husky words blew gently across her lips.



“Where else would you rather be than here, Cordelia?”



“With your family? How long will it be until they notice that whatever feeble excuse you gave them was a lie? And when they do, will they even care?”



“With your do-gooder friends? Who are willing to use you when it’s necessary, but will always expect you to play second string to the slayer?”



Cordelia knew that he was right about her parents. They wouldn’t care except for the embarrassment that having a runaway for a daughter would cause. But he was wrong about her friends. She knew he was.



“Giles cares.”



“Of course he does.” Angelus continued in the same soothing and intimate tone. “But when did he start caring, Cordelia?”



“How often were you the bait for their traps? How many nights was the slayer’s life less at risk because of the danger in which you willingly placed yourself? Was the concern evident then?”



“Or did it come after your run in with me? Did Giles worry about you before? Did he make sure that you were safe, that things were alright with you? Did he mind that your parents left you alone sometimes for weeks on end?”



“It was after you’d proved yourself, wasn’t it? It was after you convinced him how strong you could be by standing up to me, how compassionate you were by keeping him from harm. That was when he cared, wasn’t it? When you were what he wanted. Strong and longsuffering, a girl standing alone against evil.”



“Giles may care now, but he didn’t even notice you until his mind could turn you into Buffy. What about when you were just Cordelia Chase?”



“But I love you. And why? What is my ulterior motive? You’ve been my enemy, threatened all of my plans, opposed me at every turn, assaulted me, rejected my love, and attempted to desert me. Of all of the beauty that I’ve glimpsed in you, none of it has been freely given. And yet here I remain, having seen the bad yet never wavering in my devotion to you.”



“All you’ve ever wanted was love, and I’ve thrown my heart at your feet. So tell me, Cordelia, right now where would you rather be?”



Her eyelashes fluttered as her lids drifted shut and, closing the breath of distance between them, she whispered her answer against his waiting lips.



“Nowhere.”





TBC...How Do You Hold A Moonbeam In Your Hand