The Beast

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing that makes me money. Angel makes money, ergo, I do not own it. Also, the song is "The Beast" by Concrete Blonde off their dark album, Bloodletting. I don't own that either. But BUY the CD. It's awesome.
SPOILERS: One small one for the episode, "Dead End."
SUMMARY: Sequel to "The Darkest Childe." How Angelus got free.
PAIRINGS: Angel/Cordelia
FEEDBACK: Please
NOTES: Well, after I wrote The Darkest Childe and sent it out, Angelus' Mistress came up to me through e-mail and said, "Why don't you do some sequels? Turn this into a whole series?" I replied back, "How would I do that?" and she gave me some ideas that I'm utilizing now after I got this awesome CD from my uncle that has the songs that hold the ones that go in here, and the next two installments. And this one is kinda short…I got a bit of writer's block after the first word.

~*~

Angelus looked at his childer with a grin, almost thankful that he had gotten the chance to turn them. They certainly did make him proud. He knew that turning them would be a good idea; they almost reminded him of himself.

He watched as they viciously tore into their prey, almost ignoring all else that was happening around them. His eyes focused on the elder of his two childer, his Delia. He grinned as he remembered the event that had rid him of that pitiful soul. She was the one who freed him of his soul.

~~The prey of the beast screamed bloody murder
The line is so fine between hoping and hurting
Former believers they beg for release
As love looking down on them
Smiles and picks his teeth
Trapped in between heaven and hell
He knows all the secrets you don't want to tell
There's nowhere to run
And there's nowhere to hide
Love knows yol tol too well
He will find you~~

Angel had been laying on his bed in his suite after a long battle with the demon in Cordelia's latest vision. He had dropped her off at her apartment with Dennis before he had gone to fight the big bad she had seen.

He knew that the visions were getting worse and his Seer was in pain, but wouldn't admit it. Her pain tore him apart almost as badly as it was doing to her. She was his best friend and he was loath to lose her. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her for good. It was as Doyle had told her shortly after Angel Investigations was formed. She was a humanizing influence. With her he felt as if he'd always belong. Even after that Darla debacle.

But there was something about his relationship with his Seer that eluded Angel. He knew it was important but, for the life or unlife of him, he couldn't grasp what that something was. He knew that it could possibly change something; he tried as hard as he could to grasp it. But still it eluded him.

His eyes widened as it came to him in a rush to the fore of his brain. Something Cordelia said shortly after his Epiphany.

"I love you."

~~Love is the ghost haunting your head
Love is the killer you thought was your friend
Love is the creature who lives in the dark
Sneaks up, will stick you
And painfully pick you apart~~

~~Love is a poet, love sings the songs
Pointing his finger you follow along
Voices are calling,
The monster wants out of you
Paws you and claws you, you try not to fall~~

Angel smiled as he realized that he loved her, too. She was the reason he hadn't lost his soul to Darla, he believed. It was her possession, though she didn't know it. She was his anchor.

Or so he thought. As he pronounced her his anchor, a terrible pain ripped through him. A pain he felt only once before, on a night a few years ago after a birthday party.

Angel moaned Cordelia's name in pain as Angelus took control of their body.

~~Love is the leech, sucking you up
Love is a vampire, drunk on your blood
Love is the beast that will tear out your heart
Hungrily lick it and painfully pick it apart~~

Angelus grinned evilly as he looked down at himself. He was back, all thanks to one clueless little ex-cheerleader. He was going to have to thank her…personally. Perhaps, if she reacted as he wanted, he would turn her.

Then they could go to Sunnydale and visit the not-so-dead Slayer. Make her life-after-death a living hell. He knew that the Seer had a darkness in her that could make her his dark queen and ultimately gain them both control of whatever they willed to control.

All he had to do was plan the perfect rebirth and bring her to his side.

~~Love is the leech, sucking you up
Love is a vampire, drunk on your blood
Love is the beast that will tear out your heart
Hungrily lick it and painfully pick it apart~~

Angelus grinned again as he remembered turning his favored elder childe. Not that he didn't love his Faith, but Cordelia was the more ruthless of the two, much to everyone's surprise.

He just knew she'd have a dastardly evil streak in her. He loved watching her rip into some poor unsuspecting victim's throat, drinking down the flowing lifeblood, sensually licking her lips after the meal was finished.

Now that he thought of it, Angelus never had thanked her enough for bringing him forth. With the one thing she had no qualms about ever giving Angel, her best friend.

She gave him her love.

~~Love is a ghost, haunting your head
Love is the killer you thought was your friend
Love is the teacher who lives in the dark
Sneak up and stick you
And painfully pick you apart~~

THE END