Peripheral, 2/3, PG13
Title: Peripheral (Part Two: Angel)
Author: xlivvielockex
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action-adventure, humor, bit of angst. It has it all.
Prompts Used: An "ex" visits, mystical circle, Eternal Flame by The Bangles
Summary: Set right after Spin The Bottle, Xander is sent to L.A. on Buffy's orders to get books on how to defeat The First. Once there, he notices that Cordelia is hardly herself.
Notes: I went a little nutty with the style here. The first part is seen through Xander's eyes. The second part through Angel's. The third part through Cordelia's. Total word count: 11,908. HUGE thanks to boy_named_susie who gave up time on Potter weekend to beta for me.
Angel sat in his office, his fingers steepled and pressed against his lips. He was avoiding a frown, which was probably a first. He didn’t like the fact that Xander was here. He didn’t like it more that Cordelia had admitted they were in love and then took off. Why couldn’t she stay? She had her memories; she said they were in love. It was him. He didn’t deserve to love her. She deserved someone who could take her out, take her to enjoy the beach, someone who could make love to her.
He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn’t hear when Wesley knocked at his door. Wesley had only come back to help Cordelia, so why was he here now? Stealing someone’s kid wasn’t exactly something you easily forgave, even if the guy did pull you out of a watery tomb.
“It’s open.” He said gruffly. His mind was still thinking of all the reasons why he was no good for Cordelia. He wanted to run to her, to take her into his arms, tell her how he felt. But she ran. She ran and he had to respect that, keep his distance. If he pushed things, well, he didn’t have a right to push things.
Wesley opened the door, Xander hot on his heels. He really wasn’t looking forward to what either of them had to say. Xander probably needed some book that Wesley had left here. That was the only reason he could think they were bothering him. That is, until Wesley spoke.
“Xander believes that Cordelia is not…herself. That something may have either taken possession of her body or is trying to look like her.”
Angel sat up a little straighter in his chair, lowering his hands down. “What do you mean?”
Xander pushed forward so that he could speak. “When she looked at me, the sparkle in her eyes. It was gone. And that blouse? The blouse?”
It was clear that Xander thought that should be more than enough evidence for why it wasn’t Cordelia. He didn’t bother to go any further than that.
“I don’t know if that is a lot to go on.” Angel wanted to believe it though. He wanted to believe that it wasn’t Cordelia. That his Cordelia would have hugged him, held him tight, that he would have been able to drink in her warmth. His Cordelia wouldn’t have run. Part of his mind, though, quickly rationalized what Harris had said. She’d been through a lot and that was why the sparkle was gone. Her clothing, she didn’t know what she liked.
“I know Cordy. And even with no memory, there is no way she would wear pants that you know, get all big at the bottom,” Xander gestured vaguely towards his own jeans, “or a flowy shirt like that. That has nothing to do with memory, that is who she is. And when she looked at me, there was something in her eyes. This…darkness.” Xander continued since it was clear that the vampire wasn’t buying his arguments as easily as Wesley had.
“That was probably just confusion. She just had all her memories rushing back to her.” Angel looked to Wesley. “You really believe this?”
“He does have some very good points, Angel. Cordelia ran out of here, wanting to be alone. When was the last time that Cordelia wanted to be alone? Even in her worst times, she always surrounded herself with people.”
Angel once more brought his fingers up to his lips. He wanted to believe it. If something had taken over Cordelia, they still had a chance. If something was using her, he had to help her. But he just couldn’t quite find the conviction to believe the two men.
“We may be under some spell as well, Angel.” Wesley continued. “It could be very possible that whatever has taken over Cordelia or looks like Cordelia is clouding us from seeing it is not her. Perhaps…” He paused.
“Perhaps what, Wesley?” Angel was near a growl, waiting for the former Watcher to continue.
“Perhaps since I have not been here, this thing has been working slowly in your minds. That is why I was more easily able to accept Xander’s theory. There is only one way to tell for sure.” Wesley put a book in front of Angel, opening it up. He had the page marked, flipping it until it was on the excerpt he wanted.
Angel leaned over to quickly browse the pages. It was written in Latin but he could translate it without even thinking. It was a basic spell to detect traces of magic. He frowned now as he looked up at Wesley.
“What about Lorne’s spell?” The more that Wesley and Xander talked, the longer that Cordelia was gone, the more that he began to think that perhaps something was going on.
“We can channel it through Lorne to block out his magical trace. It won’t be that difficult to rewrite the spell.” Wes answered.
“And I already got Will on speed dial to ask her. Double check it with the witchiest witch of the west.” Xander took his cell phone out of his pocket, waving it a little from side to side.
“Get Gunn, Fred, and Lorne, and get working. If something is putting a spell on us, we need to figure out how to remove it and then get Cordelia. The longer this thing is in her body or looking like her, the more damage it might cause.”
Wesley picked up the book and moved to the front desk. Xander followed him. He could hear them speaking in low tones. They were discussing the spell but discussing Cordelia as well. Angel knew that if it was something that looked like her, it would be easy. They would just kill it. If something took over her body; however, then he would do whatever it took to get that thing out of her. He had lost her too many times. Now that he knew that she loved him, he wasn’t going to ever lose her again.
It was approaching dawn by the time that Wesley and Lorne returned with everything they needed for the spell. Angel had stayed in his office, books around him, taking notes in case something had taken over Cordelia. Possessions could be tricky. Above all else, he didn’t want to lose Cordelia.
When he heard Lorne and Wesley setting up in the lobby, he finally came out. He looked at the two men as they drew yet another symbol on The Hyperion floor. “Did you get everything you needed?”
“No worries, Angelcakes. We’ll be able to tell if someone put the mystical mojo on us faster than you can say Sinatra at the Sands.” Lorne didn’t look up from his work as he continued to draw the symbol.
Wesley was in chanting mode, so rather than disturb him, Angel merely stood by, arms crossed over his chest. He watched Xander out of the corner of his eye. If he was right about this, well, Angel was already thinking of a plan to lure Cordelia to the hotel. They would have to trap her in a binding circle. If it was her, really, she was going to be really pissed off. But he knew the real Cordelia would understand.
A movement on the stairs caught his eye. Gunn and Fred. The distance between them was huge. It was easy for him to tell, with the vampire hearing and sense of smell, that they hadn’t been intimate in a while. He couldn’t worry right now about the relationship problems of his team though. His only focus was on Cordelia. That was his goal. He straightened as Lorne stood up.
“Well, my fellow friends, it is all done. We just need to sit around this circle, sing kumbaya and let Wes there hit me with a bolt of spell.” Lorne moved to sit down in the middle of the circle as the rest of the gang assembled around the edges.
Wesley sat across from Angel, but he didn’t say a word. He kept the book in his lap, stealing a glance at Fred that was far too obvious. He straightened, beginning to chant once more. A silver sliver of light snaked its way out from the center of the book, swirling its way around each of the members of the circle before it slipped into the center and Lorne. It spun quickly around Lorne, encasing him in the silvery glow. Without warning, it shot out into five points of light, hitting Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Angel, and Xander all at the same time.
Wesley continued the chant as the silvery light lit up the members of the circle, creeping from their middles until it rose to the top of their heads. Above everyone’s but Xander’s head, a tongue of glittery silver danced. Angel looked at each of the gang in turn with a frown.
“Looks like you guys got whammied by something.” Xander said.
Angel was about to say something about the guy stating the obvious when Wesley spoke. His head had momentarily been buried in the book but rose to speak.
“It is very weak, whatever it is. The stronger the spell, the richer the color of the flame. Whatever it is that put the spell on us, it is weak right now.” Wesley closed the book, looking to the demon in the center of the circle. “Is it possible that your spell awoke something in Cordelia? Something that would be weak right now?”
“Anything is possible in this cuckoo world, darling.”
“What I mean to say is, is there any recorded history of someone returning from the higher realms with a…hitch hiker so to speak?”
“I’ve never heard tale of anyone coming back from the higher realms. Well, you know, except for…” Lorne trailed off, making a gesture towards Angel. They all had to know who Lorne was talking about. Buffy.
“The next logical step is to trace the source of this spell. Lorne and I were prepared for that. It may not be Cordelia or whatever it is that looks like Cordelia that is controlling this.” Wes turned the pages of the book. He pulled a map of the city from its pages, spreading it in the middle of the circle while Lorne stepped out and went to sit by Fred. Fred and Gunn looked too tired to say much, as did Xander.
Angel was forming a plan in his mind as Wes began to chant once more, sprinkling a satchel of magical herbs and sundries over the map. His hands tightened into fists. Connor or not, if this spell lit up where his son and Cordelia were staying, he would charge in there, throw her over his shoulder, and bring her back here.
He watched as the map began to glow across the entire span of Los Angeles until it formed a small dot. He got up from the circle, looking to the rest of the group. “Get some sleep. Whatever it is that has Cordelia or looks like her, we are going to take care of it tonight.”
Angel moved to the weapons’ cabinet and pulled out a huge sword. He looked at it for a moment and then grabbed a tranquilizer gun as well. He hated to use these things but he didn’t want to hurt Connor or possibly Cordelia, if it was really her.
“Angel…” Wes started but stopped as Angel looked at him.
“Yes?” Angel shut the door to the weapons cabinet.
“I will go with you. Distract Connor so you can get Cordelia.”
“If I could interject a moment here, muffins,” Lorne stood up, looking from Wesley to Angel. “You give me 20 minutes, and I’ll give you heroes a surefire charm to keep the magical spells off you.”
Angel nodded his head, heading for the basement to take the sewer route. Today was a new day and by sunset tonight, they’d have the truth.
He could hear Wes downstairs with Connor, telling the boy plenty of lies about why they needed to take Cordelia back to the Hyperion, why Connor needed to come along as well. Angel knew his son was just as stubborn as he was, so he had already told Wes to go ahead and tranquilize him if need be. He stood in the doorway of the room that Cordelia was using for her bedroom. He should have known. His head clear now, he could see her movements lacked the grace and beauty that Cordelia usually held. It was almost as if she was a stranger in her own body. Even watching her put away clothes, there was a certain stiffness and unfamiliarity. Why didn’t he see it sooner? Why was Xander the one to see what was so obvious?
“Cordelia.” He said her name but he knew it wasn’t her. He didn’t know what this thing’s name was. In brief flashes, just a flick of her wrist, he could see Cordelia. Was she struggling to get out? He knew that she had to be fighting against this thing inside of her, this thing that took her over.
When she turned, he could see in her eyes what Xander had seen in the hotel. The light was gone from them. She had always been his sunshine, coming through the bleak rain of his immortal existence. Now it was a pair of stranger’s eyes looking back at him. Even when her memory was gone, he could see into her soul, and know it was Cordelia. When it put on her smile, not quite wearing it right, he felt the demon in him screaming for justice, to take back what was his.
“Angel…oh, hi. I wasn’t expecting you. What with the whole I want to be alone thing.”
“You need to come to The Hyperion.” He couldn’t manage much more. He didn’t want to give the game away. It was getting hard to control his anger though.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. I haven’t slept yet, barely ate. I want to stay here with Connor. I just…I need some time alone, Angel, to sort through everything. I remember…”
He cut her off sharply. “You need to come with me to the hotel.”
He watched as the thing moved to put Cordelia’s hands on her hips. It was a move he had seen so many times before. How could he have not noticed those horrible pants she was wearing? They were the wrong cut for her completely.
“Excuse me? What happened to a respectful friendship? I need some space. You have no idea what I have been going through. Everything that is in my head right now.”
He saw a flash for a moment, a bit of the sparkle returning to her eyes. He reached for her wrist to pull her close to him. He pulled a bit too roughly, her body falling against his, her warmth hitting his chest like a wave of soft perfumed summer wind. He looked down at her. That sparkle in her eyes, it was enough. He knew that she fought to the surface, fought hard. “We have to go back to the hotel.”
She looked confused for a moment and he knew that she might not be fully aware of what the invader was doing to her. He hated to do this. He hid the expression on his face as he plunged the tranquilizer dart into her ass. He watched as her eyes burst with that light, with her soul, for a moment before the creature took over. He held her body as she collapsed. Whatever it was, it still had the resistance of demonized Cordelia. He swept her up into his arms, starting downstairs with her. He only hoped that Wes had taken care of Connor before he got down there.
“Xander, make sure that Connor is quite secure. He isn’t like other young men his age. He has superhuman strength.”
“I think I know how to tie someone up, Wes. Done it before. If I had to count the number of times I had to tie Spike up…” Xander stopped. “That came out wrong. I meant, because he is evil. And we tie evil up. Also tie up Angel’s angsty son. Got it.” Xander set to work making sure that Connor was not only handcuffed but also tied to one of the desk chairs in The Hyperion.
Fred was in the middle of the lobby floor and for the third time in so many hours, a symbol was being painted. Cordelia was in the middle of the white circle as Fred used a large paintbrush to draw around her. Lorne was chanting out of a book, following Fred as she moved around. She completed one full circle but didn’t let up on her brushstroke until she had made it three times around. She turned to Gunn. “You have all the crystals there?”
Gunn handed them, wrapped in velvet fabric, to Fred. He had been silent, with an ever growing frown, since Angel had brought the unconscious Cordelia back to the Hyperion lobby. He also couldn’t help but notice the looks that passed between Wes and Fred whenever they exchanged glances.
Lorne took half the crystals as Fred took the other half, and they started to place them outside the circle. Five points to form a sort of three dimension pyramid if this thing could get through a circle of protection. Satisfied with the work, Lorne took a step back.
Angel had been watching the entire thing. It had been a long time since he or Wes had done an exorcism. And they had no idea what was in Cordelia, so picking the right spell was hard. If they said the wrong word, used the wrong herb, they could lose Cordelia forever.
Lorne looked back to Angel. “I think we are ready to go. If Sleeping Beauty there wants to come to.”
Wesley checked his watch. “She should be waking momentarily, if the dosage was correct. I think it might be in our best interest to keep Connor sedated.”
“Oh yeah, let me take care of the kid.” Xander looked positively giddy at the thought of being able to dose Angel’s kid. He barely waited for Angel to give the nod of approval before he was injecting Connor with another small dose of sedative to keep him under.
“We just wait for Barbie there to wake up then?” Gunn asked, looking to Angel instead of Wesley. He had been oddly silent ever since Wesley walked through the door the night before.
“Yes. Once Cordelia wakes, or rather, the thing that has taken over Cordelia wakes, we will need to try to draw it out. When we determine what sort of entity it is, we can see about either binding it or destroying it.”
“There is no binding. We are going to get that thing out of her and we are going to kill it, Wes.”
Fred was on her knees, just outside of the circle, holding Cordelia’s hand. She stroked it gently, whispering words of comfort. “It’ll be okay, Cordy. We’re gonna take that thing right outta you. You’ll see. You’ll be good as new, just in time to make fun of people on the red carpet like your usual self. You shoulda come to my paper readin’, you would have laughed so hard at the people there. They were all dressed bad. Like something outta one of your fashion police magazines.”
Angel knew that Fred would have no doubt continued if Cordelia hadn’t begun to moan and move slightly.
“Fred, get away from her.” Gunn shouted. He moved to grab Fred up and protect her, even if the emotional distance between them was palatable and ever widening.
Cordelia raised her head slowly, her hands bracing herself against the lobby floor. She groaned as she tried to get up. She was unsteady as she tried to stand. She wavered at first, looking as if she might topple straight over. When she finally got to her feet, she took a moment to look at the people in the lobby. Her eyes passed from Lorne to Wesley to Gunn to Fred to Xander and then finally to Angel. Angel could see that Cordelia was no longer in control. There was a hatred and darkness that burned in her eyes.
“What on earth are you mental midgets doing?” The voice was Cordelia but he could see with crystal clarity, never taking his eyes from her, that this was not Cordelia.
“Game’s up. Whatever you are, we know you aren’t Cordelia.” Angel spoke, giving the sign to Gunn that he and Fred should be at the ready. If this thing was powerful enough to break the mystical binding circle, they would have to act quickly to trap it again. He wasn’t giving Cordelia up without a fight.
“Have you taken too many blows to the head, Champ? Cordelia Chase, Queen C. I just got my memory back.” She tried to move, to step forward, but found herself up against an invisible wall. She frowned deeply. “Not funny. Now let me out.”
Xander leaned over to Wesley. “Okay, I think it is time to be making with the Exorcist stuff. You know, “power of Christ” sort of thing?”
Wesley nodded in agreement. He glanced at Lorne, who moved closer to the circle. Wes waited for Lorne to begin sprinkling a mixture of herbs around the circle before he started to chant. Angel didn’t know the tongue, but he knew it was a demonic dialect. He watched as the herbs hit the circle, instantly dissolving with a hiss to form thin grey tendrils of sweet smelling smoke.
The thing, whatever it was that was wearing Cordelia’s body, began to panic. It turned quickly, trying to speak to Lorne. “Lorne, please. Can’t you see it’s me? Cordelia. Can’t carry a tune?”
“You could always sing for me now, cupcake.” Lorne didn’t look up as he continued to walk the circle.
The thing turned its attentions towards Xander. “Xander! You have got to be kidding me here. How can you not know its me? Just…get them to stop this and I swear, I will totally forgive you for lip locking Willow. I mean, you probably turned her into a lez so we are even.”
“Hey! I did not turn her into a lez. She was way into me. You can blame werewolf boy for turning her to the dark side.” Xander started to protest, to defend himself when Gunn just shook his head at the poor sap.
Finally, the thing looked to Angel. “Please…you are my best friend. You know me better than anyone. It is me, Cordelia. I love you, Angel. You have to get me out of here.”
Angel didn’t budge. He stood stoic and silent. He did know Cordelia better than anyone. That was exactly how he knew that it wasn’t her now. Free of the spell, he knew his Cordelia and this thing wasn’t it. If they were wrong and this was some huge cosmic joke, then the spell wouldn’t do anything to her. But if they were right, they would know soon enough.
Wes broke the chant long enough to glance over at Xander. “Xander, hold the Tank of Amolah up now.”
Xander lifted up what looked like a regular old jewelry box, only bigger. It was carved with symbols, lined with several ancient stones and your run of the mill mystical knick knacks. Plus, it cost a small fortune when Lorne and Wes got it from the occult shop. Between the charms, the Tank, the herbs, and the crystals, Cordelia was going to have to settle for hugs when her birthday rolled around.
The thing in the circle froze like a deer caught in headlights when Xander lifted the Tank. It tried to use Cordelia’s body to scramble, to break free from the circle. But it was impossible. The thing was too weak to break the magic.
Wes gave a nod to Xander, and he opened the lid of the box. Angel drew his sword up. The thing might be stronger out of Cordelia then inside of her. He had to be ready to kill it. He would hack it up into a million little pieces and send it to hell in several plastic bags.
With the final words of the spell, light shot out of the box, the strong force almost knocking Xander backwards. He squinted his eyes at the brightness of the power which emanated from the box, turning his head away but holding the box steadfast. The light bathed Cordelia, illuminating her. There were a few seconds of silence as the light seeped into every pore of her body. And then the thing screamed.
Its scream sounded like something rising from the depths of hell, clawing and scraping along the molten walls as it came. It filled every corner of the room, making the walls of the hotel itself shake. The shriek reverberated off every surface, springing around the room like a wayward rubber ball.
Gunn and Fred immediately dropped their weapons, covering their ears. Xander stumbled back once more at the force of the sound. He hunched his shoulders as he tried to cover his ears. Wes cringed, but he stood his ground, watching and waiting for any signs. Lorne winced but he never stopped circling the creature. It couldn’t last forever.
And it didn’t.
With one final burst of hellish din, the thing that had been possessing Cordelia Chase revealed itself. Angel watched, suppressing his horror, as it emerged from her mouth. It was larger than the whole of Cordelia itself, covered in a greenish light. He couldn’t make out a face or a body; but instead, it was merely a writhing mass of tentacles. He waited for Cordelia’s body to fall, once the thing was fully out of her, before he spoke.
“Fred, help Lorne get Cordy out of there. Wes, Xander, Gunn, we’ve got work to do.”
Angel waited until Fred and Lorne had pulled Cordelia out of the circle. They had to dodge the beast as it tried to swipe at them with the tentacles. He wasn’t quite sure how it could see where they were since he had yet to see any eyes among the writhing mass. Once she was safely away, he charged in, sword held high.
His plan of attack was no plan at all. He used all his anger at this creature to hack at whatever bits he could find. He slashed through the rubbery flesh of its tentacles, only to find five more waiting below. It was like a bramble bush, wild and growing, but it didn’t seem to have any other means of defense other than to act as a hydra.
His rage only intensified as he saw Fred hunched over the fallen form of Cordelia, her hands busily working chest compressions as Lorne flooded her lungs with air. If this thing had killed her, being hacked to bits would be the least of its worries.
It seemed like hours of useless cutting and slashing, jabbing and stabbing, before the thing finally settled and stopped fighting back. Angel plunged his sword into the middle of the mass, the beast sending out one final death cry before falling still. He stumbled away from the mass to look at his team. They were beaten and bruised. He would no doubt be amused later about how Xander had been sent flying through the air by one of the tentacles, landing at the base of the stairs. And Gunn’s left eye was swelling up nicely where another tentacle had basically punched him Muhammad Ali style. Wes had collapsed back against the railing of the stairs. But Angel couldn’t rest, not yet. He rushed to Lorne and Fred, looking from one and then to the other.
“She’ll be fine, I think. We gave her CPR, but you better get her to a hospital. She might have some kind of problems inside that we can’t see. Probably needs at least an ultrasound and maybe some X-rays, you might even ask them to give her an MRI if that thing was all up in her brains.”
Angel reached down and picked up the unconscious woman. “Thanks, Fred. I will make sure they do every test they can on her.” He stood up. He didn’t say another word as he stepped out of the hotel, heading for his car.
Author: xlivvielockex
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action-adventure, humor, bit of angst. It has it all.
Prompts Used: An "ex" visits, mystical circle, Eternal Flame by The Bangles
Summary: Set right after Spin The Bottle, Xander is sent to L.A. on Buffy's orders to get books on how to defeat The First. Once there, he notices that Cordelia is hardly herself.
Notes: I went a little nutty with the style here. The first part is seen through Xander's eyes. The second part through Angel's. The third part through Cordelia's. Total word count: 11,908. HUGE thanks to boy_named_susie who gave up time on Potter weekend to beta for me.
Angel sat in his office, his fingers steepled and pressed against his lips. He was avoiding a frown, which was probably a first. He didn’t like the fact that Xander was here. He didn’t like it more that Cordelia had admitted they were in love and then took off. Why couldn’t she stay? She had her memories; she said they were in love. It was him. He didn’t deserve to love her. She deserved someone who could take her out, take her to enjoy the beach, someone who could make love to her.
He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn’t hear when Wesley knocked at his door. Wesley had only come back to help Cordelia, so why was he here now? Stealing someone’s kid wasn’t exactly something you easily forgave, even if the guy did pull you out of a watery tomb.
“It’s open.” He said gruffly. His mind was still thinking of all the reasons why he was no good for Cordelia. He wanted to run to her, to take her into his arms, tell her how he felt. But she ran. She ran and he had to respect that, keep his distance. If he pushed things, well, he didn’t have a right to push things.
Wesley opened the door, Xander hot on his heels. He really wasn’t looking forward to what either of them had to say. Xander probably needed some book that Wesley had left here. That was the only reason he could think they were bothering him. That is, until Wesley spoke.
“Xander believes that Cordelia is not…herself. That something may have either taken possession of her body or is trying to look like her.”
Angel sat up a little straighter in his chair, lowering his hands down. “What do you mean?”
Xander pushed forward so that he could speak. “When she looked at me, the sparkle in her eyes. It was gone. And that blouse? The blouse?”
It was clear that Xander thought that should be more than enough evidence for why it wasn’t Cordelia. He didn’t bother to go any further than that.
“I don’t know if that is a lot to go on.” Angel wanted to believe it though. He wanted to believe that it wasn’t Cordelia. That his Cordelia would have hugged him, held him tight, that he would have been able to drink in her warmth. His Cordelia wouldn’t have run. Part of his mind, though, quickly rationalized what Harris had said. She’d been through a lot and that was why the sparkle was gone. Her clothing, she didn’t know what she liked.
“I know Cordy. And even with no memory, there is no way she would wear pants that you know, get all big at the bottom,” Xander gestured vaguely towards his own jeans, “or a flowy shirt like that. That has nothing to do with memory, that is who she is. And when she looked at me, there was something in her eyes. This…darkness.” Xander continued since it was clear that the vampire wasn’t buying his arguments as easily as Wesley had.
“That was probably just confusion. She just had all her memories rushing back to her.” Angel looked to Wesley. “You really believe this?”
“He does have some very good points, Angel. Cordelia ran out of here, wanting to be alone. When was the last time that Cordelia wanted to be alone? Even in her worst times, she always surrounded herself with people.”
Angel once more brought his fingers up to his lips. He wanted to believe it. If something had taken over Cordelia, they still had a chance. If something was using her, he had to help her. But he just couldn’t quite find the conviction to believe the two men.
“We may be under some spell as well, Angel.” Wesley continued. “It could be very possible that whatever has taken over Cordelia or looks like Cordelia is clouding us from seeing it is not her. Perhaps…” He paused.
“Perhaps what, Wesley?” Angel was near a growl, waiting for the former Watcher to continue.
“Perhaps since I have not been here, this thing has been working slowly in your minds. That is why I was more easily able to accept Xander’s theory. There is only one way to tell for sure.” Wesley put a book in front of Angel, opening it up. He had the page marked, flipping it until it was on the excerpt he wanted.
Angel leaned over to quickly browse the pages. It was written in Latin but he could translate it without even thinking. It was a basic spell to detect traces of magic. He frowned now as he looked up at Wesley.
“What about Lorne’s spell?” The more that Wesley and Xander talked, the longer that Cordelia was gone, the more that he began to think that perhaps something was going on.
“We can channel it through Lorne to block out his magical trace. It won’t be that difficult to rewrite the spell.” Wes answered.
“And I already got Will on speed dial to ask her. Double check it with the witchiest witch of the west.” Xander took his cell phone out of his pocket, waving it a little from side to side.
“Get Gunn, Fred, and Lorne, and get working. If something is putting a spell on us, we need to figure out how to remove it and then get Cordelia. The longer this thing is in her body or looking like her, the more damage it might cause.”
Wesley picked up the book and moved to the front desk. Xander followed him. He could hear them speaking in low tones. They were discussing the spell but discussing Cordelia as well. Angel knew that if it was something that looked like her, it would be easy. They would just kill it. If something took over her body; however, then he would do whatever it took to get that thing out of her. He had lost her too many times. Now that he knew that she loved him, he wasn’t going to ever lose her again.
It was approaching dawn by the time that Wesley and Lorne returned with everything they needed for the spell. Angel had stayed in his office, books around him, taking notes in case something had taken over Cordelia. Possessions could be tricky. Above all else, he didn’t want to lose Cordelia.
When he heard Lorne and Wesley setting up in the lobby, he finally came out. He looked at the two men as they drew yet another symbol on The Hyperion floor. “Did you get everything you needed?”
“No worries, Angelcakes. We’ll be able to tell if someone put the mystical mojo on us faster than you can say Sinatra at the Sands.” Lorne didn’t look up from his work as he continued to draw the symbol.
Wesley was in chanting mode, so rather than disturb him, Angel merely stood by, arms crossed over his chest. He watched Xander out of the corner of his eye. If he was right about this, well, Angel was already thinking of a plan to lure Cordelia to the hotel. They would have to trap her in a binding circle. If it was her, really, she was going to be really pissed off. But he knew the real Cordelia would understand.
A movement on the stairs caught his eye. Gunn and Fred. The distance between them was huge. It was easy for him to tell, with the vampire hearing and sense of smell, that they hadn’t been intimate in a while. He couldn’t worry right now about the relationship problems of his team though. His only focus was on Cordelia. That was his goal. He straightened as Lorne stood up.
“Well, my fellow friends, it is all done. We just need to sit around this circle, sing kumbaya and let Wes there hit me with a bolt of spell.” Lorne moved to sit down in the middle of the circle as the rest of the gang assembled around the edges.
Wesley sat across from Angel, but he didn’t say a word. He kept the book in his lap, stealing a glance at Fred that was far too obvious. He straightened, beginning to chant once more. A silver sliver of light snaked its way out from the center of the book, swirling its way around each of the members of the circle before it slipped into the center and Lorne. It spun quickly around Lorne, encasing him in the silvery glow. Without warning, it shot out into five points of light, hitting Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Angel, and Xander all at the same time.
Wesley continued the chant as the silvery light lit up the members of the circle, creeping from their middles until it rose to the top of their heads. Above everyone’s but Xander’s head, a tongue of glittery silver danced. Angel looked at each of the gang in turn with a frown.
“Looks like you guys got whammied by something.” Xander said.
Angel was about to say something about the guy stating the obvious when Wesley spoke. His head had momentarily been buried in the book but rose to speak.
“It is very weak, whatever it is. The stronger the spell, the richer the color of the flame. Whatever it is that put the spell on us, it is weak right now.” Wesley closed the book, looking to the demon in the center of the circle. “Is it possible that your spell awoke something in Cordelia? Something that would be weak right now?”
“Anything is possible in this cuckoo world, darling.”
“What I mean to say is, is there any recorded history of someone returning from the higher realms with a…hitch hiker so to speak?”
“I’ve never heard tale of anyone coming back from the higher realms. Well, you know, except for…” Lorne trailed off, making a gesture towards Angel. They all had to know who Lorne was talking about. Buffy.
“The next logical step is to trace the source of this spell. Lorne and I were prepared for that. It may not be Cordelia or whatever it is that looks like Cordelia that is controlling this.” Wes turned the pages of the book. He pulled a map of the city from its pages, spreading it in the middle of the circle while Lorne stepped out and went to sit by Fred. Fred and Gunn looked too tired to say much, as did Xander.
Angel was forming a plan in his mind as Wes began to chant once more, sprinkling a satchel of magical herbs and sundries over the map. His hands tightened into fists. Connor or not, if this spell lit up where his son and Cordelia were staying, he would charge in there, throw her over his shoulder, and bring her back here.
He watched as the map began to glow across the entire span of Los Angeles until it formed a small dot. He got up from the circle, looking to the rest of the group. “Get some sleep. Whatever it is that has Cordelia or looks like her, we are going to take care of it tonight.”
Angel moved to the weapons’ cabinet and pulled out a huge sword. He looked at it for a moment and then grabbed a tranquilizer gun as well. He hated to use these things but he didn’t want to hurt Connor or possibly Cordelia, if it was really her.
“Angel…” Wes started but stopped as Angel looked at him.
“Yes?” Angel shut the door to the weapons cabinet.
“I will go with you. Distract Connor so you can get Cordelia.”
“If I could interject a moment here, muffins,” Lorne stood up, looking from Wesley to Angel. “You give me 20 minutes, and I’ll give you heroes a surefire charm to keep the magical spells off you.”
Angel nodded his head, heading for the basement to take the sewer route. Today was a new day and by sunset tonight, they’d have the truth.
He could hear Wes downstairs with Connor, telling the boy plenty of lies about why they needed to take Cordelia back to the Hyperion, why Connor needed to come along as well. Angel knew his son was just as stubborn as he was, so he had already told Wes to go ahead and tranquilize him if need be. He stood in the doorway of the room that Cordelia was using for her bedroom. He should have known. His head clear now, he could see her movements lacked the grace and beauty that Cordelia usually held. It was almost as if she was a stranger in her own body. Even watching her put away clothes, there was a certain stiffness and unfamiliarity. Why didn’t he see it sooner? Why was Xander the one to see what was so obvious?
“Cordelia.” He said her name but he knew it wasn’t her. He didn’t know what this thing’s name was. In brief flashes, just a flick of her wrist, he could see Cordelia. Was she struggling to get out? He knew that she had to be fighting against this thing inside of her, this thing that took her over.
When she turned, he could see in her eyes what Xander had seen in the hotel. The light was gone from them. She had always been his sunshine, coming through the bleak rain of his immortal existence. Now it was a pair of stranger’s eyes looking back at him. Even when her memory was gone, he could see into her soul, and know it was Cordelia. When it put on her smile, not quite wearing it right, he felt the demon in him screaming for justice, to take back what was his.
“Angel…oh, hi. I wasn’t expecting you. What with the whole I want to be alone thing.”
“You need to come to The Hyperion.” He couldn’t manage much more. He didn’t want to give the game away. It was getting hard to control his anger though.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. I haven’t slept yet, barely ate. I want to stay here with Connor. I just…I need some time alone, Angel, to sort through everything. I remember…”
He cut her off sharply. “You need to come with me to the hotel.”
He watched as the thing moved to put Cordelia’s hands on her hips. It was a move he had seen so many times before. How could he have not noticed those horrible pants she was wearing? They were the wrong cut for her completely.
“Excuse me? What happened to a respectful friendship? I need some space. You have no idea what I have been going through. Everything that is in my head right now.”
He saw a flash for a moment, a bit of the sparkle returning to her eyes. He reached for her wrist to pull her close to him. He pulled a bit too roughly, her body falling against his, her warmth hitting his chest like a wave of soft perfumed summer wind. He looked down at her. That sparkle in her eyes, it was enough. He knew that she fought to the surface, fought hard. “We have to go back to the hotel.”
She looked confused for a moment and he knew that she might not be fully aware of what the invader was doing to her. He hated to do this. He hid the expression on his face as he plunged the tranquilizer dart into her ass. He watched as her eyes burst with that light, with her soul, for a moment before the creature took over. He held her body as she collapsed. Whatever it was, it still had the resistance of demonized Cordelia. He swept her up into his arms, starting downstairs with her. He only hoped that Wes had taken care of Connor before he got down there.
“Xander, make sure that Connor is quite secure. He isn’t like other young men his age. He has superhuman strength.”
“I think I know how to tie someone up, Wes. Done it before. If I had to count the number of times I had to tie Spike up…” Xander stopped. “That came out wrong. I meant, because he is evil. And we tie evil up. Also tie up Angel’s angsty son. Got it.” Xander set to work making sure that Connor was not only handcuffed but also tied to one of the desk chairs in The Hyperion.
Fred was in the middle of the lobby floor and for the third time in so many hours, a symbol was being painted. Cordelia was in the middle of the white circle as Fred used a large paintbrush to draw around her. Lorne was chanting out of a book, following Fred as she moved around. She completed one full circle but didn’t let up on her brushstroke until she had made it three times around. She turned to Gunn. “You have all the crystals there?”
Gunn handed them, wrapped in velvet fabric, to Fred. He had been silent, with an ever growing frown, since Angel had brought the unconscious Cordelia back to the Hyperion lobby. He also couldn’t help but notice the looks that passed between Wes and Fred whenever they exchanged glances.
Lorne took half the crystals as Fred took the other half, and they started to place them outside the circle. Five points to form a sort of three dimension pyramid if this thing could get through a circle of protection. Satisfied with the work, Lorne took a step back.
Angel had been watching the entire thing. It had been a long time since he or Wes had done an exorcism. And they had no idea what was in Cordelia, so picking the right spell was hard. If they said the wrong word, used the wrong herb, they could lose Cordelia forever.
Lorne looked back to Angel. “I think we are ready to go. If Sleeping Beauty there wants to come to.”
Wesley checked his watch. “She should be waking momentarily, if the dosage was correct. I think it might be in our best interest to keep Connor sedated.”
“Oh yeah, let me take care of the kid.” Xander looked positively giddy at the thought of being able to dose Angel’s kid. He barely waited for Angel to give the nod of approval before he was injecting Connor with another small dose of sedative to keep him under.
“We just wait for Barbie there to wake up then?” Gunn asked, looking to Angel instead of Wesley. He had been oddly silent ever since Wesley walked through the door the night before.
“Yes. Once Cordelia wakes, or rather, the thing that has taken over Cordelia wakes, we will need to try to draw it out. When we determine what sort of entity it is, we can see about either binding it or destroying it.”
“There is no binding. We are going to get that thing out of her and we are going to kill it, Wes.”
Fred was on her knees, just outside of the circle, holding Cordelia’s hand. She stroked it gently, whispering words of comfort. “It’ll be okay, Cordy. We’re gonna take that thing right outta you. You’ll see. You’ll be good as new, just in time to make fun of people on the red carpet like your usual self. You shoulda come to my paper readin’, you would have laughed so hard at the people there. They were all dressed bad. Like something outta one of your fashion police magazines.”
Angel knew that Fred would have no doubt continued if Cordelia hadn’t begun to moan and move slightly.
“Fred, get away from her.” Gunn shouted. He moved to grab Fred up and protect her, even if the emotional distance between them was palatable and ever widening.
Cordelia raised her head slowly, her hands bracing herself against the lobby floor. She groaned as she tried to get up. She was unsteady as she tried to stand. She wavered at first, looking as if she might topple straight over. When she finally got to her feet, she took a moment to look at the people in the lobby. Her eyes passed from Lorne to Wesley to Gunn to Fred to Xander and then finally to Angel. Angel could see that Cordelia was no longer in control. There was a hatred and darkness that burned in her eyes.
“What on earth are you mental midgets doing?” The voice was Cordelia but he could see with crystal clarity, never taking his eyes from her, that this was not Cordelia.
“Game’s up. Whatever you are, we know you aren’t Cordelia.” Angel spoke, giving the sign to Gunn that he and Fred should be at the ready. If this thing was powerful enough to break the mystical binding circle, they would have to act quickly to trap it again. He wasn’t giving Cordelia up without a fight.
“Have you taken too many blows to the head, Champ? Cordelia Chase, Queen C. I just got my memory back.” She tried to move, to step forward, but found herself up against an invisible wall. She frowned deeply. “Not funny. Now let me out.”
Xander leaned over to Wesley. “Okay, I think it is time to be making with the Exorcist stuff. You know, “power of Christ” sort of thing?”
Wesley nodded in agreement. He glanced at Lorne, who moved closer to the circle. Wes waited for Lorne to begin sprinkling a mixture of herbs around the circle before he started to chant. Angel didn’t know the tongue, but he knew it was a demonic dialect. He watched as the herbs hit the circle, instantly dissolving with a hiss to form thin grey tendrils of sweet smelling smoke.
The thing, whatever it was that was wearing Cordelia’s body, began to panic. It turned quickly, trying to speak to Lorne. “Lorne, please. Can’t you see it’s me? Cordelia. Can’t carry a tune?”
“You could always sing for me now, cupcake.” Lorne didn’t look up as he continued to walk the circle.
The thing turned its attentions towards Xander. “Xander! You have got to be kidding me here. How can you not know its me? Just…get them to stop this and I swear, I will totally forgive you for lip locking Willow. I mean, you probably turned her into a lez so we are even.”
“Hey! I did not turn her into a lez. She was way into me. You can blame werewolf boy for turning her to the dark side.” Xander started to protest, to defend himself when Gunn just shook his head at the poor sap.
Finally, the thing looked to Angel. “Please…you are my best friend. You know me better than anyone. It is me, Cordelia. I love you, Angel. You have to get me out of here.”
Angel didn’t budge. He stood stoic and silent. He did know Cordelia better than anyone. That was exactly how he knew that it wasn’t her now. Free of the spell, he knew his Cordelia and this thing wasn’t it. If they were wrong and this was some huge cosmic joke, then the spell wouldn’t do anything to her. But if they were right, they would know soon enough.
Wes broke the chant long enough to glance over at Xander. “Xander, hold the Tank of Amolah up now.”
Xander lifted up what looked like a regular old jewelry box, only bigger. It was carved with symbols, lined with several ancient stones and your run of the mill mystical knick knacks. Plus, it cost a small fortune when Lorne and Wes got it from the occult shop. Between the charms, the Tank, the herbs, and the crystals, Cordelia was going to have to settle for hugs when her birthday rolled around.
The thing in the circle froze like a deer caught in headlights when Xander lifted the Tank. It tried to use Cordelia’s body to scramble, to break free from the circle. But it was impossible. The thing was too weak to break the magic.
Wes gave a nod to Xander, and he opened the lid of the box. Angel drew his sword up. The thing might be stronger out of Cordelia then inside of her. He had to be ready to kill it. He would hack it up into a million little pieces and send it to hell in several plastic bags.
With the final words of the spell, light shot out of the box, the strong force almost knocking Xander backwards. He squinted his eyes at the brightness of the power which emanated from the box, turning his head away but holding the box steadfast. The light bathed Cordelia, illuminating her. There were a few seconds of silence as the light seeped into every pore of her body. And then the thing screamed.
Its scream sounded like something rising from the depths of hell, clawing and scraping along the molten walls as it came. It filled every corner of the room, making the walls of the hotel itself shake. The shriek reverberated off every surface, springing around the room like a wayward rubber ball.
Gunn and Fred immediately dropped their weapons, covering their ears. Xander stumbled back once more at the force of the sound. He hunched his shoulders as he tried to cover his ears. Wes cringed, but he stood his ground, watching and waiting for any signs. Lorne winced but he never stopped circling the creature. It couldn’t last forever.
And it didn’t.
With one final burst of hellish din, the thing that had been possessing Cordelia Chase revealed itself. Angel watched, suppressing his horror, as it emerged from her mouth. It was larger than the whole of Cordelia itself, covered in a greenish light. He couldn’t make out a face or a body; but instead, it was merely a writhing mass of tentacles. He waited for Cordelia’s body to fall, once the thing was fully out of her, before he spoke.
“Fred, help Lorne get Cordy out of there. Wes, Xander, Gunn, we’ve got work to do.”
Angel waited until Fred and Lorne had pulled Cordelia out of the circle. They had to dodge the beast as it tried to swipe at them with the tentacles. He wasn’t quite sure how it could see where they were since he had yet to see any eyes among the writhing mass. Once she was safely away, he charged in, sword held high.
His plan of attack was no plan at all. He used all his anger at this creature to hack at whatever bits he could find. He slashed through the rubbery flesh of its tentacles, only to find five more waiting below. It was like a bramble bush, wild and growing, but it didn’t seem to have any other means of defense other than to act as a hydra.
His rage only intensified as he saw Fred hunched over the fallen form of Cordelia, her hands busily working chest compressions as Lorne flooded her lungs with air. If this thing had killed her, being hacked to bits would be the least of its worries.
It seemed like hours of useless cutting and slashing, jabbing and stabbing, before the thing finally settled and stopped fighting back. Angel plunged his sword into the middle of the mass, the beast sending out one final death cry before falling still. He stumbled away from the mass to look at his team. They were beaten and bruised. He would no doubt be amused later about how Xander had been sent flying through the air by one of the tentacles, landing at the base of the stairs. And Gunn’s left eye was swelling up nicely where another tentacle had basically punched him Muhammad Ali style. Wes had collapsed back against the railing of the stairs. But Angel couldn’t rest, not yet. He rushed to Lorne and Fred, looking from one and then to the other.
“She’ll be fine, I think. We gave her CPR, but you better get her to a hospital. She might have some kind of problems inside that we can’t see. Probably needs at least an ultrasound and maybe some X-rays, you might even ask them to give her an MRI if that thing was all up in her brains.”
Angel reached down and picked up the unconscious woman. “Thanks, Fred. I will make sure they do every test they can on her.” He stood up. He didn’t say another word as he stepped out of the hotel, heading for his car.