The Longest Distance Between Two Points - Chapter 13

There was a tense silence in the car when Spike announced Angel’s change of heart. Cordelia felt her stomach flip over with nerves and with anticipation of what the three of them were to do together. It was like going on stage. She suddenly felt eyes on her: demon eyes. Her nervousness transferred itself to the others. Angel glanced at Spike. ‘We’d better put on a bit of a show now, she may have someone watching for our return.’

Spike nodded his agreement. In the deep shadow cast by the wall of the hotel they climbed out of the car. Angel stretched in a lazy way then suddenly reached into the back seats and pulled Cordelia out, his hand wound into her hair, his other hand rubbing himself through his pants. She gave a very realistic squeak and struggled for a moment with him. He put his hand around her throat and laughed, then dragged her after him through the front doors. As he went in he shouted to Spike, ‘get my bags, boy.’

Once they were all inside, they relaxed. They had about three hours 'til sundown and Angel did not think Darla would risk coming till then.

Cordelia made hesitantly for her desk, changed her mind, went to the kitchen, but didn’t feel happy there, so hovered in the lobby looking scared. Now the moment had come she did not feel so brave. She had no intension of analysing whether this was due to Darla, or what they were going to do to try and fool her.

Spike seemed to sense her uncertainty. He came over to her and spoke quietly in her ear. ‘Go upstairs, Luv. I’ll get him in the mood, then bring him up.’

This was all too clinical: this was all too real. In her mind she had seen red roses, now she saw only blood.

Her legs hardly carried her up to Angel’s bedroom. She didn’t know what to do or where to stand. She moved towards the window and stood watching the ordinary life passing by outside. Passing her by, outside. The enormity of what she was about to do threatened to overwhelm her. She felt her lower jaw tingle and her eyes start to fill up. She hated crying. Only weak people cried. But still, one large teardrop escaped and started its hot path down her face.

Suddenly, a cool finger reached around from behind her and stopped its passage. She gasped in shock and heard a low, ‘shhh’. Then to her horror she felt a soft, silk scarf being placed over her eyes and tied tightly behind. Strong male hands led her to the bed. She started to speak, but lips were placed over hers and she heard again a low, shushing sound. She was placed on her back in the middle of the bed. She was utterly disoriented by the scarf, her nerves strung out, her senses taut and she had only her hearing to rely on. She heard soft rustling of clothing being removed, heard it fall to the ground. She felt the mattress move and knew the two vampires were kneeling on either side of her. The tension in her body was so high that when a light hand landed on her thigh, she screamed. She tried to put her own hand down to discover whose touch it was, but another pair of hands took hers and held them gently stretched over her head.

The hand on her thigh started to move up. She moaned. She desperately wanted to see who was touching her, who was holding her. It seemed important that she know. As the hand stroked lightly over her panties, one of the hands holding her let go and she felt a finger brushing over her lips. The not knowing was killing her. She took the finger into her mouth trying to taste whose it was.

Could she taste tobacco?

She could smell vanilla.

She still did not know. The rubbing on her panties became more urgent. She moaned again and arched into it and felt a finger slip under the material to bury into her softness. Her clit started to throb and twitch for release. Why didn’t he touch it? The finger was slid repeatedly along her moist slit, never quite reaching the swollen bud. She moaned her frustration at its owner then realised why he was waiting. The finger in her mouth was removed and she felt the buttons of her shirt being undone. A hand slipped into each cup of her bra and released her breasts. As soon as a mouth descended over one nipple she felt her clit being lightly stroked. The knowledge that they were waiting for each other, getting pleasure in each other’s pleasure, exploded in her like a mini-orgasm. She writhed on the bed and had to be held down by the hand still restraining her.

The mouth on her breast was tugging at her nipple, biting and releasing it, flicking an educated tongue over the sensitive tip. The biting turned to sucking, deep urgent sucking as if trying to feed from her. Her panties were suddenly ripped apart and two fingers pushed hard into her vagina. She rose off the bed, her moans deep and urgent. As the fingers probed her, a thumb started to work hard on the bone just to the side of her aching clit. Her moans turned to deep panting, she needed to know which one was able to work her like that, which one was getting his pleasure from her breast. If that was Angel’s educated, talented thumb, then this was Spike suckling from her. Or was that, Spike, now cupping his lips over her clit and flicking it with his cold tongue?

She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that both vampires were watching each other, one with his mouth buried deep in her labia, one sucking from her as if still at his mother’s breast. And it was this thought, the thought of their eyes locked on each other, that sent her over the edge of her orgasm. The throbbing started in her belly and spread throughout her groin until, like a drill, pleasure vibrated in her clit. The thumb took over once more, encouraging the release and a tongue thrust into her vagina, lapping at the thick juices spilling from her.

She was brought gently down by hands stroking and caressing her. The vampires moved to lie with her, deeply entangled together. Slowly they started pulling at her clothing, deliberately tearing it. Suddenly she felt a mouth against her throat and what seemed like the feel of hypodermic needles. She gasped in shock when she realised what they really were, but the vampires were ready for this reaction, the other one pressed a cool, sweet tasting mouth down on hers to still and quieten her. As she felt a soft tongue slide into her mouth and play with her, the fangs descended into the stretched skin on her neck. There was almost no pain. Was it Angel? Was it Angel’s mouth filling with her blood? Was it Spike kissing her to make her forget her fear? She was overwhelmed by their ability to share this act and kissed back with a passion that surprised her. She thought she heard the faintest of groans at this response but it was lost as the mouth on hers became urgent and hard.

She then knew the attraction of being drained by a talented vampire. She actually felt her blood being drawn up through her body, felt it rushing over her still pulsing clit and felt it surge in her loins. She felt she might come again and wanted to feel fingers in her once more. The mouth at her throat pulled away and she groaned in disappointment, only to hiss in shock when she felt that mouth pour out its contents onto her hair. Oh, this one was clever. He did it again, a deep draw of her blood then a spill, but his time it was spilt into the slight hollow of her belly. The other one stopped kissing her, but her instant frustration was immediately assuaged by the erotic sensation of two tongues licking towards the pool of blood rippling on her warm skin. Like two ferocious beasts they lapped greedily at the blood. She felt totally fecund, like Mother Earth feeding her children. She had never felt as much a woman as she did with these two creatures feeding from her. She was life: she was power.

Suddenly she felt one vampire pull the other away. She was anxious that they had angered each other until for the first time she heard a sound: a low, delighted laugh. Then silence and she knew with utter certainty that they were kneeling up on either side of her, passing her blood between them, kissing with their own male urgency and passion. Then they were back at her throat, one taking her blood and spilling it on her, one swirling it over her skin with his tongue. Whose fangs were in her now? Was it still the same one or had they shared even this intimate experience? They lay down alongside her as they worked together. She felt a light hand again on her soft damp curls, stroking them, pulling fingers through them and playing with them. The light throbbing that had continued in her clit started to grow again and she knew she was about to orgasm for a second time. She had never experienced that before. One vampire shifted suddenly to sit on her chest. She knew why when she felt the cool, soft tip of a cock pressing against her lips.

Why was he waiting? The silence was intense, but then she knew, she could feel this one twisting around as if looking over his shoulder. He was waiting for the other one and would not proceed without him. She realised they were communicating together without words and felt flushed with desire when she felt the other one sit astride her legs. Two cool tips now demanded entry.

This had never been part of the plan, had it? But in her arousal they could have demanded a thousand entries and she would have acquiesced. She opened her lips and heard a faint groan as the first penis was pushed gently into her mouth. Her impending orgasm sped up as the other penis pushed into her slick, ready vagina. She thought she had known which vampire had initiated this, sure that it was Spike who had pushed his penis against her mouth and waited for Angel to join him, but now she was not so sure. The vampire on her chest was heavy and she questioned her certainty. And the thought of Spike inside her cunt made her hips arch with desire.

Her whole body ached towards this second orgasm; she felt the cock in her mouth being eased gently in and out, a hand on the shaft working it as well. But the other one shifted his position, raised her legs and thrust his passion into her, hard. The one on her chest shifted slightly too and she realised with a frisson of unexplainable delight that he was twisting around again, watching his lover enter her. The hand working the cock in her mouth sped up; the other hand came down to her hair, twisting it around in his fist, pulling her mouth onto him. She heard faint grunts and cries from both and then as her second, screaming orgasm hit her and she thrust her hips in the air, she felt icy cold sperm splashing against her mouth and the walls of her vagina, cascading down her throat and up against her cervix. So powerful were the jets of cum that for one bizarre moment she though they might meet somewhere deep in her body. She started to choke from the volume of cum in her mouth, felt the penis being instantly withdrawn, so swallowed and reared up off the bed to bury the cock once again deep in her throat. This brought a deep groan of satisfaction from its owner and the cum continued to flow. Her legs were being pushed right back to give total access to her cunt, to make it flat and the vampire there thrashed his orgasm against her as if he were trying to push through some invisible barrier. When he was done she felt him draw back and she could have cried out with the erotic realisation that he was now sitting back enjoying the effect of her hot, spread cunt impaled on his thick shaft.

Finally both were done with her and pulled out, moving to entangle themselves once more with her. She had cool arms around her, legs thrown across her, hands still holding her wrists so she could not move.

Her mind and body were both replete. Her wrists were released and someone moved to the scarf to untie it. But she put up her shaking hand to stop him. She did not want reality to return. She knew with maturity beyond her years, that nothing she would ever experience sexually for the rest of her life would rival what had been done to her in this bed. And she could not face the thought that this had to end.

As if sensing her mood, she felt the vampires leave the bed, heard them collecting their shed clothing and knew they had left her alone. She undid the scarf. She got up. She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

Oh, she looked the part now, didn’t she? Her clothing was torn and blood stained. Her skin was covered in blood too, her hair matted with it and she could feel the cold sticky trail of cum oozing from between her legs and down her thighs. Even the cast on her arm looked old, battered and blood stained.

The contrast of how she looked to how she felt was beyond her ability to express. She looked as she was meant to, a victim. She felt like a goddess. She had never felt so alive and vital. She knew she was ready. Like putting on the right costume, she knew she could play this part.

She went slowly downstairs, the hardest walk she had ever taken in her life. How could she face them?

They were in the kitchen. Spike was sitting up on the counter facing her; Angel was standing between his open thighs, leaning into him with his head on Spike’s shoulder. For one moment she thought that Spike had been stroking Angel’s hair and comforting him, but they pulled away the moment they heard her entrance and she was not sure if that was what she had seen. Angel continued making coffee with his back to her. His shoulders looked hunched and tense.

The tension between the three of them was palpable.

So Spike winked at her, ‘wanna watch next time then, luv?’

Cordelia hid her face in her hands in mock embarrassment and shrieked with laughter. Angel turned around and smiled. She thought for one moment she saw glistening, unshed tears in his eyes, but put it down to the bright lights in the room.

Spike hopped off the counter and pulled out a chair for her. As she sat down he whispered in her ear, ‘hey, this is where I get to tie you up too. My lucky day.’ She watched his lips moving as he spoke. Where had they been, which pleasure had they given her? Angel brought her over coffee and she studied his hand. Had it been his fingers inside her, his thumb that had worked her clit like that? She felt as if she herself had been turned, so acute were her senses now. Everything about these two creatures aroused her: their skin, their voices, even their very presence in the room.

When she had had some coffee and they had tied her up, they left her and went into Angel’s office. Angel immediately went back into Spike’s embrace, seeking comfort. ‘This is too hard Spike. I can’t do this. These things have consequences. Always. There are always repercussions. Cordelia...I...we will never be the same again. This has destroyed us.’

‘Hush, pet.’ Spike stroked his hair and kissed lovingly at his ear. ‘You’ve bound her to you, luv, that’s all. She’s yours now, heart and soul and she’ll always be there for you.’

Whether or not Spike actually believed this himself, it seemed to have the effect he wanted on Angel. Angel stood up and sat alongside him on the desk.

‘She’ll come soon you know that, don’t you. When she thinks I’m back, she won’t wait.’

‘Yes, I know. I didn’t...remember? I travelled across two continents with Dru near death when I heard that you had returned.’ Perhaps for the first time, Spike felt a tiny slither of pity for Darla.

‘Spike, when she gets here I may have to do things...things I don’t want to...to you.’ He turned and caught Spike’s face in his hands, forcing him to turn and look at him. ‘Keep the faith Childe. Remember, whatever I do, whatever happens, now, or later. I love you.’

Spike nodded and for a moment they rested their foreheads together. Then Spike sat up, ‘There’s one more thing you’ve got to do, Angel.’

‘No, please Spike, I’m all ‘done’ out.’

‘Angel, what would Angelus do if he came back? Immediately, to me?’

‘He’d remind you who was Master.’

‘Exactly. You’ve gotta claim me, mark me.’

If Spike expected Angel to refuse, he was highly amused to see a gleam of excitement in Angel’s eyes.

‘Oh! That’s got you going again has it, luv? You are a sad poof, Angel, you’d rather mess with me than with Cordelia...I don’t know!’

Angel shut him up with a kiss.

They were both in such a high state of arousal from Cordelia’s warm, human body they could hardly contain themselves. Angel thrust Spike against the desk, bending over him, kissing at his hair and eyes.

Spike felt Angel’s cock pressing into him. ‘How long do you think we have, pet? Wanna give that a little extra exercise?’

Angel pulled away studying Spike’s face. Spike could see he was tempted.

‘Come on luv, it’s still today, after all.’ Spike’s manipulative logic made Angel laugh and the moment was lost. He went into game face and licked his lips.

‘Childe, when this is over you won’t walk for a week. You’ll think falling four stories is nothing compared to the healing you’ll need to do from my cock. One hundred years of not fucking you is going to be caught up on in one night.’ And with that, he descended onto Spike’s neck and there was no finesse in this bite. He ripped and tore and savaged. He knew it was what was needed and what Spike wanted. In his highly charged state, Spike felt his balls starting to swell and throb. He put one hand down and shakily released his cock. Angel lifted Spike up so he was lying on his back on the desk and put his own leg up and over him, pinning him down and still he ravished Spike’s throat. Angel rubbed his thigh against Spike’s cock and suddenly felt a cold wetness seep into his jeans. Spike had come and his sperm was soaking into Angel’s clothes, its scent filling the air.

The intense moment was shattered by a cool, sophisticated voice, ‘well, well. I come back and what do I find, Angelus? You, still playing with that Childe.’

‘Darla.’

‘Yes, darling. It’s me. But the question is...is it you?’

Angel shoved Spike off the desk and he fell to the floor, striking his head on the edge of the chair. Angel stepped over him and flew to embrace Darla. He picked her up and swung her around, high in the air.

‘My love.’ He kissed her deeply.

‘Hum...is that human blood I can taste? Angelus, have you started without me?’

‘Aye, you know me, my love...ever the impatient one!’

Darla looked at Spike who was now sitting on the chair, holding one hand to his bleeding head and the other to his savaged throat.

‘So, our little William gave you your moment of true happiness did he, Angelus?’ There were so many layers to this simple question that Angel felt by replying he would be walking into a minefield. He heard disbelief, anger, jealousy, but most importantly, hope.

He forced a laugh and slipped into human face again. ‘Hardly, my dear. He’s a demon, like you...doesn’t seem to work like that. I found someone much better.’

He looked over her shoulder towards the kitchen. She followed his gaze.

Cordelia had managed some very convincing tears whilst she had been tied to the chair. Were they all in preparation for her role? Did she too fear that whatever had made Angel special to her was now gone? Whatever, they ran down her face, streaking the dried blood and soaking the gag they had placed in her mouth. With that and her ripped clothes, matted hair and stench of cum, she was the effective prop they needed.

For some minutes Cordelia had been debating adding, ‘convincing Vampire victim’, to her resume, but feared it might typecast her.

‘Oh Angelus, darling. How delicious.’ She moved close to Cordelia and nuzzled into her, smelling deeply. ‘You and little William sharing like good boys. But you could have invited me.’

‘Why do you think she is still alive?’

Angel led her back away from Cordelia and pushed her up against the counter, trying to distract her with a kiss.

She pulled away. ‘So, what are we going to do now?’

To this, Angel had no reply. Seeing her here, seeing her delight at being back with him, seeing her fawning on him, all this in his highly aroused state, confused him more than he thought possible.

Spike came to the door, moved over to Cordelia and unseen by Darla, laid a comforting hand on her arm. ‘Yes Angelus, what are you going to do now?’

Angel knew exactly what he meant.

‘Come on Angelus...do something.’ Spike had Buffy’s stake clutched tightly under the sleeve of his shirt.

Angel pulled away from Darla and pushed past Spike storming out into the lobby.

Darla swung around and linked arms with Spike, following Angel out. ‘So, William. I’m surprised you are still around.’

‘Yeah, thanks for the Christening, Darla. Appreciated that.’

‘It’s all fair in love and war, William.’

It was on the tip of Spike’s tongue to reply, ‘exactly’, but he didn’t and asked instead where Drucilla was.

‘She is a naughty girl, isn’t she?’ Darla frowned. ‘She took up with some demon and left with him. I’m all alone. Just like you.’

Spike was watching Angel. He had sat down on one of the couches in the lobby, his head in his hands. He had had repeated opportunities to stake Darla and Spike could not understand why he did not.

The stake in his sleeve tormented him. He saw himself take it out and plunge it into the bitch, but knew he could not. This had to be Angel’s call.

Darla pulled away from Spike and sat down on Angel, straddling his lap. She pulled his face up to hers and started kissing him. Angel had little choice but to kiss back.

Spike couldn’t watch and went back into the kitchen with Cordelia. He removed her gag, helped her to some more coffee and then sat down on the table next to her chair. He lit a cigarette and smoked quietly for a moment.

‘Spike, what’s the matter with him, why doesn’t he just do it?’

‘Hush, pet. Vampire hearing, remember? I don’t know why not...but can you imagine two hundred years? If you had us both for two hundred years, imagine how screwed you’d be.’

They both heard the unintended pun at the same time and giggled.

‘You okay? Bindings not too tight?’

‘I’m fine, Spike. But I want him to get this over with. I want to wash my hair! I want him to stake her.’

‘I think that’s what he’s doing as we speak.’

Cordelia looked at his sad face. ‘Oh God...I’m so sorry, Spike. How can you stand it?’

‘I’m used to it, I had to listen to them doing it for over twenty years.’

‘Eeew, that’s sick. No wonder you are a bit of a fuck up. And I mean that in a kind and caring way.’

‘That’s how it was taken, luv.’

‘Go out there and intervene. Interrupt them. Make her mad. Precipitate a fight. Spike, I’ve seen how he looks at you when you don’t see him. I saw what he was like when you were unconscious. Spike! I saw him sobbing for you! He will not choose her, over you.’

Spike did not want to go back out, but he did. It was marginally better than being nagged by Cordelia.

Angel was still on the couch, his head now thrown back, his hand clutching Darla's hair. She was on her hands and knees, enthusiastically sucking his cock.

She pulled off. ‘Go away, William. We’re busy. Go play with yourself or something.’

‘Fuck off.’

‘Angelus, dismiss him. Now!’

‘Spike, you’d better go.’

Spike was getting really worried. Darla had believed them, her guard was down. Fucking hell, she was stuffing Angel’s cock in her mouth...she could hardly be easier to stake! She was clearly alone, clearly vulnerable, but Angel for some reason had still not done it!

When Angelus did not take a firmer hand with Spike, Darla realised she had still not entirely won him over to her. It had not escaped her notice how hard Angelus had been when he first embraced her. Hard from Spike’s body, not hers. So she did not underestimate the sexual power that this blond Childe still had over his Sire.

She stood up. ‘Oh darling, I forgot. I’ve brought you a ‘welcome back’ present.'

She went back to the front door and disappeared outside. Spike went up to Angel who was readjusting his clothing.

‘Err...missing opportunities here, luv!’

Angel only looked at him with tortured eyes and placed a hand on Spike’s cheek. ‘Could you stake me, Spike...if you tired of me one day?’

Before Spike could answer this heart-rending question, Darla was back and she was carrying a basket.

She came up to Angel and putting the basket down on the floor, lifted out a tiny baby.

‘Look, darling. I’ve got a baby for us.’

All sound ceased in the lobby. All three characters in this unfolding drama, frozen in time.

Angel looked down at the baby in Darla’s arms. The baby looked up at him, its eyes an intense blue, its soft blond hair slightly damp and rumpled. It held out one soft plump arm and stretched tiny fingers towards Angel. As if in a dream he reached out to take the little hand. The baby instantly hissed and exposed tiny, obscene fangs. Angel stepped back so hard he collided with Spike.

‘No...Darla, no!’

‘Isn’t he beautiful darling? I made him for you.’

‘Oh God, no. How?’

‘Well, not difficult love! He could hardly object, could he? Mother did though. She’d only had him two days, you’d hardly think she’d make such a fuss!’

She looked up from the baby and for the first time, Angel saw the truth in her eyes. She had now crossed that next thin line, the one between an obsession and complete insanity.

He didn’t know where the stake came from. He didn’t see Spike pass it to him.

But he felt it smooth, sharp and hard in his hand.

With one powerful thrust he plunged it through the small obscenity and on into the evil that had made it.

Darla remained in form for a second. He face registered her understanding that, not only had she been tricked, but that finally after all these years, she had lost to Spike. Her last look was to him. The last thing she saw was his triumphant smile.

She seemed about to say something, but she crumbled to dust before being able to form the words.

Angel and Spike stood together looking down at the space she now occupied. Then Angel turned to Spike and buried his face on Spike’s shoulder. Spike crushed him to him, rubbing his hair, murmuring words of comfort.

But what do you say to someone who has lost such a love?

Spike couldn’t seem to find the right words the whole of the rest of that night or the next day or the one after it or on into the following week. Angel seemed to withdraw and was unable, or unwilling to let anyone comfort him.

He went out early in the morning, slipping out before Spike was awake and came back late at night, bloodied, exhausted and more withdrawn than when he left. Lying in bed together at night, Spike could feel Angel distancing himself emotionally. He wanted no physical contact either, sometimes getting up and going into another room to sleep, leaving Spike alone. When they did share a bed, Angel was tortured by dreams of the baby that had him wake up screaming. Spike longed to turn to him, but constant rejection had made him wary. Angel screamed out his torments to the listening Spike and Spike suffered. He thought that Angel was pulling away from him because he did not have a soul. If Spike had had more experience of being loved, and less of being rejected, he might have been able to understand Angel’s pain and help him. But he internalised all Angel’s pain and blamed himself for it because this new rejection by Angel cut to the very core of Spike’s own self-loathing. Spike knew he was a demon. He knew he had no soul. He knew he was evil. So he began to think that Angel thought that too.

But he kept his thoughts and emotions to himself and waited patiently.

At the end of two weeks however, he sought out Cordelia and found her in the kitchen making coffee.

He went up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his chin down on her shoulder.

‘I’m going back to Sunnydale.’

She spun around, horror on her face. ‘Oh don’t Spike, please...don’t give up on him...he needs you, he wants you, really.’

‘He wants you, luv and Wesley and his new life. I’m just pulling him back. I don’t even exist Cordelia. I’m an empty shell of a long-dead human, reanimated by a demon. He doesn’t want me.’

She hugged him tearfully and tried to argue with him, but to no avail. They kissed briefly before pulling apart.

‘Look after him for me.’

She nodded sadly. She would miss the presence of this blond vampire more than she cared to admit.

Spike packed his few belongings and when Angel came home later that night, Spike was gone.



Cordelia wasn’t sure what the effect of Spike’s departure would be. She should have known. Angel used it fuel his guilt. He berated himself about Spike and sunk even further into gloom and despondency. Cordelia was fed up with him. She personally thought Spike should have pinned Angel to the mattress and made him feel something other than guilt. She was short and snappy with him. She didn’t see why she should humour him. She was furious with him and took Spike’s side entirely.

Consequently, three months later when she received a call from Dawn that Spike that left Sunnydale and had returned to England, she did not attempt to cushion the blow to Angel.

She flew upstairs to his bedroom where he was still in bed, unwilling to face the day.

‘Angel. Wake up!’

He sat up, pulling the sheet around him.

‘He’s gone. You’ve lost him. I hate you, Angel. You let her pussy-whip you when she was ‘alive’ and she’s still doing it ‘dead’. Well I hope you suffer, mister, you’ll never hold him again, you’ll never hear his voice and you’ll have no one to share your life with. He’ll never be here with us...I mean you...again. And you know what, dead boy? It serves you right! Two hundred and fifty? You act more like two. Go back to sleep. You might as well stay asleep for all the fun you’ll have now.’

And with that she stomped out.

Even Cordelia was surprised by the reaction her words had on Angel. As she descended the stairs, she heard a howl that sent shivers down her spine, a heart-rending cry of a creature in torment. She flew back up the stairs to his room and found Angel naked, pounding his fist into the wall. There was a dent in the plaster but that was nothing to the damage to Angel’s hand.

Cordelia rushed to his side and tried to catch his arm. She may as well have tried to catch an express train. Angel’s powerful arm smashed again into the wall, blood flecks splattered out from his split skin.

‘Angel, stop it...I’m sorry...I should have been more careful breaking it to you...I’m sorry.’

He turned anguished eyes on her; unshed tears welling in their unfathomable depths.

‘How Cordelia? Who did it?’

‘Did what?’

‘Oh, God Cordelia...killed him. Who killed my Childe?’

‘He’s not dead Angel, he’s gone to England...though mind you, in January that’s one and the same thing, isn’t it...’

She was stopped short by Angel grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

‘England...England...you mean he’s not dead?’

‘Duh! No! I never said he was.’

‘Gone. You said he was gone.’

‘Well, yeah, alright...but it was perfectly clear what I meant...if he was dead I’d be a LOT MORE PISSED OFF WITH YOU THAN I AM.’

‘I’m going to Sunnydale.’

‘Bit late for that.’

‘I want to know where he’s gone. I’m going to follow him.’

‘Dawn said no one knew. He just left her a note, she found it when she went to his place.’

‘I’ll find something. I must.’