Author: Morgan R.
Email: Lshallot@juno.com
Rating: PG
Summary: Cordelia gets pissed off, shows she has company loyalty.
Feedback: Love some!
Disclaimer: Joss makes 'em, I takes 'em.
Spoilers: I wrote this based on this rumor for Ep 20-
>Angel almost gets Riley killed and Buffy becomes even more angered at
>Angel
> for endangering her boyfriend.
Well, I didn't much like the sound of that- of course, it turned out better
than I thought. But if it hadn't, boy...
****
"Who do you think you are? I mean, you almost got Riley killed! What were you thinking?" Anger emanated from Buffy's slim frame.
"Buffy, I'm sorry, but you have to understand-" Angel tried to explain.
"No. I understand that you put his life in danger. You come back to Sunnydale to 'help', and instead-"
"Oh, shut up!" Cordelia's voice broke in.
Buffy looked at her in surprise and irritation. "Excuse me?"
"Just shut up. What right do you have to yell at Angel anymore?"
"I think that Riley's near death-"
"Can you even hear what you're saying?" Cordelia cut her off. "How many times have you put all of us in danger, O Mighty and Wonderful Slayer?"
Buffy waved her hand dismissively. "It's not the same-"
"Oh please. How many times did Angel almost die because of you? Because of his association with you? Get a grip, okay? Everyone close to you is in danger. Everyone who lives in Sunnydale is in danger. You've made errors in judgement that have resulted in people dying. But Angel has to be perfect? He has to put your boyfriend's safety at the top of his priority list, above saving the lives of everyone else? Can you even try to live in reality?"
Angel put his hand on her arm, trying to calm her down. "It's alright, Cordelia. You don't need to-"
"It's not alright!" She looked up at him, her dark eyes shining with anger. "It's not alright," she repeated, her voice softer. "No one should get to talk to you that way, Angel. No one should have that right. Not her, not anybody."
She looked back at Buffy. "You think that because you used to love him, you can talk to him like he's your pet? I'd think that you'd at least respect him, after everything he's done for you, after everything you went through together. He gave up everything he ever had or wanted in order to fight evil. You get to go to college and have a boyfriend and move on and fight monsters when you have some free time. And Angel? He gets impaled. I'm talking multiple times. He has gotten speared with so many sharp objects, it's mind boggling.
"He gets shot, he gets stabbed, he gets slashed with knives and claws and barbs and words. His clothes get torn, his skin gets shredded, and every morning he comes into the office, bandaged up and ready to save someone else. Killing bad guys isn't an extracurricular activity for him. It is all that he does.
"And why? It isn't because he was Chosen, not like you. It isn't because he's bored, it isn't because the pay is good, because believe me, it is NOT. He does it because someone needs to. He does it because he can't even comprehend being idle as long as someone might need him. So he fights. He wins, he kills, he risks a permanent death every night.
"And when he comes back to Sunnydale to help, you treat him like he's nothing better than your ex. No matter that he loved you better than any other man would ever be able. You talk to him with as little respect as you do me. I'm not claiming that you two could ever be friends, because we all saw how spectacularly that failed before. But is this really the best you can give him? Because if so, that's sad. Dishonest." Cordelia paused, and the silence was overwhelming as she studied Buffy's closed face.
"Pathetic."
She turned away quickly, crossing her arms over her stomach, looking out the window. "Start anytime, Buffy. Rip into me. Ask me how I dare, ask me what gives me the right. Question my authority. I find it almost funny that after the number of times I've seen Angel bleed, you probably still think I have no right to criticize your treatment of him."
She sat down next to Wesley, who wordlessly nodded his approval.
And Buffy had nothing to say.
Angel turned away from her, and walked to where his two employees were sitting. "We should probably get going," he said quietly.
"Why do you let her do it, Angel?" Cordelia's voice was low, rough. "Is it your belief that you deserve to suffer? Or is it just that she has license to do whatever she wants? You just take it. You never complain. You just deal. You just let her tear into you. Tear, um, tear into- oh, god-" she broke off as a vision slammed into her.
With all the familiarity of routine, Angel and Wesley supported her, holding onto her thin frame as images flashed though her mind. The two men surrounded her, protecting her from everything but her own brain, and she held on for dear life.
The tension left her body suddenly, and she sank against Angel, Wesley chafing her wrists.
"I need paper and a pen," she whispered.
Wesley whipped out a notepad, and she wrote down pertinent information, still incapable of sitting up straight. She threw down the pen and tried, clawing at the couch cushions in her determination to be self-sufficient, but whimpered as her head rebelled.
"I can't, I'm sorry. I can't stand up." Her voice was cracking as the throbbing failed to subside.
"Okay, I'll help you. Do you think you can manage if I help you?" Angel asked her. Eyes squeezed shut, Cordelia nodded.
Oblivious to the audience of everyone else in the room, he propped her up, his arms around her trembling waist.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she gasped over and over. Her knees buckled then, and only Angel's quick reflexes kept her from falling to the floor.
"Maybe Wesley could-" Angel began.
"No, he'll drop me," Cordelia protested.
"-drive." Angel finished. "Okay, here we go." As he spoke, he hoisted her up, cradling her like an infant. Wesley went out to get the car, and as Angel prepared to follow with Cordelia in his arms, a voice called him back.
"Angel."
He half turned, looking back at Buffy. He stood in front of the door, Cordelia's head against his chest, her hands clinging to his coat.
"I'm sorry."
He nodded.
And making sure not to jostle Cordelia anymore than was necessary, he carried her out into the night.
****