Complete, Chapter 10
"Angel, please let me help," Cordy pleaded the next night as the four of them sat in the lobby surrounded by books. Angel, Fred and Gunn were trying to put a profile of Cordy's attacker together. Cordy had been reading her novel again, but now she was bored. She wanted to help, but Angel kept refusing to let her.
Angel shook his head. "No, Cordy."
"Why not?"
"You've already been through enough. You don't need to know the details about what kind of man he is."
Cordy put down her book and walked over to where Angel sat. "Come with me," she told him, taking his hand in hers.
"Where to?" he asked, but followed her anyway.
She didn't answer; she just led him out of the Hyperion and into the hotel's garden. She walked to the concrete bench and sat down, pulling him down beside her. She stared up at the moonlit sky for a moment before turning to him. "Angel, I know you want nothing more than to protect me from all the bad in the world, but we both know you can't do that. No one can."
"But--"
"Wait," she told him, squeezing the hand she still held. "I know there are going to be times during this investigation when I won't be able to do something, either because it's not something I can do emotionally or for some other reason, but this I can do, Angel. Please let me. I need to do something. I need to be involved."
Angel considered her words thoughtfully and knew she was right. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't protect her from the world. He nodded. "Just promise me something."
"What?"
Angel pulled her onto his lap and wrapped an arm around her. "Promise me that if it gets to be too much, you'll tell me."
Cordy smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I promise."
***
"What do you think they're talking about?" Fred asked, looking up from the book in her lap.
Gunn grinned. "Cordy's probably reading him the riot act."
"You think he'll let her help?"
Gunn nodded. "Yeah. He won't want to, but he will."
"Yeah, I think you're right," she agreed.
***
Cordy framed Angel's face in the palms of her small hands, looking deep into his dark eyes. "I love you so much," she whispered, overcome with emotion. "I don't know what I would have done without you these last few days. After he attacked me, I didn't know how I was going to make it through the next few minutes, let alone hours or days. I had never felt so alone as I did that night. And then, you walked through my door and promised you'd be there for as long as I wanted you to be."
"And I always will be," he vowed, tears in his own eyes.
He lowered his mouth to hers, his tears mingling with hers. The kiss started out a little sad, a culmination of everything that had happened in the last few days. It soon filled with hope and the promise of all the good things to come. "I love you, Cordelia Chase," he whispered against her mouth before capturing her mouth with his own once again. She wound her arms around his neck and his fingers tangled into her dark hair as they got lost in the moment, forgetting everything but each other.
Pulling apart, there was a twinkle in his eyes that she hadn't seen in awhile. "You're happy," she told him.
"I am," he agreed. "Because of you. You make me happy."
"And you make me happy. Happier than I've ever been."
***
"Have you found anything useful?" Gunn asked the brunette beside him.
"Maybe. The crime of rape is categorized into three forms: anger rape, power rape and sadistic rape," she read.
"So which form was Cordy's?" Gunn asked.
Fred shrugged. "I don't know."
"Guess we'll have to ask Cordy."
"Ask Cordy what?" Cordy asked as she and Angel walked back into the lobby.
"What type of rapist your attacker was," Fred told her quietly.
"There are types?" Angel asked.
"Three," Gunn answered.
"What are they?" Cordy asked quietly, sitting on the sofa with a sigh. Angel sat down beside her.
"Anger rape is characterized by physical brutality, coming in the form of a sudden, extremely violent attack or is preceded by a ruse of some sort that distracts the victim. In power rape, sexuality becomes the tool by which the attacker compensates for feelings of inadequacy and the assault serves as an expression of mastery, strength, control, authority, identity and capability," Fred read. "The intent is to capture and control the victim and only enough force is used to achieve this. Verbal threats, intimidation with weapons and physical force are used to this pupose."
"And the last?" Angel asked, wanting to get the descriptions over as fast as possible.
"In sadistic rapes, we can find all the factors of power rape and anger rape. The offender transforms his anger and desire for power into eroticized aggression that is then vented upon the victim in the form of acts of sadism. The intent is to derive intense gratification from injuring the victim and to take pleasure in the victim's torment, anguish, distress, helplessness and suffering," Fred finished softly.
He dragged her back to the bed and pushed her onto it. He climbed onto the bed, straddling her and ripped open her white blouse, sending the buttons flying. She heard them hit the hardwood floor and scatter. He unhooked the front clasp of her satin bra and furiously pushed it aside. He then proceeded to pinch and slap her breasts so hard that after just one time her eyes filled with tears. She could feel his arousal digging into her. He was enjoying the pain he was inflicting upon her. "Please stop," she whispered.
"Cordy?" Angel asked softly, breaking her reverie.
"He's a sadist," she sighed as a tear slipped free. Reaching up to brush it away, she saw her hands were shaking. "A-Angel?"
"What is it, baby?" he asked, getting more and more concerned by the minute.
"Will you--can you--" she faltered.
"Just tell me," Angel told her softly.
"Hold me. Please? I need you," she whispered as tears filled her eyes once again. She knew she was only moments away from breaking down completely.
Angel silently held open his arms, allowing her to fall into them. Moments later, huge, wracking sobs overcame her. Angel wrapped both his arms around her, holding her as tightly as he possibly could.
Over her head, Angel glanced at Fred, pain filling his eyes. Fred's heart broke for them. She quietly rose, gathering the books and pulling Gunn after her, heading for Angel's office. She knew that Cordy didn't need an audience; she only needed Angel.
Cordy's sobs tore at his heart. He wished more than anything he could take her pain away, but he also knew only time would do that. All he could do was be here for her. He tightened his arms around her, whispering soft words into her ear.
***
Gunn sat staring at the open book in his lap, but he wasn't really seeing it. Fred came over and sat down beside him, gently taking the book and putting it on a nearby table. Startled, he looked up. "Talk to me," she told him softly.
"It's Cordy. I've never seen her like that before."
Fred nodded, silently agreeing with him.
"I wish there was something we could do for her," Gunn told her.
Fred looked at her boyfriend and squeezed his hand. "We can."
"What?" he asked, a look of confusion spreading its way across his features.
"Find the man that did this to her."
Gunn nodded and picked up his discarded book, preparing to do just that.
***
Angel gently lay Cordy on the sofa and covered her with a blanket. She'd cried herself out in his arms and then had fallen asleep, exhausted. He smoothed back a strand of hair and kissed her cheek tenderly. He stood and just watched her for a moment, wondering how it was possible to love someone so much. Once upon a time, he'd thought what he'd had with Buffy had been love, but he knew differently now. He and Buffy had never been able to be just friends, to talk and laugh together. Cordy had been his dearest friend for so long that he almost forgot what it was like before she'd become such an intergral part of his life. And now, she was so much more. She was his friend, the protector of his heart, the one who kept him honest and true. She was his world.
***
Angel eased the door of his office open, closing it sofly behind him so as to not wake the sleeping woman in the other room. "Hey, guys," he greeted Gunn and Fred.
Both looked up from reading their respective books. "How's she doing?" Fred asked.
"She's okay. Sleeping for the time being."
"Does she do that a lot?" Gunn asked. "Cry like that?"
Angel nodded. "A fair amount of the time, yeah."
"Is that normal?" he asked.
Angel nodded. "Yes. Every person deals with the trauma of rape differently, but everything she is going through is completely normal."
Gunn and Fred took this information in silently. "How long does it usually last?" Fred asked.
"It differs from person to person so I can't really say. The only thing I know is that the faster we find this piece of trash, the safer she'll feel and the faster she can begin to move on."
"She doesn't feel safe, does she?" Fred asked.
Angel shook his head. "Only with me."
They were all silent for a moment, processing his words.
"So, what have you found out?" Angel asked, indicating the many books strewn about the office.
"Well, she's lucky to have survived. Sadistic rapists often kill their victims, frequently mutilating them before or after death and then have sex with their bodies," Gunn told him.
Fred gently guided him into a chair. He took a deep breath he didn't need and let out a sigh. He dropped his head into his hands, imagining what could have happened. "It gets worse, Angel," Gunn told him quietly.
Angel lifted his head, looking at his friend. "Tell me."
"The victim may be subjected to biting, burns and whipping. Injury to sexual areas of the body, such as breasts, genitals and buttocks are common. She may also be object raped with a bottle, stick or knife."
"We have to get this bastard off the streets. Not only for Cordy, but for all the other women he may prey upon," Angel told them, looking from one to the other.
"We will, Angel," Gunn told him, meeting his eyes. "We will."
Angel nodded. "I'm going to go check on Cordy."
When he'd shut the door behind him, Fred looked at her boyfriend helplessly. "This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"
Gunn nodded sadly. "Yeah. It is."
***
Angel sat down on the floor beside the sofa on which Cordelia lay, just watching her sleep. After a few minutes, dark eyes met hazel ones when Cordelia opened her eyes. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," he smiled.
"Were you watching me sleep?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I was."
"That's sweet."
"Sweet?"
"Sure. What could be sweeter than the one you love watching you sleep with eyes so full of love?" she asked softly.
He lowered his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. "I love you, Cordy."
"Almost as much as I love you," she told him, eyes sparkling with humor.
"Almost?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yup. Almost. There's just no possible way you could love me more than I love you."
He laughed and pulled her to her feet. "Come on. Let's go to bed. I want to hold you in my arms."
"Sounds wonderful," she smiled.
***
Angel knocked on his office door for the second time that night and opened it. "We're going to bed. It's been a long day," Angel told the couple inside, who were still hard at work.
Fred looked up with a smile. "Okay. Goodnight, guys."
"Goodnight, guys," Cordelia told them.
"Goodnight," Gunn said, looking up from his book.
Cordy slid her hand inside Angel's as they climbed the staircase, heading for room 217 and the comfort of each other's arms.
Next: Chapter 11
Angel shook his head. "No, Cordy."
"Why not?"
"You've already been through enough. You don't need to know the details about what kind of man he is."
Cordy put down her book and walked over to where Angel sat. "Come with me," she told him, taking his hand in hers.
"Where to?" he asked, but followed her anyway.
She didn't answer; she just led him out of the Hyperion and into the hotel's garden. She walked to the concrete bench and sat down, pulling him down beside her. She stared up at the moonlit sky for a moment before turning to him. "Angel, I know you want nothing more than to protect me from all the bad in the world, but we both know you can't do that. No one can."
"But--"
"Wait," she told him, squeezing the hand she still held. "I know there are going to be times during this investigation when I won't be able to do something, either because it's not something I can do emotionally or for some other reason, but this I can do, Angel. Please let me. I need to do something. I need to be involved."
Angel considered her words thoughtfully and knew she was right. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't protect her from the world. He nodded. "Just promise me something."
"What?"
Angel pulled her onto his lap and wrapped an arm around her. "Promise me that if it gets to be too much, you'll tell me."
Cordy smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I promise."
***
"What do you think they're talking about?" Fred asked, looking up from the book in her lap.
Gunn grinned. "Cordy's probably reading him the riot act."
"You think he'll let her help?"
Gunn nodded. "Yeah. He won't want to, but he will."
"Yeah, I think you're right," she agreed.
***
Cordy framed Angel's face in the palms of her small hands, looking deep into his dark eyes. "I love you so much," she whispered, overcome with emotion. "I don't know what I would have done without you these last few days. After he attacked me, I didn't know how I was going to make it through the next few minutes, let alone hours or days. I had never felt so alone as I did that night. And then, you walked through my door and promised you'd be there for as long as I wanted you to be."
"And I always will be," he vowed, tears in his own eyes.
He lowered his mouth to hers, his tears mingling with hers. The kiss started out a little sad, a culmination of everything that had happened in the last few days. It soon filled with hope and the promise of all the good things to come. "I love you, Cordelia Chase," he whispered against her mouth before capturing her mouth with his own once again. She wound her arms around his neck and his fingers tangled into her dark hair as they got lost in the moment, forgetting everything but each other.
Pulling apart, there was a twinkle in his eyes that she hadn't seen in awhile. "You're happy," she told him.
"I am," he agreed. "Because of you. You make me happy."
"And you make me happy. Happier than I've ever been."
***
"Have you found anything useful?" Gunn asked the brunette beside him.
"Maybe. The crime of rape is categorized into three forms: anger rape, power rape and sadistic rape," she read.
"So which form was Cordy's?" Gunn asked.
Fred shrugged. "I don't know."
"Guess we'll have to ask Cordy."
"Ask Cordy what?" Cordy asked as she and Angel walked back into the lobby.
"What type of rapist your attacker was," Fred told her quietly.
"There are types?" Angel asked.
"Three," Gunn answered.
"What are they?" Cordy asked quietly, sitting on the sofa with a sigh. Angel sat down beside her.
"Anger rape is characterized by physical brutality, coming in the form of a sudden, extremely violent attack or is preceded by a ruse of some sort that distracts the victim. In power rape, sexuality becomes the tool by which the attacker compensates for feelings of inadequacy and the assault serves as an expression of mastery, strength, control, authority, identity and capability," Fred read. "The intent is to capture and control the victim and only enough force is used to achieve this. Verbal threats, intimidation with weapons and physical force are used to this pupose."
"And the last?" Angel asked, wanting to get the descriptions over as fast as possible.
"In sadistic rapes, we can find all the factors of power rape and anger rape. The offender transforms his anger and desire for power into eroticized aggression that is then vented upon the victim in the form of acts of sadism. The intent is to derive intense gratification from injuring the victim and to take pleasure in the victim's torment, anguish, distress, helplessness and suffering," Fred finished softly.
He dragged her back to the bed and pushed her onto it. He climbed onto the bed, straddling her and ripped open her white blouse, sending the buttons flying. She heard them hit the hardwood floor and scatter. He unhooked the front clasp of her satin bra and furiously pushed it aside. He then proceeded to pinch and slap her breasts so hard that after just one time her eyes filled with tears. She could feel his arousal digging into her. He was enjoying the pain he was inflicting upon her. "Please stop," she whispered.
"Cordy?" Angel asked softly, breaking her reverie.
"He's a sadist," she sighed as a tear slipped free. Reaching up to brush it away, she saw her hands were shaking. "A-Angel?"
"What is it, baby?" he asked, getting more and more concerned by the minute.
"Will you--can you--" she faltered.
"Just tell me," Angel told her softly.
"Hold me. Please? I need you," she whispered as tears filled her eyes once again. She knew she was only moments away from breaking down completely.
Angel silently held open his arms, allowing her to fall into them. Moments later, huge, wracking sobs overcame her. Angel wrapped both his arms around her, holding her as tightly as he possibly could.
Over her head, Angel glanced at Fred, pain filling his eyes. Fred's heart broke for them. She quietly rose, gathering the books and pulling Gunn after her, heading for Angel's office. She knew that Cordy didn't need an audience; she only needed Angel.
Cordy's sobs tore at his heart. He wished more than anything he could take her pain away, but he also knew only time would do that. All he could do was be here for her. He tightened his arms around her, whispering soft words into her ear.
***
Gunn sat staring at the open book in his lap, but he wasn't really seeing it. Fred came over and sat down beside him, gently taking the book and putting it on a nearby table. Startled, he looked up. "Talk to me," she told him softly.
"It's Cordy. I've never seen her like that before."
Fred nodded, silently agreeing with him.
"I wish there was something we could do for her," Gunn told her.
Fred looked at her boyfriend and squeezed his hand. "We can."
"What?" he asked, a look of confusion spreading its way across his features.
"Find the man that did this to her."
Gunn nodded and picked up his discarded book, preparing to do just that.
***
Angel gently lay Cordy on the sofa and covered her with a blanket. She'd cried herself out in his arms and then had fallen asleep, exhausted. He smoothed back a strand of hair and kissed her cheek tenderly. He stood and just watched her for a moment, wondering how it was possible to love someone so much. Once upon a time, he'd thought what he'd had with Buffy had been love, but he knew differently now. He and Buffy had never been able to be just friends, to talk and laugh together. Cordy had been his dearest friend for so long that he almost forgot what it was like before she'd become such an intergral part of his life. And now, she was so much more. She was his friend, the protector of his heart, the one who kept him honest and true. She was his world.
***
Angel eased the door of his office open, closing it sofly behind him so as to not wake the sleeping woman in the other room. "Hey, guys," he greeted Gunn and Fred.
Both looked up from reading their respective books. "How's she doing?" Fred asked.
"She's okay. Sleeping for the time being."
"Does she do that a lot?" Gunn asked. "Cry like that?"
Angel nodded. "A fair amount of the time, yeah."
"Is that normal?" he asked.
Angel nodded. "Yes. Every person deals with the trauma of rape differently, but everything she is going through is completely normal."
Gunn and Fred took this information in silently. "How long does it usually last?" Fred asked.
"It differs from person to person so I can't really say. The only thing I know is that the faster we find this piece of trash, the safer she'll feel and the faster she can begin to move on."
"She doesn't feel safe, does she?" Fred asked.
Angel shook his head. "Only with me."
They were all silent for a moment, processing his words.
"So, what have you found out?" Angel asked, indicating the many books strewn about the office.
"Well, she's lucky to have survived. Sadistic rapists often kill their victims, frequently mutilating them before or after death and then have sex with their bodies," Gunn told him.
Fred gently guided him into a chair. He took a deep breath he didn't need and let out a sigh. He dropped his head into his hands, imagining what could have happened. "It gets worse, Angel," Gunn told him quietly.
Angel lifted his head, looking at his friend. "Tell me."
"The victim may be subjected to biting, burns and whipping. Injury to sexual areas of the body, such as breasts, genitals and buttocks are common. She may also be object raped with a bottle, stick or knife."
"We have to get this bastard off the streets. Not only for Cordy, but for all the other women he may prey upon," Angel told them, looking from one to the other.
"We will, Angel," Gunn told him, meeting his eyes. "We will."
Angel nodded. "I'm going to go check on Cordy."
When he'd shut the door behind him, Fred looked at her boyfriend helplessly. "This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"
Gunn nodded sadly. "Yeah. It is."
***
Angel sat down on the floor beside the sofa on which Cordelia lay, just watching her sleep. After a few minutes, dark eyes met hazel ones when Cordelia opened her eyes. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," he smiled.
"Were you watching me sleep?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I was."
"That's sweet."
"Sweet?"
"Sure. What could be sweeter than the one you love watching you sleep with eyes so full of love?" she asked softly.
He lowered his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. "I love you, Cordy."
"Almost as much as I love you," she told him, eyes sparkling with humor.
"Almost?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yup. Almost. There's just no possible way you could love me more than I love you."
He laughed and pulled her to her feet. "Come on. Let's go to bed. I want to hold you in my arms."
"Sounds wonderful," she smiled.
***
Angel knocked on his office door for the second time that night and opened it. "We're going to bed. It's been a long day," Angel told the couple inside, who were still hard at work.
Fred looked up with a smile. "Okay. Goodnight, guys."
"Goodnight, guys," Cordelia told them.
"Goodnight," Gunn said, looking up from his book.
Cordy slid her hand inside Angel's as they climbed the staircase, heading for room 217 and the comfort of each other's arms.
Next: Chapter 11