Promise of Spring
Promise of Spring
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, which is a real pity, since I’m a lot nicer to them.
Summary: Angel takes Cordelia with him to stop a demon ritual sometime during S3. Let’s just forget about Connor and Holtz and the rest for the time being, shall we?
A/N: Written for my 2008 holiday request ficathon. jesterlady requested Angel and Cordy, Groundhog’s Day, and a demon ritual.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No.”
“It’s a myth!”
“Technically, that’s true,” Angel admitted. “The ritual is only effective every hundred years, though, so you can’t blame people for getting it wrong.”
Cordelia looked over at the vampire. They were on a stakeout, which meant that they couldn’t have the top down. It was unfortunate, because it was really nice for February in Los Angeles. The smog wasn’t bad at all.
“Let me get this straight,” she said. “This ritual involves the sacrifice of a small demon that looks like a groundhog, and if they get it right, it means a hundred years of winter until the next ritual.”
“That about explains it.”
“What about the shadow-thing?” Cordelia asked.
Angel shrugged. “It probably had something to do with seeing the groundhog. If he pops out of the hole, you know he hasn’t been killed.”
“Good point.” The silence stretched between them, and Cordelia shifted nervously. She had no idea why, but being around Angel had been making her a little anxious recently. Not in an “oh my God, he might kill me” way, though. She’d experienced that in Sunnydale after he’d lost his soul, so she knew how that felt.
No, the nervousness she was currently experiencing had a lot more to do with the sense of attraction she felt to him, and Cordelia knew what a bad idea that was. Not only was he likely to lose his soul-assuming he was even attracted to her, which she wasn’t certain about-but he was her best friend.
Cordelia didn’t want to lose her best friend.
“So, shouldn’t Wesley be here?”
Angel frowned. “Why?”
“Magic, demon rituals, it seems like it’s up his alley.”
“We know about the ritual. All we have to do is stop it.”
“Wouldn’t that still be a job for Wes or Gunn?”
He went perfectly still, the only movement coming from his fingers drumming an uneven rhythm on the steering wheel. “No.”
It was almost a whine, and Cordelia frowned. She remembered Mitch asking her to come to his baseball game. She’d had no idea whether it was a date or not until he’d put his hand on her knee.
Of course, she’d moved his hand, but she hadn’t let go. Cordelia thought this might be another one of those moments.
“Angel?” she prodded gently.
“I didn’t think it would be that dangerous.”
“Okay, so you asked me to come along because?”
“I thought it might be kind of fun.”
“Fun?” She knew that she sounded incredulous. A stakeout wasn’t exactly her idea of a good time. “Really?”
“It was going to be dinner until I heard about this.”
She glanced over at him. “Dinner? Where?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe one of the newer restaurants. I saw an article in the paper about it.”
Cordy twisted in her seat. “You wanted to ask me out on a date?”
“Well, to dinner,” he qualified. “I know you don’t get out all that often, and I thought you might enjoy it.”
“Always.” Cordelia realized that maybe she was the one who needed to make a move this time. She wasn’t in high school anymore, and she generally got what she wanted. The question was, what did she want?
She decided to take a risk. “I enjoy hanging out with you.”
“Yeah?” Angel sounded like a boy, so goofily hopeful, that she couldn’t help the smile that formed. “Maybe another night.”
“When there isn’t a demon ritual that could bring about a hundred years of winter.”
“Good thing for both of us that it only comes around once a century.” He smiled at her, and the expression warmed his brown eyes. The feeling between them changed, grew charged with a different kind of tension, and Cordelia leaned just a little bit closer.
For a moment-for just a moment-she thought that he was going to kiss her, but then he looked away, through the windshield. “Sorry.”
She saw what he did-a light come on behind the window of an upper floor on the warehouse. It was what they’d been waiting for. “Go,” she said. “I’ll watch your back.”
It was, after all, what she did best, and she wanted spring to come as much as anybody. Cordelia thought that she might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in her own life as well.
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, which is a real pity, since I’m a lot nicer to them.
Summary: Angel takes Cordelia with him to stop a demon ritual sometime during S3. Let’s just forget about Connor and Holtz and the rest for the time being, shall we?
A/N: Written for my 2008 holiday request ficathon. jesterlady requested Angel and Cordy, Groundhog’s Day, and a demon ritual.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No.”
“It’s a myth!”
“Technically, that’s true,” Angel admitted. “The ritual is only effective every hundred years, though, so you can’t blame people for getting it wrong.”
Cordelia looked over at the vampire. They were on a stakeout, which meant that they couldn’t have the top down. It was unfortunate, because it was really nice for February in Los Angeles. The smog wasn’t bad at all.
“Let me get this straight,” she said. “This ritual involves the sacrifice of a small demon that looks like a groundhog, and if they get it right, it means a hundred years of winter until the next ritual.”
“That about explains it.”
“What about the shadow-thing?” Cordelia asked.
Angel shrugged. “It probably had something to do with seeing the groundhog. If he pops out of the hole, you know he hasn’t been killed.”
“Good point.” The silence stretched between them, and Cordelia shifted nervously. She had no idea why, but being around Angel had been making her a little anxious recently. Not in an “oh my God, he might kill me” way, though. She’d experienced that in Sunnydale after he’d lost his soul, so she knew how that felt.
No, the nervousness she was currently experiencing had a lot more to do with the sense of attraction she felt to him, and Cordelia knew what a bad idea that was. Not only was he likely to lose his soul-assuming he was even attracted to her, which she wasn’t certain about-but he was her best friend.
Cordelia didn’t want to lose her best friend.
“So, shouldn’t Wesley be here?”
Angel frowned. “Why?”
“Magic, demon rituals, it seems like it’s up his alley.”
“We know about the ritual. All we have to do is stop it.”
“Wouldn’t that still be a job for Wes or Gunn?”
He went perfectly still, the only movement coming from his fingers drumming an uneven rhythm on the steering wheel. “No.”
It was almost a whine, and Cordelia frowned. She remembered Mitch asking her to come to his baseball game. She’d had no idea whether it was a date or not until he’d put his hand on her knee.
Of course, she’d moved his hand, but she hadn’t let go. Cordelia thought this might be another one of those moments.
“Angel?” she prodded gently.
“I didn’t think it would be that dangerous.”
“Okay, so you asked me to come along because?”
“I thought it might be kind of fun.”
“Fun?” She knew that she sounded incredulous. A stakeout wasn’t exactly her idea of a good time. “Really?”
“It was going to be dinner until I heard about this.”
She glanced over at him. “Dinner? Where?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe one of the newer restaurants. I saw an article in the paper about it.”
Cordy twisted in her seat. “You wanted to ask me out on a date?”
“Well, to dinner,” he qualified. “I know you don’t get out all that often, and I thought you might enjoy it.”
“Always.” Cordelia realized that maybe she was the one who needed to make a move this time. She wasn’t in high school anymore, and she generally got what she wanted. The question was, what did she want?
She decided to take a risk. “I enjoy hanging out with you.”
“Yeah?” Angel sounded like a boy, so goofily hopeful, that she couldn’t help the smile that formed. “Maybe another night.”
“When there isn’t a demon ritual that could bring about a hundred years of winter.”
“Good thing for both of us that it only comes around once a century.” He smiled at her, and the expression warmed his brown eyes. The feeling between them changed, grew charged with a different kind of tension, and Cordelia leaned just a little bit closer.
For a moment-for just a moment-she thought that he was going to kiss her, but then he looked away, through the windshield. “Sorry.”
She saw what he did-a light come on behind the window of an upper floor on the warehouse. It was what they’d been waiting for. “Go,” she said. “I’ll watch your back.”
It was, after all, what she did best, and she wanted spring to come as much as anybody. Cordelia thought that she might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in her own life as well.