Desperate Acts: Part Six
by Wravyn

They're not mine, and we all know it.



Cordelia scanned the lot for her red sports car. Seeing it parked in the corner, she rummaged through her purse for her keys. Reaching the vehicle, she immediately noticed something was wrong. she thought in surprise. She walked over to the front of the car and peeked at the license plate, and her fears were confirmed. Instead of the familiar Queen C, the plate had WILLOW inscribed on it.

Refusing to accept the fact, Cordy tried using her keys on the door. Sighing in relief when the locks popped open, she entered the vehicle and turned the key in the ignition. The car sprung to life, and Cordelia exited the parking lot and drove away from the school.


* * *
Cordelia drove around Sunnydale aimlessly, not knowing where she was headed. She didn’t want to try going home, lest she find that what she thought was home was not hers in this awful place. She found herself in front of the mansion where she heard the ensouled Angel was staying. She stopped the car and got out, deciding that Angel was a good a person as any to vent with. she thought hopefully.

She opened the front door and entered cautiously. “Angel?” she called, looking around for any signs of the vampire. Seeing none, she walked over to a couch and flopped down on it gratefully. she thought, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.


* * *
Angel opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. < I must have blanked out for a second, > he thought. He heard a noise in the other room and tensed, straining to identify the intruder. He brushed away the memory of the Slayer and listened intently. he realized, surprised. he thought, vamping out. Standing up, he approached the door and opened it silently. He looked around carefully.

He could still hear the light snoring. It seemed to be coming from the couch. Angel walked over to it and looked down. “What are you doing here?”

Cordelia opened her eyes and saw a demonic visage looming over her. “Angelus!” she shrieked, scrambling up from the sofa and backing away from him. She found herself trapped in a corner with nothing between them but a footstool. Terror filled her dark eyes as she remembered what he did to Jenny Calendar. < I thought I heard Buffy say he was good! > She clutched at the wall behind her, certain she was going to die.

Angel looked at the brunette in surprise. He realized that he was still vamped and quickly reverted back to his human face. “Cordy, it’s me,” he said reassuringly. She looked at him in fear, not moving from her spot. Angel felt sorrow at having caused this kind of reaction from the normally cool and calm Cordelia Chase. he thought broodily. He looked at the brunette and sighed. “I’m sorry if I scared you, Cordy. I just thought you might be an intruder.”

Cordelia was still wary about his intentions, but she decided to trust him. Why not? If he was Angel, good. If he was Angelus, well, at least she’d die in style, not crouching by the wall like some spineless wuss. She stepped away from the wall and her face lost its look of fear. Just because she knew he expected it, she glared at him and said sarcastically. “Do you really think icky demons and vampires have the dress sense to wear this?” she asked, gesturing to her outfit. “Do you treat all your guests like this? I swear you vampires have no manners at all.”

She saw pain go through his face and felt guilty. “Sorry for the holier-than-thou ‘tude, Angel. I’m sort of having a rough day.”

Angel leaned against the couch, glad that she had decided to act normally around him. That is, normal as in not hiding behind the furniture. “Still upset about the breakup?” he asked sadly. Cordelia threw him her best I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about look, but he could see the grief that she felt clearly. He suspected he had a similar one on his face.

“Maybe,” she said cautiously. “Look, let’s drop the subject, okay? I need to talk to you about something.” She walked over and sat next to the vampire, who was surprised at her daring. Cordelia’s eyes seemed to be intently focused on the table in front of her, and she paid scant attention to Angel, who patiently waited for her to speak. Finally, Cordelia collected herself and spoke.

“I made a wish this morning,” she said. “And it actually came true. Except not in the way I wanted. I wanted ... I wanted Xander to love me again, so I wished things would be different. And it happened.” Angel became serious as he listened to her speak. He had made a wish too .... “Except this Sunnydale is totally different from the one that I know, and not in a good way. I’m like, a computer nerd, and Willow is popular. That’s just not right.” She missed the amused expression on the vampire’s face at her words. “Xander is not a dork, and Willow is going out with him. What’s even weirder is that I’m supposed to be going out with Oz ... that is, until Xander and I saw him kissing Willow. And the world came crashing down on the both of us,” she finished sarcastically. “When I came in there dressed like this, they freaked. God, when I swore they all went ballistic and asked me if I was feeling okay.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “The Cordy here must be a real loser.” She glanced at Angel, who was looking thoughtful. “Why am I even telling you this? You probably think I’m crazy, too. The Cordelia you know is the loser one!”

Cordelia stood up and sighed. “This was a waste of time.” She turned to go, when Angel’s comment stopped her.

“The Cordelia I know is far from a dork,” he said dryly. “Not our beloved Queen C.”

“You do know me!” she said, delighted. “But how? Why didn’t you get affected by that stupid wish of mine?”

“Because I made a stupid wish too,” he said, sighing. “I wished for the exact same thing that you did, probably at the exact same time. That’s why we’re both in this strange world.”

Cordelia frowned in confusion. “You wished for Xander to love me?”

“But you didn’t wish that. You said you wished things were different. I wished the same.”

“Oh.” Cordelia thought for a moment, then asked, “But why would you want things to be different? I mean, you’ve got your soul and everything, what else do you want?”

He answered her question with one of his own. “What’s the Buffy here like, Cordy?”

“She’s acting all wiggy, like she’s my best friend or something.” Cordelia grimaced slightly. “God ... she probably is!” Suddenly, realization dawned on Cordelia’s face. “Oh. She didn’t mention you.” She said, rather tactlessly.

Angel nodded regretfully. “Some things never change, I guess, even in a wish-world.”


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