Chapter 3: Cordy Gets Pissed

*****Next Day*****

Cordy drove the car rental to Los Angeles. Thor sat in front while Loki rode in the back. It was strange having the two men in a car with her. She could meet Loki's eyes in the rear-view mirror. Although he seemed content to ride behind her, it was odd and disconcerting. She filled the silence with trivia about the City of Angels and some of her experiences there.

Finally, her car pulled into the parking lot across the street from Wolfram & Hart's downtown branch where Xander said Angel and the gang would be.

She led her two escorts to the front of the building and paused.

"Is everything all right?" Loki inquired, sensing her disquiet.

"No, it's not all right. My best friends are working for the devil or the earthly equivalent of it. The Wolf, Ram, and Hart are actual demons who have got a foothold into this realm through their legal services. This is a bad, bad place, and I cannot believe Angel would join them after all they put us through!" Cordelia exclaimed.

Thor's eyebrow went up. "The Wolf, Ram, and Hart are inside this building?" he asked, pulling out his hammer.

"Well, no, but they own it. They work their evil mojo through humans who sell their soul to get money and power on Earth," she explained.

"And your friends are inside?" Thor asked.

Cordelia nodded.

"Then we shall rescue them from the evil that has ensnared them!" Thor declared.

"Cool your jets, Prince Charming, but we can't do that. We need finesse not brute strength," she said.

When Thor frowned, Loki spoke, "What she means is, brother, you cannot hammer your way through this building."

"Exactly," Cordelia said. Then she reached for the door and opened it. They hadn't gone very far when an alarm sounded. Guards came at them from everywhere. It took the three of them less than two minutes to subdue all attackers.

"What the hell? I'm an invited guest of Angel, and you attack me? What's wrong with you people?" she asked. An elevator opened, and Wesley stepped out of it. He looked shocked to see Cordelia.

"Cordelia?" he asked walking slowly toward her.

She grinned. "Yep. It's me. I'm all better!" she announced, moving to embrace him.

"I can't believe it! How did this happen?" he asked, pulling back to examine her.

"What do you mean? Angel didn't tell you?" she asked.

"No," Wesley said, frowning.

"Willow and Tara told me they came here to try to wake me and couldn't, so they called their good friends, the Asgards," she said, gesturing to Thor and Loki. "Thor's dad, Odin, fixed me."

Wesley's eyes widened as he realized who she was with. "Oh, dear. The security measures attacked the Asgards? I am so sorry," he said. "It's an automatic thing with any possible threats."

"Not that it's not good to see you, Wes, but where's Angel? Where's Conner? How in the world did you guys agree to work for the enemy?" she asked.

Wesley looked confused. "Conner? Who's that?" he asked.

Cordelia's mouth fell open in dismay. "What do you mean? How can you not know Angel's son? You kidnapped him once, remember? Got kicked out off the team?"

"Angel is a vampire, Cordelia. He is not capable of reproducing," Wesley said, confused.

"Well, duh. But he and Darla did the deed, and a mystical pregnancy that fulfilled some prophecy got us Conner. He should be walking by now," Cordelia said. "Where is our baby?" She was getting more and more upset as it became very clear that Wesley had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry, Cordelia, I really think you're still confused from your coma," he said.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Maybe it's you that's confused. Why are you working for Evil, Incorporated, Wes? How could you do that or let Angel do it?" she demanded angrily.

The elevator opened, and Gunn and Fred stepped out, exclaiming joyfully at Cordelia's appearance.

"I can't believe it! You're awake and okay!" Fred gushed, hugging her tightly. Then Fred looked at her companions and her mouth fell open. "You're Thor the God of Thunder."

"I am," Thor said in amusement.

Fred glanced at Loki and paled. "That's your evil brother Loki, who led an alien invasion in New York!" she said, her voice ending on an eek.

"I assure you my brother is not evil, just misguided," Thor assured her.

"Misguided—like all of you working for our enemy," Cordy interjected. "What's up with that?" Her friends all looked guilty and unable to meet her eyes. She realized that Gunn was wearing an Armani suit, which was the freakiest thing of all.

"Angel insisted," Fred said. "He says we could do more good with their resources, using them for good."

"Seriously? Use evil's resources for good?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Okay, I've heard enough. Wesley doesn't remember Conner, so obviously this place has already jacked with your heads."

"Conner?" Fred asked.

"You don't know Angel's son either?" she asked.

"Angel has a son?" Gunn asked in surprise. "How come I don't know that?"

"Vampires can't have children," Fred said.

Cordelia clenched her fists in frustration. She looked at the Asgards, who were watching attentively but silent. She motioned for them to step aside, so she could talk to them. "Listen, guys, something is seriously wrong. None of my friends seem to remember Conner, Angel's son. They were all there for his birth. He was a few months old when he was taken by Angel's enemy. I don't remember anything after that," she shared.

"Memory spells are seriously dark magic," Loki said.

"Hopefully, your friend Angel will know what's going on," Thor said.

Cordelia nodded, feeling scared and upset. Her anger at Angel was fading in light of her concern for Conner.

They loaded into an elevator and went to the top floor. Fred chatted away about her new job and projects. "Lorne is going to die when he sees you!" Fred said as the elevator opened.

"Lorne's here, too?" Cordelia asked in dismay. She wouldn't have believed that Lorne would sell out this way.

"Yes, he's in charge of the music and entertainment division," she said.

Cordelia said nothing, unable to believe what had happened to her friends. When she saw that Harmony was Angel's secretary, though, she cussed. "You've got to be ***ing kidding me! Harmony? The vampire who tried to turn me and double crossed us?"

"Cordy! Oh, my goodness! You're okay!" she gushed, moving to hug Cordelia but was stopped by Loki.

"Do not approach my lady if you want to live," Loki warned.

"I need to see Angel, Harmony. Now," Cordelia said firmly.

"He's in there," she said, pointing to the door behind her.

Cordelia moved forward, shadowed by Thor and Loki, her friends a step behind them.

"Angel?"

Angel looked up, joy on his face as he saw her. "You're okay!" he exclaimed.

He moved to embrace her. For a moment, Cordelia forgot her anger and responded to the joy. She hugged him and even kissed him. Then she pulled back and slapped him hard.

"You're working for Wolfram & Hart? Have you lost your ***ing mind? Am I still in a coma and this all an hallucination?" she asked.

Angel winced, rubbing his cheek, stepping back from her. "I can explain," he said.

"Angel, why don't they remember Conner?" she asked.

Angel blinked, surprised to hear his son mentioned. "You remember him?" he asked in a low voice.

"Of course, I do! Why don't they?" she asked, pointing back at their friends.

"Angel, what's she talking about?" Wesley asked.

Lorne came into the room. "Is my angel finally awake?" he asked.

Thor, seeing a demon, raised his hammer.

"No, Thor! He's my friend!" she exclaimed, jumping in front of Thor.

"Wow! These are some prime Asgardian beefcakes guarding our princess!" Lorne said in amusement as he took in Loki and Thor.

"How did you know we are Asgards?" Thor asked.

"Lorne's a seer and knowns lots of things," Cordelia said, hugging her horned friend.

"I see he called you princess. Are you a princess? Or is that a term of endearment?" Thor wondered.

"It's both," Lorne said. "She's princess of my world, Pylea. She abdicated the throne, however, to come back here."

"Not before ending slavery and bringing in democracy!" she said with a smile.

Loki realized that Lady Cordelia was full of surprises. Knowing she was true royalty made her even more attractive to him.

"How about everyone clear the room, so I can talk to Cordelia?" Angel suggested.

"No, we want to know what she's talking about," Fred said. "How do you have a son we don't know about?"

"How can you think working for actual demons is a good career move in our fight as champions?" Cordelia asked him. "And why is Gunn wearing a suit? It's freakin' me out!"

"I'm a lawyer," Gunn admitted. "They did a mystical mojo on my brain."

Cordelia looked at him in horror. "You let a company run by demons mess with your brain? Seriously? It's like you've all gone insane or are drinking some crazy Kool-Aid!" she exclaimed. "Angel, tell me what happened!"

Angel sighed in resignation. He went back to his desk and sat down. "Have a seat, Cordy. This will take a while." He looked around the room. "I guess you all deserve to hear the truth, too." It took him a minute, but then he began his tale. He told them about Conner and how he was taken and raised in a hell dimension by an old enemy. How he'd came back an angry teenager. How he'd had a crush on Cordelia and how they didn't know that Cordy was possessed. She'd slept with him.

Cordelia interrupted with a loud cry and ran to the trash can and threw up. Loki and Thor went to her side. Loki handed her a bottle of water from a nearby table.

"It wasn't you, Cordy," Angel said. "It was Jasmin." Then he explained what happened with the she-bitch that impregnated her in order to be given a foothold into their realm.

Thor and Loki listened in shock. They knew it would take really powerful magic to do what Angel described. The fact that the group had managed to defeat such evil was extraordinary.

"Conner, though, didn't take everything well. To him, Jasmin had been his daughter, and he loved her. He was never fooled by her mirage and didn't care what she looked like. Losing her devastated him. Cordy was in a coma, and he took her and a group of people hostage. He was going to kill himself, possibly everyone in the room," Angel explained. "I didn't know what to do. A deal was offered to me. Wolfram & Hart conceded that we'd won Los Angeles, and they'd turn this branch over to me."

"To corrupt you!" Cordelia said.

"I'm not naïve, Cordy. I'm over two hundred years old. I have a demon inside, and I know exactly what they hope to accomplish. They hope to either turn me back to Angelus or break me," he said in disgust.

"Then how could you work here?" she asked.

"It was my son!" he said, standing. "Conner hated me, Cordy. He locked me in a trunk and put me in the ocean for months. After losing you and Jasmine, something inside him broke. He was out of his mind. I failed him in every way possible. How could I not do everything within my power to save him?"

The group listened with various degrees of shock and amazement at his tale. Fred was crying. Lorne was hugging her. Cordelia couldn't believe all that had happened with her body, and yet she had no memory of anything after her ascension to heaven, or what she thought was heaven. "What did you do, Angel?" she asked.

"They agreed to bend reality. Wipe all memories of him from everyone. I'm the only one that remembers him. I guess you do because your mind wasn't here at the time. They wiped Conner's mind and put him with a family that believes he is theirs. He's in college now, and he's happy," Angel said sadly.

"You messed with our memories?" Wesley asked. "You had no right!"

"He is my son. I had every right!" Angel argued. He wasn't going to regret saving his son, nor was he going to apologize for doing what had to be done. It was his choice, and he'd bore the consequences.

"Guys, give me the room. I need to talk to Angel alone," Cordelia said. She looked at Loki and Thor. "I'll be okay."

The group reluctantly left. Thor looked at his brother. "I do not understand these humans sometimes. How they allowed evil to flourish in their midst and not know? How could Lady Cordelia be possessed, and they not realize it?" he wondered.

"Sometimes people do not see what is in front of them," Loki said pointedly.

Thor grimaced, not liking the reminder that he had been oblivious to his own brother's rage and resentment.

Inside Angel's office, the two were silent. Angel couldn't believe she was finally back with him. Cordy couldn't believe what all had happened in her absence. Finally, she spoke, "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm sorry for what you've gone through. I'm sorry about Conner. I can't believe we were cheated of so much with him, and I'm horrified that my body was used in such a manner."

"It wasn't your fault," Angel assured her.

"No, it's your fault. All of it," Cordelia said grimly.

"What?" Angel asked in surprise. "How can you say that? I did everything I could, Cordy. You have to know that!"

"I know that you let Wolfram & Hart make you crazy with Darla's return. We all warned you, and you didn't listen to us. You pushed us aside and boned that monster. I don't know if Conner was a blessing or a curse, but he was ours for a time. Yet another bad choice on your part caused him to be taken from us. You made the enemy that wanted vengeance," she said.

"That was Angelus, not me!" Angel reminded her.

"I know, Angel, but still, you refused to listen to any of us. Wesley tried to warn us. Everything fell apart," she said. "I get that you didn't know what to do to save Conner. I can't imagine how horrible it was."

"He was going to kill you, Cordy. There are exactly three people in this world that give my life meaning—that I can't imagine living without, and he was going to kill two of them," Angel said. "I would've made any deal to save him—to save you."

Cordelia couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Her love for Angel and his son had been so strong, but now she felt like it was all ashes.

Angel went around and pulled her into his arms while she sobbed against him, mourning all that they'd lost. Conner had been like her baby. They were a family, and now it wasn't just gone, but it had been poisoned. She'd had sex with Conner. How could she have let that happen? It didn't matter that she wasn't in control. Just knowing that her body, her memories had been used in such a demented way broke her heart. Her love for Conner had been twisted. She had been used to twist his mind. Now he was gone, and Angel was working for the very people who had been trying to destroy them from the beginning. Hopelessness filled her.

"Don't cry, Cordy. It's going to be okay. Now that you're here, my connection to the Powers is back. We can continue our mission and do the work we were meant to," Angel said.

Cordy pulled away. She reached for a tissue on a nearby table and wiped her eyes. "No, Angel, I can't work here. I could never work here," she said.

"What are you talking about? I can't do this without you!" he exclaimed, upset.

"But you are. You've been doing it for weeks. You sold out, Angel," she said. "I get that you were in an impossible position. I understand why, but it's still a mistake. This place won't just destroy you, but it will also destroy our friends. Did you think about that? Look at what has happened to Gunn already?"

Angel felt a desperation that he'd never felt before. "Please don't do this, Cordy. I need you!" he begged.

Tears rolled down Cordelia's cheek. "I'm sorry, Angel. You know that I love you. I will always love you, but I can't let this place distort my gift. I won't watch them destroy you and my friends," she said. She kissed him one last time, throwing all the passion into it that she'd never allowed herself to feel for him. Then she stepped away. "Goodbye, Angel."

Angel, his heart breaking, watched her walk away. Unlike the time he left Buffy, he was the one having to watch the woman he loved walk out of his life. He didn't have Buffy, and now it appears he wouldn't have Cordelia either. He sat back done, cursing his existence. For a long moment, he considered breaking his window and letting the sunlight stream in, ending his misery. However, he knew what hell awaited him—he'd been there once before. Somehow, he'd make this right. He'd find redemption and die a human. Or he'd die having done as much as he could to atone for what all Angelus had done.

Outside his office, Cordelia's friends were waiting for her. "You're staying, right?" Fred asked hopefully.

"No, Fred, I'm not. And neither should you," she said. "This won't end well for any of you. I don't know how Angel convinced you to sign on with this place. Did you sign your soul away?"

"I was careful looking over the contract," Wesley said.

"I bet," Cordy said, not convinced. "I love you guys, but this isn't going to be something I will ever be okay with. If you're smart, you'll walk away while you can." She hugged each of them.

"Where are you going?" Wesley asked.

"I don't suppose my house and my ghost are still there?" she asked.

"Angel has kept it up for you," Gunn told her. "Dennis has kept all squatters away."

"He misses you," Fred said.

"I'll be in touch," Cordelia said.

Loki and Thor exchanged concerned looks but didn't interfere. They followed her onto the elevator.

"Are you all right?" Loki asked in concern.

"The man I love is even more out of reach than ever," she said bitterly. "No, I'm not all right. I have no place anymore. Not in Sunnydale and not here. I don't know what I'm going to do."

The men were silent as they rode with her to her house. When she stepped inside, it was like she never left. The lights flickered joyfully as Dennis saw she was home.

"I'm back, Dennis. I'm okay now," she said to the empty room, causing Thor to be very confused. "I missed you, too."

"Who do you speak with?" Thor asked, looking around.

"My ghost, Dennis. He's the best roommate a gal can have," she said. When her luggage started moving on its own, the two men stepped back.

"You allow a poltergeist to reside in your home?" Loki asked in fascination.

"He's harmless like a puppy," she said. "Dennis, this is Loki and Thor. Their dad fixed me up, so excuse their comments."

"Sorry, Mr. Ghost," Thor said, his head moving around the room.

Cordelia giggled, amused at the image Thor presented as he tried to direct his gaze everywhere. "Thanks, big guy. I needed that," she said, amused. "Now, his mother, she was evil. She didn't want him to leave home, so she bricked him into the wall over there." The men looked at where she pointed. "He basically suffocated slowly. Talk about an evil bitch." Thor visibly shuddered at the image. "We exorcised her and hopefully she's in hell right now."

Loki grinned, enjoying how merciless she was. "It does not bother you to stay in a place where murder occurred?" he asked, trying to know her.

Cordelia shrugged. "I grew up on a hellmouth, watched so many classmates slaughtered. Once, Willow and I walked in on several dead school mates, killed in a gruesome way. Dennis died a long time ago, and he is happy being here with me," she explained.

"What do you want us to do, my lady? Are you okay here?" Thor asked. "You can come back to Asgard if you'd like."

"I don't know, Thor. I really don't," she said, feeling hopeless. She sat down on her sofa. "I just want to make a difference in the world—help people. I have visions for that purpose. Can you imagine what it's like to see people near death and be unable to stop it?"

"I imagine it would be horrible," Thor said.

Loki felt, for the second time in his life, small when faced with the selflessness of a Midgardian. Like his adored Tara, Cordelia Chase was an extraordinary woman. He felt compelled to offer a suggestion. "Perhaps the Avengers could have use of someone with your skill set?" he suggested. "Or college. Do you wish to go to college like Tara?"

"If I had the funds, maybe," she admitted. "I did get accepted into NYU and Columbia as wells as UCLA."

"We will make sure you have the funds if that is your desire, my lady," Thor said. "I will talk to Tony. He can help you."

"I don't want to leave Dennis again," she said.

"Surely, Lady Willow can bind him to you instead of this house?" Loki suggested.

Cordelia flashed him a brilliant smile. "That's a great idea! What do you think, Dennis? Want to haunt me instead of this place? Or maybe, if that won't work, my new place?" she asked. The lamp flashed on and off.

"Possibly," Loki said. "I don't think there's much the young witch cannot do."

Cordelia felt better having some ideas of where she would go next. "Thanks, guys," she said. "I appreciate your help."

Thor stood. "I will get Loki back home and then return to aid you. I will call Tony, though, before I leave. Do you have a phone here?" he asked.

Cordelia picked up the phone to see if the dial tone was there. "Yep. Angel must've kept it paid," she said.

"He may not make the best choices, but it is obvious that he cares deeply for you," Thor said.

"I know. But you heard about his Gypsy curse, right? One moment of perfect happiness and he loses his soul. Sleeping with Buffy is what did it for him last time," Cordelia said. "Loving him is never a good idea."

"Poor guy," Thor said with sympathy.

Loki, however, smiled, happy to learn that the vampire was not a real threat for the woman's hand. As an immortal, Loki could wait for her to mourn and move on. "You will come to Asgard again?" he asked hopefully.

"I hope to," she said, smiling. She hugged Loki, surprising him. "Thanks for coming." Then she hugged Thor. He had called Tony, who agreed to come meet Cordelia as soon as possible.

After the two Asgards left, she heard water running. Smiling, she went into her bathroom. Dennis was running her a hot bath. "Thanks, Dennis. I so need a good soak." As she gathered her stuff, finding her night clothes where she left them in her drawers, she thought about the past two days.

Xander was everything she thought he'd be once long ago, yet he was engaged to someone else. Angel, who finally saw her and not Buffy, was further away than ever. Where was her place? Would her world ever make sense again?

Sighing, she got into the hot tub, letting its warmth sooth away everything.

Tomorrow would take care of itself.

*****The End*****

I continue with the series in "How to Save a Life Buffy Style." Thanks for reading, following, and favoriting.