"Angel cakes, don't make me ask you to leave..." Said Lorne, shaking his head, before his gaze returned to the TV screen where Being Jonathon Levinson was playing for the THIRD time that day.

"This is my hotel - "

"SHHHH!" Cordelia's harsh voice penetrated the lobby as she leaned forward in her seat, "He's on!" Any second now and she'd fall off. Yeah, any second now.

Angel was, understandably, brooding. Ever since, 'he-who-should-not-be-named' had entered the hotel yesterday, the world had fallen into a tailspin. Or maybe he was just jealous... Nooo, Angel didn't get jealous. Ever. He was... Cool, emotionally detached guy and... Was she drooling? Cordelia, HIS Cordelia was drooling over that little twerp.

Frowning, Angel went into the office to change Connor's diaper, "Oh Jonathan I just love the way you sing," He frowned, "Oh Jonathan, I just the way your hair is just so... Girlie with all the nancy-boy hair mousse you use. Oh Jonathan I love the way you..."

"Angel." The voice was cool, emotionally clipped. Jonathan knew the case of Angel was different, but fact of the matter being, he was still a creature of the night. Something he'd been taught to kill - just because they'd worked side by side didn't mean that he had to actually like doing it...

The vampire turned, face to face with his arch nemesis who was... Like, what, three feet tall? "Jonathan."

"Angel."

"You said that."

"I did," Said Jonathan, nodding, "I slipped past the guys to run this by you." Handing Angel a piece of paper, he frowned, "You recognise the mark on it? Demon. Attacked some of my people, now I need your people to help."

"I don't think that..."

"Yes! We'll do it!" Cordelia, having noticed he was there had leapt off the chair, ran right into the office and nodded, eagerly. "We'll do it, we'll do it!"

"Cordelia, I don't think that's wise what with Holtz and..."

"Angel, this is Jonathan he needs our help! Who was the one who got the scroll back from Vocah when I was experiencing the visions from Hell?" She asked.

"But..."

"And who was the one who got me out of trouble in Pylea?"

"Yeah but..."

"And who was the one who killed that guy who was REALLY giving me the killer visions?"

"Well, Jonathan, but..."

Cordelia smiled, brightly - that hundred-thousand-watt smile that was usually reserved for him. "So, Jonathan, how do you like your coffee?"

There was coffee now? Cordelia NEVER brought coffee for him! Angel scowled menacingly and sighed, looking down at his son, "What's he got that your Daddy doesn't?" He asked.


* * * * *


"He's just so... Y'know?" Cordelia asked, glancing at Fred, "I mean he's just so..."

"I know." Fred nodded, in full agreement with her friend. Her eyes were glazed over with something akin to... Lust? "He's so lovely... He's like... He's a God... And he's one of these guys who would never hurt you. Ever."

"And he'd never mind about the fact that you're half-demon..."

"Or crazy." Added Fred with a happy, dreamy sigh.

"I used to date him," Said Cordelia, dreamily, from where she sat. Her hand was tucked onto her chin, her eyes watching as Jonathan's muscles rippled under his shirt. "He was The One That Got Away. I even saw my wedding dress..."

"You DATED Jonathan?" Said Fred, slightly in awe, "When?"

"Just after Buffy got me into trouble with some college boys," Said the Seer, watching with avid eyes as he helped Gunn and Wesley shift some crates of books. "Jonathan saved us... Then, he bought me coffee... And I knew then..."

"You knew what?" Breathed Fred, softly, "What did you know?"

"He was my soul-mate," Whispered the awe-struck Cordelia.

The 'pffft' from the other end of the room was loud, annoyed. Turning, she glared at Angel, "Why with the letting go of air?"

"Soulmates?" He asked, frowning, "You really believe in all that crap?"

"Look at him..." Said Cordelia, her eyes glazing over with lust as her gaze turned back to Jonathan, "Just... look at him."

"I am," Said Angel, shaking his head, "All I see is a three foot midget who..."

"Who saved your ass each and every time," Finished Cordelia, frowning, "Remember? Spike and Dru, when they decided they'd give a little of 'Daddy's' life back to the nutty one? Jonathan saved you. You could at least show some respect... And besides, size means nothing. It's what you do with it that counts."

"Not how the Furies tell it..." Sniped Angel, shaking his head and looking down at Connor. "Besides, what does he have that I don't?"

"Uhm, let's see... A pulse? Money? Super-powers?"

"I'm a vampire!" Said Angel, "That's... Super."

This time, it was Cordelia's turn for a 'pfft' - "Angel, being a vampire is like... Out-dated. Passé... God... You think you'd keep up with the growing trends."

"I hadn't realised that being a vampire was a 'trend'..." Said Angel, frowning.

His statement was ignored as heavy, lustful sighs filled the room. Jonathan had removed his shirt, big whoop! Angel had a chest, boy did he not. In a show of manliness, Angel scowled and turned away, wincing as the scent hit him like a drug. Fred had gotten up and left, walked towards Jonathan, so her scent wasn't as... Prominent. But... Oh, Cordelia's... Mixed with the scent of her perfume... Feminine arousal, something Angel could get literally drugged upon. He'd smelt it in that room at the ballet and oh, how he'd wanted her.

God, Groo he could handle - a little dumb and maybe a little too trusting but... Jonathan the great? How much did this suck? When Groo had gotten here, Angel had watched elated as she'd turned him down, saying that she was in love with another. Groo had left, his tail between his legs (not literally) and Angel had smiled as she turned back to him, a dreamy smile on her face. "Jonathan's better..." She'd smiled, serenely, the heavy scent of her arousal permeating his senses even then and she'd floated up the stairs.

Sighing, the vampire shook his head and turned away, a hurt look on his face. Cordelia was in love with her Champion, the one who'd defeated the Groosalug. She didn't want him...


* * * * *


((Later That Night))

As Angel and Cordelia lay, Connor tucked between them feeding from a bottle which Cordelia held, he looked at his Seer, "Do you think Fred's becoming too attached to Jonathan?"

"Are you kidding?" She asked, jealousy burning within her, "She can't even tie her shoe-laces without Mr. 'Oh You're My Big Fat Hero' around..."

Angel smiled, "You think he's fat? 'Cause he is getting tubby around the edges, I mean, if you ask me..."

"I didn't ask you!" Said Cordelia, "Jonathan's not fat he's... Perfect."

Angel frowned, rolled his eyes, "Maybe we should get some sleep..."

Cordelia nodded, "Yeah, Jonathan's coming early tomorrow morning to help Wes find something on those prophecies..."

Frowning, Angel turned off the light, all week long, all he'd heard was Jonathan this and Jonathan that... Pfffft... Little pipsqueak. Killing Adam, The Mayor and The Master made him think he had some kind of hold over them all....


Down In Sunnydale



"I don't like the thought of you going after this demon alone, Buffy. Maybe you should wait for Jonathan..." Said Willow, softly.

"Hello, BORN to do this!" Said Buffy, shaking her head, "Besides, Jonathan is still a little..."

"You're worried about him?" Said Xander, "Because of what he... Went through."

"What we put him through more like," Said Buffy, shaking her head sadly. "Guys, like it or not, we pulled him back from Heaven. We dealt before and now he's gone again we need to deal... So, let's do it." She said, walking out of the Magic Shop, "We can't rely on Jonathan to save our lives all the time."

"I get what she's saying, really I do," Said Anya, sighing, "But do we have to rely on her?"


* * * * *


Sleep hadn't come easy for the vampire. Not at all, in fact. He lay there for the longest time, next to his Seer, his breathing even - staying stock still as he listened to the sound of her sleeping. Every so often, his gaze would flit over to her, watch as her chest rose and fell, her eyelids calm on her cheeks and he'd let out a sigh, to soft for the mortal ear. Then, Angel would shake his head, curse himself for missed opportunity at not telling her how he felt and then frown as his thoughts drifted back to the Jonathan.

Suddenly, a little moan escaped her lips and Angel's entire body tensed, was she hurt? In pain or... Oh, holy hell... She wasn't hurt... In pain. She was dreaming! And from the sounds of it, that dream was about...

"Mmm, Jonathan... Don't tease!"

A tiny bead of sweat trickled down Angel's forehead and he immediately hardened at the scent of her, squeezing his eyes shut as he forced himself not to look. Looking would be bad... Looking would lead to touching and... And... What the...

The gentle sound of fingers sliding under... Garments... Had Angel opening one eye, just slightly. (A peak wouldn't hurt...) And as her hand slid underneath the blankets, his own soft sigh emanated from his lips. This was wrong, to be watching her like this but... Oh God, how could he resist when only two days ago, his lips had travelled down there, the brief taste of her salty skin on his lips, Angel groaned softly. Perhaps, if this had occurred before the ballet, he'd be able to put a stop to it right now. But because he'd already tasted, the vampire was greedy for more and gently, he inched closer to her. His head screamed that it was wrong, but right now, Angel was content on believing a heart that wasn't beating. A heart that loved the woman next to him more than he knew how to bare. She was in his mind, his soul - every waking moment was spent thinking of her and every sleeping moment was spent dreaming of her. Thankfully, she'd placed Connor in his crib or else he'd have been crushed as Angel lay next to her... His head resting on his hand as he trailed a finger gently down her cheek.

He understood that this, was part of Angelus, the voyeuristic part that had the need to watch. For hours on end, he could watch... But then, as Angel too, he'd found that for hours on end, he could watch her. Watch her read, certainly watch her sleep but this... This was too much. A vampire was famous for its patience but after months of sleeping in the same bed as the woman you loved, knowing the whole while that you had an incessant need to make her cry YOUR name and not some three foot dweeb's, had taken its toll. And now, after having a taste, Angel wasn't willing to wait.

Vampires were famed for their tastebuds? Angel was giving in to his...

As a soft whimper filled the room, Angel let the finger that had slid down her cheek slide down to her neck, to gently brush at the pulse point there. The consistent beat was fast, heavy-paced as lust pulsed through her body. Still, he slid it deeper, wondering how he could be so bold, and knowing that perhaps if she woke up, he'd find something heavy over his head faster than he could effectively blink... His finger trailed further, down her arm, until he reached the place her hand had disappeared to - which was about the time when Angel realised his Seer wasn't sleeping at all...

Then, a cataclysm of events took place... In Sunnydale, as Buffy snapped the demons neck... Jonathan's facade slipped away... Cordelia's back arched and she cried out, hoarsely, "Oh God, Angel... Don't tease!"

He gasped and paused in his fingers descent, having not quite reached her hand yet and stared at her, blinking wildly for a second, "Cordy?" He whispered.

"Angel... Please." She was awake, fully awake, her eyes filled with something Angel knew mirrored his own. Tenderly, he placed a kiss on her jawline, sliding his lips to the hollow of her throat and sucking softly as his fingers pushed her underwear aside. Cordelia whimpered, her hands scrabbling for purchase on the white sheets as gently, Angel slipped that same finger inside her warmth.

"So soft..." He whispered against her cheek, "So warm..." Moving slightly, so that he was hovering above his beautiful, wilful friend, Angel pressed a kiss to her lips, "So long..."

"Only been... Two days..." She gasped softly as his other hand found her shirt, gently undoing the buttons, "A-Angel, you... Your soul..."

He shook his head, slowly, a motion that caught Cordelia off-guard. It was side-to-side, precise... With a small smile. As his fingers teased her, his lips sliding gently downwards, Cordelia tensed, "Angel, no... Your soul..."

Gently, his head raised, placating her fears with a soft kiss to her lips. "It's not..."

"Not what, Perfect Happiness?" She asked, quietly, her gaze drifting in the dark.

The hand that had previously been undoing Cordelia's shirt caught hold of her chin and softly, he turned her face to his, "Do you trust me?" He whispered.

"You know I do." Her answer was instant, unwavering - but he also knew that this, their friendship wasn't something she'd throw away on a technicality, nor would he.

"Do you love me?"

Cordelia's face flushed slightly and her smile was brighter, wider than he'd ever seen it before, "Yes."

"More than Jonathan?" He teased, lightly.

Her cheeks burned even more and she whacked him, "I dunno what the hell happened there but he is SOO going to get his little ass kicked."

Angel chuckled and dipped his head, catching her lips in a bruising kiss, one that left her soft lips tingling. "Every day is like a new one with you..." He said gently, "I could have lost my soul a thousand times over and I didn't. So, I made sure."

"What do you mean?" Her voice was coming out in whispers, afraid they'd get 'caught' or... Afraid this would stop? She wasn't sure.

"I made sure." He said gently, his lips sliding downwards, "Skip isn't only a guide for Seer's."

"Ohh, please let this end well..." She whispered.

As Angel's fingers slipped inside of her again, he smiled, "Skip found a loophole."

"You mean..." Angel nodded.

"You can..."

He nodded again, "And we can...?"

"Uh-huh... If you want to, that is..." He said with a grin, his other hand pushing her shirt off her shoulders, his lips finding her collarbone.

Cordelia trembled under him, shaking with barely contained desire. Her jittering hands clung to his shoulders, and her hips arched towards him desperately as he kissed her collarbone...his cool mouth made her skin fiercely burn against him, and it was driving her crazy...


His lips touched her everywhere, tasting the sweetness of her skin, the saltiness of what she would later deny was sweat (Cordelia Chase did NOT sweat!) - and his lips slid down until he placed a gentle kiss at the valley between her breasts, pushing her shirt gently off her tanned shoulders, his hands working her bed-shorts further down her legs. For the first time in Angel's life, he'd never been more pleased to see a woman wearing his shirt... Ironically, this would come when it was lying on the floor... Looking up at her, he smiled and trailed a finger along her soft skin, feeling her shudder, "Tell me what you're thinking." He whispered gently, his lips gently blowing cool air across her heated skin.

"I'm thinking talk...not what *I* want on the menu," she breathed, one long leg drawing free of her shorts, and scissoring between his. She shivered deliciously when he blew on her skin. "I'm thinking that if you keep this up, I might go crazy...and that if you stop, I'll absolutely kill you..."

"I thought you didn't want to talk..."

"Angel!"

Angel grinned and let his tongue slide down, circling her navel, before looking up at her, "So, which is it? You want me to stop?" He asked, "Or... Not?" With that, he leaned down, placing butterfly kisses on her inner thighs, "Cordy?"

Cordelia purred, her lower body on fire, her head thrashing against the pillow. Her hands clawed at his shoulders. ""Angelllll," she whined, needing him more by the second.

"Not good enough..." Angel shook his head, grinning, "You have to tell me what you want."

"You," She breathed out heavily, "Just you..."

Chuckling throatily, causing vibrations to assault her skin, Angel let his tongue creep out, "You're only alive..." He whispered, "When I'm inside you." At that, his tongue pressed deep into her, tasting the scent that drove him crazy, the scent that had been on his fingers that night, the scent he'd savoured. Here, he could stay forever. And here, she could stay forever too. Arching her back, Cordelia groaned, until a firm but gentle hand stopping the wriggling of the thighs and his tongue lay flat against her, wriggling perfectly at the one point where she needed it most. Her breath hitched and Cordelia whimpered, sliding gentle fingers through his hair as his tongue slid down again, pressing almost fully inside of her. Grinning, his mouth and chin wet with her secretions, Angel slipped the pad of his thumb against her clit and rubbed gently, the touch of his fingers matching the thrusts of his tongue that were driving her crazy.

All at once, her body stiffened and Cordelia cried out - shuddering hotly into orgasm as her head thrashed against the pillow, his tongue still wiggling inside her. Gently, he let her ride out her orgasm, stopping only to kiss his way up her body as she lay, limp against his pillows. "Cordy?" He whispered.

She turned her head languidly, meeting his eyes, her smile gentle on her face, "Sorry," She whispered, "I have difficulty talking when I can't breathe."

Angel grinned, and kissed her softly, moving to cover her body with his, "I love you." He whispered as she parted her thighs and let him slide between. The heat of her, this maddening heat was driving him crazy. Meeting her eyes, he pressed himself against her, watching her arch her back slightly and moan, "Angel, stop teasing..." She almost snapped.

Had she been mad, then perhaps Angel would have laughed but as it were, he could wait no longer and as he slid into her, his eyes closed along with hers and a moan escaped his lips. Canting his hips slightly, he began a gentle rocking motion, pushing into her only slightly, until she, impatient as she was, raked her nails down his back, "Hello - are you alive in there?"

He stilled completely and Cordelia grinned, "Angel, I'm not going to break!"

"D-don't want to hurt you..." He whispered gently.

"You won't Angel, just... Goddammit, I've waited this long and I swear, you go slow, I'll stake you and..."

She was silenced by Angel pressing his lips on hers, thrusting himself almost fully inside of her. Sensation coursed throughout her body and Cordelia groaned into his mouth, her hands coming to rest on the ass that she herself admitted she'd looked at MORE than once in the past few weeks. They moved together almost harshly, skin moving together, slick with sweat... And yet throughout it all, there was a tenderness that Cordelia had never felt. She could feel him getting close to the edge and rhythmically squeezed herself around him, causing Angel to gasp - his eyes flew open and as he exploded, he thrust into her one final time, sending her tumbling right over the cliff with him. Her back arched, pressed against his and her legs tightened around his back as his lips came crashing down on hers.

"I love you..." She mumbled gently against his lips, as their bodies slid together one final time before stilling almost completely.

Seconds later, Angel's lips left hers and he breathed heavily against her skin. Cordelia, with soft little mewls of pleasure curled into him as he fell to his side, a hand resting gently and almost protectively on his hip. Her eyes closed for a second until her breathing went back to normal, her skin still on fire from his touch and Cordelia let the smile pass across her face as his finger touched her cheek, smoothing at the skin there. A pair of lazy eyes opened and settled on his. "Uhm... Wow?" She whispered, "That was... Even better than I'd imagined..."

Angel grinned, "You imagined?" Gently, he pressed his lips to her temple, then her forehead and pulled back, smiling down at her.

"I imagined," She nodded, "I imagined all kinds of ways and..." Promptly, she blushed, "You didn't need to hear that."

"Oh... I think I did." He let an arm circle her waist and pulled her closer, sighing contentedly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I imagined all kinds of ways too..." He whispered, his voice taking on a sultry, almost dirty edge.

Cordelia laughed against him and he immediately felt his heart swell at the sound, "So, you mean we get to practice?" She asked, running her fingers down to where he was rapidly hardening again.

Letting out a gasp, Angel looking down at her lithe form, stretched across his, "Again?"

"What's wrong, tired Angel? Or aren't you 'up' for it?" She teased.

"Oh, I'm up for it..." Said Angel with a smile, "Suddenly very up..."

Cordelia grinned, "Just the way I like it..."

"Tease."

"Vampire."

"That an insult?" He asked, gasping as her fingers wrapped around him.

"Are you kidding me? I read in Sunnydale that vampires can go all night... And I am *so* willing to test that theory..."

Angel chuckled, wide-eyed, "You amaze me, Cordelia Chase." He said softly.

"I amaze me sometimes." She replied with a smile, "Now kiss me."

"Gladly."

Angel kissed her, suddenly realising that sometimes? Magic wasn't all that bad...


End.