•••

Cordelia nervously straightened her skirt and smoothed down her hair. Giving herself one last glance in the bathroom mirror, she went back into the lobby. Just as she had planned, Gunn had arrived and situated himself at the counter.

It had been a week since his unfortunate reaction to Fyarl demon blood. Who could have known that he’d have an allergy to the stuff? Huge sores had opened up all over his body. Now, after seven days, they had begun to heal, leaving pink spots here and there. She’d overheard Gunn tell Wesley that due to the watcher’s quick thinking with the salves, there wouldn’t be any scarring. It was as close to a thank-you that Wesley had ever gotten from Gunn.

Cordelia felt horrible about the incident. It wasn’t that she could do anything about it, since she was relegated to hotel-sitting most of the time. Still, he’d looked so miserable; she couldn’t help but feel bad. Of course, Xander’s little conversation about apologies hadn’t helped any. Hadn’t she tried that once? It had failed miserably, even leading to the much worse situation that currently existed. Still, in the spirit of maturity and cooperation, she was willing to make another effort.

“Gunn?” Cordelia said softly.

“What?” he snapped, not looking at her.

“Um…I’m really sorry about what I said—all of it. It was rude and thoughtless and mean. I wasn’t being very mature or considerate; I just wanted to strike out and hurt you. You’re really a great guy, and anyone would be proud to have you around. I don’t apologize really well, so I sound like Willow or Xander babbling on and on so I’m going to quit now and shut up,” She said in one breath.

Gunn turned to look at her, obviously surprised. Part of his shock came from the fact that it was an apology. The other part was that she’d gotten it all out in one breath. “So you didn’t mean any of it?” he asked slowly.

Cordelia grimaced. “I think I meant it at the time, but now? Um…”

He waved his hand dismissively. “I know what you mean. I didn’t really mean to hurt you either, Delia. I just wanted to set you down a peg or two.”

“But did you have to break the whole damned ladder?” she quipped back. “I mean, ow!”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve got some claws on you, Queen C, so don’t go on about me hurting you.”

She threw up her hands. “Fine, fine. Gunn one, Cordelia one. I call the game on account of a sudden flash of maturity.” Gunn laughed with her at the joke.

“So…is it just me, or is Xander working really hard to get the two of us to make nice?” Gunn asked once they’d calmed down.

Cordelia nodded. “Yeah, I think he is. Xan hates discord—he always wants everybody around him happy and playing nice. Well, his version of nice.”

“Cause he keeps making these comments about you and me, and I overheard him talking to Oz—“ Cordelia cut him off.

“About hooking us up?” she finished.

Gunn nodded. “Yeah. Pissed me off big time.”

Cordelia shook her head ruefully. “That’s Xander for you. Once he decides on something, he can be a real bulldog. You should hear him, though.”

“I do, believe me. No insult intended, but you’ve got some fine attributes,” he said.

“Do I now? Funny how he never noticed them while I was ruining my rep dating him,” she returned. “Say…you know, he’s gonna be so full of it when he finds out we stopped being four year-olds.”

“I know that look. Spill,” Gunn said, watching Cordelia’s mind churn.

“How about we make like we’re still fighting?” She answered, grinning.

“And that’s going to mess with him how? I mean, he’ll just keep doing his ‘mature people make up’ spiel,” Gunn said.

“I’m not finished. Then we arrange it so that he ‘finds’ us going out together,” she added, grinning evilly. “That way, he’ll think he’s failing at getting us to make up, and then he’ll think we beat him to the making out!”

Gunn stared at her. “You’re kidding, right? You want to keep doing the fight thing, then pretend to get caught out on the town so that Xander is disappointed?”

“Point to Gunn for the adept summary,” Cordelia said dryly.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “It might rile up the others, too.”

“Good! Wil and Angel have had way too much free time for nookie lately, and I’m pretty sure Fred’s nearly got Wesley in the sack,” Cordelia replied.

“What about Oz and Xander?” Gunn responded.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Getting that cob out of Xander’s behind is way more work than I can handle.”

“But he and Dogboy would be so cute together,” Gunn quipped.

She nodded in agreement. “He never was as straight as he acted like, but there’s a lot of history there, a lot of ‘macho man’ beaten into him—literally.”

Gunn frowned. “Dad?”

“Yeah, and a less-than-accepting high school, and a serious, honest crush on yours truly, and being surrounded by estrogen all the time. I mean, I think he really would swing both ways, but all his friends are female. Who’s he going to go after?” Cordelia reasoned.

“Hmm…” Gunn thought for a moment. “Maybe he needs to go see Lorne. Damned booger knows his stuff.”

“Not a bad idea. I was kinda wondering when we’d be dragging those two to Caritas.” Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the Hyperion’s front doors opening. Cordelia saw that it was Xander and Oz, back from some errand, so she adopted a defensive posture.

“Buzz off, Gunn. Go…sharpen your wit or something. You’re boring me,” She said snidely.

Gunn fell right into character. “Better than staring at your pasty, heroin-chic face, Queen C. Why don’t you run down to the mall? I hear there’s another shoe sale. Wouldn’t want you to go without now, would we?”

Xander and Oz watched as Gunn stomped off towards the weapons room while Cordelia glared and fumed at him. “Um…decided to wait a bit on that maturity thing, huh, Cordy?” Xander asked.

“Shove it, Xander,” She said, throwing files around the counter. “Hey, Oz. How’d the trip go?”

Oz shrugged and held up a weird looking artifact. “Gumthaidh hammers, twenty percent off today.”

“Only you would find thrift store magic stuff, Oz,” She said, wrapping the twisted metal in a cloth. “I’m sure Wesley’s going to just drool over this.”

“Speaking of wimpy British watchers, where is Wesley?” Xander asked.

“Don’t pick on Wes, Xander. He and Fred are out,” Cordelia said.

“Where?” he pressed.

Cordelia sighed. “I didn’t ask, so I don’t know. Gunn’s off in whatever little Neanderthal hell he hides in, Oz and you are right here, I’m going to be gone in a minute, and Angel and Wil are in bed, either fucking, recovering from fucking, or about to fuck.”

Xander watched, speechless, as Cordelia stormed off into Wesley’s office. “Was it something I said?”

Oz grinned slightly. “I don’t think so.” He couldn’t help but notice that Xander had finally stopped blushing, stuttering and laughing whenever Wil and Angel’s sex life was mentioned. It was probably a good thing, since the two vampires were rather…active.

•••

“So, Angel, what do you think of Cordelia and Gunn’s plan?” Wil asked softly. He and Angel had listened in on the pair’s conversation. It never ceased to amaze the vampires that the humans failed to remember that they could easily hear in the lobby from Angel’s conveniently located rooms.

Angel smiled. “A hundred dollars and a song at Caritas says they sleep together within the week.”

“Six days.”

“Done.”

Wil laughed. “What about Xander and Oz?”

“Two weeks, three days,” Angel replied.

“Three weeks minimum,” Wil said, sealing the deal. “Xander’s really dense.”

“True,” Angel agreed. “Particularly about Cordelia. Ouch, that had to hurt,” he said, listening to her rail. “How’d she know we were about to…?”

Wil rolled back on top of Angel. “Cause we’re predictable.”

“Can’t have that,” Angel said, pushing Wil’s legs apart with his own.

Wil raised his head. “You wanna stop?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Angel frowned, thinking for a minute. “There are a lot of rooms in the hotel. We could try them out?”

Wil laughed. “Sure, mate. Not now, though. Nice bed, right here.” To prove his point, he slid down a little, licking his way from Angel’s neck to his navel. The older vampire growled and dragged him back up, thrusting up against him.

Wil caught the rhythm and returned the caress, watching as Angel’s face shifted planes. Copying the change, he bent down to nip at Angel’s neck, shivering when Angel did the same. They bit down simultaneously, increasing the intensity of their thrusting at the same time. The blood in their mouths muffled their screams of completion mere moments later.

“Gah,” Wil said after releasing Angel’s neck. “Tired again. Wake me up in an hour.”

Angel didn’t answer him. He was already asleep.

•••

“Hey, turn around!”

“What?” Wesley said, confused.

“I saw Cordy and Gunn back there! Turn around!” Xander pointed excitedly. He and Wesley were returning from a rare book auction, and he’d spotted his friend and her nemesis outside a nightclub.

“I don’t see why—“

Xander cut him off by grabbing the wheel and spinning it. Wesley cursed and regained control, pulling into a parking lot across from the club. “You damned fool! You could have…”

Xander wasn’t listening to him. He was watching Cordy and Gunn hang off each other in front of the club, casually chatting with some other patrons. “Gah…”

Wesley joined him in gawking. The last he’d heard, Cordelia and Gunn were not on speaking terms—they were still at each other’s throats. What was this? “Ah, Xander? Perhaps we should—“

He was once again cut off by the sight in front of him. Cordelia fell to the ground, clutching her head. A vision had hit! Xander and Wesley bounded out of the car and ran across the road, reaching her and Gunn in seconds.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Gunn said flatly. He had caught her on her way down and was now wrapping her in his jacket. “Why don’t you bring the car around?”

“What’s wrong with her?” A bystander asked.

“Killer migraines,” Gunn replied without looking up.

Wesley returned a minute later with the car. They loaded her in, then headed for the Hyperion.

“What were you two doing out together?” Xander asked, craning his neck to look in the back of the car.

“Later,” Gunn replied, checking on Cordelia. They’d planned to go out tonight, knowing that Wesley and Xander would be driving by. Cordelia swore that Xander couldn’t help but ogle club-goers, so their being spotted was a sure thing. And, in fact, they had been spotted. They’d been unable to enjoy the trick because a vision had hit Cordelia just seconds later.

Angel and Wil jumped off the counter where they’d been perched when Gunn came in carrying Cordelia. “Vision,” he said, nodding toward her.

The vampires helped settle her on the couch, not questioning why she and Gunn were dressed up, or why Wesley and Xander were hovering and staring at Gunn. After another minute or two, she started to come around.

“Aack. Ugh. I hate those things,” She said, rubbing her eyes.

“Are you ok?” Xander asked worriedly.

“Other than the ten thousand midgets wearing nothing but teal tutus holding a bowling tournament in my skull? I’m great!” She replied sarcastically. Xander looked sheepish.

“What did you see?” Angel asked, concerned about the severity of the visions.

She squinted and accepted a glass of water from Oz, who had emerged from the kitchen with Fred. “Thanks. Um…A bunch of vamps, maybe 30 or so, in a nursing home. I’ve got a street name. Prairie View Circle.”

“Let’s go,” Wil said. Cordelia shoved herself off the couch. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going,” She replied, daring them to argue. “I can hold my own, thank you. Unless, of course, you’re leaving Fred, Wesley, Gunn and Xander behind too, 'cause they’re also just puny little humans.”

Angel didn’t want to argue with her. Thirty was a lot of vampires, but there would be enough of them to keep her safe. He hoped. “Fine. Let’s go, then.”

When they got to the Shady Prairie Nursing Home, all was quiet. They found the front door open, with a single orderly asleep at the front desk. The elderly occupants of the home were asleep at this hour, so the place was almost eerie.

“There isn’t anybody here,” Xander whispered. His soft words echoed down one abandoned hall.

“Boy’s got a point. This place is dead,” Gunn added, wincing at his unintended pun.

Angel pointed down one hall. “Let’s just walk through once, to be sure.”

Cordelia, Xander and Gunn walked down one hall, while Oz, Wesley and Fred took a second. Angel and Wil ventured into the Alzheimer’s ward.

“Seriously, this place is dead quiet,” Xander reiterated. Cordelia shushed him and poked her head into one room. The two old people in it were sleeping peacefully…well, she couldn’t sleep with her neck bent that way, but these were old people.

She was almost out of the room when she turned around. Something was funny. Stepping closer to the nearest resident, she peered down at her neck. There, almost hidden in the fleshy folds, were bite marks.

Gasping, she turned and fled. Once she reached the hall, she called for Gunn and Xander. “Guys? Um…there’s something bad here.”

“What?” they asked together, at this point perhaps twenty feet further down the hall.

She grimaced. “The old people? They’re dead.”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Right. They’re just old, Cordy. I know you hate old people, but they’re not that bad.”

She shook her head violently. “No, I mean bite mark on the neck, no blood in the veins dead!”

“Oh, shit!” Xander said. Gunn and he began to run back toward Cordelia. Then all hell broke loose.

Vampires began to pour out of the rooms. The came from everywhere—and there were far more of them than they had anticipated, with at least 25 in this hall alone. A high pitched scream from far away told them that the others had been surprised as well.

The three wasted no time in getting to work. Dust swirled around the dim hallway as each of them staked vampires left and right. Gunn and Xander were doing well, and Cordelia was holding her own. At least, she was until several vampires realized that she was weaker than the other two. Then they began to gang up on her.

Cordelia realized she was in trouble and started to yell for Gunn, but he couldn’t get to her—the vampires attacking him had pushed him back down the hall. Xander also tried to reach her, since he was closer. He let out a roar as he saw her head disappear in a sea of bodies.

She was fighting for all she was worth, but they were far stronger, and there were so many of them! She staked two more before the remaining five ripped the stake from her hand. The last thing she saw was a grotesque smile as one vampire leaned in to rip open her throat.

Xander reached the vampires surrounding Cordelia moments later. He staked three before they noticed what was going on, and the remaining two were little work, since both were gorged with blood—Cordelia’s blood.

He knelt beside her, pressing one hand against the gaping wound in her neck. “You’ve got to hold on, ok? We’ll get some help; you’ve just got to wait, ok?”

She smiled up at his worried face. Already she could feel the lightheaded dizziness that told her she would soon be unconscious. The vampires had drained her nearly dry, and the wound was bad. Cordelia held no illusions; she was going to die very soon. Using some precious energy, she motioned him closer.

“What?” Xander asked as he bent down. Cordelia tried to speak, but nothing came out. “Don’t try to talk. You’re throat’s hurt.”

Xander got just within reach, and Cordelia, in a burst of strength, reached up and pulled his head down. She planted a firm kiss on his mouth before he could get away.

Xander’s protest died on his lips when he felt the odd rush pass through him. What had that been? He looked back down at Cordelia, who looked much more relaxed now. “What?”

“Delia?” Gunn whispered, staring down at her. He’d been waylaid by vampires until just a moment before. “What?”

“She’s really hurt. We need something,” Xander said.

Gunn shook himself out of his trance and ran down the hall. Cordelia was not going to die, and that was that.

“Angel! Wil!” He yelled, seeing the pair finishing off one last vampire. From the looks of things, he, Xander and Cordelia had hit the worst bunch. The others were dusty but ok. “Delia’s hurt bad!”

All the others began to run toward him. “How bad?” Wesley asked, concerned. They were at a nursing home, so getting an ambulance wouldn’t be a problem.

“Neck, vampires. I think she passed the visions to Xander already,” Gunn said breathlessly.

Angel and Wil looked at each other. If she had given up the visions, she must have been in very bad shape. “Come on.”

They ran back down the hall to where she lay. “Oh, my god.” The damage was worse than they had feared. There was no way a hospital could fix that.

Angel and Wil joined Xander on the floor. “Cordy?” Angel whispered. She smiled weakly. “We’re going to get you help.”

“Too late,” she mouthed.

“Turn her,” Wil demanded angrily. He had just gotten this family; he wasn’t losing one of them.

“No!” Xander shouted. “A vampire Cordy won’t be the same.”

“Give her a soul,” Wil reasoned.

Angel shook his head. “No orb of Thessula. Besides, I wouldn’t do it anyway.” Cordelia nodded her agreement. “Cordy wouldn’t want to be a vampire.”

“What about a werewolf?” Wesley asked, out of breath. He’d stopped by the front desk, hoping to call an ambulance. Unfortunately, all the lines had been cut, and his cell phone wouldn’t work. The setup made him suspicious.

“What?” Xander squeaked.

Oz’s eyes widened. They wanted him to changed Cordelia? He’d never done that, not to anyone. It was a curse.

“She’d remain herself, and it would heal her. It might even lessen the pain from the visions,” Wesley reasoned.

Gunn frowned. Cordelia a werewolf? He was just getting to like the human version. He wasn’t so sure about this…It didn’t mesh well with his humans-before-demons philosophy. But still, he couldn’t deny that he’d prefer a living, breathing Cordelia to a dead, or undead, one.

Cordelia squinted. She was fading, fast. She’d made Angel promise along time ago to never turn her, but a werewolf? Ugly, hairy things…three days a month. Strong, no-pain visions? Catching Xander’s eye, she smiled and nodded.

“Oz? Does this…” Wesley began, wondering for the first time if this was an inappropriate thing to ask.

Oz stepped forward and looked down at Cordelia. He didn’t want to see her die, but was this the best thing to do? Did she really want this? He never had.

“Please?” Xander pleaded. There wasn’t time.

It was that ‘please’ that did it for Oz. He knelt down and picked up one of Cordelia’s hands. Turning it palm up, let himself shift a little, so that his teeth were a bit sharper. Then he sank his fangs into the soft flesh below her thumb.

A brief spasm wracked Cordelia’s body. Xander felt her temperature rise dramatically, and could see the torn flesh under and around his hand start to shift. Angel reached over and picked her up, allowing Xander to keep pressure on the wound as they rose.

“We need to get out of here,” Wesley said quietly. “This was a trap.”