The Iron is Hot - Cordelia & Wesley

Duty Calls

by Scifichick774

Rating: NC-17 for sexual situations
Category: Romance/Drama/Angst
Pairing: Cordelia/Wesley
Spoilers: After Darla but before Pylea. No specific episodes come to mind for spoiler issues though.
Summary: The Fang Gang gets a case that forces Cordelia and Wesley to pretend that they’re married and Angel is unhappy about it.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no infringement intended, please don’t sue.
Feedback: Yes please.
Archival: Go ahead, just let me know where.
Author’s Note: Usually I’m a C/A shipper, so I don’t know why the plot bunnies wouldn’t leave me alone about a C/W story, but here’s the result.

Chapter 1

“No,” Angel said vehemently as he stared at Cordelia and Wesley. Cordy glared at him and crossed her arms.

“What do you mean no?” She objected. “What part of ‘paying customer’ do you not understand exactly? And besides, Wes is the boss now, not you.” Wes got a smirk on his face at her words, even knowing that it was her own motives that drove her to say it. Angel looked at him and he quickly covered with a cough to clear his throat, but he couldn’t hide the gleam in his eyes.

“Ahem. Yes, well, Cordelia does have a point Angel. We can hardly continue to operate a business with no financial backing,” He said. Cordy smile confidently. Angel shook his head.

“No,” Angel repeated. “You’ll have to pretend to be married to…” he made a face and motioned toward Wesley, “him.” Wesley frowned and eyed him.

“It’s hardly the end of the world Angel, I don’t know why you’re making such a production out of it,” Wes responded. Angel ignored him and looked at Cordy.

“You’ll have to, ya know, act all affectionate and stuff,” he mumbled. Cordy rolled her eyes.

“I think I can handle it. Kissing Wesley’s not the worst thing in the world,” she responded.

“Gee thanks,” Wes said sarcastically. She shot him an apologetic smile.

“You know what I mean Wes.” She turned her attention back to Angel. “And if it makes you feel any better, the case won’t start for a couple of days. Wes and I can get lots of practice in so it doesn’t look unnatural.” Angel looked at her in disbelief.

“I still think that no one is going to believe you’re a couple,” he said. This conversation was making him more and more uncomfortable by the minute, although he wasn’t entirely sure why. “I think it would be better if I posed as your husband.” Both Wesley and Cordelia audibly groaned.

“Refresh my memory Wes. Didn’t we already have this discussion?” She asked.

“Several times,” he affirmed. “This job needs us to be in direct sunlight for most of the daylight hours, there’s no way that you could possibly pull that off. And although I don’t doubt Cordelia’s acting abilities, I don’t think it would be quite realistic enough if she carried an urn of her husband’s ashes around with her.” Cordelia snorted.

“Be realistic Angel. This is our first paying customer in a while, someone who has already given us a sizeable deposit I might add, and we need the money.” She motioned to Wesley. “He’s the husband.”

***

Much to Angel’s dismay, Wesley and Cordelia seemed to be getting along rather well in their ‘practicing’. It had started out as a couple of friendly hugs and some awkward pecks on the cheek, but had progressed somewhat quickly. The case started tomorrow and he had no doubt that they would be able to pull off posing as a married couple. Angel looked across the lobby to where Wesley was standing behind Cordelia, his arms wrapped around her waist, and his lips nuzzling her neck. He let out a growl and they glanced over at him.

“Something wrong?” Wesley asked. Angel couldn’t help but suspect that Wesley was enjoying his time with Cordelia, and not as a friend. He stalked over to them.

“Does it not look convincing enough?” Cordelia asked with a little worry in her voice, and then turned her head to talk to Wesley, who was still standing in the same position that had made Angel upset in the first place. “Maybe we should try something else, we need to make it believable.” Wesley nodded.

“No, it looks fine,” he grumbled. Cordelia smiled. Angel rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “So, tell me what this case is again. I don’t think I ever got all of the details.” The truth was, they had told him everything, and he had just drowned out everything after ‘Cordelia and I need to pose as a married couple.’

“Very well,” said Wesley. “Mr. George Burnham is the owner of a chain of anniversary or couples all inclusive resorts. His daughter Emily is our client. Approximately a month ago, he began acting very strangely. His doctors attributed it to fatigue, but several people have claimed to see things that would suggest he has some sort of demonic parasite in his body. Our job is to pose as a married couple going to his main resort, where he currently resides, and find out what the entity is and get rid of it.”

“So, you get paid and a get a free vacation just for getting rid of a parasite?” Angel paraphrased.

“Uh, well, yes essentially,” Wesley said thoughtfully. Cordy’s face beamed and she leaned back against Wes, who was still standing behind her.

“Yep! This job is finally paying off!” She said excitedly. “By the way Wes, don’t let me forget to pack my baby blue bikini.” He nodded and grinned.

“Why?” Angel asked. He didn’t like how this whole thing was sounding. She rolled her eyes at him.

“Because it’s the smallest one I have. We’re going to be in the Bahamas Angel, and I want to get the best tan I can in the short amount of time we have there,” she answered. If he weren’t pale already, the color would have drained from Angel’s face.

“Okay, that’s true. I mean, how long could it take to get a demonic parasite out of a guy? You’ll probably only be there a couple days, max,” Angel rambled, trying to convince himself.

“Actually Angel, it depends on the kind of parasite it is,” Wesley said.

“Plus,” Cordelia added, “Emily has been kind enough to pay for us to be there for a whole ten glorious days. She wants to make sure that we have enough time to take care of things. And hey, if we get done early, we still get the rest of the time to just lounge.” Wesley chuckled.

“Let’s not forget why we’re going in the first place though,” he told her. She grinned.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she sloughed off his comment. Wesley stood a little straighter behind Cordelia.

“You’re feeling a bit left out aren’t you?” He asked sympathetically. Angel glared at him. Cordy stepped away from Wes’s embrace and touched Angel’s crossed arms with her hand.

“Don’t worry big guy, we’ll bring you back some souvenirs or something,” she said with a smile. Wesley grinned.

“Yes, absolutely. And, of course, it’s not as if we won’t need you here.”

“What do you mean?” Angel asked.

“Well, we’ll need someone to do research, and all of the books are here,” Wesley tried to explain.

“You’re not taking them with you?” Angel asked, his voice full of surprise. Cordelia shook her head.

“Yeah, that would look really good,” she said sarcastically. “You know that housekeeping looks through your stuff when you’re not there. Can you imagine how they would react if they saw a whole bunch of old demon books in our luggage?” Wesley nodded thoughtfully.

“I agree. It might hinder our progress on the case,” he said, earning him another expression of disbelief from Angel.

“Plus,” Cordy said cheerfully, “We need the room in our bags for our clothes and stuff. It’s not a nudist colony.” The comment took both men a little aback as they thought about that scenario. “Well,” she said, turning to Wesley. “I should get home and finish packing. You really think we’ll be ready to pretend we’re married?” He nodded once.

“Of course sweetheart,” he said, tongue-in-cheek. She laughed.

“Okay schnook,” she retorted. Wesley raised an eyebrow and Angel looked like he was about to kill him.

“Schnook?” Wesley asked. She shrugged as she grabbed her purse.

“You’ve just always kind of seemed like a schnook.”

 

Chapter 2

 

Angel took Wesley and Cordelia to the airport that night without too much hassle. He complained that they were using an awful lot of luggage for not taking any books with them, and, of course, he reminded Wesley a few times that they didn’t need to pretend to be married around him. He could have sworn he saw Wesley smirk, but he wouldn’t ever be able to get him to admit it. As he saw them off, he tried to silently convince himself that everything was okay. ‘I can get along for ten days without them… without him anyway.’

***

Cordelia and Wesley rode to the resort in the complimentary car Emily had sent for them. It was now morning and the sun was just rising. Cordelia smiled and pointed out the window.

“God! It’s gorgeous!” She exclaimed. Wesley nodded and grinned.

“Stunning,” he agreed, although he had only glanced at the sunrise and his eyes were quickly back on Cordelia, whom was half leaning over him. She noticed him looking at her and blushed a little, moving back into her own seat.

“How long until we get to the resort?” She asked the driver.

“Almost there, about five minutes,” the man answered. Cordy looked over and smiled at Wesley. “Ready?” Wesley smiled back and took her hand in his.

“Of course dearest.”

The resort was beautiful and extravagant. If Emily hadn’t been picking up the tab, there would be no way that they ever could have afforded to go on vacation to a place like this. ‘Not that they would have anyway, since it was a couples’ resort,’ Cordelia thought. Emily was notified when they got to the front desk.

“Hey Cordy, Wes,” she greeted them like old friends and gave Cordy a hug. “Have they checked in?” She asked the clerk. The woman nodded. “Great. We have some catching up to do and some arrangements to make. My office?” Cordy smiled and nodded. “Please make sure their luggage is taken to their suite Cynthia,” she told the clerk with an authoritative tone and a smile as she motioned for Wesley and Cordelia to walk to her office with her. She closed the door behind them. “Sorry about that, but I wanted to be able to fill you in without arousing suspicion,” she said.

“No problem,” Cordy answered. “So, the way I heard the case is that Wes and I pretend to be married and get close to your dad to get the demonic parasite out.” Emily smiled nervously.

“Well, sort of. Actually, you’re going to pretend to get married here and then spend your ‘honeymoon’ trying to help my dad,” she said. Cordy and Wes looked at each other.

“We didn’t come prepared to have a ceremony,” Wes covered, seeing the anxiety in Cordelia’s expression. “We don’t have a dress for Cordelia or anything like that.” Emily smiled.

“Not a problem. We have all that stuff here in town, and it will all be covered by me.” She gave an apologetic look to them. “I really am sorry, but the honeymoon suites are the nicest, and my dad takes a special interest in all the couples who get married here. It was the easiest way to get you close to him,” she explained. Wesley nodded. “Also, I told everyone that you and I,” she looked at Cordy, “are old friends. So they wouldn’t be suspicious of me talking to you frequently.” Cordelia smiled.

“Good cover,” she agreed. Emily stood up and walked to the office door.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your suite,” she said. They began walking. “It’s actually kind of a bungalow. Dad’s theory is that newlyweds should have more privacy as far as their living quarters are concerned. He’s a romantic, and a big softie.” She paused. “At least he was.”

“Tell us what changes have occurred,” Wesley prodded. Emily looked sad.

“He hasn’t been greeting all of the new arrivals, he’s been keeping to himself a lot. I thought maybe he was just depressed or something, but then some of the staff…” Wes looked at her expectantly.

“He’s been requesting odd things for meals, and there have been reports of his eyes, uh, going all white,” she stammered. Wesley frowned, but appeared thoughtful, and looked at Cordelia.

“Melocite demon perhaps?” He asked.

“Maybe,” she said. She didn’t really care about the names of the demons as long as they could kill them. Emily swept the key card through the lock. The suite was amazing. Very spacious and richly decorated. She handed a key card to each of them.

“If you need anything, let me know. We can go shopping for your dress, the tux, and the rings this afternoon. The wedding is on the schedule for tomorrow evening.” Wes and Cordy shared a look of apprehension. “My dad will for sure be there,” she assured them. He thinks sunset weddings are the most romantic.” Cordelia nodded. Wesley closed the door when Emily left. Cordelia was taking in the luxurious room.

“I’m sorry about this,” Wesley said. She turned to face him.

“About what?” She asked.

“I honestly thought she meant pretend to be married, as in already married, I had no idea that…” he trailed off and Cordelia smiled.

“It’s okay Wes. May as well take advantage of being able to wear a wedding dress once in my life,” she said in a somewhat self-depreciating manner. He looked confused. He didn’t know about all of the tests she had gone through. He didn’t know the visions were killing her.

“Cordelia,” he started, but was interrupted by her holding a hand up and smiling.

“It’s okay Wes. I’ve already accepted the fact that I’m never going to meet anyone fighting the good fight. And it’s better to be the good guy right?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer. “So, which side do you want?”

“Side?” He asked. She motioned to the large bed in the bedroom. The only bed.

***

Cordelia was in the bedroom changing her clothes. Wesley wondered why she couldn’t just wear what she had on for shopping, but thought it best not to argue.

“Sweetheart,” he said, trying to put actual emotion into the sentiment rather than have it sound forced. “Emily is going to be here any minute. Are you almost ready?” Cordelia opened the door and stepped out wearing a black bikini with a long ornate sarong tied around her waste. Wesley’s mouth dropped open. She smiled brightly at his reaction and spun around slowly.

“You like?” She asked. He nodded dumbly.

“Y-yes, it’s quite becoming. But…”

“But?” She asked a little harshly. “There is nothing wrong with my body Wesley, so don’t you even start.” He grinned.

“I was going to say that it isn’t very appropriate for shopping is it?” He tried to keep from looking at her. Being around her while they were ‘practicing’ was difficult enough, but Angel had been there to keep him in line. ‘Pretending’ with her, wearing outfits like that, and sharing the same bed; he was certain it would be the death of him.

“It’s fine. Everyone wears stuff like this here. Don’t worry about it,” she sloughed off his comment and went to pick up the phone when it started ringing. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Emily,” she greeted.

“Hey Emily,” Cordy looked at Wes, “we were just talking about the shopping trip.”

“Yeah, about that. I’m not going to be able to go with you after all, but I’ve already called ahead to the stores to let them know you’re coming and that it’s on our tab. I talked to my dad, and he wants to meet you guys. Is it okay if we come by in a few minutes?”

“No problem,” Cordelia answered. “See you then.” She hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She walked over to Wesley, a smile plastered on her face. “Schnook?” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Emily’s bringing her dad by to meet us in a few minutes, okay?” Wesley got the hint and wrapped his arms around her waste.

“Of course.” He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting him.” He kissed her. It began as an almost chaste kiss, but it was deepened when Cordelia ran her hand over the back of his head to get more comfortable. He grinned, mistaking the action, and opened his mouth against hers. Cordelia got swept away in the sensations when his tongue slipped against her own. She moaned as he ran his hands over her back. He was about to undo the latch at the back of her bikini top when there was a knock on the door. They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily, and looking embarrassed.

“Right, well, that would be Emily and her father then,” Wesley stammered and made his way to the door. He opened the door and grinned at Emily, nodding at her father.

“Hi Wes,” Emily greeted and pushed her way past him to talk to her ‘old friend’ Cordelia. Wesley shook his head a little and held out his hand.

“Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. You must be Emily’s father,” he said as he shook the man’s hand. The man nodded. He was tall and athletic for a man of his age.

“George Burnham,” the man replied in a soft Southern accent. “So, Em tells me that she and your fiancée are old friends.” Burnham seemed friendly, but Wesley was still on the look out for anything that might back up the previous claims of demonic parasitic inhabitants. Wesley nodded and smiled.

“Yes, as I understand it, Cordy and Emily have been friends for quite some time now,” he agreed. Burnham looked over at the two women who seemed to be having a fascinating conversation that he couldn’t hear, but every once and a while both would start laughing.

“Well, I think it’s fantastic. She’s barely gotten to see any of her friends since she started working here a few years ago,” Burnham said. Wesley nodded to acknowledge that he was listening. “And then for a good friend to come here, let alone have a private sunset ceremony, well, I just think it will be good for her.” Burnham noticed Wesley eyeing Cordelia. “Not that she’ll intrude on your private time,” he quickly added. Wesley tried to push down the blush rising to his cheeks. Burnham patted him on the back. “Don’t worry about it kid. It’s completely normal for a young man to be smitten with his fiancée.” Wesley grinned and nodded.

Cordelia and Emily walked back over to them. Cordy wrapped her arm around Wesley’s waist, causing Wes to do the same, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at her lovingly and she smiled. Emily grabbed her dad’s arm.

“We should really get going. I know that you have a lot of stuff to do before the wedding tomorrow,” Emily said, practically pushing her father out the door. They waved good-bye and Wes shut the door as they left. Cordelia’s arm stay wrapped around Wesley’s waist as he ran his hand up and down her back. She held up a credit card with her other hand.

“Shopping?” She asked gleefully.

***

It had been two hours since Angel had gotten the call from Wesley and Cordelia. ‘Two miserable, brooding hours,’ Gunn thought. Angel was pacing back and forth in the Hyperion’s lobby. “I don’t suppose you’re going to stop that any time soon?” Gunn asked. Angel kept pacing, but briefly glanced over at Gunn.

“Did you hear what they said? They have to get married!” Angel spat in disbelief. Gunn shrugged.

“So? It’s not like they’re really getting married,” Gunn said. Angel obviously wasn’t paying attention to him. “And even if they were, so?” He asked like it was no big deal. Angel stopped and glared at him.

“So?! What? Like it hasn’t been bad enough having them all over each other the past couple of days?” Angel asked, but didn’t wait for an answer, even though Gunn had opened his mouth to speak. “Just imagine them doing that all the time.” Gunn shook his head. He could have fun with this one.

“Yeah. Gotta hand it to Wes, didn’t think Barbie’d ever settle down,” he responded, earning him a look of dismay from Angel. He had to keep himself from laughing if he was going to keep up with this, but he smiled widely. “You think we should have a reception or something for them when they get back? We could have it at Caritas, I bet Lorne would be hyped.” Angel just stared at him. This couldn’t be happening.

“Gunn,” Angel said, a threatening tone creeping into his voice.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

Chapter 3

 

Wesley and Cordelia had spent the better part of the day shopping. She hadn’t let him see her in any of the dresses she tried on and insisted that he go look for his tux in that time. He reminded her that it wasn’t a real marriage, so the ‘bad luck thing’ shouldn’t apply, but she remained firm. When they went back to the resort, they enjoyed a quiet dinner outside with a view of the ocean. Cordelia sighed as they were waiting for dessert.

Wesley looked over at her.

“Something wrong?” He asked. She grinned, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I guess not,” she answered. They were sitting next to each other and he reached over to hold her hand.

“You can tell me you know,” he prompted. She squirmed a little in her seat.

“I used to have it you know,” she said. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Have what?” He asked. She flung her free hand in the air in some kind of motion.

“It,” she emphasized. “You know, I used to have guys asking me out all the time. I used to be wanted.” She shook her head. He arched an eyebrow and leaned over to speak into her ear.

“And what makes you think you’re not wanted now?” He asked. She tried desperately to push down the need that surged through her body at the feeling of his warm breath in her ear. She smiled.

“Well, I only have three guys in my life now. You, Angel, and Gunn,” she said, trying to rationalize her position. “Angel’s, well, Angel,” she rolled her eyes. “And I so don’t need a eunuch.” Wesley chuckled, still close to her. She smiled. “And Gunn, not so much my type. Not that I even have a type anymore,” she mumbled the last part, but he heard it. He moved even closer to her and placed small, soft kisses on her neck.

“And me?” He asked. She closed her eyes when he started kissing her neck and earlobe. He didn’t wait for a response and stood up. Cordy opened her eyes and saw him holding out his hand to help her up. “It’s getting late.” She nodded. Of course, it was an act for whoever had been watching. She kicked herself for beginning to think otherwise. The entire walk back to the suite, she wondered how she would be able to handle sleeping in the same bed with him after what had just happened. She came to a decision as they reached the door. She would just have to turn the tables on him.

***

Gunn was thankful that Angel had finally gone to bed. He had brooding all day and Gunn was sick of it. Granted he had kind of egged him on, but then when fighting, he noticed that Angel had been particularly brutal with some of the demons. He was getting out of the ‘poor me’ stage and onto the angry stage. That could mean bad news for everyone around him. He knew that Angel had kind of a crush on Cordy, but they all did in some way, so he thought it was old news. The way Angel was reacting to the case that Wesley and Cordelia were on was making him suspect that Angel’s feelings ran deeper than he cared to recognize.

Gunn admitted to himself that it had been a little strange watching Wes and Cordy snuggle like they had been, but it was only for the case. Right?

***

Wesley got ready for bed and sprawled out on the side he had chosen as his. He had only just been able to catch himself from making a complete idiot out of himself in Cordelia’s eyes. He was thankful that she seemed to believe that it had all been part of a show. The wedding was tomorrow. He glanced at his watch and took off his glasses. ‘Correct that,’ he thought. ‘The wedding is today.’ How could he go through with this having the feelings that he developed for her? He was brought out of his stupor when Cordy walked into the bedroom wearing her nighttime attire. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. She smiled and went to lie down on her side of the bed.

“What?” She feigned innocence.

“You, you,” he stammered. “That can’t be what you normally wear to bed?” He questioned. She rolled her eyes.

“Well of course not. But if I didn’t pack stuff like this for the trip, it would be even more suspicious than if we had brought your demon books with us,” she explained. He nodded and tried not to be obvious about looking at her. She was wearing a burgundy teddy. It was tasteful, silk, and not overdone, but it made her look radiant. She arched an eyebrow at him and he swiftly moved a finger up to his mouth to check for drool. Cordy started laughing. “I was actually looking at a different part of your anatomy,” she joked. He looked down, only to see a tent forming under his shorts. He got out of bed and turned away from Cordelia.

‘Damn,’ he thought to himself. “Maybe I should sleep on the couch,” he murmured. He felt Cordelia’s arms wrap around his waist.

“Maybe you should come back to bed,” she said suggestively. He turned around and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was passionate and full of longing, pushing them both to lie down on the bed. She ran her tongue along his lips and he parted them for her. His hand moved through her hair as their mouths intertwined. He pulled back and looked at her. Cordelia’s leg had already wrapped around his own.

“I don’t want to force you into anything,” he said in a sincere voice. She ran her palm along his cheek and pulled him against her for another kiss.

“Who’s forcing?” She joked. Her hand found the elastic to his shorts and she ran her fingers along the inside of it. He began to nip at her neck and she moaned. His hands trailed to the straps holding the teddy up, and he slowly brought them down.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait for tomorrow evening? After all, we will be married then,” he said kiddingly. She seemed to think about it.

“That’s a good point,” she said. It wasn’t the answer Wesley had been hoping for. “You’re alright with the couch for tonight?” He raised himself off of her and grabbed his pillow. She sat up on the bed and he leaned over to speak in her ear again.

“Just for tonight.”

***

“So, have you gotten any ideas on my dad?” Emily asked Cordelia as she helped her with her dress. Cordy turned around and grinned.

“Wes has some ideas. We have some people back at our firm researching them,” she answered. Her dress was lovely. Not entirely what she had dreamed about getting married in, but then, the weather wasn’t really conducive to wearing a dress that weighed so much. When she looked back to the mirror, she couldn’t help wondering if Wesley was going to like it. She shook her head to try and clear the thoughts. Things had gotten a bit out of hand last night.

“Something wrong?” Emily asked. Cordy sighed.

“You ever not see someone one way, and then you do?” She asked cryptically. Emily raised an eyebrow and a grin formed on her lips.

“You have a thing for Wes?” Emily retorted, only with moderate surprise in her voice.

“I didn’t say that,” Cordy said, but her smile confirmed Emily’s suspicion.

“I don’t think your friend Angel will be too happy about that,” she said. Cordy rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, he’s kind of overprotective,” Cordy answered. “Wait, how do you know Angel?”

“I don’t,” Emily shook her head. “But he’s called my office like a zillion times making sure you’re alright.” Cordelia laughed.

“Paranoid,” she observed. Suddenly, Cordy’s hands gripped her head and she screamed out in pain. She collapsed on the floor, and Emily rushed to her side.

“Are you okay? Cordy?” She asked. There was no response. Emily ran to the phone and called an ambulance, and then she called her father’s cell phone. He was supposed to be spending time with Wesley arranging things at the wedding site, primarily to let Wes get more ideas about his condition, but her father was told it was to keep Wesley away from seeing Cordy in her dress. “Answer!” Her dad finally picked up the phone.

“George,” he answered.

“Dad, something’s wrong with Cordy,” she said in a panicked voice. “I called an ambulance, but Wes should get over here too.” Burnham cast a sad eye over at Wesley and frowned.

“Okay, we’re on our way,” he responded and shoved the phone in his pocket. “Wes,” he paused and touched the young man’s shoulder. “Your wife, almost wife, there’s something wrong. Emily called an ambulance and she said you should be there.” Wesley’s eyes grew wide and they quickly made their way over to the suite. He had a good idea that Cordelia had a vision, but he couldn’t very well tell that to a man who, in all probability, had a demonic parasite inside him. He also knew that Cordelia didn’t care for hospitals, and if the paramedics insisted on taking her, that he would need to intervene.

As soon as he saw her lying on the floor, he knew something was wrong. Perhaps the vision had been too strong. He kneeled next to her and stroked her hair.

“Cordy?” He asked in an almost whisper. He kissed her cheek and moved his mouth to her ear. “You need to get up now, I’m here,” he reassured her. No response. He could hear the sirens starting to come and ran a hand through his hair in worry. “Cordelia, please,” he begged and shook her a little bit. Her eyes fluttered open and she clutched her head with her hand. “Where’s your medicine?” She motioned to the bathroom and he nodded. He looked through her small bag in the bathroom and found a bottle of prescription pain pills. He frowned. They were extremely strong, not the sort of thing that you start out with. She had obviously been more affected by the visions than she had let anyone know. He came back with some water and two pills and handed them to her, the frown still on his face. She shrunk back a little at his look.

The paramedics came into the room and checked her out. They wanted to take her to the hospital for tests, but she refused.

“Don’t be stubborn sweetheart,” Burnham said. “I’m sure Wes understands.” He looked as Wesley and he nodded. Cordelia shook her head and stood up straight. She was still a little out of it from the vision, and she clung to Wesley for support.

“No,” she said adamantly. “I’m getting married today.” She gave Wes a loving smile that made his heart melt. He made a note to talk with her later about it. Wesley turned to Burnham and Emily, along with the paramedics who were still hoping to take her in.

“I don’t think the hospital will be necessary,” he said. “Do you mind if I have some time alone with Cordelia before the wedding? We’ll be over there shortly,” he assured them. Burnham nodded and Emily, although still worried about Cordy’s condition, agreed as well. When everyone left, Wesley pulled Cordelia into a hug. “Are you alright?” He murmured.

“It’s was awful,” she said in an exhausted voice. Wes didn’t pull away; he kept her in the embrace, stroking her back with his hand. “It’s going to eat its way through his brain.” Wes lovingly kissed her cheek and pulled away slightly, still keeping a hold of her.

“A Cabrian,” he acknowledged. “I don’t remember how to get it out of its host without killing both of them. We’ll need to call Angel.” Cordelia nodded weakly. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” Even though she was now pale and tired from the vision, she still looked beautiful. His heart tightened when she smiled at him.

“I’m sure. You want me to call?” She asked. He grinned.

“I’ll call, you rest for a moment,” he answered. He leaned down and kissed her softly. Gathering almost all of the restraint he had, he pulled away and went to the phone.

“Angel Investigations, we help the helpless,” Gunn’s voice came wafting through the phone.

“Gunn, it’s Wesley,” he said. “Cordelia had a vision, it sounds like a Cabrian demon. I need to know how to kill it without killing its host.”

“Cool Wes. So you should be out of there in no time,” Gunn said. Angel perked up when he heard him same that and grabbed the phone out of his hand. Gunn rolled his eyes and sat down.

“Wes, hey it’s me,” Angel said.

“Angel,” Wesley acknowledged. “I just told Gunn, Cordelia had a vision and…”

“Is she okay?” Angel asked in a worried voice.

“Not really, but she should be,” Wesley answered. “It sounds like a Cabrian demon. I need you to find out how to kill it without destroying the host.” Angel nodded and had a big smile on his face.

“No problem,” he said. “So, I guess this means that you two don’t have to get married after all huh?” He asked cheerfully.

“No. We’re still getting married,” Wesley looked at his watch. “The ceremony is supposed to begin in ten minutes actually, so we should get going.”

“But you don’t have to go through with it now,” Angel insisted.

“Angel, unless you know off hand how to do what I asked you, then we still need to keep up the pretense of getting married and being a couple, until we can remove the demon,” Wesley explained. Hearing a very distinctive growl through the phone, he quickly ended the conversation. “We really have to be going now, we’ll email you some pictures.” He hung up the phone and extended a hand to Cordelia. “Ready?”

***

The wedding site was beautiful. The sun had just begun to set and was casting brilliant colors over the sky and ocean. The first part of the ceremony had gone very well considering that neither one of them was completely ready to acknowledge that they had feelings for each other. They had recited their lines and said their ‘I do’s’, even exchanged rings. But now, came the part of the wedding that would make or break their performance.

“Then, by the power vested in me, I now you pronounce you man and wife,” the man said. “You may kiss your bride.” Cordelia gave Wesley another heart-melting smile and he leaned in to kiss her. It was sweet and genuine, but ignited a spark inside both of them, and quickly became more passionate. The preacher cleared his throat and the two pulled apart, somewhat embarrassed. He smiled and whispered to the couple. “There will be plenty of time for that later.” Then, he turned back to Burnham, Emily, and a couple of people that had asked to observe. “May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Windham-Pryce.” They applauded for Cordy and Wes as they made their way down the makeshift aisle.

They walked all the way back to their suite, before either one of them said anything about what had just happened. He unlocked the door and grinned, a gleam in his eye. Much to her surprise, he picked her up and carried her across the threshold. She laughed. He shut the door with his foot and set her down.

“So,” Cordelia started. Wesley wrapped his arms around her and she placed her hands around his neck.

“So,” he repeated and bent his head down to kiss her.

 

Chapter 4

 

Wesley moved his hand behind Cordelia's head to deepen the kiss.

Their tongues moved together and Cordelia swiftly pushed his jacket off of him and began to unbutton his shirt. He pulled away just a moment for breath, but quickly reclaimed her mouth. He frowned when he couldn't undo the back of her dress. She laughed and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She turned around and pointed to the back of her dress.

"Buttons," Wesley observed.

"And a lot of them, hope you're a patient man Wes," she teased. She caught the lustful look in his eyes as she turned around.

"Growing more impatient by the moment," he murmured. He buried his face in her neck and began showering it with light kisses as he moved his hands over the back of her dress to unbutton it. She groaned and tried to push his head closer. Wesley took the hint and softly bit her, then sucking on the wound he had just caused. Her eyes closed and her breathing was heavy.

"God, Wesley," she moaned. He undid the last button and pushed her dress to the ground. Cordy wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up and he stumbled toward the bed with their eyes closed and tongues dancing together. Her hands moved to unzip and push his pants, his only remaining item of clothing, to the floor. He kicked them off and laid them both down on the bed, her legs still wrapped around him. She kissed her way along his jaw until she got to his ear, where she began to nibble and suck his lobe, eliciting distinct sounds of pleasure from his throat.

He stripped off the corset-like undergarments she was wearing and threw them to the ground. Wesley drug his mouth along her neck to her collarbone, her collarbone to her breasts. She arched her back in anticipation. Cordelia felt his mouth cover one of her nipples and she ran her hands into his hair, closing her eyes to concentrate on the sensation that her new husband was causing. His hand found her other breast and he rubbed the nipple with his thumb as she moaned and bucked underneath him. He raised his head and descended once again to her mouth, kissing her with fervor. Wesley positioned himself between her legs and thrust into her. They quickly developed a rhythm that lasted until Cordelia's body began to quiver, causing Wesley to have his own release. She began to fall asleep with their bodies still entwined. Wes kissed her cheek, and before giving into exhaustion himself, he whispered in her ear.

"I love you Cordelia."

***

The phone rang early in the morning, awakening Wes and Cordy from their slumber. Wesley ran a hand over his face and picked up the telephone.

"Hello?" He answered groggily.

"Wes! Hey! It's me," said Gunn. Wesley grumbled incoherently. "Whoa, rough night last night?" He teased.

"Rough is not the term I would have chosen," he replied and looked at Cordelia as she snuggled her head back onto his chest.

"You didn't," Gunn said, although it came out as more of a question. Wesley didn't reply right away.

"It was our wedding night," he reasoned. He felt Cordelia grin and he absently stroked her hair with his free hand.

"Your fake wedding night," Gunn reminded him. "I can't believe you did! Damn! Angel's going to kill you."

"Why?" Wesley asked. He was still very tired from the previous night's activities, but he could think of things that he would rather be doing than talking to Gunn. Cordelia lying on his chest, stroking his stomach with her fingers wasn't helping. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Did you have something for us?"

"Yeah. If it is a Cabrian demon, all you have to do is get the host to drink a carbonated beverage, preferably with a high caffeine content."

"You're joking," he said.

"Nope. Just get the guy to down a Jolt cola and you're done," Gunn responded happily. Wesley groaned.

"Damn."

"What?" Gunn asked.

"He only drinks water, ever. He doesn't eat or drink anything that isn't one hundred percent pure and natural," Wesley said. Gunn was surprised.

"Oh." He paused. "Sorry man. But I'm sure you can find a way."

"Is that the only way to kill the demon without killing Burnham?" Wesley asked.

"Yup. If you need to kill the demon and the host, you just need to slice off his head."

"Oh, is that all?" Wesley asked sarcastically. "If that comes to be the case, we'll need you to send us a sword. We didn't pack any weapons."

"Right. Well, hope it doesn't come to that then, `cuz I'm pretty sure Angel isn't going to want to send any of his precious weapons to the guy who just slept with the girl he's in love with." Wesley cringed at Gunn's comment.

"I think you've misinterpreted the situation. Angel loves Cordelia as a friend, or like family," Wesley said, trying to reassure himself more than Gunn. Gunn snorted.

"Yeah, like a wife," Gunn retorted. "Watch your back when you get back here, that's all I'm saying." Wesley nodded.

"Thank you Gunn. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair.

"So what did Gunn have to say?" Cordy asked, sitting up and stretching out. Wesley raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" He reached around her and brought her back down to a lying position again. They kissed passionately. He pulled away for a moment.

"We have a way to help Mr. Burnham, but it's going to take some work," he told her. Cordelia smiled.

"How much work?" She asked coyly. He grinned back.

"And when you ask `how much work', may I presume you mean `how much play?'" He kissed her again. He worked his way down to the bruise he had left on her neck and ran his teeth over it, making her shiver in delight.

"I love you too Wesley."

Chapter 5

 

Cordelia stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She smiled at Wesley, who was obviously trying to figure out some sort of a plan to help Burnham. She wondered for a second if they should have made Angel go on this mission. Not that she wanted to lose out on this terrific vacation opportunity, or on the time she had spent with Wesley; but she had a feeling that Angel in full vampire face could force Burnham to drink a Coke, regardless of his affinity for health food. She shook her head. She doubted that Emily would be pleased if they had to end up killing her dad, and it’s not like they had any weapons with them any way.

‘That was poorly planned packing,’ she thought. They had informed Emily of the situation that morning. She didn’t seem very positive about the prospect of getting her father to drink something like that willingly, which meant that it would need to be forced. She was so engulfed in her thoughts, that she hadn’t noticed when Wesley had gotten up. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and she jumped. He started laughing and she turned around to hit his chest playfully.

“Don’t do that! You, of all people, should know better than to sneak up on me,” she said, still a little flustered from her physical response. He held his hands up in surrender, a chuckle still reverberating from his chest. She narrowed her eyes a little and then grinned and crossed her arms.

“Indeed,” he agreed. “I’m sorry, I honestly didn’t mean to frighten you. Forgive me?” He took a tentative step toward her and she smiled.

“I guess,” she said. He pulled her into his embrace and leaned down to kiss her. He pulled his lips away from hers and stroked her hair.

“What were you thinking about?” He asked. She rested her forehead against his chest.

“Burnham and what we’re going to do,” she explained.

“Hmmm,” he said in a thoughtful tone. “Well, don’t worry darling. We’ll come up with something. She looked up at him, eyebrow raised.

“Darling?” She asked in a skeptical tone. He grinned.

“Would you rather I call you schnook?” He teased.

***

Angel looked up at Gunn from where he was sitting. He observed that he had been acting nervously ever since the last phone call with Wes and Cordy, but he didn’t say anything about it other than he told them what they found out.

“What’s going on?” Angel asked. Gunn glanced from side to side, apparently finding the walls fascinating, but refused to make eye contact with Angel. “Gunn?”

“Nothing, everything’s cool,” Gunn smiled and clapped his hands together. “Just kind of quiet without them here. Ya know?” Angel nodded.

“Uh-huh,” Angel said in a tone that indicated he was clearly unconvinced. “What aren’t you telling me?” Gunn sighed and sat down. He leaned forward.

“I’m not really sure how to put this,” he started. Angel motioned for him to continue and Gunn cleared his throat. “You’re not gonna be… mad… if something happens on this trip right?” Angel arched an eyebrow.

“Something?” Angel asked for clarification. Gunn squirmed. He knew that Angel knew what he meant and that he was just being difficult.

“Uh, you know, man woman stuff,” he said awkwardly. Angel glared at him, and then tried to hide his first response by joking about it.

“Nothing’s gonna happen, they’re just pretending to be married for the case,” he said with an obviously fake smile. Gunn gave him a ‘yeah, right’ look and Angel frowned. “Right?” Gunn shook his head.

“I don’t think so man,” he said in a quieter voice.

“It’s Cordy Gunn. She would never like Wes like that,” he tried to reason. Gunn sighed. He was hoping Angel would just accept it.

“I thought they liked each other back when she was in high school,” he countered. A small growl sprung from Angel’s chest. Gunn stood up. “Right… well... gotta go.” He left the office in a hurry. Angel rubbed his face with his hands and sank back into his chair.

‘What have I done? I should have never let them take this stupid case,’ he thought as he swiftly went into brood mode.

***

Cordy and Wes strolled over to the restaurant where they had agreed to meet Emily. She saw them and waved them over. Cordelia noticed that she looked like she hadn’t slept all night. ‘Of course, we didn’t get much sleep either,’ Cordy thought cheerfully to herself. Wesley eyed her.

“What?” She asked. He noticed that look in her eye, and wanted to act on it by taking her back to their suite, but work came first. That’s why they were here. After all, without this case, they may have just ended up being friends. Wesley leaned over and kissed her on the temple. He pulled back with a grin. She smiled back at him, but turned her attention to Emily as they reached the table. “Hey,” she greeted. Emily nodded once. Cordelia felt badly for her. The dark circles under her bloodshot eyes were more apparent up close.

“I think we may just have to hold him down and pour it down his throat,” Emily said grimly. Wesley frowned.

“Certainly you have more influence with your father than to resort to that,” he said. Emily rested her head, propped up by her elbow.

“I don’t think so, and it’s just been getting worse,” Emily answered.

“How do you mean?” Cordelia asked in a sympathetic tone.

“I saw his eyes last night, it was just for a second, but…” Emily started crying and Cordy looked to Wes in a worried fashion. Emily sniffled and contained herself. “He’s also been extra strict about what he eats and drinks lately.”

“Most likely the Cabrian’s influence,” Wesley observed.

“So what else is there to do?” Emily asked in an emotionally drained voice. “I don’t want him to die. I don’t understand why this keeps happening to me.” Wesley furrowed his brow.

“Keeps happening?” He questioned her choice of language. He assumed that she was referring to losing family members, but he thought he should make sure, and it turned out to be a good thing that he did. Emily shrunk back a little at his question.

“My sister, last year,” she paused. “Her body was found on the beach a few miles west of here. The police thought it was some sicko who liked to mutilate bodies, but…” Her eyes were welling up with tears again.

“You knew better,” Cordy finished for her. Emily nodded.

“I’m the one who found her,” she meekly replied. Wesley and Cordelia both winced. “It looked like something had eaten her stomach from the inside out.” Wesley frowned.

“I wish you had told us this before,” he said. Emily looked at him strangely.

“Why?” She and Cordelia asked at the same time.

“Because I think I may have another way to kill it.”

 

Chapter 6

 

"Um, sweetheart," Cordelia said in a strained tone. "When you said you had another way to kill the demon…"

"Emily will be perfectly safe, I assure you," he responded. He looked over at Emily. "You're positive you have the same blood type as your father and sister?" She nodded. "We'll need to lock the door after Burnham's in the room," said to no one in particular. They were working out the details of the plan in Emily's office while waiting for Burnham to arrive.

"Wes, I still don't like this," Cordelia said in a worried voice. He gave her a sympathetic grin and kissed her on the cheek.

"It will be fine, really," he emphasized. "We have the guns?" Cordelia nodded. They had filled large water guns with the highest caffeine content soda they could find. "Right then. All we need to do is get Burnham in the room, lock the door, slit Emily's wrist…"

"Yeah, that's the part I have the problem with," Cordelia muttered.

"We do have medical supplies on hand, and the cut doesn't need to be deep, just enough to draw the demon out."

"You're sure this will work?" Emily asked. She wasn't too crazy about the drawing blood thing either.

"Positive." Wesley paused and looked thoughtful. "Well, almost positive. Cabrian demons generally prefer to be in younger hosts as it prolongs their own life span. My theory is that it was originally in your sister, but had to find a new host because of her, uh, not so healthy lifestyle." Emily nodded. "Cabrian demons can only live in the blood type they were born into, thus the reason it chose yourfather. But, I am certain, given the choice, that it will leave him to try to move into you. And when it does, we spray it with the guns." Cordelia frowned.

"Won't that kill her dad though? I mean, you heard her say how her sister looked," Cordy said. Wesley tilted his head pensively.

"They usually don't leave bodies like that. Usually they leave through the mouth," he said, remembering his years of research.

"Then why did it leave my sister like that?"

"The only thing I can think of is that she was drinking the kind of beverage that can kill it. It had to escape right away, and going up her throat and through her mouth would have killed it," Wesley mused.

"That makes sense," Emily said. "She was addicted to Mountain Dew." Wesley nodded and looked at his watch.

"How much longer?" Cordy asked.

"Not long now," he said. Wesley gave her a loving grin and she smiled. Emily rolled her eyes playfully.

"Don't start with that in here," she teased. "You'll still have a week to do that sort of stuff… and not in my presence!" Wesley chuckled.

"My apologies." There was a light rapping on the door and Burnham poked his head in. He gave a friendly smile and nodded at them as he walked in.

"Hey dad," Emily said and gave him a hug. She hoped her nervousness didn't show through. In an ever so stealthful manner, she moved behind him and locked the door. Burnham walked closer to Wes and Cordy. She looked expectantly at them. Cordy held a water gun behind her back and planted a bright smile on her face.

"So why did you want to see me?" Burnham asked, turning to Emily. Cordelia frowned. They should have thought of something before hand.

"Nothing big," she lied. "Wes and Cordy are worried that their marriage won't be valid because they didn't complete all of the paperwork ahead of time." `Good lie,' Cordelia thought. Burnham turned around to face Wesley and Cordelia again, a big smile on his face.

"Nothing to worry about," he assured them. "The islands are so dependent on resorts like this for tourism dollars that they allow us to have different rules regarding the processing time on paperwork than the normal places." Cordelia arched an eyebrow at Wesley. The news had caught him by surprise as well. Emily quickly slit her wrist while her father's attention was on the couple.

Wesley and Cordelia snapped out of their reverie as Burnham's eyes turned white and he spun around to face Emily. Cordelia moved into position and Wesley grabbed another water gun from the chair at Emily's desk. Emily could see the creature climbing up through her father's throat and she suddenly felt like throwing up. The Cabrian lunged out of Burnham's mouth and onto Emily's arm, which she held out in front of her. Burnham collapsed. The demon made a high pitched screaming noise when it was hit with the spray from Wesley and Cordelia's guns. It finally fell to the ground and shriveled like a slug.

Emily felt faint, not because of the wound, but because of what had just happened. Wesley caught her as she fell and moved her to sit down on the couch in her office. He motioned for Cordy to bring over the medical supplies. They bandaged the shallow but on her wrist and got her a glass of water. Burnham started to come around to, and he was holding his head like he had a massive hangover. Cordy went over to him and held out her hand to help him up.

"Are you alright?" She asked. He shook his head.

"What happened?" He asked, and then noticed the creature on the floor. He looked up at Emily. "Or do I want to know." She grinned.

"You really don't."

***

"So…" Cordy started. She and Wes were sitting on the bed in their suite.

"So…" he repeated.

"Really married," she said in an observational voice. She kept her gaze focused straight ahead and refused to glance over at him.

"Indeed," he replied. His tone seemed as neutral as hers.

"I guess we could get an annulment," she mused. He frowned.

"I don't think it's possible to get an annulment after, ahem, consummation of the relationship." He looked up from his feet to see her expression. She seemed so serious and she still wasn't looking at him. He had hoped she would be taking this better than she was.

"Well I'm not getting a divorce!" She said in an indignant tone. Wesley chuckled. "What?" She finally turned her head to face him and he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I have no intention of divorcing you," he said. His voice was much quieter than the volume she had just used. She stared at him blankly while his comment registered. Her eyes grew wide.

"Oh." She smiled and he leaned in to kiss her. He swept his bottom lip over hers and she darted her tongue out to taste him. "Mmmm." Wesley smiled and slowly moved their bodies so they were lying on the bed. He propped himself up on his elbow and grinned down at her. "What?" She smiled back at him.

"Cordelia Windham-Pryce," he said in a gentle voice. She arched an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I'm changing my name?" She asked. He leaned down again and began suckling at her neck. Her eyes fluttered open and closed and she wrapped her arms behind his neck, pushing his head down for more pressure.

"I'm fairly certain I can convince you."

"I don't know about that Wes," Cordelia murmured as Wesley lavished her neck with kisses. "I can be pretty stubborn." Wesley chuckled and raised his head.

"I've noticed that," he said. Cordy playfully hit his chest. He caught her wrist and brought it up to his mouth. He kissed it softly and Cordelia smiled. Wesley moved his lips down her arm slowly and she shivered. He unbuttoned her shirt with his other hand and she shrugged it off. She ran her fingers along the bottom hem of his shirt and he raised his arms for her to lift it off. The remainder of their clothing was removed in what seemed like one swift motion.

He kissed down to her breast and his tongue darted out to wet it. Cordelia arched toward him and pulled his head down. He laughed. "Stubborn and impatient," he joked. He took her taut nipple in his mouth and teased it with his tongue, while he rolled her other nipple between his thumb and index finger. Her moans only encouraged him. He nudged her legs apart and moved his free hand down her body. She bit her lip in anticipation, but then sprung up away from him. He sat up in shock and stared at her in disbelief. She smiled brightly and held up the phone cord she had just unplugged. He grinned in understanding.

"You remember what happened last time," she said as she crawled back on the bed. Wesley nodded.

"Yes," he said as he pulled her close to him again and began to nuzzle her neck while his deft fingers found her nipple. "And a phone call from Angel would rather spoil the moment wouldn't it?"

She pulled his head away from her neck and captured his mouth with her own. Their tongues danced and he slowly leaned her back down so they were once again lying on the bed. Wasting no more time, he ran his thumb over her clit and she gripped the sheets below her as a wave of pleasure shot through her body. He positioned himself between her legs and thrust into her.

***

"Emily Burnham," Emily picked up her office phone. Things were back to normal now, at least as much as they had ever been.

"Emily," Angel greeted in an almost frantic voice. Emily rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Yes Angel?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"I'm psychic," she said sarcastically.

"Really?"

"No. You've just called enough times for me to recognize your voice," Emily explained. "How can I help you?"

"Wes and Cordy aren't answering any of their phones," he said in a worried tone. She smiled.

"Well, they got the demon out of my dad today, so they're probably, um, celebrating," she suggested with innuendo lacing her words. She frowned when she heard a loud growl through the phone. "What was that?"

"Uh, dog. So they're done with their assignment then?" Angel repeated.

"Yeah, but they still have a week left at the resort. Did you want me to leave a message for them?"

"We're sort of busy here and we could use them back here," Angel lied. Emily chuckled.

"I'll tell them, but Cordy doesn't seem like the kind of woman to give up a free vacation," she said. Angel nodded. That was true, but he couldn't bear the thought of her being intimate with Wesley, and he wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. He decided that he saw her as a younger sister and was just being protective, but his heart was telling him otherwise, and it made him feel ill. "Is there anything else?" Angel looked at the papers scattered on his desk. He had gone through Cordelia's apartment and found her box full of lab results in it. He didn't know how to interpret them, but it didn't look good from the papers he read. He would feel better having her back so he could keep an eye on her either way.

"Yeah, but it's personal. I'll just wait until they call me back," he said.

"Alright. Goodbye Angel." Emily hung up her phone and rubbed her eyes. The entire ordeal had taken much more energy from her than she cared to admit, and Angel calling every half hour didn't help. She certainly didn't envy Wes and Cordy. She silently wondered if she could get his number blocked.

***

Wesley knocked on the bathroom door. Cordelia was changing so they could go to the beach.

"Are you sure you wouldn't just rather stay here?" He asked suggestively. Now that he had Cordelia all to himself, he wasn't anxious to spend his time with her lying out in the sun, regardless of how good she looked in a bikini. He heard her chuckle.

"I'm sure," she answered. "And, oh, can you plug the room phone back in and turn our cell phones on?" He frowned but he agreed. He may not like the interruptions, but in their line of work, they were always on call. Cordelia looked at herself in the mirror. For someone who was dying, she looked damn good she thought. A piercing pain swept over her and she clutched her head, screamed, and collapsed. Wesley ran back to the bathroom when he heard Cordelia scream. He didn't bother to knock. When he opened the door he saw Cordelia lying motionless on the cold floor and he went pale.

The visions had been getting worse and everyone knew it. Usually she fought it though, usually she would just ask for some pain medication and some water, but not this time. It pained Wesley to see her so defeated, so lifeless. `Oh God!' He leaned down and pressed his fingers up against her neck to check for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. He gave a sigh of relief and sat down next to her, gently stroking her hair away from her face.

Cordelia's vision swam through her mind. A cemetery, visions of headstones blurred past her until she focused on one. Cordelia Windham-Pryce. Despite the fact that she already knew what the doctors told her, she began to cry. Wesley frowned when he saw tears dripping from her eyes. He swept them away with his hand and Cordy's eyes fluttered open. They were big and wet and Wesley pulled her into a sitting position and held her.

"What did you see?" He asked in a loving voice. Her bottom lip quivered, but she managed to place a small grin on her lips.

"I guess I will be changing my name after all."

Chapter 7

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Emily asked as she watched the bellhop load Wes and Cordy's luggage into the courtesy car. Cordelia smiled, but even Emily could tell that she looked weak.

"If Angel needs us there, then we have to go," she explained. Emily nodded.

"Well, you're welcome to come back and redeem your unspent time whenever you get some free time," she said. Wesley smiled and shook her hand. "I get the feeling that he doesn't really need you guys there. He's kind of protective huh?" Wesley chuckled.

"You have no idea," he said. "And thank you for the offer to come back, I'm sure we'll take you up on it." Cordelia gave Emily a hug and got into the car. Wes followed and they waved goodbye to her as the car drove away. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. He kissed her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly. She stared straight ahead.

"They're getting worse," she said in a choked voice. He nodded and kept his lips on her hair. "I knew, I mean, the doctors told me, but…" Wesley furrowed his brow.

"You've been in for testing?" He asked. She nodded.

"Lots and lots of testing," she replied. He frowned. He definitely didn't like the way this was sounding.

"And what did they say?" There was a pause while Cordelia tried to keep the tears that were forming in her eyes from falling.

"That I'm going to die," she finally said in a small voice. Wesley closed his eyes as her words gripped at his heart.

"Perhaps there's some way around it, after all, they are just mortal doctors, and the visions are from the powers…"

"Wes," she looked up at him and kissed him softly. "It's okay. Nobody lives forever." He shook his head.

"Cordelia…"

"It's okay. Just spend the time I have with me?" She asked. Wesley gave a sorrowful grin and nodded. He kissed her sweetly and pulled her closely to him.

"Of course," he said. He made a silent promise to himself that he wouldn't allow her to be taken from him. After all she had sacrificed to serve the powers, she certainly deserved to live, and he was going to make sure of it.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Angel anxiously waited for them outside the gate. He smiled broadly when he saw Cordelia, but hadn't taken in her full appearance yet. When more of the crowd started to thin, he noticed that she looked exhausted, maybe even sick. He hoped that wasn't why they chose to come home early, but he realized that it probably was. He convinced himself that it didn't matter. 'As long as she, er, they, are home. That's what matters.' Cordy smiled and gave him a hug. Wesley raised his eyebrow at the joyous _expression Angel had on his face when he hugged her, but he didn't say anything.

They collected their luggage and walked to Angel's car. The nighttime drive back to the hotel took a little getting used to. You couldn't see the stars and Cordy scrunched up her nose at the air pollution she had gotten so used to over the years. Wesley grimaced and gave her a reassuring touch on her shoulder.

"I don't imagine the air is helping much," he said. She touched his hand and looked back at him to smile.

"Not really, but I guess we couldn't stay at the resort forever," she said remorsefully. Wesley grinned.

"I'm sure Emily would have let us," he chuckled. Cordy's smile grew wider.

"And if it was only a couple hours away from a hell mouth we could have taken her up on it." She noticed that Angel didn't appear pleased with that comment and she started laughing.

"Don't worry big guy. I'm sure you and Gunn could have gotten jobs as activities planners or something," she joked. The corner of his mouth started to lift until he saw her head resting on her hand, and the ring on said hand. His eyes sparked yellow for just a moment.

"What was that?" Angel frowned.

"You're still wearing your," he motioned to the ring. "Did you just forget to take it off or something?" Cordy gave a wry grin to Wesley and he gave her a knowing look.

"We're not going to be taking our rings off Angel," he started. Angel swung his head around at Wesley's comment and ended up swerving into oncoming traffic.

"Eyes on the road!" Cordelia yelled. Angel moved the car back into their lane.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Phew!" Cordelia let out a breath of relief when she saw the hotel. "At least I won't be dying tonight," she muttered. Angel parked the car and smiled.

"Did you guys want to stay here tonight or do you want a ride home?" He asked. Wesley rolled his eyes at the fact that Angel kept his eyes locked on Cordelia the entire time he asked the question. Cordelia looked back at Wesley with a small frown on her lips.

"Guess we didn't really think about that did we?" She asked. He grinned.

"Your place, it's nicer," he said. She smiled brightly.

"Damn right!" She exclaimed. Angel looked confused.

"You want me to take you to your apartment Cordy?" He asked. He had a bad feeling that he had been following Wes and Cordy's conversation correctly, but he didn't want to admit it to himself. She shook her head.

"No, we'll stay here tonight if that's okay with you," she said. Angel nodded. 'There are plenty of rooms at the Hyperion, don't overreact,' he thought to himself. Angel unloaded their luggage and dumped it in the lobby. Cordy crossed her arms in mock anger. "Those are leather, you can't just throw them around like that." Angel chuckled.

"It's nice to have you back Cordy," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Where's Gunn?" She asked as she looked around.

"Vamp patrol," Angel replied. "Should be back soon though." He turned to Wesley, whom had been watching the entire scene before him with great amusement. "There's some paperwork," he glanced at Cordelia, "boring, demon research stuff," he added for her benefit. "It's in the office. You have a minute?" Wesley nodded. He noticed that Cordelia had more color back in her skin and seemed to be in better spirits. It should be all right to leave her in the lobby for a couple of minutes. "There's some stuff that needs filing," he said to Cordy, who shot him an indignant glare.

"You made me come back early from a vacation in the Bahamas, a free vacation in the Bahamas. Uh-uh," she said with disapproval and pointed at him. "You're doing the filing. You should have just done it while we were gone, it's not like you go out during the day or anything." Wesley chuckled and Angel smiled broadly. Angel stepped over to her and gave her a hug.

"Really good to have you back Cordy."


~*~*~*~*~


Wesley walked into the office with Angel and saw what looked like medical reports and tests scattered on top of the desk and throughout the room. He frowned as he picked one up.

"They're Cordy's," Angel explained in a sad voice. Wesley nodded.

"Yes, she told me as much. How did you get them?" He asked. Angel frowned. She told Wesley?

"I, uh, sort of went through her things while you guys were gone," he said, chuckling to relieve the tension. Wesley looked at him like a parent scolding a child. "I know, I shouldn't have done it," he said. "But look at them." He paused while Wesley's eyes flitted over the paperwork, x-rays, and MRI results. "It's bad isn't it?" Wesley closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to keep tears from forming.

"She's dying," he said, his voice choked with emotion. Angel's face fell.

"What? That's not possible," he said and shook his head. "You're not a doctor, maybe you aren't reading them right." Wesley glanced up at Angel, his _expression was somber and Angel immediately felt a lump in his throat. "She told you," he said. It wasn't a question. Wesley nodded.

"Her visions have been getting progressively worse and she had a couple of very bad ones at the resort," Wesley admitted. Angel sat down, his knees unable to hold the burden of his weight with the information. He ran his hands through his hair. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer to the next question that he felt compelled to ask.

"Why aren't you taking off the rings?" His voice was low and pained, already expecting the answer. Wesley gave him a compensatory grin and cleared his throat.

"We're married Angel."

"It was a fake marriage," Angel reminded him.

"We thought so too, but it didn't turn out to be," Wesley admitted. Angel growled. Cordelia was dying and married to Wesley. The situation couldn't get worse.

"You don't have to stay married," Angel said, cheering up a little at the possibility.

"No, we don't have to," Wesley agreed. "We want to." He paused. "I would like to do everything possible to keep my wife alive Angel. Will you help me?" Angel fought back the urge to rip Wesley's throat out for taking Cordelia away from him. 'Okay, technically she was never mine,' he thought. 'And wouldn't you rather have her around as a friend than not at all?' He finally nodded and looked up at Wesley.

"You know I will."


~*~*~*~*~


Wesley knocked gently on the door of the room Cordelia had chosen.

"Yeah?" He heard her muffled voice from the other side and opened the door. She was staring out the window, but turned around and smiled at him. "Hey! You and Angel get all your boring paperwork stuff done?" He grinned.

"Sadly no," he partially lied. "There's still some researching that needs to be done, but we thought it would be best if I just got a fresh start in the morning." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She brought her hands to his and he leaned down and kissed her neck.

"So I guess we're not going to be doing the whole big moving in thing tomorrow then huh?"

"Probably not," he agreed. He kissed his way to her ear. "But I'm sure we're welcome to stay here until the situation with the research gets resolved." Cordelia felt a shiver of pleasure rush through her body as his breath moved into her ear. She closed her eyes and leaned against him. He sucked on her earlobe for only a moment before she turned around in his arms. She stood on her toes and sought his mouth with her lips. The kiss was arousing and Wesley pulled back. Cordelia looked confused.

"Is something wrong?"

"As much as I want to do this, it will have to wait a half hour or so," he said apologetically and walked toward the door.

"Why?" She asked. This wasn't the same Wesley who had just spent three glorious days with her in the Bahamas. That Wesley never would have turned down sex. He looked embarrassed.

"I, um, don't have any more," he paused, "protection. I need to go to the store, but I'll be right back, I promise." Cordelia smiled and started laughing. He raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "You find that amusing do you?" She nodded.

"No offense, but you're the only guy I know that would be concerned about getting a dying girl pregnant," she said. He frowned. "Well, okay, maybe Giles, but ewww, so not wanting that mental picture." He chuckled and pulled her into his embrace.

"You know that I'm going to do everything in my power to try and save you don't you?" He asked seriously. She grinned sadly.

"You shouldn't waste your time. There's nothing you can do, and you have innocents to protect and stuff. You should concentrate on them." He kissed her forehead.

"I won't neglect my duties in that area, but I'm not ready for the 'death do you part' bit yet. We just found each other again. I don't want to lose you," he said. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him, but pulled back quickly, and removed herself from his arms. He frowned.

"Don't take more than a half hour," she said. "I'm timing you." Wesley grinned and ran out the door. As he got to the lobby, he stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw. A tall, muscular demon with wings who was talking to Angel. Angel saw him and nodded toward Wesley, causing the demon to turn around. He was smiling so Wesley took a few hesitant steps closer.

"You Wesley?" The demon asked. Wes nodded and eyed him warily. The demon stuck out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Skip."



Chapter 8



Wesley reluctantly shook Skip's hand.

"You're here to see me?" He asked in a somewhat confused tone. Skip smiled and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, good demon," he said as he pointed to himself. "The powers sent me." Wesley suddenly felt more optimistic.

"You work for the powers?"

"Yeah. Ya see, here's the thing buddy," Skip said as he started walking with Wesley. "None of this was supposed to happen." Wesley arched an eyebrow. "And, by the way, the powers are a little miffed that their plans were screwed up." They stopped walking. "Angel was supposed to convince you two to not take the case and stay here, Pylea, yada yada, she was supposed to become part demon and fall in love with her champion." Angel crossed his arms and bounced on his heels as he smiled brightly.

"Really?" He asked. Skip glared at him for a moment.

"Long story," he explained. "But the point is that it didn't happen, so the powers are talking to her about what she wants to do." Wesley looked toward the room and then back to Skip. "Yeah, go ahead and hit the store, you have time." Wesley grinned.

"That's not what I was going to ask," he said. Skip frowned.

"Really? I used to be so good at that guessing thing." He shrugged. "Oh well."

"I was going to ask if she's going to be alright up there or if she needs me," Wesley paused when Angel cleared his throat. "Or any of her friends to be up there with her."

"Well, seeing as how they took her conscience to another plane of existence, I'm going to say that it probably doesn't matter if anyone else is up there or not." Wesley nodded once.

"Right. Well then…"

"Store?" Skip asked with a grin and a gleam in his eye. Wesley grinned and nodded in agreement.

"Store."


~*~*~*~*~

Cordelia looked around the all white room. No doors, no windows, no other people, and for some reason she felt a feeling of weightlessness.

"Am I dead?" She asked out loud, looking at her hands. "Because if I am, this really sucks."

"You are not dead," a voice that sounded like several voices at once came wafting through the air. She looked around. Still no one there.

"O-kay. How about you tell me where I am and what I'm doing here then?" She asked.

"You have decisions to make," the voices spoke again. She put her hands on her hips in an impatient manner and glared at the wall.

"I always have decisions to make," she said. "I don't suppose you could be more specific?"

"To remain alive and retain your visions, you have two options."

"Really?" Cordelia asked cheerfully.

"As the visions were intended for those of demonic blood only, you can become part demon." Cordelia made a face.

"And the second option?" She asked. She got the feeling that it wouldn't be much better.

"You can try to pass the trial of the chosen," the voices said. Cordy frowned.

"What's involved in that?" She asked.

"It cannot be said." Seeing her displeasure with that answer, they spoke again. "You may choose to live a life you were not destined to, but you would lose all those whom you hold dear."

"Oh."

"We shall not separate you from them unless it is by your choice," they answered. "Speak now. Which option shall you choose?"


~*~*~*~*~


Angel stood in the lobby with Skip, still awaiting Wesley's return. Angel's _expression was still beaming from the earlier information about Cordelia and how she was supposed to be in love with him. Skip rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to let this go are you?" Skip asked. Angel's smile grew wider.

"She was supposed to be in love with me," he said proudly. Skip shook his head.

"Knew I shouldn't have said that," he muttered to himself. A concerned _expression crossed his face. "Damn." Angel furrowed his brow.

"What?" He asked. Skip sighed.

"She just can't do anything the easy way can she?" He asked, although it came out as more of a statement.

"Cordy?" Angel clarified and then shook his head. "Rarely," he agreed. "Why? What's up?"

"She's made her decision," he said in a solemn voice. Angel frowned.

"And?" He asked impatiently. Skip gave him a look crossed between a warning and despair.

"She chose the trial," he answered. Wesley walked through the Hyperion's front doors just in time to hear Skip.

"What trial?" Wesley asked, his voice betraying his emotions. Skip looked at Wesley sadly.

"The trial of the chosen," he responded. Wesley's face paled and his legs gave out from underneath him, forcing him to fall to a sitting position on the floor.

"Why?" Wes choked out. Angel looked back and forth between the two. Whatever this trial thing was, it obviously wasn't good.

"Well, let's go help her," Angel said. Skip and Wesley both looked over at him. "What? She's our friend. We should go help her. She would do it for us." Skip gave Wesley a knowing look and Wesley answered Angel's statement.

"She is doing it for us."


~*~*~*~*~


A few hours later, the sun was rising and Angel was still pacing in the lobby. Wesley was sitting on the stairs, his head leaning against the railing. Gunn was napping in a sitting position behind the front counter, his legs propped up in front of him.

"How much longer?" Angel asked impatiently. Skip glared at him.

"How many times are you going to ask me that?" He answered. Angel stopped and shot him a look.

"Until you answer me," he said. Wesley took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"It depends on the individual," he explained for what seemed like the zillionth time. "And some…"

"She's going to make it," Angel interrupted. He didn't know whom he was trying to convince, Wesley or himself. He whipped his head up when he heard something upstairs. Cordelia came out of the room and started down the stairs. Wesley rushed up to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Are you alright?" He asked fearfully, his voice muffled against her hair. She smiled and pulled back.

"Fine. Now. Although I'm thinking it would have been easier to just go for the horns and tail," she said. He raised an eyebrow. "Long story." Angel waited anxiously to hug her and practically pushed Wesley out of the way. He gave her a huge hug and she laughed and tried to push him off. "You're crushing me," she finally said. He let go, but kept the smile on his face.

"I, I mean we, we worried about you," he rambled. She smiled.

"Well, I appreciate your concern, but like I was telling Wesley, I'm fine," she said. "The slime I could have done without, but hey, all clean when I woke up." She smiled brightly again and gave Gunn a hug when he came over.

"So you're not dying anymore?" Gunn clarified.

"I'm not dying anymore," she confirmed. He grinned.

"Good. Cuz it sucked being with captain broody here," he stuck his thumb at Angel, "when he found out." He smiled when he looked at Cordy, who now had her arm wrapped around Wesley's waist. "So are you guys really staying married?" Wesley looked at Cordelia. He didn't know if she would want to keep their vows now that she was going to live. After all, she had made the promise to stay with him when she knew it was certain that she was going to die. Cordy saw his hesitation to answer the question.

"You said you wouldn't divorce me," she reminded him. A smile crawled across his lips.

"So I did," he agreed. She smiled and he leaned down to kiss her. The kiss turned passionate very quickly and Gunn rubbed the back of his neck as he suddenly found the rest of the lobby fascinating. Angel growled and the two pulled apart.

"What?" Cordy asked. Angel frowned.

"You were supposed to fall in love with me," he said. She gave him a look that said she clearly didn't believe him. "It's true," he held up his hands. "Ask Skip." He looked around the lobby but the demon was gone.

"Skip?" She asked.

"Demon guide, he was just here," Angel insisted. She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Angel, if you're going to make up a story, at least come up with a better name than Skip," she said. She took hold of Wesley's hand. "Now, if you'll excuse us." She began leading Wes up the stairs. Angel crossed his arms.

"What are you doing?" He asked, not really wanting to know the answer. She smiled broadly.

"Making up for lost time," she replied. Wesley smiled and Angel glared at him, but Cordy led Wes to their room anyway. Angel looked completely confused when the door closed. He turned to Gunn.

"She's not really choosing him is she?" He asked. Gunn snickered and covered his mouth with his hand. Angel glared at him and Gunn faked a cough, but then the laughter erupted from his gut. Angel gave him one last look and shook his head.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he said. Gunn slapped him on the back.

"I don't know. I think it's kinda sweet," he said. Angel cringed and walked to the office. He would sleep on the couch in there. If he slept in his room he would hear everything.


~*~*~*~*~


Cordelia wrapped her arms around Wesley's neck and brought his head down to kiss him. He kissed her sweetly and she pulled back with a questioning look.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. He gave a small grin.

"Are you sure you want to do this here?" He asked. "They're just downstairs you know." He motioned to the door with his head. She kissed him again, this time leaving no room for him to not deepen the kiss. Their tongues swirled against each other's and Cordy moaned. She indicated with her foot that he should take his shoes off and he did. She moved her hands down his chest and unbuckled his belt. He stopped the kiss and arched an eyebrow. "So that's a yes then," he said. She smiled.

"You catch on quick," she said as she pushed his pants and boxers to his ankles. He smiled and kicked them off. Wesley wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him with fervor as she unbuttoned his shirt. She threw it aside. He moved until they were against the wall. He broke the kiss and breathed heavily.

"Take it off," he said, placing her feet on the ground. She lifted the dress over her head and let it drop to the floor. He slid her panties down her legs and kissed her inner thigh. She gripped his hair in surprise.

"Wes," she breathed. He lifted her and carried her to the bed. She looked at him questioningly.

"Sorry," he said. "But this position is much easier if you're lying down." He kissed his way down her naked body until he got to her mound. Her eyes grew wide and deep anticipatory arousal swept through her. He kissed her clit gently and she gripped the sheets.

"Oh, God," she muttered. Wesley began sucking on her clit and running circles around it with his tongue. Cordy's eyes lolled back in her head. He inserted his index finger and then another and began pumping into her. Cordy's body started to tingle and then it shook under his ministrations. "Wes!" He quickly moved and thrust his cock into her. She gasped at the sensation. They rocked back and forth until Cordelia reached orgasm again. A few more thrusts and Wes released into her and buried his head in the nook between her neck and her shoulder.

"I love you," he said. She ran a hand over his hair and urged him to bring his head up to kiss her again. The kiss was full of passion, love, and need. She pulled away only to breathe.

"I love you too."

The End

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