Title: When Doves Cry
Author: Gillian Silverlight
Distribution: My website at www.homestead.com/gilliansspikelair/ , others, just ask please.(If you use my fiction, please do not change the groupings. It can alter the entire story line. Thanks)
Disclaimer: They are owned by Joss and the WB, I just play with them.
Rating: R
Timeline: Post “Hero” but Doyle didn’t die.
Doyle and Cordy climbed the ladder to the level of the ship with Angel. They looked across at the beacon the Scourge had put over the cargo hold.
Doyle looked at Angel is concern in his face. "What does that thing do?"
"It’s light kills anything with human blood."
"Well, it's getting brighter and that doohickey - it's fully armed, isn't it?"
"Almost. If I pull the cable, I think I can still shut it off." Angel told his friend, confidant and co-worker.
"How're you gonna do that without touching the light?"
"Angel, that's suicide." Cordelia told Angel, scared to death for him.
Doyle looked at his friend. "There's got to be another way."
Angel looked at the demons in the hold then at Cordy "It's all right."
"No!" Cordelia yelled at Angel.
Angel put his hand on Doyle's shoulder. Doyle looked back at the vampire, putting his own hand on Angel’s arm. "The good fight, yeah? - You never know until you've been tested. - I get that now."
Doyle hauled back and hit Angel with a hard right to the chin, knocking him down into the cargo hold.
Doyle turned quickly to Cordy, and grasping her face in both hands, leans into her, kissing her hard and passionately on the lips. A strange blue glow shone between their lips as they parted.
Doyle stepped back from Cordelia. Her face showed shock at what had just happened and at what she suspected Doyle was about to do.
"Too bad we'll never know if this is a face you could learn to love." Doyle told her as he changed to his demon face. Cordelia stared at him, having never seen it before.
Angel picked himself up from the floor of the cargo hold, running over to the ladder trying to climb back up before Doyle can do what Angel knows he is about to do.
.
"Doyle. Doyle. Doyle! Doyle! NO!"
Doyle leaps over to the beacon just before Angel reaches the platform. He grabbed hold of its metal frame, turns his head and smiles at Angel and Cordy.
"No!" Angel yelled at his friend.
Doyle morphed back to his human face as he tries to pull the cable connection apart as the light gets brighter and starts to melt the skin off his face. Everybody watches spellbound as Doyle managed to pull the cable apart. The beacon went dark. All the Lister demons stare at the fading beacon in shock. Angel saw what was about to happen and jumped back into the cargo hold just in time to catch his very badly burned friend. Cordy is crying and calling Doyle’s name.
*************************************************
Doyle had been seriously injured by the Scourge’s beacon. Just after he had managed to pull the cable apart, shutting the beacon down, he’d fallen into the cargo hold. Angel had caught him before he hit the floor.
The Lister demons had gotten away in the ship as planned. Angel and Cordelia had taken Doyle back to Cordelia’s apartment at her insistence.
The half-demon had been seriously burned by the beacon’s light. He’d been in a great deal of pain until Angel had finally gotten in touch with a doctor willing to treat demons and work with vampires. The doctor came over to the apartment every day to check on Doyle. His healing, while faster than a human would be due to his demon blood, was still agonizingly slow.
Angel had been glad to see the now unemployed watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce show up on his office doorstep. Angel had needed the help at the office with Doyle so injured. Plus, Wesley had been very helpful with caring for Doyle as well. He’d relieved Cordelia when she was too exhausted and had to sleep; had researched information for Angel Investigations as well as for helping to heal Doyle.
Then too, Wesley had been there with Angel when Cordelia had the very first of the mind-numbing visions. It seemed that Doyle had passed them to her with their only kiss.
Actually it was a good thing he had, because they all knew that Doyle would not have survived the next vision he might have had while in his injured state.
************************************
It had been months since the injury. Doyle was finally up and moving around, but he was far from well. He tried to help out at the office as much as he could. The new guy Wesley, as well as Angel and Cordelia, handled most of the work.
Cordy was having the horribly painful visions. Although she railed at Doyle about them at every opportunity, he could tell she was glad that he was still alive. It was kinda obvious to him since every so often she’d walk by him and drop a gentle kiss on his lips.
That was more than he had ever had from her up to this point.
Then too, they had never discussed his words before he kissed her and leaped to the platform with the beacon. He never thought he’d live through that, and almost wished during the pain of healing that he hadn’t made it. But then Cordy would speak to him or try to change a dressing very gently and he’d be very thankful that he was still among the land of the living.
Doyle knew that sooner or later, they’d have to discuss his words, his feelings, her feelings and where, if anywhere, this might go for them.
The discussion came sooner, rather than later.
Cordelia had moved Doyle into her apartment while he was still bedridden. What she did was go to his disgusting furnished apartment and bring over everything he owned to her place. Angel and Wesley had set up a bed for Doyle in Cordelia’s spare room. She’d thrown just about everything he owned into the wash and informed him that when he was better, she’d take him shopping to get clothes as he had the worst taste of anyone she had ever met except maybe Xander Harris. Doyle knew that Xander had been Cordelia’s boyfriend in Sunnydale, but there hadn’t been much discussion of him or what had happened between them. Doyle could tell it was something that had really hurt Cordy badly.
That evening when Cordelia and Doyle had gotten back to her apartment, even though it was kinda their apartment now, complete with Ghost Dennis; Cordy brought up the subject Doyle had been dreading.
“Doyle, while I make dinner, why don’t you sit in here with me and talk to me about your comments before you got stupid and tried to cook yourself. Not that I wasn’t impressed by your actions and unselfishness, cause I was and am. But you said some things we need to talk about, mister.”
“Cordelia, do you really want to talk about this now?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve let you have months to get better while I’ve had those damned visions you put in my head. Oh don’t think I haven’t tried to get rid of them. I mean I kissed everybody I could find when they started, trying to get rid of them. I mean, god, I even kissed Angel!”
“You kissed Angel, did you? Our boss, Angel?”
“Oh yeah, like we know so many different Angels that I might kiss.. Right. Of course our boss, Angel.”
“So… how was it?” Doyle asked curiously. He knew that a lot of women found the brooding dark haired vampire attractive. That Cordelia had actually kissed him… well it could make a fellow worry a bit. Especially if the fellow was a half demon and not as attractive as said dark haired vampire.
“Ooooo! You are so irritating! I have no idea why I even put up with you. Not only do you dress as bad as Xander, but you make me just as furious as he ever did!”
“OK.. I’m a bad dresser, irritable, gave you mind-numbing visions and I’m a half demon. Anything else you want to hold against me now? Other than your lips like you’ve been doing recently. So tell me Cordy, what’s up with that?”
“Maybe I’m just trying to see if your visions will go back to you and out of my head.”
“You know how to hurt a man, don’t’cha, luv. And here I thought it might be just that you’d enjoyed the first kiss I gave you.”
Cordelia turned away from Doyle, handing onto the edge of the stove. She reached down and turned the burner off before she whirled back around to face Doyle, flinging herself into his arms. She caught him by surprise, but his arms went around her, pulling her close. He’d seen the tear on her face.
“I thought you were going to be killed you idiot. How could we ever find out anything if you were going to kiss me and then try to get your self killed.”
She pulled back slightly to look at Doyle’s scarred face.. The scars were better but would never go away. Tears ran down her cheeks.
“Can you do that thing with your face again? I want to see it.”
“Are you sure?” He was hesitant to show her the other side of him now.
“I asked you to didn’t I? Just shut up and do it…please?”
Doyle looked in her hazel eyes. As he watched her face, he changed his.
In demon face, Doyle had rows upon rows of dark blue spikes that stuck out of his face His eyes were red.
Cordelia took a deep breath and reached one hand up to the spikes and touched them. They weren’t sharp, but kinda hard and rubbery all the same.
“They feel like the dolphin I touched at Sea World, just not wet. Do they hurt when they come out? What makes them come out?”
“No, they don’t hurt. They come out when I consciously make the change in my head, or when I do something like sneeze.”
“Ok. Next question. Do you still want to take me to dinner?”
“I’d love to take you to dinner, Cordy. But you know you. Do you want to be seen with me like this? Scarred like I am?”
“Look, mister. I told you before; I’m not that superficial! We have to deal with your clothes and all first before we ever get to scars.”
Then Cordelia’s voice got very soft. “Besides, you saved all those people and I was so afraid for you. Those scars were honorably earned. The only reason I’d change a one of them would be to keep you from getting hurt.” She leaned her head against his chest.
Doyle reached down and pulled Cordelia up so that her face was level with his. He had gone back to his human face and gently leaned across to her to kiss her lips. He felt her relax against his chest as she kissed him back. She was afraid to hurt him, but when he pulled her closer, kissing her deeper, she gave in completely.
The two of them were so involved that they never heard the door open as Angel walked in to do his evening check on Doyle. The sight that greeted his eyes created a barrage of feelings through the dark-haired vampire.
He was happy that Cordelia and Doyle seemed to be trying to work something out. He was worried that they would get hurt and he felt a twinge of jealousy that both of them could find each other and he was still alone, unable to be with Buffy. Besides himself, Doyle was the only other person who knew what had happened, and only because Angel had told him.
As Angel was trying to back out of the apartment, Doyle heard a slight noise, looked and saw his friend and co-worker.
Cordelia looked up, eyes wide with shock, yet dark from the passion of the kiss she had shared with Doyle. “Angel! Did you never learn to knock, Mr. Broody?”
“Sorry, Cordy… Doyle. I just came to check on Doyle like usual.. I had no idea you guys would be .. ah.. working out problems.”
“I’ll just go now and leave you two alone. See you tomorrow.”
Angel hurriedly left, closing the door behind him. He smiled to himself once he got to the hallway. He really hoped for both of them that they came to an agreement. He’d suspected that Cordelia was in love with the half demon, and knew Doyle was in love with her.
*************************************
Angel’s surprise entry had embarrassed Cordelia enough that she gave Doyle a little hug and then made an excuse about finishing dinner for them. Doyle let it go. He didn’t want to push anything with Cordy, although he wanted her very badly.
No great cook at any time, Cordelia had been learning and had really wanted to make a nice meal for Doyle tonight. She thought that he was well enough now to put some plans of her own into action and she was determined to do so.
She’d stopped on the way home and picked up a couple of movies and a bottle of wine.
“While dinner finishes up, Doyle, I’m going to take a quick shower. Just keep an eye on it and don’t let anything burn. It burns, you still have to eat it anyway.”
Cordelia hurried to the shower and although she was quick about it, she took extra pains with a new body wash she’d gotten. She thought it would be something that Doyle would like
She’d also picked up a nice little lace-trimmed teddy and satin robe. She put those on before going back into the kitchen.
Doyle’s eyes opened wide at the sight of Cordelia in the robe. It was a deep blue that brought out the blue in her hazel eyes and highlights to her hair. Doyle had always loved her hair. It was such a beautiful chestnut color, and long and thick. He wanted to run his hands through it, feeling the texture and weight of it.
“Since we’re not planning to go back out tonight, I thought I’d just get comfortable. You don’t mind do you?”
“No. Not a bit, luv. It looks very nice on ya. Good color for ya.”
“Well, at least you do have some sense of taste. We’ll have to work on that with your own outfits.”
“Now, go get your shower while I get dinner on the table. Then we can relax and watch a movie.”
“Sure. Sounds like a good idea.” Doyle got up and headed off to the bath. He found a very nice set of silk boxers and over sized silk tee shirt with matching satin robe in the bathroom for himself. Cordy had left them there for him where he couldn’t miss them.
They were a rich shade of burgundy that he could tell would go well with the blue of her own robe and whatever she was hiding under it.
* Tha’ woman’s up to something. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was trying to seduce me. *
It was a cheery thought for him and he carefully got into the shower humming an off key tune.
When Doyle had gotten out of the shower and dressed in his new loungewear, he wandered back to the kitchen. Cordelia had finished dinner while he was in the bath.
She’d even set the dining room table. This was something she almost never did, at least not just for the two of them. There were candles on the table and a glass of wine for each of them.
* Now I know she’s trying to seduce me. Ah, better not let her know I know. Would spoil the surprise for her. *
Doyle had learned enough about the beautiful brunette he’d fallen for to know better than to let her know he knew what was going on.
“This looks nice, Cordelia. Special occasion tonight?”
“No, of course not! I just felt like having a nice dinner rather than eating in the kitchen like we always do.”
“Ok.. Well, it still looks very nice.”
“Thanks, Doyle.” Cordelia looked a bit embarrassed at his compliment.
They ate dinner with the usual small talk about the day. Afterwards, as Doyle helped Cordy clear the table, she refilled their wine glasses and took them to the living room, setting them on the coffee table.
Then she went back to help him finish clearing things away.
“How do you feel, Doyle? I know you’re not back to 100 percent, but how are you feeling?”
Cordelia had a serious note to her voice, that he caught.
* Yep, something up for sure.* He smiled inside. He wouldn’t miss this for anything.
“I’m feeling pretty good, Cordy. You’ve done a grand job of taking care of me.”
“Well, how else will I ever get you to take these blasted visions back, if you don’t get well?” “I took our wine glasses to the living room, don’t you dare spill it on the sofa!” “Let’s go watch a movie this evening, ok?’
“I’d like that. What did you get for us?”
She laughed at the man beside her as they walked the short distance to the living room.
“ ‘City of Angels’, of course. Now, don’t complain. It’s a good movie”
“ No, no complaints. Although it’s a good thing we don’t have Angel here to watch it with us.. He might get a bit offended.” Doyle chuckled at the very thought of it.
They sat next to each other on the couch, Cordelia sitting closer to Doyle than she normally did. That lasted about 15 minutes when she nudged him back into the corner of the sofa and then gently leaned back against his chest. Doyle certainly wasn’t going to let that go to waste and put his arm around her waist. She snuggled closer into him giving a small contented sigh.
With that, Doyle finished off the last of his wine, setting the glass on the table behind his head. With both hands free now, he could reach up and rub her shoulders.
The brunette made a small moaning sound of pleasure, deep in her throat. “That feels so good. I’ll give you a couple of years to stop, ok?”
“You’re so tense, Cordy. Just relax and let me handle things tonight. Ok, luv?”
“Ummmmmm, anything you say, Doyle.”
“That could be a dangerous comment, you know.” Doyle’s voice was a bit lower, rougher with desire for her. As he rubbed her shoulders, he leaned forward just enough to run his lips down the side of her neck, kissing it gently as he inched along her soft flesh.
“Doyle, I can’t watch the movie if you do that.” Cordelia’s voice was husky from his touch on her shoulders and neck.
“Do ye want me to stop so ye can watch it, luv?”
She turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. “No. I had something else in mind.”
She stood up and turned off the movie and TV. Then took Doyle’s hand, pulling him up from the sofa, never taking her eyes from him. Doyle got up from the sofa, watching Cordelia intently as she lead him into her bedroom. She stopped next to the edge of her bed and released his hand. Her hands moved to the sash on her robe, untying it and sliding the robe off her shoulders to pool around her bare feet on the floor.
She stood there looking at him, wearing just the lace-trimmed teddy. It was the same deep blue as the robe.
“You’re beautiful, luv.” Doyle looked into her eyes as he also untied and removed the deep wine colored robe. As he dropped it to the floor, it mingled with the folds of her robe.
For those that have visions, they might have said it was a foreshadowing of what was to come. They would be right.
Doyle took Cordelia in his arms kissing her, demanding entrance to her mouth with his. Her arms snaked around his neck, as she pressed closer to him. He held her behind her back with one arm as he lowered her to the bed, bracing both of them with his other arm. She pulled him with her as she lay back, bringing one leg up to wrap around his hips pulling him even closer to her.
Doyle deepened the kiss as he lay over her, supporting his weight with one forearm braced against the mattress.
He caught Cordelia with one arm and rolled over to his side, bringing her with him. He ran his hands over her body.
Cordelia was busy running her hands across his chest, around his waist, along his jaw line. Anywhere she could touch him, all the while, kissing him
“Doyle…”
“Yes, luv.”
“I was terrified when I thought you might die. I realized how silly I’d been, keeping you away when I really wanted you closer…”
“Honey, I was afraid I’d never see you again, never know if you could care about me.”
“Do you remember what you asked me?”
“Yes.. “
“Do it now, please.”
Doyle knew what he’d said to her, knew what she was asking. The same thing she’d asked him earlier that night. So he let his face change.
Cordelia ran her hand over his face, threading her fingers between the spikes from his face. She leaned in carefully and kissed his lips. They were so soft, so tender on hers.
“Doyle…” Her voice was shaky, just a whisper..
He looked at her, asking the question with his eyes on hers..
“The answer is yes.” She rapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her.
As he leaned into her, he let the spikes disappear and captured her lips under his, drinking her into himself.
Cordelia finally broke the kiss, tears on her cheeks. “I love you, Doyle. I do love you.” “Please don’t leave me again.”
“Cordy, my love, I’ll try as hard as I can not to leave you, lass. You know I love you. I’ve loved you since before…”
She pulled him back into a kiss, not wanting to think about what had almost happened.
It wasn’t long before each of them had removed the other’s clothing; her warm body lay next to his. Being half demon he was warmer than her, he felt almost hot against her skin.
They murmured the language of lovers to each other as they explored the body next to them. Finally when neither of them could stand it any longer, he entered her. She was more than ready for him and pulled him in closer to her, wrapping her long legs around his hips.
They moved together, as Doyle fought for control. He didn’t want to end this too soon. Above all else, he wanted to please this woman that was more a part of him that he could have believed.
Cordelia strained against him, whimpering into his shoulder from the exquisite pleasure he was creating in her. Without warning, a tide of pleasure swept over her, pulling a scream of sound from her. She grasped his hips tighter with her legs and grasped his back with her nails.
Her spasming flesh around him was more than he could stand, and he fell over the edge right behind her. He arched his back against her, knowing what was to happen. As the groan of pleasure escaped his mouth, so did the spikes of the demon part of him. Seconds later, they disappeared again. Cordelia understood through the haze of passion why he had felt it so important that she accept that part of him.
He fell back against her, spent for the moment.
“Doyle, I know now why it was so important.”
“That was only one reason, luv. I needed you to accept all of me, if you wanted me. No lies, luv.”
“No lies, Doyle. I love you, but no lies.”
“Never, luv.”
He leaned in to kiss her again.
It was some time before they were both sated. They curled up together, holding each other tightly as they drifted off to sleep
******************************************
The next morning as Doyle and Cordelia entered the office, they walked in hand in hand. As Angel came through the inner door and saw them, Cordelia blushed but never turned loose of Doyle’s hand.
“So.. I see you two finally worked out that problem.” Angel said to them, a small smile across his face.
Cordelia just looked at Doyle and blushed before she turned his hand loose and went to her desk.
“Aye, mate, that we did. “
“Cordelia, you look very nice today. “ Angel teased her, trying to get a rise out of her.
“Thanks. I’ll have coffee ready in a few minutes.” She said without looking at Angel.
As she started to pour the water in the machine she gasped and grabbed her head, dropping the water and arching back as Angel and Doyle both ran to grab her. They held her as the vision ripped through her.
Once it was over, she gasped as she struggled for pen and paper. They got her to the chair and handed her a clipboard ready for her to write on. She wrote down the address they needed to go to and as Angel grabbed the paper, Doyle kissed her quickly.
As they walked out the door she called Wesley. The phone rang and rang with no answer. Just as she was cursing him, he walked in the door. She quickly told him where Angel and Doyle had gone. He left to catch them.
*****************************************
Cordelia and Doyle had been together now for about 2 months. They had talked about a wedding, but hadn’t formalized any arrangements yet.
Since that first night, Doyle had shared the room as well as the bed with her every night.
Angel had two very happy employees even if they did tend to tune out the rest of the world when they looked at each other.
Cordelia woke that morning to find her stomach was not her friend. She bolted from the bed to the bathroom and tried to heave up her socks. It would have been a good trick, since she was not wearing socks or anything else for that matter.
Doyle was right behind her; concerned about this woman he loved.
“Luv, are you alright, what’s wrong?”
The nausea had finally passed and she laid her head on the cool porcelain of the toilet, letting the cold refresh her head.
“I have an idea what it is and why neither of us thought about it before now, I have no idea. So if that’s what it is, I can’t kill you cause it’s my fault too.”
“Cordy darlin’ I love ya, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Doyle, I think I’m pregnant!”
“You mean with a baby?” He asked her in shock.
“That’s usually what women get pregnant with.”
“Go to the drugstore and get me a test while I lay here and die.” She moaned, not feeling secure in leaving the bathroom just yet.
Doyle kissed her gently and ran to throw clothes on and headed to the drugstore. Finally Cordelia felt safe in heading back to the bedroom. She had just laid back down on the bed when a vision ripped through her.
Once it had passed, she sat up, tears in her eyes, as she screamed, “NO!!”
************************************
Cordelia got herself under control, and picked up the phone, She had to do this before Doyle got back.
The phone rang and a sleep arm reached over the man beside her to pick it up.
“ ‘lo..” The groggy voice mumbled into the phone.
“Buffy, it’s Cordelia… I need your help Buffy. It’s important!” The brunette’s frantic voice got through the sleep in Buffy’s head quickly.
“Cordy, what’s wrong?”
“Buffy, It’s Doyle.. We saved him after the demons and the light and now he’s gonna die, and I’m pregnant and you have to help me. He can’t die now.”
“Cordy, honey… you’re not making sense.. tell me a bit slower.” Buffy shook the shoulder of the man beside her to wake him.
“Wha’ ta’ bloody hell’s wrong, luv?”
“Buffy, was that Spike I heard?”
“Yeah, Cordy, don’t go there right now.. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Cordelia gave Buffy a quick rundown of the last few months, and her vision she had just had a few minutes before.
“Ok.. We’ll be there as quick as we can make it, Cordy. Try and stay calm, Ok?”
“Yeah…” The brunette cried into the phone.
“We’ll be there in about 3 hours. Ok? We’ll hurry.”
“Ok. I’ve gotta go, Doyle’s back.” Cordelia hung up the phone.
Doyle walked into the bedroom with a small package. He gave it to Cordelia and helped her back to the bathroom as she asked. She went in to check what she was already sure of. After a few minutes, the brunette came back out of the bathroom.
“Honey, we’re pregnant.” She told her lover.
“Cordy! Really? I love you, lass.” Doyle picked her up and whirled her around in his arms.
“Doyle!” She called in an odd voice.
He stopped and she struggled out of his arms immediately running back into the bathroom.
When she came back out a few minutes later, she glared at him. “Don’t ever spin a pregnant woman around unless you want her to throw up again!”
“Cordy, luv.. I’m sorry, I had no idea.. I’ve never been pregnant before.”
She just looked at him. He sounded so contrite, she couldn’t help laughing at him, especially he way he’d phrased his comment.
“Doyle, get me some juice and a couple of saltines please. Then I might be able to get dressed and we can get to work.”
He hurried to the kitchen as she watched him, worried to her very soul.
*******************************
Cordelia finally got Angel to send Doyle and Wesley out on an errand, so she could talk to Angel alone.
“Angel, we have a problem.” Her voice was shaky as she started to tell him.
“What’s up, Cordy?”
“Sit down, Angel, You’re not gonna like some of this any better than I do.”
She told him about being sick that morning, that she was pregnant, about her vision, and about calling Buffy for help and that when she woke the Slayer, she’d heard Spike beside her.
Angel went the gamut of emotions as Cordelia told him everything.
“Ok..” He took a deep un-needed breath. “Spike was with Buffy when you woke her. They have to help try to save Doyle, you’re pregnant, and Buffy and Spike are on the way here now.”
“Yep, that’s about it.”
“What do we do, Angel? I just can’t lose him now..”
He gathered the brunette to him as she cried again. “Cordy, we’ll do everything we can to save him, love.”
He couldn’t do anything else except hold her and try to reassure her against the storm of tears that swept through her.
**************************************
Later that morning, Buffy and Spike came into the building. Spike had been covered in a blanket to keep most of the sun off of him.
He caught Buffy’s arm. “Luv, we’d better get this part over with first so we can get to work for Cordelia.”
She looked at her lover. “Yeah. This is not gonna be fun.”
Buffy and Spike walked into the offices. Buffy went straight to Cordelia and hugged her.
Angel walked out of the inner office, back straight and stiff with anger. He looked at Buffy and then Spike.
“Buffy, would you come in please.?”
She looked at Cordelia who nodded slightly at her. Buffy sighed and glanced at Spike. They both went into Angel’s office with him.
“Do you want to tell me about this or shall I just make it up as I go?” Angel asked the blonde Slayer.
“No, we knew we’d have to tell you. Spike and I finally worked out our differences, and discovered that we have feelings for each other. We’ve been together for about a month now. Since Mom died.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Joyce. Giles had told me but, we had a crisis and I couldn’t come up right then.”
“What have you got to say about this, Spike?” Angel asked the blonde Vampire.
“It’s like she told you. I’ve had this bloody chip in my ‘ead for a while now. It made some big differences. I finally realized what Dru ‘ad been telling me for a while now. I love ‘er, Angel. I’d never ‘urt ‘er.”
The dark haired vampire just looked at them. “If you ever do hurt her Spike, I’ll be right behind you with a stake.”
“Understood, Sire. ‘S not something you have to worry about.”
“Angel, can we get on with the reason Cordelia called us?” Buffy asked him. He looked at her with eyes full of sadness. Not that he could be with her, he knew that. He’d given that up, but seeing her with Spike, Angel knew he’d lost her forever. It hurt.
But he had a friend in the other office that was in danger of losing her lover, the father of her unborn child. Someone who was also his friend. They’d come so close to losing him before…
**********************************************
Doyle and Wesley had just gotten back to the office when Buffy and Spike emerged from Angel’s office with Angel close behind.
Introductions went all around. Spike was the only one who didn’t actually know Doyle, nor did Doyle know him. He’d had a glimpse of Spike some time ago during all that had happened about the Ring of Amara. It took some talking and explaining to convince Doyle that Spike was one of the ‘good-guys’ now.
“So, what do we owe this visit to?” Doyle asked Buffy and Spike. They looked at Angel who looked at Cordelia. The exchange of looks didn’t get past Doyle.
“Cordy, what’s going on, luv?”
“I had a vision this morning. They’re here to help take care of it. They have to be here to help with it.”
Doyle got the feeling that Cordelia wasn’t telling him everything. He leaned close to her ear and whispered just to her, or so he thought; but the vampires both heard him quite well.
“Darlin’ we agreed no lies. What’s the rest?”
Cordelia looked at the man she loved and tears started to fill her eyes, her bottom lip quivered. “It’s you, Doyle. You’re in danger. You can’t.. I need you, our child needs you. I love you. I can’t lose you again.”
She got carefully up from her chair at her desk and whirled, throwing herself into Doyle’s arms, sobbing.
“Luv, You know I’ll do everything I can not to leave you. I love you too, Cordy.”
Buffy moved closer to Spike at Cordelia and Doyle’s words. He reached down and took her hand. Angel moved behind both of them, a hand on the shoulder of each of them. Each person in that room was so aware of the people they loved, that they were all in a dangerous ‘profession’ and that their loved ones could be taken from them at any minute.
It made each of them want to hold on to those special ones in their life.
“Cordelia, we’ll do whatever we have to do to keep Doyle safe. That’s why we’re here.” Buffy told the brunette. They’d never been real close, but she could understand the pain Cordelia was going through.
* God, and I’ve got two of them to worry about. If anything happened to either Spike or Angel, I don’t know how I’d get through it. *
Cordelia moaned, her body arched back as another vision ripped through her.
This was like no other vision she’d ever had before. An odd looking female splotched with blues and golds stood seeming to look right at Cordelia. The woman spoke to her.
< Child, as we told the Other, when one door closes, another will open. The being with you should have died from the burning light, yet he had not completed what was necessary. Now, he has. We are sorry for your pain, yet this must be. As a lower being, you will try to stop this. But it rushes forward with the winds of time. What must be, must be. There will be compensation. >
The vision faded. Cordelia found herself supported by both Doyle and Angel.
“What was it, Cordy? What did you see this time?” Angel asked her quickly.
She turned a shattered face toward the vampire, tears falling down her face that had nothing to do with the pain in her head. Like she was trapped in slow motion, Cordelia turned toward Doyle, drinking him in with her eyes, knowing she was going to lose him.
Her eyes rolled back as her knees gave way under her and she crumpled. The two men next to her caught her, lifting her and laying her on the sofa in the office.
Wesley reached in the small refrigerator, getting ice from the freezer compartment and placing it in an ice pack. He handed it to Angel, who placed it on Cordelia’s forehead.
“Wesley, is she ok? Do all of her visions affect her so badly?” Buffy asked the ex-watcher, concerned about Cordelia.
“No. This must have had something else to do with Doyle. She really does love him.”
Wesley answered the Slayer. He was Cordelia’s friend and didn’t wish to see her suffer, especially since she and Doyle had had such a short time together.
**************************************
As soon as she was able, Cordelia told all of them about this latest vision as she cried and clung to Doyle.
Doyle and Angel just looked at each other. They recognized the description of one of the Oracles. Both knew that nothing could stop what was to happen now.
“Darlin’ luv, rest here now. Wesley, Buffy and Spike will stay with’ya, luv. I need to talk to Angel. I’ll be back in a few minutes. We’ll just be in his office.” Doyle told Cordelia, kissing her gently.
Buffy, Spike and Wesley moved to sit close to the brunette, Buffy and Wesley holding her hands, Spike running his hand over her hair trying to comfort her. He looked up and his eyes met Buffy’s. Both of them could see the pain in the eyes of the other and knew the pain of losing someone loved.
Angel walked in to his office with Doyle, closing the door behind them.
Wasting no time, Doyle told Angel exactly what he wanted. Angel heard him out and nodded, looking back through the window at Cordelia surrounded by her friends.
As Doyle left Angel’s office, Angel picked up the phone…
***********************************
“Cordy, luv… Are you better? I need to talk to you and then you’ll need to go out with Buffy and Wesley. Angel and I need Spike’s help here, not to mention that the sun is still out.”
“Yeah..” Cordelia looked at her friends around her. “Would you guys excuse us for a few minutes, please?”
The gang got up and went to the elevator and went down to Angel’s apartment. It felt odd to Buffy. She felt like there was something important she should remember, but then Wesley was talking to them.
*****************************************
“Cordelia, that was one of the Oracles that spoke to you in your last vision. If she says this has to happen, there is nothing we can do to stop it, luv. I don’t want to leave you. But we’re not being given a choice, lass.” Doyle continued, trying to explain to the brunette what he had arranged.
“I asked Angel to call someone for me. I want you to marry me. Now. Tonight, luv.
I need you to go with Buffy and Wesley and get a dress for our wedding. Angel and Spike will protect me while I go get you a ring. This is important to me Cordy, to have you be my wife before they take me.”
“There is nothing we can do to stop this?” Cordelia asked him in a tear-filled whisper.
“No, luv. Once the Oracles, who speak for the Powers That Be get involved, there is nothing we can do to stop this. So we need to take care of everything as quickly as possible.” Doyle had to ask the next question even though he didn’t want to know the answer.
“How much time do I have, Cordy?”
“Two days…” She choked the words out as the tears overwhelmed her again.
“It’s not the life-time I wanted, but it’s more time than I ever had any hope of months ago. And you’re carrying my child, luv. That means so much to me.” Doyle leaned over and kissed her tenderly.
“This child… This is what you had to do, isn’t it? That’s why once we knew we were pregnant, they are taking you from me… Your son is going to be special, Doyle.”
“Our son, my lovely, our son.” He kissed her again.
That is how everyone found them as they returned to the reception area.
************************************
Angel had given Buffy and Cordelia his credit card when they went out to go shopping. Cordelia had never thought that she’d ever be sad shopping, especially with someone else’s money to spend. But this was the hardest shopping trip she’d ever done.
Buffy bullied Cordelia into a normal wedding gown. It was simple but elegant.
“Cordy, both of you have the right to have as much of a normal wedding as we can all manage. Look as good for Doyle as you can, hon.” Buffy told her.
Cordelia knew Buffy was right, but she still was miserable knowing how short her marriage would be.
Buffy got a simple long gown in a deep ivory. It was Cordelia’s choice of color for Buffy, who would be her Maid of Honor for her wedding. They also picked up outfits for Spike and Angel as well as Doyle and Wesley.
When they returned back to the office, they were amazed at the changes that had been made.
Angel had called in a few favors and had had a small alcove set up in the room. Flowers filled the space.
Doyle had gotten Cordelia a beautiful wedding set. Everyone watched as Doyle got down on one knee and proposed to Cordelia, then slipped the small but perfect marquise cut diamond ring on her finger.
“Gang, everybody needs to get dressed. The minister will be here in an hour.” Angel told them.
They all headed downstairs again. The girls grabbed the bathroom first, getting showered and changed. They came back into the living room with the men.
“Cordelia! Darlin’ you are beautiful!” Doyle told her as he just stared at her.
“Buffy, I’ve seen you all dressed up before, but this… You’re like a goddess, luv.” Spike told his lover, awe in his voice. He took her hands and kissed her gently on the lips, careful not to muss her makeup.
“Ok. We all need to get dressed too. “Angel prompted the men. He didn’t know quite what to think. He was a little bit jealous of Doyle; about to marry the woman he loved, even though they all knew he was going to die.
And Angel was a LOT jealous of Spike, especially seeing Buffy in that dress. He’d seen her all dressed up before on many occasions, but Spike was right. She did look like a Goddess in the dress Cordelia had picked out for her.
Buffy and Cordelia went back upstairs, letting the guys have the whole apartment to themselves to get ready. They had about 20 minutes now before the minister was supposed to show up.
Buffy and Cordelia didn’t talk while they waited. Buffy just sat next to her friend and held her hand, comforting her as much as she could.
The guys came upstairs with a minute or two to spare.
Angel was gorgeous as always, in a deep wine silk shirt and black linen slacks. Spike had a matching set with a dark midnight blue silk shirt and black linen slacks. Both men had ties to co-ordinate with their shirts.
Wesley was in a dark purple, almost black silk shirt and the same black linen slacks, Doyle’s was the same slacks and a deep green silk shirt with undertones of blue to the green.
Spike helped Buffy pin the small corsage of ivory roses tinged with pink, to her dress, while Doyle did the same for Cordelia. Her flowers were deep red, almost black, roses with one single white bud in the middle.
No sooner had they finished with the flowers than the minister knocked at the door. Wesley let the man in and everyone took their places.
Buffy stood to Cordelia’s right, while Angel stood at Doyle’s left as his best man.
Spike and Wesley stood behind them as witnesses and more moral support.
When the minister asked for the rings, Angel handed the matching band to Doyle for Cordelia’s hand. Buffy handed Cordelia a slender diamond cut gold band for her to place on Doyle’s finger.
The ceremony was over and Doyle had kissed Cordelia, now Mrs. Allen Francis Doyle.
All of them went down stairs with Doyle and Cordelia. The newlyweds got in Cordelia’s car and everyone else got into Angel’s car to follow them.
Angel and Spike walked Doyle and Cordelia to their apartment then went back down to the car.
Once everyone was back in the car, Buffy asked Angel. “What exactly did Cordelia see this morning? She only gave me a quick rundown, that Doyle was going to be attacked and killed.”
“Buffy, from what she told me, she saw Doyle get attacked by a Kregle demon. They have poison in the tips of their claws as well as in small sacs behind their teeth. So any scratch or bite will kill him. His demon blood won’t help him in this. If he were a vampire, he’d be safe. So it means that Spike and I can try to defend him and keep him safe. All you and Wesley can do is keep watch. We’ll split up into pairs of human and vampire to try and keep him safe. But if Cordelia’s other vision was the oracles… we’ll do what we can, but we can’t expect to stop this. We’ll have to keep Cordelia safe though.”
“Where does he get attacked?” Spike asked quietly.
“Their apartment.”
Everyone understood the implications in those two words.
********************************************
Spike and Buffy were on watch. Spike had been uncommonly quiet since they had arrived in LA. In fact he’d hardly spoken at all.
“Spike, what’s wrong? You’ve been very quiet since we got here.”
“I keep thinking how I’d feel if it was you, luv. I don’t know if I could get through it.”
“Then, we’re here and Angel is here and he was your first love.. I’m afraid you’ll change your mind about me, being here around him.” Spike answered her quietly and turned his head away. He didn’t want her to see the tear slid down his cheek.
Buffy reached over and caught his chin in her hand, turning his face toward her. She saw the tear and leaned over to kiss it off his cheek.
“Spike.. Listen to me. I love you. Yes, Angel was the first, in a lot of ways. I’ll always love him, but it’s more as a friend now.” Buffy continued, trying to make Spike understand how she felt.
“Spike, no one, not even Angel ever made me feel like you do. Like my skin is too small and on fire and you look at me and my stomach quivers, my chest gets tight and it’s hard to breathe. I will never willingly leave you, Spike. But we both know that as the Slayer.. There is always the chance that the next fight may be my last.”
“I know. And it bloody well scares me to undeath!” The blonde vampire had thought a lot about his next words.
“Buffy, once we get back home.. Will you marry me? If the next fight were to be the last, I’d rather know that you’d been my wife, at least for a little while than never at all.”
Buffy looked into his beautiful blue eyes, seeing the love and fear mingled there. She had those same fears herself. This whole situation had emphasized it even more.
“Yes, Spike. I’ll marry you. On one condition.”
“What’s that, luv?”
“Tell me your real name, vampire!” Buffy giggled at him.
“Luv, it’s been so long, I have no idea what my last name was.”
“Well, since you were born in London.. How about we go with William London?”
“And you’re ok with being Buffy London?”
“Hmmmm. Now that you put it that way.. We’ll think of something ok?”
“But yes, Spike, I’d love to marry you. I love you.”
His answer to that was to lean over and kiss her soundly.
******************************************
Cordelia and Doyle had spent their wedding night much like other newlyweds. Except knowing how short their time was, there was an undercurrent of desperation to their lovemaking.
The next morning, Cordelia called Angel and told him they had decided to stay home. They wanted to spend every minute possible together.
Angel reassured them that he understood and agreed.
So the two teams took turns watching over the apartment.
**********************************************
It was late the second night when both vampire human teams were outside Doyle and Cordelia’s apartment. Angel and Wesley where outside the fire escape, while Spike and Buffy were in the hallway.
Off to Angel’s left, the vampire heard a noise. Motioning to Wesley to stay behind him and be alert, Angel headed toward the sound.
There coming up from the sewer drain was the Kregle demon. Angel approached him, sword hidden under his coat, while Wesley ran to alert Buffy and Spike.
Spike headed out to help Angel while Buffy and Wesley ran into the apartment to get Cordelia and Doyle out.
They were going out the stairway when Buffy heard a scuffling sound. Looking over the stair rail, she saw another Kregle demon coming up the stairs. They turned and ran toward the elevator.
The elevator took them to the ground floor without incident.
As Wesley and Buffy headed Doyle and Cordelia to Angel’s car, a third demon dropped down in from of them from the side of the building.
Cordelia screamed and pulled a small crossbow out of her bag.
Tears streaming down her face, she yelled at the approaching demon. “I love him. Leave him alone!” She fired the crossbow into the demon’s forehead. He collapsed to the ground and dissolved in front of them.
Shaking, Cordelia turned and threw herself into her husband’s arms.
Spike and Angel came running around the side of the building in time to see the demon dissolve.
“The one we were fighting is also dead” Angel told them.
“There was a third one heading up the stairs inside.” Buffy told them.
“Get them out of here!” Angel and Spike headed for the building.
As they headed for the car again, the third demon lumbered out of the front door of the building. Heading toward them at a run.
“Wesley, get them in the car!” Buffy yelled at the ex-watcher as she charged the Kregle.
“Buffy, NO!” Wesley shouted at her as he opened the door to get Cordelia and Doyle out of the street.
Buffy had run toward the demon and grabbed the telephone pole guy wire with both hands, kicking herself off the ground and aiming both feet right at the demon’s head. Her hands slipped on the wire and instead she caught the Kregle hard in the chest with both feet.
The demon went down as Buffy twisted, releasing the wire and landing on the ground in a crouched fighting stance.
The Kregle got back to his feet, obviously hurt but still heading for his target single-mindedly.
As Buffy rushed him again, he swept her to one side with a ham-like fist. She hit the telephone pole hard going down in a heap on the pavement.
The Kregle reached the car door and ripped it off reaching not for Doyle, but for Cordelia!
Doyle threw himself at the Kregle; he was in full blue-spike demon face. Doyle suddenly understood that what Cordelia had said was true, the baby was important and that was what the demons were going for. As much as Doyle loved his wife and unborn son and didn’t want to leave them, he knew he’d have to fight this thing to keep it away from them and that was how he’d be killed.
It was worth it.
As Doyle fought the demon, Angel and Spike came back out of the building.
“Doyle! NO!” Angel shouted at him.
“It’s after Cordy and the baby, not me!” Doyle shouted back.
Angel pulled his sword, heading for the demon as fast as possible,
The Kregle was stronger than Doyle, even in demon form, and kept pushing him away as it headed toward the car and Cordelia. Doyle threw himself over the open door to block it.
Just as Angel reached the demon and swung the sword at its head, removing it from the creature’s shoulders; the demon reached for Doyle, grasping his shirtfront to pull him out of the way. As the Kregle grabbed Doyle, one claw cut Doyle’s chest.
Even before the now dead Kregle hit the ground Doyle crumpled to his knees, the poison burning through him like liquid fire.
Cordelia screamed as she saw her husband fall.
Spike had picked Buffy up from the ground and brought her over to the car. He’d already been assured that she was ok. The demon hadn’t scratched or bit her, just slapped her away.
Doyle struggled for breath as the poison hit his system rapidly.
Cordelia knelt beside him, as did everyone else. She took his hand, crying.
“Doyle, love, please don’t leave me! I love you!”
“Luv, I can’t stop this. We had our time together and I don’ regret a second of it. I had Angel make arrangements to take care of you and our son, lass. Let him do what I wanted, so you’ll always be safe and cared for. I’ll always love you, Cordelia. Wife.”
“Doyle… my husband. I’ll never forget you, never. I love you.”
Cordelia leaned down to kiss her dying husband. He kissed her back and exhaled for the last time.
Cordelia wiped the tears from her face and stood up. The others had tears streaming down their faces for their fallen comrade. Once again, Doyle had shown himself to be more than just a hero.
“Angel, will all of you help me get my husband into the apartment. We need to call the funeral home for him.”
Cordelia handled the conversation with the police, as well as the funeral arrangements.
She had Doyle cremated and as she stood at the shore to scatter most of his ashes into the sea as he has wanted her to do; a dove flew over giving a mournful cry as it flew on out to sea.
Wesley looked at the dove and remarked quietly. “That was most unusual.”
“But fitting.” Angel told him just as quietly.
**************************************
Back at the office, Angel had told them Doyle’s requests.
Doyle had taken out a large life-insurance policy, so Cordelia never had to worry about money again for her or their son.
Doyle had also asked Angel to marry Cordelia so that she wouldn’t be alone. He knew Angel would miss him as well, and Doyle hadn’t wanted Angel to be alone either. It had been obvious that Buffy was permanently with Spike. So Doyle had felt that Cordelia and Angel could help each other get through both their losses. And Doyle had trusted Angel to raise his son for him.
Cordelia had not cried again since Doyle had kissed her last. She knew the others didn’t really understand. She thought Angel might.
It wasn’t that she didn’t miss Doyle, or didn’t still love him. She did. More than she’d ever tell anyone for a long time to come.
But she had said her goodbye to him and he to her, and in that last kiss she’d gotten the strength she needed from the man she’d given her heart to….
Buffy and Spike stayed a bit longer. A week after Doyle’s funeral, Cordelia and Angel were married in a very quiet ceremony. Buffy stood with Cordelia as her maid of honor again. Spike stood with his Sire as his best man.
Spike and Wesley wore black outfits. Angel wore burgundy and black. Buffy’s dress this time was a deep burgundy as well.
Cordelia had found a green dress the exact color of Doyle’s shirt at their wedding.
During the ceremony, Angel slipped a plain gold band above the wedding set that Doyle had place on Cordelia’s finger. She put a plain gold band on Angel’s finger. The kiss they shared at the end of the ceremony was very chaste.
That night, Cordelia and Angel stayed at a hotel. They both had too many memories at their own apartments. They’d look for a different one together.
They slept in the same bed, each with their own loss as they simply held each other all night.
Wesley took over Cornelia and Doyle’s apartment. Ghost Dennis needed someone he knew and with Wesley there, Cordelia could always go visit Dennis and her memories of Doyle.
*******************************************
A month after Buffy and Spike had returned to Sunnydale; Angel, Wesley and Cordelia drove to Sunnydale for the family-only wedding of Buffy and Spike.
The Scoobies, the LA gang, Giles and Joyce made for an odd family, but they were all family without a doubt.
Giles gave Buffy away. Angel was best man for Spike. Cordelia was Matron of Honor for Buffy.
She’d had to explain some of what had happened to ease Willow’s hurt feelings, but Buffy was insistent that Cordelia be her Matron of Honor.
The events in LA had brought new understanding to Spike and Angel.
Cordelia and Buffy were not best friends, but had become sisters in a way they found hard to explain to anyone who had not been there.
Angel had given the mansion to Spike and Buffy as a wedding present.
They in turn gave a suite to Angel and Cordelia that would always be theirs.
Buffy did insist on completely redecorating the mansion. The Scoobies helped and so all the old ‘ghosts’ were send packing for good.
Buffy and Spike never forgot what had happened in LA and cherished each other all the more for it.
*************************************************
Seven months later, Spike and Buffy went back to LA.
Cordelia had Angel call them the moment she went into labor, so they made it to the hospital before she delivered her and Doyle’s son, now Angel’s stepson.
They all laughed the first time little Allen Francis Doyle O’Malley didn’t get his dinner fast enough and as he made his temper known, the tiny little blue spikes appeared from his face and his eyes got a bit more red than most crying babies.
Willow and Giles came down the following week to do the Wiccaning for little Doyle. Buffy and Spike were the child’s ‘spirit’- parents.
There was much hugging and laughter, as the Sunnydale gang got ready to leave.
Angel kissed his wife with real affection as he walked the gang out to their cars.
He hugged Buffy and Spike and wished them a good trip. The tension that had been there several months ago was finally gone.
Buffy and Spike detoured by the ocean to place a white rose and a picture of his son in the water for Doyle on their way home.
Gillian Silverlight 4/01/01