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She woke up around eight o'clock. But it was more the slight headache that woke her up, than the actual need of getting up. She should go to the office and work. Since their agency really needed some work on their image. After all they were Angel Investigation without Angel. That was something they needed to fix. Changing the name would do the trick. Only the choice of the name was difficult.

She smiled while she made herself breakfast. Pills shouldn't be taken on an empty stomach. She called Gunn and asked if he could give her a ride to the office. He agreed immadiately. And didn't ask any questions. That was what Cordelia appreciated at the moment.

She was able to finish her breakfast, take her daily dose of medication and get dressed, before Gunn arrived. She greeted him with a smile and they headed to the office.

"...No it's not," she continued their argument as they entered the office. "You have no idea how important is image in this business. We need to be trusted and profesional, sure, but we also have to make good impression. Without it, we're lost!"
Gunn grimaced on that and looked at Wes.
"Wes, what do you think? Image or action?" he asked Wesley.

Cordelia was desperate to act like nothing happened, but she said nothing.

Looking up from the file he was working on, Wesley exchanged a glance with Gunn. He heard them coming toward the office for minutes now. First Gunn's truck, which wasn't the most silent and then Cordy's insistent talking. And for some reason it angered him that she was trying to pretend nothing had ever happened. She must think very little of him.

"Does it matter?" He sighed, looking directly at Cordelia. "It's all fake anyway, false."

Just like the image Cordelia had build up for herself and the actions she was taking. Fals, fake, not the real Cordelia. Wesley just wished she would drop the mask and let someone other then Dennis in. Let someone help her. Let him help her. She shouldn't be doing this, whatever 'this' was, on her own.

"Right," Gunn snorted, shaking his head. "Yo, man. What's up. Any new cases?" Gunn asked hopefully.

Wesley tore his gaze away from Cordelia and glanced over at Gunn. "I'm afraid not. I was thinking of visiting Caritas or some other bar and ask around."

"You aint going alone," Gunn insisted.

"I'm quite capable of looking after myself, Charles," Wesley said, raising an eyebrow at the young man.

'You're going alone over my dead body mister,' was Cordelia only thought. Instead of saying it aloud she smiled to Gunn. "Good! You boys go and do the singing or at least talking to demons or whatever and I'll have time to take care of this place," she looked around with some disgust.

"Because honestly, this place need some work," she said putting her purse on the chair. Little work. Yeah, Burn it to the ground and we can think about working here.

Gunn shrugged and looked at Wes. "You heard what the lady said..."

Cordelia was sure, that Gunn was unaware of the silence between her and Wesley. And maybe it was better that way. This way they were able to exist as a team. Because she could tell that Wes doesn't like the idea of her hiding something. But she already told him what's wrong. It's his fault he wasn't around then.

Cordelia was being so bright it set Wesley's teeth on edge. And it angered him even more. But if she wanted to play it that way? The she was out of luck, he was not in the for games and he was never any good at playing them anyway.

"I don't need a baby sitter, thank you. It's daylight right now there's not much use to go out and talk or sing to demons." He looked up at them both as if they should've known that particular fact. "I will go out on my own this evening. After all I wouldn't to interrupt any busy social life either of you might have."

Picking up the folders he was working on, he turn around, put them in the file cabinet and took out a new set of files. "And there's nothing wrong with this place, other then the fact that it's a bit small." And if he sounded harsher to her then he usually did? He really couldn't seem to care. It wasn't as if she actually cared about him, it was all an act. Just someone to keep her occupied till Angel would be back.

Yet, still he worried. What was she hiding? *Why* was she hiding it? Why was she taking such heavy medications? It had to have something to do with those vision, of that he was certain.

"Oookay," Gunn snorted, holding up his hands. He glanced from Cordelia to Wesley and back again. "Imma gonna go and get some donuts. Wanna come Barbie?"

"Could you perhaps pick up the mail while you're out? The post office wasn't open this morning when I went to work."

"When did you get in?" Gunn wrinkled his brow at that, checking his watch.

"Around five," Wesley replied absentminded, frowning down at a folder as though it had somehow offended him.

"You go, big guy, remember, I like donuts with jelly," she said to Gunn, "and could you please don't call me Barbie? I have far more better fashion taste than The Doll," she added, challenging Gunn to deny it.

Gunn looked again from her to Wesley.
"Sure. Just when I'm back, I'd like to find you two here. No corpses, okay?"
Cordy chuckled at that.
"Gunn, how dare you even think that I could hurt Wes. I have a fresh manicure," she showed him her fingernails.

Gunn smiled at that, because she acted like a usual Cordy. She acted the same for some time now. Because she was acting like everything was all right. Only now, after the vision, she knew that nothing was all right. And it was killing her. Literally.

When Gunn left to get some donuts and pick up the mail I turned to Wesley, who was still working.
"Nice to know that instead of resting when you should, you don't sleep and work," she said. It meant to sound casually but she realized it went out rather sharp.

Dumbstruck, Wesley looked at her as she started making tea. He actually had to wince at *how* she did it, but choose not to say anything. He'd just add a whole lot of sugar and milk to be able to drink it. Hurting her feelings further was the last thing on his mind. Even if it was for something as ridiculous as tea. No matter how important it usually was to him.

Uncomfortably he leaned against the kitchen counter and listen to her talk. She was saying a lot, but she was once again leaving out a whole lot more. She was alright, but then she wasn't. All and all, she wasn't making any sense to Wesley. Non what so ever. But he did latch onto one thing in her little nervous tirade.

Apparently it was not going to be okay? What wasn't?

Confused he followed her into the livingroom, blinking at her when she shoved a cup of tea in his direction and sat down. With a shake of his head, he put the tea up down and looked at her seriously. "Why don't you let me worry about my worry and how much I can handle. What exactly did you mean with you're not going to handle this as you wanted to. What is this 'this' you're talking about?"

"I," she stopped not knowing how to put it. "I'm gonna die..." Her eyes were filled with tears, so she blinked rapidly trying to stop them.

"The doctor told me that the proper threatment will make it better, I just have to take my meds and everything is gonna be allright. Only then the vision came and I know that nothing's gonna be okay. That nothing can be cured."

Her voice started to shake. It was too much for her. After keeping it a secret for some time, telling it aloud at last was too much to handle.

"I saw me, Wes. Dead. And I know it's because of visions. Because everything started when I got them. You see why I didn't want to tell you? Nothing can be done. And I didin't want you to worry because of that..." She looked away, feeling tears falling down her cheeks. Those damn traitors.

Wesley looked at her shocked. She was going to die? She'd been going to see doctors. How long? And why had she not told him? He'd have gone with her, he'd have supported her, hold her hand, anything that might've helped. She shouldn't have to have gone through all that on her bloody own. The thought made him angry and sad at the same time, just picturing her sitting all alone in a waiting room, waiting for tests and more tests to be done.

"What do you mean you saw yourself?" And the moment those words left his mouth, he knew what she meant. The vision of the girl they weren't going to be able to save. It had been Cordelia. The powers had send their seer a vision of her won death? How dare they? They were nothing but sodding trouble where he was concerned.

And now she was crying. Wesley had no idea how to handle crying women. Gingerly he sat down next to her and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh, please don't cry, Cordy. It'll be fine. They must've send you that vision for a reason. They only send them when they think something can be done, so there can be something we can do. You're not going to die." He wasn't going to allow it, not because of the visions dammit.

Cordy put her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. She listened to Wes' voice and she knew why she didn't want him to know. Because he won' give up until he solve the problem. It made her feel more calm, because she wasn't alone. But on the other hand, putting someone else through that hell... It wasn't the best idea.

"They showed it to me, because I need to pass the visions. So that The Champion won't stay without a seer," she whispered. Only, she couldn't do that. "But, Wes I can't curse anyone that way. I can't put innocent people through that hell. Even if there was a way to cure me, I would have their blood on my hands."

The idea of someone, anyone, suffering from the visions like her, was scary. She hugged Wes a little tighter and she hid her face between her arms. By now she would be hysteric, yelling and sobbing, because she didn't want to die. But Wes' presence made things calmer. She felt his arms around her and she knew that she's no longer alone.

She just wondered for how long.

Frowning, Wesley looked at her. "You're not making sense Cordelia," he told her. "If the powers need a new seer for Angel, they'll get one no matter what. I don't think it was a coincidence that you've received them after Doyle. Though sometimes I do wonder about the powers wisdom." Indeed he did, these visions were obviously not meant for humans.

Rubbing his hand up and down her back absentminded, Wesley thought over his possibilities. "They show you vision of people we need to help, people we *can* help. They do not show you visions of people we cannot help. Therefore they had a reason for showing you...err...about yourself. We can help you with the visions." That was pretty certain and very clear for Wesley now. The powers may not be wise in their choices, but they were wise when they send the visions.

"Don't you dare give up, Cordelia. I've never known you to give up without a fight." They would find a bloody solution. Cordelia wasn't going go die from those damn visions. She wasn't, Wesley would make certain of that. Even if it would kill him.

Wesley looked up startled when the phone rang. Rubbing his sore eyes, he winced as he stretched out. He was dismayed to see the sun was already up and shining brightly. Damn, what time was it? He'd spend the entire night looking through the damn book and didn't find so much as a clue. Well, at least not when it came to helping out Cordelia.

If anyone was looking for a good cure against a rash or a hangover, then he found plenty.

The phone rang again, and he nearly tripped to his way over to pick it up. "Ow...oh god." Pressing his hand over his ribs, he was reminded once again that he should've taken that bath. Yesterday. What day was it? "Yes...Pryce?" It almost sounded as though he wasn't certain if that was his name, not to mention that he had to wince when he heard how tired his own voice sounded.

When Wesley answered the phone Cordy thought that she dialed the wrong number. He sounded so terribly exhauseted. "God, Wes, you sound terrible! Don't tell me you've been up all night!" she couldn't stop herself. If he was reading that damn book all night, she's gonna kill him. Although the fact that he'd done that for her was some kind of a compliment. But that's not gonna change anything.

Only the fact that she was concern about him stopped her from telling what she had in mind. Cordy knew that letting him go without checking for any injuries was a bad idea. Apparently she was right. As always. Just Wes tried to be a big macho man, or some kind of Angel impersonator, and didn't want to admit that those vamps were able to hurt him. Men!

"I just hope you didn't spend all night over that book," she added, "reading is bad for health, I know that from high-school," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Wesley blinked at it for a moment. "Yes, thank you so much for compliment, Cordelia," he said dryly. Well, at least she sounded better. A whole lot better then she did yesterday, she almost sounded like herself.

Yawning, he took the cordless phone into the kitchen and started making tea. Nothing like some hot tea to get the energy back. Or at least something like that. He let out a sigh when he heard her go an and on about better not having been up all night. Well, what did she expect? He had promised her he'd find something. Not that he had, but that's why he was still up, looking.

"No, Cordelia. I've not been up all night and I didn't spend it over that book." Which was technically not a lie. He'd been up half the morning in well in the afternoon as well. And he had been up several times to make tea, so he hadn't spend all night over the book. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm all right," Cordy answered without thinking. So he didn't spend the whole night over the book. It was a lie. Or at least not the whole truth. Wesley wasn't too good when it came to lies. But in many cases it was good. Just not now.

"I'm calling because I was thinking. Well not exactly me, it wasn't my idea... Well mine if you look at it..." she realized that she was babbling. God, when she fell that low? She was acting like Xander! Or, God forbid, Willow! She shook her head in disbelief. She was lame, that one was true. She cleared her throat.

"Anyway. I tried to go through vision's flashes slowly. Sure I felt death all along. That's the feeling you can't mistake with anything else, but... Look I know that's silly, but what if it's not about me? What if it's someone else who's gonna die?"

Only one thing didn't want to leave her head. Why she saw herself, not the person that is gonna die? Ever since she got her visions, Powers were sending her images of actual people, the ones who needed help. Why changing it now?

"Just... Why I saw my face instead of that helpless?" Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell Wes that. Now he will try to help a complete stranger. And he should rest. And eat something. Cordelia couldn't understand him sometimes.

He knew he should've switched to coffee a long time ago, and right now he wished he had. Because Cordelia never really made much sense, but usually he was able to puzzle the words she was spouting out together. But right now? She wasn't making any sense at all.

Wesley gaped at the phone in his hand and put it back to his ear, while Cordelia was still rambling on. Now the vision wasn't about her but someone else? Just like he kept telling her? He might've waisted precious time looking up help for her in this book while someone else was dying.

"Alright, Cordelia slow down," he sighed into the phone. Rubbing his temples, he tried to will his headache away. God, he was so tired and his entire body was aching. Now this. "What are you talking about?"