Title: Carnival
Author: Liam
Joss Whedon owns Angel and all its characters. This story is rated PG. While it’s probably a stupid move, I’m going to work on two stories at once. And unlike my other works, this story is…gasp…a romance.
Summary: During a night at the carnival, Cordelia meets a mysterious woman who gives the Seer a glimpse at a possible future.

Part 1 (of 6)

Angel sometimes wondered how the hell he became so whipped. He was supposed to be a ferocious demon, a badass vampire. Humans and demons alike used to tremble at the mention of his name.

So how was it that one woman had the ability to reduce him to a bumbling dork?

“C’mon Angel,” his Seer pleaded. “Win me the teddy bear.” Angel tried to look stern, but failed miserably. He may be whipped, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

“Fine,” he playfully huffed at Cordy. Handing the game operator the money, the vampire preceded to easily dump all five rings around the bottle. With a disgusted look, the carnie retrieved the purple teddy bear that Angel wanted.

“My hero,” she sighed as she hugged the bear. The vampire followed his Seer as she went to get a soda at the concession booth.

“So where’s Gunn and Fred?” he asked the lovely brunette.

“Gunn said something about paying a carnie to get the Ferris wheel to stop when they got to the top,” she said taking a sip of her Diet Coke. “Those two got it bad. I’m worried though. Office romances could be trouble.”

“Yeah,” Angel agreed nervously. “Definitely not something that should happen.” Man she smelled nice, Angel thought. Just like vanilla.

The two co-workers in question appeared. Gunn was grinning dumbly, while Fred’s hair was mussed.

“You two have fun on the Ferris wheel?” Cordy asked.

“Yeah,” Fred sighed. That girl had it bad, Cordy decided.

“Ooh!” Cordelia shouted. “Look, a fortune teller.” Angel looked in the direction his Seer was pointing. Sure enough there was a fortune teller’s tent on the far end of the fairground. Cordy handed the vampire her soda and bear. “I have to do that.”

“Cordy, fortune teller’s are hacks. The only thing they do is take your money and feed you some bogus story to make you feel better about yourself,” Angel told her.

“Pfft!” Cordelia dismissed. “I know that, but it still sounds fun. Besides, it’s only five bucks. I’ll be back in a bit.” Before the vampire could protest further, Cordelia was gone.

“Relax man,” Gunn told the obviously nervous vampire. “She’ll be fine.”

“You think?” Angel asked unconvinced. “What if she gets in trouble? It’s night and we’re at the carnival. Who knows what kind of people could be out?”

“Dude,” Gunn said. “She’ll be fine. She’s had you show her all those fighting moves. I’d almost feel sorry for anyone that tried to pick on Cordy.”

Angel was still unconvinced. However, he allowed Fred to drag him to the bumper cars.

*************

Cordelia’s demon senses picked up the smells of incense long before she opened the flap of the fortune teller’s tent. Candles burned all over, and a light mist seemed to permeate the room. The place was devoid of any customers. Behind a table in the center of the tent sat the teller. Madam Josephine the sign outside said.

“Ah!” the middle aged teller cried. “You wish to know what your future holds, yes?” Cordelia smiled and nodded at the fairly attractive woman. “I can sense that you are skeptical of what I may tell you. Before we begin I must tell you, what you see in here today isn’t set in stone. The future is determined by the choices you make today. Do you still wish to see?”

Cordelia nodded again and sat in the chair Madam Josephine offered her. Coming around the table, Madam Josephine knelt beside the beautiful Seer. “Unlike other teller’s, I do not read from cards or palms. Instead I take you to a place where you can see for yourself what your future may be.”

Placing her hands on the Seer’s temples, Josephine began to lightly massage. “You must relax. You must be willing to take the journey into your mind. Only then will you see.”

Cordelia began to fall into a trance from Josephine’s voice and ministrations. Suddenly, a shock went through Cordelia’s head. But it wasn’t painful, in fact, it was actual a pleasant sensation. Before she had time to think about it, she slipped into a full trance.

“Pleasant journey, young one,” Josephine said.

****************

The sunlight slipped through the blinds and woke Cordelia from a fantastic slumber. Stretching luxuriously on the silken sheets, Cordelia opened her eyes to find a pair of hazel eyes focused on her.

“Hey beautiful,” Angel greeted. “Good morning.”

Cordelia smiled that smile that always made him weak in the knees. “It’s a good morning now.” Cordelia pulled him closer. Damn the man was a great kisser.

TBC...