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sherydenTitle: The Detective
Name:sheryden
Fandom(s): Angel
Word count: 780
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Summary: Victorian AU. Cordelia Chase moves to London and goes to work for a moody detective.
Author’s Notes: This was written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
au_bingo for the prompt "Historical: Victorian." I had no idea what to do with this prompt until this popped into my head. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. :)
Cordelia Chase was newly arrived in London, and she was eager to experience the wonders that living in the city had to offer. But first, she knew she had to find gainful employment and a place to live. Fortunately, a friend of her father had arranged for her to meet with a man who owned a detective agency in the city.
While Cordelia’s mother had been scandalized by the very thought of her daughter working for a detective, Cordelia herself thought the idea had the potential to be exciting and full of adventure. Granted, she wasn’t entirely sure what her job would entail or what sort of dregs of society her prospective boss might attempt to apprehend. But employment was employment, and thus, she found herself knocking on the door of a grim looking building in a shady part of town.
When the door opened, she found herself staring into the eyes of a handsome bespectacled man. The man was carrying a large book in his arms, and he looked a bit out of breath. “Can I help you, miss?”
She stood up straight and presented the letter her father’s friend had written as a means of introduction. “I am Cordelia Chase. You should be expecting me.”
“I see,” he said. “Yes, we have been expecting you, Miss Chase. Do come in. I’m Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.”
Cordelia smiled, stepped inside, and followed Wesley into the main room of the building, where they found another gentlemen lounging in a chair. While he was quite striking, he had an air of melancholy about him.
“Angel,” Wesley said. “This is Miss Cordelia Chase. She’s newly arrived from America.”
Standing to his feet, Angel nodded in Cordelia’s direction. “Yes. Mr. Giles wrote ahead that you were coming.”
“Well, Mr. Angel, I’m certain he told you what a quick study I am. I could be a valuable asset to your agency.”
“It’s just Angel, and the job is yours. Can you start immediately?”
With a bright smile, Cordelia said, “I most assuredly can, Angel. And thank you.”
“Oh,” Angel said as an afterthought. “Wesley has arranged a room for you down the street.”
“That is most definitely a relief,” she said. “Thank you. Now, do I have a desk?”
Angel nodded at Wesley, who pulled out a stack of papers and set them in front of Cordelia. “I’m afraid there’s no desk at present. Angel and I live and work out of these rooms, so we have no proper office as yet. However, you could work from the table by the window if you would like.”
“And what is my assignment?”
“Well, we’re tracking a most unusual case. A series of murders.”
A surge of excitement went up Cordelia’s spine. Murders. She could scarcely wait to write her mother. Collecting herself, she picked up the stack of papers. “What am I to look for?”
“As Wesley mentioned,” Angel said. “We’re tracking a series of murders. We believe that several killings that have taken place in the city are the work of the same two individuals.”
“What we need at present,” Wesley continued. “Is to pore over these papers and files for any killings the authorities might have missed or...misunderstood. It could help us track the path of these ruthless individuals. Reports of these particular killings would probably mention a mysterious loss of blood or puncture wounds on the neck.”
“I see,” Cordelia said. And with more enthusiasm than she thought she’d ever have for a job, she began to scan the papers for signs of odd deaths.
Together, the three of them worked their way through a month of headlines. Finally, Cordelia sat up straight. “Oh,” she said with excitement. “Here’s one. The case has been solved, though.”
“That doesn’t mean it was solved correctly,” Angel said. “What are the details?”
She cleared her throat. “The headline reads that one Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street was instrumental in capturing the—”
Without a word, Angel rose to his feet and stalked out of the room. The silence that resulted from his absence was uncomfortable, and Cordelia looked at Wesley for some sort of explanation.
Wesley leaned a bit closer and whispered, “Holmes is a rival. You would do best to never mention his name in Angel’s presence.”
“I see,” Cordelia said with a nod. She found herself wondering what manner of curmudgeon she’d found herself employed by, and if it would be prudent to end the association. “Is there anything else I need to know about my employer?”
Taking a deep breath, Wesley answered, “Well, it would be best not to open the windows and expose him to sunlight. He has a bit of an… allergy to the sun.”
Name:
sherydenFandom(s): Angel
Word count: 780
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Summary: Victorian AU. Cordelia Chase moves to London and goes to work for a moody detective.
Author’s Notes: This was written for
au_bingo for the prompt "Historical: Victorian." I had no idea what to do with this prompt until this popped into my head. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. :)Cordelia Chase was newly arrived in London, and she was eager to experience the wonders that living in the city had to offer. But first, she knew she had to find gainful employment and a place to live. Fortunately, a friend of her father had arranged for her to meet with a man who owned a detective agency in the city.
While Cordelia’s mother had been scandalized by the very thought of her daughter working for a detective, Cordelia herself thought the idea had the potential to be exciting and full of adventure. Granted, she wasn’t entirely sure what her job would entail or what sort of dregs of society her prospective boss might attempt to apprehend. But employment was employment, and thus, she found herself knocking on the door of a grim looking building in a shady part of town.
When the door opened, she found herself staring into the eyes of a handsome bespectacled man. The man was carrying a large book in his arms, and he looked a bit out of breath. “Can I help you, miss?”
She stood up straight and presented the letter her father’s friend had written as a means of introduction. “I am Cordelia Chase. You should be expecting me.”
“I see,” he said. “Yes, we have been expecting you, Miss Chase. Do come in. I’m Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.”
Cordelia smiled, stepped inside, and followed Wesley into the main room of the building, where they found another gentlemen lounging in a chair. While he was quite striking, he had an air of melancholy about him.
“Angel,” Wesley said. “This is Miss Cordelia Chase. She’s newly arrived from America.”
Standing to his feet, Angel nodded in Cordelia’s direction. “Yes. Mr. Giles wrote ahead that you were coming.”
“Well, Mr. Angel, I’m certain he told you what a quick study I am. I could be a valuable asset to your agency.”
“It’s just Angel, and the job is yours. Can you start immediately?”
With a bright smile, Cordelia said, “I most assuredly can, Angel. And thank you.”
“Oh,” Angel said as an afterthought. “Wesley has arranged a room for you down the street.”
“That is most definitely a relief,” she said. “Thank you. Now, do I have a desk?”
Angel nodded at Wesley, who pulled out a stack of papers and set them in front of Cordelia. “I’m afraid there’s no desk at present. Angel and I live and work out of these rooms, so we have no proper office as yet. However, you could work from the table by the window if you would like.”
“And what is my assignment?”
“Well, we’re tracking a most unusual case. A series of murders.”
A surge of excitement went up Cordelia’s spine. Murders. She could scarcely wait to write her mother. Collecting herself, she picked up the stack of papers. “What am I to look for?”
“As Wesley mentioned,” Angel said. “We’re tracking a series of murders. We believe that several killings that have taken place in the city are the work of the same two individuals.”
“What we need at present,” Wesley continued. “Is to pore over these papers and files for any killings the authorities might have missed or...misunderstood. It could help us track the path of these ruthless individuals. Reports of these particular killings would probably mention a mysterious loss of blood or puncture wounds on the neck.”
“I see,” Cordelia said. And with more enthusiasm than she thought she’d ever have for a job, she began to scan the papers for signs of odd deaths.
Together, the three of them worked their way through a month of headlines. Finally, Cordelia sat up straight. “Oh,” she said with excitement. “Here’s one. The case has been solved, though.”
“That doesn’t mean it was solved correctly,” Angel said. “What are the details?”
She cleared her throat. “The headline reads that one Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street was instrumental in capturing the—”
Without a word, Angel rose to his feet and stalked out of the room. The silence that resulted from his absence was uncomfortable, and Cordelia looked at Wesley for some sort of explanation.
Wesley leaned a bit closer and whispered, “Holmes is a rival. You would do best to never mention his name in Angel’s presence.”
“I see,” Cordelia said with a nod. She found herself wondering what manner of curmudgeon she’d found herself employed by, and if it would be prudent to end the association. “Is there anything else I need to know about my employer?”
Taking a deep breath, Wesley answered, “Well, it would be best not to open the windows and expose him to sunlight. He has a bit of an… allergy to the sun.”
