Title: Always Need You
Author: RMacAU11
Email: RMacAU11@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: (Angst, post-ep etc) Angst
Content: (Pairing) Angel/Cordelia
Summary: Angel and Cordy's friendship grows through various struggles.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss
Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Anywhere, just please let me know.
Notes: This takes place sometime before Birthday, but after Lullaby.
Feedback: Oh, absolutely.
Chapter 5
Buffy arrived right on time, crowded into Spike’s care with Willow and Xander. They helped Angel load the car. Angel left a note for Cordelia’s mother saying there was an emergency and Cordelia would call when she could. The reception had ended half an hour ago and Victoria had yet to come back. He put the note on the table and picked Cordelia up. He carried her to the car and Spike opened the passenger door. She didn’t even stir when he buckled her in and reclined her seat.
Angel closed the car door and turned to the others. “I spoke to Wes. They know we’re coming, so they’ll have plenty of rooms at the hotel ready. You can stay there, if you want.”
Buffy nodded. “That’d be great.” She looked at her friends. “Let’s get going.”
> > > > > >
Angel was halfway back to LA when he noticed that Connor and Cordy were both asleep. While Cordy hadn’t woken up at all, Connor had been gurgling happily earlier.
Angel sighed and tried to relax. It was hard. He was worried about Cordy. She’d never had visions this close together before, other than when she was in the hospital, courtesy of the Vocah. The visions seemed to last longer and the pain seemed worse.
He turned to Cordelia when she moaned. She squirmed a little, moaned again, then was quiet. He turned his attention back to the road.
“Angel?” Her voice was quiet and laced with sleep.
Angel glanced at her. “Hey.”
“Where are we?”
“About 20 minutes out of LA.”
“LA? Oh, right. The vision.” She winced at the memory. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Following us in Spike’s car. They’re going to be staying at the hotel.”
Cordelia nodded and snuggled back into the seat. “Connor asleep?”
“Yeah. For about half an hour, I think.”
“I scared him with my vision. He was crying. I scared him.”
“He just didn’t like to see you hurting,” Angel said.
Cordelia was quiet for a few minutes. Finally she said, “I could have hurt him. I could have dropped him or landed on him when I fell.”
“You didn’t.”
“But I could have.”
“What are you saying?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t hold Connor anymore. I mean, my visions are unpredictable. They can come at any time. The Powers That Be don’t care if I’m holding your son.”
Angel gave her an incredulous look and slowed the car. “Are you serious? Cordy, Connor loves you. You’d never hurt him, I know that. I know your visions are unpredictable, Cordy, but you’ve done fine with them this long. And before you got your vision today, you made sure Connor was OK. Don’t you dare change anything you do with him, Cordy. I won’t let you.”
They were both silent as Angel pulled the car up in front of the hotel. Fred, Wes, Gunn, and Lorne came out to meet them. Fred got Connor out of his seat while Gunn and Wes went to help the others with their luggage.
Angel went around the front of the car and opened Cordelia’s door. He took her hand and pulled her out. Once on her feet, she swayed, and he put an arm around her waist to steady her.
Once in the hotel, the guests were shown to their rooms and they took their bags up. Then everyone gathered in the hotel lobby. Angel made it a point to put Connor in Cordy’s arms. She looked at him but said nothing as she tightened her arms securely around the little boy.
Once everyone was settled in the lobby, Angel took charge. “OK, there are three attacks happening simultaneously tomorrow night: an AA meeting downtown, a family in the suburbs, and a couple on the bluff outside LA. Three attacks, three Bamboria demons.”
“Bamboria demons are notorious for being very nasty demons,” Wesley cut in. “They will zero in on any vulnerability you have. They won’t stop until their prey is dead, thereby giving the Bamboria strength and power.”
“We need three separate teams. Spike, Buffy, and I will each lead a team. The rest of you will be with one of us,” Angel said.
“I think we should assign the teams now,” Buffy said. “They should be based on strength and ability.”
Angel nodded. “OK. I’ll take Fred and Cordelia. If Cordy feels up to it, that is.”
Cordelia nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take Willow and Gunn,” Buffy said.
“Wait. That means I’m with Spike,” Xander said. “I can’t be with Spike.”
Buffy sighed. “Fine. I’ll take you and Wes. Willow and Gunn can go with Spike. Anybody object?”
When nobody objected Angel spoke again. “OK. We got tomorrow night. The goal is to save these people and kill the Bamboria demons.”
“There is no specific way that Bamboria demons have to be killed. You can kill them any way you wish: decapitation, sword through the heart, whatever you wish,” Wes said.
“Do we need a game plan or are we just gonna wing it?” Willow asked. “Cause I’m all for having a game plan.”
“We can make a game plan if you want, love,” Spike said,” but I doubt we’ll stick to it once the fight starts.”
“Here’s my game plan,” Gunn said. “I’m gonna kick some Bamboria ass.”
“OK, well, that works for me,” Xander said.
The group sat in silence for a few minutes. There were no sounds except the occasional coo from Connor. Finally Buffy sighed. “Well, it’s getting late. I think I’m gonna head up to bed.” Willow and Xander agreed, and the three headed upstairs.
Cordelia stood up. “I’m tired too. I think I’m gonna head home.” She handed Connor to Fred, who immediately started cooing to him.
Angel stood as well. “Why don’t you just stay here? It’s late.”
“No. I really need to just go home,” Cordelia said quietly.
Angel watched her for a moment before nodding. “At least let me walk you home.”
Cordelia gave him one of her brilliant smiles. “Absolutely.”
> > > > > >
Cordelia twisted the key in the lock and opened the door. “Dennis, I’m home,” she called out.
Angel followed her in and flipped the lights on. He looked around the room absently as Cordelia went into her bedroom and shut the door halfway.
Angel picked up a picture off the mantle. It was an older one, with him, Cordy, and Wes from years before. “Are you sure you’re alright to fight tomorrrow?”
The bedroom door opened and Cordelia came out dressed in her pajamas. “I’ll be fine.” She flopped down on the couch and curled up. “And anyway, we don’t have a choice. We need everybody for this. That’s why Buffy and everyone came.”
Angel picked up a blanket off the end of the couch and draped it over her. “If you don’t feel up to it, we can manage.”
“No. I’ll be there.”
Angel sat down beside her as she burrowed deeper into the blanket. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For this. Your dad just died. His funeral was only a few hours ago. And instead of taking time to grieve, you have to rush off to fight more demons.”
“I have the rest of my life to grieve, Angel.”
Angel looked at her sadly but didn’t say anything.
Cordelia sighed. “That’s wasn’t supposed to make you fell guilty. It’s just the way things are.”
“You need to grieve, Cordy. It’s not healthy to hold it in or avoid it.”
Cordelia closed her eyes. “I will, Angel. But right now I just need to concentrate on tomorrow. If I think about today and what happened, I’ll crack. I can’t crack right now; you guys need me to be strong.”
“What about what you need?”
“I’ll deal with what I need tomorrow, after we take care of the Bamboria demons.” She shifted positions so that she was leaning against Angel. He lifted his arm and pulled her to him. They sat in silence and eventually Cordelia’s breathing evened out. Angel looked down and saw that she’d fallen asleep. He adjusted the blanket around her shoulders and closed him own eyes.
> > > > > >
Cordelia slowly became aware of clanging sounds, coming from far away. A pleasant smell filled her nostrils. She groaned but opened her eyes. She was lying on the couch, under a blanket. She turned her head. She could hear Angel in the kitchen. She smiled: she was getting eggs.
She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the couch. She yawned, stretched, and made her way into the kitchen.
Angel was standing at the stove, intent on his creation in the pan. He looked so cute wearing the white frilly apron that she’d rarely used and she she had to laugh.
Angel turned around. “What’s so funny?”
“I think that apron looks better on you than it does on me.”
Angel returned her smile. “What’s to think about? I know it looks better.”
Cordelia walked around him and peered into the pan: scrambled eggs. “Maybe you should take it back to the hotel and wear it around.”
Angel wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe I will.”
Cordelia laughed. “I’m sure Spike would love to see that.”
Angel made a face. “Spike. You know, there’s something about him…”
“Hmm. Could it be the fact that he’s a formerly evil vampire who’s now fighting for the good guys?”
“What do you mean?”
“Angel, come on. You two are so similar. You were both evil. The Scourge of Europe and William the Bloody. You both had a…thing for Drusilla. You both love Buffy. You’re both good now.”
“I see the similarities,” Angel said dryly. “What’s your point?”
“According to the prophecies there’s only one vampire with a soul. One good guy. One champion.”
“I’m not worried about Spike being the champion,” Angel cut in. “I’m really not.”
Cordelia watched him thoughtfully for a minute before nodding. “OK, maybe not. After all, you’ve never liked Spike, even when you were both evil. You don’t like sharing your women, do you?”
Angel turned his head to look at her. “What?”
“It was perfectly fine when you turned Drusilla. You didn’t mind splitting your time between her and Darla. But you really didn’t like it when Spike joined your little group and you had to share. And now he has Buffy.”
Angel shook his head. “I really regret telling you anything about my past. You know, you should be a psychiatrist; you’re good at getting into my head.”
Cordelia shot him a bright smile. “Thank you.”
Angel shook his head again. “Look, I admit that the prospect of Buffy and Spike together shocked me. But Buffy is a big girl. She can do what she wants.”
“I think she’d doing exactly who she wants,” Cordelia quipped.
Angel winced. “That doesn’t mean we have to talk about it.”
Cordelia patted his arm. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “And speaking of babies, are the eggs almost done? I want to see Connor before all hell starts to break loose.”
Angel smiled. “They’re just about done. We’ll head back to the hotel after breakfast.”
Chapter 6
Angel and Cordelia walked through he door of the Hyperion almost an hour later. Fred was sitting on the floor playing with Connor. Wesley’s head was visible inside his office.
Fred jumped up when she saw them. “Wes has been in there all morning,” she said. “He’s doin’ more research on Bamboria demons.”
“Where’s everyone else?” Angel asked as he scooped up Connor.
“Charles is in the shower. Everyone else went out for breakfast. They said they’d be back later.”
Cordelia nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on the sight before her. Angel was smiling, chuckling as he tickled his son. Connor was laughing, head thrown back in joy. The happiness she was witnessing made her heart melt. The love that Angel and Connor shared, it was nothing like her relationship with her father. She bit her lip as she realized that she’d never get the chance to fix that relationship.
Angel frowned as he saw Cordelia tense up. Just minutes before she had been happy and smiling. Now she looked sad. Angel moved forward and bumped her shoulder with his. “Hey,” he said when she looked at him. “No brooding.”
She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hey, isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
“Only if I’m brooding. Which I’m not, by the way.”
Cordelia smiled again, and this one seemed more genuine. “I noticed that. You and Connor were having a good time.”
Connor started squirming in his father’s arms and Angel put him back down on the floor. The vampire gazed wistfully at his son. “It’s weird. Having Connor, someone I love so much. And he loves me back. I mean, I loved Buffy and she loved me, but this is different. He needs me. Hell, I need him. That’s never happened to me before.”
“You’d better make sure damn sure you don’t screw this up then, Broody Boy,” Cordelia said playfully.
Angel shot her a glance. “I’m sure you’ll keep me in line.”
Cordelia’s smile wavered and her voice dropped. “You know I will.”
Angel dropped his gaze. “Listen, Cordy-“
Wesley came out of the office, cutting Angel off. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the pair. “Morning, Angel, Cordelia.”
Cordelia stepped away from Angel. “Hey, Wes. Anything new on the Bamboria demons?”
“Other than their unique mating habits, no,” Wes said wryly.
“What kind of unique mating habits?” Fred asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
“Well, the female is the dominant partner in the relationship. She initiates the mating. Females compete for their choice in males.”
“How is that different from the real world?” Cordy quipped.
“It’s a fight to the death.”
“Oh.”
Fred gulped visibly. “Well, I’m glad I’m not a Bamboria demon.”
As Wes and Fred engaged in a more in-depth conversation about Bamboria demons, Lorne breezed through the front door.
“Morning, Princess. Angelcakes, how’s the little one doing this-“ The green demon cut himself off and gave Cordelia a second glance.
Cordelia squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. “What?”
“Anything you want to say, Princess?”
“No,” she said irritably. “Anything you want to say?”
Lorne shook his head. “Now, Princess, you know that’s not the way things work around here. I don’t read and tell.”
Cordelia gave him a hard look. “Good.”
Buffy, Xander, and Willow walked into the hotel, stopping at the palpable tension between the beauty queen and the green demon.
Buffy spoke first. “What’d we miss?”
“Nothing,” Cordelia said briskly. “We were just discussing the fact that his suit clashes with his skin.”
Angel stepped between his two links to the Powers. “Where’s Spike?”
Buffy shrugged nonchalantly. “Don’t know, don’t care.”
“Don’t know, don’t care?” Lorne echoed disbelief evident in his voice.
“We had a fight last night and we haven’t spoken since,” Buffy said casually.
“You weren’t very nice to him, Buffy,” Willow said gently.
“So? He wasn’t very nice to me either.”
“So who’s throwin’ a party without invitin’ me?” Everyone turned to see Gunn coming down the stairs. “I know ya’ll wouldn’t be throwin’ a party without the life of it, now would ya?”
“Don’t you mean the entertainment?” Cordelia quipped. “Cause watching you dance, man, that’s funny.”
Gunn shot her a look. “Don’t be startin’ something with me, Barbie.”
Cordelia grinned. “Hey, all I’m saying-“ She stopped abruptly, then let out a scream. Flashes of color. Bright. Red. Blood. Lots of blood, flowing in a strong, steady stream. A red face, demonic eyes glowing, laughing, enjoying the pain, sucking it up.
With another scream, she came back to her own body. She heard sounds, voices. She felt soft material against her bare arms, smooth, cool flesh on hers. Someone was holding her. Angel, probably. She lay still in his arms, knowing his heightened senses would pick up on her slowing heartbeat. He would take his cue from her.
She felt Angel shift against her as the ache in her head began. He moved to pick her up and she went with it, leaning into him, trying to bury herself inside his soul. He was so big, so strong, so…Angel; he would keep her safe and make all the pain go away.
She felt him stop walking and started to shift in his arms, expecting him to place her on the couch. Instead, he sat, cradling her in his arms, her body held tightly to his chest. She knew the others were there, but she lost herself in Angel’s touch; his strong arm around her waist, supporting her should she need it; hand cool but soft against her face as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. She allowed Angel’s presence to lull her into a calm that would soon be shattered.
“Another vision?” Buffy asked. “What was this one?”
“Yo, we usually wait till Barbie’s ready before we go askin; her questions,” Gunn said.
“But what if it’s important?”
“They’re all important,” Angel said. “If it’s urgent, she’ll tell us.”
Cordelia opened her eyes slowly. “It’s alright,” she said. “I’m ready.”
“Do you need some aspirin or some water?” Fred asked.
“No. Aspirin doesn’t help anyway.” She shifted slightly on Angel’s lap so that she was sitting upright. “I didn’t see much anyway. There was a lot of red. Blood. And then the laughing demon.”
“That’s all?” Buffy asked incredulously. Willow nudged her. “What? I mean, I thought she got these visions to help people. How in the world does this help anyone?”
Wes cleared his throat. “Not all the visions have someone to save. Some are merely informative.”
“That’s what this one was,” Cordelia said. She stood up. “I’m going to go home, maybe get a little sleep. I’ll be back tonight for the thing.”
Angel stood as well. “You’re not driving.”
Cordelia gave him a look. “I wasn’t planning on it, Mom.”
Willow stood up. “I can drive you home.”
Cordelia hesitated. “Are you sure? You don’t have to…”
Willow nodded. “It’s fine.”
Buffy stepped forward. “I’ll come too.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes and mumbled something only Angel heard.
Willow’s car, which was really Spike’s, was parked in front of the building. Cordelia climbed in the front seat, leaving Buffy to huff as she crawled into the back.
After a few minutes of silence, Willow started a conversation. “So are your visions always that intense?”
Cordelia sighed. “They didn’t used to be. I mean, they were always painful, but they were never this bad. The longer I have them, the worse they get.”
“Is there something you can do? A way to get rid of the pain?” Willow asked.
Cordelia shook her head, wincing as the throbbing intensified. “There’s nothing I can do. Doyle, he’s the one that gave me the visions, he was half-demon. He handled the visions better than I can, but they were painful for him too.”
“So, what, you just put up with this pain for the rest of your life?”
Cordelia sighed. “It doesn’t exactly work like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Humans can’t handle the visions long-term. They’re too hard on the brain.”
“So what happens?”
“All human seers have died. They’ve suffered massive damage to their brains.”
Willow was quiet for a few minutes. “So you’re going to die?”
“Yes.” Cordelia said it quietly, acceptance evident in her voice.
Buffy spoke for the first time. “Does Angel know?”
“He knows that the visions are getting worse, but he doesn’t know that they’re killing me,” Cordelia admitted.
“You have to tell him,” Willow said. “He needs to know.”
“Why? So he can kill himself looking for a solution that doesn’t exist? So he can walk on eggshells around me and treat me like I’m made of glass? So he can give me pitying looks? I don’t think so.”
“Cordelia’s right,” Buffy spoke up from the backseat. “Angel doesn’t need to know. We’ll just have to be there for him when it finally happens. Rest assured, Cordelia, I’ll take good care of Angel.”
Cordelia felt a tightening in her chest, but she ignored it. She had long since admitted to herself that she loved Angel. However, she had to be fair to him. No use teasing him with something he couldn’t have.
No one spoke as Willow pulled the car up in front of Cordelia’s apartment building. Cordelia thanked Willow for the ride, nodded curtly to Buffy, and got out of the car. As she walked to her building, she thanked whoever was listening that her apartment was on the ground floor; she didn’t know if she could handle stairs right now.
Dennis opened the door before she even got to it. She gratefully went through it and collapsed in a heap on the couch, not even taking off her coat or shoes. A cool washcloth floated through the air, followed by her pills and a glass of water.
Cordelia opened her eyes long enough to swallow the pills and a little water. “Thanks, Dennis.” She was vaguely aware of the cool breeze signifying Dennis’ response. She tried to focus on anything but the rhythmic pounding in her head: Justin Timberlake, the dress she fell in love with on her last shopping trip. Her last coherent thought was that she’d have to get some new shoes to go with the dress…
> > > > > >
The sound of the phone ringing startled Cordelia. She looked around, but couldn’t seem to find the phone. The phone on her desk wasn’t ringing, and even if it was, Fred was sitting there, perfectly capable of answering it. No, wait, Fred was crying. Gunn sat beside her, trying to comfort her, but he looked miserable himself.
Cordelia started toward the couple, but before she reached them, the scene had changed. Lorne and Wesley stood in the garden talking quietly.
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Wes said. “It was so sudden.”
“Princess was sick for a long time,” Lorne said. “She just never said anything.”
Cordelia took several steps back. Dead? She was dead? Then how was she here? Angel-he must be devastated. She started to turn around, but the scene changed again.
This time she was in the office. Angel stood at the desk, his back to her. He turned suddenly, and Cordelia saw that he wasn’t alone. He had his arms around Buffy and she was holding Connor in her arms. They were all smiling.
Cordelia staggered backward. She was dead and Angel was here, with Buffy, happy. He was totally not grieving over her at all. No tears, no brooding. She really didn’t mean anything to him at all.
The phone continued ringing, and Cordelia saw it on Angel’s desk. The phone was ringing, but no one was answering it. She looked at the caller ID and was shocked to see her number on it. She was calling Angel, but he was too busy with Buffy to notice.
The phone continued ringing and suddenly the room started spinning. Around and around, she spun dizzily, and suddenly everyone else had disappeared. She was spinning, surrounded by red, and the Bamboria demon was laughing at her, and-
She was jerked back into reality, her body still being shaken by insistent hands, her name being called by a panicked voice. She opened her eyes and waited for her vision to focus, blinking slightly when Angel’s face came into view.
Cordelia could see the concern visible in his eyes. His mouth was moving, but she chose to focus on catching her breath instead. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her rapidly-beating heart.
Angel shook her again and her eyes shot open. “Will you give me a minute?” she snapped. “I’m having trauma here.”
Hurt flashed across his face. “Well, excuse me for worrying about you.”
They sat in silence and Cordelia could feel her heart rate return to normal. Suddenly Angel snapped. “What the hell happened, anyway? Do you know how long I was trying to wake you up?”
“Excuse me? What gives you the right to come in here and act like a jerk? I told you that I wanted to be alone-“
“And I left you alone. All afternoon.”
Cordelia stilled. “What?”
“I said, I gave you all afternoon.”
“What time is it?”
“6:30.”
“Oh my God! I can’t believe I was out that long!”
“What happened?”
“I fell asleep, I guess. I mean, I had to be sleeping, because I had this dream, and- anyway, I better go get ready.”
“What kind of dream?”
“Listen, it’s not important-“
“Cordy. What kind of dream?”
“I was dead, OK? I was dead.”
“Dead?”
“Yeah, and everyone was grieving. Except for you. You and Buffy and Connor had a nice happy little family thing,” Cordelia said before she could catch herself.
“Me and Buffy? Why would me and Buffy-“
“Because you were together. A couple. Add Connor and you get a family, get it?”
Angel looked at her for a minute. “Cordy, you know that if anything ever happened to you, I’d be devastated. And you know I can’t replace you. I wouldn’t even try.”
Cordelia examined her nails. “Yeah, well, it was just a dream.”
Angel took her gently by the shoulders. “Cordelia, you are one of the most important things in my life. I can’t lose you. And if I ever did, I certainly wouldn’t turn to Buffy for anything, especially as a replacement for you.”
Cordelia whacked him on the shoulder. “See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. It was a dream. No big deal.”
“So we’re fine?”
“We’re better than fine; we’re great.” Cordelia gave him a bright smile. “I’m gonna go get ready.”
Chapter 7
Twenty minutes later Angel and Cordelia walked into the hotel. Everyone was gathered in the lobby, fighting clothes on, weapons assembled.
Fred came running over to them. “Good, you’re here. I called and called Cordy’s apartment, but no one answered the phone.”
“So that’s what that was,” Cordelia mumbled to herself. They walked over to the rest of the group.
Buffy glanced at them. “Are we ready to go now?” Cordelia looked around to see if anyone else had detected the frosty tone in her voice, but no one seemed to.
Gunn shifted beside Wes. “So are we gonna do this or not?”
> > > > > >
Angel, Cordelia, and Fred were on their way to the bluffs. They were going to save the engaged couple.
They saw the car parked just up ahead, overlooking the city like in Cordelia’s vision. The plan was to observe the couple from a slight distance and wait for the Bamboria demon to show up. They took their weapons and crouched in the bushes near the car.
They didn’t have to wait long. Cordelia spotted the demon first. It was moving stealthily among the trees, heading straight towards the car. Angel waited until it got out in the open, then he charged. Cordelia and Fred were right behind him. The couple in the car saw what was going on and took off.
Angel was struggling with the demon. The sword he had was only good for deflecting the demon’s spines. Even then, Angel was still sporting a few bloody gashes.
Cordelia raised her axe and rushed the demon from behind, hoping to catch it off-guard. It turned, struck at her, and sent her sprawling on the ground. She watched as Angel charged again, engaging in a flurry of darts and jabs. Fred hefted her axe and charged the demon. The demon saw her coming and struck out at her, sending her flying toward the edge of the bluff. Angel vamped out and the demon scurried away.
Angel ran to the edge of the cliff. “Fred!”
A weak voice called back to him. “I’m here.”
He dropped to his knees and peered over the edge. There she was, hanging precariously over the busy city. “Hang on, Fred,” Angel called. “I’ll get you.” He flattened his body to the ground and pulled Fred back over the edge without much effort.
After she had gotten her balance back, Fred looked around. “Where’s the demon?”
“It ran off.”
“Where’s Cordy?”
Angel looked around, but didn’t see her anywhere. “Cordelia?” he called out. No response. She was gone.
> > > > > >
Cordelia groaned. The pain in her head was just as intense as before, but now she had pain in her whole body as well. Where was she? She couldn’t remember. She was thrown by the demon, but after that things got fuzzy.
She looked around. She was in the center of a very large room, lying on the floor. There was no one else in sight.
She climbed unsteadily to her feet and waited for the dizziness to reside before taking a step forward. She took another step. White hot pain flashed through her body and she was flung backward.
She groaned again. Man, that hurt. And she was back on the ground again. This time, however, she decided to stay down.
She was laying there for several minutes before she heard footsteps. She turned towards the noise and saw a Bamboria demon walking toward her. She tensed up, but her body was too exhausted to fight. Suddenly another demon appeared out of nowhere. A bright light appeared behind the two demons. Buffy appeared to the right of Cordelia, Angel appeared between the two women. The other six people appeared in a cluster on the other side of the room.
“Cordelia!” Angel tried to move toward her but was thrown backward after two steps.
Another Bamboria demon appeared and approached the group. “Welcome.”
“Where the hell are we?” Angel growled.
“Where you are does not matter. What matters is what you do.”
“What will we do?” Buffy asked.
“We are weak. We needed to regenerate ourselves tonight. You ruined that.”
“You were going to kill people,” Buffy snapped. “Did you think we were just going to let you?”
The demon ignored her. “However, we can still regenerate.” The demon looked at Cordelia. “You. You are vulnerable right now.” The demon swung his gaze to Buffy. “And you. You can be vulnerable as well.”
Cordelia felt Angel’s gaze on her, but kept her focus on the demon in front of her. “Let’s cut to the chase. What the hell do you want?”
“We want to feed.”
“You said Cordelia was vulnerable. Why haven’t you fed on her already?” Xander asked.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks, Xander.”
The demon spoke again. “We could feed off of her now. However, it is more beneficial to us to put them both in vulnerable situations.”
“And if we refuse these ‘vulnerable situations’?” Cordelia asked.
“If you should refuse, all your friends will die,” the demon said.
Cordelia felt the air around her shift. The demon beckoned her forward, and she hesitated before obliging. The demon beckoned to Buffy and she came forward as well.
“The process is simple. Each of you will experience something designed to make you vulnerable.” The demon gestured to Angel. “It is his job to save one of you.”
Angel growled again. “What?”
“You can save one and only one. Who you save is up to you, but your choice is final.”
“What will happen to the other one?”
“She will die.”
“That’s not fair!” Fred exclaimed.
The others made similar protests, but Cordelia didn’t hear. She was lost in her own thoughts. Angel could save one person today. She was dying. Angel should save Buffy. She fought back a chuckle as she remembered her dream. Now it all made sense.
The demon was speaking again. “If there are no more questions, we will begin.”
And just like that, the chaos erupted. The room spun around and around until it suddenly stopped. Cordelia looked around but saw no one. Buffy was gone, Angel was gone, the demons were gone.
Cordelia turned around and jumped back. Standing there before her was her dead father. He was thin and pale and…dead. She took another step back as he stepped toward her.
“You disappoint me, Cordelia. You disappoint me so much. You’re so weak. I didn’t raise you to be weak.”
Cordelia backed up until she hit the wall. “Daddy-“
“Don’t speak! Have some respect for your father. You are the worst daughter a father could have. How do you live with yourself?”
“Daddy, I’m sorry,” she cried out as she sank down against the wall.
The scene changed and suddenly Angel and Buffy stood in front of her. “Angel?”
Angel glared at her. “Don’t talk to me. You don’t get to. You’re dying, Cordelia. I’m not wasting my time with you anymore.”
Buffy smiled smugly. “I told him, Cordelia. I told him everything. And you know what he told me? He told me that he loved me and that we should be together. He doesn’t want you around anymore.”
“But we’re family.”
“Not anymore,” Angel said. “Buffy’s my family now.”
Fred, Wes, and Gunn came to stand by Angel and Buffy. “Yo, Barbie, what’s up?” Gunn asked the blonde.
“Barbie? That’s my name,” Cordelia protested.
“Not anymore. We love Buffy now, not you.”
“Buffy. Buffy. Buffy.”
Cordelia rested her head on her knees and sobbed, trying to block out their chants. “No! No! No!”
The Bamboria demon was laughing. She could hear it. Suddenly Angel was there, grabbing her, holding her. She pushed against him. “Go away! You don’t want me, you want her!”
Angel reached for her again and locked her in his embrace. “It’s OK. It’s OK.”
Cordelia fought down hysteria as she fruitlessly struggled against him. “Just let me go,” she sobbed.
Angel pulled her even closer and she stopped struggling. He rested his chin on the top of her head. “It’s alright,” he whispered. “I’m right here, it’s alright.”
Across the room Buffy groaned and sat up. “What happened?”
The demon gaped at her. “You’re alive? He chose her, you should be dead!”
Buffy stood up and dusted herself off. “Dead? Do you know how many times that’s happened to me? Don’t mess with a slayer.”
She flew at the demon and landed a kick to his chest. The others rushed to help her. Wes hefted an axe and decapitated the lead demon. Almost instantly the two remaining demons burst into flames and burned away.
While the others stood trying to catch their breath, Angel still stood with his arms around Cordelia. She pressed herself as close against him as she could. His arms were strong and sure around her waist and back.
Angel pulled back a little. “Come on. Let’s ho home.”
> > > > > >
The luggage was packed in Spike’s car and the gang was in the lobby saying their good-byes. Buffy and Spike had since made up, and there was no tension between her and Cordelia. Everyone was promising to write and keep in touch. Willow was saying goodbye to Connor in baby talk.
Buffy pulled Cordelia aside. “Listen, I'm sorry. I know you’ve been having a rough time and my comments about Angel haven’t made it any better.”
“It’s alright. Don’t apologize for my insecurities.”
Buffy chuckled, then sobered up. “I really think that you should tell Angel that you’re-“
Cordelia cut her off before she could finish. “I’ll think about it.”
The two girls said goodbye and the Sunnydale gang piled into Spike’s car. The blonde vampire beeped twice before driving off into the darkness.
They stood outside for a few minutes, enjoying the night air. Fred yawned and stretched. “I think I’m going to go home with Gunn tonight.”
“Yeah, we should get going,” Gunn said.
Wes nodded. “I believe I’ll go home as well.”
“Me too,” Cordelia chimed in.
Angel shook his head. “Oh, no. Not you. I want to talk to you.”
They said their goodnights and Cordelia and Angel went inside. Cordelia settled in on the couch while Angel went up to check on Connor. She looked up when he came down the stairs. “Well?”
“Sound asleep, curled around that teddy bear you bought him.”
“I told you he’d like it,” she huffed.
Angel chuckled. “Yeah, well, I guess you’re right every now and then.”
Cordelia yawned. “Angel, I’m really tired.”
“I know. I just want to talk for a few minutes.”
“OK, talk.”
Angel sighed. “Cordy, I just…do you really think I’d choose Buffy over you? Ever?”
Cordelia groaned. “Are we still on my dream?”
“Sometimes dreams mean things.”
“OK, fine. I’ll admit that I was a little insecure. But you cleared all that up. Trust me.”
Angel nodded. “OK. But what about your dad?”
Cordelia squirmed. “What about him?”
“Cordy, you were talking about him. Hell, you were talking to him.”
Cordelia sighed. “He kept telling me how disappointed he was in me. That I was the worst daughter in the world.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“Actually, it was. At least a little. I could have tried harder to have a relationship with him. But I know that he could have tried harder, too.”
“So you’re OK?”
“Yeah. I think I am.”
Angel smiled. “Good. Cause if you’re not fine, I’m not fine.”
Cordelia snorted. “Yeah, OK.”
“No, no, no, it’s kind of like that Titanic movie you made me watch. You jump, I jump, you know? We’re in this together.”
Cordelia smiled. “Good. Cause I’d hate to be in this alone.”
“Me too,” Angel said. “Me too.”
The End