 |
 ** Author’s note: I want to give a large hug and huge
thanks to all of the people who reviewed! Jadedrose01, Anne, Steph
– thank you so much for your kind words. Bitch Little Pixy – I
love the Spike and Cordelia characters as well. I think they would be
great together… but I am a C/A fan first. Who knows, maybe I’ll tinker in
the C/S world as well… : ) As for Fred, I think I would like her with
Wes. Strange as I may feel about that, I think you are right about her
and Spike. I noticed that in the Reaper episode and it kind of creeped me
out a little bit… Arba – even though I said what I said above, I
really am a B/S fan as well (I mean, come on, he got a soul for her!).
The writers could have delved into a very intriguing plot line with that
couple, as well as the C/A plot line. Oh well… we can all hope for it all
to turn out right in the end. All of you stay tuned, there is definitely
more to come! ** Part III ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “What took you so long?” Cordelia asked as she leaned over the desired
text. Spike glowered, but she couldn’t see him. “Well, pardon me if your light show, verbal bombshells and revelations have
made my concentration go down the shitter,” Spike said angrily. Cordelia
stood up with a smirk. “You had to take the stairs, didn’t you?” she asked. Her answer was in
his huff and glare. She laughed as she looked at the grumpy man.
“You know, you’re concentrating too hard on the wrong things.” “You’re telling me? I was the one that ran into a bloody wall,” he
said, rubbing his forehead and causing Cordelia to laugh even harder. “I
appreciate your sympathy.” Cordelia shook her head as she sobered. “I’m sorry, really. But we have more important things to worry about
right now than your inability to think as a ghost,” she said. Spike
frowned. “So, what do we have to worry about then?” he asked. Cordelia’s
non-corporeal hands skimmed over the surface of the book in front of them. “Stopping the coming apocalypse,” she said, her eyes roaming the
cover. Spike rolled his eyes. “Yes, of course, we must have one of those,” he said sarcastically. “Saving a few souls,” Cordelia continued. “Why, of course. Now if only those measly souls could keep themselves
out of trouble from here on out,” Spike said with a heavy sigh as he leaned
against the table. “And in the process, save the world,” Cordelia concluded as she stood up
straight again. “What’s the world ever done for me? Fuck the world,” he said, not
really meaning it. Cordelia watched him with a close eye as he
constructed his apathetic walls around himself. “Fuck the world, Spike? Now there’s an attitude to take.
Especially since you’re in the world…” Cordelia started. “Yeah, and a bloody good world I’m living in,” Spike interrupted. “… and so is Buffy,” Cordelia concluded. Spike shut his mouth, no
witty comeback prepared for Cordelia’s insight. “Well, let’s get to the world saving,” he said, uncommonly quiet as he stood
up next to her. “What do I have to do?” Cordelia refrained from
commenting on the obvious subject of interest. “Well, I need you to open this book,” she said. Spike rubbed his hands
together in anticipation. “As you command,” he said as he reached out and concentrated on the
book. When he reached forward, his hand went right through the
clasps. It took a second for Spike to understand what had happened.
Cordelia huffed. “Spike! Concentrate!” she said. Spike looked at her for a second
before putting a finger to his forehead. “I did, luv. Let’s try it again, shall we?” he asked before he reached
for it again. His hand went through it again. With an impatient
growl, Spike threw his hands at the book, each time his hand moving right
through it. He looked to Cordelia for any sort of assistance. She
was lost in thought, but sat up straight when an idea came to her. “Try picking up something else,” she commanded. Spike rolled his eyes
as he reached for a notebook at the end of the table. “Figures,” Cordelia snorted when Spike held the notebook out to her.
She looked up to the ceiling. “Why are you doing this to me?! You
showed me the book! We’re here! Why won’t you let us work with it?!”
Spike stepped back from her at her yell. Silence filled the room. “Are you expecting an answer, luv?” Spike asked, breaking the frustrated
silence. “Damn the Powers That Be… I don’t know if I can take this anymore, I thought
it had changed,” Cordelia said, forlornly. Spike sat down next to her and
wished desperately that he could rub her dejectedly slumped shoulders. “What can’t you take anymore? What changed?” he asked, hoping that
talking about it would help her, since that was all he could offer. A
sudden noise caused the ghost to look up. “Talking to yourself, Spike?” Angel’s voice asked. Spike heard
Cordelia suck in a breath. “Yeah, well, it alleviates the bloody boredom,” he said, restraining from
rolling his eyes. “What are you doing down here?” the dark vampire asked as he descended the
stairway into the lab. Cordelia let out a short, strangled laugh.
Just like Angel to not sugar coat anything. Straight to the point, as
always. Spike held out his arms. “What? Can’t a restricted ghost take a tour of his home away from
home?” he asked. Angel crossed his arms and glowered, causing Cordelia to
smile. “Wesley informed me, rather hurriedly, that you were asking about that
book. And now that you are here… I guess you can say that I’m understandably
suspicious,” he said, his tone lowering to relay his mood. Spike
shrugged. “I heard it was important. So, I guess you can say that I’m
understandably curious,” Spike said, mocking his grandsire’s tone. “I’m going to ask you one more time, Spike,” Angel growled. Spike
laughed. “Or what, mate? You’re going to toss me out? I’d like to see you
bloody try, Peaches,” he scoffed. Angel stepped forward menacingly.
If Cordelia could step between the two men… pires she would. Knowing it
was fruitless, she sighed instead and stepped back to watch a centuries old
rivalry of antagonism play out in front of her. “I’d say your sought out solid body depends on this law firm and its
resources. What would happen if you pissed off the boss and he decided to
cut your little project off?” Angel threatened. If Spike had a blood
flow, his face would have been red with anger. “Sod off, you son of a bitch! Just because you fucked up enough to
pull the bloody purse strings of an evil law firm does not give you
rights to act like the bloody King of England!” he yelled. “You are not
better than me!” Cordelia watched with interest as the ghost hit one of
the vampire’s sensitive nerves. “How Buffy ever loved you is beyond
me!” Cordelia winced as the second sensitive nerve was struck. “And
I can’t begin to comprehend why the cheerleader gave up her bloody life for a
stupid tosser like you!” Strike three… you’re out. To describe the
look on Angel’s face as anger would be a supreme understatement. Rather
than say anything, Angel turned on his heel and left the confines of the lab,
the ghost stewing in his own anger and the soul watching avidly. The
venting of the rage Cordelia had seen before came out as only a large crash
from the other room. She closed her eyes, not wanting to imagine what
pricey piece of equipment had the misfortune of being in an angry vampire’s
path. “Ding – round one,” Cordelia said almost cheerfully as she stood up.
Spike looked over at her, a miserable look on his face. “I didn’t mean to blow my top like that,” he admitted, finally calming
down. Cordelia smiled. “I understand it’s been a long time in coming,” she said. “You got it
off your chest, Angel will brood about it and work through it, and everything
will be sunshine and roses come tomorrow.” Spike raised and eyebrow. “Okay, so maybe not sunshine… geez, don’t take things so literally,”
Cordelia huffed. “So what are we going to do about the book?” Spike asked. Cordelia
shook her head. “We have other things to worry about…” she said. The telltale tingle
in her spine told her something wasn’t right. Her prediction came true
when an image flashed painlessly in front of her eyes. “We have to go
save a girl from being slaughtered by a demon cult.” Spike looked at her
in surprise. When the idea settled with him he started towards the door. “Right – a demon cult… how original,” he said. “We have three hours, Spike. Tell Gunn it was a call from
surveillance. He’ll let everyone know,” Cordelia directed, not wanting
the blond to be subjected to questions he couldn’t answer. Spike nodded
and left the room. Cordelia sighed. She looked around the small
laboratory. Things were so different from a year ago. A year ago,
she was almost happy. She had been just settling in with her feelings for
Angel – and his for her. She had a family she loved dearly and couldn’t
live without. Conner had been returned to them and the door had been
opened for Wesley to come home. Things were finally starting to go
right. But then… everything went wrong. She’d stupidly gone up to a
higher plane, expecting everything to be all right. Instead, everything
had gone to hell. Her body had come back as an evil entity and wreaked
havoc on everyone and everything she loved. Angel had revisited the pits
of despair, almost killing his own son in the process. And now, they were
all paying for the mistakes she, Cordelia, had made. None of this
would have happened if she’d know the right answers to a test placed in front
of her. This was a hell of her own making. And now she needed to
make it right again. “Care to share?” Spike’s voice broke her into her thoughts. Cordelia
turned to him. “Do they know?” she asked. He nodded. “Good.” “Mind telling me what put that look on your face?” he asked, genuinely
concerned for the only person that could relate to his predicament. “What look?” she asked. Spike smiled – a genuine smile, not his usual
smirk. “The look that says someone just killed your puppy… that, or your world has
ended. Take your pick.” Cordelia gave a half smile to the man. “Those are both horrifically morbid,” she commented. “Which only leads me to think that your thoughts were as well, luv,” Spike
retorted. “I don’t want to talk, Spike,” she said. Spike pretended not to hear. “So, what’s going to happen to you when this little ‘save the world’ party
is over?” he asked casually. Deciding to be a bit more forthcoming than
usual, Cordelia sighed. “The Powers may let me come back,” she answered. “Let you come back?” Spike asked, needing more explanation. Cordelia
sighed again. “Yes. Right now, they are barring me from my body. I am supposed
to use this opportunity to help save the world,” she said. “Why are they barring you from your body?” Spike asked. “As punishment…” was the reply. “For what?” There was no answer. He tried again. “For
what?” Again, silence. “So…” Cordelia started as she stood up. “How was it, saving the world
and all?” Spike frowned. “What?” “You know, sacrificing yourself for the good of the world… and the woman you
love,” Cordelia said, purposefully bringing up the B-word subject to divert
from the previous conversation. It worked. “I don’t…” he started, but Cordelia held up her hand. “Please, spare me the trip to Egypt, okay? I lived in my own world of
denial for months to know that I’ve had enough of it,” she said. Spike
frowned in confusion. She hadn’t been back to Sunnydale or been around
all that much to know anything. “How did you…?” “Oh God… I wasn’t up on a higher plane to not see anything. And
the stuff that I didn’t watch myself, I was shown… all in it’s practically
pornographic glory,” she said with a disgusted grimace. Spike had the
grace to look a little embarrassed. Before he could say anything, an
image flashed in front of Cordelia’s eyes. A blinding light, demons,
Spike and the LA gang. As her eyes focused on Spike again, she
noticed him rubbing his temples. “I guess that means we’re needed, huh?” he asked. Cordelia looked at
him warily. “You saw that too?” she asked. Spike nodded. “Couldn’t bloody not, even if I tried,” he said. “Let’s get
going.” As he walked out the door, Cordelia looked up and smirked before
following him. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The fight had just started when Spike and Cordelia had arrived at the designated
location. Cordelia’s face schrunched up in disgust as she saw over a
dozen and a half of slimy brown demons circling her friends. Even with
Angel’s abilities, Gunn’s skill with an axe and Wesley’s improved skills, the
group was outnumbered. Lorne and Fred were the obvious weak links in the
fighting force, but they were there mainly to get the helpless soul to
safety. Cordelia and Spike, not being of the solid type, watched in
horror as the demons used the divide and conquer battle tactic. Each member
of Angel Investigations were surrounded by at least two demons. Angel
dispatched his attackers understandably quicker than the rest and moved to help
Lorne and Fred reduce their numbers one at a time. Gunn and Wes had held
their own for a while, but soon had more problems. Cordelia knew that
they needed help. “Gunn, over here!” Wesley cried to his friend, three demons charging at
him. The black man rushed to his friend. The two men stood back to
back as they protected each other from the rushing attack. Spike could
only stand and watch as the gang was being slowly overpowered. He looked
behind him to see Cordelia glaring at the ceiling and shaking her hands.
It would have been funny to stand there and watch her do her little dance, but
Spike knew there was more here than what he was seeing. He made his way
towards her, trying not to startle her. “… come on, come on, come on! If you want me to save these bumbling
idiots, then I’m going to need a hand here! Work with me for once,
okay?” he heard the brunette growl to no one in particular. Spike turned
back to look at the struggling LA gang and wanted badly to be able to
help. A demon had Wes by the neck and was trying to rip the poor wanker’s
head off. Gunn was on the floor, trying valiantly to slice and dice the
demon above him. Lorne, Fred and Angel were cornered in the back – a wall
standing behind them and five demons approaching from the remaining three
directions. “Yo, Wes man, I think we could use a bit of a miracle about now. Got
any fancy words to get us out of this mess?” Gunn grunted out to the man next
to him. The Englishman broke free of the demon’s grip and scrambled back
to retrieve his fallen sword. He then held it up in front of him to ward
off his attacker. “I’m afraid I don’t, Charles. All I can do at the moment is wish for a
little divine intervention,” he said. The words were not a second past
his lips when there was a sudden blinding white light, sending everyone
stumbling. As the light faded, everyone looked around, including
Spike. They were alone. Demons gone. As everyone looked
dumbfounded at each other, Spike turned back to look at Cordelia. She
wore a look of surprise, as well as pride, on her face with her hands stretched
out in front of her. “Oh my God,” Spike heard Fred say. When he looked back to the other
brunette, he saw the tears fill her eyes. “I wish for a complete Aretha Franklin CD collection!” Lorne cried as he
fell to his knees, clasped his hands together and beseeched the ceiling. “I think it would be best if we left now, while we still can,” Wesley said
cautiously, looking around the room while he rubbed his neck. He walked
over to where the shocked victim still sat, staring at nothing. Gunn,
Lorne and Fred all nodded as Wesley helped the shaken woman to her feet.
Angel was studiously silent as he looked around the room as well. “I agree with Wesley. Let’s get out of here,” he said as he led the
rest of the group towards the exit. Spike watched as they all walked past
him. As he did, he saw a single tear fall from the corner of Fred’s
eyes. It would have taken more than vampiric hearing to catch what she
said, but Spike heard it anyways. “Thank you, Cordelia,” she said reverently, her eyes cast heavenward.
Spike turned and saw a look of love and gratefulness in Cordelia’s eyes, a soft
smile on her face, belying the tears that ran down her face. “You’re welcome, Fred,” she said softly. All of a sudden, the
scientist spun around, her eyes searching the now empty warehouse. “Cordelia?” she asked. The woman in question’s eyes widened suddenly,
a hand immediately going to her mouth. She shook her head vigorously as
she watched Fred search hopefully. Then, disappointment set in after she
couldn’t find a thing. The room was empty, then, with just Spike and
Cordelia occupying the area. “What the hell was that, luv?” Spike asked. Cordelia looked at him
innocently. “What the hell was what?” she asked. Spike scoffed. “Don’t play stupid with me, chit,” he said. “What was with the light
thing and the talking to Fred?” “A fluke,” was the answer given to him. “That was a bloody fluke? I don’t think so,” he said, waving an arm
around to gesture to the now-empty room. “What do you want me to say, Spike?” Cordelia questioned, hands on her
hips. Spike watched her thoughtfully for a second. “This isn’t about them not letting you go back, is it?” he asked gently, his
features softening. Cordelia laughed softly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. Spike shook his
head. “This is about you wanting to go back. The Powers aren’t
barring you from your body. It isn’t a question of punishment or
atonement. The Powers are giving you the choice, aren’t they?” he
asked. Cordelia spun away from him. “You have no idea about what you are talking about,” she hissed. “Oh-ho yes. Yes it seems like I do. I’ve hit a nerve,
princess. I’m right,” Spike said with a grin. Cordelia glared at
him. “It’s none of your damn business, I told you that before,” she said.
Spike held up his hands in surrender. “Fine… you don’t have to tell me a bloody thing. Except what my part
in this mess is. You’ve arranged something to get me out of that law firm
and I want to know what and why,” he said. Cordelia looked at him. “At least you figured that much out,” she said. Spike scoffed. “It wasn’t hard to figure out considering I was able to able to walk out of
the bloody building to go on this field trip,” he said. “Now, tell me
what I’m doing here, luv – or I’m out.” Cordelia bit her lip in
hesitation. What could she get away with telling him so that he wouldn’t
walk away? The world couldn’t afford him walking away. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ** Author’s note: Intrigued yet? I hope you are enjoying
it. Please review either way. Reviews inspire me and make me want
to write more… if no one tells me they like it then it takes me a while to find
the drive to sit down and write as quickly as I have been. I have other
FF.net pieces going at the same time… I devote more of my time to the one with
the most reviews… hint, hint… Anyways, I hope you liked it! Thanks
for reading… ** |
