 |
 Part II ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Yep, it’s me… in all my non-me glory,” she said, doing a quick turn before
stopping in front of the gaping ghost with a bright smile that rivaled the
blinding beacon of before. “Non-you glory?” Spike asked. Cordelia nodded her head for him to
follow her. After a few twists and turns they came to a stop in front of
a window. Behind it lay a body: Cordelia’s body. “What’s going on, luv?” Spike asked, concern marring his brow as he turned
to look at her. She smiled while watching herself lying comatose, but at
what, Spike had no clue. “I’m not a ghost like you, Spike. I’m not dead,” she explained. “Well, that’s bloody obvious,” he declared, following her line of vision to
the form lying motionless, attached to machines. “Spike, I am just my soul,” she said. Spike cocked his head to one
side. “For us wee laymen, luv, you’ll have to do better at the explaining than
that,” he said, crossing his arms. Cordelia smirked, Spike’s action
reminding her of Angel. “Walk this way,” she said, a larger grin emerging over her face. Spike
shook his head as he followed her. “Why you’re just a wellspring of pop culture this evening, aren’t you?” he
said causing her to chuckle. “At least you’ve lived enough in the twentieth century to get my references,
unlike some vampires I know,” she said. Spike chuckled. “Yeah, I can’t really see Peaches sitting through the three-hour-per-epic
glory that happens to be Lord of the Rings,” he said.
Cordelia laughed as well. “Hey, Tolkien is classic. It should be a no-brainer for him. How
he can sit through hours of Charleton Heston is totally beyond me. Yet
the classics come to big-screen and he turns his vampire nose up at them,”
Cordelia said with a roll of her eyes. Spike smiled, but sobered quickly
when he noticed Cordelia’s drawn face. Her eyes took in their
surroundings with a quick, sad glance. “There are things I don’t pretend to understand,” she muttered. “That makes two of us, luv,” Spike commented. Cordelia smiled, but
there was no humor in it. “I was here once before. These vary elevators,” she said as she
pointed to said object. “It was before Angel’s beige meltdown and he
fired us. We were trying to save him. Fat lot of good it did
us. I only hope I can make a dent in him before it happens again.”
Spike processed her words carefully. “Are you saying that Angel is on his way to Looneyville again?” he
asked. Again Cordelia smiled. “Your way with words astounds me,” she shook her head. Spike shrugged. “I was a poet once,” he said. This caused Cordelia to laugh. As
she went to pat him on the shoulder, Spike’s eyes went wide as her hand went
right through him. “Right, I forgot about that,” Cordelia said, a shameful look on her
face. Spike’s eyes narrowed as he concentrated on something.
Cordelia watched as he steadily reached out to touch her shoulder. Again,
his eyes went wide as his finger seemed to melt into her. “A ghost to a ghost. This is all very intriguing, luv. I hate to
have to point out that you seem to be falling behind in your explanations,” he
said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his duster. Cordelia looked to
the floor. “There’s a lot to explain, Spike. Almost too much at this point.
Things will be revealed in time. But right now, I am here to ask for your
help. You are going to play a pivotal part in the way the future is
shaped. Many people’s destinies will depend on your future decisions,”
Cordelia said, clasping her hands in front of her earnestly and looking up into
Spike’s incredulous face. There was silence for a few long seconds. “Are you telling me that I, a freakin’ vampire ghost, am going to have a
significant impact on other people’s lives? While I’m stuck here in this
cinderblock Hell? My decisions will chart the course of other lives?” he
asked. Cordelia nodded. Spike blew out a breath he didn’t need to
hold. “That’s an awful lot of information to just throw at me, princess.
What makes you so sure that I’m going to listen to anything anyways? I
have my own agendas here,” he said almost belligerently. Cordelia shook
her head. “Who says your agenda and the Powers’ agenda are so very different?” she
asked. Spike looked at her quickly before starting to pace. After
another silence filled second, he stopped and turned to look at her. “What about you, luv? What are you getting out this mess?” he asked as
he thought back to the body still lying back in the care unit. “And I
must admit, you are bloody good at evading questions. I don’t think
you’ve answered one straight out yet.” Cordelia shrugged. “I’m explaining as best as I can, Spike. I can’t tell you what’s going
to happen. It’s against the rules. I can only give you certain
pieces of information and hopefully you can piece together enough to come to
some very important decisions,” she said. “I still want an answer to the question about you, luv. What happens
to you?” he asked. Cordelia turned away. “I didn’t know you cared, Spike,” she said. Spike let out a humorless
chuckle. “There seems to be a lot that most people didn’t know about me,” he said,
causing Cordelia to turn back to him. “Spike, you’re a better man than you think you are,” she said. Spike
shook his head. “You forget, luv. I’m not a man. I was a demon… and now I’m a
bloody ghost.” Cordelia stepped close to him, her brown eyes boring into
his blue. “You were a man, Willliam,” she said with an edge to her voice.
“You were a man – a better man than anyone had the brains to see. It was
that man that beat out the nature of the demon to fight the good fight –
without a soul. It was that man that rose to the surface to find the
strength of will to fight for a soul. You are the only demon in history
to ever reach those heights. The Powers call all demons ‘lower
beings’. You’ve transcended that, and you’ve risen above the standards of
most human beings. That in itself deserves a little acknowledgement,
don’t you think?” Silence fell again as the blond ghost thought over
Cordelia’s words. She watched him and immediately felt bad for him.
This man… pirey ghost had a lot to deal with. She knew that he was having
problems finding his purpose. That was why she was here. But she
also knew that over the past few years, those insecurities had been enforced by
many people… the primary offenders being her former employer/best friend and
the Scoobies. Falling in love with Buffy Summers had been the worst thing
that Spike could have ever done. Cordelia let an internal Pffft
echo through her head at that though. Falling in love with Buffy Summers
seemed to be a common affliction in the fanged undead, and all it did was cause
them to be miserable. With a swift shake of her head, Cordelia brought
herself back to the present. Spike was pacing again, but she knew he’d
been silent the whole time. “Spike,” she said, calling his attention to her. When his eyes met
hers, she smiled. “We’ve already got a brooding vampire. I didn’t
come here to create another one. I came here to tell you that you are
worth a hell of a lot more than you think you are and that my purpose is to
make sure it is proven to you.” Spike thought over those words and
finally nodded. “Well, then. Now that I’ve channeled the title brooder, I’m worn
out. Bloody hell, I could use a cigarette,” Spike said, running his hand
through his hair. Cordelia grinned. “A drawback to being Casper?” she asked. Spike rolled his eyes. “I’m trying not to think of those,” he said. Cordelia knew that
despite the light banter, there still were questions rolling around in the
peroxide blond head. Silence fell again. “I know all of this is a lot to think about, and I’m sure there’s a little
anxiety mixed in. Just know that I will be here to help you through all
of this,” Cordelia tried to comfort. “What happens after that?” he asked. Cordelia debated whether or not
to give him a straight answer. She decided to be honest. “I don’t know,” she said. Spike nodded. “I guess that may mean a little research is in order then,” Spike said
good-naturedly. A warmth spread over Cordelia. “I suppose a visit to Wesley wouldn’t hurt,” she said, the hope at seeing
her friend and the love for him shining in her eyes. Spike smiled. “Then let’s get to it,” he said as he pressed the elevator button and the
two waited. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Wesley sat back in his chair. After going through his department
reviews he knew that things were going to be hectic. A week ago the group
had found a pair of dusty books hidden away in the apartment of a now-deceased
Ralsak demon. The Ralsaks were a protective race. They were usually
hired out as a security measure for objects or value or even people. In
this particular case, the Ralsak had been killed before it could reveal to Gunn
and Angel what it was protecting. It had been a mark against the gang of
Angel Investigations that the Ralsak had died under their watch, but it was a
success in that the cultists guilty of the murder had not found their desired
object. After weeks of searching, the Wolfram & Hart crew had struck
pay dirt earlier that day. Wes had immediately sent the unknown texts
down to the labs to have them studied. He hoped to go over them himself
once he had the time. And now, with the rest of the pending cases
delegated, he was anxious to take a look at them. With a sigh, the
ex-watcher sat back, pushed his glasses up onto the top of his head and rubbed
the bridge of his nose. “You keep rubbing it like that, you’re not going to have anything left,” a
voice broke into the Englishman’s reverie. Wesley sat up straight, startled. “What the…?!” Wesley started, then when he saw who it was he relaxed.
“Spike. Could you possibly do something to announce your arrival
besides just popping in and frightening the devil out of us?” Spike just
smirked. Cordelia, well aware that Wesley couldn’t see her, frowned at
the man’s appearance. His 5 o’clock shadow was turning into more of a 10
o’clock overgrowth. His eyes were tired and bloodshot. His normally
up kept appearance was rumpled and untucked. She frowned as she took in a
different Wesley than she had known before. Gone were the apathy and the
lingering traces of the beige period of his own. In its place were
exhaustion, reserve, and a caution that Cordelia had never seen before in the
ex-watcher. It was almost as if he had reverted to his old, high school
version of himself. Minus the shrieking and insecurity, of course. “Tell him he looks like hell, Spike,” she ordered her ghostly
companion. Spike frowned, quickly glancing at her out of the corner of
his eye. Wesley shifted in his seat. “Well, Spike? Are you just going to stand there and glower, or do you
have something of importance to say?” the man asked. “You look like hell, mate,” Spike commented for Cordelia, and himself.
Wesley’s frowned turned up for a second in a moment of amusement. “It’s always good to know that there is always someone around to keep the
spirits up,” he said. Cordelia smiled softly at her friend. “Oh Wes, I wish I could hug you right now,” she said softly. Spike
looked at her again. “What next?” he hissed out softly. Cordelia looked over at him and
indicated to the empty chair in front of Wes’ desk. Spike rolled his
eyes, but he took her hint. Wesley watched warily as the ghost seated
himself. “So, any new prophecies of late?” the blond man asked nonchalantly, causing
Wes’ eyebrow to go up. Spike shifted uncomfortable. “Any rabble
rousing baddies to go tell to bugger off?” Again, Wes just looked at
him. “Come on, Watcher. I’m trying to make conversation here!”
Wesley sighed. “When have you ever been much of a conversationalist?” he asked.
Cordelia laughed. “How can you ask that when Spike’s been known never to shut up?!” she asked,
clutching her stomach. Spike narrowed his eyes at her as she perched
herself against the corner of Wes’ desk. “Well… maybe I’ve turned a stone,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. Wes
shook his head. “Not bloody likely. What do you need Spike? We have people
working on your situation – in fact, Fred has been adamant about continuing on
with it,” he said as he sat forward, leaning his elbows on the desk.
Cordelia’s eyebrow lifted at the mention of Fred. Well, that would have
to be information stored for later. Knowing that Spike was stumped about
what to say next, she leaned forward. “Ask him about any new acquisitions,” she prompted. “To be more
specific – books.” Spike took a breath. “Any good reading come your way? I’m looking for a good novel to help
me nod off,” Spike said. Wesley’s eyes narrowed at the question.
Cordelia glared at the man in front of her. “Cut the bullshit, Spike! Ask him if he’s received any new texts!” she
growled. Spike smiled his regular smart ass smile in response to Cordelia
and in wait of Wesley’s answer. With another growl, Cordelia reached
forward, closed her eyes and put her hand against Spike’s temple. A flash
of an image caused Spike to jerk back slightly. In front of his eyes sat
an ancient looking text – it was pale green, spineless, and held together by a
giant metal clasp on the two ends. There was a symbol on the front cover,
but Spike couldn’t place it. When Cordelia was sure that Spike had
received her message, she sat back. His eyes were wide as he stared at
her for a second. Wesley, who’d noticed Spike’s reaction, was now
watching him with a concerned look. After a moment, Spike focused his
now-serious eyes on Wesley. “Did you receive a pale green text with two giant metal clasps made of
iron? It had a symbol smack dab in the middle of the cover. It
looked ancient – before my time.” Wesley’s eyes widened. “How did you know…” he started. “I don’t know… but do you have it?” Spike interrupted. Wesley being
speechless was enough answer for Cordelia. “It’s down in the lab,” she said as she hopped off of the desk and made her
way to the door. Spike stood up as well. “Wait – Spike! Where are you going?” Wesley asked, hopping up and
watching almost helplessly as Spike made his way after Cordelia. “Nowhere, mate. I have to look for some answers of my own before I can
do anything,” he said. With that, he disappeared out of the door, leaving
Wesley dumbfounded in his office. “Slow down, cheerleader!” Spike called after the brunette. He ran as
quickly as he could, his duster flapping noiselessly behind him. Spike
wasn’t quite used to the lack of some vampire abilities. There were a few
he was still lucky enough to possess, but as the bloodlust disappeared, so did
some of the perks. Again – not dwelling. “Cordelia!” he yelled again. Cordelia stopped suddenly and turned back
to him. “Will you not call my name out like that? Everyone can hear you
here, remember? They hear you calling my name and… well, I don’t know how
well received that’s going to be by some if they hear it,” she said, hands
going to her hips. Spike stopped a few feet from her. “You mean Angel, right?” Spike asked. Cordelia became deadly still. “What does Angel have to do with anything?” she asked. Spike watched
her closely. “I think that might actually be a question for you, luv,” he
commented. Her eyes became icy. “It’s really none of your business,” she said. Spike crossed his arms. “It bloody well is if you’re using me as a pawn to save his scowly little
soul!” Spike exclaimed. “What Angel does or doesn’t do isn’t a concern of mine. I am here to
save the world and a few people in the process. If it includes keeping
Angelus buried beneath Angel’s soul, then so be it. Consider it a
productive, life-saving by product. My mission is not Angel’s soul.
Not right now,” she said. Spike’s eyebrows lifted. “Not right now?” he asked. Cordelia glared. “This subject is, as of right now, closed. Veeeery closed,” she said
angrily. “Now, since we’re done talking, I’ll meet you in the lab.”
With that, she disappeared. Spike looked around dumbly for a second
before sighing, resigned. “There’s obviously a story there, luv. And I’m going to hear it before
I agree to helping anyone with anything – and that means you too, cheerleader,”
Spike said to no one before making his way to the stairs. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ** Author’s note: Please let me know if you like it. I
also want to know if you don’t like it. Now – I know that there are a lot
of Buffy/Angel lovers out there and I respect that. This story has a
planned Cordelia/Angel arc to it and I’m sorry if that offends anyone.
Just like the B/A people are entitled to their own opinion, my fellow C/A
people and I are entitled to ours. Because I welcome any type of
criticism, it doesn’t mean that I am opening the door for any hate mail
concerning the pairing. So, if you want to hate it because of that,
please feel free to express it in a polite way… just keep the nasty opinions
full of explicatives to yourself, if you have them. I will respect you so
much more for it. Thank you and I hope you enjoy it anyways!** |
