Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story is inspired by what the show could've been originally: What if Cordelia was the Slayer and Buffy was the Queen Bee as originally intended? How different would Cowboy Spike be from his British counterpart? I hope you like this AU!
It was a dark and stormy night. Angel groaned in agony, stumbling out of his apartment as he felt his soul slipping away from him.
He looked up to the sky and screamed, "Cordy!"
Inside Angel's apartment, Cordelia Chase slept soundly, remembering the love that she and Angel shared mere hours ago.
###
The Factory
"Once this rain clears up, I want y'all to patrol the streets," Spike said to his minions. Drusilla laid down on the table and shivered in excitement at the Texas twang that was prominent in his voice. "Plus two men on the door and down in the tunnels at all times, ya hear? I've about had it with surprises."
When the minions left, Spike turned his attention to Drusilla. "Feeling better, darlin?"
"I miss Texas," Drusilla said. "The stars are bigger and brighter there. I especially love the ones that fall."
"Nothing like a good meteor shower, my darlin' Dru," Spike said. "Can you see what happened to Angel?"
"Well, cowboy," Angel said in a very cocky voice, "he moves to New York and tries to fulfill that Broadway dream. It's tough sledding, but one day he's working in the chorus when the big star twists her ankle!"
Drusilla sat up and smiled at the sight of her sire. "My Angel!"
The Judge stood up to confront the dark haired vampire only to sense that there was no humanity left in him. Drusilla rejoiced at the return of her sire in his true form and Spike was just glad to have reinforcements. He tried not to cringe, however, at the way that Drusilla draped herself over Angelus as they formulated a plan with the Judge to destroy the Slayer.
###
Sunnydale High School Library
Cordelia went straight from Angel's apartment to the library, knowing that her parents thought that she was sleeping over at Willow's. She walked in and found Jenny and Willow talking in one side of the stairs that led to the stacks, Xander and Buffy arguing on the other side of the stairs, and Wesley waiting for her, book in his hand. Everyone was relieved to see that their Slayer was safe.
"So Angel didn't come here?" Cordelia asked.
"Nope," Buffy said, popping her p with a smack of her lips. "No sign of the brooding bore-fest."
"I-Is the Judge...assembled?" Wesley asked.
Cordelia nodded. "He tried attacking me and Angel at the Factory. Angel and I managed to get away, but we split up cuz of last night's thunderstorm."
"I'm sure he'll come by," Willow said.
"Whatever," Cordelia said. "What's important is figuring out how to deal with the Judge. I mean, all I know is the whole no weapon forged can stop him and when I tried kicking him, I felt like I was touching a branding iron."
"I can go on the net," Jenny said.
"I can do that, too," Willow said. "I have computer class first thing this morning."
Cordelia sighed in relief. "Thanks, Jenny. Thanks, Willow."
"I can help too, you know," Xander said eagerly.
"The only way you can help about the Judge is if somehow he's related to Judge Judy," Buffy snarked. "If you guys don't mind, I'm getting outta here. I got a change of clothes in my locker and classes are gonna start soon."
"Yeah, cuz God forbid you wear the same outfit twice in one week!" Xander snarked back.
Buffy rolled her eyes and headed out, flipping her golden blonde hair over her shoulder.
As Willow and Cordelia walked out after Buffy, Cordelia confided her worries to Willow. Xander followed a few paces behind them, but couldn't hear anything. Wesley decided to stay in the library and look through the stacks for something on the Judge while Jenny Calendar went to her classroom to make a call to her uncle.
###
After school, Cordelia went out on the town in search of Angel while the rest of the Scooby Gang returned to the library for research.
She went back to Angel's apartment and found him in the arms of another woman, one with dark hair like hers. She didn't recognize her but the cheap fake leopard coat and the red high heels indicated to Cordelia that she was some kind of streetwalker.
"Angel!" Cordelia cried. "What the goddamn hell are you doing?"
"Who is she?" The dark haired woman asked.
"Nobody important, baby," Angel said, eyes on Cordelia. "Just someone who was all talk and no action."
Cordelia ran out of the apartment, covering her ears as she heard the dark haired woman scream in both agony and ecstasy. She wasn't sure if Angel was draining the woman or turning her, but in spite of her inner Slayer telling her to kick their asses, she couldn't get the images of Angel and that other woman out of her head.
###
Sunnydale High School Library
Behind the stacks, Xander found Buffy browsing and said, "Sorry for what I said before."
"You mean when you said I had no feelings or when you were all too eager to play superhero for Cordy?"
"Cordy's my best friend."
"Yeah and so is Willow. Which girl did you try asking out to the Junior Prom last year again?"
"Come on, Buffy, let's just kiss and make up."
"No way! I'm done kissing you Xander! You're a good kisser and we had some great make out sessions for the past couple weeks, but I always end up regretting it after."
"Because of what your friends might think?"
"That's one reason."
Xander huffed in frustration and turned around to leave the stacks only to come face to face with Willow, who dropped the book she held in her hands.
"Willow-" Xander said.
Buffy rolled her eyes and walked out of the stacks using the other staircase. She left the library as she heard Xander and Willow arguing. As she walked into the hallway, all the lights went out. Angel stood at the end of the hallway.
"Oh great, it's you!" Buffy said. "You know, your little girlfriend was looking for you."
"I know," Angel said.
Buffy rolled her eyes and walked closer to Angel only for Jenny to appear at the stairs.
"Buffy! Stop!" Jenny said.
Buffy looked up, wondering what was going on, only for Angel to grab her by her throat. She let out a piercing scream and the rest of the Scoobies came out of the library. Xander held up a cross and Angel immediately stepped back, his grip still strong on Buffy. It was clear to everyone that the Angel they knew was gone.
"Let her go, Angel!" Xander said.
"What do you want?" Willow asked.
"I want to send a message to your friend," Angel said.
"Then tell me yourself, baby," Cordelia said. Angel turned around and grinned evilly at his former lover.
"It's not exactly a message you write down, Cordy. It's more of one where you find the bodies of all your friends. Except for her," he indicated Buffy. "I might just turn her."
"Oh please!" Buffy said. "I'd rather stake myself than spend eternity as your girlfriend."
"There was a time when you thought I was attractive, too, you know," Angel said.
"Yeah, for like a millisecond. I'm not into tall, dark, and brooding. I like guys with a bit more bite!" Buffy bit down hard on Angel, who dropped her in a reflex reaction. Buffy ran off to the library while she heard the sound of Angel kissing Cordelia before making a run for it.
Back in the library, the Scoobies asked Jenny what she found out about the Judge and how she knew that Buffy was in danger. The Gypsy woman revealed her secret: that she was descended from the family of gypsies who cursed Angel.
"The curse would be broken when Angel experiences a moment of pure happiness," Jenny said.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Wesley asked.
"I honestly didn't know until now," Jenny said.
While Wesley and Jenny argued, Cordelia blanched as she realized what she did. "It's my fault." The tears of shame that ran down her face turned into rage. "That brooding bastard is gonna pay!"
"Um hello," Buffy said. "In case you forgot, Angel is now working with a demon who can't be killed by any forged weapons."
Xander raised his hand. "Willow and I actually have an idea." He explained a weapon that could take down the Judge.
"But there's still a matter of knowing where the Judge will be," Wesley said. "And finding someone with a vehicle that can hold a weapon that size."
"I know someone," Willow said. "I'll go call him."
While Willow went to make a phone call, the rest of them speculated on possible places the Judge would go.
"He'll probably look for places with lots of people," Wesley said. "A place where crowds are easily formed."
"There's not a lot of choices in Sunnydale outside of the Bronze," Cordelia said. "It's not like people are gonna line up to get massacred."
Buffy's eyes widened and she gasped. "I think I know where I would go if I wanted to find a good crowd right now."
###
The first thing the Scooby Gang did was "acquire" the weapon Xander needed from the nearby army base. Then, at the mall, Cordelia blasted the Judge to pieces while Angelus and Drusilla escaped. Well, Drusilla escaped intact. Angelus, on the other hand, left the mall limping after Cordelia kicked him in the balls.
When Cordelia returned home, she finally let herself have a moment to cry as she fell asleep.
The next thing Cordelia knew, she found herself surrounded by darkness. Drusilla appeared in front of her, floating like a ghost. Cordelia growled at her.
"What do you want?" Cordelia asked.
"Shadows and mirrors…" Drusilla said. "Two sides of the same coin."
A light appeared behind Cordelia, revealing her shadow. As Drusilla disappeared, Cordelia saw the silhouette of her shadow standing in front of a mirror. The shadow took on the form of Buffy Summers while the reflection in the mirror was that of Spike, that bleached blonde Texan vampire.
"It happened to me," Spike said.
"It could've happened to me," Buffy said.
Buffy turned to look at the mirror and kissed Spike affectionately, with Spike returning the blonde cheerleader's kiss.
Cordelia turned around and saw a heart-shaped window, with Xander standing outside in a beautiful field.
"It's not your fault," Xander said. "It was never your fault."
A bright light shone from the window...and Cordelia opened her eyes. She took out her dream journal from her nightstand drawer and wrote as much of her dream as she could remember. As she read over her journal entry, one question lingered in the Slayer's mind: "What does any of this have to do with Angel?"
You'll get to see how things got to the way they are now in the next chapter. But I hope this is enough to get you interested.