Please Read!

This story is a future fic…that will travel back to the episodes of the show that we all know and love. Of course it will take some time to get there. Right now I'm posting it under T rating but the next chapter will more than likely have me place the story under M because...well...it's a Buffy fic...it really can't stay teen rated for more than a chapter or two. It takes into account the comic book's in the Buffy timeline as well as Angel. An episode of Supernatural actually gave me confirmation to actually write this. Having not been inspired in a long time I jumped at the opportunity to start my first Buffy fanfiction. Of course to confuse people even more I will be adding my own characters – which I actually have real actresses and actors in mind to 'be' the character, so I will be giving the actor's names as I add their 'character' into the story. GIVE ME A CHANCE! It's my first Buffy fanfic!

Silence.

To some it is golden. Something attained through meditation, striving to reach for that one moment of perfect quiet.

Then there are those who create silence. Who live to create the deadly nothingness that can consume a person with fear.

Those that create the silence have always been hidden in shadow. Allowing the darkness to conceal their presence, to veil their existence to those of the world of sound and light.

As it says in the good book, "and darkness was upon the face of the deep"; until God brought light! Dividing the light from the dark – creating day and night. Allowing a place for the silence and dark to meet, shielding fear from silence to those born of the light.

It has always been – and it will always be.

And it was then that it was.

For it was in the deep that it sprung.

Cast out of heaven and unto the earth Satan took his Kingdom.

It was here it was born.

Evil.

Danger.

And for those who gave it a title, it would be then and forever known as…

The First.

It exists only here.

Bound to this plane and dimension. Without form it has lived for millennium's. Hoping and striving to burst free of the shadows and darkness that have held it back – awaiting for its one moment. Waiting for one small mistake to allow it freedom.

Time did not matter. Patience was its only necessity.

And finally…the day came.

One small error of judgment by one powerful witch. Unleashing a soul from Heaven and bringing it back to the earthly plane.

It was then that it began to stir.

Began to plan for its rise from its prison.

It was simple, too simple for those who could stop it to realize.

Force their hand…and watch as they crumbled under their mistakes.

The Slayer. The Chosen. A being of light and dark that was like none before her being the tool it would use.

And it did. Without them realizing…without them knowing it was all going the way it wanted.

Staging all things to seem as though they had won – that they were making all the right moves.

What fools they were to believe themselves capable of killing it.

It could never be killed. Only bound – as it had been.

For its existence was bound to the creation of the world, and without it…nothing would be.

But humanity could not understand this – would never understand.

The Slayer was no different.

So The First appeared…showing itself…revealing its intentions of raising an army…and laughed as it watched the Slayer played her part.

It was perfect…brilliant.

Lead them to act first. Show them a physical adversary. Set the pieces of the game up. Let them think they knew what game they were playing. Align the chessboard just so. Bate them with its queen…making them forget about the lonely pawn…that was just about to reach the other side.

Never had it known such delight then when the Slayer took the Scythe…knowing all too well the moves that would follow.

Unleashing the power of the Slayer to all who could possess it.

And that…was all it wanted.

Odd how something that the Slayer thought would be their solution was truly the floodgate to The First's ultimate goal.

With it's victory it again waited – but longer bound in its prison it drifted. Watched.

Knowing that humanity's ignorance of the balance between all things would cause them to try and bind the one thing that had created all things.

Magic.

And they did…and again it waited.

The witch once more causing the error. A ripple.

The ripple of time allowed an entity to travel back, and it would bring about the fall of all things. Making sure all the pieces were in place.

It was time for the final move… and use the forgotten pawn piece.

Check mate.

Sometime in the not so distant future…

It wasn't like she had chosen this existence…she kind of was tricked into it. If it wasn't for Skip she wouldn't be where she was today.

On a higher plane.

As a PTB.

Time ceased to exist.

As it was most of her 'time' was spent watching to make sure Angel was alright. Of course the others were constantly telling her not to interfere…but Angel was more than just a friend to her. He had always needed her…and she had called in her favors to make sure Angel could take down the Circle of the Black Thorn.

And even now she watched as he tried to redeem himself from the horrors he had done as Twilight.

"Something has happened…" A voice sounded around her.

Cordelia just sighed even though she technically didn't have a physical body.

"Something is always happening." She replied in a non so excited way.

"It is something that we have been waiting for – something that we had given up hope for."

The words, though cryptic, made Cordelia curious as to what the two voices were talking about.

"What does that have to do with me? Didn't you take away my ability to help the people that actually need help?" Cordelia asked the question with her usual attitude.

One of the voices chuckled.

"No...we only removed you from helping the wrong person. He wasn't the one that you were destined to help."

Cordelia would have scrunched her eyebrows if she could have. The words confusing her.

"I thought I was suppose to help Angel.."

Before she could complete the sentence the other voice interrupted.

"Angel altered his own destiny – he chose a different path then the natural flow had dictated."

It was then that the ex-cheerleader began to become frustrated. Always hating people who talked in riddles – she couldn't get use to the constant need to decipher everything that she was being told.

Maybe the others sensed her frustration, maybe they had been with her long enough to know that she would explode soon if no one intervened. Whatever the reason another voice came out of the blue.

"Are you ready for your true destiny Cordelia? Are you ready to see why you were chosen to become a higher being?"

It was a question that she had asked herself a million times. A question that she needed answered. One question she couldn't hold back from answering.

"Yes!"

The sudden gush of air and sensation startled Cordelia to no end.

Suddenly she was in a white room, with white columns all around.

It took her a second to realize she had a physical shape, but not truly solid. Looking down she could see she was in a white toga but she could see through herself. Almost as though she was a cloud.

"Don't be afraid."

Cordelia looked up to see a man with the same shape as herself.

He smiled at her.

"We're in-between Cordelia. Just before one is truly mortal and the spirit that we all are."

"And why exactly are we….in-between that is?" Cordelia asked with raised brows.

The man again smiled and extending his arm out, an invitation to step closer.

"Let me show you."

Not knowing the reason why, Cordelia felt at ease with the man. Questioning him stopped as she allowed herself to step forward and accept his hand.

Slowly he turned and exposed the small pool that was down the steps that lay behind him.

"These are the waters of the deep. When one in submerged they may see and watch the mortal realm," The man began.

"Isn't that what we do without the water?" Cordelia asked with a furrowed brow.

The man laughed, "Yes it is. But not like this."

Turning he faced Cordelia with a smile still on his face.

"My name is Sin-alshu, Cordelia. And I have had the pleasure of watching you since before you were born."

For the first time in a long time Cordelia felt a moment of fear, but soon the feeling vanished as Sin-alshu continued to speak.

Laughing out loud the man consoled her, "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything evil or judge you at all. I've only been given the opportunity by The Creator to save what has been lost."

Many questions flashed in Cordelia's mind, but she had no time to even ask him a question as he pulled her with him into the steps of the small pool.

"You see, the pool allows us to see the past, the future, and everything between all dimensions. It is our link to beings feelings, thoughts, actions."

The words intrigued her, as she stared into the pool.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Slowly Sin-alshu turned and spoke with such a warmth that Cordelia thought he sounded as though he cared for her.

"Cordelia…there are many things that those of darkness have caused that we have not been able to stop. Actions which at the time we did not know how to correct, chances that we were not willing to risk in fear of causing more damage than good."

Sin-alshu turned his sudden foggy eyes to look into the pool.

"I have stood by and watched you suffer and triumph, I have stood by and watched another's destiny be stolen. All of these things I have endured…hoping for this one moment to help those who deserve it most."

Again Sin-alshu turned as his eyes turned a grayish white and stared into what would be Cordelia's eyes.

"That's why I've brought you here. To show you what I could not stop – what I could not alter. But now…now you can do what I never could."

"I don't understand." Cordelia whispered the words, she was getting freaked out.

"You will… dive beneath the water, and open your eyes."

Turning to look at the water, Cordelia began to see something forming in the water.

"Is it going to hurt?" Cordelia's voice was small as the memory of pain flashing through her mind and body as visions assaulted her.

"Pleasure, pain, love, hate…you'll feel all of it. Just open your eyes, it will seem like just a moment." Sin-alshu's voice soothed the sudden fear, and the swirl of colors in the water called to Cordelia.

Closing her eyes, Cordelia let go of Sin-alshu's hand, and dove into the pool.

It was like a movie playing in front of her eyes.

She saw them all.

Darla.

Liam.

The man he had been. His family. The way he became Angelus. The sickening end to his family.

Druscilla.

Cordelia saw the sweet innocent little girl she had been. Saw how Angelus had taken away her body, her mind. Saw the demon that she became.

She watched the killing, the raping, the torturing…she witnessed every horrific moment.

And then a little baby being born.

It didn't make sense to her.

How after all that destruction this one beautiful moment.

Then she watched the baby grow, saw the baby become a boy, saw him struggle to become a man.

Saw the heartache he went through, heard the words that would lead to his death.

Cordelia watched as secrets were revealed to her in each and every detail of who this man would become, what exactly he meant. Watched him learn that his heart meant nothing to those around him.

Watching his existence she felt his pain, felt all his emotions. It shocked her to know just how deeply he felt things, How his brain worked. How much he wanted and needed love.

Then she watched as he arrived to the place that would ultimately lead to the reason he would become more than anyone would expect.

All of it was second by second for Cordelia.

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Tara, Giles, Anyanka, even herself.

But she saw it through everyone's eyes.

Felt evryone's emotion.

But above all…HIS were the strongest feelings.

Emotions that she thought he could never feel, emotions that were so strong she cried for him.

Then she watched what she had not known.

Watched the death of the slayer…and the resurrection. Watched him crumble and be built up again.

Witnessing what would happen between the two and what in the end would lead to another souled vampire.

Witnessed as he saved the world. All for Buffy.

Suddenly she felt the gush of air again…and suddenly realizing what she was seeing was happening in that moment.

Cordelia didn't know how she knew it was happening at that moment...she just did.

A second later from jumping into the water, she shot up gasping, tears mingling with the water.

"How could she..."

"It wasn't her." Sin-alshu immediately replied. "That is why I have brought you here! It is the reason you must go back!"

Cordelia couldn't stop the sensation of wanting to help him - not after what she witnessed. Yet what she had seen blew everything that she thought to be true literally 'out of the water'.

"Is it just me or is he..."

Sin-alshu immediately cut her off, "It is what I have been waiting for. I have waited over Eight thousand years for this moment. But I can not help him..."

"But I can." Cordelia finished.

Sin-alshu sadly smiled at her. "You helped Angel..."

He didn't need to say anything else. Cordelia understood now.

"You will still be one of us. But you won't be able to return for a very long while." Sin-alshu explained as Cordelia continued to cry.

"You must be strong for him. We weren't prepared for this..."

The words were left hanging in the air. Both trying to grasp what had happened.

"You know..." Cordelia's whisper finally broke the silence, "it's true what they say."

Sin-alshu crinkled his brow, asking a question with just the motion.

Cordelia looked up into Sin-alshu's eyes as tears continued to flow down her ghost like face.

"Beauty did kill the beast."

A teary smile was his agreement.

"Close your eyes." Sin-alshu whispered.

Slowly Cordelia lowered her head and allowed her tears to fall into the water as she closed her eyes.

"Go to him..."