The Last Living Slayer
Chapter 6 – To the Rescue
Started: 06/10/2010
Completed: 06/11/2010
Rated PG for off-color words
Note: This chapter did not load correctly initially so I am trying again. Sorry for any confusion.
A/N: The latter part of Angel season 4 happened, then season 5 happened with some exceptions. Cordelia went into a coma after giving birth to Jasmine who reigned briefly until she was killed by Connor; Connor was put into his new family, there is no Ilyria and Cordelia came out of her coma weakened but otherwise okay; her contract with Wolfram and Hart was terminated. Spike helped Angel fight the Circle of the Black Thorn and then returned to Sunnydale.
Part 1
After she regained her strength since waking up from her coma Cordelia and Angel had a talk about feelings and family. Angel told her that she was part of his family and that he loved her as he did that rest of his family members but he was not in love with her.
Cordelia's reaction was that she knew that he was still in love with her and that he had been hurt by her choosing to align herself with Wolfram and Hart, but that was mostly because of the demon's influence and now that she was free of the demon they could continue the relationship they had started to build before she became part demon.
She would not be convinced that he felt only friendship for her. She asked Angel to set aside some additional time in his schedule for her because she felt that they needed to talk more and clear the air about other things.
Angel was anxious for the meeting as well because he knew that Cordy had some concerns about why they were at Wolfram & Hart and he had to convince her that there was no chance for a more serious relationship between the two of them.
Part 2
When Cordy entered his office followed by Harmony who was chattering away, Angel promptly told Harmony that they had an appointment and they were not to be disturbed. Harmony took his words as they were intended and left the office.
Angel started by saying "I know that you are concerned about our presence here at Wolfram & Hart, but trust me there is a method to this madness. Our intent is to use the resources of this office to do more good than we could ever accomplish on the outside and so far we are doing that.
"It is true we will never conquer evil no matter how many resources we have at our disposal, but we will go a long way toward putting a dent into evil's foothold in this dimension if we stay here. So what do you say; are you with us?"
"Of course I'm with you, Angel, but how can I help? I don't have the visions anymore."
Angel didn't want to tell her that according to Skip the visions were fake anyway so he said, "We'll think of something, we're just happy to have you back with us."
Cordy flashed her trademark smile at first, but then a serious look came over her face. "Angel the reason I asked for this meeting was because there are some things that I need to say to you."
"Sure, Cordy. What is it?"
"While I was asleep, unconscious I should say, whatever, I saw things."
"What things, what are you talking about?" Angel was concerned that she had seen Jasmine.
Instead Cordelia said, "I saw the past."
Angel shrugged with a sigh, "You told me that already."
"No Angel, not your past, my past. I saw my life from the time I was born right up until the time I went into a coma. What I saw was not pretty. I've always felt that everything I wanted was owed to me and I owed nothing, not to anyone or anything, because of who I was. After all I was Cordelia Chase, I was beautiful, I was smart, I was rich; everyone should bow to me or at least stay out of my way.
"Then along came Buffy Summers, a nobody, but in no time she had the friends, the family, the boyfriend who adored her and now all of a sudden I was second best."
"Cordy," Angel tried to interrupt.
"No, Angel, let me finish." She took a deep breath and continued. "I pulled out all the stops; I did everything I could to make her look bad, to discredit her, (she looked him in the eyes) to steal her boyfriend."
Cordelia held up a hand to stop him when she saw Angel try to interrupt her again. She continued. "Nothing I did worked. I couldn't wait to graduate from high school so I could go on to a college on the other side of the country, anything to get away from Buffy.
"But by graduation I was broke, so I took what money I had and came to LA certain that I would make it big here. I would show Buffy.
"That didn't work either.
"Then I ran into you. I used Doyle's feeling for me to work my way into a position where I was important here, important to you. When I was approached by Skip and shown my future, I almost took it, but then I thought, if I go this way it means that Buffy would have won.
"What an idiot I was, Buffy didn't even know there was supposed to be a contest. Since I had lost to her in every other contest I could conceive, I was determined to replace her in your affections and then throw it back in her face. I thought I was succeeding. I had had visions of her in trouble before, which I didn't tell you about."
Angel was outraged. "WHAT?"
Cordelia defended her actions. "If she really was your soul mate wouldn't you have known when she was in trouble through this connection that you two are supposed to have?"
"That's not the point, Cordelia."
"As I said, I thought I was succeeding, until she died and I saw your reaction to her death. But I wasn't giving up, not by a long shot. I knew I could replace her in your eyes. When you returned I pulled out all the stops, the hair, the attitude, the come hither eyes, plus with Fred and Lorne spouting their nonsense about kye'rumption, or whatever the hell it was, you didn't stand a chance.
"When I agreed to be made half demon, my only thought was that now I would be immortal and beautiful forever, how could Buffy compete with that? After all she wouldn't be the slayer forever, she would get old and wrinkled and ugly while you and I remained the same.
"I didn't even consider the affect of having a constant demon influence; at first I enjoyed it, you know what it's like, actions without consequences. But then, as time went on, it got so that I was not the one in control. It was like I was watching what was happening, but I couldn't do anything about it.
"Angel, I would never sleep with Connor, not the real me, not me without the demon influence. I was the closest thing to a mother that he had ever had. I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused. I know there is no way I can make up for the pain I caused everyone, but I had to let you know that I am truly sorry for everything."
"So everything I know about you since I met you in LA is a lie? You did all those things because you were jealous of Buffy?" Angel asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
She briefly lifted an eyebrow and nodded. "Pretty much," she admitted.
"Geez Cordy, I don't know the real you at all do I? Who are you?"
"At this point, Angel, I don't even know myself. I know that I don't feel the demon inside anymore and that's a good thing. I thought about going to join my mother in Europe, but I don't even know where she is. I only heard from her once since I came to LA."
"You are welcome to stay here. Even though you don't have the visions anymore, there must be something you can do.
"You can start off working for Wes. I'm sure that he can use an assistant. I can tell you now, the half-assed job that you did before at AI will not be acceptable here and you will be paid a flat salary, not based on the cases we get but on what I think the position is worth and the quality of the work that you do."
"Thanks, Angel, I appreciate that. I'd at least like to stay until I can figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life."
Part 3
A few months later Angel and Cordelia were in another meeting, this time right after he revealed his plan for taking down the Circle of the Black Thorn.
"Angel, this is insane. We need to get out of here and go back to Angel Investigations at the Hyperion. We were doing good work there. Here we are just going through the motions."
Cordelia was desperate as she tried to reason with Angel. She lowered her voice as she continued. "And this is a foolish plan. We cannot possibly win."
"I told you, Cordy; I want you and Fred far away from here before tonight."
She rose and turned to leave. "I'll go help Fred pack her things, but I'm staying."
Angel's patience was wearing thin. "Listen to me, Cordy. We are going into a war, not some back yard skirmish. You are not at full strength. The team and I will need all of the help we can get and you cannot help, even at full strength you would be a liability. Fred accepts that, why can't you? I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"I know that, Angel, but you need me." She left the room before he could reply.
Part 4
That night when Spike and Angel reached the alley behind the Hyperion, Cordelia was already there.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Spike demanded of Angel.
Before he could reply Gunn came running up; he was bleeding from a thigh wound. Spike tore off a piece of Gunn's pants leg and tied it around the injured thigh.
"You're supposed to wear the red stuff on the inside, Charlie boy."
"I got the job done boys; the senator and her vamps are all history. Any word on Wes?"
"Not yet," Cordelia answered causing Gunn to notice her for the first time.
"Cordy, what are you doing here?"
"Why does everybody keep asking that? I'm here to fight," Cordelia answered indignantly.
Before anyone could reply, Wesley stumbled into the alley. Angel caught him before he fell. He was also injured and bleeding from a wound in his side. They all turned as the sound of footfalls like thunder approached the alley. It seemed as if the hordes of hell had been unleashed upon them and they soon found themselves fighting what was obviously a losing battle.
"Cordelia, look out," Wesley yelled as he pushed her out of the way, taking a blade to the chest that was meant for her. On top of a dragon Angel was bleeding from many wounds and barely holding on as he whacked away at the dragon's head.
Meanwhile in another dimension Buffy halted her actions in the middle of a training session with Aunt Janice and whispered, "Oh, no!"
"Buffy, what's the matter?" her aunt asked.
"Angel is hurt; he's in danger. I have to go. Now!" she said reaching for her ever present scythe.
Using her link to Angel she honed in on his location and teleported to the air above the Hyperion where she found Angel badly injured but still fighting on the back of a dragon.
With a few swings of the magically enhanced scythe she removed the dragon's head. She directed its body toward the demon horde and carried Angel to the ground. Quickly she touched each of the injured men and their injuries healed instantly. Cordelia didn't have a scratch on her.
With renewed vigor and Buffy's help the battle soon turned in their favor and after another hour of intense fighting it was all over.
As she healed the last of his wounds Gunn asked Buffy, "What are you, an angel from heaven or something?"
"Or something," she answered with a smile and, as she turned to ask Angel what was going on, she was roughly pushed aside by Cordelia who threw her arms around Angel squealing,
"We did it. I knew we could do it," as she kissed him.
"Buffy, how did you know…oh.." Wesley started to ask and then remembered the link between Buffy and Angel. "Thank you, Buffy," he said. "You saved us all."
"You're welcome," she said smiling again. "Now I have to go."
With that, she teleported back to her family's home dimension to continue her training.
Extracting himself from Cordelia's embrace Angel asked in an angry tone, "Why the hell did you do that?"
"Well, I couldn't let Buffy take all of the credit for our victory, could I? After all we killed some of the demons, too," Cordelia answered smugly.
"She is responsible for our victory," Wes said appalled at Cordelia's attitude. "Without her intervention we would all be dead."
"It's true, Cordy, even Spike and Angel were fading. In another two or three minutes we would have all been down for the count – and we weren't getting back up." This came from Gunn.
"I'm surprised you humans lasted as long as you did, the two of you being injured and all. If the slayer hadn't shown up when she did, that mob would have taken us all out." Spike turned to Cordelia. "Besides, all you did was to cause the watcher to get a blade to the chest," he snorted.
Through all of this Angel had been silent, unable to speak. Finally he said, "Let's get inside the Hyperion and clean up. It looks like it suffered very little damage. I don't think we should stay here tonight though. We don't know what might come looking for us. Gunn, Wes, Cordy go home tonight. I will check into a motel and see you all tomorrow after sunset."
End of Chapter 6
