bThis I Promise You /b
IBy Jules/i
bChapter 10/b
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
b** Bottom of the chasm **/b
Cordelia awoke suddenly, breathing in the much-needed oxygen.
"God, I hate it when I die . . . damn it! This was definitely the worst."
She looked at the cliff, and finally found what she was looking for, the rope. Xander had sent down for her, with her survival pack tied to it. Cordelia pulled out her climbing gloves, finally all that rope climbing in the gym was going to come in handy. She secured the backpack on, using all the clips to make sure it would stay in place, then she started up.
b** 15 minutes later **/b
Cordelia's muscles ached as she pulled herself over the edge. Finally, she was at the top. She lay on her stomach for a moment, breathing heavily, but knew she had to press on. Cordelia stood up and looked herself over, very upset. She'd just died, again, she nails were ruined, she was dirty, and she didn't even want to think about her hair.
Before she went back, she'd have to clean up, there was a hot spring (convenient, huh?) near by, surrounded by trees (hmm, yet another strange convenience) so she washed off, taking a quick dip. Cordelia pulled her towel out of the pack and quickly dried off, then wrapped up her wet hair. The pack had been created for just this type of situation, so also inside was a pair of black clam diggers, a tight light blue v-neck t-shirt, plus a small bag of hair stuff and make-up. Cordelia brushed out her long dark hair, before the curls set in, and tied it back with her dew rag. A light application of makeup, and she packed up. She shoved her feet into her shoes, then was on her long way.
~*~
Angel was on his own patrol in the cemetery when he heard someone crying.
Near by, he found the Slayer sitting on an above ground memorial tomb, holding her knees to her chest, sobbing.
"Buffy."
She looked up, tears running down her face, "Oh Angel."
"What happened?" He asked concerned.
"She was killed, a few hours ago . . . it wasn't even Cordelia's fight, and now she's dead.
"What do you mean she's dead?" Angel demands, if he had a heart that beat, it would have stopped.
"I hadn't expected her to fight . . . Willow, Xander, and Cordelia had been training though. They could throw knives and stakes with deadly accuracy, they knew martial arts, how to fire guns . . . Xander was a regular firearms expert. Cordelia fought with a sword, very agilely. All in perfect movement, so in unity with each other. They'd obviously been training for a long time. We'd destroyed all the demons, and vampires, except for one. Cordelia took a dagger and launched herself at it. Stabbing it fatally." Tears stream down Buffy's face.
Angel was enraptured, how did no one know what the three had been doing? Where did they learn to fight . . . but mostly, he had to know, how, "Then what happened?"
Buffy takes a couple of deep breaths, wiping away her tears, "Before it died, it picked her up, like she was just some little insignificant thing, and tossed her over the cliff . . . she never even screamed . . . ."
Angel was in shock, she was gone. Cordelia was dead. She died so young, with so much pain and sorrow in her heart.
A beeping interrupted his thoughts.
BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!
"It's me." Buffy pulled out her pager, "611, emergency meeting in the library, you coming?"
Angel shakes his head, "No, I need to take a walk."
Buffy hopped down off the tomb, "Angel, if you ever need a friend, you know where my window is."
Angel nods his head, then disappears into the shadows.
Buffy knew he'd never take her up on the offer, because he was cryptic-brood-boy, having someone to talk to would mean letting someone too close. She takes one last look in the direction he went in pain, seeing for the first time how much the souled-vampire loved Cordelia. She'd been so stupid. Buffy was only 17, and she'd already made the dumbest mistake in her life. She'd been an idiot, and left him, because he was a vampire, and she was the slayer. It was obvious to her now, Angel loved Cordelia Chase, with all his heart. She stared for a few more seconds, then walked the opposite way, her heart heavy in grief, to the high school.
Angel's soul grieved in despair. The girl who he loved, and loved him was gone forever, what did he need a permanent soul for if he would never be completely happy.
He couldn't be when Cordelia died, never knowing he loved her too. She'd unselfishly anchored his soul, never telling him that it was she who had done it. Angel realized something that most of the Scooby Gang didn't, the real heroes of the group were the Slayerettes, not the Slayer herself, or himself. They put their necks on the line everyday, voluntarily, not because they were given special powers to do so, like Buffy had been, and now Cordelia had died for the price of Good.
He had his soul, but now he felt like part of it was missing, leaving him feeling empty. What once contained hope, and worshiped the ground Cordelia had walked on, now was filled with pain. He'd never told her he cared, she'd never known he felt the same way, or that he knew how she felt . . . why hadn't he told her?
~*~
Cordelia was at the beginning of the cemetery when it hit her. Everyone thought she was dead! Buffy would probably be blaming herself, Giles would feel all guilty, and Xander and Willow would have called MacLeod or Adam by now.
This was going to be a long night.
~*~
The three immortals walked into the library, finding two people, Buffy and Giles, beside themselves with grief.
"Duncan, Adam, and Richie are here." Willow announces.
Buffy looks up with puffy red eyes, "I'm so sorry you guys. She's dead, because of me."
"No she's not, on both facts. Cordelia's not dead, and even if she was, it wouldn't be your fault." Adam informs them.
Giles takes off his glasses in attempt to clean them, "Mr. Pierson, I am truly sorry, but the fall she took . . . the fall was so great, that no human have possibly survived it."
"We understand that Mr. Giles, but Cordelia isn't like the rest of you, just like Duncan, Richie, and I are unlike you as well. You see, even if she did 'die', it's not like it would be her first time."
"Or her last." Duncan added, "Please, everyone sit down, it's a long story about what we are."
"Trust me," Richie laid his hand on Giles's shoulders, "you're going to want to be sitting down."
Duncan took a deep breath, "Ok, now, first off, much like your vampire friend, we all are much older then we look, well, at least Adam and I are for now. The fact is, Adam, Richie, Cordelia, and myself are part of a race of immortals, secret to mortals such as yourself, and immortals such as your werewolf friend."
"Mr. MacLeod, this is ridiculous . . ." Giles starts, standing.
"Sit down please Giles." Willow requests.
Giles is surprised, but does as he's asked.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself . . ." Duncan bows, "I am Duncan MacLeod, of the clan MacLeod, also known as The Highlander. I was born on the highlands of Scotland over 400 years ago. I am no alone in my existence. There are others like me, some good, some evil. For centuries I've battled the forces of darkness, sometimes with fellow immortals by my side, sometimes against them. We can not 'die' die unless you behead us, taking our life. If another immortal does it, he or she also takes our power."
"That would be a quickening." Willow puts in.
"It's all part of "The Game", in the end, there can be only one. Some of us aren't interested in it, so we only fight if the person is evil, or they've challenged us, and refuse to back down. We can't fight other immortals on holy ground, something really bad happens otherwise. But, that is beside the point. The point is, Cordelia is alive, and she should have 'woken' up by now. Which means, she'll be making her way back here, hopefully."
"I secured the climbing rope, tied on the survival pack, and lowered it down to her, so she's got a way out. Then I called you as soon as I was done. Willow got Cordy's katana." Xander assured him.
"Good, you did the right thing." Duncan verifies.
"Cordelia's been drilling what Willow and I needed to do if anything happened to her since we found out in October." Xander admits.
"You knew?" Buffy's eyes widen in betrayal.
Willow ashamedly poke up, "We both did, since October when we saw Cordelia behead Jonathan Damians."
"That's when they blackmailed us into training them!" Richie exclaimed, resulting in a punch from Adam.
~*~
Angel took an unneeded deep breath, why had he been so stupid? He'd hesitated, now she was gone . . .
He stopped in his tracks, there was someone else on the path. Though the person was far away, he could tell they were female. As unknown person grew closer, Angel felt a tug at his heart . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~
IOoh, ooh
When the visions around you
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surrounds you
Are secrets and lies
I'll be your strength
I'll give you hope
Keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should call
When standing here all alone /I
~*~*~*~*~*~
Cordelia felt something in her heart making it skip a beat. A dark figure was on the path ahead of her, Angel.
~*~*~*~*~*~
IAnd I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
Until the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
I've loved you forever
In lifetimes before
And I promise you never
Will you hurt anymore /I
~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel knew those legs, those curves, he'd studied them closely for hours when no one was looking, but it couldn't be. She was dead, Buffy had been crying. She walking it to the light, it was her, Cordelia.
His pace quickened in it's efforts to reach Cordelia, who was slowly making her way towards him, in the moonlight, through the cemetery.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I I give you my word I give you my heart
This is a battle we've won
And with this vow
Forever has now begun
Just close your eyes each loving day
And know this feeling won't go away
Till the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you /I
~*~*~*~*~*~
He runs up to her and swings her around, hugging her tightly "I thought you were dead. You scared me. When Buffy told me . . . I thought you'd left me forever." Angel tells her. Then he sets her down and kisses Cordelia passionately.
She pulls away gasping. "What are you doing?" Cordelia questions shocked at his actions.
"I want you Delia." He tells her, caressing her cheek
She looks at him searchingly, "But Buffy . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~
IOver and over I thought
When I hear you call
Without you in my life baby
I just wouldn't be living at all
And I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
Until the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you /I
~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel stares into her eyes, telling her honestly, "I don't want Buffy. I want you, only you. I want to watch you grow old, and take care of you."
Cordelia caresses his face, "Angel, I love you too, but you won't ever see me grow old."
Angel feels like his heart is breaking, "Why? If you love me, why won't you stay with me until you die."
"I never said I wouldn't stay with you. God, after this, I could never leave you." Cordelia promises.
"Then why? I don't understand." Angel looks at her pleadingly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
IJust close your eyes each loving day
And know this feeling won't go away
Till the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you
Every word I say is true
This I promise you
Ooh I promise you /I
~*~*~*~*~*~
She looks at him, her eyes sparkling, "Because, I won't die. Well, I can, but it would take someone chopping my head off . . ."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm an immortal Angel. I live forever. Before, I was dead. You were right. I just, got better." She told him smiling, for lack of a better word.
Angel looks at her amazing, "God, how long have you known?"
"Only since the first time it happened. When I was 16, I got shot actually, someone mugged me when I was in Paris. I just woke up, it was the beginning summer break . . . a man named Duncan MacLeod found me some how."
Angel gives her a puzzled look, "Duncan MacLeod? Oh god, that's it! That's where I know that name from . . . hmm, that's weird. I knew I Duncan MacLeod, when I was still Liam . . . and until I . . . He was a friend of my father's. He taught me how to fight with a sword actually."
"Probably the same guy. Was he Scottish, with black hair? Real ladies man?" Cordelia asks.
"Sounds like him . . . he's an immortal too?"
"Over 400 years old. He trained me and taught me how to survive other immortals . . ."
"Survive them?"
"It's a really long story, and we have forever." Cordelia tells him, looking into his eyes lovingly.
Angel drinks in the sight of her, "I thought I'd never have a chance when Buffy told me . . ."
"Buffy! Oh no! Where is she?"
"At the library, someone called an emergency meeting." Angel looks at her confused, "Why?"
"We have to get there. Xander or Willow must have called Mac, Adam, or Richie. I'll explain it all on the way." Cordelia pulls Angel in a jog behind her, till they reach her car. They jump in then race off, Cordelia explaining as they went about Xander, Willow, and the past few hours, and what most likely was happening.
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