Disclaimer: Don't own anything, except Emily :)
Feedback: denis.hebert5@sympatico.ca
Note: I want to say thank you to everyone who's been following this wacky story :lol: Your feedback meant the world to me and really is a huge motivator if I may say so myself. I hope this will do the rest of the story (as well as The Sacrifice) justice. Thanks again!
-------------
.CHAPTER 15 - Conclusion
The pounding of her own heart resounded in her ears, making it the only sound audible in her dark bedroom. In that short instant, time stood still, allowing a million of uninvited possibilities to enter her mind. Still breathing heavily, she scanned the room once more but found none of the familiar faces she'd prayed would be staring back at her.
Sweat and blood covered her forehead, proving all too well just how real everything had been.
Much too real.
Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she heard a loud, crashing noise coming from the living room.
--
[I]Living room[/I]
A bright flash of white light took over the entire apartment, sweeping through the room like the wind. From that white light, five weakened bodies were dropped onto the ground. Fred violently fell to the floor while Lorne crashed onto the television set, breaking it into dozens of pieces. Wesley and Gunn limply broke the table as their bruised bodies crumbled against it.
Not so far to the side, an obviously weak and drained Angel crashed onto the floor with a painful groan.
At the sound of the chaos, Cordelia frantically pushed the covers off of her legs and jumped out of bed, limping her way across the bedroom and towards the door as if her life depended on it. She heard the breaking sounds, the movements in the living room and she held her breath involuntarily. She leaned against the wall beside her and took in the sight that graced her.
"Oh my God..." she let out as tears filled her weary eyes.
Gunn immediately jumped up from the broken table, somewhat alarmed by the familiar voice behind him. He spun around quickly - and defensively.
"I'll pay for it!" he immediately spouted, fearing the familiar wrath only Cordelia knew how to give.
Barely hearing him, Cordy threw herself on the floor in front of Angel as he pulled himself up to his knees. She finally released a shaky breath and threw her arms around h is neck, holding him tighter than she knew she probably even meant to. But it's not as if he needed air or anything, so she just held on.
"Oh my God...I thought..." she whispered against his damp sweater, her eyes swimming in unshed tears.
A weak Angel brushed her hair with his trembling hands and held her close to him, listening to the panicked sound of her heartbeat against his heaving chest. Completely oblivious to the small crowd looking at her, Cordy ran light kisses along the side of his face until she found his lips. Relief invaded her every move. She placed a few repetitive light kisses on his lips before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
The intensity in the room was palpable. Angel cupped her face with his hands as a small tear rolled down his cheek.
"You did it..." he whispered as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders once more, this time closing her eyes and letting a soft smile momentarily erase the bruises on her face.
Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Lorne stood by the sideline, watching the closeness between Angel and Cordelia that hadn't been so obvious prior to their little adventure in Cordy's brain. `Well,' Fred though. `If they only knew...' A smile crept up on her face. Keeping their feelings a secret now seemed slightly ridiculous at this point.
"Is that exclusive or do we all get a turn?" Gunn asked, making their presence known to the couple.
Cordy helped Angel stand up and immediately ran towards the other four, taking them somewhat by surprise by pulling them into a very emotional embrace.
"I guess we do." Gunn answered his own question as Cordy wrapped her arms around his and the other's shoulders.
As the slight surprise wore off, they welcomed the gesture wholeheartedly, and with sighs of relief.
"Air." Fred finally chocked under Cordelia's burst of friendly affection.
Cordy pulled back while Angel walked towards them from behind her.
"You're alive..." she barely managed to speak up as tears ran down her face. Images of each of their deaths flashed behind her pained eyes. "I'm so sorry...I..." she couldn't finish her thoughts though.
Angel brushed a few strands of hair away from her bloody wound on her forehead, his expression one of concern and relief all at once.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, staring into her eyes.
Cordy looked at him, relaxing at his touch, and managed a tiny smile.
"Yeah..." she whispered back. "I just...when I woke up and none of you were there I just..." she stopped herself and took a deep breath, before letting a nervous laugh escape her throat - one of those laugh that only she could laugh. "I've never been more happy to see you guys!"
At the expression on her face, neither of them could help the smiles that spread across their faces. A short silence fell between the six of them as they all looked at one another.
"Being one who was booted off the island early on, I'm not sure how you did it, but however you managed to find that exit, more power to you princess. I knew you would." Lorne said rubbing the huge bump on the back of his head.
"Well," Cordy said glancing over at Angel. "I had a little help." She admitted with a loving smile.
"Don't look at me." Angel innocently but honestly said. "It was all you." He whispered in a heartfelt tone.
Everyone noticed the warm smile that Cordelia gave Angel and how the vampire reached out to touch the woman's cheek tenderly. Whatever had happened in there after their own demise must have been pretty huge, Gunn thought.
"Actually, if we're going to give credits where it's due..." Fred said, breaking the comforting silence. "Some of it has to go to Emily." She admitted. "She was the one who helped us get in there in the first place." She added as the others nodded in agreement.
"Emily..." Cordy whispered, remembering the events inside of her mind and what Emily had suffered in there, even if she wasn't real. Angel saw the sad look in her eyes and squeezed her hand. "Where is she?" Cordy then questioned with a frown, looking around the apartment.
"She was here when we..." Angel began to explain but stopped himself when he saw a sheet of paper lift up into the air.
"GONE FOR HELP"
The words were written with a black marker, in big bold letters.
"Gone for help where, Dennis?" Angel asked, concerned all of a sudden.
"????" was Dennis' only response.
"I thought there was nothing that she could do..." Gunn acknowledged, voicing the same confusion as everybody else.
Where had Emily gone? And what had she done? Something kept bugging Cordelia about that, until Dennis flipped the sheet over and wrote something else.
"GLAD U'R OK J" he genuinely expressed his happiness at the sight of Cordelia and the others alive and well.
Then it hit Cordy and brought tears to her eyes. She knew the effects that his mother had had on him, and she also knew how painful it was for him, even as a ghost, to think about her. But as much as he hated her for the hell she put him, and Cordelia through, she was still his mother.
"Dennis..." she began, and then paused for a moment. "I'm sorry..."
Dennis cut her off by drawing a little smiley figure on the paper, which made her smile. "HUGS" he then wrote and Cordelia knew that he was alright.
"So?" Lorne clapped his hands, waiting for the juicy details. "Don't mean to pry, but the curiosity is going to kill me - no pun intended. What happened after my overly dramatic fall into demon-land?"
Everyone shot him a look, and he grinned sheepishly.
"It's a long story..." Cordelia sighed, taking a deep breath, which Lorne took as an indicator that it wouldn't be a story he'd hear tonight.
Wesley looked around before asking his question, out of good manners, simply to make sure that Dennis would not break something or react to what he was about to say.
"What about Dennis' mother?" Wesley finally asked.
"Oh, she's gone..." Angel replied quickly, with a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank God!" Fred exclaimed involuntarily. "she was [I]freaking[/I] me out..." she grimaced and found Cordelia giving her a sympathy look.
"Yeah...seemed to be a recurring theme in there..." Cordy mumbled to herself, thinking of all the things her friends might have seen while inside her head. "Sorry about that...whatever you may have...seen...or...whatever..." she stumbled upon her own words.
Just as she spoke, Gunn and Fred exchanged a rather sad look. What they had seen had stayed with them, and probably would for a long time, but both knew that now was not the time to bring it up. The sight of little Cordelia hiding up the stairs while her father hit her mother was an image that neither of them would forget. And maybe, just maybe...someday...Cordelia would feel free to talk about that. But not now. Now was not the time. Fred and Gunn knew that. They simply smiled back and Cordy silently thanked them for not mentioning whatever it is they had stumbled into while in her memories.
As if reading their minds and their somber looks, Cordy tried to lighten the mood.
"It wasn't all bad." She smiled and glanced at Angel again. "I mean, there were some good things that happened..." at the sound of her words Angel couldn't help the grin on his lips. If he couldn't' have blushed, he probably would due to the look Cordelia chase was throwing at her favorite vampire right about then.
"Yeah..." Lorne said his eyes widening. "I can see that!" he suddenly exclaimed while both Angel and Cordy turned to face him.
Their looks shouted "You're not supposed to be reading us!!!" So, Lorne just smirked and kept the rest to himself.
"I'm actually glad that all of this happened, as incredibly insane as that may - and probably does - sound." Cordelia admitted with a sigh. "Sometimes there are things you just have to let go of..." she said as Angel looked at her knowingly, understanding what she meant. "Sometimes you just have to find your way back to that secret garden..." she whispered, so only he could hear what she truly meant.
"I knew you'd find your way out of your own dark corner." A voice softly spoke from behind them.
Cordelia, Angel, and the others quickly turned to face the familiar voice, and were graced by a glowing Emily, whose smile brightened the room.
"Looks like we both have now." She whispered, echoing the words that Cordelia had once told her.
Cordy smiled at the sight of her young cousin.
"Thank you." Angel told the girl, who gave him a warm smile in response.
"Where did you go?" Fred then asked from behind Cordelia, as curiosity took over her.
"I just had one or two things that I had to take care of." She answered calmly.
"If we ask, will you be able to answer?" Wesley questioned, knowing that working for the powers meant very little information could be given in those times. Emily's silence answered his question. "Very well." He smiled at the teenager with a nod. "It was worth a shot."
"Isn't it always?" Emily said as she looked at Cordy and Angel for a moment.
A long silence took over the room, only to be broken by Emily's voice again. It was time. Once again, it was time to leave. She could feel. Only this time, it was different, and only she knew why.
"Well, I better go." She sadly spoke, while Cordy instantly took a few steps forward.
"Right now?" Cordelia asked, sadness filling her words.
"Yeah..."
"Will you be back?" the words left Cordy's lips accompanied by a small tear.
"Maybe. Someday." Emily whispered. "Even if you don't see me...I'll be here..."
"You knew? All of this...how it would turn out...you knew?" Cordy asked in a quiet tone.
"No." Emily honestly answered.
They all looked at the young visible ghost as a short silence took over them all.
"Sometimes, you just have to have a little...faith." Emily smiled.
Cordelia's face stayed riveted on her cousin. That was it. All of a sudden it dawned on her. So simple. So real. So obvious. It wasn't exactly in the words Emily had just spoken, but more in the way she had said them while looking at her. `sometimes you just have to have a little faith...' she repeated to herself.
And Emily disappeared.
--
Cordelia sat in a chair. She nervously ran her hands through her dark hair and fidgeted uncomfortably in the small metallic chair. She didn't really know why she was nervous, or what she would say for that matter. But after everything that had happened, this felt right. This felt like something she should be doing.
She looked around herself and took a deep breath, picking up the phone receptor with one hand and bringing it to her right ear.
"Hey..." a strangely familiar - yet quieter - voice was heard from the other side.
"Hi." Cordelia replied awkwardly at first.
On the other side of the window, dressed in a gray prison attire, Faith took a seat, staring at Cordy through the glass. There was a long and awkward silence between the two, since neither of them really knew what to say to one another.
"Can't really say I ever expected to see you of all people here..." Faith bluntly, but truthfully spoke.
"Can't really say I ever expected to be here..." Cordy agreed in a calm voice. "So..." she hesitated before continuing, sensing the discomfort factor that stood between the two of them. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know...a little more introspective than usual, but what else can you do in here?" Faith shook her head. "You?"
Cordy pondered that question for a moment and then sighed with a smile.
"Something like that too."
"Did Angel send you?" Faith inquired with a frown.
"No." Cordy quickly assured her.
"Good, so the world's not about to end just yet." Faith grinned. "So, what brings you over to my little hot spot, huh?" she then asked, surprisingly kind of friendlier than Cordy had expected.
"Just..." she was about to find a great excuse but somehow decided against it at t he last minute. "I don't know..." she admitted. "I guess I thought it was the right time to...visit you."
For a moment there, Faith seemed almost touched. It's not like a lot of people had come over to see her.
That's when Cordelia noticed something on Faith's face. On the left side of her cheek, there was a large cut that looked pretty painful. All of a sudden, Cordy saw a flashback of Faith fighting with Dennis' mother and the demon attacking her from behind, scratching Faith's face with its claws. Cordy stared at Faith, confirmation to what she had previously believed settling in her mind.
"What happened to your face?" Cordy asked.
Faith paused, touching the cut on her cheek for a moment and then casually explained.
"I fell." She said and at Cordy's disbelieving look, she added, "cleaning the toilets. It was actually one of the highlights of the week if you can believe it." Faith managed a tiny smile.
Cordy lowered her eyes and smiled to herself as well. There was something in Faith's tone of voice that told her not to push the subject.
"She told you to say that didn't she?" Cordy said anyway, perfectly knowing what Emily had done.
There was a long pause between Faith and Cordy, and Faith took a deep breath.
"I fell. Let's just leave it at that." Faith said in a soft voice, which surprised Cordelia.
And in that moment, Cordelia knew the truth. Faith had not been a figment of her imagination. She had been there, real...and she had saved them. Cordy wasn't sure if she would ever understand why exactly Faith had agreed to help them, or what Emily might have told her to get her to do so, but she knew better than to ask.
"Ok..." Cordy nodded, uncharacteristically not prying for more.
"Thanks for showing up here." Faith then said, sounding genuine enough.
Cordy looked up and spoke into the phone receptor.
"Right back at ya."
--
Cordelia walked back into her apartment, threw her keys on the table and dropped her bag on the floor. She was tired now. She was about to turn on the light when she saw a small candle lit in the middle of the living room.
She walked over to it and found a little piece of paper. Something was written with paint on it and she fought the urge to giggle.
"Welcome home." The note said.
When she lifted her eyes, she saw Angel standing a couple of feet away from her, looking like the boy next door that Cordelia knew he wasn't. This time around, she couldn't help but laugh.
Standing there in a dirty pair of jeans and a black, paint-covered t-shirt, Angel stared at her with a sexy smile. Cordy bit her lower lip and tilted her head to admire the view.
"Who are you and what have you done with my vampire?" she asked with a teasing grin crossing her lips.
"I wanted to do something for you." He said, motioning for her to follow him.
She did and he took her hand into his tenderly and led her to her bedroom. Once they reached the entrance, Cordy stood still, completely taken by the sight that graced her. Angel waited behind her expectantly, waiting for her reaction.
The room was nothing like she'd remembered leaving it. For one, the furniture was gone and the bedroom was empty, but that's not what grabbed her attention. Her eyes looked over at the walls, especially where her bed usually stood, and noticed how the entire room had been re-painted.
"I knew it would be difficult for you to walk back in here with...you know...the room looking like a billboard...and...I thought, maybe, you would want to get the writings off..." Angel hesitantly spoke as he still waiting for some sort of reaction from her.
Indeed, the writing was gone. All those horrible reminders of what had happened h ad been erased, or at least covered up. In her absence, while she was visiting Faith, Angel had done this.
"If you don't like the color..." he then nervously spoke again, but Cordy immediately turned to face him.
"It's perfect." She whispered, taking his face into her hands and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "It's perfect." She whispered again, this time, resting her forehead against his.
Her hands slid down his neck and rested on his chest for a moment and she felt Angel's eyes lower and grow darker for a second there. His hands covered hers and she knew what he was thinking. Underneath her fingers, that heart that had been beating against her skin not so long ago, was now quiet. Silenced.
"I meant what I said back there..." she whispered heavily, squeezing his hands. "I really do love you...heartbeat or not."
"It won't be easy." He reminded her.
Cordy shook her head and snorted, which took Angel by surprise initially.
"Since when has anything been easy with us? I'd be worried if you actually told me it wouldn't be difficult." She laughed, which managed to bring a smile to his face. "Angel..." she tenderly spoke, caressing his cheek. "I know we can't have everything that we want right now, but trust me...I have everything that I need." She said as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her lovingly and deeply.
They both smiled between kisses as they held one another in the almost completely dark and empty bedroom. Sure, they were a couple of many limitations at the moment, but someday...someday, maybe that heartbeat would be heard again. Someday, they would have all that they want.
But right now, they were happy with having one another. Right now, they had all that they needed.
Each other.
Love.
Suddenly, the door slammed behind them and they both jumped up. When Cordelia heard the television being turned on, she laughed against Angel's t-shirt.
"You think that was Dennis' way of saying `Get a room?'" she flashed a bright smile at him, which he returned without hesitation.
END.
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Didn't I tell you that no matter how ugly or depressing or dramatic the story got, I DO like happy endings? :)
Please do let me know what you thought of this chapter, or the story as a whole. I'm a feedback junkie so don't hold back! :)
Andrea (I love writing so much, I doubt this will be the last you see of me...be it a good thing or bad, depends on your views I guess :lol: )
Feedback: denis.hebert5@sympatico.ca
Note: I want to say thank you to everyone who's been following this wacky story :lol: Your feedback meant the world to me and really is a huge motivator if I may say so myself. I hope this will do the rest of the story (as well as The Sacrifice) justice. Thanks again!
-------------
.CHAPTER 15 - Conclusion
The pounding of her own heart resounded in her ears, making it the only sound audible in her dark bedroom. In that short instant, time stood still, allowing a million of uninvited possibilities to enter her mind. Still breathing heavily, she scanned the room once more but found none of the familiar faces she'd prayed would be staring back at her.
Sweat and blood covered her forehead, proving all too well just how real everything had been.
Much too real.
Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she heard a loud, crashing noise coming from the living room.
--
[I]Living room[/I]
A bright flash of white light took over the entire apartment, sweeping through the room like the wind. From that white light, five weakened bodies were dropped onto the ground. Fred violently fell to the floor while Lorne crashed onto the television set, breaking it into dozens of pieces. Wesley and Gunn limply broke the table as their bruised bodies crumbled against it.
Not so far to the side, an obviously weak and drained Angel crashed onto the floor with a painful groan.
At the sound of the chaos, Cordelia frantically pushed the covers off of her legs and jumped out of bed, limping her way across the bedroom and towards the door as if her life depended on it. She heard the breaking sounds, the movements in the living room and she held her breath involuntarily. She leaned against the wall beside her and took in the sight that graced her.
"Oh my God..." she let out as tears filled her weary eyes.
Gunn immediately jumped up from the broken table, somewhat alarmed by the familiar voice behind him. He spun around quickly - and defensively.
"I'll pay for it!" he immediately spouted, fearing the familiar wrath only Cordelia knew how to give.
Barely hearing him, Cordy threw herself on the floor in front of Angel as he pulled himself up to his knees. She finally released a shaky breath and threw her arms around h is neck, holding him tighter than she knew she probably even meant to. But it's not as if he needed air or anything, so she just held on.
"Oh my God...I thought..." she whispered against his damp sweater, her eyes swimming in unshed tears.
A weak Angel brushed her hair with his trembling hands and held her close to him, listening to the panicked sound of her heartbeat against his heaving chest. Completely oblivious to the small crowd looking at her, Cordy ran light kisses along the side of his face until she found his lips. Relief invaded her every move. She placed a few repetitive light kisses on his lips before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
The intensity in the room was palpable. Angel cupped her face with his hands as a small tear rolled down his cheek.
"You did it..." he whispered as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders once more, this time closing her eyes and letting a soft smile momentarily erase the bruises on her face.
Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Lorne stood by the sideline, watching the closeness between Angel and Cordelia that hadn't been so obvious prior to their little adventure in Cordy's brain. `Well,' Fred though. `If they only knew...' A smile crept up on her face. Keeping their feelings a secret now seemed slightly ridiculous at this point.
"Is that exclusive or do we all get a turn?" Gunn asked, making their presence known to the couple.
Cordy helped Angel stand up and immediately ran towards the other four, taking them somewhat by surprise by pulling them into a very emotional embrace.
"I guess we do." Gunn answered his own question as Cordy wrapped her arms around his and the other's shoulders.
As the slight surprise wore off, they welcomed the gesture wholeheartedly, and with sighs of relief.
"Air." Fred finally chocked under Cordelia's burst of friendly affection.
Cordy pulled back while Angel walked towards them from behind her.
"You're alive..." she barely managed to speak up as tears ran down her face. Images of each of their deaths flashed behind her pained eyes. "I'm so sorry...I..." she couldn't finish her thoughts though.
Angel brushed a few strands of hair away from her bloody wound on her forehead, his expression one of concern and relief all at once.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, staring into her eyes.
Cordy looked at him, relaxing at his touch, and managed a tiny smile.
"Yeah..." she whispered back. "I just...when I woke up and none of you were there I just..." she stopped herself and took a deep breath, before letting a nervous laugh escape her throat - one of those laugh that only she could laugh. "I've never been more happy to see you guys!"
At the expression on her face, neither of them could help the smiles that spread across their faces. A short silence fell between the six of them as they all looked at one another.
"Being one who was booted off the island early on, I'm not sure how you did it, but however you managed to find that exit, more power to you princess. I knew you would." Lorne said rubbing the huge bump on the back of his head.
"Well," Cordy said glancing over at Angel. "I had a little help." She admitted with a loving smile.
"Don't look at me." Angel innocently but honestly said. "It was all you." He whispered in a heartfelt tone.
Everyone noticed the warm smile that Cordelia gave Angel and how the vampire reached out to touch the woman's cheek tenderly. Whatever had happened in there after their own demise must have been pretty huge, Gunn thought.
"Actually, if we're going to give credits where it's due..." Fred said, breaking the comforting silence. "Some of it has to go to Emily." She admitted. "She was the one who helped us get in there in the first place." She added as the others nodded in agreement.
"Emily..." Cordy whispered, remembering the events inside of her mind and what Emily had suffered in there, even if she wasn't real. Angel saw the sad look in her eyes and squeezed her hand. "Where is she?" Cordy then questioned with a frown, looking around the apartment.
"She was here when we..." Angel began to explain but stopped himself when he saw a sheet of paper lift up into the air.
"GONE FOR HELP"
The words were written with a black marker, in big bold letters.
"Gone for help where, Dennis?" Angel asked, concerned all of a sudden.
"????" was Dennis' only response.
"I thought there was nothing that she could do..." Gunn acknowledged, voicing the same confusion as everybody else.
Where had Emily gone? And what had she done? Something kept bugging Cordelia about that, until Dennis flipped the sheet over and wrote something else.
"GLAD U'R OK J" he genuinely expressed his happiness at the sight of Cordelia and the others alive and well.
Then it hit Cordy and brought tears to her eyes. She knew the effects that his mother had had on him, and she also knew how painful it was for him, even as a ghost, to think about her. But as much as he hated her for the hell she put him, and Cordelia through, she was still his mother.
"Dennis..." she began, and then paused for a moment. "I'm sorry..."
Dennis cut her off by drawing a little smiley figure on the paper, which made her smile. "HUGS" he then wrote and Cordelia knew that he was alright.
"So?" Lorne clapped his hands, waiting for the juicy details. "Don't mean to pry, but the curiosity is going to kill me - no pun intended. What happened after my overly dramatic fall into demon-land?"
Everyone shot him a look, and he grinned sheepishly.
"It's a long story..." Cordelia sighed, taking a deep breath, which Lorne took as an indicator that it wouldn't be a story he'd hear tonight.
Wesley looked around before asking his question, out of good manners, simply to make sure that Dennis would not break something or react to what he was about to say.
"What about Dennis' mother?" Wesley finally asked.
"Oh, she's gone..." Angel replied quickly, with a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank God!" Fred exclaimed involuntarily. "she was [I]freaking[/I] me out..." she grimaced and found Cordelia giving her a sympathy look.
"Yeah...seemed to be a recurring theme in there..." Cordy mumbled to herself, thinking of all the things her friends might have seen while inside her head. "Sorry about that...whatever you may have...seen...or...whatever..." she stumbled upon her own words.
Just as she spoke, Gunn and Fred exchanged a rather sad look. What they had seen had stayed with them, and probably would for a long time, but both knew that now was not the time to bring it up. The sight of little Cordelia hiding up the stairs while her father hit her mother was an image that neither of them would forget. And maybe, just maybe...someday...Cordelia would feel free to talk about that. But not now. Now was not the time. Fred and Gunn knew that. They simply smiled back and Cordy silently thanked them for not mentioning whatever it is they had stumbled into while in her memories.
As if reading their minds and their somber looks, Cordy tried to lighten the mood.
"It wasn't all bad." She smiled and glanced at Angel again. "I mean, there were some good things that happened..." at the sound of her words Angel couldn't help the grin on his lips. If he couldn't' have blushed, he probably would due to the look Cordelia chase was throwing at her favorite vampire right about then.
"Yeah..." Lorne said his eyes widening. "I can see that!" he suddenly exclaimed while both Angel and Cordy turned to face him.
Their looks shouted "You're not supposed to be reading us!!!" So, Lorne just smirked and kept the rest to himself.
"I'm actually glad that all of this happened, as incredibly insane as that may - and probably does - sound." Cordelia admitted with a sigh. "Sometimes there are things you just have to let go of..." she said as Angel looked at her knowingly, understanding what she meant. "Sometimes you just have to find your way back to that secret garden..." she whispered, so only he could hear what she truly meant.
"I knew you'd find your way out of your own dark corner." A voice softly spoke from behind them.
Cordelia, Angel, and the others quickly turned to face the familiar voice, and were graced by a glowing Emily, whose smile brightened the room.
"Looks like we both have now." She whispered, echoing the words that Cordelia had once told her.
Cordy smiled at the sight of her young cousin.
"Thank you." Angel told the girl, who gave him a warm smile in response.
"Where did you go?" Fred then asked from behind Cordelia, as curiosity took over her.
"I just had one or two things that I had to take care of." She answered calmly.
"If we ask, will you be able to answer?" Wesley questioned, knowing that working for the powers meant very little information could be given in those times. Emily's silence answered his question. "Very well." He smiled at the teenager with a nod. "It was worth a shot."
"Isn't it always?" Emily said as she looked at Cordy and Angel for a moment.
A long silence took over the room, only to be broken by Emily's voice again. It was time. Once again, it was time to leave. She could feel. Only this time, it was different, and only she knew why.
"Well, I better go." She sadly spoke, while Cordy instantly took a few steps forward.
"Right now?" Cordelia asked, sadness filling her words.
"Yeah..."
"Will you be back?" the words left Cordy's lips accompanied by a small tear.
"Maybe. Someday." Emily whispered. "Even if you don't see me...I'll be here..."
"You knew? All of this...how it would turn out...you knew?" Cordy asked in a quiet tone.
"No." Emily honestly answered.
They all looked at the young visible ghost as a short silence took over them all.
"Sometimes, you just have to have a little...faith." Emily smiled.
Cordelia's face stayed riveted on her cousin. That was it. All of a sudden it dawned on her. So simple. So real. So obvious. It wasn't exactly in the words Emily had just spoken, but more in the way she had said them while looking at her. `sometimes you just have to have a little faith...' she repeated to herself.
And Emily disappeared.
--
Cordelia sat in a chair. She nervously ran her hands through her dark hair and fidgeted uncomfortably in the small metallic chair. She didn't really know why she was nervous, or what she would say for that matter. But after everything that had happened, this felt right. This felt like something she should be doing.
She looked around herself and took a deep breath, picking up the phone receptor with one hand and bringing it to her right ear.
"Hey..." a strangely familiar - yet quieter - voice was heard from the other side.
"Hi." Cordelia replied awkwardly at first.
On the other side of the window, dressed in a gray prison attire, Faith took a seat, staring at Cordy through the glass. There was a long and awkward silence between the two, since neither of them really knew what to say to one another.
"Can't really say I ever expected to see you of all people here..." Faith bluntly, but truthfully spoke.
"Can't really say I ever expected to be here..." Cordy agreed in a calm voice. "So..." she hesitated before continuing, sensing the discomfort factor that stood between the two of them. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know...a little more introspective than usual, but what else can you do in here?" Faith shook her head. "You?"
Cordy pondered that question for a moment and then sighed with a smile.
"Something like that too."
"Did Angel send you?" Faith inquired with a frown.
"No." Cordy quickly assured her.
"Good, so the world's not about to end just yet." Faith grinned. "So, what brings you over to my little hot spot, huh?" she then asked, surprisingly kind of friendlier than Cordy had expected.
"Just..." she was about to find a great excuse but somehow decided against it at t he last minute. "I don't know..." she admitted. "I guess I thought it was the right time to...visit you."
For a moment there, Faith seemed almost touched. It's not like a lot of people had come over to see her.
That's when Cordelia noticed something on Faith's face. On the left side of her cheek, there was a large cut that looked pretty painful. All of a sudden, Cordy saw a flashback of Faith fighting with Dennis' mother and the demon attacking her from behind, scratching Faith's face with its claws. Cordy stared at Faith, confirmation to what she had previously believed settling in her mind.
"What happened to your face?" Cordy asked.
Faith paused, touching the cut on her cheek for a moment and then casually explained.
"I fell." She said and at Cordy's disbelieving look, she added, "cleaning the toilets. It was actually one of the highlights of the week if you can believe it." Faith managed a tiny smile.
Cordy lowered her eyes and smiled to herself as well. There was something in Faith's tone of voice that told her not to push the subject.
"She told you to say that didn't she?" Cordy said anyway, perfectly knowing what Emily had done.
There was a long pause between Faith and Cordy, and Faith took a deep breath.
"I fell. Let's just leave it at that." Faith said in a soft voice, which surprised Cordelia.
And in that moment, Cordelia knew the truth. Faith had not been a figment of her imagination. She had been there, real...and she had saved them. Cordy wasn't sure if she would ever understand why exactly Faith had agreed to help them, or what Emily might have told her to get her to do so, but she knew better than to ask.
"Ok..." Cordy nodded, uncharacteristically not prying for more.
"Thanks for showing up here." Faith then said, sounding genuine enough.
Cordy looked up and spoke into the phone receptor.
"Right back at ya."
--
Cordelia walked back into her apartment, threw her keys on the table and dropped her bag on the floor. She was tired now. She was about to turn on the light when she saw a small candle lit in the middle of the living room.
She walked over to it and found a little piece of paper. Something was written with paint on it and she fought the urge to giggle.
"Welcome home." The note said.
When she lifted her eyes, she saw Angel standing a couple of feet away from her, looking like the boy next door that Cordelia knew he wasn't. This time around, she couldn't help but laugh.
Standing there in a dirty pair of jeans and a black, paint-covered t-shirt, Angel stared at her with a sexy smile. Cordy bit her lower lip and tilted her head to admire the view.
"Who are you and what have you done with my vampire?" she asked with a teasing grin crossing her lips.
"I wanted to do something for you." He said, motioning for her to follow him.
She did and he took her hand into his tenderly and led her to her bedroom. Once they reached the entrance, Cordy stood still, completely taken by the sight that graced her. Angel waited behind her expectantly, waiting for her reaction.
The room was nothing like she'd remembered leaving it. For one, the furniture was gone and the bedroom was empty, but that's not what grabbed her attention. Her eyes looked over at the walls, especially where her bed usually stood, and noticed how the entire room had been re-painted.
"I knew it would be difficult for you to walk back in here with...you know...the room looking like a billboard...and...I thought, maybe, you would want to get the writings off..." Angel hesitantly spoke as he still waiting for some sort of reaction from her.
Indeed, the writing was gone. All those horrible reminders of what had happened h ad been erased, or at least covered up. In her absence, while she was visiting Faith, Angel had done this.
"If you don't like the color..." he then nervously spoke again, but Cordy immediately turned to face him.
"It's perfect." She whispered, taking his face into her hands and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "It's perfect." She whispered again, this time, resting her forehead against his.
Her hands slid down his neck and rested on his chest for a moment and she felt Angel's eyes lower and grow darker for a second there. His hands covered hers and she knew what he was thinking. Underneath her fingers, that heart that had been beating against her skin not so long ago, was now quiet. Silenced.
"I meant what I said back there..." she whispered heavily, squeezing his hands. "I really do love you...heartbeat or not."
"It won't be easy." He reminded her.
Cordy shook her head and snorted, which took Angel by surprise initially.
"Since when has anything been easy with us? I'd be worried if you actually told me it wouldn't be difficult." She laughed, which managed to bring a smile to his face. "Angel..." she tenderly spoke, caressing his cheek. "I know we can't have everything that we want right now, but trust me...I have everything that I need." She said as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her lovingly and deeply.
They both smiled between kisses as they held one another in the almost completely dark and empty bedroom. Sure, they were a couple of many limitations at the moment, but someday...someday, maybe that heartbeat would be heard again. Someday, they would have all that they want.
But right now, they were happy with having one another. Right now, they had all that they needed.
Each other.
Love.
Suddenly, the door slammed behind them and they both jumped up. When Cordelia heard the television being turned on, she laughed against Angel's t-shirt.
"You think that was Dennis' way of saying `Get a room?'" she flashed a bright smile at him, which he returned without hesitation.
END.
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Didn't I tell you that no matter how ugly or depressing or dramatic the story got, I DO like happy endings? :)
Please do let me know what you thought of this chapter, or the story as a whole. I'm a feedback junkie so don't hold back! :)
Andrea (I love writing so much, I doubt this will be the last you see of me...be it a good thing or bad, depends on your views I guess :lol: )