Part: 21/?
Author: PsycGurl
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Set in season three of Buffy, around the episode 'Enemies'.
Feedback: Always appreciated.

Distribution: Ask me.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, so don't sue me!

A/N Sorry for the late chapter. Holidays over=very little spare time. I'm hoping to get this over and done with before exams. Thanks for all the reviews so far!

CHAPTER 21

CHANGES-EVERYONE

~*~*~*~

Fifteen minutes later

~*~*~*~

" Oh god. Sorry for…y'know…running out of here in fits." Cordelia said as she walked back into the library. Angel firmly stood close to her, protectively.

" How are you?" Willow asked sincerely. Xander and Buffy had come in a few minutes earlier and explained to everyone what they had heard and seen.

The two had reluctantly decided amongst each other to give Angel and Cordy some privacy. Buffy had argued that the two future friends were so engrossed in each other that they wouldn't notice them watching. And that perhaps it was wrong to leave them together in such an emotional state, as she wasn't sure what would happen between them, speaking from personal experience. Xander disagreed with her, claiming that they were both hurt about their future. Not their present. Nothing would happen between them…he was certain.

Xander admitted, that despite not liking the idea of leaving them alone, it was the best plan. He had realised that both Cordelia and Angel were probably as pained as he was about their future and they just needed some private time to process their hurt. After some more persuasion from him, Buffy caved. The two had then retreated to the library.

" I'm fine. God, I don't know what was wrong with me. I went so emotional." Cordelia said as she picked up her chair from the floor and sat down on it. She took out a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes.

" You sure you okay?" Angel asked quietly as leaned down and held her hand.

" Yeah I'm sure. I'm fine. Really." Cordelia responded as she patted his hand and smiled at him. The two looked at each other longingly. Suddenly Cordelia's joyful eyes darkened.

" Oh my god!" She shrieked as she let go of Angel's hand. Angel stared at his hand in shock before quickly scurrying to a dark corner of the library. 

" What the hell is going on?" Cordelia exclaimed. She was met with blank and confused stares.

" What do you mean Cordy?" Willow asked.

" What do you think I mean! I do not bawl in the middle of a hallway! I do not seek comfort in Angel. I so do not hold hands with Angel! And I do not apologise to you people!" The brunette yelled as she looked at Giles for an answer.

" You mean all those actions were not voluntarily from you?" Giles asked, removing his glasses.

" Damn right, they weren't from me! That person…wasn't me. It was someone else. I was like possessed. Like those ballet lovers." Cordelia declared as she turned to look at Angel. Angel looked awkwardly at her…realising that she too received visions of that one night at the ballet. She knew about the possession and what they had done. Oh and she probably felt it too…like he did. She felt them kiss…the coldness of his body against her warm…

" Wasn't you either was it? You think we were possessed by those people again?" Cordelia asked him, looking over her shoulder. Angel was cut out of his thoughts…thankfully. He looked up to see everyone looking at him. But two looks caught his attention.

Willow was blushing and Buffy was uneasy at the mention of him and Cordy being possessed. It was then he realised: they knew. They knew about that night.

Angel stared at Buffy intently, wondering what she was thinking. She stared back at him with remote eyes. Eyes…that clearly did not display the love they had in them like before. Love for him that was there a few hours ago.

Angel wondered whether Buffy was threatened by Cordelia as he had comforted her and held her hand and not Buffy's when they were discussing their futures.

" Angel?" Cordelia's voice broke through him. Again, he had been too caught up in his thoughts.

" I don't think we were possessed by ummm…those people. I think I was overcome by my future self." He responded.

" Future you eh?" Buffy asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.

Angel observed that she was clearly jealous of his future self's emotions towards Cordelia. He had seen her and Xander witnessing the moment between him and Cordelia in the hallway.

Why was she spying on him? Didn't Buffy trust him? Present him. And what business was it of hers as to what Cordelia and him were doing. So there was an attraction between the two of them in their future…that didn't particularly there was one in the present.

Or was there?

'At least I didn't tell Buffy about the kiss Cordelia gave me the night before. Before we were possessed by our apparent future selves.' Angel thought.

" Yeah…that must be it. Our future selves must be haunting us or something. That explains why the vision I received wasn't like the others." Cordelia stated.

" What do you mean?" Giles asked.

" I mean…that vision was different. It didn't feature me. Considering if it were to show me the future…it would show me, right? I think it was like the ones future me receives."

" Pardon me?" Giles asked. Cordelia sighed.

" The future Cordelia receives these visions from these…Powers That Be or something."

" The Powers That Be? I've read about them. They are higher beings."

" Say what?" Xander asked.

" Well, I don't know the specifics. But they are physically…above us."

" Yeah yeah…can I get on with my story? Others are more interested in that." Cordelia interrupted, pointing at Oz and Wesley…who had blank looks on their face.

" Ummm yes. Go on." Giles replied, embarrassed.

" Yeah so the visions were apparently very painful…deadly painful. I was gonna die…so I became a half-demon to stop that. The visions were a lot easy on the brain after that…like the one I just had. It was as if I was witnessing it." Cordelia declared.

" So…are you saying that you've inherited a quality from your future self?" Wesley asked.

" Ummm…yeah. Did you not hear the story? Do you want me to repeat it?"

" No!" Was the simultaneous response from everyone.

" Fine." Cordelia huffed, crossing her arms.

" Has anyone else had a physical or emotional manifestation of their visions or their future self other than Cordelia or Angel?" Giles inquired.

" Nope."

" No."

" Nuh-uh."

" Not yet." Came the replies.

" Does that mean I'm half-demon now?" Cordelia asked.

" Well perhaps. Maybe this is why the futurus demon came to us. To…" Giles began but was interrupted by Oz.

" Uh Giles. I think Willow's having a physical manifestation right now."

" What?" All eyes turned to the young wicca. Her head was bowed down, preventing anyone from seeing her face.

" Will?" Buffy asked gently. Suddenly the girl's head shot up. Gasps were heard as they noticed that Willow's eyes had turned pure black.

" Claudet." Willow spoke loudly…her voice slightly different. She raised her hands. One by one windows and doors closed in the library.  Heads followed the slamming wood and glass, finally returning to inspect their friend. Willow then began to mumble incantations. Little fires appeared from books. Lights flickered. Xander ran to the fire extinguisher and started putting the flames out. Wesley attempted to save books from the blaze.

Cordelia screamed as she realised that her dress was on fire.

" Help me!" She shrieked as several stunned people looked at her. Angel quickly grabbed the extinguisher of Xander and put out the fire.

" What the hell is wrong with her? She almost killed me!" The brunette bellowed.

" We have to knock her out of this. She seems to have remarkable power." Giles noted.

" Will!" Buffy and Xander screamed simultaneous. They didn't receive a response. Black-eyed Willow looked straight on with a glassy stare.

" Willow…Present Willow. Will…where are you?" Oz called as he tapped Willow on the shoulder. Willow was suddenly pulled out of her state. Her eyes returned to their natural color. The witch looked up to see many frightened and amazed stares.

" What? Did I miss something? What happened?"

" You don't know?" Wesley asked.

" No. What happened? Why is the place such a mess?"

" Y-you were all…" Xander stammered.

" Black eyes. You had black eyes." Buffy uttered. Willow, bewildered, gawked at her best friends' words.

" W-what?"

" You were your future self…I think. You had major black arts mojo working in this place." Oz explained coolly.

" Black arts? I-I did this?" Willow stammered.

" Yeah-huh. Look at my dress. This is a Versace original. Look what you did to it!" Cordelia yelped.

" Are you okay?" Angel asked quietly.

" Yeah…slightly singed. No big. But still…you wrecked my dress. I can't ever sell it!" Cordelia replied.

" Oh my god…I'm so sorry. I…I didn't know. I swear. It wasn't me." Willow declared, tears streaming down her face.

" We know honey…we know." Oz convinced Willow as he lightly hugged her.

" Sell? Why would you sell it?" Xander asked his ex-girlfriend. She looked at him for an intense moment, slouching slightly at his fixed stare, before shrugging.

" You never know. In a few years time, this dress could've been priceless. The only one left." She responded. That seemed to be an adequate reason for her former flame.

" Giles, how do I stop that from happening again?" Willow asked in between sobs.

" I don't think there's a sufficient answer yet Willow. Perhaps with more researching…" Giles paused, looking at the books.

" Giles…researching isn't helping. Let me just go kill the demon." Buffy pleaded.

" Buffy, research is are only answer at the moment. Now that Willow, Cordelia and Angel have been tainted by their upcoming identity, who knows what effect killing the demon will have on them." Wesley argued.

" Might wanna add Oz to the list." Xander added as eyes turned to the guitarist. He was slowly transforming into his werewolf self.

" Oh god. Hurry up…we have to get him in the cage." Giles instructed as the friends distanced themselves from the altering teenager.

" Move out of my way." Buffy ordered her friends as she moved towards Oz. He was almost at the peak of his transformation. He growled at the slayer. She gave him a swift kick, causing him to collapse onto the other side of the table…near the cage.

" Buffy, be careful. It's still Oz." Willow proclaimed, a batch of fresh tears trickling from her eyes.

" Yeah, okay Will." Buffy groaned as she kept kicking her friend. After a few more minutes of struggling with each other, Buffy was finally able to lock Oz into the cage.

" I don't understand. Tonight's not a full moon." Giles pondered as he took of his glasses, wiped them and put them back on.

" Future self…he might…" Xander started, but stopped as he noticed Willow gulp.

" He might have been a full time werewolf." She sighed.

" Okay, all of you. We have to get to work…quickly. Willow, not meaning to offend you, but perhaps you should research a further distance from everyone else. Now everyone…we have to get through all these books as soon as possible. Perhaps by tonight. We do not know what to expect next." Giles commanded. They all nodded as Willow slumped to a different portion of the library from everybody, gazing at Werewolf Oz for an intense instant beforehand.

" Let the research party resume…" Cordelia grumbled.