Title: Goodbye Cordelia

Author: WillowWood

Disclaimer: Everything and everybody belongs to Joss except Baby, The Scourge and The Pride who belong to Ebony Silvers.

Rating: G

Archiving: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=200151 and http://www.angelfire.com/goth/babyverse

Feedback: Yes Please!

Summary: AU. The Pride & the New Scourge. Angel's soul is in danger. Answer to the BV challenge

The Challenge:

From www.angelfire.com/goth/babyverse site:

In the BabyVerse, write a story (long or short, plot or not) where Angel & Baby lose their souls (you don't have to explain how). You can kill off anyone you want to (including Spike, Cordy, Buffy, Baby, Angel, etc.). Wes losing his soul is optional (can be before or after he is vamped). Include the following as either an item or a phrase: an explosion, a drawing. There is no deadline, and the results will not be considered BabyVerse canon (hence the being able to kill off people) so you can pretty much do whatever you want. All ratings (G through NC17) are acceptable.

Goodbye Cordelia

By WillowWood

I'm heading towards the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel, a drawing of Connor clasped in my hand, when suddenly a rush courses throughout the whole of my body. Its as though I had just had the finest blood I had ever tasted and it has only just begun to flow through my veins. Its invigorating. And I pause a moment feeling the warmth and a slight tingling sensation fill me completely, like a moment of pure contentment, and happiness. Much like the feeling I expect astronauts must feel when crossing the boundary of gravity in to the abyss of space.

After a moment my skin begins to burn and my mouth dries up, and I begin to sweat. I stagger towards the staircase in an attempt to make it down to the ground level and have a seat. I have to; I suddenly suffer from a case of light-headedness. But I'm not too worried because in an instant all of that is replaced by an explosion of pain. As I fall back to earth, my chest begins to constrict and then loosen slightly only to be pulled once more. Each pull is more forceful. I feel as though Drusilla, Wesley, Baby and Spike each have a hold of one of my four limbs and are running in opposite directions.

My chest continues to loosen and constrict rhythmically, and I sense that this must be how a human feels during the early stages of a heart attack. Only in this case, I can't feel a tingling sensation running up my left arm; I can feel it consuming all of me. Again everything changes in an instant, reversing the side effects completely. My whole body feels limp as though a part of me has sunk down into the pit of my stomach. As though a part of me is dying, retreating and waiting for someone or something else to take over, and have control.

Suddenly, I realize what is happening to me. Although I am certain that I'm right, I can't quite work out why it is happening. I collapse onto my knees, holding up all of my defensives. I can't let this thing beat me again, not after what the monster did last time to everyone I loved and cared about. So I open up all of my defensives, pushing him back down to where he undoubtedly belongs, not out in the open like a wild beast that has escaped from some zoo, but deep down in the dark where no one knows he resides unless absolutely necessary.

Not only do I fear for my friends and family's safety but for my own. After the last time, everyone swore--even Buffy--that if it ever happened again my soul wouldn't see another day. So I fight it as much as I can. I'm somewhere between reality and sleep; all of this fighting is exhausting me. In my mind I can hear the demon calling out to me, telling me I will never beat it, and that I may as well just give in now. I'm not even sure if that is real or if its just my subconscious telling me that there is no point in fighting the inevitable.

Sadly, I can't take it any longer. The exhaustion of the internal battle between my spilt personalities is too great. I fall down completely, smashing my face against the old floor. I hear the crunching of bone as my nose breaks, and my skin burns as it scrapes against the old worn carpet. I fight it for a while longer. My eye lids close temporarily and the demon begins to win. I wake up in the nick of time and push it back just a little bit more. I push up off of the floor and attempt to crawl in the direction of the staircase but even that simple task is just too much. I resist lowering my self back onto the floor, but the pain is just too excruciating.

I give in to the beast, knowing that I may never see another day, but before I do I manage to whisper my dying words, "Goodbye Cordelia"