Strong broad arms lashed out in a vicious series of blows to the head and torso of a ring rat demon.
"How in the hell do you kill these things?"
Angel yelled to no one in particular. At that moment the demon rushed forward allowing his shoulder, or what looked to be its shoulder, connect with Angel's chest bringing him to the ground. It wasn't the first time during the battle that the vampire was thankful that he didn't have to breathe. Rolling to the left with the grace of a panther, Angel came to his feet ready for the next attack.
The demon rose to its own feet and roared its rage at the vampire standing before him.
"YOU WILL DIE!"
it hissed through sharp teeth.
"You know I've heard that before, and they never succeed, so why don't we just get this over with because I have a world to help save."
Angel growled. Both demons jumped forward at the same time going for the kill. Angel saw the glint of steel on the ground to his left from the corner of his eye, and quickly reacted. Stepping to the left he shot his foot out connecting with the sword, and flipped it into the air. Moving his right hand across his left he grab the sword, bringing his right arm back around in a smooth clean ark slicing cleanly through the Ring Rat demon. It didn't have the chance to stop the attack, it had happened so fast the demon had missed Angel's intention until the searing pain ripped through him. Slowly the demons upper body slid from its lower body to lie on the bloodied ground.
"Well… that was easy"
Angel thought, as he turned around and raised his sword blocking the swing of a sword-wielding demon.
Sparks flew, with each clash of metal that rang out during the fight. Advance, advance and thrust, became the mantra to which Angel fought, while in the offensive position. during his defensive position he would repeat block, block, jump back and block inside his head. This guy was huge and didn't seem like it was going to tire any time soon. Raising his sword he blocked yet another attack when the earth started to tremble and shake. The demon lost it's footing and crashed to the ground, Angel moved quickly thrusting his sword down through its chest hard, killing it instantly.
"The bigger they are the harder they fall"
Angel thought as he tried to maintain his own footing as the earth began to shake more violently.
The sound of glass shattering rent through the air behind him just as the groaning of a structural support began to scream. Angel turned to see the building behind him begin to collapse. Turning quickly the vampire tried to get out of the way of the falling structure. A billow of white dust hit him after taking only three quick strides. Being a vampire gave you exceptional vision but not even vampires could see in this cloud of white. Angel fell forward as bricks and wood began to fall on him. The pressure of the debris would be enough to kill any human or demon. Angel just prayed that his death would be quick, when he was struck in the side of the head. As the last of the building fell on him, Angel fell into the blessed abyss of darkness thinking only one thought.
"BUFFY!"
The earth was still, and the sounds of battle had died. There was nothing, no sound, no sight, no smell and no taste, just silence. The silence was deafening, pulling at you between the moment of awakening and sleep. Slowly colours began to fill the void of darkness that was Angel's mind, pulling him back into conciseness. Pain…searing hot white pain coursed through out his whole body, making him close his eyes and breathe in huge amounts of unnecessary air. Death would have been better then the situation he found himself in. Moving his left hand, he pulled a rock from the side of the tomb he now found himself buried in.
A hand broke through the rubble, scattered on the ground breaking the silence, with the sound of shifting bricks and other building supplies. Slowly the vampire pulled himself free of his prison. Looking around, he wondered just how long he had been out. The battle was over; all that remained was the smoking pit of the hell mouth, and the bodies of the slain demons and warriors. Looking to the sky in defeat, Angel noticed a bright circle of light break through the hellish red. His eyes were seeing things he thought, until the soft heavenly voice filled his ears, making his demon scream in burning anguish. The holy voice filled his body with living fire, as it whispered but four words to the world,
"YOU ARE HEAVEN'S HOPE".
Angel found himself on his knees with his head in his hands and tears streaming down his face. Looking up, he looked in the direction his soul was being pulled towards, and saw her. His girl had made it, and heaven knew. Standing he moved in the direction she had gone, hoping to keep sight of her. Buffy was alive and that's all he cared about.
Moving quickly to catch up with his love, he tried to keep his eyes from the bodies at his feet.
"No, please not now, aaahhh"
Angel stopped dead in his tracks. Whipping around he looked in the direction that voice had come form. He knew that voice, it was her voice, and he knew she was in pain. Torn between the love he would always feel for Buffy and the brief love he had felt for Cordelia, Angel froze. The cry came again; Angel made his decision. Buffy was the slayer, she would be safe, and he would always be able to find her no matter where she would go. Their souls would call to each other until they were together again. He moved towards the cries of Cordelia, right now she needed him more then his little blonde slayer.
He finally found her broken and bloody body beneath a demon. He had to fight for control over his demon as it tried to come forth form the smell of her blood. Angel gained the control that he needed and removed the body from on top of hers. Looking at his friend he knew she wouldn't live much longer, she had lost too much blood, and her heart was already becoming faint.
"Cordy"
Angel whispered as he dropped to the ground beside her, lifting her slight frame into his arms.
"Angel?"
A small pain filled smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
"I thought you were dead, after I saw you go down under that falling building"
she choked trying to pull air into her burning lungs.
"Shhh…don't try to talk, you're going to be fine, you just need to rest for a bit,"
he sobbed.
"Angel….I…I know I am….dying"
"and…I know….you know that…..a-as well"
she whispered. Angel tried to keep the tears from falling, Cordy didn't need that right now, he would remain strong for her.
"Its funny"
she smiled.
"What? How could you find this funny?"
he almost yelled but it broke into a sob.
"The powers can't even let me die in piece, they had to give me one more vision to give to you. I guess there's no rest for the ones that fight for them, until you're completely gone from this hell hole"
she cried.
"Cordy, what do you mean vision, there's nothing left, we lost! The world will never be what it once was. The fight is over."
"No, No its not over, its never over, you should know that. She told you that once before, have you already forgotten the words she said to you that night."
"How? I never told anyone about."
"Angel vision girl remember. They show me what I need to see. What they showed me isn't good. This; all of this, is just the beginning, and its going to be a rough road, for both of you. She's changed Angel, she's not just a girl or the slayer anymore."
"I don't understand"
"You will; in time, but you have to let her find her way on her own. Don't look at me like that! You have to understand that she's more then what she was at the start of this. I wish I could tell you what happened to change her or why she needs to do this alone, but they only show me what I need to tell you."
"I know she's changed, as I watched her walking out of Sunnydale, I could smell it. I know she's still the same person but she's not exactly human any more ether. I just don't understand what could have done this"
he whispered.
"She was with me; just after I fell, I…I let the past finally rest, and I told her about us. I think she's forgiven me for everything I said to her because she started to cry. She's turned out to be a wonderful woman, I just wish she didn't have to suffer as much as she has in the past, but I know that her suffering is only going to get worse in the years to come."
"I love you Angel, just not as much as she did and still does. Oh god I…I…I told her that you were dead. I thought you were…the building... oh Angel her eyes, that last little bit of fire that burned in them just went out right before my eyes, and I knew that she would find a way to die with all of us. She's alone now Angel and she's going to have to be until its time to make everything right again."
Cordy whispered.
Hands met and came together in a desperate struggle to hold on to this little bit of life that they once knew. The two forms clung to each other, one broken and bloody on the outside and the other broken on the inside. The vampire held the woman close as her body began to tremble and her breathing became more ragged. Lowering his head to hers, their lips moved in whispers as they said their final good-byes.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
Cordelia's heart began to struggle as it tried to pump the little bit of blood left in her body.
THUM-P THUM-P THUM-P
Slowly her heart began to slow, as the last of her life's blood seeped from her body.
THU-MP THU-MP THU-MP
She wasn't afraid, in these last moments lying in the arms of humanity's guardian angel, her Angel. Piece was just around the corner for her and she knew that it wouldn't be much longer. He held her close as her eyes began to dim and her heart began to slow. She had been with him for years; his rock, his link to the powers, his friend but most of all his reminder of what he left behind when he moved to L.A. The first tear fell from his eyes when the woman in his arms choked on the air her body was struggling to take in. Her lips moved in an attempt to comfort him with whispered words.
TH…MP TH….MP TH….MP THU….MP THU……
Angel pulled her more tightly into his chest as her heart gave up its useless struggle for life. Her eyes glazed over as the soul that had been Cordelia Chase left her body and this life forever.
Angel cried out into the wind, as he rocked his friend in his arms, she was gone, dead because she had had to fight for a world that had ended up losing in the end. He sat there holding her for what seemed like days, but had probably only been hours. Time had no meaning here anymore; there was no sun or moon. Hell…there wasn't even a blue sky or stars, just a red haze that covered the vast expanse of what had once been the earth's atmosphere. Gently he lay the small girl in his arms on the cold red ground before him, his dead heart was shattering into a million pieces as he stood. Buffy was gone and no matter how much he wanted to find her and help her, he couldn't. He would have to wait until she was ready to find him. Looking at the woman at his feet, he pushed the thoughts of his slayer out of his mind, he didn't have time to brood right now, he had to bury their friends, and then make his way back to L.A, where his son and the other half of there army had fought. He could only hope that some of his family was still alive, and waiting for any survivors from the hell mouth to show up. Alive or dead, Angel knew that he would always keep fighting to fix what the world had become. He knew that it was something that they would have all wanted, especially her. She had said so that night on the hill while he had been waiting for the sun to rise. Turning to his task, he began his search for the bodies of his friends among the masses that scattered the ground.