Angel could only stare in shock, as he literally looked himself in the eye. It was his face, but he could see the evil smirk behind Angelus' cool exterior.
"Answer me…why are you here?" Angel demanded.
"Such impatience and such ignorance, I thought you would've figured it out on your own, but then again, you always were weaker than me," Angelus laughed.
"It is quite simple. We have always fought for supremacy in this form, and now, that confrontation will end. Only one of us will leave here alive."
"Wait a second…this doesn't make any sense!"
"Enough, you pathetic excuse for a vampire. I can barely digest looking at you – all noble and virtuous – fighting the good fight; it makes me sick!" Angelus lunged at him, but Angel rolled out of the way. How the heck was he supposed to fight himself?
"I don't understand, why is Angel fighting Angelus?" Cordelia demanded.
"Angel's battle between his soul and his demon must come to an end; that end will take place now; either his soul or his demon will win this fight," the constable explained.
"That's not fair; the powers that be need him to fulfill their big prophecy don't they?"
"The powers are the ones that be arranged this. They knew that Angel would bring you here; this is his final trial to see if he is truly the chosen one."
"Damn you guys, you always have to drive him crazy; you never give him an inch do you!" Cordelia hissed.
Angel blocked a right cross from his demon side and countered with a kick to the midsection. As Angelus drew back from the impact, Angel felt a searing pain shoot through his side.
"What the?" The pain eventually faded, and Angel regained his strength.
"Don't you think it's time we start the main event?" Angelus sneered as he bared his fangs.
"My thoughts exactly," and Angel put his game-face on.
Their fists were like a blind flurry as they parried and attacked. They knew each other better than anyone in existence. Angel managed to land a few blows, but every time he hit Angelus, he would feel pain in the exact spot where he'd hit the demon.
Angel caught Angelus with a hard right directly on top of the heart and sent the demon flying into the far sidewall. Angel suddenly flew backwards and slammed into the wall.
"What's happening to me?" Angelus merely laughed.
"You still don't get it do you? Every time you hurt me you merely hurt yourself; you are me so everything you do to me you do to yourself!"
"Dammit, now what am I supposed to do," Angel growled. If he hurt Angelus, he received the same pain as well, but why?
Cordelia watched the battle unfold one agonizing minute at a time. She watched Angel land several strong blows, but he received all the damage that he dealt out plus whatever Angelus inflicted on him. It was a no-win situation for him.
"Why…why is he getting hurt when he hits Angelus?" Cordelia said out loud.
"Because Angel believes that he is responsible for Angelus' actions," the constable answered.
Cordelia thought about that. Angel felt responsible for Angelus' actions; that meant that he felt guilty for things that he didn't even do. Suddenly, it hit her.
"Let me talk to him, please!" she begged the constable.
"I cannot do that; it is against the rules."
"Damn the rules, I need to talk to Angel now!" Cordelia nearly roared.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot help you."
Cordelia sat fuming, but an errant thought ran through her mind. Angel had the ability to sense…almost read what people were thinking. She was his seer so there was a special connection between them. Maybe she could tell him through her mind. It was longshot, but it was her only shot.
Angel staggered to his feet, holding his ribs; he knew that several of them were broken. He was getting weaker with every blow, and Angelus' seemed to be getting stronger.
"Angel!" The vampire's eyes shot open. Was that Cordelia's voice that he'd just heard?
"Angel, can you hear me?" He could hear her voice inside his mind.
"Cordelia, how are you doing this?" he said out loud. Angel ducked under Angelus' attack, and the fight continued on. He took several hard blows and ended up flying across the room onto the floor.
"Angel, get up, I know that you can beat him!"
"But Cordelia, every time I hit him, I feel the pain that he feels."
"Because you think that you two are the same!"
"What did you just say?" If Cordelia were actually there, she would've slugged him.
"Angel, you are not Angelus, and you never have been nor will ever be him! So, stop blaming yourself for things that you didn't do! You're not evil, Angel, so stop blaming yourself!"
"But Cordelia, I hurt you so many times; I'm responsible for hurting you."
"Talking to your little seer?" Angelus sneered. "She is quite a looker isn't she? Such a waste, I've been watching her for so long but could never take her. Hmm, that will be the first thing that I do; her screams will be so sweet to hear."
Angel felt pure rage erupt inside him. No one was going to harm Cordelia; no one would touch his Delia.
"You're not going to lay a finger on her you understand!" Angel hissed.
"What can you do to stop me? You're powerless against me."
"Angel!" It was Cordelia again.
"Angel, listen to me, you need to let it go."
"Let what go?"
"Your guilt, Angel, let it go. You've carried it around for so long, punishing yourself for things that were beyond your control; now, let it go please. I forgive you, Angel, now please, come back to me."
Her voice was so full of warmth and love that Angel could almost feel his heart beat. However, three of her words rang in his ears over and over again.
'I forgive you.' He'd waited centuries to hear those words – for someone to take away his pain and give him back his soul. Off all people, it was his beautiful seer who was destined to set him free, but Angel could not have wished for anyone else to show him the light.
Rising to his feet, the vampire with a soul closed his eyes and finally let go of his past. He would begin anew right here…right now. Cordelia had forgiven him, and that was all he needed. But first, he would put an end to Angelus once and for all.
"Saying goodbyes to your little hoar!" Angelus snickered. Faster than he'd ever moved, Angel snatched his demon up by the throat.
"Don't you ever talk about my Delia like that understand? She's a goddess, you bastard. She is the light of life, and the queen of my soul. I will never let her be touched by the likes of you."
Angel slammed his fist into the demon's nose and blood spurted from Angelus' face. He hadn't realized what he'd just said, or that Cordelia had heard every single word. Angel was surprised to find that he didn't feel any pain after he hit the demon; their link was broken – finally. Cordelia had been right all along.
"How could you…" Angelus stuttered. Angel delivered a deadly shot to his ribcage then a kick to the side of the demon's head.
"Angelus, you are finished, Cordelia has freed me from you once and for all; now, you will burn for all eternity!"
"Never you weakling, she will be mine before this night is over. I think that I'll keep her around for a time before killing her. It's rare that you find such a beauty just begging to be taken."
Angelus lunged forward, but Angel caught his fists and head-butted him right on his broken nose. Angel reared back with all he had and slammed his fist into the demon's chest.
"NOW DIE!!!" Angel threw a roundhouse kick that sent Angelus flying through the air. The demon was impaled on one of the hanging torches, and his body ignited in flames.
Angel stood and watched as the demon wailed in agony as the searing fire scorched it. He felt a strange feeling inside himself and closed his eyes as if he was in pain. However, upon opening them again, Angel felt something that he had not felt for an eternity – peace. His never-ending struggle with Angelus was finally over, and his soul had won.
Angel reappeared in the entryway and took a deep breath. He turned just in time to see Cordelia running (yes running) towards him. She launched herself into his arms, and Angel swung her around in the air. He clasped her tightly in his arms, and she burrowed into his embrace.
"Angel, you did it!" she said happily when he finally put her down. He shook his head.
"No Cordelia, you did it. You gave me the strength to beat him, thank you. Thank you for forgiving me." His eyes were shining like two tiny suns, and Cordelia found herself liking this look of happiness on his face.
"I'm just glad that I was there when you needed me." Angel pulled her close and pressed his forehead against hers.
"Cordelia, I always need you, whether I say it or not. I always need you by my side; you are my angel and my soul." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled brightly.
"I love you, my Angel." The words flowed off her lips; she didn't even think; she just said them.
"I love you too, my beautiful Delia." Cordelia felt like her heart was going to explode; had he just…
It was then that Angel did what he had wanted to do for so long – kiss those beautiful lips of hers. When his mouth met hers, Cordelia didn't waste any time and practically devoured him. He reciprocated as his tongue swarmed inside her mouth to meet its counterpart. She let a long soft moan roll up her throat, but it ended up sounding like a sexy purr that made Angel's blood boil.
The two stood in each other's arms, kissing the life out of one another until someone cleared their throat. Angel and Cordelia turned to see the constable grinning slightly at them.
"Well done, you two, you have learned that your greatest strength comes from being together. You are one now – remember that; you will always be a part of each other from this night forward. Take care of one another, and your futures will be bright. Goodbye."
A bright light flashed, and Angel and Cordelia found themselves outside on the sidewalk standing by Angel's convertible. Angel pulled Cordelia's wheelchair out of the back seat and tossed it away; she would never need it again.
Cordelia climbed in beside him but slid further across the seat. She laid her head on his shoulder, and Angel ran his fingers through her chestnut locks. He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tightly as the engine roared to life.
"Let's go home." Cordelia smiled at his comment and snuggled closer to him as they drove off into the night.
Author's Notes: Finally, I updated this story. Sorry, it took me so long, but I lost my train of thought on how I wanted this to go. I hoped you enjoyed, and if you did, let me know.
