Chapter 36: pictures on the wall

Title: Reunion time.

Author: Nikka

Author notes: Hi everyone, If you need to know about summary, rate and all the rest it's all in chapter 1 I'll just remind you that English is not my native tongue so you may find some spelling & grammar mistakes, you're more than welcome to let me know about them but remember you may find them while you read the story. Have fun.

Disclaimer: Angel & Buffy's characters are not my creation (wish they were) they belong to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Other characters that are not familiar from the show do belong to me.

Author's remark: My chapters as of ch 12 will no longer be reproof by Sigma due to the fact that I have no internet and I'm asking someone else to post the remaining chapters for me. I want to take this opportunity and thank sigma for all the help. And I hope you will continue reading my story even without the excellent work sigma has done. Thank you again sigma for all your great work.

Angel jumped from his seat as he heard the screaming. He looked at Cordy and saw her cry out. Her body trembled, but she didn't open her eyes. He held her shoulder shaking her trying to wake her up. Then all of the sudden it stopped. The trembling and screaming stopped. Now only soft tears ran down her cheek, her eyes were still closed.

All the shouting and crying woke Conor up and of course caused everyone to come upstairs. Even Dawn stopped scowling and went to the bedroom to see what happened.

Fred and Wesley were the first one to burst into the room followed by all the rest.

"What happened?" Wesley asked as he walked towards the bed. He looked at Cordy and saw the tears.

"She's crying." Fred said as she saw Cordy.

"No. She's hurting." Angel looked at them. "She's in pain. She screamed before." He explained.

"Did she say anything in specific?" Giles inquired.

"Yes, she screamed the word no." He looked at Giles. "I know it's not much, but it means she's in pain."

"No necessarily." Buffy stepped in.

"Excuse me?" Fred turned to face her. "I think that crying out 'no' counts as pain."

"What I meant." Buffy tried to explain. "Is that maybe she's not in physical pain? I mean we don't see any scars, and if the crying and tears manifested I imagine that injuries would also manifest themselves. Right?" She turned to Giles and Willow hoping for some backup.

"It's a theory. And a quite possible one." Giles came to the rescue.

"Then why was she crying?" Gunn asked Giles.

"Maybe she saw something that disturbed her." Giles tried to provide an explanation.

"I don't buy it." Angel disagreed. "She's been like this for more than a day and I'm sure she saw a lot of disturbing things. Why this one? What makes it unique?"

No one seemed to have an answer to that question. Fred took a handkerchief from Lorne's pocket and wiped away Cordy's tears.

She set there crying in his arms for a while. Everything was quiet, almost like the world stopped just for her. Finally she stopped crying and looked up, wiping away her tears.

"Are you okay?" Doyle asked concerned. In all the time he met her and through their little journey here, he had never seen her like this.

"I will be. Right after you tell me how to stop it." She stood up. Doyle did the same.

"I'm sorry I don't know."

"You don't know or you know but can't tell?"

"Cordelia I'm only the guide. I know what they tell me and right now all the lines are disconnected. I'm going on blind." He tried to explain the situation.

"So how did you know we weren't suppose to see what we saw?" Cordy didn't believe him.

"I told you princess. It's like I have an earpiece in my ear by which I receive my instruction. From time to time I get instruction and I follow them. And right now…"

"You're getting nothing." Cordy completed the sentence.

"Exactly!" Doyle winked at her.

"Okay then. That means I'm in charge." She turned and started walking.

"Hi wait." Doyle ran after her. "What do you mean you're in charge?" You don't even know where we are.

"Yes I do. And I know where we're heading." She kept walking.

"And where is that commander." He teased her.

"To Buffy's house. I know that's where I'll find them. And I need answers."

"Cordelia." Doyle grabbed her arm and she stopped. "What did you mean when you said it was all your fault?"

She wasn't sure he heard that part. She hoped he didn't. Now she didn't know what to say to him. How could she explain she just knew? "I don't know how to explain it. It's just a felling I got." She looked at him and then kept walking. "Come on. We're not far."

Angel paced back and forth in the bedroom in front of his audience combined from the Scooby gang and the A. I. Team, all staring at him, each of them afraid to interrupt, afraid to say anything. The Fang Gang had seen him like this before. Fred smiled remembering how Cordy used to cal it; the 'I'm extra broody and troubled, so I decided to make a giant hole in the floor', thing.

A few more minutes past by until someone had the nerve to speak up. No it wasn't any of the Scoobies. It was Fred, The logic voice that oddly enough Angel used to listen to from time to time. That is when his other logic voice, his big compass wasn't around or available. And right now she wasn't.

"Angel?" She hesitated for a moment, but then took a big breath and when he looked up from the floor she blurted it all out. "Look, I know you're upset, we all are. And I know you're worried, so are we. But the thing is, Cordy knew what she was getting herself into and she knew the risks." She stopped for a second to see if she still had his undivided attention. She did. "And it's always you that says, we have to do our job, we have to fight the good fight. And you're right we do, all of us. Not just you." She took a few steps towards him. "Cordy is a champion, just like you. She's not some helpless being. She has a link to the most powerful force known to us. And she has a bag of tricks with her new founded power." She moved a few inches closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. "She can handle this. She'll come back to us with lots of information and lots of questions. And you know she'll expect us to answer them. So I think we should let her finish her journey and go on a little quest of our own." She moved her hand away, but then Angel took her hand with both of his.

"Thank you." He smiled at her. She smiled back. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Gunn looked from the side smiling to Xander's surprise. He thought Gunn would be mad that dead-boy is making the moves on his girl, but apparently he didn't seem to mind.

Angel let go of Fred's hand and looked up at the faces staring back at him. Some smiled (mostly the Fang Gang), some were confused, and others just seemed lost. "I'm sorry. I forgot what it was all about. I put my own interest before others." He felt the need to apologize.

"It's cool man." Gunn came up to him. "Good to have you back." They did their little shake of hands with the fists. Both smiling like idiots.

"Well then. I believe we have some research to do." Wesley reminded them all. "Or as Fred put it, a quest."

The room slowly emptied. Each returned to its previous activity. Lorne had taken Conor down stairs after he woke up. Angel was alone in the bedroom. He set on the bedside holding her hand. "You know Cordy, I figured it out. I'm not the protector of mankind, not really. You are. You're the one who scarified so much just to help people. I do it because I have to, because I have to atone for my crimes. But you… what ever you think you did. What ever you think you need to atone for, it's done. You paid your due more than enough. But still you keep on, doing the job, not arguing… at least part of the time. You're there fighting the good fight. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, that more than I love you I admire you tremendously. For your strength, wisdom and endurance." He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you, you crazy woman, so please hurry back."

He walked out of the room leaving the door half closed. He went down the stairs to join the others. After he was gone Buffy popped out form the bathroom. She hid there, not wanting Angel to know she was eavesdropping. She felt broken. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. Those things he said to Cordelia, those wonderful things she longed to hear from him. He told them to someone else. She leaned against the wall and descended slowly to the floor. She set in the hallway, her back against the wall her legs curled up. She held her legs with both hands and lowered her head, crying.

She didn't even hear Fred coming up the stairs. Fred saw her and hesitated for a few seconds but then walked up to her. "Are you okay?" She inquired. Buffy quickly looked up. Her eyes were red and it was obvious she's been crying. "So I guess that's a yes." Fred smiled not sure what she's supposed to do. Then she thought, Buffy might need someone to talk to and she didn't really think she was qualified to do that. "Do you want me to call Willow or maybe Xander…?" Before Fred had a chance to finish her question Buffy stopped her waving her hands.

"No, no. Don't call them." She was terrified by the notion that her friends might see her like this and start asking questions she can't really answer.

"Okay, I won't." Fred tried to calm her down. She too noticed the frantic response. "Is there something else I can do for you, maybe get you a …"

"Is it true?" Buffy cut Fred off.

"What's true?" Fred didn't really follow.

"What he said to her. Is it true?" Buffy still didn't make much sense to poor Fred.

"Okay then, let's start from the beginning." Fred decided to take a more direct approach. "Who's' he?"

"Angel." Buffy replied.

"And who's she?" Fred kept on, happy she finally got an answer she understood.

"Cordelia." Buffy said, not sure why she asked all this questions. To her it all made prefect sense.

"Ha." Fred nodded her head. She started to understand what it was all about. "So you overheard Angel say something to Cordy after we all left, right?" Fred hopped she was right.

"Yeah, that's what I've been telling you." Buffy snapped at her.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't here, remember? I don't know what he told Cordy. And honestly I don't think I should really kno…"

"He told her she was the true champion." Buffy started to explain ignoring Fred's last remark. "He said he admires her for her strength and… wisdom and another thing I can't seem to remember. He said she helps people because she wants to not because she has something to atone for. And other stuff like that."

Fred set next to her on the floor. "So why are you asking me if it's true, if you heard it from the horse's mouth?"

"I guess I needed someone to refute it." Buffy explained.

"I think you picked the wrong person to have your denial conversation with." Fred was brutally honest.

"What do you mean 'denial'?" Buffy didn't like the way Fred said it. It depictured her as a pathetic little whiner.

"Buffy, like I said I don't think I'm the right person to have this talk with, so I better just leave you alone." She got up, but half way up she felt a hand grabbing her arm. It was Buffy preventing her from getting up.

"No, I think you're just the right person. Please stay." She wasn't telling, she was asking.

Fred knew it was a bad idea, but couldn't bring herself to say no. She set back down. "I'm a big Cordy/Angel fan. I believe they are meant to be." Fred started to explain. "I don't know if you knew, but I was stock in another dimension for 5 years. And in this "lovely" place, they used human beings as slaves." Buffy looked shocked at Fred. She never thought such a tinny person having so much strength. "I'm not telling you this, so you can pity me."

"I wasn't." Buffy defended herself.

"I'm proud that I survived, but that's besides the point. While I was there I learned some of the native tongue." Buffy didn't really know what she was aiming for. "One of those words was kyerumption."

Buffy looked at her and all she could say was; "what?"

"It means, when to heroes meet on the filed of battle and recognize their mutual fate."

"So?" Buffy still didn't understand.

"When I see Angel & Cordy together I think of that word. They are drawn to one another. They belong together. It was forth told." Now she was sure Buffy got the meaning of the word.

"Oh." Buffy nodded her slightly. "They belong together?"

"In my mind, they do." She was honest. You could definitely say that about her.

"Buffy if you can't see, if you honestly tell me you can't feel it for yourself, there are only two options: 1. You're really dumb, and before you get mad or offended I don't think you're dumb. I think you're incredibly smart and a good observer."

"So what's option number 2?" Buffy wasn't mad, she was curious.

"2. You're in denial. You don't see the truth, not because it's not there in front of, but because you chose not to." Fred gave her a moment, to let it all sink in. "You know, come to think of it, I see a third option." She offered.

"Really. What is it? I'm blind on top of being dumb and pathetic." Now she was offended.

"Hi, I never called you pathetic, and yes there is. Maybe you're trying to deny something about yourself, something in your life. Or maybe you're running from something, or someone. And loving Angel and thinking he loves you back is the best escape, the best denial of all."

"Damn you're good. Did you ever do this professionally? I mean before you got stuck in that place."

"Pylea. It's called Pylea. And Actually its Lorne's home world." Fred explained.

"Lorne is the green guy, right?" Fred gave Buffy a stare. "I'm kidding, just kidding."

"And no for your question. I was a physicist or at least learning to become one." Buffy seemed even more impressed. She knew Fred was smart, but just hasn't realized how smart she was. "The talent to read people I always had, ever since I was a little girl. I always knew when someone lied to me. But back to our issue." Fred wanted to stay on track. "What ever your reasons may be, I think you see the truth. My advice, if you want it of course?"

"Sure." Buffy liked her more and more by the second.

"Take the 'Angel loves Cordy and vice versa thing', as a fact. Then you can start dealing with it. Until you come to term on this with yourself, you can't really deal with this." Fred got up. She knew Buffy heard what she wanted, or at least what she needed. She walked towards the stairs and on the way piped in on Cordy, making sure she was fine.

"That's it, we're here." Cordy looked at the house. It looked different. It looked like a fortress. It had wooden plates covering every window and on top of it bars. A metal door replaced the wooden door. On the front loan there were torches lit with a cross hanging on each of them. There were also crosses on the ground. There was a big cross on the front door, and when she took a closer look she saw there was a cross on every window and apparently a few nailed to the outside walls of the house. She imagined there must be some magical barrier or other kind of traps for unwelcome visitors.

"Holly crap, look at this place." Doyle was in awe.

"Yeah I know." Cordy felt the same.

"Was it always like this, princess?" Doyle kept staring at house.

"No, it used to be a normal house. I guess the redecoration is due to our mutual friend gone evil." Cordy started walking towards the front door, but then she stopped. She turned to Doyle.

"It's okay princess, nothing they put here can hurt you. Go on." She walked inside and he followed her.

"You know I really like this 'going through walls and doors thing', can I get to keep it." She smiled. But then the smile was gone. In the living room on the couch laid a pretty bitten up Cordelia. "I didn't see the bruises before, I guess she encountered Angelus before when we saw her.

"I guess so." Doyle agreed.

"Here you go, put this on." It was Spike. His arms were covered with burns in the shape of a cross. She figured he must have gotten them from the welcome committee outside. He too looked pretty beaten up. He handed Cordelia an ice pack and turned away. He didn't seem all that compassionate towards her.

"Spike I'm sorry, I know you're mad but I had to…"

"You had to." He turned to face her. "Well then if you bloody 'had to' then I guess it's all right." He turned away again.

Cordelia who looked like a truck ran her over suddenly stood up and walked towards him, remarkably fast. She reached her handed grabbed him by the shoulders. He turned. "What are you doing? You can barely stand not to speak of walking." He helped her back to the couch.

She laid back but quickly grabbed his arm. "Don't be like this, you know my reasons."

"Cor." Spike set on the coffee table in front of her, holding her hand, they looked pretty close.

"I guess when your home town turns into hell, you find new friends." Cordy said to Doyle.

"I know your reasons, but this has to stop. Even if he is alive…" He took a moment before he continued. "I hate to say it, but you are more valuable to us than he is."

"Cordelia didn't seem mad she understood. "I know but it doesn't matter to me." She explained.

"Well it those for the few of us who are still standing… or in your case laying." Spike snapped at her. "You're our last bloody connection to the PTB's, and besides me the only one who has enough power to fight Angelus."

"I know…" Spike cut her off.

"And let's not forget the only one with the slightest chance of actually stopping the Dorkanious. You know this."

"That last line caught both Cordy and Doyle off guard. "I do?" Cordy asked confused, while looking at Doyle who seemed even more confused.

"But so far my power had done nothing but get us all killed or almost killed. All my stupid visions lead us to danger and never to him."

Cordy thought she might be referring to the Dorkanious rather than to Angelus or Conor.

"Give it time, Cor. Give it time." Spike encouraged her. "We finally know how to defeat it, it's just a matter of time until we succeed."

"Yes but look at the price." She looked at the new created wall instead of the big window that used to be in the living room. On it were pictures of all their friends who died. Each had a birth and demise date underneath.

Cordy and Doyle moved closer to the wall to observe it. Cordy looked carefully and saw a picture of Angel holding Conor. Underneath it said: date of birth unknown - 2002.

TBC

Hi ppl,

I hope you liked the last ch because I got only a handful of reviews, and not that I'm complaining, but usually there's more. So when and if you review this ch, I case you haven't already, let me know what you thought of the previous one.

This ch is a bit long as you noticed, I guess I felt bad about not updating for a full week and I wanted to make it up to you. Plus I had so much to tell.

So as usual hope you enjoy this one and do let me know what you think. Good or bad, always love reviews.

P.s. in case you're wondering I decided to keep it as one story, and who knows maybe I'll break the record of having the longest fanfic on the site and win an award or something. LOL.

Thanks Nikka.