Chapter 30. OK this is getting out of hand!
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The group was standing in a circle. Emerald and Clem were standing next to Cordelia. Cordelia was glaring at Emerald who simply returned her stare with a slightly nasty smile.
"Does that glare work often on your friends?" She asked cooly.
"As a matter of fact it does." Cordelia said tartly.
"It's a good thing we are not friends then." Emerald said before saying softly "For what it's worth I'm sorry."
Willow started an incantation that sent a circle of white light up and encased the three in a crisscross of colored beams. And there stood the three. Clem stood tense and wary but with a determined look on his normally grinning face. Emerald closed her eyes for a moment as she seemed to struggle with pain before opening them again and reaching out to touch Cordelia. Cordelia recoiled and tried to strike her but Clem grabbed both her arms. With a quick glance at the group she seemed to melt into Cordelia. Cordelia screamed and struggled against Clems hands holding her. Outside of the circle Angels hands clenched as he felt his heart break.
"This is my fault." He thought. "Why did I ever drag her into this mess?"
Buffy watched the guilt and sadness play across Angels features. She inched over and took his hand in hers for a brief squeeze before inching back.He smiled at her briefly.Acknowledging her support as it was.
Cordelia seemed to be struggling.Not against Clem as much as herself. Her eyes flashed a pure black as the demon screamed it's rage at trying to be removed. Fred, Gunn, Lorne and Wesley were silent as they watched their new friend trying to help their old one. Fred thought about all the late night chats her and Cordelia used to have and let a solitary tear fall. Lorne was, for once, without a light comment. Gunn's face looked like it was carved out of stone. Wesley wanted to turn away from the sight of Cordelia screaming but his eyes refused to divert from the scene. He felt hysterical, slightly mad laughter welling up and he forced it back down.
"We have been lucky." He thought. "So many times we have been in danger but we pulled through. Why now?"
Cordelia seemed to give one last roar of fury and calmed, her limbs shaking and eyes sad. Like a ghost Emerald appeared. She was bleeding from several cuts and what looked like a few broken bones in her hand.She fell to the ground but pulled herself over to Cordelia. Cordelia opened her eyes and smiled sweetly.
"Thank you." She whispered as everyone stood shocked and listened. "Don't feel guilty, you had to do it. He would have killed you all."
Slowly Cordelia faced the group. She smiled again faintly
"Don't be sad." She whispered "I'm just not strong enough. I love you guys."
Without another word she slipped back into her coma.
"Cordy" Fred called before tears started falling. Xander caught her as her knees gave out and he pulled her to him, offering comfort.
Angel's face was getting darker. He had started to put two and two together over Dawns strange behavior. When he heard her say to the Watcher,
"We knew we had to try. Why did this have to be the one time the powers were right."
His suspicions were confirmed.
"You knew" He said in a cold hard voice he had never used with Dawn. "You knew she wasn't going to make it through. You good buddy Spike told you,"
Dawn looked scared but raised her chin.
"Yes he did."
"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked in the same tone, making everyone shift nervously.
"Spike and Anya told me not to." She said "If we didn't try then most of the people in this room would die."
"So you just decided to play God.Is that it?" He sneered.
"No" Emerald said trying to distract him from Dawn "She made a decision. The one, or the many."
Angel felt rage he hadn't felt since Angelus running through his body. He moved in to attack the two but was thrown off by a sword at his throat. He looked into the cold eyes of Ripper.
"I understand your hurt and need to revenge Angel." He said quietly "But acting rashly will only lead to regrets later."
"You can't stop me" He sneered at Giles, still enraged that his best friend was gone.
"Would you care to wager on that?" Giles said still in Ripper mode. Angel watched his eyes looking for weakness.When none appeared he slowly backed away as sanity returned to his mind. He said in a low voice to everyone in the room
"Get out."
They didn't need to be told twice.Giles was the last to leave.
"I'm sorry Angel. Truly sorry" He said before closing the door behind him.
Angel stared at the now comatosed body of Cordelia.
"Me too." He whispered
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The group was standing in a circle. Emerald and Clem were standing next to Cordelia. Cordelia was glaring at Emerald who simply returned her stare with a slightly nasty smile.
"Does that glare work often on your friends?" She asked cooly.
"As a matter of fact it does." Cordelia said tartly.
"It's a good thing we are not friends then." Emerald said before saying softly "For what it's worth I'm sorry."
Willow started an incantation that sent a circle of white light up and encased the three in a crisscross of colored beams. And there stood the three. Clem stood tense and wary but with a determined look on his normally grinning face. Emerald closed her eyes for a moment as she seemed to struggle with pain before opening them again and reaching out to touch Cordelia. Cordelia recoiled and tried to strike her but Clem grabbed both her arms. With a quick glance at the group she seemed to melt into Cordelia. Cordelia screamed and struggled against Clems hands holding her. Outside of the circle Angels hands clenched as he felt his heart break.
"This is my fault." He thought. "Why did I ever drag her into this mess?"
Buffy watched the guilt and sadness play across Angels features. She inched over and took his hand in hers for a brief squeeze before inching back.He smiled at her briefly.Acknowledging her support as it was.
Cordelia seemed to be struggling.Not against Clem as much as herself. Her eyes flashed a pure black as the demon screamed it's rage at trying to be removed. Fred, Gunn, Lorne and Wesley were silent as they watched their new friend trying to help their old one. Fred thought about all the late night chats her and Cordelia used to have and let a solitary tear fall. Lorne was, for once, without a light comment. Gunn's face looked like it was carved out of stone. Wesley wanted to turn away from the sight of Cordelia screaming but his eyes refused to divert from the scene. He felt hysterical, slightly mad laughter welling up and he forced it back down.
"We have been lucky." He thought. "So many times we have been in danger but we pulled through. Why now?"
Cordelia seemed to give one last roar of fury and calmed, her limbs shaking and eyes sad. Like a ghost Emerald appeared. She was bleeding from several cuts and what looked like a few broken bones in her hand.She fell to the ground but pulled herself over to Cordelia. Cordelia opened her eyes and smiled sweetly.
"Thank you." She whispered as everyone stood shocked and listened. "Don't feel guilty, you had to do it. He would have killed you all."
Slowly Cordelia faced the group. She smiled again faintly
"Don't be sad." She whispered "I'm just not strong enough. I love you guys."
Without another word she slipped back into her coma.
"Cordy" Fred called before tears started falling. Xander caught her as her knees gave out and he pulled her to him, offering comfort.
Angel's face was getting darker. He had started to put two and two together over Dawns strange behavior. When he heard her say to the Watcher,
"We knew we had to try. Why did this have to be the one time the powers were right."
His suspicions were confirmed.
"You knew" He said in a cold hard voice he had never used with Dawn. "You knew she wasn't going to make it through. You good buddy Spike told you,"
Dawn looked scared but raised her chin.
"Yes he did."
"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked in the same tone, making everyone shift nervously.
"Spike and Anya told me not to." She said "If we didn't try then most of the people in this room would die."
"So you just decided to play God.Is that it?" He sneered.
"No" Emerald said trying to distract him from Dawn "She made a decision. The one, or the many."
Angel felt rage he hadn't felt since Angelus running through his body. He moved in to attack the two but was thrown off by a sword at his throat. He looked into the cold eyes of Ripper.
"I understand your hurt and need to revenge Angel." He said quietly "But acting rashly will only lead to regrets later."
"You can't stop me" He sneered at Giles, still enraged that his best friend was gone.
"Would you care to wager on that?" Giles said still in Ripper mode. Angel watched his eyes looking for weakness.When none appeared he slowly backed away as sanity returned to his mind. He said in a low voice to everyone in the room
"Get out."
They didn't need to be told twice.Giles was the last to leave.
"I'm sorry Angel. Truly sorry" He said before closing the door behind him.
Angel stared at the now comatosed body of Cordelia.
"Me too." He whispered
