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What Is To Be
-Thirty-First-
By Annie
2004-01-26
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Gunn secured the ropes tying Susannah's arms behind her back, making sure they were fastened tightly before stepping away from her. She was now placed on a chair brought out from the conference room, and she didn't exactly look as if she was comfortable; but Cordelia's concerned remark about this went by with only one short reply from the Wicca:
"She will get a lot more uncomfortable before this is over."
And so the brunette dropped the attempt.
Now there was yet again stillness filling the Hyperion. A tense anticipation seemed the trigger for it as they all had their eyes locked on the form before them. And then a slow breath was taken by her.
"I thought I told you to get away from me, witch," a deep voice sounded; one they hadn't heard since the night Susannah attacked Buffy.
The tension merely heightened at this, but Willow seemed unchallenged by it; her gaze rested firmly in the demon's. It looked out through eyes which wasn't its own, and tainted them with an expression filled with wicked, sardonic expectance. An amusement the Wicca didn't share, but she wasn't set back by it. In fact she met it with the hint of a smile - in no way kind. It was an overseeing smile, one that she might have used with a child that had been naughty and knew it, but was trying to cover it up.
Then she calmly offered her reply to the demon's previous statement.
"You use that word as if it was a bad name... I'm sure you know it's not, to me."
The demon smiled, distorting Susannah's beautiful face into a mask of madness as it straightened her back and leaned against the back of the chair. Tresses of auburn hair hung before its sight, but it didn't seem to mind it as it kept its gaze in the redhead before it.
"I do offer my deepest apologies," it then said, mockingly. "I thought I told you to get away from me... Narlat."
Willow squinted at the sound of that word, then she cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, I guess it's my mistake for correcting you, but here I thought you had spent so much time cooped up in a wretched human body that you had completely forgotten all need of education; and yet you managed to pick up one of the few words which actually are offensive in regard to who I am."
"There are a lot more than you even know, Watrolk," the demon smirked and she smiled the small smile again - unimpressed.
"And I bet you know all of them," she nodded.
"What do you think you could possibly accomplish?" it spat and she raised her eyebrows in faked innocence. "Why are you here?" it murmured.
"To help put a stop to you," she answered without hesitation and for a moment it merely stared at her before it threw the head of its host back and let hear a roaring laugh.
When it finally calmed down it looked at Willow once more, and then slowly turned its piercing gaze on every last person present in the room; ending with the Wicca and pausing before saying:
"But you forget one thing."
Willow didn't even blink, waiting for it to continue on its own. She didn't have to wait long. Another smile formed, this one in close proximity to triumphant as it brought its arms forward - showing that they were now untied - and held its hands out, wiggling the slim fingers of Susannah tauntingly before finishing with:
"I am... a god!"
Everyone seemed frozen to the spot as they stared at the being, but then it stood hastily and was about to move forward, only as it hadn't noticed that Susannah's ankles were also tied to the chair it had a momentary lapse of focus and Gunn noticed it. He was running in the next instant and before the demon could react he had thrown himself over it. The chair tilted backwards as the two rumbled to the floor and Willow closed her eyes, beginning to recite the words her coven had made her burn into her brainstem - or nothing far from it.
When the body beneath him made no sign of movement, Gunn rolled off it and to the side. Sitting up his gaze fell on Willow as she opened her eyes and slowly got herself around to the side of the fallen young woman. Gunn watched the Wicca for a second, then moved onto his knees and untied Susannah's ankles before carefully removing the chair from under her - Angel walking up to help him.
"She said this should be pretty quick, right?" Faith asked.
"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "But... does anyone know how quick 'pretty' is supposed to be?"
***
There was a loud, scraping noise as the coppery bottle of Ritha slowed its journey on the conference table, where it had been performing a beautiful spin for the amusement of the Slayer. When her hand reached out to grab the object and have it do it all again, Wesley's hand cut her to it; grabbing the bottle and moving it out of reach from her.
She gave him a look of dislike before straightening her posture from where she had been stretched out with her upper body resting on the table, her head on one arm.
It seemed that "pretty" was turning out to be a word none of them would choose to put anywhere near "quick" at any given time. Willow had been completely focused for nearly an hour, but there seemed to be no results from her efforts thus far.
Wesley now placed the bottle next to the one of Angel with a rather reprimanding glance at the blonde; as if she had even IMPLIED that she was going to try and take it again.
She rose to her feet, glaring at the watcher as she headed out the door. He seemed to barely notice, his nose too far stuffed into whatever old book he had it shoved into this time. So like him.
Buffy crossed the foyer.
"William. William. William. William," she mumbled to herself, trying to make the name sound estranged when spoken over and over, but failing, and when she nearly walked right into the man himself as she reached the doorway of the kitchen she exclaimed: "Spike!"
Receiving a wide smirk at that she felt as though she was practically blushing and then she smiled back. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before moving passed her and she grabbed his arm, making him stop and turn back to her. The small frown and clear pout that she had on made his smile broaden and then he leaned into her, catching her mouth with his and giving her a deep kiss. She looked mildly satisfied when he broke it, her eyes telling him that he shouldn't be leaving the room she was just entering. He had to agree to that, but then he held up the books he was taking to Wesley and she rolled her eyes for him to go ahead then.
He smiled again before giving her another quick kiss, proceeding out through the door while Buffy walked up to the table in the kitchen where Faith, Fred, Cordelia and Gunn were sharing a pint of ice-cream. The Slayer grabbed a spoon and took a seat as Angel re-entered the room - he had been called to the phone some ten minutes earlier. He sat as well, declining the offer of joining in their gorging, and being content at simply watching them eat. After a short while he said:
"I just talked with Lorne."
Cordelia raised her eyebrows.
"Really? How is he?"
"Oh, fine... You know, the usual worry about being slapped in the middle of what looks like the Third World War, but I assured him that we were putting our asses on the line as always and after that he seemed a lot calmer."
Gunn smirked, scooping some ice-cream into his mouth and looking as though he thoroughly enjoyed it. Cordelia watched Angel for another few seconds, and then she asked:
"Did you tell him?"
Angel met her gaze before he shook his head a little.
"No, I didn't. It didn't feel like the right time... like it's something you tell someone over the phone... No, I didn't tell him."
Quiet seemed content to lodge itself between the six after this revelation.
Buffy wondered who this Lorne was, but didn't feel like breaking the spell and asking. She looked at Cordelia, and then at Angel, who was watching the brunette with eyes that told everything anyone could ever need to know and the Slayer had to wonder what the hell they were doing sitting there with people around them. They should be alone. They should be talking about... The thought died there, as she realized that with the familiarity of others came the postponing of this thought that they were to be separated.
Buffy got to her feet, throwing her spoon in the sink on her way to the door and walking through it, again crossing the foyer before reentering the conference room. Spike looked up as she came through the doorway, a welcoming smile immediately on his face and she returned it as she walked around the table and came up to him.
She easily jiggled herself in between the edge of the table and his stomach, curling herself contentedly on his lap and placing one arm around his shoulders, the other on the table as she looked at the thick volume placed before him.
"So," she said. "What're we reading?"
To that she received a pleased smirk.
***
Faith sat quietly watching the Wicca at work. The former had been seated on the same spot for the past twenty minutes, while the concentration of the latter hadn't faltered for nearly three hours. Her eyes, though, were beginning to look tired and the strain evident on her features due to her set jaw didn't exactly help the matter.
Fred came up to join at Faith's side and the two kept silent for another minute, then Faith said:
"I wish there was something I could do to help her."
"I'm sure we all do," Fred replied. "Has there been any change at all?"
Faith shook her head.
In the conference room Buffy shifted on her chair, trying not to grow sleepy as she watched Spike turn the page of the book for the hundredth time. After being comfortably placed on his lap for close to an hour, she had had to move, since his legs were falling asleep. Now she drew a small breath, letting it out as yet another sigh and Spike glanced at her. At the small recognition she lit up. He gave her a smile back and she sat straight from where she once again had been splayed out across the table.
"You're a quick reader," she remarked and his smile turned to a smirk.
"Only when I have to be," he replied and she cocked an eyebrow, scooting a bit closer to have a look at what he was occupying himself with.
She observed the drawing of a mighty building, and then read the text below it. She couldn't make out much of it, except for the building being the temple of Karnack, and that it was - or had been - situated in Egypt's ancient capitol of Thebes.
Her eyes fell on a depicting below the drawing, showing some sort of pattern and she frowned.
"What's this?" she asked and Spike looked at what she was referring to before answering:
"It's the symbol for the order of Amon."
"Amon...?" she asked and he nodded.
"Yeah, you know - the high-and-mighty back in the day. One of the most worshipped gods. His priests kept order in Egypt. Remember?" She looked as though she wasn't connecting the dots yet and he smiled a little. "The priests - who evidently founded this particular order - were the guardians of the god - Amon, and had been for generations until the day Nefertiti and Akhenaton decided to break with custom. They invented their own religion which revolved around Aton."
"And Aton is the same as Satoch," Buffy nodded. "And Amon... is Aatoch?"
"Right," Spike said. "So you did pay attention?" he added teasingly and she gave him a smile before directing her gaze back on the sketch in the book.
It was extremely familiar to her. She furrowed her brow for a second time, trying not to concentrate too hard, knowing that the information was most likely to escape her if she did. Placing one hand on the book she tentatively moved her fingers across the symbol and then she drew a breath in realization.
A wooden doorframe. Her fingers brushing over something carved into it.
"Oh, my god," she said, looking up just as they heard the front door being thrown open.
They both got up and so did Wesley, moving quickly to the doorway and continuing out into the foyer; Buffy grabbing the two bottles off the table as she went.
She wasn't surprised at the sight which met them.
"Forte?" Spike asked, his expression quite the opposite.
And him it was. Dressed in long, deep-blue robes he - and eleven others - stood before them. He smiled disarmingly. It didn't take on the former vampire, who was still observing the strangers with clear suspicion.
"It's alright," Buffy was the one to speak up, just as the others came rushing from the kitchen to see what the racket was all about. "He's a priest," she added, not hiding the sarcasm and Forte's smile widened ever so slightly.
"What?" Cordelia wondered, confused.
"He has the symbol for the order of Amon carved into the doorway of his study," Buffy replied, still looking at Forte.
"But that's not possible," Wesley said, disbelieving, and Forte glanced at him before looking around at all of them.
"It is highly possible," he then stated, "or I wouldn't be standing here before you today. Of course, we have known the true origin of Amon for quite some time, unlike our ancestors."
Angel stared at the demon, then said:
"You wanted this to happen." Forte turned his gaze in the vampire's, his exterior that of pure calm. Angel continued: "That's why you gave us the bottles. That's why you didn't tell us more than you thought we needed to know... Why?"
Forte cocked an eyebrow and was about to answer when a loud thud was heard behind them and they all swirled around.
"Willow!" Fred exclaimed, running up to her where she had fallen and was struggling to get up.
Taking a firm hold around her waist the latter helped the Wicca to her feet.
"I'm sorry," Willow breathed, the exhaustion on her making her look smaller than she was. "I couldn't... I tried, but... He's too strong. I can't release her. I'm sorry."
Buffy felt the fury begin to boil within her and she turned back to Forte.
"What did you do, come here to act as a goddamn audience?!" she exclaimed, slamming the bottles down on the counter irritation before she approached the demon. "I bet your little cult thing-y you've got going here has waited and waited for this to happen! For history to repeat itself and for you to be able to bear witness this time! You had answers and you didn't give them to us, and now...?!"
"Buffy, take it easy," Gunn tried, but she wouldn't listen as she stopped before Forte.
Fred helped Willow over to the chair still left from when they tied up Susannah, asking if she wanted some water and Willow nodded feebly, her eyelids heavy and her body limp. Everybody were gathered facing Forte, listening to the words being exchanged. She tried to make them out, but they grew into a low murmur which didn't seem to matter.
She turned her head to where Susannah lay, and blinked tiredly.
Her mind was playing more tricks on her, because she could have sworn that the girl wasn't lying there anymore.
Fred came back, kneeling beside the chair and handing her a glass of cold water. Only, the thirst seemed to have left the Wicca's throat, and she forced herself to form the word she knew she had to get out.
"Susannah...?" she murmured and Fred furrowed her brow, then turned to the spot where the young woman had been only a minute or so before.
She wasn't there anymore.
Fred got to her feet and turned around.
"Did you know THIS would happen too? Did you know we'd fail with the exorcism?!" Buffy demanded on the opposite side of the room and Forte eyed her before replying:
"Yes, of course."
"What do you mean 'of course'?" she asked, agitatedly.
"'Four times four will open the door'," he answered matter-of-factly.
"Buffy!" Fred yelled. "Buffy!" she repeated, and at the urgency in her voice the Slayer stopped her arguing.
The stillness which followed was nearly frightening as they all turned to see the form of the formally fallen - now standing before the doorway of the conference room.
"Susannah?" Spike tried and she turned her head to him, her eyes burdened and sad.
"There are so many things to be said," she stated, her voice cracking and then her head suddenly drew back with a pained hiss.
"Susie," Cordelia mumbled, the tears in her tone soon settling in her eyes.
Susannah brought her face forward once more; looking at the people before her and having a small smile grow onto her mouth.
"I wish I could tell it all with one word, but I can't," she mumbled, looking down at something she had in her left hand and seemingly wavering for a moment before she moved her gaze in Spike's. "I don't have time."
His eyes widened as he came to understand what it was she was doing; he took a step forward, about to let out a protest, but she shook her head and stopped him.
"This is the only way," she said and the rest of them caught on to what Spike had deduced as they could glimpse what it was she was holding - the bottle of Ritha. "I have to let him win this one. You have to make sure he doesn't win the next."
She put her right hand on the small top of the bottle and removed it.
Buffy stared at her, her heart beating heavily with defeat and sorrow. Her hand being clasped by Spike's in a hard grip and she ached for him as well.
"I'll never forget you," Susannah whispered, then she brought the mouth of the bottle to her lips, closed her eyes and tilted her head back, swallowing the liquid down.
The bottle fell to the floor with a hollow clank. The form of the woman didn't move, but stood as it was for what felt like the longest time. Then it writhed, convulsed and was finally lifted into the air.
Cordelia turned her head to Angel, but he was already moving toward the counter where the second bottle still lay.
"Angel!" she called out and he turned to her as he grabbed the item.
He smiled a bright smile and her tears ran over as she tentatively returned it, and then she had to watch as he opened the top in the same manner Susannah had, knowing what was to come next.
Angel took a moment to look at all of the people he loved and cared for gathered in the same room. A small miracle in itself.
Having his eyes in Buffy's and then in Spike's he wished he could have told both of them how much they had truly meant to him, and still meant. How they had both, in some way, helped shape him into what and who he was. He guessed, to some extent, they already understood.
He locked his gaze with Cordelia's and knew that she knew what he felt, and how much he did love her. She would always remember that.
He gave another smile and then brought the bottle up, opening his mouth he let the blood slip down his throat and then he couldn't think anymore, only feel.
The taste was the sweetest he had ever had on his tongue, but as it continued down it began to burn him. He was on his knees the next instant, and then he felt as though he was slowly lifting off the floor. Flying above everything. Suddenly the heat was coursing through him, it took him completely off guard and he screamed a scream he couldn't hear. The warmth was more intense than ever before and it ripped at him, made him feel as though he was being eaten away - particle by particle.
And then teeth scraped his neck, from the inside. Claws scratched down his back and it was as though there was a being inside of him fighting to be let out.
Demon.
"You will never be rid of me," it whispered and taunted and shouted and cried and then...
Silence.
***
"Do something!" Cordelia yelled, but no one had anything to say in neither comfort nor reply as they had their undivided attention at the two forms hovering twenty feet apart.
Susannah was hanging in rigid stillness, while Angel seemed to be suffering something close to a seizure.
Forte gave his comrades a sign and they moved quietly to the place where Willow had been struggling for so long with Satoch. Once there they all bowed their heads.
Cordelia stared at the scene before her in growing terror, and when Angel suddenly dropped to the floor with a harsh thud, her heart nearly stopped. What happened then was, however, enough to break through her worries and have her immobile. There was a shift in the air above them. It looked as though stirring smoke, only there was no smoke to be stirred - only air. It was surreal to watch.
In the next instant Susannah fell from her suspended state as well, hitting the floor with something not far from a crack and Buffy averted her gaze with a wave of nausea attacking her at the strange angle the formers body had landed in.
Something red was moving with the see-through now and all fixed their concentration on the battle about to ensue. As the two entities crashed together their true forms were revealed. Angelus being black; his head bald and his eyes glowing yellow. His fingers were long and pointy, as though really growing into claws; and his wrath was clear. Satoch was still red. He looked three times bigger than Angelus and his eyes were piercing green. They both looked more like ghosts than anything else, except from when one of them hit the other. Then a flash of them, in what would have been the closest they could get to an actual hard form, could be seen.
"Holy crap," Buffy murmured. "He's getting slaughtered."
And it was true. Angelus was already loosing.
"This can't be happening!" Faith exclaimed.
"But it is," Buffy murmured.
The next moment Satoch delivered a blow to the other demon's throat and the shape burned for a second, then it was gone.
"Oh, my god..." Fred whispered.
Satoch looked down at the mortals, his eyes glittering with glee.
"Did you think that sending such an inferior being to conquer one of the mightiest this world has ever seen... would actually work?" he asked. "You cannot have believed that that puny imp would even put a dent in my skin!"
"Didn't know you HAD skin," Buffy grumbled, searching her mind for some way of defeating the demongod, but she kept coming up empty-handed.
"I will," he answered her mockery and she glared up at him, beginning to grow mighty pissed at the fact that there wasn't a single thing she could do to stop him.
"So, what's the plan now then, oh-mighty-one?" she asked. "Eat up the whole of existence as we know it? You're pretty big, but will all of that REALLY fit into that stomach of yours? And have you ever heard of the saying 'less is better'? Do you HAVE to eat up all of it? Can't you just swallow... the North Pole or... one of those tiny islands we don't need anyway or... half of Cleveland? I mean, isn't there someway to work around this?"
"I am this world, and this world is in me," was the reply she got and she cocked an eyebrow.
"Sarcasm is completely wasted on that one," she grumbled to Spike, who smiled a rather weak smile.
At the sound of murmuring she frowned and looked over her shoulder at the circle-placed Amon priests. She blinked, letting go of Spike's hand and taking a step closer.
"What in the world...?"
In the middle of the circle there was a slowly moving swirl of blue. She was hypnotized by it as it began to grow. Suddenly there was the furious roar of Satoch as he seemed to notice what was happening, but before he could move in to put an end to it a stream of blue light shot out of the swirl and hit him with full force -pushing him to stay where he was.
"No!" he screamed, the anger he produced making the walls of the Hyperion shake.
The priests moved their arms out from their sides and up over their heads, placing their hands palm-to-palm before bringing them down to their chests. Once there they said a sentence in a language none of the others could make out, and then they moved their hands forward, splitting them up in a welcoming gesture with their palms up toward the ceiling. In one voice they then said one word.
"Aatoch."
The blue twirl grew into a spiral which stretched all the way to the ceiling. It didn't slow down, merely picked up its pace; and moved out of the circle, between two of the priests, looking like a small tornado.
Satoch stared at his nemesis as the latter stepped out of his shelter and in the moment he did, it vanished.
"Curula tatem urig lat," Satoch said, his deep voice filling all of their ears and they put their hands up to try and shut it out.
"Teh," Aatoch replied. "Itoch sadigur lorith talh."
In the next instant the two beings attacked each other with a fierceness none of the mortals had ever witnessed before. The two demons flew up against one wall, creating a deep crack in it. Satoch grabbed Aatoch and threw him across the room, which meant a crack in the other wall. The ceiling and the floor shook with each new impact and plaster fell from above.
"Should we be standing here?" Gunn asked and after a moment's contemplation they began to move away from the exposed spot they were in.
Buffy helped get Willow to her feet and they all got themselves moving toward the front doors.
"Natulat dorigh!" Satoch screamed and Aatoch threw himself over him yelling back:
"Othar igh dunn!"
"I wish I spoke demon," Willow whispered to Buffy, who granted her a smile at that. "I'm... sorry," the Wicca added and Buffy shook her head.
"You did good," she assured. "You did great," she then corrected herself. "And you had the powers of cosmos working against you."
Willow smiled meekly as well, then an earth shattering noise was heard as the two demons broke through the wall on the opposite side of the foyer, and the shake which followed had them all loose their balance.
The twelve priests stood on a line at the same place they had performed the ritual of waking Aatoch. They all looked calm as statues and seemed to be waiting for the two in battle to return. Buffy looked out over the destruction of the room and her eyes fell on Angel. She wouldn't cry now. She couldn't loose focus. But the sight of him hurt her badly and she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Help me get him over here," Cordelia mumbled in her ear and she opened her eyes again, meeting the others and then giving a nod.
Making sure that Willow was okay leaning against Fred, the Slayer then followed Cordelia and they quickly made their way up to the body. They both kneeled, and Buffy bit back her tears as she looked at the well-known face. Cordelia was crying, she didn't have the strength left in her to pretend to have a brave face. She blinked at the liquid and it slid down her cheeks, freezing on her skin and making pretty patterns of ice.
As it did, the cold, which had been forgotten, was suddenly making itself reminded and she put her arms up as a chill tore through her. The frost wasn't only there this time, it was painful and it seemed to be covering the very bones of her body, tearing through her with an astonishing pace.
She leaned forward, fighting for air.
"Cor?" Buffy asked. "Are you okay?"
Cordelia nodded, fearing the return of the two in battle and feeling that the rest of them didn't have time for her weakness now, of all times. Then she turned her gaze on Angel, and felt a very strange tranquility come over her as she looked into his open eyes.
"It's okay," she mumbled, reaching up a hand and carefully closing them.
"Good," Buffy said, her voice coming from far, far away. "Then you take that arm and... Ouch! God, he's burning up!"
Cordelia nodded.
"It's okay," she repeated.
There was a rumbling noise and the two demons reentered through the way they had disappeared. Satoch seemed nearly deranged, still screaming foreign words at the other.
"Come on," Gunn murmured, following the action as well as keeping a watchful eye at the three forms below it. "Come on. Finish it!"
There was a pause as the two combatants faced each other. There seemed to be a challenge in that pause.
Kill or be killed.
Then they once again started towards each other. They moved so quickly now that they grew into a purple blur as they collided. They seemed to be delivering swift blows to each others frames and then there was a dark cry of pain.
Time stood still, as well as the onlooker's hearts.
The purple haze slowly dispursed and they saw what was hidden behind it.
Aatoch had his right arm stretched out and it was piercing Satoch's chest. The latter seemed stunned, staring into the green eyes of the other, reflecting the shade of his perfectly.
"Anone tukara dor, limukeh," Aatoch grumbled. "Sirah delde sukh."
"Afolh tukara dor, limukeh," Satoch replied. "Sukh sirah ath."
And then he dissolved, almost gently, until there was nothing left of him.
Everybody stood astounded and quiet until Wesley let hear a cry of triumph. He cleared his throat, looking around at them, but it didn't take many seconds for the others to join in and soon they were cheering.
Aatoch looked at them all, his countenance serious, but friendly. Then he turned and moved back to the twelve priests. Forte bowed in clear awe, as did the others, and Aatoch said something to which Forte nodded. Then he held up one hand, containing an item of some sort. They couldn't make out what it was, but it reflected the light in bright blue, and as the flare was taken out of their eyes, Aatoch was gone.
Buffy was standing now, disbelieving that it was actually over, and then she turned her head to Cordelia just as the latter slowly leaned forward, joining her lips with Angel's.
Buffy blinked, rather abhorred.
Cordelia closed her eyes at the gentle beginning of the kiss, and then the pain she was under grew in power, something that she had anticipated this time, and it began to pulsate through her. She felt the heat from his body pour into her veins and nerves; wrap around her muscles and thaw her whole being up. At the same time she felt the cold be drained from her body, seeking its way into his.
Once the process was over she fell to the side. She had never been more tired in her whole life.
Buffy took a small step forward, looking down at Cordelia who seemed to have gotten the color back in her cheeks. And then the hand of Angel closest to the Slayer moved, and she jumped back in startled surprise.
"What the...?" she mumbled, her eyes widening even further as Angel opened his.
It took a while for his gaze to adjust, and then he could have sworn that he was looking up at the ceiling of the Hyperion. Very strange.
"Angel...?" Buffy's voice said from somewhere to his left and he frowned.
"Buffy...?" he murmured, moving his head and yes, there she was.
Very, very strange.
And then he remembered the sense of cooling down, the feel of a pair of lips against his own and how the chill from them had hurt him at first, but how they then had helped remove the ache within him as the heat began to leave him.
"Cordelia..." he whispered and suddenly he felt a warm hand in his, its fingers entwining with his and then how the body it belonged to moved so that it was placed alongside his own.
And then - that heavenly face.
"I'm here," she whispered with a small smile, her eyes glistening with tears and he stared at her, taken.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We won," she answered him softly.
And then he could feel it. It was the most compelling sensation. The strangest and most exhilarating thing he had been under for quite some time, because this time he instantly knew everything about it was different.
He was breathing.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******************
Did you LIKE it?! :) I hope you did!!! And the tardiness - I won't even get into the reason, it's too stupid. All I can say is as of now I officially hate computers. (Except for when I don't.) And that's that.
Okay, special and extremely warm thanks to wolf116 (Aw, that's the sweetest thing! Well, I'm glad you don't want it to end, 'cause neither do I! And so, now, what did you think of the second last chapter?) ;), maribel (oh, it's okay, girl! Glad to see you there now and sorry to read that you've been sick! Hope you're all well! And, thank you!) :), Winters1 (thanks and I hope you thought it was great, and will think the last chapter is too!) :), ali-lou (I'm so happy you've been enjoying the Angel Cordelia part of this story! And that's a compliment, to be your first addition!!! *smiles widely* Thanks for your confidence in me, and I hope you did like it!) :), timeends (sorry to hear that! I hope the plot moved on a bit faster this time!) ;), darklover (oh, come on! Can't you give me something more than that? Did you like the chapter aside from it being too short? Which IS a good thing that you thought 'cause that would indicate that you DID enjoy it, but... come on!) :) and Rachel9 (well, that's good that you like her a bit better now! And thanks a lot for that comment! I would love to be a writer on that show, now that Buffy's out of the picture! *sob* Glad that you like it!) :)
To all - thank you SO much for never failing support and I really hope I didn't disappoint your expectations!!! Luv ya and I'll see ya soon!
A.M.L, Annie.
What Is To Be
-Thirty-First-
By Annie
2004-01-26
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤
Gunn secured the ropes tying Susannah's arms behind her back, making sure they were fastened tightly before stepping away from her. She was now placed on a chair brought out from the conference room, and she didn't exactly look as if she was comfortable; but Cordelia's concerned remark about this went by with only one short reply from the Wicca:
"She will get a lot more uncomfortable before this is over."
And so the brunette dropped the attempt.
Now there was yet again stillness filling the Hyperion. A tense anticipation seemed the trigger for it as they all had their eyes locked on the form before them. And then a slow breath was taken by her.
"I thought I told you to get away from me, witch," a deep voice sounded; one they hadn't heard since the night Susannah attacked Buffy.
The tension merely heightened at this, but Willow seemed unchallenged by it; her gaze rested firmly in the demon's. It looked out through eyes which wasn't its own, and tainted them with an expression filled with wicked, sardonic expectance. An amusement the Wicca didn't share, but she wasn't set back by it. In fact she met it with the hint of a smile - in no way kind. It was an overseeing smile, one that she might have used with a child that had been naughty and knew it, but was trying to cover it up.
Then she calmly offered her reply to the demon's previous statement.
"You use that word as if it was a bad name... I'm sure you know it's not, to me."
The demon smiled, distorting Susannah's beautiful face into a mask of madness as it straightened her back and leaned against the back of the chair. Tresses of auburn hair hung before its sight, but it didn't seem to mind it as it kept its gaze in the redhead before it.
"I do offer my deepest apologies," it then said, mockingly. "I thought I told you to get away from me... Narlat."
Willow squinted at the sound of that word, then she cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, I guess it's my mistake for correcting you, but here I thought you had spent so much time cooped up in a wretched human body that you had completely forgotten all need of education; and yet you managed to pick up one of the few words which actually are offensive in regard to who I am."
"There are a lot more than you even know, Watrolk," the demon smirked and she smiled the small smile again - unimpressed.
"And I bet you know all of them," she nodded.
"What do you think you could possibly accomplish?" it spat and she raised her eyebrows in faked innocence. "Why are you here?" it murmured.
"To help put a stop to you," she answered without hesitation and for a moment it merely stared at her before it threw the head of its host back and let hear a roaring laugh.
When it finally calmed down it looked at Willow once more, and then slowly turned its piercing gaze on every last person present in the room; ending with the Wicca and pausing before saying:
"But you forget one thing."
Willow didn't even blink, waiting for it to continue on its own. She didn't have to wait long. Another smile formed, this one in close proximity to triumphant as it brought its arms forward - showing that they were now untied - and held its hands out, wiggling the slim fingers of Susannah tauntingly before finishing with:
"I am... a god!"
Everyone seemed frozen to the spot as they stared at the being, but then it stood hastily and was about to move forward, only as it hadn't noticed that Susannah's ankles were also tied to the chair it had a momentary lapse of focus and Gunn noticed it. He was running in the next instant and before the demon could react he had thrown himself over it. The chair tilted backwards as the two rumbled to the floor and Willow closed her eyes, beginning to recite the words her coven had made her burn into her brainstem - or nothing far from it.
When the body beneath him made no sign of movement, Gunn rolled off it and to the side. Sitting up his gaze fell on Willow as she opened her eyes and slowly got herself around to the side of the fallen young woman. Gunn watched the Wicca for a second, then moved onto his knees and untied Susannah's ankles before carefully removing the chair from under her - Angel walking up to help him.
"She said this should be pretty quick, right?" Faith asked.
"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "But... does anyone know how quick 'pretty' is supposed to be?"
***
There was a loud, scraping noise as the coppery bottle of Ritha slowed its journey on the conference table, where it had been performing a beautiful spin for the amusement of the Slayer. When her hand reached out to grab the object and have it do it all again, Wesley's hand cut her to it; grabbing the bottle and moving it out of reach from her.
She gave him a look of dislike before straightening her posture from where she had been stretched out with her upper body resting on the table, her head on one arm.
It seemed that "pretty" was turning out to be a word none of them would choose to put anywhere near "quick" at any given time. Willow had been completely focused for nearly an hour, but there seemed to be no results from her efforts thus far.
Wesley now placed the bottle next to the one of Angel with a rather reprimanding glance at the blonde; as if she had even IMPLIED that she was going to try and take it again.
She rose to her feet, glaring at the watcher as she headed out the door. He seemed to barely notice, his nose too far stuffed into whatever old book he had it shoved into this time. So like him.
Buffy crossed the foyer.
"William. William. William. William," she mumbled to herself, trying to make the name sound estranged when spoken over and over, but failing, and when she nearly walked right into the man himself as she reached the doorway of the kitchen she exclaimed: "Spike!"
Receiving a wide smirk at that she felt as though she was practically blushing and then she smiled back. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before moving passed her and she grabbed his arm, making him stop and turn back to her. The small frown and clear pout that she had on made his smile broaden and then he leaned into her, catching her mouth with his and giving her a deep kiss. She looked mildly satisfied when he broke it, her eyes telling him that he shouldn't be leaving the room she was just entering. He had to agree to that, but then he held up the books he was taking to Wesley and she rolled her eyes for him to go ahead then.
He smiled again before giving her another quick kiss, proceeding out through the door while Buffy walked up to the table in the kitchen where Faith, Fred, Cordelia and Gunn were sharing a pint of ice-cream. The Slayer grabbed a spoon and took a seat as Angel re-entered the room - he had been called to the phone some ten minutes earlier. He sat as well, declining the offer of joining in their gorging, and being content at simply watching them eat. After a short while he said:
"I just talked with Lorne."
Cordelia raised her eyebrows.
"Really? How is he?"
"Oh, fine... You know, the usual worry about being slapped in the middle of what looks like the Third World War, but I assured him that we were putting our asses on the line as always and after that he seemed a lot calmer."
Gunn smirked, scooping some ice-cream into his mouth and looking as though he thoroughly enjoyed it. Cordelia watched Angel for another few seconds, and then she asked:
"Did you tell him?"
Angel met her gaze before he shook his head a little.
"No, I didn't. It didn't feel like the right time... like it's something you tell someone over the phone... No, I didn't tell him."
Quiet seemed content to lodge itself between the six after this revelation.
Buffy wondered who this Lorne was, but didn't feel like breaking the spell and asking. She looked at Cordelia, and then at Angel, who was watching the brunette with eyes that told everything anyone could ever need to know and the Slayer had to wonder what the hell they were doing sitting there with people around them. They should be alone. They should be talking about... The thought died there, as she realized that with the familiarity of others came the postponing of this thought that they were to be separated.
Buffy got to her feet, throwing her spoon in the sink on her way to the door and walking through it, again crossing the foyer before reentering the conference room. Spike looked up as she came through the doorway, a welcoming smile immediately on his face and she returned it as she walked around the table and came up to him.
She easily jiggled herself in between the edge of the table and his stomach, curling herself contentedly on his lap and placing one arm around his shoulders, the other on the table as she looked at the thick volume placed before him.
"So," she said. "What're we reading?"
To that she received a pleased smirk.
***
Faith sat quietly watching the Wicca at work. The former had been seated on the same spot for the past twenty minutes, while the concentration of the latter hadn't faltered for nearly three hours. Her eyes, though, were beginning to look tired and the strain evident on her features due to her set jaw didn't exactly help the matter.
Fred came up to join at Faith's side and the two kept silent for another minute, then Faith said:
"I wish there was something I could do to help her."
"I'm sure we all do," Fred replied. "Has there been any change at all?"
Faith shook her head.
In the conference room Buffy shifted on her chair, trying not to grow sleepy as she watched Spike turn the page of the book for the hundredth time. After being comfortably placed on his lap for close to an hour, she had had to move, since his legs were falling asleep. Now she drew a small breath, letting it out as yet another sigh and Spike glanced at her. At the small recognition she lit up. He gave her a smile back and she sat straight from where she once again had been splayed out across the table.
"You're a quick reader," she remarked and his smile turned to a smirk.
"Only when I have to be," he replied and she cocked an eyebrow, scooting a bit closer to have a look at what he was occupying himself with.
She observed the drawing of a mighty building, and then read the text below it. She couldn't make out much of it, except for the building being the temple of Karnack, and that it was - or had been - situated in Egypt's ancient capitol of Thebes.
Her eyes fell on a depicting below the drawing, showing some sort of pattern and she frowned.
"What's this?" she asked and Spike looked at what she was referring to before answering:
"It's the symbol for the order of Amon."
"Amon...?" she asked and he nodded.
"Yeah, you know - the high-and-mighty back in the day. One of the most worshipped gods. His priests kept order in Egypt. Remember?" She looked as though she wasn't connecting the dots yet and he smiled a little. "The priests - who evidently founded this particular order - were the guardians of the god - Amon, and had been for generations until the day Nefertiti and Akhenaton decided to break with custom. They invented their own religion which revolved around Aton."
"And Aton is the same as Satoch," Buffy nodded. "And Amon... is Aatoch?"
"Right," Spike said. "So you did pay attention?" he added teasingly and she gave him a smile before directing her gaze back on the sketch in the book.
It was extremely familiar to her. She furrowed her brow for a second time, trying not to concentrate too hard, knowing that the information was most likely to escape her if she did. Placing one hand on the book she tentatively moved her fingers across the symbol and then she drew a breath in realization.
A wooden doorframe. Her fingers brushing over something carved into it.
"Oh, my god," she said, looking up just as they heard the front door being thrown open.
They both got up and so did Wesley, moving quickly to the doorway and continuing out into the foyer; Buffy grabbing the two bottles off the table as she went.
She wasn't surprised at the sight which met them.
"Forte?" Spike asked, his expression quite the opposite.
And him it was. Dressed in long, deep-blue robes he - and eleven others - stood before them. He smiled disarmingly. It didn't take on the former vampire, who was still observing the strangers with clear suspicion.
"It's alright," Buffy was the one to speak up, just as the others came rushing from the kitchen to see what the racket was all about. "He's a priest," she added, not hiding the sarcasm and Forte's smile widened ever so slightly.
"What?" Cordelia wondered, confused.
"He has the symbol for the order of Amon carved into the doorway of his study," Buffy replied, still looking at Forte.
"But that's not possible," Wesley said, disbelieving, and Forte glanced at him before looking around at all of them.
"It is highly possible," he then stated, "or I wouldn't be standing here before you today. Of course, we have known the true origin of Amon for quite some time, unlike our ancestors."
Angel stared at the demon, then said:
"You wanted this to happen." Forte turned his gaze in the vampire's, his exterior that of pure calm. Angel continued: "That's why you gave us the bottles. That's why you didn't tell us more than you thought we needed to know... Why?"
Forte cocked an eyebrow and was about to answer when a loud thud was heard behind them and they all swirled around.
"Willow!" Fred exclaimed, running up to her where she had fallen and was struggling to get up.
Taking a firm hold around her waist the latter helped the Wicca to her feet.
"I'm sorry," Willow breathed, the exhaustion on her making her look smaller than she was. "I couldn't... I tried, but... He's too strong. I can't release her. I'm sorry."
Buffy felt the fury begin to boil within her and she turned back to Forte.
"What did you do, come here to act as a goddamn audience?!" she exclaimed, slamming the bottles down on the counter irritation before she approached the demon. "I bet your little cult thing-y you've got going here has waited and waited for this to happen! For history to repeat itself and for you to be able to bear witness this time! You had answers and you didn't give them to us, and now...?!"
"Buffy, take it easy," Gunn tried, but she wouldn't listen as she stopped before Forte.
Fred helped Willow over to the chair still left from when they tied up Susannah, asking if she wanted some water and Willow nodded feebly, her eyelids heavy and her body limp. Everybody were gathered facing Forte, listening to the words being exchanged. She tried to make them out, but they grew into a low murmur which didn't seem to matter.
She turned her head to where Susannah lay, and blinked tiredly.
Her mind was playing more tricks on her, because she could have sworn that the girl wasn't lying there anymore.
Fred came back, kneeling beside the chair and handing her a glass of cold water. Only, the thirst seemed to have left the Wicca's throat, and she forced herself to form the word she knew she had to get out.
"Susannah...?" she murmured and Fred furrowed her brow, then turned to the spot where the young woman had been only a minute or so before.
She wasn't there anymore.
Fred got to her feet and turned around.
"Did you know THIS would happen too? Did you know we'd fail with the exorcism?!" Buffy demanded on the opposite side of the room and Forte eyed her before replying:
"Yes, of course."
"What do you mean 'of course'?" she asked, agitatedly.
"'Four times four will open the door'," he answered matter-of-factly.
"Buffy!" Fred yelled. "Buffy!" she repeated, and at the urgency in her voice the Slayer stopped her arguing.
The stillness which followed was nearly frightening as they all turned to see the form of the formally fallen - now standing before the doorway of the conference room.
"Susannah?" Spike tried and she turned her head to him, her eyes burdened and sad.
"There are so many things to be said," she stated, her voice cracking and then her head suddenly drew back with a pained hiss.
"Susie," Cordelia mumbled, the tears in her tone soon settling in her eyes.
Susannah brought her face forward once more; looking at the people before her and having a small smile grow onto her mouth.
"I wish I could tell it all with one word, but I can't," she mumbled, looking down at something she had in her left hand and seemingly wavering for a moment before she moved her gaze in Spike's. "I don't have time."
His eyes widened as he came to understand what it was she was doing; he took a step forward, about to let out a protest, but she shook her head and stopped him.
"This is the only way," she said and the rest of them caught on to what Spike had deduced as they could glimpse what it was she was holding - the bottle of Ritha. "I have to let him win this one. You have to make sure he doesn't win the next."
She put her right hand on the small top of the bottle and removed it.
Buffy stared at her, her heart beating heavily with defeat and sorrow. Her hand being clasped by Spike's in a hard grip and she ached for him as well.
"I'll never forget you," Susannah whispered, then she brought the mouth of the bottle to her lips, closed her eyes and tilted her head back, swallowing the liquid down.
The bottle fell to the floor with a hollow clank. The form of the woman didn't move, but stood as it was for what felt like the longest time. Then it writhed, convulsed and was finally lifted into the air.
Cordelia turned her head to Angel, but he was already moving toward the counter where the second bottle still lay.
"Angel!" she called out and he turned to her as he grabbed the item.
He smiled a bright smile and her tears ran over as she tentatively returned it, and then she had to watch as he opened the top in the same manner Susannah had, knowing what was to come next.
Angel took a moment to look at all of the people he loved and cared for gathered in the same room. A small miracle in itself.
Having his eyes in Buffy's and then in Spike's he wished he could have told both of them how much they had truly meant to him, and still meant. How they had both, in some way, helped shape him into what and who he was. He guessed, to some extent, they already understood.
He locked his gaze with Cordelia's and knew that she knew what he felt, and how much he did love her. She would always remember that.
He gave another smile and then brought the bottle up, opening his mouth he let the blood slip down his throat and then he couldn't think anymore, only feel.
The taste was the sweetest he had ever had on his tongue, but as it continued down it began to burn him. He was on his knees the next instant, and then he felt as though he was slowly lifting off the floor. Flying above everything. Suddenly the heat was coursing through him, it took him completely off guard and he screamed a scream he couldn't hear. The warmth was more intense than ever before and it ripped at him, made him feel as though he was being eaten away - particle by particle.
And then teeth scraped his neck, from the inside. Claws scratched down his back and it was as though there was a being inside of him fighting to be let out.
Demon.
"You will never be rid of me," it whispered and taunted and shouted and cried and then...
Silence.
***
"Do something!" Cordelia yelled, but no one had anything to say in neither comfort nor reply as they had their undivided attention at the two forms hovering twenty feet apart.
Susannah was hanging in rigid stillness, while Angel seemed to be suffering something close to a seizure.
Forte gave his comrades a sign and they moved quietly to the place where Willow had been struggling for so long with Satoch. Once there they all bowed their heads.
Cordelia stared at the scene before her in growing terror, and when Angel suddenly dropped to the floor with a harsh thud, her heart nearly stopped. What happened then was, however, enough to break through her worries and have her immobile. There was a shift in the air above them. It looked as though stirring smoke, only there was no smoke to be stirred - only air. It was surreal to watch.
In the next instant Susannah fell from her suspended state as well, hitting the floor with something not far from a crack and Buffy averted her gaze with a wave of nausea attacking her at the strange angle the formers body had landed in.
Something red was moving with the see-through now and all fixed their concentration on the battle about to ensue. As the two entities crashed together their true forms were revealed. Angelus being black; his head bald and his eyes glowing yellow. His fingers were long and pointy, as though really growing into claws; and his wrath was clear. Satoch was still red. He looked three times bigger than Angelus and his eyes were piercing green. They both looked more like ghosts than anything else, except from when one of them hit the other. Then a flash of them, in what would have been the closest they could get to an actual hard form, could be seen.
"Holy crap," Buffy murmured. "He's getting slaughtered."
And it was true. Angelus was already loosing.
"This can't be happening!" Faith exclaimed.
"But it is," Buffy murmured.
The next moment Satoch delivered a blow to the other demon's throat and the shape burned for a second, then it was gone.
"Oh, my god..." Fred whispered.
Satoch looked down at the mortals, his eyes glittering with glee.
"Did you think that sending such an inferior being to conquer one of the mightiest this world has ever seen... would actually work?" he asked. "You cannot have believed that that puny imp would even put a dent in my skin!"
"Didn't know you HAD skin," Buffy grumbled, searching her mind for some way of defeating the demongod, but she kept coming up empty-handed.
"I will," he answered her mockery and she glared up at him, beginning to grow mighty pissed at the fact that there wasn't a single thing she could do to stop him.
"So, what's the plan now then, oh-mighty-one?" she asked. "Eat up the whole of existence as we know it? You're pretty big, but will all of that REALLY fit into that stomach of yours? And have you ever heard of the saying 'less is better'? Do you HAVE to eat up all of it? Can't you just swallow... the North Pole or... one of those tiny islands we don't need anyway or... half of Cleveland? I mean, isn't there someway to work around this?"
"I am this world, and this world is in me," was the reply she got and she cocked an eyebrow.
"Sarcasm is completely wasted on that one," she grumbled to Spike, who smiled a rather weak smile.
At the sound of murmuring she frowned and looked over her shoulder at the circle-placed Amon priests. She blinked, letting go of Spike's hand and taking a step closer.
"What in the world...?"
In the middle of the circle there was a slowly moving swirl of blue. She was hypnotized by it as it began to grow. Suddenly there was the furious roar of Satoch as he seemed to notice what was happening, but before he could move in to put an end to it a stream of blue light shot out of the swirl and hit him with full force -pushing him to stay where he was.
"No!" he screamed, the anger he produced making the walls of the Hyperion shake.
The priests moved their arms out from their sides and up over their heads, placing their hands palm-to-palm before bringing them down to their chests. Once there they said a sentence in a language none of the others could make out, and then they moved their hands forward, splitting them up in a welcoming gesture with their palms up toward the ceiling. In one voice they then said one word.
"Aatoch."
The blue twirl grew into a spiral which stretched all the way to the ceiling. It didn't slow down, merely picked up its pace; and moved out of the circle, between two of the priests, looking like a small tornado.
Satoch stared at his nemesis as the latter stepped out of his shelter and in the moment he did, it vanished.
"Curula tatem urig lat," Satoch said, his deep voice filling all of their ears and they put their hands up to try and shut it out.
"Teh," Aatoch replied. "Itoch sadigur lorith talh."
In the next instant the two beings attacked each other with a fierceness none of the mortals had ever witnessed before. The two demons flew up against one wall, creating a deep crack in it. Satoch grabbed Aatoch and threw him across the room, which meant a crack in the other wall. The ceiling and the floor shook with each new impact and plaster fell from above.
"Should we be standing here?" Gunn asked and after a moment's contemplation they began to move away from the exposed spot they were in.
Buffy helped get Willow to her feet and they all got themselves moving toward the front doors.
"Natulat dorigh!" Satoch screamed and Aatoch threw himself over him yelling back:
"Othar igh dunn!"
"I wish I spoke demon," Willow whispered to Buffy, who granted her a smile at that. "I'm... sorry," the Wicca added and Buffy shook her head.
"You did good," she assured. "You did great," she then corrected herself. "And you had the powers of cosmos working against you."
Willow smiled meekly as well, then an earth shattering noise was heard as the two demons broke through the wall on the opposite side of the foyer, and the shake which followed had them all loose their balance.
The twelve priests stood on a line at the same place they had performed the ritual of waking Aatoch. They all looked calm as statues and seemed to be waiting for the two in battle to return. Buffy looked out over the destruction of the room and her eyes fell on Angel. She wouldn't cry now. She couldn't loose focus. But the sight of him hurt her badly and she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Help me get him over here," Cordelia mumbled in her ear and she opened her eyes again, meeting the others and then giving a nod.
Making sure that Willow was okay leaning against Fred, the Slayer then followed Cordelia and they quickly made their way up to the body. They both kneeled, and Buffy bit back her tears as she looked at the well-known face. Cordelia was crying, she didn't have the strength left in her to pretend to have a brave face. She blinked at the liquid and it slid down her cheeks, freezing on her skin and making pretty patterns of ice.
As it did, the cold, which had been forgotten, was suddenly making itself reminded and she put her arms up as a chill tore through her. The frost wasn't only there this time, it was painful and it seemed to be covering the very bones of her body, tearing through her with an astonishing pace.
She leaned forward, fighting for air.
"Cor?" Buffy asked. "Are you okay?"
Cordelia nodded, fearing the return of the two in battle and feeling that the rest of them didn't have time for her weakness now, of all times. Then she turned her gaze on Angel, and felt a very strange tranquility come over her as she looked into his open eyes.
"It's okay," she mumbled, reaching up a hand and carefully closing them.
"Good," Buffy said, her voice coming from far, far away. "Then you take that arm and... Ouch! God, he's burning up!"
Cordelia nodded.
"It's okay," she repeated.
There was a rumbling noise and the two demons reentered through the way they had disappeared. Satoch seemed nearly deranged, still screaming foreign words at the other.
"Come on," Gunn murmured, following the action as well as keeping a watchful eye at the three forms below it. "Come on. Finish it!"
There was a pause as the two combatants faced each other. There seemed to be a challenge in that pause.
Kill or be killed.
Then they once again started towards each other. They moved so quickly now that they grew into a purple blur as they collided. They seemed to be delivering swift blows to each others frames and then there was a dark cry of pain.
Time stood still, as well as the onlooker's hearts.
The purple haze slowly dispursed and they saw what was hidden behind it.
Aatoch had his right arm stretched out and it was piercing Satoch's chest. The latter seemed stunned, staring into the green eyes of the other, reflecting the shade of his perfectly.
"Anone tukara dor, limukeh," Aatoch grumbled. "Sirah delde sukh."
"Afolh tukara dor, limukeh," Satoch replied. "Sukh sirah ath."
And then he dissolved, almost gently, until there was nothing left of him.
Everybody stood astounded and quiet until Wesley let hear a cry of triumph. He cleared his throat, looking around at them, but it didn't take many seconds for the others to join in and soon they were cheering.
Aatoch looked at them all, his countenance serious, but friendly. Then he turned and moved back to the twelve priests. Forte bowed in clear awe, as did the others, and Aatoch said something to which Forte nodded. Then he held up one hand, containing an item of some sort. They couldn't make out what it was, but it reflected the light in bright blue, and as the flare was taken out of their eyes, Aatoch was gone.
Buffy was standing now, disbelieving that it was actually over, and then she turned her head to Cordelia just as the latter slowly leaned forward, joining her lips with Angel's.
Buffy blinked, rather abhorred.
Cordelia closed her eyes at the gentle beginning of the kiss, and then the pain she was under grew in power, something that she had anticipated this time, and it began to pulsate through her. She felt the heat from his body pour into her veins and nerves; wrap around her muscles and thaw her whole being up. At the same time she felt the cold be drained from her body, seeking its way into his.
Once the process was over she fell to the side. She had never been more tired in her whole life.
Buffy took a small step forward, looking down at Cordelia who seemed to have gotten the color back in her cheeks. And then the hand of Angel closest to the Slayer moved, and she jumped back in startled surprise.
"What the...?" she mumbled, her eyes widening even further as Angel opened his.
It took a while for his gaze to adjust, and then he could have sworn that he was looking up at the ceiling of the Hyperion. Very strange.
"Angel...?" Buffy's voice said from somewhere to his left and he frowned.
"Buffy...?" he murmured, moving his head and yes, there she was.
Very, very strange.
And then he remembered the sense of cooling down, the feel of a pair of lips against his own and how the chill from them had hurt him at first, but how they then had helped remove the ache within him as the heat began to leave him.
"Cordelia..." he whispered and suddenly he felt a warm hand in his, its fingers entwining with his and then how the body it belonged to moved so that it was placed alongside his own.
And then - that heavenly face.
"I'm here," she whispered with a small smile, her eyes glistening with tears and he stared at her, taken.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We won," she answered him softly.
And then he could feel it. It was the most compelling sensation. The strangest and most exhilarating thing he had been under for quite some time, because this time he instantly knew everything about it was different.
He was breathing.
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Did you LIKE it?! :) I hope you did!!! And the tardiness - I won't even get into the reason, it's too stupid. All I can say is as of now I officially hate computers. (Except for when I don't.) And that's that.
Okay, special and extremely warm thanks to wolf116 (Aw, that's the sweetest thing! Well, I'm glad you don't want it to end, 'cause neither do I! And so, now, what did you think of the second last chapter?) ;), maribel (oh, it's okay, girl! Glad to see you there now and sorry to read that you've been sick! Hope you're all well! And, thank you!) :), Winters1 (thanks and I hope you thought it was great, and will think the last chapter is too!) :), ali-lou (I'm so happy you've been enjoying the Angel Cordelia part of this story! And that's a compliment, to be your first addition!!! *smiles widely* Thanks for your confidence in me, and I hope you did like it!) :), timeends (sorry to hear that! I hope the plot moved on a bit faster this time!) ;), darklover (oh, come on! Can't you give me something more than that? Did you like the chapter aside from it being too short? Which IS a good thing that you thought 'cause that would indicate that you DID enjoy it, but... come on!) :) and Rachel9 (well, that's good that you like her a bit better now! And thanks a lot for that comment! I would love to be a writer on that show, now that Buffy's out of the picture! *sob* Glad that you like it!) :)
To all - thank you SO much for never failing support and I really hope I didn't disappoint your expectations!!! Luv ya and I'll see ya soon!
A.M.L, Annie.
