Disclaimer: I don't own anything and you know it! I will make claims to Lexia, she's mine. Don't take her from me, or I'll cyber-kick your ass! Thank you come again!

Title: A True End

Summary: Sequel to Friendly Reflection. Lexia and Connor fight to stay together against the apocalypse. As if Connor had never hooked up with Cordy in Rain of Fire.

Rating: I'm make it R for fun!

Chapter 14:

Connor continued to stare at the woman. His mother, Darla. No, he told himself. It's impossible. She's dead.

"The Powers have sent me to give you a message," Darla told him.

"You can't be my mother," Connor denied.

"I have her memories, her feelings," she told him softly. "Isn't that what makes a person who they are?"

"Let me go, please..." the girl who Connor had nearly forgotten begged.

"I know that sound, the look in her eyes, the smell of fear," Darla said as she walked toward the girl and knelt beside her, looking up at Connor. "I've nurtured it a thousand times in all the people that I've murdered."

"My mother's dead," Connor told her and the girl looked up at him, confused.

"And I'll always be a part of you," Darla said standing. "You shared your soul with me once when you were growing inside of me when I'd lost my own. You brought light to my shadow, filled my heart with joy and love. I'd never felt so close to any living thing as I did to my beautiful boy."

"Why'd you leave me?" Connor asked scornfully "Did you hate me that much?"

"Baby, no," she protested. "I wanted to be with you more than anything."

"You killed yourself. I wasn't even born yet. And you--"

"--did what I had to. My life for yours. I did so many terrible things, Connor, so much destruction, so much pain. You were the one good thing I ever did. The only good thing. I'd die every day for the rest of eternity for you. And this..." Darla said gesturing to the virgin girl. "Is how you repay me?"

Connor walked away shaking his head. "You don't understand," he argued turning back to her. "We need her for our baby to keep it safe."

"By anointing it in the blood of an innocent? You really think that safety can be plucked from the arms of an evil deed?" Darla asked him.

"Good, evil. They're just words," Connor repeated words that he felt like were embedded in his brain.

"Don't let this happen, Connor," she begged him. "Don't let my death mean nothing."

Lexia was coming down the stairs with her jacket as Lorne and Wesley came out of the office. Lorne held up a map triumphantly.

"Hug your neighbor, kiddies, we got it."

"You're all puppets," Skip scoffed.

"Shut up," Wesley ordered.

"Where is she?" Fred asked.

"Well, according to the scorch marks," Lorne said looking at the map. "Downtown, meat packing district."

"Good work," Angel said and took the map from Lorne

"Lets load up," Gunn suggested heading over to the weapons cabinet.

"No," Angel said grabbing his own weapons. "You're not coming, any of you. Whatever's taken over Cordy, it's still her inside. She's still our friend. She's still the woman I... I won't let you carry that. I can't."

Lexia pulled on her jacket and stepped in front of Angel as he attempted to leave.

"I'm going," she told him.

"No. I-."

"I know what you said," Lexia interrupted grabbing an ax out of the cabinet for herself. "But I'm the perfect person to go with. I didn't know the real Cordelia, and no offense to her or you guys but I hate that thing. Besides, Connor's gonna be in the way."

Angel looked down exasperated. Finally he nodded his head.

"All right," he agreed. "Let's go."

Angel led her by the elbow out the door. Fred called something after them but they had to ignore her. Lexia didn't feel like they had much time left.

Connor looked down at his mother who was again kneeling by the blonde girl. Darla looked worried, protective, and motherly all at once. Seeing her filled him with so many different emotions and feeling. What he would like was for Darla to take him in her arms and hold him, comfort him like he never got while he was child. But... it was too late.

"They hate us..." Connor told her about the gang. "Because we're special."

"I don't hate you," the girl told him crying. "Please."

"They're scared because of what you've done not because of what you are," Darla denied.

"They wanted to kill me when I was still inside of you," he argued.

"But that changed when they saw you," Darla said standing. "Held you in their arms, felt the warmth of your skin, the goodness in your heart."

"And it will happen again when they hold my child. It's the only way."

"You have a choice, Connor. That is something more precious then you'll ever know."

"What choice?" he demanded. "They're hunting us like animals!"

"Because you're acting like one," Darla said walking up to him. "As a vampire I killed without mercy or remorse because I didn't have a soul. What's your excuse?"

"You think I wanna do this?" Connor asked shaking his head.

"Then don't."

"I have to," he argued feeling frustrated.

"Why?" Darla asked gesturing to the next room. "Because she told you? There are things happening, Connor, things that I can't-- It has to be your choice. You can stop this."

"Her blood for our baby's. It's fair, isn't it?" Connor wondered.

The girl wept cowering. "Please, I wanna go home."

"Shut up!" Connor yelled. He had about enough. He was being pulled from two different sides. One against his morals of right and wrong, then his own family.

"This isn't you, Connor," Darla told him.

"You've been gone a long time, Mom," he snapped sarcastically. "How would you know?"

"Because we shared a soul. I feel the pain, the anger, the hurt, like it were my own. But most of all, I feel the good in you and no matter how much you're beaten or twisted or lied to, it's still there in your heart," Darla told him walking up to him and placing a hand on his chest above his heart. "I believe in you and so does she."

Suddenly Connor could hear a pounding heartbeat in his head. He knew who's it was before he even had to ask, and gasped at the feeling he got with this sound. Worry, anguish, anger, but shining through all of that was love. Great, enormous love.... for him.

"Lexia," he whispered as Darla moved her hand away and the feelings faded. He looked down at his mother who smiled and wiped a tear from his cheek.

"You know what's right in your heart," Darla told him.

Lexia grasped the arm rest as Angel raced around another corner. For some reason I see a car wreck in my future, she thought. Angel looked over and saw the tense look on her face.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I've been driving cars since they were invented."

"Then you should be driving like and old man not Dale Earnheart Jr."

Angel said nothing as they continued to drive on. Lexia noticed he kept glancing over at her every so often though.

"What?" she finally asked.

"Do you think what Skip said was true?" he asked curiously.

"About...."

"You and Connor."

Oh, Lexia thought. That. She wasn't even sure. It seemed pretty weird to her. How could she only be 18 and have already met her soul mate? Lexia wasn't even sure she believed in Soul Mates!

"I... I'm not sure," she told him flustered. "I really can't think about it now."

"Yeah," Angel agreed gripping the steering wheel. "I know."

"Are you gonna be alright?" she asked feeling concern. The man was after all on his way to kill the woman he loved.

"No," he answered taking another turn. "But it's part of the job."

Lexia said nothing but empathized. The man had to go through so much and was never happy. Life really did suck.

Connor knelt down by the girl and reached for hr bound hands. The girl looked at him hopefully but was too afraid to move and was still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shhhhh. Shhh," Connor whispered to her. "It's okay."

"You're all right now," Darla promised watching him. "Everything's going to be all right."

"What are you doing?"

Connor froze at the sound of Cordelia's voice. She stood in the doorway, a butcher knife in her hand. Connor swallowed hard.

"Nothing. I, uh--" he stood, trying to think of something to say.

"It's time," Cordelia told him motioning with the knife. "Take her in the other room."

"Listen to your heart," Darla reminded him

Right now my hearts saying "Oh shit, oh shit, oh..." he thought. Connor steeled himself for Cordelia's reaction. He knew it wouldn't be easy but he had to convince her to let the girl go.

"She didn't do anything," Connor told Cordelia. "We should let her go."

"No we shouldn't," Cordelia argued. "We need her, Connor. Our baby--"

"Shouldn't be anointed with innocent blood," he broke in.

"Anointed?" Cordelia said angrily. "Who's been filling your head with big, confusing words?"

Oh, so I'm stupid now, Connor thought and turned away, pacing. "Just been thinking about it."

"Or, maybe... a little birdie's been pecking at you behind my back," Cordelia guessed walking further into the room.

Connor was getting freaked out. Cordelia seemed to almost know that he'd talked with Darla. But that was impossible. She couldn't know everything, right?

"She'll lie to you," Darla told him.

"You know how much they love to use the magic, Connor," Cordelia was saying. "A spell for this, a spell for that."

"Close her out, baby," Darla encouraged.

Connor walked a little closer to where his mother stood. It made him feel a little safer. Reassured him more. Don't think about the baby, he told himself and tried to remember Lexia's feelings that Darla had shown him. Think of Lexia, remember her.

"Whatever you're hearing," Cordelia went on. "Whatever you think you're seeing--it's a trick."

"Don't let her in," Darla said.

"It's Angel."

"No," Darla argued seeming to get worried now.

"Trying to turn you against me with a cheap vision of--" Cordelia paused and looked at his mother. "Darla."

Connor looked up, shocked. "You can see her?"

"I see the lies," Cordelia said disdainfully.

Oh god, he thought. Is this really all lies? But I felt Lexia's.... Wait, she wanted to hurt Cordelia. My baby. She can't be good... But I love her...

"Connor, listen to me," Darla begged rushing forward.

"It's not her," Cordelia argued also rushing forward.

I can't think like this. I can't kill this girl it's wrong... But Cordelia and the baby need me... Why would Angel do this...?

"You have to let her go," Darla told him.

"It's your father. This is how much he hates you."

"I love you. Please."

My mother... She's gotta be right... But Cordy's been with me all along... She was wrong about Angel before...

"Torturing you with this sad imitation of your dead mother," Cordelia said.

"Don't let her do this," Darla begged, crying.

"Are you going to let them do this to us?" Cordelia demanded. "Are you going to let them kill our baby?"

"Connor, listen to me..." Darla pleaded.

"You are not my mother!" he yelled having heard enough.

Connor turned and grabbed the girl's bound hands. She cried out in protest but Connor ignored her. Connor dragged the girl into the next room, near the circle Cordelia had been in before. Cordelia had followed him and was now rearing her hand back with the butcher knife. The girl looked up at him but now she had Darla's face.

"Please, don't do this Connor," Darla begged. "Don't--"

Darla was cut off as Cordelia brought the knife down and sliced her throat. Blood splattered across his face and the girl collapsed. Connor looked up at Cordelia in shock.

"There," Cordelia said remorselessly. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Lexia flinched as she felt something hot and thick splatter on her face. She brought her hand to face and tried to wipe it off but nothing was there. She frowned as she looked at her fingers then looked up.

"Angel?"

"Yeah?" he asked as he took another corner.

"What I said about driving like an old man," she reminded. "Forget it."

"Way ahead of you," he said pushing the accelerator as far it would go.

Connor stared at the girl, now lying outside the circle where Cordelia had told him to put her. The girl was covered in her own blood and some of it was still splattered on his face. Cordelia lay in the circle on some bedding, withering in pain.

"Connor, we have to do this," Cordelia said grunting. "While it's fresh."

Connor said nothing as Cordelia began to chant. Connor knelt over the girl and placed his palm in her blood. Then he stood and walked over to Cordelia who was still chanting and withering in pain. She lifted up her shirt to reveal her swollen belly.

"Do it, Connor," she ordered panting. "Do it now."

Connor pressed his bloody palm to her belly. When he withdrew his hand the palm print began to glow then seeped into her skin. Cordelia screamed suddenly and the building started to shake. Connor moved to help but looked around nervously.

"Cordy!" he shouted over the noise. "Something's wrong. We have to stop it."

"No, it's coming," Cordelia said laughing. "It's coming. The beginning of a new world."

"Or not," Connor heard behind him. He turned and saw Angel, a sword in hand. Connor stood to face him.

Lexia entered the room to see Angel and Connor already face to face. She entered cautiously staying in the shadows so Angel could fight Connor and she could get Cordelia who looked like she was ready to pop.

"She lied to you, Connor," Angel told him.

"Don't listen!" Cordelia ordered.

"To all of us," he continued. "That's not Cordelia."

"Leave us alone!" Connor yelled and lunged at Angel knocking him over.

Lexia choose this moment to move. She snuck forward advancing on Cordelia. When she reached her side the panting woman glared at her. Lexia lifted her ax and prepared to bring it down when Cordelia suddenly flung out her hand and Lexia went flying through the air. She crashed into the far wall and slide down, grunting in pain.

"Son of a bitch," Lexia swore and tried to stand but couldn't get her legs to move. For a moment she was afraid she was paralyzed but the extreme pain in her legs told her otherwise. Her nerves were just shocked.

"Kill him!" Cordelia was screaming at Connor. "Kill them both!"

Connor kicked Angel's sword away. Then he punched him across the face. Angel grabbed Connor's arms and swung him into a wall getting space between them.

"Angel!" Lexia yelled to him. "I can't get up!"

Angel punched Connor who fell to the ground.

"You think I wanna do this?" Angel asked Connor. "I don't have a choice!"

Lexia struggled with her legs as Angel grabbed his sword. He advanced on Cordelia and lifted his sword. Lexia finally got to her feet and leaned against the wall. She looked to Connor who had just gotten up and was going after Angel. She staggered forward and grabbed his arm.

"Connor, no-"

Lexia was cut off as Cordelia screamed and a bright green-white column of light shot up from her body in a blast of energy. The impact knocked them all off their feet and all the way back to the walls. Lexia and Connor were tangled up together and Connor struggled to his feet. He helped her up and they looked at the light and could faintly see something octopus like in it. The light began to retract, the form getting smaller with it. It took on a more human shape as the light got smaller and eventually disappeared.

Lexia took a few steps forward as Angel jumped up and charged the being. He stopped suddenly and looked at the being. Lexia stopped as well as she saw the being was a beautiful black woman who just seemed to be shining with light, beauty and love. Lexia and Connor both dropped to their knees in awe.

"Oh, my God, Angle murmured and dropped to his knees as well. "You're beautiful."

"Angel," the woman said smiling at him.

They all continued to stare as she picked up a blanket and wrapped it around her naked body. Lexia felt like she wanted to memorize every movement, every gesture, every sound that came out of this beautiful, wonderful creature. The woman smiled and looked around.

"Oh, it's all so--" the woman began.

"Unworthy?" Angel suggested.

"Wonderful," she answered smiling then turned to kneel by Cordelia. "Cordelia, thank you for protecting me and nourishing me. Your spirit has been my shelter, but you can rest peacefully now. I'm here."

"That's all she wanted--" Connor said from beside Lexia. "To give you life."

And I tried to kill her, Lexia suddenly realized. Before she ever had a chance...

"And I can feel all of it," the woman said smiling. "The cold floor, the air, this skin. Everything is perfect."

Lexia began to sob covering her face with her hands. How could I have done that? She wondered.

"Lexia?" the woman said walking towards her. "Why are you sad? There is nothing to be sad about any more. I am here."

"I almost killed you," she sobbed and Connor placed a hand on her shoulder. "If Cordelia hadn't stopped me-"

"We both almost did," Angel said astonished at himself. He handed the woman his sword. "I should be punished."

Connor put his arm around Lexia and she rested her head on his shoulder, continuing to sob. The woman lifted the sword and Lexia closed her eyes.

"Angel, I can feel your suffering," the woman said. "But now that suffering is going to end."

Lexia waited but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see Angel looking up. The woman had disappeared.