Disclaimer: I don't own Angel. It belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
A Mother's Love
By David Knight
Chapter 5: Turning Point
Driving. The beach. Probably the two safe harbors Cordelia had in her life. Driving relaxed her, lying on a beach comforted her.
Except I've never gone at night, Cordelia thought, fighting back her tears. Maybe it was stupid of her to do this, to drive out when she was this kind of a wreck, but it was all she could think of. She didn't even want to think on her emotions right now. After all, they are in such a wringer.
Groo leaving her, telling her that she was in love with Angel. Angel, her boss, vampire with the soul, 'Buffy's ex. Aside from all of the ramifications if that turned out true... and it just might considering how whacked out things have been since Illyria showed up. Cordelia shook her head, trying not to think of this. "Damn it!" She looked up to the sky. "Hey! Is it too much for you people, the Powers That Be, to let me have just ONE perfect day! Is it?!"
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!
"Huh?" Cordelia looked back to the road... and saw she was about to collide with a semi. "OH SH---!!!"
Even before she slammed on the brakes, a white light began to stream out from her car. The car was then pulled across traffic and over onto the left shoulder while everything around it slowed and came to a stop.
Including the semi that would have plowed over her.
"... What the heck?" Cordy blinked, but then noticed that she was glowing now. That soon stopped. She looked around and saw all of the motorists seemed frozen in time. Not only that, her clothes had changed to something like a white robe.
"This is so not good," Cordelia mouthed as she got out of her car, wondering just what was...
"Don't be..." a voice from behind her spoke, causing Cordelia to yelp, turning to see a familiar demon behind her, "... frightened."
"It's a little late for that, bucko!" Cordelia snapped. "You got any clue as to how rotten an evening I've had!"
"Sorry. You remember me? I'm..."
"Yeah. Skip. You tend to remember your demon guides," Cordelia replied. "What is going on?"
"I think you know." Skip said
"I'm dying, right?"
"Oh no. No, you're not... dying," Skip clarified.
"Not dying?"
"No."
Cordelia punched him in the shoulder, "Say that part first!"
"Sorry," Skip apologized. "It's not the end. It's the beginning. You're a great warrior, Cordelia. The battle that we're all a part of is fought on many different planes and dimensions. You've outgrown this one. You've become...a higher being."
"Me?"
"You," Skip said with a smile.
-----
A smile that Illyria knew was not a benevolent one as she looked from her vantage point..
I am glad I followed at a distance. I needed to see how he planned to go about this, Illyria thought, knowing from Fred's memories that Skip was merely Jasmine's servant. All his praise to Cordelia, all the talk about the Powers That Be, it was all crock.
And in Cordelia's current state of mind, he was getting her on board without a hitch.
I already feel the ripples in walls of space. He is already preparing the gateway. This will take absolute precision, Illyria said grimly to herself, knowing she had but one chance to get this right.
She would not fail.
-----
Cordelia just stood there, taking all that had been said to her. She thought this was right, but hated the fact that she couldn't even leave a message with anyone. Then again, maybe this is what she was meant to do. She turned to look at Skip and he tapped his left wrist. "I ever come face-to-face with those Powers That Be, we are going to have a talk, a big talk."
"You're doing the right thing."
"I'm scared. But I know it's right. I know somehow it's all gonna be alright. What do I do?"
"Just say yes."
"I already have," she said. Golden sparkles appeared around her body as she started to float up in a corridor of white light. Skip watched Cordelia's smiling face as she started to rise up inside of the cone of light, ready to...
"CORDELIA!"
"Wha?" Cordelia blinked, looked forward...
And saw Illyria suddenly appear before her. She shoved Cordelia down to the ground while she jumped upward into the cone of light, vanishing in a bright flash.
"Hey!" Cordelia snapped, "What the hell was that for!?!" She became confused when she saw Skip's worried look. "Skip?"
"The higher being... this is not what she saw," Skip muttered.
Higher being? Cordelia frowned, suddenly with a very bad feeling.
-----
For ages now she had been waiting for the right opportunity to crossover into the dimension of Earth, but in her present form she couldn't survive there. She needed to live in a vessel. And after all of my maneuvering I've found the perfect one... that will serve as a temporary home, that is, she smiled, though one couldn't really tell if she was smiling, as her body looked comprised of bugs.
That boy of the vampire will serve me well as my champion... she frowned slightly as she thought of the time she had been able to observe him. How he didn't seem to hate his father at all. I wonder what could have caused that to happ-
SLICE!
"ARGHHHHH!!!!" The higher being cried out in pain, looking down to see a blade of green energy sticking out of her chest.
I only knew your human name, Lya'ti'rh. Then again, I should not be surprised that Jasmine is in fact an Old One.
Jasmine blinked, hearing her native tongue spoken to her... in a voice that was also familiar. Turning around she saw something she didn't expect, in more ways than one. Illyria?... In a human shell?
This shell has given me much more than my rank as a demon goddess ever did. Illyria said as she pulled her scythe out of Jasmine's body, only to place it at her neck. Make your peace before the finite end.
You... you side with the mortals? You would kill me, your own creation sister for them?! Jasmine exclaimed.
SLASH!!!
Jasmine's head fell to the ground, severed from her body. For my son, I'd do anything Illyria said sincerely as she hacked away at Jasmine's body until there was nothing left at all.
Save the head.
Picking it up by its 'hair', Illyria smiled grimly. Time to show Cordelia what a mistake she was about to make. She opened a portal and vanished...
-----
Only to reappear right between Cordelia and Skip, "I believe you recognize this," She said casually, dropping the head to the ground for them both to see.
"Ew... I'm supposed to recognize this?" Cordelia asked, stepping back. "What is this, Skip?"
"Yes, Skip, why don't you explain to Cordelia about your mistress." Illyria smiled cruelly.
Cordelia looked expectantly at the demon, one eyebrow raised.
"What are you? What have you done? Do you even know?" Skip asked. "Do you know what kind of horrors you have---ACK!" He stopped as Illyria's hand closed around his throat.
"Allow me to explain something to you. I may be in a human shell, but I am an Old One," Illyria said, her dark grin never fading as she materialized her scythe, making Skip's eyes go wide. "You recognize the technique used to make my weapon. That means you know I am serious. You know this will kill you if you don't answer my questions."
"Please, great goddess... maybe we could work out some sort of deal. I mean I am quite flexible," Skip pleaded.
Illyria turned up her nose in disgust. "It is disloyal cretins such as you that cause harm to both human and demon."
"Harm?" Cordelia stammered. "But I was supposed to..."
"Tell her." Illyria said.
"But I-AHHH!!!" Skip screamed as Illyria dug her scythe slightly into his left side.
"Hey!" Cordelia cried.
"I will continue to push on further until you tell her what you planned to do," Illyria said doing just that, "stopping short of killing you, and then you'll be begging for death."
"Alright! Alright! Yes! The great being I served wanted to use the human to infest and use as a host!" Skip cried out in agony.
"So that she could sleep with Connor, conceive a child and give birth onto itself while leaving Cordelia as a vegetable." Illyria pressed on.
"Yes! Yes! Stop!" Skip cried and Illyria did, pulling her scythe out of his body. Skip was on one knee now. "Man... you are such a bitch you know that?"
"Excuse me? I was going to become... and sleep..." Cordelia was so furious that she couldn't even form the words. "And you..." She began to glow, her eyes so bright it hurt to look at them, and she gestured almost negligently at Skip - who flew away from her, crashing to the pavement and lying still. Her fury faded into amazement. "Did... Did I do that?" she asked, glancing almost fearfully at Illyria.
Illyria had a look of similar shock on her own face, yet nodded her head.
"Oh. Um. Well, I can't say I regret it," Cordelia said, her voice hardening again. "And I fell for it! I'm such an idiot sometimes!"
Illyria rolled her eyes as she picked Skip up and hauled him up over her shoulder.
"By the way, you know the whole trust issue with you? All settled," Cordelia said. Then she remembered her thoughts. "You know what," she said. "I have someone I need to talk to. Want a ride back to the hotel?"
Illyria smiled slightly. "How about I give you a ride?"
-----
Angel and Gunn parked their vehicles at the hotel, and everyone got out, though Gunn was still leery of Justine.
"What? Are we going to do this song and dance all night?" Justine asked. "Like Kermit said, I'm not evil."
"I am not a frog," Lorne said flatly. "Please do not refer to me as one."
"We're mostly on your side," Fred said, almost as flatly. "Don't make it worse."
Justine fought back a shiver when hearing her voice. "Look. I won't white wash it. I made my choices. They were screw-ups. I want clean my slate."
"Just like that huh?" Gunn asked.
Justine looked back at him. "You'd be surprised what can happen in a day or two."
"Alright. Let's continue this inside." Angel suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Lorne said as they all walked into the hotel lobby.
They were greeted to the sight of Cordelia and Illyria standing in the middle of the lobby, with Skip in chains.
"Hi. Have fun at the movie?" Cordelia asked.
"... Isn't that Skip?" Angel blinked.
Justine turned from Illyria and Fred. "T--Two of you?"
"Your mortal mind is still trying to fully comprehend what I showed to you," Illyria replied, though a small smile came on her lips. "My parting line to you was to make sure you left the bar."
"... I need to sit down." Justine muttered as her knees gave out.
Fred gave Illyria a confused look. "You spoke to her?"
Illyria nodded.
Gunn had a smirk. "Well there's something Smurfette's done that I actually like."
"Hey!" Justine snapped, followed by Connor saying, "stop calling her that stupid name!"
"Um Cordelia... What's with Skip in chains?" Angel asked.
"Oh, that?" she asked sweetly. "Well, see, I thought all this time I had been offered something wonderful. But no, actually, I was being prepped for infection by an Old One."
"…" Angel paused for a moment before something clicked in his mind. Something that Illyria had told him from before. He turned to the former demon goddess angrily. "You mean this was what was going to eventually kill Cordelia?!"
"Yes" Illyria nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me!" Angel demanded.
"Because I needed to make sure she and Skip were unaware that I knew of their intent." Illyria explained, "and even though I knew what they planned to do, I did not know where and the exact when of it."
"Oh give me a break. So it's just dumb luck that I ended up on the losing side?" Skip muttered.
Angel was immediately in the demon's face, his anger showing freely. "If we have dumb luck, I'd say your luck has run out, Skip. You don't work for the Powers That Be, do you?"
"Nope. I'm just a mercenary. Selling my services to the highest bidder," Skip said, looking a bit smug.
"What are you smiling about?" Gunn asked.
"Oh well, because well I don't know, you really think these chains are going to hold me?" Skip asked. "And besides what are you going to do other than kill me?"
"Who ever said we'd kill you?" Illyria cocked her head towards Skip, her right arm raised as a vortex suddenly opened up.
"What... what is that?" Skip asked nervously, "I don't like the feel of it."
Illyria simply smiled cruelly, a look that unnerved some people. "My friends in Quor-toth will make sure you're given a proper welcome."
"Quor-toth?!" Skip said aghast.
Ignoring him, Illyria turned to Angel, "Would you like to..."
Angel smiled darkly, "Love to." Both he and Illyria took one of Skip's arms and with a heave, threw him upwards into the vortex.
"Oh this just..." Was all the demon got to say before the vortex closed.
"So... what's going to happen to him?" Fred asked.
"A life of imprisonment and torture with no chance of freedom," Illyria answered.
"And what if we needed information out of the tin man?" Gunn asked.
"He worked only for Jasmine. Now that she is dead, the entire apocalypse she would have brought about is over. We had no further use for Skip," Illyria replied.
"And why didn't you just kill him?" Justine asked, being new to this weirder side of the world.
"I only kill when needed and when in battle," Illyria said simply. "Skip did not deserve the honor to be killed by me."
"But he did deserve the honor of suffering for all of eternity for trying to get me infested with an Old One," Cordelia quipped, though her mood changed when she saw Justine. "And what's she doing here?"
Justine sighed. "How many times do I have to say I'm not evil?"
-----
At Wolfram and Hart, Lilah sat in her office, trying to find out anything that was out of the ordinary in LA. Well, anything out of the ordinary of her ordinary.
Wes acted like a recovering victim instead of a guy ripe to bring to the firm like I thought. That is a definite sign, Lilah thought to herself. She heard her door open and looked up as Gavin came in. "I don't think I ever gave you permission to come in my office."
"Give me a break will you?" Gavin growled. "I need a breather from Linwood. He's breathing down my neck."
"Screwed up getting the kid." Lilah shrugged. "Why am I not surprised? But then again, I figured you'd screw up, Gavin."
Gavin walked up to her desk and looked her in the eyes. "There were two things I wasn't expecting. First was having our driver get blindsided and me and Linwood having a shotgun barrel aimed at our heads by Holtz's former lieutenant."
That caught Lilah's full attention. "Justine? She helped Angel?" she asked in disbelief.
"Add to the fact Angel seemed to actually know we were planning to make a play for his kid and we have a problem."
"Gee. You only figuring that out now?" Lilah said casually, but her insult was clear to Gavin.
"I don't see you doing anything to figure out the problem," Gavin snapped. "As it is you're wasting your time on the burned out ex-Watcher."
Lilah frowned, and for the first time since he walked in, looked Gavin in the eyes. "I'm officially bored now. Get out."
"Fine. Air was getting stale anyway," Gavin muttered as he walked out, slamming her door closed.
And there's one less problem for me to worry about, Lilah said to herself. However Gavin had helped her. Angel knowing about the play for his kid and Justine helping him... maybe I can play that card to Wes.
-----
"Okay, I have to admit that a lot has happened in the last three days," Angel said to his assembled team. "I think we need to go over the main points."
"Yeah, that would help the new girl a lot since I'm clueless and no one's bothered to give me cliffnotes," Justine said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Suddenly Cordelia hovered over her.
"In case you have forgotten, girlfriend, you are on probation status here. So no rude comments or sarcasm. Got it? 'Cause I am not in the mood for it," Cordelia said with a firmness that made Justine meekly nod her head.
"How does she do this?" Illyria asked Fred, who was holding a notebook and pen to take notes.
"Like I said, she overwhelms people," Fred replied.
"Ahem." Angel cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Three days ago my son returned from Quor-toth, now a seventeen year old teenager. Only thing is, this has happened twice. The first time, Holtz was the one to raise Connor."
"Which had disastrous consequences in my original timeline," Illyria replied. "Several years from now, I was engaged in a battle with the minions of the Wolf, Ram, and Hart... I was beaten."
"You?!" Gunn gasped. "She who has a lightsaber scythe that can cut through anything?"
"'Lightsaber'?" Illyria questioned. "I am unfamiliar with that term."
"Ditto," Connor added.
"Let's skip the pop culture reference for right now, kiddos," Lorne suggested. "But Illyria, if you were beaten, why are you ... well..."
"Alive?" the former Demon Goddess offered. "The Wolf, Ram and Hart thought that death was too easy a punishment for a being such as myself. An Old One, siding with humanity. Instead they decided to send me to a hell dimension for all eternity."
"Quor-toth," Cordelia stated.
"Indeed. However the sorcerer that used his powers over dimensional manipulation to send me there, for some reason not only sent me to a different dimension but backwards in time," Illyria continued. "Once I could alter the flow of time. At one point my powers were too great, causing me to be trapped in an infinite loop between past, present and future until it was broken."
"How?" Gunn asked.
"My powers were drained away. My ability to move between worlds, alter time, and my diminished strength were among the most important losses I had," Illyria stated.
"That might explain it." Fred spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "I mean I'm not certain, but maybe there was a small, perhaps dormant part of your original powers left within you. One that could have reacted when the spell was cast."
Illyria paused in thought. "Possible. As I stayed in Quor-toth, my body became accustomed to the power I had at the time. Then as time went on, with training and discovery, some of my powers started to be restored."
"Like your ability to move through realities," Fred said.
"Okay. So far we have a giant battle in an alternate future that ended badly, Fred 2 ends up getting sent back in time and into Quor-toth where she kills Holtz and raises Angel's son until he's seventeen, at which time they come to earth? Right so far?" Justine asked.
"That's one way of putting it," Lorne muttered.
"Over the next three days we have quite a bit of father/son bonding and trying to resolve our trust issues with Illyria," Cordelia continued. "While the majority of you fought off the lawyers of Hell Incorporated, I not only got dumped by Groo but also nearly got infested by an Old One all the while thinking I was really meant to be a higher being." She let out a sigh. "God I am so stupid."
They brought many a blank stare from the group. "... Groo dumped you?" Angel asked, confused.
"I really, and I mean REALLY don't want to go into it." Cordelia said vehemently.
"With Jasmine now dead, the path that would have led to the future that I remember is now obliterated," Illyria said.
"Well that's good," Justine said casually, and noticed no one really cheering. "Am I still missing something?"
"Backlash," Lorne muttered.
"What?" Justine asked.
"Things have changed, but now something else happens in its place," Angel mused. "So the question now becomes, what's next?"
"Gee. You've turned into more of a brooder than I ever thought possible."
...What? Angel froze, and then his eyes went wide and so did Cordelia's. Everyone else turned to face who had come in through the open hotel door: A young blonde woman, wearing a black shirt and red leather pants.
"Buffy?" Cordelia gasped.
"Hello Cordy. Long time no see... and no hugs," Buffy Summers said with a smile.
"Buffy?" Fred blinked.
"As in the Vampire Slayer Buffy?" Gunn asked.
"She's a slayer?" Justine asked in disbelief.
"... No. She isn't."
Everyone turned to see Angel's face, contorted with anger and disgust. Illyria also seemed tense.
"Dad? Mom?" Connor questioned, not understanding this at all.
"'Dad'? 'Mom'?!" Buffy stared at Connor, letting out a laugh before looking at Angel. "Angel, just what have you been up to?" she asked, smiling as she walked over to her former lover. "And what's with this 'I'm not a slayer' thing. I mean, aren't you glad to see--"
What happened next was too fast for anyone to comprehend or stop.
Angel let loose with a stake from his left hand. The stake flew right towards Buffy... and went right through her, as if she was a ghost.
Everyone who wasn't on his or her feet was now, and backing away from the blonde.
"What the hell?" Justine gasped.
"Hell. Kinda of a fitting place for mankind too... don't you think?" 'Buffy' asked Angel, her lips pursed into a cruel smile.
The disgust and hate on Angel's face only seemed to intensify. "How dare you make yourself like her."
"Why? I rather like wearing her skin when I'm talking to you, Champion of the Powers That Be," 'Buffy' said snidely, the malicious grin still on her face. "I would have thought the last few years would have ruined your soul. When I heard you slept with Darla, I felt like I had you."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but Angelus isn't coming back and I'm not planning on killing myself any time soon," Angel growled, and everyone could see just how much he detested this being that looked like Buffy.
"I had the perfect plan you know. To keep you and your lot out of my business, away from your beloved Buffy," 'Buffy' sneered. "Yet some how you managed to head it off at the pass. So, congratulations Angel. You've succeeded... succeeded in pissing me off that is."
'Buffy' walked up to Angel, and when she was face to face with him, a sadistic smile formed on her lips. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the First Evil has arrived. And I intend to make all of your lives a living hell."
This is not the end... this is merely the beginning.
Author's Explanation: David Knight here. For those of you reading this chapter, you are probably wondering why in the world I have decided to end A Mother's Love after only a prologue and five chapters, not to mention ending it the way I have.
First, as I wrote the story, it started to take on a life of its own, becoming much more than I had intended.
Second, I've written quite a few stories that have been really good, yet I have hit writing blocks and have caused me to be unable to finish those stories as of yet. After receiving all of the praise from you readers who reviewed my story, I couldn't do that to you. Especially since you have made this my most reviewed story ever.
So I decided to break my original plot rather into separate fics. There will be a sequel to a Mother's Love, which will take place directly after the end of this story.
However to be fair to you, the readers, I have decided to put off posting any of it until it is completed, and when it is completed I will post it up on ff.net on a chapter per week basis.
I hope you can understand accept my decision. I hope that the ending I give does bring about some sort of closure and will leave you waiting for more. I ask for you to be patient, as it will take a while to write the sequel in its entirety.
I can only say this to you all... it will most certainly be worth the wait.