The church was large and ominous looking. Cordelia swallowed the lump in her throat and followed her mother into the church.

The inside of the church wasn't much better that the outside. It was large and dark, shadows lingering everywhere. The building was cold and Cordelia wished she'd kept her coat on.

A short man in a suit came out of a room off of the main lobby. "Mrs. Chase, how are you today?"

Victoria grasped his outstretched hands. "Oh, Martin, I'm glad you're here. This has been so difficult." Victoria turned toward Cordelia. "This is my daughter, Cordelia, and her…friend Angel."

Martin turned to Cordelia and extended his hand. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Cordelia nodded, unable to speak. She was grateful for the reassuring hand Angel placed on her shoulder.

Victoria looked at Cordelia. "Dear, this is Martin Brown. He's handling most of the arrangements for the service. If you'll excuse us, we have some last minute details to take care of." She disappeared into a side room with Martin.

Cordelia sighed and walked around the lobby, looking at various pictures on the wall. She smiled slightly when she heard Connor squeal. She turned around and gazed affectionately at him. He laughed and held his arms out to her. She took him from Angel and held him close. He immediately grabbed a fistful of her hair.

Angel laughed and gently disengaged his son's fingers. "He hasn't learned yet."

"That's alright. It doesn't hurt." She winced as Connor grabbed another handful of hair. "Not too much."

Angel turned when voices outside the door caught his attention. Moments later the door opened. Buffy stepped in first, followed by Dawn and Spike. Willow, Xander, and Anya came in after them. They stood awkwardly in the doorway, off-guard at seeing Angel and Cordelia standing so intimately.

Finally Dawn cleared her throat. "Hey," she said softly. She walked over to Cordelia and gave her a hug. "How are you holding up?" she whispered in Cordelia's ear. Cordelia squeezed her gently, unable to speak.

Dawn stepped back and tousled Connor's hair. "Hey, buddy."

Buffy cleared her throat. "Cordelia, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the other night. I made an assumption and I shouldn't have."

Cordelia gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

Willow stepped forward and gave her a tentative smile. "We're really sorry for your loss."

Cordelia felt the muscles in her throat tighten and she swallowed hard. "Um, thanks." She turned and handed Connor to his father. "I'm going to go look for my mom."

Cordelia turned and walked away, avoiding the looks of the others. She wandered into one of the side rooms, glancing around for her mother. She stopped short when she saw the open casket in the front of the room.

Her breath hitched in her chest. From her place in the back of the room she couldn't see the person in the casket, but she could just imagine her father lying there.

She took a tentative step forward, her breathing labored. Before she even realized it she was mere steps away from the casket. She drew in a ragged breath and forced her head up.

There laid her father. He was pale, more pale than she'd ever seen anyone, and she knew a lot of vampires. His face looked strange, pulled tight to the point that it looked like rubber.

She took a step back as a sob caught in her throat. She took another step back and ran into something hard. She opened her mouth to scream, but the only sound was a small yelp. A pair of hands turned her around and she found herself staring into deep brown eyes. The sob she had been holding in bubbled to the surface and she soon found herself pressed against Xander's chest.

He held her for several minutes before ushering her to the nearest chair. She clung to him for several more minutes before pulling away and dabbing her eyes.

"I don't even know why I bothered to put on mascara," she said wryly. "It's probably all over my face now."

Xander used his thumb to wipe away the mascara smudges. "There we go. Problem solved."

"It's not that simple."

He gazed at her with sympathy in his eyes before he sighed. "I know."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before people began filing into the room. Victoria came first, followed by a myriad of men in suits. Angel and the Scooby Gang followed them in.

Cordelia and Xander stood as Victoria approached them. "It's time, dear," she said, leading her daughter to the front row. Cordelia's breath caught in her throat and she looked around in panic.

Angel was by her side in an instant and she grasped his hand gratefully. As they walked through the rows of people she was vaguely aware of Dawn sitting between Buffy and Spike, Connor perched on her lap with his pacifier.

When they reached the front row Cordelia sat towards the middle, with Angel and her mother sitting on either side of her. She stared at the floor, tuning out hushed conversations throughout the room.

She looked up as the doors shut and the priest entered. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Angel squeezed her hand and she realized that she'd yet to let it go.

The priest huddled in the back with Martin, giving family and friends a few moments before the service. The soft sounds of "Amazing Grace" filled the room. Cordelia closed her eyes. Almost over.

As the song ended, the priest walked up to a small podium. It was in the front of the room but off to one side, so as not to disturb anyone's view of the casket.

He cleared his throat softly. "Good evening. Tonight we are here to bid a last goodbye to Richard Michael Chase. Richard was a loving husband and a loving father."

Cordelia heard someone sobbing, then realized it was her. Angel pulled tissues out of his pocket and handed them to her. After a moment he pulled her to him, one arm around her shoulder, the other gently stroking her hair.

The rest of the service was a blur for Cordelia. She stayed huddled against Angel, tears still falling, until her mother pulled her up. She followed her mother to the casket, keeping hold of Angel the whole time.

As Cordelia gazed at her father for the last time, she broke again. Angel led her outside and held her as she slumped to the floor sobbing.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, but she became aware of stirring inside the parlor. Angel helped her up and they joined Victoria just inside the door.

The people in the front rows had begun the procession past the body. They greeted the family on the way out the door. The men in suits all nodded solemnly at Cordelia. When the Scooby Gang came through they all hugged her except for Spike, who squeezed her arm gently. As hard as she tried to keep them at bay, the tears came again.

> > > > > >

The ride back to the house was silent. Victoria had stayed behind to meet with the priest and she'd insisted that Cordelia go back to the house for the reception. Cordelia leaned her head back against the seat, spent from crying. She had finally managed to compose herself when they left the church.

Angel pulled the car into the driveway but neither made a move to get out. Finally Cordelia sighed. "Let's go."

The house was already lit with several lamps, courtesy of Victoria's friends who'd brought the food over when they were at the church. Cordelia and Angel silently began pulling food out of the refrigerator, uncovering it, and setting it out on the table.

The businessmen arrived first. While Cordelia was tending to them, the Scooby Gang arrived. Angel joined them in the kitchen. "Thanks for taking Connor during the service," he told Dawn.

She gazed affectionately at the baby in Angel's arms. "No problem. He's an angel."

Cordelia appeared in the doorway. "Don't let him fool you," she said dryly. "He's not like this all the time."

As if on cue, Connor burped, then spit up all over his shirt.

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "What did I tell you?" She turned to Angel, who was trying to clean off his son with a paper towel. "I'll go upstairs and get him a clean shirt." She disappeared through the door.

Several minutes later Angel's vampire hearing picked up a thud and a scream from upstairs. Spike's head also perked up. Angel pushed Connor into Dawn's arms and raced upstairs, Spike on his heels.

Cordelia lay on the floor, hands pressed to her head, body shaking. Angel knelt at her side, pulling her head into his lap. He thought the vision was going to last forever, but finally the screams quieted into whimpers.

"Was that a vision?" Willow asked from the doorway.

Angel silenced them all with a look as he helped Cordelia into a sitting position. She kept her eyes closed and a hand against her temple.

Angel looked around. "Spike, I need that bag by the closet. And she needs some water."

Spike got the bag willingly, refraining from commenting when he saw Cordelia's pale complexion and shaking hands. Angel rummaged through the bag until he found Cordelia's pills. She took two with the water Anya brought for her.

Finally she began to relay her vision. "Demon. Medium height, red, funny looking." She closed her eyes again, trying to remember every detail. "He's got a crown of bone almost. Kinda like that dinosaur in Jurassic Park. The books, not the movie. The one that head-butted the car. Anyway, the demon's attacking an..AA meeting?" She looked at Angel. "Why would anyone attack an AA meeting?"

He considered the question. "If it's the demon I think it is, he gets his power from human vulnerability."

"Almost like a vengeance demon!" Dawn said excitedly. She cast a glance at Anya. "Oops. Sorry."

Anya shrugged indifferently. "Doesn't bother me."

Angel cleared his throat. "It's not a vengeance demon. A vengeance demon is attracted to vulnerability. A Bamboria demon, if that's what this is, actually gets power from killing things that are vulnerable."

Cordelia shrugged slightly. "All I know is that it was killing people. It had these sharp things that it shot out of its hands."

Angel nodded. "Sounds like a Bamboria demon. We'll have to check with Wes to be sure, though."

Cordelia nodded, then winced. "You call." Angel grabbed her under the arms and helped her to her feet, steadying her when she swayed.

She sat on the bed and tried to still her trembling hands. She took out her cell phone, dialed Wes' number, and handed the phone to Angel. While he spoke to Wes, Dawn sat beside Cordelia on the bed, handing Connor to her. Xander and Anya stood together at the window, Buffy and Willow stood by the dresser, and Spike leaned against the doorframe.

Cordelia played with Connor absently, trying to erase the images of destruction from her mind. She'd told Angel that the demon was attacking an AA meeting; in truth, it was a massacre. There were no survivors. Some of the bodies were beyond recognizable. She hoped they could stop it in time.

Angel hung up the phone and cleared his throat, seeing her distraction. "Wes says that he's sure it's a Bamboria demon. They'll take care of it."

Cordelia started to nod, then froze. "Take Connor," she rasped. "Take him!" Then she lost herself in the vision.

A fire. A house on fire. A family of five standing on the street, watching the blaze. Five dead bodies in front of a singed house. A car at the top of a bluff, overlooking Los Angeles. A couple inside. A man with an engagement ring, hands shaking. Two dead people, bodies strewn beside a car, overlooking the city. A red monster, skull adorned with bone; long, sharp spines shooting from his hands…

Cordelia jerked a final time, emerging from the vision. She felt the carpet beneath her cheek, hands holding her body still. The pain in her head was constant and unrelenting.

She kept her eyes closed and tried to return her breathing to normal. A cool washcloth was placed on her forehead. Connor was crying and she heard Angel order Dawn to take him out of the room.

Finally Cordelia opened her eyes. The overhead light blinded her and she closed her eyes again, bringing her hand to her head. She heard someone tell someone else to turn off the light. She cautiously opened her eyes again.

She was lying on the floor, on her side. She saw blood on the carpet. She must have fallen off the bed. She touched her head and brought her hand down. There was blood on her fingers. Angel was on his knees in front of her. Spike and Buffy were crouched at her feet. Anya, Willow, and Xander crowded around, concerned looks on their faces.

She tried to sit up, but her arms wouldn't support her body. Angel gently lifted her into a sitting position, pressing her back against the bed for support. Willow removed the washcloth from her head and started cleaning the wound on her head.

Angel knelt in front of her again. "What did you see?"

Cordelia blinked several times, disoriented at having another vision so quickly. "Another Bamboria demon. A different one. Bigger. One attacking a family. Their house was on fire and they were watching it burn. The demon killed them. Another Bamboria demon was attacking a couple in a car outside of LA."

"How is the couple vulnerable?" Xander asked.

"He was proposing."

"Oh."

"When is this going to happen?" Buffy asked.

"Tomorrow night. Around the same time as the other attack."

"They'll never be able to save them all," Angel said. "There's too many."

"We should go back," Cordelia said quietly.

"We could come too," Buffy said. "To help."

Angel glanced at Cordelia, who said nothing. "That might be a good idea."

Spike nodded. "Count me in." The others all agreed to go too, except for Anya, who would stay behind to look after The Magic Shop."

"I don't want Dawn going, either," Buffy said. "Unless you'll need her to watch Connor."

Angel shook his head. "No, we have someone for Connor."

Buffy nodded. "OK. We'll meet you back here in an hour."

After they left, Angel turned to Cordelia, who was still leaning against the bed. He put Connor in the playpen and knelt beside her again. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. "It hurts. The pain, the visions, the death. It hurts so much."

Angel pulled her into his arms as she began sobbing. "What can I do?" he whispered. "Tell me what I can do."

"My pills. I need another pill."

Angel hesitated. She'd already taken two; any more would surely knock her out. Of course, that might be the best thing right now. He got her another glass of water and handed her the bottle of pills. She dumped two in her hand and took them without hesitating. Then she put the bottle in her purse.

Angel cleared his throat. "We'd better change."

Cordelia nodded but made no attempt to move. Angel picked her up and gently sat her on the bed. He removed her shoes and went to the closet. He pulled out a pair of jogging pants that he didn't know why she even bothered to bring and a hooded sweatshirt. He set them in her lap.

She looked at him with bleary eyes. "Thanks."

Angel went to his suitcase and removed his clothes: black pants and a long sleeved black shirt. He walked down the hall to the bathroom to change. When he came back he was surprised to see that Cordelia hadn't changed yet. She was struggling with her sweatshirt, trying to put it on over her dress. Angel shook his head, thinking maybe those extra pills weren't such a good idea after all.

Sighing, he took the sweatshirt from her. She tilted her head, squinting up at him. "Let's start with the pants," he said. He slipped her legs into them and slid them up to her knees. "Cordy, I need you to stand up now." He pulled her up gently. She put her arms around his neck, leaning heavily against him. He finished putting her pants on and turned her around, sitting her back on the bed. He unzipped her dress and let the back fall open. He picked up the sweatshirt and put it over her head. Still at her back, he maneuvered her arms into the sleeves and pulled the shirt down over her stomach. He rounded the bed to stand in front of her. Sure enough, she was perfectly dressed.

Cordelia gazed up at him with glazed eyes. "Are we there yet?"

He smiled and gently pushed her back so that she was lying down. "Not yet. Just rest. I'll wake you when we get there."

She gave him a wide smile. "Kay." She closed her eyes and was asleep in minutes.

Angel watched her for several minutes before packing up their things.