Title: Always
Author: Wereleopard
Posted:
Rating: PG
Email: Crossover Angel/Buffy
Summary: All of Angel and Buffy.

Disclaimer: The characters in the Angel verse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made I am just poor.
Distribution: FSB if anywhere else please just let me know!

Feedback: Yes please!

Chapter 10

Angel paced the room; his eyes kept straying to the door he was getting worried. He wanted to call her but knew that if he did and she wasn't in trouble Cordy would stake him for being so overprotective; he had to trust that she knew what she was doing. The vampire still had the aftermath of his announcement to deal with yet, he told everyone that he loved one Cordelia Chase but he didn't tell her privately she heard the same time as anyone else did. He rubbed his eyes Angel had never felt this tired before in his long life.

Gunn, Fred and Wesley watched him with amusement but they could understand his fear. Gunn and Fred didn't know Buffy they had only just met her and before that they had only heard a few things about her but Wesley knew her and he didn't think that she would hurt Cordelia but when it comes to emotions nothing could be guaranteed.

The Scoobies just stood and stared not sure what the hell was going on? Spike just stood back and watched, his face was blank void of emotions, but if you looked into his eyes you could see the pain, the loneliness and the anger, the blonde vampire could not believe it, Buffy was the second woman who put him in second place after Angel, the first was Drusilla, he didn't want to be second fiddle it wasn't fair. Angel didn't want Buffy he had moved on to the brunette cheerleader but did that stop the slayer from throwing herself at him NOOOOOO his mind said sarcastically. What was it about Angelus that made women want him, even as the poof Angel he had women falling at his feet? Good guy or sadistic demon he would never lack female companionship.

The doors of the hotel swung up, all eyes turned and the two women walked in seemingly uninjured. Buffy stood there what was going on? Cordy knew exactly what it was and as she walked past Angel into the lobby she hit him on the chest.

"Owww what was that for?" He asked trying to act innocently.

"Don't give me that overprotective much." She said with grin, Cordy liked that he cared and worried about her.

Angel ducked his head in an embarrassment.

Cordy was just about to say something when a vision hit her, she reached out towards Angel, but before he could grab hold of her she screamed her head snapped back and she was flung backwards and her back hit the weapons cabinet and she collapsed on the ground, glass raining down on her head

Angel was at her side in a blink of an eye quickly joined by Gunn, Fred and Wesley. Buffy and the Scoobies were frozen to the spot.

Fred looked at Angel. "What's wrong? This what not like her normal visions?"

Angel raised his eyes, they were full of tears, and "She's not waking up, why isn't she waking up?"

They all turned to Wesley they needed reassurance that she was going to be fine, but he had no idea what was going on.

"Maybe it's like another Billy thing?" The petite Texan said.

All eyes turned to her and then back to the vampire as he growled deeply in his chest. He picked her up; gently she was one of the most precious things in his life. Ignoring everyone he carried her u p to his bedroom and laid her on his bed. Angel took hold of her hand and lay next to her. Whispering to her softly.

"You have to wake up now, you can't leave me alone, not now. I need you, I love you Cordy. I have never loved a woman as I do you." He started to stroke her hair. You changed me, I don't know if I can do this without you, I don't know if I want to." Angel curled his body around his seers, his head lay on her stomach and he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, afraid to let go, afraid that she wouldn't wake if he left.

Wesley stood with Gunn and Fred as they stared after the vampire.

"Gunn go over to Cordy's place see if you can find out anything and don't forget to ask Dennis, Fred go with him, follow up any leads if you find any just let me know." Fred and Gunn nodded as they rushed out of the door.

Lorne poked his head around the corridor at the top of the stairs. "I'll look after the munchkin."

Wesley nodded but started to talk before the green demon vanished back to his room. "We might need you later to see if it is the same thing as Billy?" Lorne nodded and left their sight.

Buffy walked over to him. "Can I help?" She asked quietly, the ex may queen and her had talked they would probably never be friends and she still couldn't get over the fact that Angel was in love with her but it did help to talk and she saw how everyone here needed her, they were lost.

"You could help me research if you want it would be a great help." Wesley asked her with a small smile.

"Of course I will." There were coughs from elsewhere in the lobby, the slayer turned and smiled as she saw her friend's faces. "WE will be happy to help."

"She seems to mean a lot to everyone?" Xander asked it was had to reconcile the woman he had seen to the girl who use to terrorise him and well everyone and when they dated the woman he could insult one moment and be kissing you with passion the next.

"Fred described her the best when talking to her parents Cordy is the heart of Angel Investigations, she is the one that takes care of us, if there is a problem or we need to speak to someone it will be here whether we want to talk or not." Wesley said with a smile as he thought about who Cordelia Chase was. "You should stay and get to know her, get to know us and Angel."

Spike laughed. "I don't think so watcher. The poof never changes."

"That is ex-watcher to you Spike, you changed and so has Angel some good and some bad." Wes became thoughtful. "Chopping off Lindsey's hand to get the scrolls."

Willow gasped. "He did what?"

"That was when his office had been blown up and I was in the hospital and Cordy was having visions 24/7 and those scrolls were the only way to save her, not sure of my opinion when he left a room full of lawyers with Drusilla and Darla."

Spikes eyebrow rose. "The poof let them be a banquet." He couldn't help but laugh.

"Spike it's not funny." Buffy told him but it made Spike laugh even harder.

"I was just making a point that you don't know them, or me anymore just like we don't really know you either. Don't pretend that you do. Let's get researching we need to know what happened to her and to find a way to make her better."

Wesley went to his bookshelf and started to hand out the books, Spike looked up the stairs and sighed and quietly headed up there. The young English man turned to hand Spike his book but the blonde haired vampire was nowhere to be seen. Wes just shook his head sat down and opened the book.

Spike gently opened the door of Angel's bedroom and poked his head through the gap, he could saw the older vampire holding the brunette securely but gently afraid that she might break and if he didn't hold on that she might vanish.

"Poo, uhh Angel. Everyone's researching downstairs." Spike said awkwardly.

"Go away Spike. " Angel told him in a cold voice.

The man of the bed was getting angry, here he was fighting the good fight and when something goes right in his life something comes along to mess it up. He growled and his arms tightened around the young woman.

"Angel you need to get rid of that anger and then you can really help her. You are no use like this." Spike couldn't believe what he was saying.

"I can't leave her alone, I won't"

"I'll stay here while you go and beat something back." Spike stared down at the brunette.

"Keep her safe Spike, if anything, anything at all changes let me know immediately." The dark haired vampire told him. Spike nodded and watched as Angel left the room.

Spike sat down on one side of the bed, his long leather coat trapped beneath his legs as he stretched out.

"So you and Buffy talked? I bet I was mentioned. So you know maybe I can talk to you as well." He looked around a bit nervous knowing that this was stupid but he really didn't have anyone to talk to and hopefully she couldn't hear any of this or wouldn't remember. "I love her you know, just like the poof does you but how did he get so lucky. You heat his blood you accept him vampire and all. Buffy thinks I'm a monster ok I am but there is more to me than that. What am I going to do? I let her hurt me over and over again and I still go back for more."

Angel ignored everyone as he headed downstairs into the basement and started to beat the shit our of his punch bag, putting every frustration, every little anger, hopelessness and fear into every single punch. He felt lost and alone, afraid of what was going to happen that he was never going to look at her beautiful eyes, he dropped to his knees and stared at the ceiling and roared, it was a sound of desperation, of fear and the tears found their release and they flowed from his eyes like the Niagara Falls, he bent his body so his head touched his legs and he just let the tears come.

Everyone in the lobby stopped and looked down at the basement the scream had echoed around the lobby. Wesley lowered his head, that was how he felt Cordy was his little sister and loved her but his pain was nothing compared to the vampire downstairs. Buffy stood up quietly laid the book gently on the side and headed down to see Angel.

Spike stopped speaking and listened, he had felt like that himself, he glanced down at Cordelia she didn't deserve this he hoped that she woke up and woke up healthy from what he had heard she had been through a lot, why couldn't any of them be happy just for a little while.

Buffy walked into the basement walked straight to the vampire curled up on the floor and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's going to be fine Angel. Cordelia is strong she'll be fine." Buffy prayed that she would be because she didn't know how all of Angel Investigations would survive especially the man she held in her arms, but when he looked at her, the emptiness of his brown eyes the tears fell from her as well as they hung to each other like lifelines. The slayer had loved Angel for a long time, long enough to want him to be happy and to finally let go of him and move on with her life just as he had. That was one of the reasons her relationships never worked, they weren't her first love and he always would be but he wasn't her true love, they had helped each other on the road to their destinies Angel had found his here in LA with Cordy. She just had to find hers, Spike her heart whispered but her head told it to shut up, not now, this was not the time. When this was over her and Spike would talk.

There was nothing Cordy looked around, where the hell was she? The last thing she remembered she just had a vision and nothing.

"Hello?" She called out.

Cordy waited and there was no reply but a whispering started and she strained to hear it.

"Talked, can I, love her, vampire, Buffy, monster, do, hurt, more."

She just managed to catch the odd words but she did know that voice, of all people or vampires why did she hear him?

"Spike?" She yelled at the top of her voice.

Spike reached over and touched her hand not knowing if it brought her any comfort.

"Spike?" A voice called out her knew it, he recognised it, his gaze dropped to the cheerleader but she hadn't moved what the hell was going on? As soon as the poof got back he would go and tell Wesley about this.

"This is just great." She mumbled to herself.

"Ahh Miss Chase there you are?" Said a strange voice.

TBC