Title: Always
Author: Wereleopard
Rating: PG
Email: Crossover Angel/Buffy
Summary: All of Angel and Buffy. A visit from old friends bring up memories and hidden feelings

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 12

Cordelia's eyes were wide with fright as the demon loomed over her.

"You are your champion if no one else helps you can just quit now and not get hurt." Skip told her.

"NO I WON'T QUIT." She screamed. The demons hand came down to smash her skull; she closed her eyes and waited for the end.

But it never came, she carefully opened one eye and then the other and standing there holding the demons arm was Spike, he had come to her rescue. Cordy looked at him quizzically.

"Looks like you got yourself a champion." The blonde vampire said with a smirk.

Cordelia looked at him not sure if this was a good thing or not. He flung the demon away to the other side of the nothingness and as it landed it just disappeared. Spike held out a hand and helped her up.

"Skip what is going on?" She asked in annoyance.

"That was the first test." Skip told them.

Spike and Cordelia looked at each other both confused.

"But I am the seer to Angel not Spike so why would it matter if he had to save me?" Cordy asked him.

Skip looked at her carefully. "The test is about you and who you are. Someone was picked that is a champion." They all noticed that Spike's smile had widened. "We have to know if you are the kind of person that someone would stand by no matter what, we knew that your champion would but we needed to find out if another one would step up to the plate and protect you if it was needed. He is now your second."

"WHAT?" She screamed. "You want me to have another champion, isn't it one seer to one champion."

Spike was frozen to the spot his mind trying to deal with what had just been said, he was a champion.

"You were more than the powers expected, and this is the test to see if you can go onto the next stage." He paused and looked up.

Cordy turned to Spike and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Hello Skip?" Cordy called out.

Skip's eyes focused he turned and looked at her. "I am aloud to give you more information you need to now decide if you want to take these next tests."

"What are my choices?" The brunette asked wearily.

"If you decide to say no you will go back as you are and you will die." Skip told her his eyes said.

Spike turned and stared at her Cordy hung her head not being able to look at her in the eyes.

"You're dying does the poof know about this?" The vampire asked even though he knew what the answer was.

"No he doesn't none of them do Angel, all of them have been through so much I couldn't burden him with this as well." Tears fell from her eyes.

"A burden, so what one day he was going to wake up and you were going to be dead. How do you think he would take that?" Spike's voice rose in anger.

"It doesn't matter now does it Spike?" She whispered.

"No I don't suppose it does." He shook his head still not believing that she hadn't told anyone that she was dying.

"So what are the other choices Skip I don't like that one."

Skip sighed. "Ok this is the two sides of a coin kind of thing the good and the bad."

"I am not going to want to hear this am I, but go on."

"Well if you choose to do the test and if you pass you will become a higher being." He held up his hand as the seer opened her mouth to say something. "You can remain on earth with your champions you will be able to receive more visions and see more in them and best of all no pain but uhh this is." The demon stuttered.

"Just tell me?" Cordy mumbled as she sat on the ground, she knew that to hear the rest of this she was going to need to be sitting down.

Spike watched her and he could see that she was beginning to worry, hell he was too.

"Well to help with the pain and the transfer to a higher being you're going to have to become part demon. "He held up his hand again to stop them both talking this time. "I have no idea what changes will happen to you for each person it will be different but the pain to alter you to part demon will make your visions seem like a walk in the park but the benefits would out way them."

"What if I go for this test and fail." Her voice quiet, Cordy now felt worn out, so very tired.

"Well uhh you see it would." Skip stumbled over the words, he looked everywhere apart at her or Spike.

"Spit out or I'll rip your tongue out." Spike muttered angrily wishing that he had a fag.

"Anything good inside of you will vanish you will become pure evil and try to kill everything in site."

Cordy looked at Spike. "You don't think that what the part of the thingy that Giles read was this, was me." Fear was evident in her eyes, she didn't want to be evil, and kill her friends.

Spike walked over and knelt in front of her, his fingers cupped her chin and he forced her to look up at him. "You are not going to fail this test."

"I don't have much choice do I, if I don't at least attempt this and go back I am going to die sooner rather than later at least this way I have a 50/50 chance." Her eyes stared deeply into Spike's. "Promise me that if I fail that you will kill me, you have to promise me."

The vampire opened and closed his mouth he could see by the look on her face that she was serious. He laid a palm against her cheek and she leant towards it, she needed that contact but she was amazed that Spike was the one offering. "I promise that if you turn evil I will kill you."

"Also tell Angel how much I love him, with every fibre of who I am, tell them all I love them they became my family and I was honoured and proud to have known them. Tell them not to feel guilty I loved my life with them and I would not have changed a single moment good or bad because where we ended up together was worth it and that my last thoughts were of them and how loved I felt."

"I will, I'll tell them everything." He paused for a moment trying to get his thoughts together. "But I won't need to because you are going to pass this test and become a part human part demon higher being seer. I've just got my first seer and my first gig officially as a champion I'm not going to lose you so quickly." Spike gave her a small grin but his eyes were full of sadness and worry.

"Ok Spike." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Skip let's get the testing on the road."

Skip nodded his eyes full of respect for this young woman, no human and no creature of her young age had ever gone through this, even older and wiser ones still failed he truly hoped she would pass there was a light that shined from within that warmed the people around her when she let them see it. Angel Investigations was a lucky group to have this woman with them. He waved his arm and a bright light surrounded them, coming towards them before they were all totally covered and then they vanished.

Angel sat on the side of the bed where Cordelia lay gripping her hand like it was his lifeline afraid that if he let go she would vanish and he would never see her again. It should have been him not Spike, jealousy ate at him, the demon inside wanted to maim and then kill what ever, who ever had taken her.

The door to the bedroom opened and Wesley peeked his head through indicating that Angel should follow him. The vampire didn't want to but there was something in the former watchers eyes, something he knew he wasn't going to like.

He bent over and kissed her gently on the lips savouring her taste and wishing that she would open her beautiful eyes and kiss her back. Angel stood and walked down and joined the others in the lobby, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.

The Scoobies were on one side of the room Buffy was scowling while the others just looked confused. Wes was staring out into the garden his back to everyone, Gunn also had his back to Angel but the vampire could sense the anger radiating from the young man. Fred was sitting down her head was buried in her hands, his gut clenched from fear something was wrong, something serious. The petite Texan lifter her head to gaze at him her eyes were red and puffy she had been crying, a lot. Angel frowned, as the fear seemed to sink deeper and deeper within him. Everyone jumped when Gunn smashed his fist into the wall and yelled.

"What's going on?" Angel asked not really wanting an answer.

Buffy walked forward. "Well don't ask us, we don't know. They won't tell us anything." She said bitterly. The slayer didn't like being left out she was usually the first to know.

"It's uhh Dennis, he told um showed us." Fred mumbled but couldn't finish what she was going to say as the tears started to flow again.

Angel opened his mouth but wasn't sure what to say this was going to be a lot worse than he thought, he wanted to turn around, go upstairs and curl his body around Cordy's and pretend none of this was happening.

Wes turned and looked at Angel pain written all over his face. Gunn still hadn't moved.

"Cordy's dying!" Gunn growled out.

Gasps were heard from around the room Buffy moved towards Angel but stopped, the other Scoobies faces were covered in shock.

Angel was sure he had misheard time seemed to stop for him as he tried to absorb what Gunn had said.

"No" He whispered his whole body shook with fear he couldn't lose her not now, not ever.

"I'm afraid it's true Angel. Dennis gave Fred and Gunn a box it was full of medication each one getting stronger. There was a pile of cat scans each one showing a little more of her brain dying." The tears were obvious in his eyes as he tried to hold them back and failed.

"How long has she known?" Angel chocked out.

"Over 10 months." Gunn said softy. "10 freaking months and she never told us."

"The visions were killing her, I was killing her she was fighting for my redemption. She told me that she would be by my side each step of the way." Angel said emotionless as he turned and headed back upstairs to his room.

"Angel?" Buffy called and reached her arm out to him hoping that he would lean on her, Angel's face was blank as he walked straight passed her never seeing her, not seeing anybody. Tears fell from his eyes and his heart ached he truly felt alone, he was loosing his heart, his soul, his love, she was his reason for carrying on this fight.

"Cordy?" A voice said.

The brunette turned and smiled.

TBC