Title: Always
Author: Wereleopard
Rating: PG
Email: Crossover Angel/Buffy
Summary: All of Angel and Buffy. A visit from old friends brings up memories and hidden feelings and yes this has got the eppy birthday in it I have just done it my own way.

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 15

Spike felt as if his heart drop as he saw Buffy standing over the open portal ready to hump in, Dawn was just behind her crying.

Cordy saw the pain etched on Spike's face and also remembered Angel's she couldn't let the blonde vampire see the death of her again it must be his own personal hell, so without thinking she ran as fast as she could and pushed Buffy back, turning back to Spike she smiled softly at him.

"Remember your promise Spike, don't let any Angel or the others kill me, they would never be able to live with themselves, you are a champion Spike never let anyone tell you any different." She turned and jumped into the portal.

Spike screamed as she did.

Angel still sat on the bed holding Cordelia's hand; he jumped as Spike sat up screaming.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO CORDELIA." His voice was full of panic, it took a few minutes to realise where he was.

The rest of the AI gang and the Scoobies came running in.

The blonde vampire turned to his side and took hold of her hand, ignoring the growl coming from Angel.

"Come on Cordy please wake up, please pass." Spike begged. He could hear Cordy's voice clear in his mind. He turned and looked at Gunn. "Get me a sword?"

Gunn turned to Angel, the dark-haired vampire shrugged his shoulders, all he knew was that Cordy and Spike had gone through something, and Spike was awake and Cordy wasn't.

"Why Spike?" Angel asked suspiciously.

"Because she asked me to kill her if she failed." Spike said sadly hoping that she had passed hid didn't want to kill her.

Angel growled and vamped out. "You lay one hand on her and I will kill you."

"Chill poof, you don't understand if she fails these tests she is going to be the next big bad we will have to go up against, she made me promise that is she fails that I would kill her, she didn't want any of you guys to do it because she knew that you would never forgive yourselves."

Angel turned towards Gunn. "Get the sword and give it to him."

Gunn rushed out of the room and downstairs, Spike and Angel holding a hand each stared at the unconscious brunette, the same screaming through their minds You have to wake up.

Gunn ran back in and handed the sword to Spike, his dark eyes we full of fear, Spike was feeling the same thing.

Cordy's body convulsed, a scream of pain escaped her mouth Spike and Angel held onto her shoulders as she writhed in agony. The blonde vampire had dropped the sword as soon as she started to cry. Then as quickly as it had begun it stopped and her eyes slowly blinked open. Fred knelt down picked up the sword and handed it back to Spike. Who took it and nodded his thanks.

"Do you think she passed?" Wes said softly staring at his friend trying to see any difference in her.

"Yes she did with flying colours." Said a deep voice behind them.

Everyone turned and saw a large demon.

"Skip?" Angel and Spike said together.

"What's happening to her?" Angel asked worriedly

"She's becoming part demon, it will stop the visions from killing her." Skip told them his eyes on the young woman on the bed.

"WHAT!" Angel shouted.

Spike turned to him. "She had two choices Angel go through the trials and become part demon, or dying."

"Don't forget she is also a higher being now, that is why she has two champions." Skip said with a small smile playing on his lips.

Angel's eyes narrowed, Cordelia was HIS seer and he was HER champion.

"Looks like we're sharing then Angel." The blonde vampire said with a grin.

Buffy gasped Spike was going to have a connection to Cordelia just like Angel; she had lost both vampires in her life to her high school nemesis. Before she could say anything there was a moan from the bed and everyone's attention went straight to the bed.

Hazel dazed eyes blinked open, she finally focused on the man who held her heart, and watched as a smile covered his face in happiness, then she frowned she could see something more in him, she could see his soul reaching towards hers, touching and melding with each other and then she knew what she had to do. Grabbing him by the neck she pulled him towards her and stared into his eyes, she blinked and her eyes became opaque and a glow suddenly flowed out of them, she opened her mouth as if to scream and the same light came from there and it was absorbed into Angel's eyes and mouth.

Buffy saw that smile and her breath had caught in her throat and her chest ached he had never smiled like that at her before but when the light went into and Spike's words came back to her, Cordy might have failed they could've been lying, she moved forward but Skip grabbed her arm and shook his head, Spike watched the interaction between the demon and the slayer so he knew not to interfere.

Cordelia blinked again and the light seemed to be switched of and her hazel orbs were back to normal and then she collapsed back against the pillows closing her eyes.

"What was that?" Willow whispered.

"Cordelia." Angel asked softly as her brushed her cheek, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled tiredly at him.

Skip looked around and decided that he better be the one that explained things to them.

"Cordelia could see her and Angel's souls reaching out too each other" Skip opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted by Buffy.

"Why were their souls doing that?" She asked even though deep down she knew the answer.

The demon smiled sadly at her. "Because they are soul mates, the belong to each other." His gaze went to the two smiling and each other on the bed. "The light you just saw was their souls binding together, as long as one lives so does the other, they can't survive without each other. The Powers That Be saw how their love had grown and there was only one thing they could do was test her to see if she was worthy to be a higher being and she passed with no hesitation. His soul is bound to hers now as long as they are together the happiness clause in his curse will be no more."

Angel whipped his head around and stared at Skip in amazement. "You mean that we can be together truly, that we can make love."

Skip laughed. "Yes you can be love and have 'perfect happiness' and Angelus will not come out to play. Your love is special it is a one in a lifetime deal; you love each other completely and wholly. You match each other your are light to his darkness, you are Trinity and Neo."

"You really do like The Matrix, don't you skip?" Cordy said with a laugh she had no idea what a higher being did and what demon aspects she would get but she didn't care, she had Angel. The demon seer frowned and then hit Angel on the shoulder hard.

"Owww what was that for?" His brown eyes staring at her confusion written in them.

"Oh Mr I'll tell everyone before I tell you I love you." Cordy mumbled at him.

"Ahh that, sorry I just had to make sure, you know?" Angel muttered trying not to say that he was trying to get through to Buffy that they were over and had been for a long time.

"Ok I'll forgive you just this once." And then she smiled and it lit up the room.

Angel couldn't believe she was finally back and that she was his as her was hers. He leant forward and gently touched his lips to hers. Cordy wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down with her so she lay flat on the bed, his arms wrapped around his her waist as the kiss became more and more intense, the passion building, their love shining through like a cloak that surrounded them.

Wes, Gunn and Fred smiled their family was finally complete. Spike just shook his head in disgust. The Scoobies looked around the room trying not to look at the two people kissing.

"Well kids it is time for me to go." Skip said as he grinned at the vampire and his seer pull away from each other and before anyone could say anything to him he disappeared.

"Well that's a neat trick." Xander mumbled all he wanted to do was go home compared to here the Hellmouth was actually normal.

"Well uhh I think we'd better head off can't leave the vamps and demons for too long, they might start to think they can do whatever they want to." Buffy said sadly knowing that at the moment she just wanted to be as far from here as she could.

"Buffy come back and visit soon, ok and we'll keep in touch." Cordy told her with a smile they would never be best friends but there was no need for them to be enemies.

As all the Scoobies started to leave Buffy noticed that Spike had not moved from the other side of the bed.

"Spike?" The slayer questioned.

"I'm staying here Buffy." Spike told her quietly. "Cordy is my seer, I am her, uhh one of her champions. I need to be able to work with the guys, to get to know them and." The blonde vampire sighed. "Buffy I love you and that is not going to change I have never loved anyone the way I do you but I also know that you don't love me back and I can keep doing what we have, it kills me every time you turn your back on me and what happens when you get another boyfriend I can't be able to stand around and watch. I'm a vampire we are possessive by nature. I need you to accept the man and the demon." Spike pointed to Cordy and Angel. "I want to have a relationship like that. If you ever realise you love me, well you know where I am."

Buffy opened her mouth to tell Spike she loved him but the look in his eyes she knew that she couldn't lie to him not know, Buffy knew that she cared for him a great deal and maybe one day she could learn to love him but accepting the vampire in him, she wasn't sure about that it went against her very nature.

"Goodbye Spike." Tears formed in her eyes as she said goodbye to one vampire and had to let the other one go because he had found someone else, he had found something special.

Cordy reached out and took hold of Spike's hand.

"So food cause I am like starving and Spike and I will tell you about the tests and you guys can get to know Spike." Cordy said with a grin.

"Oh great ANOTHER vampire, we do still kill em though, right." Gunn said sarcastically and all the others laughed at him, the family was back together and they had a new member.

THE END