Chapter 9

Angel stared at the Doctor and he could tell by the man's face and how is heart and breathing changed, and he could smell fear this was not going to be good. The vampire took a breath that he didn't need and sat down if he didn't he knew that whatever he was told his legs would not be able to keep him up.

Gunn and Fred glances at each other and then back down at Angel, by his reaction before the doctor even said anything they knew it was not going to be good. Fred could feel the tears build up she didn't want to hear this.

The doctor looked at these three people this was the part of the job that he hated.

"Are you family?" He asked politely.

Three heads nodded, Fred sat down and held onto Angel, the vampire was frozen he was terrified of what was going to be said. Gunn looked at two of the people he loved, he went to the doctor and shook his hand.

"Cordelia is like a sister to me and Fred, to Angel she is," he paused and look at the lost look on his friends face, "more."

"I'm Dr Marcus, we sent her for some CAT scans and the results have just come back. I'm sorry to tell you this but…"He stopped he had never seen something this severe in his life and how was he going to explain it to them. "Her brain is dying bit by bit, I have never seen anything like this before and I am at a loss for an explanation."

It was his fault, the visions were killing her Angel stood and rushed out of the door, he had killed the woman he loved. Fred and Gunn watched him leave, the tears that threatened to fall earlier were finally released, her head fell down to her arms and the young woman's sobs could be heard through out the corridors of the hospital, the sadness, the loneliness and the fear seeped into everyone who heard the sorrowful sound.

Gunn bit his lip and breathed deeply, he couldn't break down not yet.

"Is there anything that can be done?" The black man asked.

The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry there is nothing that can be done, it is only a matter of time."

"Ummm how you know uhhh." Gunn stuttered he just couldn't get those words out they choked in his throat.

"A month maximum." The Dr Marcus pulled a card out of his pocket. "If you need anything, information, anything call me."

Gunn took the card from him his hands shaking, Dr Marcus left them alone and he finally let the tears fall, he walked to Fred and collapsed at her feet and buried his head in her lap and sobbed.

Angel ran as much as he could in his state of mind, in the end he fell to his knees and cried, and cried because he was losing the woman he loved. After a while he felt a hand in his shoulder, he could sense her she was unique.

"Angel, what's…" Cordelia stammered, "What's wrong? What's happening?" she asked confused, she only knew her older self had a vision or something like that and now she wasn't waking up.

"Cordelia, Cordy…" Angel looked at her, so young so full of life, and he was going to destroy it. He began to cry again.

"What is it Angel?"

"Cordelia, please you have to promise me something"

"What?"

"In a couple of years we're going to meet in a party… please when you'd see me, don't came near me, don't talk to me, if you do, it'll end bad, I destroy everything I touch" he sobbed.

"She's…I'm … dying?" She asked scared, Cordelia looked at the man she had in front of her, so broken because they were in love, something she didn't know she ever felt. "No! I will not! I want to have this future, even if it'll kill me, I can guarantee you she had her best time with you, here in Sunnydale she was unhappy, I want to know what it feels being loved for yourself and not for who you are, I want to have a real family…" she yelled at Angel while sobbing.

Cordelia could see how this was killing him; she went to her knees and made him look into her eyes.

"Angel, I have seen the two of you together, I have seen you all together. If I don't meet you none of this will happen, no Gunn, no Wesley, Fred will still be in a hell dimension and no Connor. I am not going to stop all that happening also I could still die in the future with you not protecting me I could get hit by a car, we don't know what will happen and we can't waste our time with what if's." She smiled at him, it was the smile that he had grown so use to. "I'm looking forward to this future, I can relax and be happy because I know in the future that I will have a family and friends finally, people who will like me for me, people who love me and you want me to give that all up because you are afraid to lose me. Well guess what it's not about you and what you want. What about all the innocents that you save? Do you want them to die because you are hurting?"

"You don't understand we have just found each other, just before this happened we told each other that we loved each other. We haven't had a chance to be together to see if it will work. She always told me that she would stand by my side until my redemption, but she never understood and I didn't until recently she IS my redemption." He stared into those same hazel eyes but they looked so young and hadn't had all the pain to come.

"Pfft you're giving up already, NORMAL everyday medicine can't help her, has that ever stopped us before, I don't think so we are going to have to look in the more unusual places, which means we do the searching through musty old books. We will find something we'll work together. I know you want to stay here but we are going to need your help, let's get back to the library tell the others what is going on and then get down to saving me." Cordelia reached out her hand and waited until Angel grabbed it.

The vampire was pulled to his feet he turned to look at Gunn and Fred and they both nodded, the teenager was right, they would fight this together as they always did and they needed the Scoobies help. He had a family and he wanted them all back safe and sound and in the future.

"Ok let's go." Angel stopped and gazed down the corridor towards Cordy's room, he wanted to stay here, he wanted to be here just in case she, something happened but Cordelia was right he did speak other languages and some demon they were going to need his help the quicker they found a cure, the quicker she would be back with them and then all they needed to do was find a spell and go home.

The Library, Sunnydale

The Scoobies and Wes sat around waiting for news the door opened and in they walked. Past Angel was the first one to notice that Cordelia gripped hold of one hand and Fred the other they seem to be giving him strength just to carry on.

Wes saw the looked in Fred, Gunn's and especially Angel's face, his eyes teared up but he held the back. He slowly walked towards his friends, carrying Connor gently in his arms, he had felt alone while all the others were at the hospital and he just needed to feel connected to him and Connor and started to cry he could sense that something was going on. Cordelia dropped his hand and backed away and straight into past Angel, who without thinking took hold of his hand.

"What?" Wes couldn't get the words out.

"She's dying." Gunn muttered there were gasps throughout the room.

All of a sudden the AI group moved as one and held each other and let the tears fall together, they needed to comfort each other before they could move on to concentrate on saving their heart.

It seemed as if they stood there for an eternity when they finally pulled away and wiped away the tears, Fred stood and explained what the doctor had told them.

"So we need to find a cure for her, if modern medicine can't do it we need to find another way." Cordelia said taking charge; this was her future they were talking about.

Xander looked at her, the beauty he had grown up with, whom he had hurt. "Why don't you just not meet up with Angel and not become his seer. I don't want you to die."

"Not you as well, look this is my future I have a family, people who actually like, love and care about me. I've never had that here, so you all can go to hell. Why would it bother any of you if I died." Anger got the better of here she still tried to help but they just thought she was a joke.

Cordelia tried to run away but past Angel gripped her hand harder so she couldn't move, Buffy's eyes narrowed and her blue eyes glazed with anger as jealousy ate at her. She may want the future Angel more, but the one from her time was still boyfriend and she wasn't going to lose both of them to Cordelia Chase.

Giles watched Buffy he knew how possessive the slayer was over her vampire and now she had found out that they don't have the 'happy ending' she wanted. The blonde turned and saw Giles staring at her and shaking his head, she frowned at him wondering what was wrong out of the corner of her eye she saw the ones from the future and could see how much pain they were in and guilt washed over her, she was thinking about herself when their friend was dying.

TBC...