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Two weeks later…

Cordelia woke up and got out of bed, checking on Ashleigh on her way to the bathroom. There, she stripped down and got into the shower, enjoying the warm water washing over her and waking her up

"Angel! Bring Ashleigh," she called after washing herself

Angel soon entered the bathroom, dressed only in slacks as he handed an awakening Ashleigh to Cordelia. She kissed him, before washing her daughter's tiny body. Meanwhile, Angel headed to his son's room and gently woke up him, before heading downstairs where everyone else had gathered

"So, we all ready?" he asked, a sleepy Connor in his arms

"Yeah, we're ready," Fred grinned

Upstairs, Cordelia dried Ashleigh and herself off, before placing the baby on the bed and getting dressed, then dressing Ashleigh in a nappy and a pink singlet, then heading downstairs, surprise washing over her

"Happy birthday, Cordy!" everyone cried

"Oh my God, guys, thanks so much!" Cordelia cried

"Come on, blow out the cake," Gunn grinned

He and Wesley brought the cake over to Cordelia and she smiled at the image of Wonder Woman iced on the top. She blew out the candles and smiled, as Angel pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed her

"Happy birthday, honey," he smiled

"And look, we've got presents!" Wesley smiled

"Ooh, pressies," Cordelia grinned, "Angel, take Ashleigh"

"You're choosing presents over our daughter?"

"Take Ashleigh!"

Angel handed Connor to Gunn, before grabbing Ashleigh, just as Cordelia seized up, caught in a vision and then suddenly, she was thrown back by an invisible force, smashing against the weapons cabinet and falling down into a comatose state

"Cordy!" Angel cried

He rushed to her side and gently shook her, trying to wake her up

"I'm okay," Cordelia said, waking up

She sat up and looked around, seeing that no one was around her. They were all crouched around…her? Cordelia got to her feet and looked down at herself, surrounded by her family. Angel was panicking, as was Connor and finally, the vampire picked Cordelia's body up, before heading upstairs to their room

"Oh god, am I a ghost?" Cordelia asked, "Am I dead?"

The next few hours passed slowly. Cordelia was bored. She was unable to interact with the physical world and she desperately needed to tell Angel about her vision. She also wanted to hold her baby daughter, to snuggle up to her, but couldn't. Angel stayed vigil by the bed, watching Cordelia's prone form, only moving when Ashleigh needed attention. Bored, Cordelia went downstairs, reading over Wesley's shoulder as he slowly flicked through his books, trying to find a reason for her state

"Astral projection?" Cordelia said, "Hope you figure it out soon, Wes"

She went back upstairs, just as Gunn and Fred were showing something to Angel, something she didn't want him to see

"X-rays?" Angel said, "Of what? Wesley!"

The former Watcher came upstairs, as Angel handed him the X-rays

"Hm. This shows deterioration of her brain tissues over time. And it's getting worse"

"She's dying," Angel said, as it clicked into place

"Yes, but I don't know how much longer she's got," Wesley said, "I'm guessing maybe another month. Two at the most. That's my best guess"

"Alright, all of you guys leave, please"

Wesley, Gunn and Fred left the room, as Angel clasped the prone Cordelia's hand

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he asked, "We trust each other. We love each other. Why did you go behind my back with this?"

"I didn't want you to worry," Cordelia's astral form replied, "But now you know and you're worrying. Great, let's upset the kids now"

"Our kids, they're too young to understand. Especially Ashleigh. She's only two weeks old. How do you think she's gonna feel when she grows up without her mother?"

"Well, gee, I didn't exactly plan on having Ashleigh. But there's nothing you can do about it, Angel. I'm gonna die. This time, you can't save me"

"I'm gonna save you, Cordy," Angel said, "I don't care what it takes. Even if I have to go to Hell and back, I'm bringing you back. I'm gonna save you"

Angel got up and left the room, as Cordelia sighed and started pacing before the bed. On her third turn, she got the shock of her life when she saw a demon before her. He was tall and imposing, clad in silver armour, his red eyes grinning at her

"Hi, I'm Death"

"You're…Death? You've come to take me away?"

To her surprise, the demon burst out laughing and mimicked wiping tears away

"Nah, I'm kidding. The name's Skip and – this is you?" he asked, looking at her prone form, "Wow, you're really confident. Some people like to lose the grey hairs or some weight when they astral project"

"So, what do you want me with?" Cordelia asked

"I'm here to offer you a choice," Skip replied, "Wanna see what that is?"

He held out his hand in a non-threatening gesture. Cordelia sighed. It couldn't hurt, right? It sure as hell beat walking around where no one could hear her. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached out and took his

A second later, she found herself standing in the middle of an empty mall

"The mall?" she asked

"We thought you'd be more comfortable here," Skip replied, "The Powers That Be anyway. And it's not really a mall. It's kinda like the Matrix"

"You've seen the Matrix?"

"Love that flick! When Trinity's all 'dodge this' and the agent-"

Cordelia sighed in boredom

"-And I'm not installing any awe anymore, am I? Alright, come over here then"

Cordelia joined Skip by the information screen, as an image appeared. It showed her and Doyle's one and only kiss aboard the ship, just before his sacrificial jump. This time, she saw the blue light that passed from Doyle to her

"There it is, the big cosmic whoops," Skip said, "Doyle was never meant to give you those visions. But the Powers That Be didn't count on his love for you"

"Doyle loved me?"

"Now, see the thing is, demons are the only ones powerful enough to handle the visions. Humans can't"

"But I've had them for two years," Cordelia, "Doesn't that mean I'm strong?"

"Strong, yes. Demon, no. Now, check this out"

This time, the image changed to the party where Cordelia first met Angel in Los Angeles. She smiled as she watched herself interact with the vampire, thinking of the two beautiful kids they had together

"This is where your whole life changes," Skip said, "Now, we can take away the visions, but only if you don't meet Angel"

"And what happens to me then?" Cordelia asked

"Well, if you don't meet Angel, this agent here will spot you and come down. From there, the rest is history, as you'll become a wealthy and famous actress"

"So, you're saying I'm meant to be an actress?"

"I can see you're thinking this all over. But really think it through, Cordelia. You stay as you are, one more vision and you'll be dead with a hole in your head"

Skip then transported Cordelia to a large room with sandy floors. A large block sat in the centre with a small flame burning, as Angel paced the room, yelling at the top of his voice to someone. Cordelia realized that he couldn't see her or Skip

"Take the visions back, now!" Angel cried

"You don't understand-" started a voice

"No, you don't understand! Cordelia can't handle them. She's not strong enough for these visions. She's just a little former cheerleader from Sunnydale-"

"Skip, take me away," Cordelia said, hurt by Angel's words, "Change it all"

Skip nodded and pressed his hand to her forehead, as she closed her eyes and her whole world began to swim around her head

"I'm more afraid of her dying than she is," Angel continued, the tears starting to appear, "Don't let our kids grow up without their mother"

Cordelia opened her eyes and gasped when she saw the audience before her. She was on stage, on her very own chat show and she smiled as the audience applauded her

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