I own none of the characters of Angel

"I'm so sorry." Cordy whispered reaching out and cupping my cheek with her palm, her own tears flowing freely down her cheeks. I reached up and linked my hand with hers.

"You can't go. I've lost everyone else today, I can't lose you as well."

"If I could I would stay but it's not my choice. I can't stay."

"Fight harder Dammit."

"I've been fighting Angel but its not working. I can feel myself growing weaker." Groaning through the pain, I pulled her tightly into my arms.

"I'm not letting you go." I said stubbornly through my tears.

"Angel you can't stop it. It's happening."

"No Dammit."

"My heart is slowing."

"Cordy…please."

"I love you Angel. I'll love you forever. You have made me so happy."

"Cordelia…." I sobbed. "I…love…you…too…so…much." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine. My lips automatically returned her kiss. We kissed slowly and softly, placing all of our feelings into our last touch. I cried out when she broke our kiss.

"Keep on fighting the good fight." I stared at her desperately. "I'll be seeing you champ." Before I could respond she disappeared from my arms and my cell phone rang. Without thinking I reached into my pocket and answered it.

"Mr. Angel this is Lakeview Hospital. I'm calling to inform you that Miss. Chase just passed away." The voice on the other end told me. Before hanging up I mumbled something about making arrangements, honestly though I couldn't recall what I actually said. I slowly pulled myself off of the couch, my wounds from the fight were still painful, and I wondered through the hotel for hours, calling for her, hoping that she would come back to me but she never did. The hotel remained silent, like a tomb. As I made my way into my office after my final round through the hotel I felt rage slowly filling my body, starting in my toes until it reached my brain. I had never felt such a powerful rage before.

"GOD DAMMIT. SON OF A BITCH." I yelled into the empty office. I flipped my desk over and began kicking it until it was a pile of splinters. Once that was sufficiently destroyed my rage was still present and boiling so I went out to the lobby broke the couch in half, threw the tiny round couch threw the wall but it still wasn't enough so I went to the basement and continued my destruction. Anything that was in my path was eligible to be destroyed.

"Why?" I shouted as I pounded my fist into the cement wall, ignoring the pain that shot through my hand with every punch but I wasn't stopping. "Why did you let her die?" I could feel my abdominal wounds tearing with every punch but I was making progress. There was the start of a small hole in the wall. "I need her. She didn't deserve to die." I switched hands because my right arm was becoming tired. "How the hell am I supposed to fight without her visions, without my friends?" I screamed through my tears. "You are supposed to be The Powers That Fucking Be. You knew what was going to happen. You should have sent Cordy a vision and they all could have lived." Now both of my arms were exhausted so I began kicking the wall like a spoiled child during a temper-tantrum. "I hope you know that I am DONE working for you. Do you hear me? I am DONE." I collapsed on the floor too exhausted to continue. " You could have saved them. "I moaned through my sobs. "Cordy." I mumbled over and over until I fell asleep, hoping the whole time that my wounds would bleed out and I would die.

Unfortunately, I woke up the next morning still breathing, so to speak. My wounds had stopped bleeding but my entire body hurt and I think I may have broken my hand when I pounded it into the cement wall, something that unfortunately would be healed by the end of the day. I wanted to be in pain and hurt. I wanted the physical reminder that I failed. I may have saved the world but I failed those that mattered to me. My friends counted on me and I let them down, I let them die. I slowly made my way upstairs to my old room. It was exactly as I had left it months ago, cold and empty. Grabbing my sketchpad I collapsed on the nearest chair and I began to sketch my friends who had given their lives for the world. I had hoped that the sketching would help ease the pain that was weighing heavily on my shoulders but it didn't. It just made things worse. There were tearstains on every sketch that I drew. I tossed the sketchpad across the room in frustration and climbed into my bed. I had no one in the world left that cared whether or not I ever got out of bed again.

--

"Angel come on wake up." I heard the voice but I couldn't make my eyes open. "It's time to wake up." I figured that I must have been hallucinating due to hunger because I hadn't had anything to eat in days because the voice I heard was Wesley's.

"Come back to us man." Okay that was Gunn.

"He is moving and his eyes are fluttering. He should be awake anytime now." Now it was official because I recognized that Texas accent as Fred's but she was dead, as was Wes and Gunn. I needed to wake up and get some blood into my system so I could stop these hallucinations. I tried to open my eyes but they were so heavy, I couldn't do it.

"Keep trying to open your eyes Angel. That's all you need to do to come back to us." I heard Wesley tell me. What the hell was my hallucination talking about, coming back? I was in my damned room trying to sleep. I continued to struggle for the next few minutes to open my eyes so I could confront my damn hallucination then I could live the rest of my eternal life in peace and quiet.

I finally managed to open my eyes for a split second before they forced themselves closed again. For the second they were open I saw Wes, Gunn Lorne and Fred standing next to my bed. As I tried to open my eyes again I figured out why I was seeing them. The stupid powers sent them back to me to tell me to get off my ass and get back to work but when I managed to get my eyes open they were in for a rude awakening. They lost an employee when they let my friends die. Instead of agreeing to work for them again I'm going to tell them to go screw themselves. Again, I managed to get my eyes open and this time they stayed open. I looked at the eyes of my concerned friends or the images of them.

"Thank God. How do you feel?" Wesley asked me.

"This isn't going to work." I mumbled. "You can tell The Powers to go and fuck themselves. I'm done working for them."

"What are you talking about?" Gunn asked.

"Don't play dumb with me."

"Angel you've suffered a massive head injury. You're confused."

"Head injury? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember what happened?"

"Of course I remember. Big giant apocalypse and all of you die except for Fred who was killed earlier by Illyria."

"You aren't making any sense. None of that happened and we aren't dead." Gunn told me.

"Quit patronizing me. I know that you are hallucinations sent to me by The Powers. You can go and tell them that this little intervention isn't going to work. I'm done. I quit." I shouted. I sat up and a pain shot through my head and I quickly fell back onto my pillow. I couldn't understand why the hell my head hurt so damn bad. I have done nothing but lay in bed for days. It didn't make sense. What the hell happened to me?

"Angel look at me." Wesley demanded. "There was no apocalypse. We didn't die. We are all alive and well. All of us." He stepped to the side and Cordy stepped up to my bed.

"Cordy…you're alive." I closed my eyes and shook my head. This couldn't be happening again. I opened my eyes and looked as Wes.

"Can you see her?" He nodded. "No this isn't right. She was in a coma and then a few days ago she died on the same day as you guys."

"Don't you remember what happened?" Fred asked me.

"I told you what happened." I answered, looking at Cordy. The look on her face told me that she knew what I was talking about but I didn't understand why she wasn't speaking up.

"No Angel. That's not what happened. Do you remember that Cordelia was taken over by a higher being so it could give birth to itself?"

"Of course I remember. That's what started this whole nightmare. Jasmine had complete control over all of us and when we finally destroyed her or when Connor did Wolfram & Hart offered us their office."

"Jasmine?" Gunn said

"Wolfram & Hart?" Fred said.

"Now listen Angel, Cordelia never gave birth. You stopped it."

"I did?"

"She was in labor when you arrived and you terminated the pregnancy. The force of the termination was so powerful that it sent you flying across the room, out the window and when you landed you hit your head on a parking meter, actually when you hit it you broke it in half. Anyways, you hit the meter so hard you ended up in a coma." This was making no sense. The Powers were screwing with me.

"I didn't save Cordy. I didn't get to her in time. She was in a coma; we went to work at Wolfram & Hart. Spike worked with us. He had a soul. Harmony was my secretary. Fred was killed by the demon Illyria who took over her body. We figured out who was in The Circle of the Black Thorn and we killed them. Wes, you died in the process. The senior partners sent every demon they could at us and Gunn, because you were injured you died five minutes into the fight and Cordy died after the fight. She never woke up from her coma."

"It was probably a dream Angel." Lorne told me and I blew up.

"It wasn't a damned dream. It really happened. I was there." I yelled.

"It was a vision." Cordy spoke up. "The Powers sent you a vision while you were unconscious. I saw it too."

"A vision?" Wesley asked.

"They sent this vision to Angel so he could find out where the real power was and the only way to find this out was for him to live it as if it really happened. Hitting his head was the perfect opportunity to give him the information he needed."

"This is crazy." I muttered.

"Can I speak to Angel alone please?" My dead friends nodded and left the room. As soon as the door was closed and we were alone Cordy sat next to me on my bed and took my hand but I pulled away from her. "Don't be like this." She said

"Be like what? I think I'm going insane. I don't know what to believe. I can remember Jasmine being born and everything that happened. I remember Connor trying to kill you. I remember going to work for that damn law firm. I remember you in a coma, coming to me as a ghost. I remember Fred dying. I remember my friends dying to save the world and I remember…you…dying." I had to take a minute to regain control of my emotions. "And now your telling me that none of it actually happened, that is was all a stupid vision. I have no idea what to think, what to believe. What's real?"

She reached out and turned my face towards hers. "It's all real. You were in a coma. I was in a coma and we both got sent the same vision. I was there and lived it with you."

"Why? I don't understand."

"The Circle. The only way for you to find out who the members were was to live the vision out in an alternate universe."

"Why did I have to watch everyone die in this alternate universe? Besides making me miserable, what the hell was the point of watching everyone die?"

"So you know what not to do when we take them on. Illyria will still be brought forth but not through Fred. You can find her and get her on our team. We have all of the information needed to stop the apocalypse and we can do it together before The Senior Partners know what hit them and this time, no one has to die."

"How do I know that this isn't a vision?"

"You really don't. You'll have to trust me. Do you trust me Angel?"

"You know I do."

"Then trust me when I say that this is real. If this was a vision, which its not but if it was would it be so bad compared to the alternative?"

"It would be great because everyone is alive. You're alive." I told her tearfully.

"Wes, Fred, Gunn, they are all alive. I'm not a ghost. I'm not in a coma. I'm alive." I finally allowed her to take my hand and she placed on her chest, above her heart and I could feel her heart beating. "I'm alive Angel."

"When you died, it was horrible. I have never felt such pain or emptiness before." I choked out. "I was so alone."

"You'll never be alone again." I suddenly remembered my son.

"Connor?"

"He's okay. When I woke up I went to him and we spent hours talking. I think that I was able to make him understand what had happened to me. He knows that it wasn't me that betrayed him. He feels used but he's not angry."

"I need to see him."

"You will. He's on his way over."

"How long have we been unconscious?"

"I was out for a week and you were out for two."

"My vision went on for months."

"Time moved faster in the alternate universe."

"You said that you saw my vision with me. How much did you see?" I needed to know if she saw everything that happened between us.

"I experienced everything that you did, when you experienced it." She told me softly.

"Everything?"

"Everything." She confirmed with a knowing smile. I slowly sat up in bed and pulled her close to me.

"So you know that I love you."

"I know that you love me. Do you know that I love you?" She whispered, inching her face closer to mine.

"I do." I couldn't wait any longer. I slowly leaned forward and kissed her. She responded immediately, granting my tongue access to her mouth. I increased the intensity of the kiss when I heard her moan softly into my mouth. She ran her fingers through my hair, while I caressed her cheek and all to quickly she broke the kiss so she could breathe. "I never thought that I would get to do that again." I whispered huskily.

"Silly vampire." She smiled through her tears. "Don't you ever listen to me?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked her as I ran my fingers through her dark silky hair. I didn't want to take my hands off of her. I was afraid that if I wasn't touching her then she would disappear from my life again.

"Before I left I told you that I would be seeing you."

"I love you Cordelia Chase." She gently wiped away the few solitary tears that were still falling from my eyes with her thumb. I grabbed her hand, brought it to my lips and kissed her fingers.

"I love you too my sweet vampire and I'm never going to leave you again."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"So what's the status on making love?"

"Can't happen bubba. You're real. I'm real and if I recall I made you perfectly happy several times." I had to laugh.

"Oh you did baby. You really did. Did I make you happy?" I asked her softly.

"More then you'll ever know Angel." I smiled softly. Placing my hand on the back of her neck I brought her face to mine.

"Thank you for coming back to me."

"Always. You're stuck with me." I closed the distance and we shared a gentle kiss until our friends rudely interrupted us.

"We leave the room for thirty minutes and this is what happens. Good thing we came back when we did or we may have had to stake Angelus." Gunn quipped.

"Ha. Ha." Cordy said, sticking her tongue out.

"We were just finishing the conversation that we never got to have at the beginning of the summer." I said taking Cordy's hand.

"It's about damn time." Fred said.

"Way past time." I murmured staring at Cordelia.

"Connor's here." Lorne told me.

"I have to see him." I started to pull myself out of bed.

"Maybe you should let him come up here so you can rest."

"No, I'm tired of resting." When I stood I was slightly wobbly but I guess that was normal since I have been on my back for two weeks.

"Are you okay?" A concerned Cordy asked.

"I'm fine." She stared at me. "Really I'm fine." I assured her.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I need to talk to him alone." She nodded and I felt her eyes on my back as I walked down the hall to my office.

Walking in my office I saw my son slouching on a chair, arms across his chest. Everyone says that he looks like me but I can see Darla in him.

"You're awake." He muttered.

"I'm awake." I responded sitting across from him. "I was hoping that we could talk."

" There is nothing to talk about. Cordy all ready explained everything to me. I know that I was being used to help destroy the world and I'm over it."

"Are you really?" He nodded. "Okay good because I don't want to talk evil Cordelia."

"Then what the hell do you want to talk about?"

"Us." He just stared at me. "Look Connor while I was unconscious The Powers took me on a brain tour of a possible future. In this future I had made a deal with Wolfram & Hart to give you a new life and family. You had memories of a childhood with them and no memories of me. You were happy."

"Why are you telling me this?"

I'm telling you this because I didn't like the future. You are my son Connor, the only child that I will ever have. Contrary to what you believe I am a good person. I'm the first to admit that once a long time ago, a very very long time ago I was a horrible, evil vampire but I'm not the same man I once was."

"You're not a man, you're a vampire." Connor mumbled.

"You're right Connor I am a vampire but I'm a vampire with a soul trying to atone for all of my past sins. We got off to a bad start and I would like to start over and get to know each other."

"I don't want a father."

"It doesn't have to be as father and son. Let's get to know each other as friends and maybe one day we can have that father and son relationship."

"I wouldn't count on it."

"I won't." He smiled at my comment. "So what do you say? Can we start over?"

After a few minutes of contemplating Connor finally answered me. "I guess we could do that but I'm not promising anything."

"Good because I'm not promising anything either."

"Fine."

"Fine." I sent him a grin and got a small smile in return. "Before we start over there is something you should know."

"You and Cordy?"

"Yeah. Cordy and I are together. How did you know?"

"She told me how she felt about you when we had the it wasn't me that led you on, it was something evil talk."

"Are you okay with it?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No you really don't."

"Whatever then." Shaking my head I held out my hand and he just stared at it.

"I'm Angel."

"I know who you are."

"Connor we're starting over and I'm introducing myself. So let's try it again. I'm Angel."

"I'm Connor."

"Now we shake hands." My son gave me a look like I was crazy but he did it anyway. I knew that I would remember this moment for the rest of my life. Hopefully this was the start of a brand new relationship for us.

--

After hours of talking with my friends and sharing most of what I had experienced during my coma vision we started to sketch out a plan. After a late dinner of Chinese food for my friends and Connor, and blood for me they all headed to their own room or home. Connor stood around awkwardly until Cordy nudged me in the side, very hard I might add and I offered him his old room back which he gratefully look. According to Gunn Connor had been living on the street since I destroyed what should have been Jasmine. Once he went to his room Cordy and I were left alone in the lobby.

"Where are you planning on sleeping tonight?" I asked her.

"Next to you."

"I was hoping you would say that." Ginning, I scooped her up into my arms and carried her to what I hoped would be referred to as our room. As soon as her feet hit the floor she stripped out of everything but her underwear, walked over to my closet, grabbed one of my shirts and slid it over her body. "That's not a nightgown." I weakly protested while my eyes roamed over her body. She looked a hell of a lot better in it then I ever did.

"It is now." She told me coyly as she climbed under the blankets on my bed. I quickly discarded all of my clothes except my boxers and climbed into the bed next to her.

"You do realize that this is pure torture don't you?" I murmured as I placed kisses on her neck. "Being so close to you yet unable to make love to you…pure torture."

"I could sleep in another room to remove temptation," She giggled as my hand grazed her breast.

"The hell you will." I groaned. "My memories will have to suffice." She grinned and pulled me in for a kiss.

While Cordy slept with her head on my chest I stayed awake watching her sleep. I still was questioning what was happening to me. My supposed vision seemed so real to me but lying here with Cordy in my arms seemed just as real and this time everyone could see her. I wasn't a vision expert but what good would a visit to the past be if I had all of the information about the future? It seemed pointless to me so maybe this, right here, right now was real. The Powers That Be gave Cordy and I our second chance to love each other.

Surprised? Hope you like this resolution. Please review with your thoughts.

Sadly I just read that Andy Hallet – Lorne- passed away at age 33 from heart disease so I am dedicating this chapter to him.