 |
 ** Author’s disclaimer: Okay, so I haven’t watched any of
season 5 except the Reaper episode… and since that episode was mainly about
Spike, I couldn’t really get any information about what’s going on. Also…
this is an alternate season 5, meaning that story lines will NOT be the
same. I did see the season 4 finale where everyone says “Who’s Conner?”
at the end. I’m taking it from there… so everything after that is pure
‘my way’ except for a few tidbits (like Spike being a ghost) thrown in from
whatever I learned from the single episode I saw… I’m sorry to whomever
that offends. I just wanted to make that clear before this chapter… ** Author’s gratitude: IMZADI … THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!
Color me red, take my foot out of my mouth and give me a toothpick to pick the
toenails out of my teeth… that is SO embarrassing! (For shame *slaps wrists*, I
own the DVD’s!!) Thank God there’s an encyclopedia out there,
right? I’m really glad you caught that, and I’m glad you reviewed so
quickly… it gave me a chance to fix and post it the very same day. I hope
I didn’t piss some people off… :) I forgot that episode for some reason
and I guess it shows that I need to go reacquaint myself with my DVD’s,
huh? Oh well… all’s well that ends well. I hope you like the next
part! Athlantis … Don’t you worry sweetie… Cordy to the
rescue! You’ll get your answers (or at least some of them) in the
following part. Lindsey’s there because I like him and I may have
plans for him later on… we’ll see. So, stick with it, it’ll get better… Angellover … I want Cordy back too!! She’ll be
back soon, trust me… :) As for the punishment – we’ll see if you’re
right. I love the interaction between Lorne, Spike and Cordy too.
The 3 of them have such outlandish personalities that I couldn’t resist
throwing them in the same ring… Let me know if you like the next part! Haley … I agree that it’s a bitchy thing the Oracles
did… but it’s time for Cordelia to pay the piper (that sounds worse that it
really is, though). As for Darla… No. I don’t plan on her returning
or Lindsey to be involved with her. Keep on reading! Amanda … Yes Master… (*Bows & starts typing
furiously* :P) And thanks! Rachel … Thank you! You’ll just have to wait
and see! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Wesley sighed as he walked back into his apartment. He wasn’t able to
discern whether Lindsey McDonald’s presence was a good thing or not. For
now, it was good. It took the attention away from him. “So, what’s going on downstairs?” Wesley looked up at the voice. His
tired eyes took on a happier look. “I’m not sure, really,” he said. “How are you doing?
Better?” He looked over his companion. Dark brown shoulder length
hair, slightly emaciated frame enclosed in his borrowed clothes, eyes much
wiser than their owner’s age… Cordelia Chase looked like a shell of her
once lively, outgoing, upbeat self. “I’m sorry that I just…” she started, hugging herself in the baggy
sweater. Wesley put his crossbow down and crossed the room to her.
He quickly enveloped her in a hug and she curled herself in his arms. “It’s okay, Cordelia. Everyone’s entitled to a good cry now and then…”
he said, speaking of their waterlogged reunion. A muffled laugh came from
somewhere underneath her hair. “That was a little more than a good cry… I think it was a breakdown…” she
said, laying her cheek against his shoulder. They stood like that for a
few silent moments before Wes pulled back slightly to look at her. “As much as I love the fact that you came to me for help, I can’t help but
wonder why you didn’t go to Angel,” he said softly, regretting his words at the
pain that crossed her face. Cordelia shook her head emphatically. “I can’t see him… I can’t look him in the face and ask him to help me…” she
said. Wesley’s brow furrowed. “Why not? He’d be more than happy to, I’m sure,” he said.
Cordelia’s eyes shot up with a hint of surprise in them. Didn’t Wesley
know? Didn’t Angel tell him… tell them all what she had done? “I… I just can’t Wes… please don’t tell him, okay? Don’t tell anyone
right now… I need… to figure some things out first… please,” she
begged, taking a grip on his shirt in an un-Cordy-like, desperate
fashion. Her movement only caused Wesley to become more concerned at the
state his friend was in. His hands came up to lay over hers. “I won’t say anything, Cordy. I promised already. Not until you
want me to…” he reassured, watching her face relax. “Why just me,
Cordelia?” he asked. She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. She
looked up into his eyes – pained brown ones meeting curious blue ones. “Because you are the only one of them that would understand,” she said. “Understand what, Cordy? There’s not much that I’m understanding right
now,” he said, stepping away slightly, only to have Cordelia’s grip on him
tighten. She looked at him and saw that he truly did not understand
her. It made the last wall of strength and hope that Cordelia had built
crumble. Tears flowed down her cheeks heedlessly as her hands limply fell
from him and she stepped back. The one thing she needed… Wes had gone
through the same thing. He’d been to the dark side and had been able to
come back. He’d done the unforgivable, and he’d been forgiven. She
needed him to guide her through it… all of the unknown depths of despair,
guilt, anger, fear… But when she looked in his eyes, she saw none of
it. Not a single trace of what he’d been through. With a single,
painful cry, she sunk to the floor, her face going into her hands. Wes
watched in horror as his friend started to sob. He quickly sat next to
her and pulled her to him. There were words he felt he should know to
help her, words he knew he needed to say… but he didn’t know them.
He was drawing a complete blank as to how to comfort the woman in his
arms. “It will be alright, Cordelia… it will. I promise,” he said as her
grief slowly quieted. He ran a soothing hand over the back of her head
and hoped with everything in him that he was right. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Angel indicated for Lindsey to take a seat. “What can I do for you?” the vampire asked as he watched the former lawyer
sit back and place his feet up on the desk. “So, Angel… how’s unlife?” he asked. Angel resisted the urge to roll
his eyes. “Let’s cut to the chase, Lindsey. What do you want?” he asked.
Lindsey shrugged his shoulders and held his hands out. “Just some chitchat… How’s Junior?” he asked, causing Angel to glare. “You want to chitchat, let’s chitchat. But don’t ever bring him up,”
he said harshly. Lindsey sat up straight with an interested look. “Soft spot? Hmmmm… what happened?” he asked. “He doesn’t exist anymore as my son, so the subject is closed,” Angel
said. “Doesn’t exist… meaning no one knows… except you… and me… It looks
like your deal with the devil didn’t work out as well as you’d hoped. And
now you’re here… It surprisingly explains a lot,” Lindsey said, sitting back. “What are you talking about, Lindsey?” “Angel, let’s think logically here, okay? Do you think that Wolfram
& Hart gave you the ‘get Conner-boy out of jail free’ card for
nothing? Do you think they spared your friends’ memories for
nothing? If you were stupid enough to think that then you are in even
more trouble than I suspect you already are,” Lindsey said. Angel thought
over the man’s words. “I take it you know about a coming apocalypse…” Angel said with a
sigh. Lindsey watched the vampire carefully for a second. “Boy, it’s really good you’re concerned,” he noted sarcastically.
Angel sat back in his chair. “What do you want me to do? Shriek like a little girl? Wesley’s
upstairs if you really want that. Apocalypses come and go… We’ve averted
so many I’ve lost count,” Angel said. Lindsey stood up. “Well, I, for one, am glad that you have a new seer. Because, frankly,
I’m a little concerned at what it is exactly you are seeing,” he
said. Angel frowned. “How did you know about that?” he asked. Lindsey shrugged. “I still get the company newsletter…” he said, noting Angel’s arched
brow. Lindsey smoothed out the legs of his pants with his hands.
“They’re kinda like the mob… you never really get out of it.” Angel stood
as well. “So, what are you doing here then?” he asked. “I’m here to warn you. You are being used as a tool of the Senior
Partners. Whether you realize it or not, they are pulling every string
you can possibly imagine,” Lindsey answered as he made his way to the
door. Angel could only stare for a second. “I don’t get you, Lindsey. You’re good, you’re bad… I’ve had a rogue
demon hunter, a rogue slayer… and now a rogue lawyer?” the vampire asked
mockingly. Lindsey shook his head solemnly. “Think whatever you want. But you’ve got the book… I’d start reading
if I were you…” he said. “What do you know about the book?” Angel’s voice stopped the other man’s
hand on the doorknob. Lindsey smiled to himself. “Nothing. Just that its something you’ll probably want to check out,”
he said before turning the knob and opening the door. “Some answers will
be there, but others won’t, for reasons I’m sure you’ll figure out sooner or
later…” With that, the ex-lawyer left, leaving Angel to mull over the
conversation and try to figure out what wasn’t said. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Hey Watcher!” Spike yelled as he walked straight through Wes’ apartment
door without a second thought. Not finding the object of his search in the
living room he went back to the bedroom. The room was dark, but the ghost
could see the adjoining bathroom light on, and steam rolling out from under the
door. Rolling his eyes, he started to make his way out of the room, only
to stop when he noticed a figure dozing on the rumpled bed. With a
questioning glance at the bathroom and the pile of men’s clothes outside the
door, Spike stepped closer to the dozing Wesley. “Watcher!” he said loudly causing the man to jump up, hands fisted and ready
to fight. After gauging his attacker, Wes put his arms down. He
took a moment to stretch and rub his eyes before he turned back to the ghost. “What are you doing here, Spike?” he asked, watching the blond man’s eyes
flicker back and forth quickly from him to the bathroom. After a second,
Wes realized who was in that bathroom. “Umm… I’m steaming the wrinkles out of one of my suits,” Wesley covered,
causing Spike to look back at him with a disbelieving frown. “Why are you
here?” “I… had a vision… I need a little help sorting it out…” the vampire
admitted. Wesley blew out a breath. “Let’s go out to the living room and we’ll discuss it,” he said, indicating
for the ghost to follow him. Spike sent one last glance at the clothes
piled in the corner. “You know, Watcher… it doesn’t really matter to me what side of the sexual
spectrum you’re on…” Spike said with a small smirk towards the watcher.
“I used to be a bloddy vampire… there wasn’t much that I didn’t
do…” Wesley glared at Spike before he sat down on the couch. “I don’t even have to dignify that with an answer… Now… What did you
see?” Wes asked as he picked up a notepad. Spike frowned. “That’s the thing… I don’t know what I saw…” he said. Wes let
out a sigh. “Okay. Start from the beginning. Tell me how you saw it, and
we’ll work from there. Time is usually of the essence here, so we’ll need
to hurry it up a bit,” he told the ghost. Spike let out a huff before he
launched into his tale. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Cordelia stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. The air in the
bathroom was still warm as the steam swirled around the room. A sigh
escaped her, her muscles finally relaxed and the emotionally empty feeling
enveloped her. Reaching out, she grabbed Wesley’s robe and gratefully
stuck her arms into the sleeves. With her towel, Cordelia wiped the
mirror and looked at herself. The circles under her eyes and the slightly
pale complexion told her just how real everything was. “This is what a human you looks like, Cordy,” she told herself as she turned
away from the mirror and ran her hands through her hair. She’d need to
get Wesley to find her stuff… if they hadn’t gotten rid of it… like they did
her apartment. Poor Dennis. Cordelia opened the bathroom and turned
off the light as she walked into the bedroom. Wes had obviously gotten
up, she thought with a smile. The poor guy – she’d blubbered all over
him. As she made her way towards the bedroom door, she picked out another
voice other than Wesley’s. She strained her ears to hear another accented
voice, but this one deeper. It was Spike. She leaned against the
doorjamb and heard the word ‘vision’, her interest immediately perking up. “… and then there was this baby… Angel was holding it and everyone was
standing around it. It went black after that for a few seconds.
Then there was another flash… It was a boy… a teenager… He was a scrawny
kid…” Spike said. Cordelia sucked in a breath. He was talking about
Conner! “Then there was a flash of Cordelia and then the kid again, but with a family.
Then all I saw was black again…” “What do you mean black?” Cordelia heard Wes ask. She could picture
the frown on her friend’s face. “It’s exactly what I said it was… black. Nothing… Who was the
kid? And why did I see Cordelia?” Spike asked. “I don’t know, Spike. It doesn’t seem like you vision gave us anything
to help us locate this baby… or this kid… whoever they are. Is there
anything you can focus on that can give us a location?” Wes asked. Spike
frowned as he tried to remember. “It was at the Hyperion Hotel…” the ghost said, looking at Wes, who had
become deathly still. Cordelia’s eyes went wide. They didn’t know
anything! Darla, Conner, Holtz, Wesley’s betrayal… anything that dealt
with Conner… they didn’t know! Cordelia’s hand came up to her mouth in an
attempt to cover her shocked, pained gasp. What kind of alternate
universe did she come back to?! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ |
