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xtremeroswelliaTitle: Illusions 10/? Story 1 in the "Who I Am, What I'll Become" series
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine. Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, and any Scooby Gang cameos belong to Joss Whedon. Liz, Max, Michael, Maria, Alex, Isabel, Tess, Nasedo, and any other Roswellians belong to Melinda Metz and Jason Katims. Please don't sue.
Distribution: Just let me know the link.
Rating: R for this part for language, sexual content and graphic violence. You've been warned.
Author's Note: This is an Angel-Roswell crossover with possible cameos by the Scooby Gang from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Spoilers: For Angel, everything up through and including Shanshu in L.A. (1st season's finale), and for Roswell, everything up through and including Destiny (1st season's finale)...
Category: Story
Subcategory(ies): Action-Adventure, sci-fi-horror, angsty romance.
Keywords: Crossover/Series
Summary: Fleeing Roswell's painful memories, Liz takes off to L.A. and finds trouble, leaving Angel, Cordelia and Wesley to save her; little do they know they're in just as much trouble as she is.
Feedback: Would be appreciated. :)
Dedication: to Julia, Lili, katt_41 and Windsor. Thanks for all the feedback!
Author's Note: Thanks also to Jessi and Ash and Nova and Scott! :)
Illusions (Part 10)
Cordelia drifted along the lines of consciousness and sleep. Everything surrounding her was dark and she could feel her self sinking more deeply into the nothingness. Sinking didn't require energy and she was so tired...
Overwhelming terror flooded her mind.
If she allowed herself to sink she may never re-surface.
So she struggled. Struggled to stay afloat, to pull herself out of the darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, she could make out a sliver of light, dim as it was. As she moved toward the light, she began to feel a painful pounding, but she forced herself to keep going.
The closer she got to the light, the more pain she felt. She wondered if she'd had a vision and had hit her head on something.
"Wake up, Cordelia," she heard in the distance.
Slowly she opened her eyes, grimacing at the pain. "Angel," she murmured.
He smiled at her. "How's the head?"
Cordelia tried to move, but found she couldn't. She was sitting in a hard-back chair, her arms bound behind her. "You're not Angel," she said flatly.
His smile widened. "Good guess."
She glanced around. Concrete floor, lots of stacked wooden crates, and a high ceiling. The place was dimly lit and the air was damp and chilly. She wondered if there was some unspoken agreement amongst bad guys that they hold their victims hostage in old warehouses. She sincerely hoped this one didn't have stairs.
Cordelia turned her attention back to the shape-shifter. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" she demanded.
He stood up, moved closer to her. "Liz Parker."
She stared at him. "You're the one who's after Liz? Why?"
"Because she'll ruin everything. She is not his destiny." He turned away from her.
"Whose destiny?"
"You ask too many questions."
Cordelia scoffed. "Well, excuse the hell out of me for wanting to know why I've been kidnapped."
"It serves a double purpose, actually," a new voice said from the shadows.
She narrowed her eyes. She knew that voice.
Lindsey McDonald emerged from the shadows, smiling at her. "You see, Ms. Chase, Angel is protecting Liz. And once he finds out that we have you, he'll be willing to deal. You for her. And once he's here--" Lindsey held up a crossbow he'd been hiding behind his back.
She swallowed the nauseous feeling that crept into her stomach. "First of all, no way has Angel survived two hundred some years on earth just to be killed by a one-armed loser like you," she spat viciously, feeling a moment of brief inner triumph as Lindsey's smile left his face and he glared at her. "And secondly, he won't agree to your little deal. Angel protects the innocent. He won't risk Liz's life. Not even for me."
"Oh, but you're wrong. You're his seer. He needs you so he can save everyone else. What's the life of one girl against hundreds of other lives?" Lindsey's smirk returned.
"To Angel? Everything," Cordelia replied, her tone confident.
"I'm willing to be that you'r wrong on that one." He pulled a cell phone out of his suit pocket. "But let the games begin."
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Liz stared back at Angel, unsure of what to say. When the telephone rang, she jumped. Angel picked up the phone. "Hello?"
She turned around to face her friends. "We have to tell him," she said bluntly. She trusted Angel. And Cordelia's life depended on him knowing the truth.
"Are you crazy?" Michael demanded. "He's a complete stranger! We don't know anything about him!"
"Michael, he saved my life. So did Cordelia. If Nasedo has her, it's because of me."
"Uh, guys," Alex said hesitantly.
"It isn't your life that will be in danger if we tell him," Michael snapped. "I don't trust him."
"You don't trust anyone," Max pointed out.
"I knew you'd side with her. God, Max, would it kill you to back me up for once?"
Liz looked at Max. "I trust him, Max. Please."
He stared back at her.
"Guys," Alex said again, hedging backwards.
"I can't believe you're even considering this! What do we know about this guy? Nothing!" Michael pointed out, running a hand through his spiky hair in frustration. "We have no reason to trust him!"
"I trust Liz," Max answered quietly, his eyes locked on hers. She thanked him silently.
"Uh, well, actually, there is one thing we know about him," Alex said.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Michael asked, annoyed.
Alex nodded towards the mirror. "Well, he doesn't have a reflection."
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"Angel. I had a feeling you'd be there."
"Lindsey. Where is she?" Angel demanded.
Lindsey chuckled. "Who's she?"
"Cordelia. Where is she?"
"Ah, yes. Cordelia. Your pretty little seer." There was a brief pause. "She is very pretty, isn't she? And great company, I might add. Lots of fun. Very entertaining."
Angel's temper flared. "Lindsey, so help me, if you harm one hair on her head, I'll cut off more than just your hand!"
"Careful, Angel. I'm the one holding all the cards here." Lindsey's voice lost its amused tone.
"What do you want, Lindsey?"
"I'll let you know."
The dial tone blared in Angel's ear. He slammed the hand set down onto its cradle and barely resisted the urge to yank it out of the wall and hurl it across the room.
Instead, he turned to face the group of teens. "Somebody start talking," he commanded.
Max stepped forward and looked him in the eye. "The man who took your friend...his name is Nasedo." He looked over his shoulder at his friends, and then back at Angel. "He's an alien."
Angel stared back at him. He remembered Liz's calm reaction to finding out that vampires, ghosts, and demons existed. And it suddenly made sense. Why would those things scare or surprise her if she knew aliens existed?
"I beg your pardon?"
Angel turned around and saw Wesley standing behind him.
"Did you just say the man that took Cordelia is an alien?" the former-Watcher asked, his voice in awe.
"Yes," Max answered. Michael glared at him.
"What powers does he have? Besides the ability to shape-shift?" Angel asked, getting right to the point. He needed to know exactly what he was dealing with so he could rescue Cordelia, keep Liz and her friends safe, and hopefully find a way to stop Lindsey McDonald.
Max and Liz exchanged a look. "We're not sure...we've only known him for a little while."
Angel wondered why Liz would protect a killer shape-shifting alien, unless...
"You're one too, aren't you?" he asked.
Max nodded. "But we're different. We don't know much about who we are or where we come from. We know that our D.N.A. was combined with human D.N.A. We can't shape-shift because our bone-structure is human."
"Our powers aren't very advanced," Isabel said quietly.
Angel looked at Liz. "You're human."
"Yeah," she admitted. "Maria, Alex and I are all three human."
"Why does he want you?"
"Max is in love with Liz, but he's destined to be with someone else. He's supposed to save his people and return to his planet," Maria answered, sitting down on Cordelia's bed.
"Nasedo thinks you're a danger to Max's destiny," Wesley said.
Liz nodded.
"What I don't get is why would Nasedo be working for a law firm?" Alex spoke up as he sat down next to Maria.
"Yeah, and why are these lawyers after you, anyway?" Michael added, his eyes narrow and suspicious. "Is it because you're a vampire?"
Angel looked at Liz.
"Uh, we sort of saw your lack of a reflection in the mirror," Max explained.
"Wolfram and Hart is a law-firm on the side of evil. They defend demons and all sorts of nasty creatures. We've had several unfortunate encounters with them," Wesley supplied.
"And they're after me because I've messed up a few of their plans," he added.
"Who's this Lindsey guy?"
"One of the junior partners at Wolfram and Hart."
"What's his problem?" Michael asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"I cut off his hand," Angel replied darkly.
Liz turned to face Michael. "In order to save Cordelia's life. It's a long story."
Angel almost smiled. Cordelia certainly had filled Liz in on the details in a short amount of time. He was glad she'd finally made a real female friend--not like one of those brainless idiots from Sunnydale she'd hung around with back in high school.
"How do we stop Nasedo?" Angel asked.
Isabel drew in a deep breath. "We don't know."
"We're not sure he can be stopped." Max looked at Isabel and then Michael. "Tess said he can't be killed."
"Who's Tess?" Wesley asked in confusion.
Liz met Angel's eyes, though only for a brief moment. Just long enough for him to see the very obvious raw pain reflected in her eyes. "Max's destiny." She dropped down onto the bed next to Alex, who put an arm around her shoulders.
"Maybe Tess said he couldn't be killed in order to protect Nasedo so someone wouldn't try," Maria muttered.
"I don't think so. Remember when he was shot? The stones are what brought him back," Isabel pointed out.
Alex looked at her, his eyes widening. "Which means if we can kill him, as long as we don't use the stones, he'll stay dead. Right?"
"So what? We're just going to murder him?"
"Michael, he's a killer. He's been trying to kill Liz. He's got an innocent woman kidnapped and he won't hesitate to kill her if he has to," Max said, his voice taking on an edge it didn't have before.
"He's right, Michael. Nasedo has to be stopped," Isabel agreed quietly.
"What stones?" Angel asked, looking at Max.
"They're from our planet. They have some sort of life-restoring quality to them. We had to use them on Michael once when he was sick. And then again on Nasedo after he'd been shot."
"We need a plan," Wesley spoke up. "Nasedo seems to be very powerful, and obviously dangerous."
"So what do we do? We don't know where they've taken Cordelia," Liz said, biting her lower lip.
"We wait. They'll vall back," Angel said, pushing down his own frustration, his voice determined as he spoke. "Lindsey made a big mistake using the people I care about against me. He thinks he found my greatest weakness, and that might be true. What he doesn't know is that it's also my greatest strength."
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Cordelia was alone.
She didn't know where Lindsey and the shape-shifter had gone, but she was glad they had left.
She shifted in the seat, leaning forward and trying to get her hands loose. She pulled against the ropes. They were tied tight and rubbed painfully against her skin but she ignored the pain.
Not for the first time, Cordelia wished she had Buffy's Slayer strength. If she did, she'd have been free in no time. Hell, Buffy could escape chains without much effort.
Cordelia gritted her teeth and tried to slide one hand out of the ropes.
"Damn. I suppose it would be out of the question for one measly little divine intervention?" she muttered.
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the ropes seemed to loosen and she managed to pull her hands free. Her eyes lit up and she quickly jumped to her feet.
"Sorry to spoil your little plan, Lindsey, but nobody uses me as bait," she said under her breath. She took a deep breath and hurried out of the corner they had her in, searching for an exit.
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"You're sure it's wise to allow her out so soon?" Nasedo turned to Lindsey, a doubtful expression on his face.
Lindsey smiled as he watched the monitor on the office desk. Cordelia had just escaped with alittle help from Nasedo's alien powers. "Oh, this is just phase 2. She won't get far, don't worry."
"I thought the plan was for Angel to be here."
"Oh, he'll be here. They won't kill her. They'll just keep her busy until then."
Nasedo smiled.
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Wesley watched as Angel paced the kitchen floor of Cordelia's apartment. It had been three hours since Lindsey had called. Wesley's own nerves were frazzled and the tension among Liz and her friends wasn't helping anyone.
He glanced at Liz, who sat staring at the kitchen table, her face worried but calm.
Her friend Maria DeLuca sat right next to her, her head resting in her hands. Her short blond hair was held out of her face by two buttefly clips.
Next to Maria was Alex Whitman, who drummed his fingers on the table silently. He appeared tense, but looked more worried about the girl on his other side.
Isabel Evans sat at on the kitchen chair next to him, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her arms pulled around them tightly. Her chin rested on her knees as she stared into space.
Michael Guerin sat on the kitchen counter, a perpetual scowl on his face as he stared at Max. Max stood at the sink, staring out the window into the dark night.
Wesley's gaze travelled back to Angel, who suddenly stopped pacing.
"Angel?" Wesley asked hesitantly.
The phone rang.
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"Angel, nice to talk to you again," Lindsey said, his voice full of false pleasentry.
"Tell me what you want," Angel said bluntly, even though he had a good idea what the response was going to be.
"Right down to business as usual. I want you and the Parker girl."
"No deal. Liz doesn't get hurt."
"There's no deal without her."
"Fine. Then I hunt you down and rip your lungs out through your nose. And Lindsey, I could probably do it."
"What a lovely image," Lindsey said with a slight chuckle. "But you're forgetting two things. You don't know where I am, and I still have something you want."
"Let me talk to her."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. She's a bit...indisposed at the moment."
"How do I know she's still alive?" Angel demanded.
"Oh, she's alive. But the longer you play games the less likely she is to stay that way."
Angel cursed silently, his hands curling into fists.
"I must say again that this seer of yours is quite entertaining. She withstands torture better than most men and demons I know."
Angel nearly lost it. A growl formed low in his throat and he struggled to keep control over his vampire side.
"Reconsidering that deal, Angel?" Lindsey taunted.
"Where?"
"I thought you'd see things my way." There was a pause. "The old warehouse on Center Street. Downtown. One hour. You and the Parker girl."
"And you'll let Cordelia go."
"That's the deal."
"We'll be there." Angel hung up the phone and turned to face Wesley and the six teens staring at him impatiently. "All right. Here's the plan..."
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Cordelia sighed in frustration as she walked into another dead end of crates. It was the second one she'd run into in ten minutes. So much for getting out of here before Angel showed up to rescue her. The whole place was a big damned maze, and she was starting to think there wasn't really an exit.
She carefully retraced her steps, and wound up back at the first set of crosspaths. The one straight ahead would lead her back to the corner she'd been tied up in.
That left a choice of going either left or right. What was it she'd learned in Girl Scouts? Something about following the flow of the river if you got lost in the woods...
Well, she wasn't in the woods, and there was no river, but she figured she could use the same theory anyway. She'd just keep going to the right no matter what and she'd eventually get to the exit, providing there actually *was* one.
Cordelia took a deep breath and headed right.
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"Okay, what's going on?" Kate Lockley leaned against her car and gazed at Angel and Wesley as they got out of Angel's car. They were in a parking lot outside an old storage warehouse on Center Street.
"You wanted proof that Wolfram and Hart were breaking the law? Lindsey McDonald had Cordelia kidnapped and she's being held hostage in that warehouse," Angel informed her, and she could tell he was barely holding onto his temper.
"Why would they kidnap--" She stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. "To get to you."
"And Liz." He nodded towards the jeep that pulled up and parked next to his car.
Kate glanced at Liz, and at the other teens as they jumped out of their vehicle. "All right. Obviously you have a plan. Let's hear it."
"Liz and I go inside and get Cordy, and hopefully Lindsey. When we bring him out, you arrest him."
"That's your plan?" She couldn't keep the doubt out of her voice. "You're putting an innocent girl's life in jeopardy for no real reason?"
"It wasn't his decision," Liz spoke up. "Cordelia's in trouble because of me. If the only way to make sure she's safe is to make them think Angel is trading me for her, then that's what has to be done."
Kate met her gaze and recognized the determination in her eyes. She turned to face Angel. "I'm going with you."
"No. I need you and Wesley to stay out here with Liz's friends and make sure they stay safe."
"Besides, there's a possibility there are security cameras and if they see anyone but us--" Liz began.
"--it could cost Cordelia her life," Angel finished.
Kate looked back and forth between them. "Who's after you anyway?" she asked Liz, who quickly looked away.
Angel lowered his voice. "It's a...thing."
Kate narrowed her eyes. "I see. I assume you know how to handle this...thing."
He darted a glance over at Wesley. "Yeah. No problem."
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"We should get going," Angel said quietly to Liz.
She nodded in agreement and turned to face her friends. Maria had fear written all over her face. Liz walked over to her. "It'll be okay, Maria," she said.
"I don't like this, Lizzie," Maria whispered. "I have a really, really bad feeling."
"Angel won't let anything happen to me," she said, sounding more assured than she felt.
"Liz, Nasedo's powerful. He's already killed who knows how many people. Let Angel go by himself. He's a vampire. He can take care of himself," Maria urged.
"I won't risk Cordelia's life because I'm afraid of Nasedo. I can't." Liz hugged her and then Alex. "I'll be all right."
Isabel looked as nervous right then as she had when Max had been taken by Agent Pierce of the FBI special unit. "Be careful," she whispered, and then, to Liz's surprise, Isabel hugged her.
"I will," she promised, hugging her back. She looked at Michael, who met her gaze. She felt a moment of understanding pass between them.
She took a deep breath and stepped over to Max. Their eyes locked, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then in a broken voice, he whispered, "You come back to me."
Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. "Count on it."
And before she could stop him, Max leaned over and kissed her lips, gently at first, and then more passionately. Her arms slid around his neck as she kissed him back.
*Flash* Max's face hovered over hers as she lay on the floor of the Crashdown the day she'd been shot. "You're all right now. You're all right," he told her, his eyes gentle and frantic all at the same time.
*Flash* Max kissing her for the first time on her roof.
*Flash* She and Max, curled up asleep in one another's arms out in the desert after finding the orb.
*Flash* "You were what kept me alive. The thought of you. The way your eyes look into mine. Your smile. The touch of your skin. Your lips. Knowing you has made me human. Whether I die tomorrow or fifty years from now, my destiny is the same. It's you. I want to be with you, Liz. I love you," Max whispered as he caressed her cheek.
The visions stopped as the kiss ended. Liz pulled away from him, but couldn't break away from his gaze right away. "I love you," she mouthed. Then she turned away and went to Angel's side. "Let's do this," she said, her voice strong as they walked towards the warehouse entrance.
She would come back no matter what.
She had to.
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Cordelia froze as the lights in the warehouse suddenly dimmed. She could still see, but just barely.
Okay. No big deal. Just keep going to the right, she told herself, keeping her hand on the side of the crate-wall.
Which wouldn't have been a problem, except she suddenly heard growling behind her. She turned very slowly, afraid sudden movements would cause whatever it was to attack her.
Cordelia struggled for control over her fear as she stared at the three vampires. They were average size vamps--not real big, and no apparent features distinguishing them from other vampires she'd encountered.
The problem was she had no weapons. Not even a cross. Not a good thing. In fact, as they began circling her on all three sides, things began to look very bad.
But Cordelia had been in a lot of bad situations in the past four years of her life and she had survived to tell the tales.
And she *so* wasn't ready to die.
Besides that, she had a reputation to uphold. She was, after all, Cordelia Chase. No one made her weak and defenseless and got by with it.
Cordelia straightened up and eyed the vampires one at a time. "So you three work for Wolfram and Hart." She rolled her eyes. "Why on earth would you do that? It's so obvious the three of you could do much better."
The vampire on her right frowned. "What?"
"Oh, come on. Three big strong vamps like yourselves--why do you need to work for a bunch of corporate sissy boys like Lindsey McDonald? You should be telling *him* what to do." Cordelia had their full attention now. She turned on all the charm she could muster and smiled sweetly. "Seriously. You don't need him. Did he promise you money? Power? Fame?"
"Actually, just dinner," the vamp in front of her responded.
She sighed. "That's it? One of the most powerful guys in L.A. couldn't offer you something more than one measly meal? I bet he expects you to share, too, doesn't he?"
The three vampires exchanged looks.
"What is with that? You guys could get a better meal on your own than by working for that low-life. You deserve better," Cordelia informed them.
"She's right! We've been had!" The vampire on her left said angrily. "I'm gonna rip his throat out!"
"That's the spirit!" Cordelia smiled at them.
They smiled back at her. "Thanks."
"Yeah, let's go find that scawny boy!"
She watched in satisfaction as the three vampires turned and walked away in search of Lindsey. Cordelia turned to the right, a smile on her face. There wasn't a man dead or alive she couldn't wrap around her little finger if she set her mind to it.
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Lindsey and Nasedo watched the monitor and both smiled as Angel and Liz walked inside the warehouse.
"A half an hour early, just as you predicted," Nasedo said, a bit impressed.
"I've studied his actions and his past more than he'll ever know," Lindsey said, a smug smile on his face.
"Why don't you just kill him and get it over with?"
"Because. I want to torture him."
"So torture him. Then kill him. This is the perfect opportunity," Nasedo pointed out. Even though he'd lived on earth for the past fifty three years, he didn't understand humans. If someone got in Nasedo's way, he just killed them. End of story. With humans, they had this thing for torture. The problem was the intended victim often got away. Oh, well. It was no business of his. Quite frankly he didn't give a damn what happened to the vampire one way or another as long as he removed Liz Parker from the picture.
"True. But some things are worse than death." Lindsey leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he stared at a close-up shot of Angel. "A whole lot worse."
Nasedo stood up. "I think it's time I got ready."
Lindsey nodded absently.
Nasedo concentrated and used his energy to shape-shift. He turned around in a circle. "Well. How do I look?"
Lindsey tore his gaze away from the monitor. "Why, Ms. Chase. You look absolutely stunning."
They both laughed.
"Knock 'em dead," Lindsey told him.
"Oh, don't worry," Nasedo responded. "I will."
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Liz glanced around the dimly lit warehouse and stuck close to Angel. "Um, I hate to state the obvious, but...this kind of looks like a big maze."
He nodded. "Lindsey's pulling out al the stops for this one." He paused at a corner and looked both directions.
"Which way?" she asked tentatively.
Angel frowned and appeared deep in thought for a moment. "Left. If we keep going left we'll eventually see the whole place and find Cordelia."
Liz nodded and followed him, ignoring her nervousness. "Detective Lockley...is she trustworthy?"
Angel hesitated. "I think so. She hasn't tried to stake me or anything and she knows what I am."
"Who," she corrected him instantly.
He turned to look at her. "What?"
"She knows *who* you are."
"I'm a vampire."
"I know. And Max is an alien. But he's a person."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are," Liz argued.
"I don't breathe. My heart doesn't beat."
"So? You still eat...or, well, drink. You have problems and you use your brain to solve them. You have feelings. You care about your friends. You walk on two legs and you have opposable thumbs. In my book, you're just as much a person as I am." Liz folded her arms across her chest.
Angel tried to hide a smile but didn't respond. He stopped suddenly and she almost ran into him.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Do you hear that?"
"What?"
"I hear something--someone crying." Angel took off running and she quickly followed him through a maze of crates.
Cordelia was huddled on the floor, crying. She was covered in dust and dirt and there was a large bruise on her forehead.
"Cordelia!" Angel knelt down next to her.
She looked up. "Angel?" she whispered meekly.
"I'm here. It's okay."
Liz watched as Angel scooped her up into his arms gently and stood up. "Let's go," she urged, turning back the way they'd came from.
"We have to find Lindsey. He's going to pay for what he's done," Angel said vehemantly.
She frowned. "She needs medical treatment."
"It won't take that long to find him. I can smell him."
A strange sensation crept up Liz's spine, but she followed him farther into the warehouse.
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Cordelia hurried along the right side of the crate-wall maze. She had to be close to finding an exit. She'd been walking for nearly an hour.
She could practically smell freedom just around the corner.
She couldn't wait to get home and take a nice, hot bubble bath, have a mug of cocoa and crawl into bed. She hoped Dennis and Angel and Wesley weren't too worried about her.
She rounded the corner and practically ran into Liz and Angel. She started to smile until she realized that Angel was carrying someone who looked exactly like her.
Her heart sunk.
"Uh, Angel," Liz said hesitantly, looking at the girl in his arms and then at her. "Which one's really Cordelia?"
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Kate tapped her foot impatiently and watched the seconds tick by on her watch. She glanced over at Wesley who was doing the same thing. Max Evans was staring intently at the warehouse door while the other four teens talked softly.
"That's it. I'm going in," she informed Wesley.
He looked at her, startled. "I'm not sure--"
"I can handle it. There are two innocent civillians in there who may need help!"
"There are three innocent civillians in there," he corrected her quietly.
Kate looked away. "I'm going." She straightened her shoulders and walked to the door, her jaw set and her hand on her gun holster.
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"Where's she going?" Michael demanded as he watched Kate go into the warehouse.
"I don't know, but I'm going in, too," Max said.
Isabel grabbed his arm fearfully. "Max--"
"It'll be fine, Iz." He pulled away and jogged to the door, leaving the others to stare after him.
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"Uh, Angel? How do we know which one is which?" Liz asked nervously, backing away slowly.
Cordelia stared at the shape-shifter in Angel's arms. "You bastard!"
The girl looked up at Angel. "Angel, that's him! That's the demon!" she said weakly.
Angel carefully set the girl on her feet and stared at Cordelia. He advanced on her quickly and she backed away, suddenly remembering the dream she'd had a few nights ago.
"Angel," she whispered fearfully. "It's me."
The girl behind him smirked at her.
This was it. She was going to die at the hands of one of her best friends. This had to have been Lindsey's plan all along. It wasn't to kill Angel. It was for Angel to kill her. She couldn't let this happen. "Angel, listen to me. I'm the real Cordelia," she said, her voice strong.
His eyes softened as he gazed at her and she suddenly understood. He knew. She didn't have time to sigh in relief as Angel spun suddenly, throwing the shape-shifter against a wall of crates, his face changing. "Cordy, Liz! Run!" he growled as he threw himself at the demon.
Cordelia ran towards Liz, whose eyes were wide. She only made it a few short steps when suddenly a bright red light lit up the warehouse.
Angel was thrown into the opposite wall of crates, the red light surrounding and apparently paralyzing him.
"Angel!" she cried.
The shape-shifter smiled in satisfaction and turned to her. She watched in horror as it morphed into Angel.
The real Angel on the floor wasn't moving, though his eyes were open.
Cordelia turned to Liz. "Run!"
Before she could respond, Liz was surrounded by the same glowing red light.
"Poor lonely little Cordelia. Now what can you do?" The shape-shifter tsked. "All alone. But you always were anyway. No one cares about you. So you might as well be dead."
Cordelia backed away as the demon wearing Angel's face advanced on her menacingly. He pulled along butcher knife out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. The blade glittered from the reflection of red light.
She tried to dart away, but slammed into some kind of invisible wall. There was no where left to go. She was trapped. Cordelia shrunk back against the wall of crates behind her in horror as he moved closer.
He smiled widely and leaned in close. "You'd always be second best, Cordelia. Just the runner up, never first choice," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.
Cordelia kicked at him uselessly, trying desperately to get away. He pinned her against the wall with the weight of his body.
"Say goodbye." The shape-shifter brought the knife down into her stomach hard.
She screamed as the blade sliced through her skin, feeling like her stomach had been set on fire. She barely felt the second and third stab wounds as she collapsed onto the ground.
Angel's face hovered above her for moment. "This is the last face you're ever gonna see," he told her coldly.
Seconds later the world turned black.
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Nasedo stood up. He wiped the knife off with his hands, licking the blood off his fingers. He frowned and looked at Angel, who was still paralyzed. "I don't see the big attraction to blood. Of course, I'm not a vampire." He cocked his head sideways. "Although I must say, her blood was pretty sweet. Feel free to drain her when I'm done here."
Nasedo turned to Liz and smiled as he saw the terror in her eyes as he moved towards her, knife raised again.
That was when the shots rang out.
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Angel was suddenly able to move again as the red light disappeared. He never saw Nasedo fall, or Kate Lockley standing a few feet away, gun in her hands as she looked on in horror.
All he saw was Cordelia.
He crawled over to her, staring down at her pale, lifeless body. Blood seeped from her body, staining her clothes and making an ever-quickly-growing puddle beneath and around her.
"No..." he whispered. He pressed his ear to her chest. There was no heartbeat. "No! No! Cordelia!" Angel looked up helplessly at Kate and Liz.
Liz covered her mouth in horror as tears streaked down her cheeks.
Angel cradled Cordelia's head in his lap. "I'm so sorry, Cordy...I'm so sorry..."
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Kate Lockley watched as tears ran down Angel's face as he apologized over and over to his fallen friend. Something broke inside of her and tears filled her own eyes. And Kate did something she hadn't done since she was a teenager.
She began to pray.
She prayed to any god that would listen for a miracle--that somehow Cordelia Chase hadn't really just died.
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"Liz! Liz!"
She heard Max calling her name, but she couldn't respond. Her throat was choked up with sobs. This was all her fault. If she had never run away, Cordelia Chase would still be alive right now.
A moment later she felt herself lifted off the floor and into familiar arms. "Liz! Are you okay? Liz!" Max pulled away and looked at her frantically. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she managed to choke out, shaking her head. She pointed to Angel and Cordelia. "It's her. Max! She's--she's..."
Max looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening. He looked at Liz for a split-second and then set her down on her feet and ran over to kneel at the girl's side. Liz knelt down right next to him, not caring that her jeans were soaking up blood.
"Let me help her," Max said to Angel, who just stared at him through his tears and grief.
Max swallowed hard and placed his hand over the wound in her stomach. He closed his eyes as his hand began to glow white.
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Cordelia found herself in a beautiful meadow of wild flowers. Brightly colored butterflies danced around her and a pretty purple and silver one landed on her arm.
"Princess."
She whirled around, her face breaking into a wide grin. She ran towards him. "Doyle!"
Doyle laughed and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her around in a circle. "It's good to see you, Princess."
Cordelia pulled away from his embrace and looked up at him. "What is this place, Doyle?"
He looked around, smiling at the image she had conjured up. "Someplace you can't stay. Not now anyway."
She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean your fight's not over yet. You have to go back. It's not your time."
"But..." Realization dawned on her. "I'm dead?"
"For the moment. It's only temporary." Doyle gazed at her. "You're needed down there."
"Right. The vision thing." She sighed.
"No."
Cordelia looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"Everything depends on you, Princess. And I'm not just talking about the visions."
"What are you talking about?"
"That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."
She rolled her eyes. "Even in death you can be infuriating," she said, though they both knew she was joking.
Doyle smiled at her. "Go back, Princess."
"But...I don't know the way," Cordelia protested.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. "Yes, you do. Close your eyes and follow your heart. It'll lead you back to where you're supposed to be."
"I miss you," she whispered.
"I'll be around when you really need me. I'm watching out for you. Angel, too. And Wesley. I'm a...guardian demon of sorts." He smiled at her again. "You have to go back. Before it's too late."
"Thank you." Cordelia hugged him one last time. Then she closed her eyes and drifted into darkness.
The next thing she knew, she felt a terrible pain in her stomach, but it only lasted for a few seconds. "Am I there yet?" she murmured softly as her eyes fluttered open.
Angel was staring down at her.
"Angel?" Cordelia sat up slowly, her gaze locked on his.
Wordlessly he pulled her into an embrace. Cordelia was stunned for a moment. Angel had only voluntarily hugged her once--and that was when he had been under the influence of some kind of weird sensitivity-hypnosis thing.
"Thank you," Angel whispered, though she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or not, and why he'd be thanking her if he was.
When he let her go, she looked around and saw Kate with a stunned expression on her face; Liz, who was sitting next to a teen boy she didn't recognize; and the shape-shifter dead on the ground.
"Okay, I think I missed something because I got stabbed and I'm not in any--" She stopped as she looked down at her stomach. Her tattered shirt was stained in blood, but through the holes she could see something glowing silver, and she could just about swear it was a handprint.
Cordelia looked around at everyone again. "What just happened?"
Kate, still looking baffled, replied, "That's what I'd like to know."
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Not mine. Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, and any Scooby Gang cameos belong to Joss Whedon. Liz, Max, Michael, Maria, Alex, Isabel, Tess, Nasedo, and any other Roswellians belong to Melinda Metz and Jason Katims. Please don't sue.
Distribution: Just let me know the link.
Rating: R for this part for language, sexual content and graphic violence. You've been warned.
Author's Note: This is an Angel-Roswell crossover with possible cameos by the Scooby Gang from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Spoilers: For Angel, everything up through and including Shanshu in L.A. (1st season's finale), and for Roswell, everything up through and including Destiny (1st season's finale)...
Category: Story
Subcategory(ies): Action-Adventure, sci-fi-horror, angsty romance.
Keywords: Crossover/Series
Summary: Fleeing Roswell's painful memories, Liz takes off to L.A. and finds trouble, leaving Angel, Cordelia and Wesley to save her; little do they know they're in just as much trouble as she is.
Feedback: Would be appreciated. :)
Dedication: to Julia, Lili, katt_41 and Windsor. Thanks for all the feedback!
Author's Note: Thanks also to Jessi and Ash and Nova and Scott! :)
Illusions (Part 10)
Cordelia drifted along the lines of consciousness and sleep. Everything surrounding her was dark and she could feel her self sinking more deeply into the nothingness. Sinking didn't require energy and she was so tired...
Overwhelming terror flooded her mind.
If she allowed herself to sink she may never re-surface.
So she struggled. Struggled to stay afloat, to pull herself out of the darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, she could make out a sliver of light, dim as it was. As she moved toward the light, she began to feel a painful pounding, but she forced herself to keep going.
The closer she got to the light, the more pain she felt. She wondered if she'd had a vision and had hit her head on something.
"Wake up, Cordelia," she heard in the distance.
Slowly she opened her eyes, grimacing at the pain. "Angel," she murmured.
He smiled at her. "How's the head?"
Cordelia tried to move, but found she couldn't. She was sitting in a hard-back chair, her arms bound behind her. "You're not Angel," she said flatly.
His smile widened. "Good guess."
She glanced around. Concrete floor, lots of stacked wooden crates, and a high ceiling. The place was dimly lit and the air was damp and chilly. She wondered if there was some unspoken agreement amongst bad guys that they hold their victims hostage in old warehouses. She sincerely hoped this one didn't have stairs.
Cordelia turned her attention back to the shape-shifter. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" she demanded.
He stood up, moved closer to her. "Liz Parker."
She stared at him. "You're the one who's after Liz? Why?"
"Because she'll ruin everything. She is not his destiny." He turned away from her.
"Whose destiny?"
"You ask too many questions."
Cordelia scoffed. "Well, excuse the hell out of me for wanting to know why I've been kidnapped."
"It serves a double purpose, actually," a new voice said from the shadows.
She narrowed her eyes. She knew that voice.
Lindsey McDonald emerged from the shadows, smiling at her. "You see, Ms. Chase, Angel is protecting Liz. And once he finds out that we have you, he'll be willing to deal. You for her. And once he's here--" Lindsey held up a crossbow he'd been hiding behind his back.
She swallowed the nauseous feeling that crept into her stomach. "First of all, no way has Angel survived two hundred some years on earth just to be killed by a one-armed loser like you," she spat viciously, feeling a moment of brief inner triumph as Lindsey's smile left his face and he glared at her. "And secondly, he won't agree to your little deal. Angel protects the innocent. He won't risk Liz's life. Not even for me."
"Oh, but you're wrong. You're his seer. He needs you so he can save everyone else. What's the life of one girl against hundreds of other lives?" Lindsey's smirk returned.
"To Angel? Everything," Cordelia replied, her tone confident.
"I'm willing to be that you'r wrong on that one." He pulled a cell phone out of his suit pocket. "But let the games begin."
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Liz stared back at Angel, unsure of what to say. When the telephone rang, she jumped. Angel picked up the phone. "Hello?"
She turned around to face her friends. "We have to tell him," she said bluntly. She trusted Angel. And Cordelia's life depended on him knowing the truth.
"Are you crazy?" Michael demanded. "He's a complete stranger! We don't know anything about him!"
"Michael, he saved my life. So did Cordelia. If Nasedo has her, it's because of me."
"Uh, guys," Alex said hesitantly.
"It isn't your life that will be in danger if we tell him," Michael snapped. "I don't trust him."
"You don't trust anyone," Max pointed out.
"I knew you'd side with her. God, Max, would it kill you to back me up for once?"
Liz looked at Max. "I trust him, Max. Please."
He stared back at her.
"Guys," Alex said again, hedging backwards.
"I can't believe you're even considering this! What do we know about this guy? Nothing!" Michael pointed out, running a hand through his spiky hair in frustration. "We have no reason to trust him!"
"I trust Liz," Max answered quietly, his eyes locked on hers. She thanked him silently.
"Uh, well, actually, there is one thing we know about him," Alex said.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Michael asked, annoyed.
Alex nodded towards the mirror. "Well, he doesn't have a reflection."
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"Angel. I had a feeling you'd be there."
"Lindsey. Where is she?" Angel demanded.
Lindsey chuckled. "Who's she?"
"Cordelia. Where is she?"
"Ah, yes. Cordelia. Your pretty little seer." There was a brief pause. "She is very pretty, isn't she? And great company, I might add. Lots of fun. Very entertaining."
Angel's temper flared. "Lindsey, so help me, if you harm one hair on her head, I'll cut off more than just your hand!"
"Careful, Angel. I'm the one holding all the cards here." Lindsey's voice lost its amused tone.
"What do you want, Lindsey?"
"I'll let you know."
The dial tone blared in Angel's ear. He slammed the hand set down onto its cradle and barely resisted the urge to yank it out of the wall and hurl it across the room.
Instead, he turned to face the group of teens. "Somebody start talking," he commanded.
Max stepped forward and looked him in the eye. "The man who took your friend...his name is Nasedo." He looked over his shoulder at his friends, and then back at Angel. "He's an alien."
Angel stared back at him. He remembered Liz's calm reaction to finding out that vampires, ghosts, and demons existed. And it suddenly made sense. Why would those things scare or surprise her if she knew aliens existed?
"I beg your pardon?"
Angel turned around and saw Wesley standing behind him.
"Did you just say the man that took Cordelia is an alien?" the former-Watcher asked, his voice in awe.
"Yes," Max answered. Michael glared at him.
"What powers does he have? Besides the ability to shape-shift?" Angel asked, getting right to the point. He needed to know exactly what he was dealing with so he could rescue Cordelia, keep Liz and her friends safe, and hopefully find a way to stop Lindsey McDonald.
Max and Liz exchanged a look. "We're not sure...we've only known him for a little while."
Angel wondered why Liz would protect a killer shape-shifting alien, unless...
"You're one too, aren't you?" he asked.
Max nodded. "But we're different. We don't know much about who we are or where we come from. We know that our D.N.A. was combined with human D.N.A. We can't shape-shift because our bone-structure is human."
"Our powers aren't very advanced," Isabel said quietly.
Angel looked at Liz. "You're human."
"Yeah," she admitted. "Maria, Alex and I are all three human."
"Why does he want you?"
"Max is in love with Liz, but he's destined to be with someone else. He's supposed to save his people and return to his planet," Maria answered, sitting down on Cordelia's bed.
"Nasedo thinks you're a danger to Max's destiny," Wesley said.
Liz nodded.
"What I don't get is why would Nasedo be working for a law firm?" Alex spoke up as he sat down next to Maria.
"Yeah, and why are these lawyers after you, anyway?" Michael added, his eyes narrow and suspicious. "Is it because you're a vampire?"
Angel looked at Liz.
"Uh, we sort of saw your lack of a reflection in the mirror," Max explained.
"Wolfram and Hart is a law-firm on the side of evil. They defend demons and all sorts of nasty creatures. We've had several unfortunate encounters with them," Wesley supplied.
"And they're after me because I've messed up a few of their plans," he added.
"Who's this Lindsey guy?"
"One of the junior partners at Wolfram and Hart."
"What's his problem?" Michael asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"I cut off his hand," Angel replied darkly.
Liz turned to face Michael. "In order to save Cordelia's life. It's a long story."
Angel almost smiled. Cordelia certainly had filled Liz in on the details in a short amount of time. He was glad she'd finally made a real female friend--not like one of those brainless idiots from Sunnydale she'd hung around with back in high school.
"How do we stop Nasedo?" Angel asked.
Isabel drew in a deep breath. "We don't know."
"We're not sure he can be stopped." Max looked at Isabel and then Michael. "Tess said he can't be killed."
"Who's Tess?" Wesley asked in confusion.
Liz met Angel's eyes, though only for a brief moment. Just long enough for him to see the very obvious raw pain reflected in her eyes. "Max's destiny." She dropped down onto the bed next to Alex, who put an arm around her shoulders.
"Maybe Tess said he couldn't be killed in order to protect Nasedo so someone wouldn't try," Maria muttered.
"I don't think so. Remember when he was shot? The stones are what brought him back," Isabel pointed out.
Alex looked at her, his eyes widening. "Which means if we can kill him, as long as we don't use the stones, he'll stay dead. Right?"
"So what? We're just going to murder him?"
"Michael, he's a killer. He's been trying to kill Liz. He's got an innocent woman kidnapped and he won't hesitate to kill her if he has to," Max said, his voice taking on an edge it didn't have before.
"He's right, Michael. Nasedo has to be stopped," Isabel agreed quietly.
"What stones?" Angel asked, looking at Max.
"They're from our planet. They have some sort of life-restoring quality to them. We had to use them on Michael once when he was sick. And then again on Nasedo after he'd been shot."
"We need a plan," Wesley spoke up. "Nasedo seems to be very powerful, and obviously dangerous."
"So what do we do? We don't know where they've taken Cordelia," Liz said, biting her lower lip.
"We wait. They'll vall back," Angel said, pushing down his own frustration, his voice determined as he spoke. "Lindsey made a big mistake using the people I care about against me. He thinks he found my greatest weakness, and that might be true. What he doesn't know is that it's also my greatest strength."
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Cordelia was alone.
She didn't know where Lindsey and the shape-shifter had gone, but she was glad they had left.
She shifted in the seat, leaning forward and trying to get her hands loose. She pulled against the ropes. They were tied tight and rubbed painfully against her skin but she ignored the pain.
Not for the first time, Cordelia wished she had Buffy's Slayer strength. If she did, she'd have been free in no time. Hell, Buffy could escape chains without much effort.
Cordelia gritted her teeth and tried to slide one hand out of the ropes.
"Damn. I suppose it would be out of the question for one measly little divine intervention?" she muttered.
Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the ropes seemed to loosen and she managed to pull her hands free. Her eyes lit up and she quickly jumped to her feet.
"Sorry to spoil your little plan, Lindsey, but nobody uses me as bait," she said under her breath. She took a deep breath and hurried out of the corner they had her in, searching for an exit.
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"You're sure it's wise to allow her out so soon?" Nasedo turned to Lindsey, a doubtful expression on his face.
Lindsey smiled as he watched the monitor on the office desk. Cordelia had just escaped with alittle help from Nasedo's alien powers. "Oh, this is just phase 2. She won't get far, don't worry."
"I thought the plan was for Angel to be here."
"Oh, he'll be here. They won't kill her. They'll just keep her busy until then."
Nasedo smiled.
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Wesley watched as Angel paced the kitchen floor of Cordelia's apartment. It had been three hours since Lindsey had called. Wesley's own nerves were frazzled and the tension among Liz and her friends wasn't helping anyone.
He glanced at Liz, who sat staring at the kitchen table, her face worried but calm.
Her friend Maria DeLuca sat right next to her, her head resting in her hands. Her short blond hair was held out of her face by two buttefly clips.
Next to Maria was Alex Whitman, who drummed his fingers on the table silently. He appeared tense, but looked more worried about the girl on his other side.
Isabel Evans sat at on the kitchen chair next to him, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her arms pulled around them tightly. Her chin rested on her knees as she stared into space.
Michael Guerin sat on the kitchen counter, a perpetual scowl on his face as he stared at Max. Max stood at the sink, staring out the window into the dark night.
Wesley's gaze travelled back to Angel, who suddenly stopped pacing.
"Angel?" Wesley asked hesitantly.
The phone rang.
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"Angel, nice to talk to you again," Lindsey said, his voice full of false pleasentry.
"Tell me what you want," Angel said bluntly, even though he had a good idea what the response was going to be.
"Right down to business as usual. I want you and the Parker girl."
"No deal. Liz doesn't get hurt."
"There's no deal without her."
"Fine. Then I hunt you down and rip your lungs out through your nose. And Lindsey, I could probably do it."
"What a lovely image," Lindsey said with a slight chuckle. "But you're forgetting two things. You don't know where I am, and I still have something you want."
"Let me talk to her."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. She's a bit...indisposed at the moment."
"How do I know she's still alive?" Angel demanded.
"Oh, she's alive. But the longer you play games the less likely she is to stay that way."
Angel cursed silently, his hands curling into fists.
"I must say again that this seer of yours is quite entertaining. She withstands torture better than most men and demons I know."
Angel nearly lost it. A growl formed low in his throat and he struggled to keep control over his vampire side.
"Reconsidering that deal, Angel?" Lindsey taunted.
"Where?"
"I thought you'd see things my way." There was a pause. "The old warehouse on Center Street. Downtown. One hour. You and the Parker girl."
"And you'll let Cordelia go."
"That's the deal."
"We'll be there." Angel hung up the phone and turned to face Wesley and the six teens staring at him impatiently. "All right. Here's the plan..."
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Cordelia sighed in frustration as she walked into another dead end of crates. It was the second one she'd run into in ten minutes. So much for getting out of here before Angel showed up to rescue her. The whole place was a big damned maze, and she was starting to think there wasn't really an exit.
She carefully retraced her steps, and wound up back at the first set of crosspaths. The one straight ahead would lead her back to the corner she'd been tied up in.
That left a choice of going either left or right. What was it she'd learned in Girl Scouts? Something about following the flow of the river if you got lost in the woods...
Well, she wasn't in the woods, and there was no river, but she figured she could use the same theory anyway. She'd just keep going to the right no matter what and she'd eventually get to the exit, providing there actually *was* one.
Cordelia took a deep breath and headed right.
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"Okay, what's going on?" Kate Lockley leaned against her car and gazed at Angel and Wesley as they got out of Angel's car. They were in a parking lot outside an old storage warehouse on Center Street.
"You wanted proof that Wolfram and Hart were breaking the law? Lindsey McDonald had Cordelia kidnapped and she's being held hostage in that warehouse," Angel informed her, and she could tell he was barely holding onto his temper.
"Why would they kidnap--" She stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. "To get to you."
"And Liz." He nodded towards the jeep that pulled up and parked next to his car.
Kate glanced at Liz, and at the other teens as they jumped out of their vehicle. "All right. Obviously you have a plan. Let's hear it."
"Liz and I go inside and get Cordy, and hopefully Lindsey. When we bring him out, you arrest him."
"That's your plan?" She couldn't keep the doubt out of her voice. "You're putting an innocent girl's life in jeopardy for no real reason?"
"It wasn't his decision," Liz spoke up. "Cordelia's in trouble because of me. If the only way to make sure she's safe is to make them think Angel is trading me for her, then that's what has to be done."
Kate met her gaze and recognized the determination in her eyes. She turned to face Angel. "I'm going with you."
"No. I need you and Wesley to stay out here with Liz's friends and make sure they stay safe."
"Besides, there's a possibility there are security cameras and if they see anyone but us--" Liz began.
"--it could cost Cordelia her life," Angel finished.
Kate looked back and forth between them. "Who's after you anyway?" she asked Liz, who quickly looked away.
Angel lowered his voice. "It's a...thing."
Kate narrowed her eyes. "I see. I assume you know how to handle this...thing."
He darted a glance over at Wesley. "Yeah. No problem."
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"We should get going," Angel said quietly to Liz.
She nodded in agreement and turned to face her friends. Maria had fear written all over her face. Liz walked over to her. "It'll be okay, Maria," she said.
"I don't like this, Lizzie," Maria whispered. "I have a really, really bad feeling."
"Angel won't let anything happen to me," she said, sounding more assured than she felt.
"Liz, Nasedo's powerful. He's already killed who knows how many people. Let Angel go by himself. He's a vampire. He can take care of himself," Maria urged.
"I won't risk Cordelia's life because I'm afraid of Nasedo. I can't." Liz hugged her and then Alex. "I'll be all right."
Isabel looked as nervous right then as she had when Max had been taken by Agent Pierce of the FBI special unit. "Be careful," she whispered, and then, to Liz's surprise, Isabel hugged her.
"I will," she promised, hugging her back. She looked at Michael, who met her gaze. She felt a moment of understanding pass between them.
She took a deep breath and stepped over to Max. Their eyes locked, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then in a broken voice, he whispered, "You come back to me."
Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. "Count on it."
And before she could stop him, Max leaned over and kissed her lips, gently at first, and then more passionately. Her arms slid around his neck as she kissed him back.
*Flash* Max's face hovered over hers as she lay on the floor of the Crashdown the day she'd been shot. "You're all right now. You're all right," he told her, his eyes gentle and frantic all at the same time.
*Flash* Max kissing her for the first time on her roof.
*Flash* She and Max, curled up asleep in one another's arms out in the desert after finding the orb.
*Flash* "You were what kept me alive. The thought of you. The way your eyes look into mine. Your smile. The touch of your skin. Your lips. Knowing you has made me human. Whether I die tomorrow or fifty years from now, my destiny is the same. It's you. I want to be with you, Liz. I love you," Max whispered as he caressed her cheek.
The visions stopped as the kiss ended. Liz pulled away from him, but couldn't break away from his gaze right away. "I love you," she mouthed. Then she turned away and went to Angel's side. "Let's do this," she said, her voice strong as they walked towards the warehouse entrance.
She would come back no matter what.
She had to.
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Cordelia froze as the lights in the warehouse suddenly dimmed. She could still see, but just barely.
Okay. No big deal. Just keep going to the right, she told herself, keeping her hand on the side of the crate-wall.
Which wouldn't have been a problem, except she suddenly heard growling behind her. She turned very slowly, afraid sudden movements would cause whatever it was to attack her.
Cordelia struggled for control over her fear as she stared at the three vampires. They were average size vamps--not real big, and no apparent features distinguishing them from other vampires she'd encountered.
The problem was she had no weapons. Not even a cross. Not a good thing. In fact, as they began circling her on all three sides, things began to look very bad.
But Cordelia had been in a lot of bad situations in the past four years of her life and she had survived to tell the tales.
And she *so* wasn't ready to die.
Besides that, she had a reputation to uphold. She was, after all, Cordelia Chase. No one made her weak and defenseless and got by with it.
Cordelia straightened up and eyed the vampires one at a time. "So you three work for Wolfram and Hart." She rolled her eyes. "Why on earth would you do that? It's so obvious the three of you could do much better."
The vampire on her right frowned. "What?"
"Oh, come on. Three big strong vamps like yourselves--why do you need to work for a bunch of corporate sissy boys like Lindsey McDonald? You should be telling *him* what to do." Cordelia had their full attention now. She turned on all the charm she could muster and smiled sweetly. "Seriously. You don't need him. Did he promise you money? Power? Fame?"
"Actually, just dinner," the vamp in front of her responded.
She sighed. "That's it? One of the most powerful guys in L.A. couldn't offer you something more than one measly meal? I bet he expects you to share, too, doesn't he?"
The three vampires exchanged looks.
"What is with that? You guys could get a better meal on your own than by working for that low-life. You deserve better," Cordelia informed them.
"She's right! We've been had!" The vampire on her left said angrily. "I'm gonna rip his throat out!"
"That's the spirit!" Cordelia smiled at them.
They smiled back at her. "Thanks."
"Yeah, let's go find that scawny boy!"
She watched in satisfaction as the three vampires turned and walked away in search of Lindsey. Cordelia turned to the right, a smile on her face. There wasn't a man dead or alive she couldn't wrap around her little finger if she set her mind to it.
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Lindsey and Nasedo watched the monitor and both smiled as Angel and Liz walked inside the warehouse.
"A half an hour early, just as you predicted," Nasedo said, a bit impressed.
"I've studied his actions and his past more than he'll ever know," Lindsey said, a smug smile on his face.
"Why don't you just kill him and get it over with?"
"Because. I want to torture him."
"So torture him. Then kill him. This is the perfect opportunity," Nasedo pointed out. Even though he'd lived on earth for the past fifty three years, he didn't understand humans. If someone got in Nasedo's way, he just killed them. End of story. With humans, they had this thing for torture. The problem was the intended victim often got away. Oh, well. It was no business of his. Quite frankly he didn't give a damn what happened to the vampire one way or another as long as he removed Liz Parker from the picture.
"True. But some things are worse than death." Lindsey leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he stared at a close-up shot of Angel. "A whole lot worse."
Nasedo stood up. "I think it's time I got ready."
Lindsey nodded absently.
Nasedo concentrated and used his energy to shape-shift. He turned around in a circle. "Well. How do I look?"
Lindsey tore his gaze away from the monitor. "Why, Ms. Chase. You look absolutely stunning."
They both laughed.
"Knock 'em dead," Lindsey told him.
"Oh, don't worry," Nasedo responded. "I will."
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Liz glanced around the dimly lit warehouse and stuck close to Angel. "Um, I hate to state the obvious, but...this kind of looks like a big maze."
He nodded. "Lindsey's pulling out al the stops for this one." He paused at a corner and looked both directions.
"Which way?" she asked tentatively.
Angel frowned and appeared deep in thought for a moment. "Left. If we keep going left we'll eventually see the whole place and find Cordelia."
Liz nodded and followed him, ignoring her nervousness. "Detective Lockley...is she trustworthy?"
Angel hesitated. "I think so. She hasn't tried to stake me or anything and she knows what I am."
"Who," she corrected him instantly.
He turned to look at her. "What?"
"She knows *who* you are."
"I'm a vampire."
"I know. And Max is an alien. But he's a person."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are," Liz argued.
"I don't breathe. My heart doesn't beat."
"So? You still eat...or, well, drink. You have problems and you use your brain to solve them. You have feelings. You care about your friends. You walk on two legs and you have opposable thumbs. In my book, you're just as much a person as I am." Liz folded her arms across her chest.
Angel tried to hide a smile but didn't respond. He stopped suddenly and she almost ran into him.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Do you hear that?"
"What?"
"I hear something--someone crying." Angel took off running and she quickly followed him through a maze of crates.
Cordelia was huddled on the floor, crying. She was covered in dust and dirt and there was a large bruise on her forehead.
"Cordelia!" Angel knelt down next to her.
She looked up. "Angel?" she whispered meekly.
"I'm here. It's okay."
Liz watched as Angel scooped her up into his arms gently and stood up. "Let's go," she urged, turning back the way they'd came from.
"We have to find Lindsey. He's going to pay for what he's done," Angel said vehemantly.
She frowned. "She needs medical treatment."
"It won't take that long to find him. I can smell him."
A strange sensation crept up Liz's spine, but she followed him farther into the warehouse.
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Cordelia hurried along the right side of the crate-wall maze. She had to be close to finding an exit. She'd been walking for nearly an hour.
She could practically smell freedom just around the corner.
She couldn't wait to get home and take a nice, hot bubble bath, have a mug of cocoa and crawl into bed. She hoped Dennis and Angel and Wesley weren't too worried about her.
She rounded the corner and practically ran into Liz and Angel. She started to smile until she realized that Angel was carrying someone who looked exactly like her.
Her heart sunk.
"Uh, Angel," Liz said hesitantly, looking at the girl in his arms and then at her. "Which one's really Cordelia?"
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Kate tapped her foot impatiently and watched the seconds tick by on her watch. She glanced over at Wesley who was doing the same thing. Max Evans was staring intently at the warehouse door while the other four teens talked softly.
"That's it. I'm going in," she informed Wesley.
He looked at her, startled. "I'm not sure--"
"I can handle it. There are two innocent civillians in there who may need help!"
"There are three innocent civillians in there," he corrected her quietly.
Kate looked away. "I'm going." She straightened her shoulders and walked to the door, her jaw set and her hand on her gun holster.
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"Where's she going?" Michael demanded as he watched Kate go into the warehouse.
"I don't know, but I'm going in, too," Max said.
Isabel grabbed his arm fearfully. "Max--"
"It'll be fine, Iz." He pulled away and jogged to the door, leaving the others to stare after him.
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"Uh, Angel? How do we know which one is which?" Liz asked nervously, backing away slowly.
Cordelia stared at the shape-shifter in Angel's arms. "You bastard!"
The girl looked up at Angel. "Angel, that's him! That's the demon!" she said weakly.
Angel carefully set the girl on her feet and stared at Cordelia. He advanced on her quickly and she backed away, suddenly remembering the dream she'd had a few nights ago.
"Angel," she whispered fearfully. "It's me."
The girl behind him smirked at her.
This was it. She was going to die at the hands of one of her best friends. This had to have been Lindsey's plan all along. It wasn't to kill Angel. It was for Angel to kill her. She couldn't let this happen. "Angel, listen to me. I'm the real Cordelia," she said, her voice strong.
His eyes softened as he gazed at her and she suddenly understood. He knew. She didn't have time to sigh in relief as Angel spun suddenly, throwing the shape-shifter against a wall of crates, his face changing. "Cordy, Liz! Run!" he growled as he threw himself at the demon.
Cordelia ran towards Liz, whose eyes were wide. She only made it a few short steps when suddenly a bright red light lit up the warehouse.
Angel was thrown into the opposite wall of crates, the red light surrounding and apparently paralyzing him.
"Angel!" she cried.
The shape-shifter smiled in satisfaction and turned to her. She watched in horror as it morphed into Angel.
The real Angel on the floor wasn't moving, though his eyes were open.
Cordelia turned to Liz. "Run!"
Before she could respond, Liz was surrounded by the same glowing red light.
"Poor lonely little Cordelia. Now what can you do?" The shape-shifter tsked. "All alone. But you always were anyway. No one cares about you. So you might as well be dead."
Cordelia backed away as the demon wearing Angel's face advanced on her menacingly. He pulled along butcher knife out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. The blade glittered from the reflection of red light.
She tried to dart away, but slammed into some kind of invisible wall. There was no where left to go. She was trapped. Cordelia shrunk back against the wall of crates behind her in horror as he moved closer.
He smiled widely and leaned in close. "You'd always be second best, Cordelia. Just the runner up, never first choice," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.
Cordelia kicked at him uselessly, trying desperately to get away. He pinned her against the wall with the weight of his body.
"Say goodbye." The shape-shifter brought the knife down into her stomach hard.
She screamed as the blade sliced through her skin, feeling like her stomach had been set on fire. She barely felt the second and third stab wounds as she collapsed onto the ground.
Angel's face hovered above her for moment. "This is the last face you're ever gonna see," he told her coldly.
Seconds later the world turned black.
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Nasedo stood up. He wiped the knife off with his hands, licking the blood off his fingers. He frowned and looked at Angel, who was still paralyzed. "I don't see the big attraction to blood. Of course, I'm not a vampire." He cocked his head sideways. "Although I must say, her blood was pretty sweet. Feel free to drain her when I'm done here."
Nasedo turned to Liz and smiled as he saw the terror in her eyes as he moved towards her, knife raised again.
That was when the shots rang out.
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Angel was suddenly able to move again as the red light disappeared. He never saw Nasedo fall, or Kate Lockley standing a few feet away, gun in her hands as she looked on in horror.
All he saw was Cordelia.
He crawled over to her, staring down at her pale, lifeless body. Blood seeped from her body, staining her clothes and making an ever-quickly-growing puddle beneath and around her.
"No..." he whispered. He pressed his ear to her chest. There was no heartbeat. "No! No! Cordelia!" Angel looked up helplessly at Kate and Liz.
Liz covered her mouth in horror as tears streaked down her cheeks.
Angel cradled Cordelia's head in his lap. "I'm so sorry, Cordy...I'm so sorry..."
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Kate Lockley watched as tears ran down Angel's face as he apologized over and over to his fallen friend. Something broke inside of her and tears filled her own eyes. And Kate did something she hadn't done since she was a teenager.
She began to pray.
She prayed to any god that would listen for a miracle--that somehow Cordelia Chase hadn't really just died.
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"Liz! Liz!"
She heard Max calling her name, but she couldn't respond. Her throat was choked up with sobs. This was all her fault. If she had never run away, Cordelia Chase would still be alive right now.
A moment later she felt herself lifted off the floor and into familiar arms. "Liz! Are you okay? Liz!" Max pulled away and looked at her frantically. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she managed to choke out, shaking her head. She pointed to Angel and Cordelia. "It's her. Max! She's--she's..."
Max looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening. He looked at Liz for a split-second and then set her down on her feet and ran over to kneel at the girl's side. Liz knelt down right next to him, not caring that her jeans were soaking up blood.
"Let me help her," Max said to Angel, who just stared at him through his tears and grief.
Max swallowed hard and placed his hand over the wound in her stomach. He closed his eyes as his hand began to glow white.
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Cordelia found herself in a beautiful meadow of wild flowers. Brightly colored butterflies danced around her and a pretty purple and silver one landed on her arm.
"Princess."
She whirled around, her face breaking into a wide grin. She ran towards him. "Doyle!"
Doyle laughed and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her around in a circle. "It's good to see you, Princess."
Cordelia pulled away from his embrace and looked up at him. "What is this place, Doyle?"
He looked around, smiling at the image she had conjured up. "Someplace you can't stay. Not now anyway."
She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean your fight's not over yet. You have to go back. It's not your time."
"But..." Realization dawned on her. "I'm dead?"
"For the moment. It's only temporary." Doyle gazed at her. "You're needed down there."
"Right. The vision thing." She sighed.
"No."
Cordelia looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"Everything depends on you, Princess. And I'm not just talking about the visions."
"What are you talking about?"
"That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."
She rolled her eyes. "Even in death you can be infuriating," she said, though they both knew she was joking.
Doyle smiled at her. "Go back, Princess."
"But...I don't know the way," Cordelia protested.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. "Yes, you do. Close your eyes and follow your heart. It'll lead you back to where you're supposed to be."
"I miss you," she whispered.
"I'll be around when you really need me. I'm watching out for you. Angel, too. And Wesley. I'm a...guardian demon of sorts." He smiled at her again. "You have to go back. Before it's too late."
"Thank you." Cordelia hugged him one last time. Then she closed her eyes and drifted into darkness.
The next thing she knew, she felt a terrible pain in her stomach, but it only lasted for a few seconds. "Am I there yet?" she murmured softly as her eyes fluttered open.
Angel was staring down at her.
"Angel?" Cordelia sat up slowly, her gaze locked on his.
Wordlessly he pulled her into an embrace. Cordelia was stunned for a moment. Angel had only voluntarily hugged her once--and that was when he had been under the influence of some kind of weird sensitivity-hypnosis thing.
"Thank you," Angel whispered, though she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or not, and why he'd be thanking her if he was.
When he let her go, she looked around and saw Kate with a stunned expression on her face; Liz, who was sitting next to a teen boy she didn't recognize; and the shape-shifter dead on the ground.
"Okay, I think I missed something because I got stabbed and I'm not in any--" She stopped as she looked down at her stomach. Her tattered shirt was stained in blood, but through the holes she could see something glowing silver, and she could just about swear it was a handprint.
Cordelia looked around at everyone again. "What just happened?"
Kate, still looking baffled, replied, "That's what I'd like to know."
