As they walked home, Cordy and Xander talked.
“So, how’s LA?” he asked.
“It’s a little different than Sunnydale. We still have gross demons, though. Like this one time I had to help Angel kill a slime demon. There’s vampires, too. Especially, vampires that come back again after they’re staked. But she hasn’t come back after a while now. Which, thank God for that.”
“Yeah. I heard about Darla.”
“How about Sunnydale? Why hasn’t Faith been located to help set things back in order?”
“Well, some of us have a grudge against her.”
“Who?”
“Willow is still forgiving her and never had a problem with her, but we’re waiting until Wills has fully forgiven her. She’s half there.”
“How’s your life going?”
“Not much there. Anya can be a loudmouth, but don’t tell her I said that. We fight a lot lately. Except, we don’t trade insults. Instead, we say other hurtful things. But when I look back, it reminds me when we used to fight a lot. Our fights remind me of you and me back then.”
“Yeah. I get that. Except, I don’t fight with anyone. Not even Angel. I tell him what I want to do and that I can’t be ordered, and he backs off. I think he’s afraid of bringing the Queen C back up to the surface. He knows me too well. But not like you do. You know me a lot more than anyone.”
“I guess I do. Don’t I?”
“Yeah. You do, Xan.”
They smiled at each other.
“Well, Cor. This is the place. And, hey. Don’t be surprised if Spike is there.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Cor. Good night.”
“Night, Xan. Go home before Anya misses you and thinks you got killed.”
He kissed her on the forehead and she kissed him on the cheek, before she walked up to the porch. Once she was on the porch, he walked away to go be with his girlfriend.
She knocked on the door, and it opened to a very recognizable vampire.
“Can I come in?”
“What the bloody hell are you doing here?”
“Just let me in.”
“You didn’t answer me.”
“You didn’t, either.”
She did a stare down with the vampire.
“Spike, who is it?” a voice asked.
“Nobody important.”
“I’m not important enough? How dare you, moron. I’m a very important person to Angel Investigations. I’ll have you know, I’m a Seer.”
“Whatever, princess.”
“What did you just call me?”
“Princess. Is that a crime?”
“Nobody calls me princess except for Doyle or Xander. And since Doyle is dead, it’s just Xander that’s allowed to call me that. You got me? You’re crossing the boundary. You want to go?”
She got up close and personal with him.
“You’re pushing my buttons, buddy. But because you two loved each other, I’ll spare your unlife.”
A brunette girl came up to the door.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Spike said.
“Spike is pushing the limits, and it’s not the right night to be doing it. It’s been a terrible night for me. I’m lucky to be alive.”
“Spike, maybe you should go.”
“Are you sure, lil’ bit?”
“She wouldn’t hurt me. Just go. Please,” the girl told him.
Spike pushed his way past Cordelia, shoving her out of the way.
“Watch it!” the Seer said to him.
“Come in,” the girl told her.
“Thanks.”
She walked in and the girl shut the door.
“I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what got into him.”
“It’s alright. You must be Dawn.”
“Yeah. Who are you?”
“Cordelia Chase. You can call me Cordelia or Cordy. Angel and Xander call me Cordy. Xander has other nicknames for me, but it’s just for Xander to call me. Nobody else.”
“I understand. So, you’re Cordelia. Xander’s high school sweetheart.”
“Yeah. The girl that still has a heart for him, but can’t take him under her wing. He’s taken. I have to wait until something happens. But enough with my hopelessness. Can I stay here? I know how different I am from her. I could never replace her. I wouldn’t want to. It would be like Angel trying to replace Doyle. It never could happen.”
“You can stay here. Live here if you want. I feel alone all the time now. Mom and Buffy are both gone. I’ll never see them ever again.”
“I know too well how that feels. I cried every night after Doyle died. He made me feel special. I felt alone in this world. Even with Angel around. And I know how it is to miss her. I miss her, too. I respected her. I never thanked her for saving me, though. I wish that I would have. With every death of someone close to me, Dawn, I feel my heart break even more. No one can replace Doyle, Aurora, or even Buffy. One thing you can be sure of though, is that they’re physically gone, but will always be in our heart, mind, and even soul. We will never forget them. They’ll always be remembered.”
“So, you’re a Seer. What does that mean?”
“It means that I have painful visions of what is to come.”
“Really? What does he think?”
“Xander? I don’t know. He hasn’t said much. I think he might be trying to wrap his head around it.”
“When can you tell that it’s a vision?”
“Well, I scream in pain when I’m having one.”
“Would you like something?”
“Yeah. Hot chocolate would be nice.”
“I’ll get that for you. You can sit if you would like.”
“Thanks, Dawn.”
“You’re welcome.”
At that, Dawn disappeared into the kitchen.
Just then, a migraine hit her. She leaned against the wall and rubbed her temples with a couple fingers in circular motion. She closed her eyes and muttered, “Not another one.” She knew what was coming. Anya was right. Everyone that knew were right. She was slowly dying from the visions.
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Ten minutes later, Dawn came back with Cordelia’s hot cocoa. She set it down on the coffee table in front of the couch, and then walked over to her.
“Cordy?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“Migraine. It should pass. They always do.”
“Maybe you should sit down.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Dawn had been around her mom when she had her migraines, so she knew what to do. She wondered if she herself was dying. She helped her sit on the couch.
“Do you still want it?”
“Yeah.”
She opened her eyes and slowly sipped her drink.
“What’s going on?”
“Are you sure you want to know? Anya already knows. Although, I haven’t told them yet. She knows, because she used to be a Vengeance Demon. She ran into Doyle a few times. Angel and the gang don’t know. Anya and me are the only ones that know.”
“So, you’re dying?”
“Yeah.”
“From what?”
“The visions. Doyle handled them, because he was half demon and half human. I’m a full-blooded human. I’m bound to die from them. It’s written in the books. Look it up. Every human that had visions died from them. I have to give them to a demon or vampire.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know, Dawn. You just got to know me and now you know that I’m going to die. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell it to you like this.”
“It’s okay. At least you’re honest. Mom and Buffy never told me that they would die.”
“I know. But look at it this way. Death isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of something new. Something extraordinary. Someday, you’ll understand death. For now, it’s upsetting.”
“Did you always know this? Were you always so wise?”
“I was never wise. When you get to be my age, you learn things that you never knew before. When I was your age, I was very naïve. Did your sister ever tell you about my high school years?”
“Not really.”
“Well, when I was a freshman in high school, I was horrible. I was rich, popular, stuck up, self-centered, a know-it-all, and a bitch with a bitchy attitude. I put people down with words that hurt deep. I was the leader of what the student body called the Cordettes. Buffy, Xander, and Willow were who I picked on the most. It was mostly their clothes. But in sophomore year, I fell for Xander. We would have our make-up sessions in broom closets between and after classes. We grew on each other.” She smiled before continuing. “When my family lost everything, I still had Xander to love and take care of me. In junior year, I broke up with him on Valentine’s Day. It hurt him so much that he had Amy do a love spell for him. It backfired, which you probably already heard. Even though I hurt him, he still dove into that group of girls that were attacking me, in order to save me. He kept me out of harm’s way. He still loved me. Because of that, I stood up to Harmony for him, and left my Cordettes. Our love was so intimate. When senior year came, I caught Wills and Xan kissing. I forgive them now, but I didn’t ask for his side of the story. I was just so hurt. I broke up with him after that, even though I still loved him. After graduation, I left town. Now, I’m back to help out.”
“Wow, Cordy. You really were something.”
“It’s okay, Dawn. You can say it. I was a bitch. I admit it. The Queen C is still with me deep down, though. The bitch I used to be will never truly die. If I get angry, it comes up. Especially, when I’m confronting a vampire or demon.”
“Should you tell them?”
“Not right off the bat. I will soon, though. I promise.”
She wrapped an arm around Dawn in comfort and hugged her. “Everything will be alright. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re like a little sister I always wanted, but never got.” She kissed her forehead and then rested her head on top of hers.
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