A Fighter's Love by CheriChapter 16
Fade in on Atrium Spike is surrounded by the entire group staring at him. Xander: (breaking silence) Told you I wasn’t trying to be funny. Spike: (hesitantly) Buffy? Angel looks from Spike to Buffy and then to Connor. Angel: Connor. Connor looks at Angel and the runs past an oblivious Willow and Giles to exit through the back alley. Fred: Connor! Wesley: Let him go Fred. Angel sends a murderous looks in Wes’ direction at his words. Buffy: (still shocked and staring) Spike? Spike: Yeah. It’s me Lo…Aarrgghh! He grabs his head and drops to his knees. Buffy: (eyes widen and rushes forward) Oh God! Someone help me get him out of the sun! No one moves. Buffy: (bending to pull his arm and motices the lack of help) Xander! Dawn! Anya! Help me! Dawn: Buffy. (louder) Buffy! Buffy stops in surprise and looks down at Spike not burning but still in pain. Dawn: This is why we came. Spike showed up in the middle of the day. Something’s happened. Spike moans again and Buffy takes a step back. She glances behind her to see Angel watching with more than a passing interest. Angel: Buffy? Buffy spins to look at Wesley. Buffy: Do you know what’s going on? Wesley: To a degree. It seems Spike here has a…well he…apparently he has acquired a soul. Buffy/Angel: What? Anya: A soul. Spike has a soul. Among other new tricks as he’s currently demonstrating. Angel: Wait. How do you know it’s a soul? Xander: That Lilah chick helped out on that one. Angel: Lilah! Gunn: Hold up there! Don’t go getting all angry vamp like on us. She was here on her own, trying to help. Angel: (scoffs) Help? Lilah? Fred: She came after she found Cordelia’s jeep. Angel: Lilah has Cordy’s jeep? And no one saw the red flag? Gunn: We were kind of desperate. You and Cordy were MIA and we had just found Connor with Justine and Buffy here. Not to mention having Wes back on the team-so to speak. Angel: (looks at Buffy) You were with Justine? Buffy: What? No! I followed Connor there, or he took me. Can we just get back to this for one second? She points at Spike who has recovered enough to stand. Spike: (looking at Giles) What did I tell you? Blood from the ears drama, that’s what it is. Giles: (stepping forward) Yes, well it seems quite a lot has happened since we left. Xander: Willow! He rushes to grab her in a bear hug. Xander: You’re okay! Willow: (half smiles) For the most part. Xander: Dawn look! Willow’s here. Dawn: Willow. Giles. It is…I mean is she…? Buffy: You squared away Will? Willow nods and glances at Giles. Anya: (blurts) Nice to see you Willow. Glad you’re not evil. Gunn: Say what? Buffy: Not important now. Shouldn’t someone go after Connor? Angel: Some of us still aren’t able. (points to the sun) Buffy: Do you know where he might have gone? Gunn: (offers) I can check around. Angel: Would you? I don’t want him out there like he is. Fred: I’ll go with. Wes, can you fill them in? Wes nods. Fred: (to Angel) Wes is staying. He can tell you everything. Plus, he can keep Justine in line. Anya: I wouldn’t worry about that. Wes: Why? Anya: Cause she’s gone. Wes: What do you mean gone? (He strides to see the empty lobby) Why didn’t you tell us? Anya: Like I would have had the chance! Besides, weren’t you done? Her vengeance was fading. I felt it slipping away. Guess you beat it out of her. Giles: Wesley? You beat a woman? Spike: Bloody Hell! He stomps into the lobby as the others watch. Buffy: Anya, can you please go with Fred and Gunn? Maybe you can help track her. Connor might be with her. Anya starts to argue but decides against it. Instead she follows the couple out the way Connor had gone. Buffy: Dawn, can you go and keep an eye on Spike? Dawn: Is this just another get rid of Dawn thing? Buffy: No, its just another give me a minute to think thing. Dawn: Alright, I’ll go. But you better hurry up. Buffy: You got it. Thanks. Wesley: Should I…? Buffy: No I think the rest of us need to find a page and all get on it. Angel: You don’t understand. Buffy: Maybe not, but I know Angel. I know what Wesley did but what’s more important right now? Maintaining your betrayal brood or finding Connor and Cordy and finding out what the hell is going on with Spike? Angel: (drops head defeatedly) Fine. Giles: Well if no one objects, I think Willow and I might shed some light on the Cordelia situation. Wesley: You and Willow? And how is that? Willow: (steps forward) Cause Cordelia saved me. Several jaws drop at the statement.
Cut to Lookout Cordelia is watching angel curiously as he paces glancing around nervously. She stopped trying to talk to him a long time ago. She realizes now that she’s seeing what happened the night They took her. Cordy: Oh Angel, you just waited. Why are you still waiting? As if hearing her, he looks at his watch and begins to walk to his car. He suddenly looks up and she’s sure he sees her. Cordy: (smiling) Angel! Angel: Connor? What are you doing here? Cordy: What? Suddenly Connor walks right through her and she grabs her stomach to steady herself. Cordy: Whoa! (then feeling something) Whoa! Oh God, no. She looks up to see Connor attacking. She screams out and runs closer but doesn’t reach them in time. They go tumbling over the cliff. Without thinking and not knowing how she did it, Cordy is on the beach seeing them falling down. Cordy: (yelling to the sky) Hey! What is this? Did this really happen? Why are you showing me this? V.O.: Every reward comes with a price. Cordy: What price? Again without effort, Cordy finds herself on the boat. The box is being sealed and Connor and Justine work side by side. Cordy: Where’s Angel? Angel: (from box) Someday you’ll know the truth and you’ll want to blame yourself, don’t. I love you Connor, always remember that. Cordy: Oh no. (she rushes to peer over Connor’s shoulder) Connor, stop it! What are you doing to him? What’s happened to you? He’s your father! She’s not heard and watches helplessly as the box is pushed into the sea. Cordy: NNOOOO! She runs off the edge of the boat and waits to hit the water. It never happens. She’s back in the empty place. She hits the ground hard. Cordy: What the…? Hey! You get down here right now! You let me go back! I have to go back! Woman: You aren’t needed there. Cordy: Not needed? Not needed? Did you see what he did? He’ll die! Woman: He is already freed. Cordy: He’s out? Angel got out? Woman: You are still making decisions based on someone else. Cordy: Because I love him! Woman: Yes, that is true. But the love is not what makes your decisions. You have pulled that love into your previous ways. Cordy: Would you for once just speak plainly? Is that possible for you people? Woman: Alright then. Plainly. You fear that if you lose your gift, you won’t be needed. Even though you have been assured it’s not why you’re needed in that world. But for every step you’ve taken in this path, you have taken it to prove something to him. Cordelia: Prove something? To Angel? You don’t know what you’re talking about. Woman: As I said, you must learn to make your choices from a place that you have not yet tapped. Cordy: And how do I tap it? Woman: If one chooses the right answer only because one wishes to attain another’s righteousness, is the righteousness obtained ever really theirs? Cordelia: Ok, that so wasn’t clear, but are you saying that I’ve been stealing Angel’s righteousness? Woman: Again, you are finding all your answers within him. This is the same place of love that will never lead you to where you need to be. A higher being can not fully elevate unless all truths are revealed. You must accept what is you. Cordy: Ok, I make the right decisions for the wrong reasons and it all ties into how I feel about Angel. So, I have to find a way to forget him in my thought process so I can see the real path that I must choose? Woman: It is a good plan. Cordelia: So after I do this, after I figure out what to choose I can go home? Woman: After you do that, you will finally know where your home is. She disappears leaving Cordelia stunned and baffled. Cordy: Alright, I can do this. If I have righteousness, it’s not because of Angel and it’s not because of me. It doesn’t belong to me. And if I tried to get it to prove something to angel but only out of an unknown need, then who’s righteousness did I take? And if it never belonged to me, then how can I even be a higher being? Damnit! She has a flash of Connor pushing Angel into the sea. Cordelia: What in the hell is happening down there?
Cut to Atrium Buffy: I’m sorry. I thought I heard you say Cordelia saved you. Willow: It’s true. Angel: How? Why? Giles: Willow and I just returned from a tribunal. Wesley: A tribunal? A real one? I thought they hadn’t existed for centuries. Giles: It’s been a while. Wesley: What could have possibly happened to warrant such drastic measures? Xander: Is that really important right now? Maybe finding out about Cordy should be a priority. Wesley: I just… Angel: Xander’s right. Xander: Wow. (looks at Wes) He must be really ticked at you. Buffy: (ignoring the comment) So if Cordy was there and helped you Will, where is she now? Why didn’t she come back with you? Willow: (glancing at Angel) She’s not coming back. Angel: What do you mean she’s not coming back? Giles: It wasn’t her decision Angel. She’s not the same girl you knew. Something’s changed. Xander: That really seems to be the theme here doesn’t it? Angel: What changed Giles? Willow? Willow: I…I don’t think she’s exactly…um, I don’t think she’s… Buffy: For God’s sake just say it! Willow: (mumbles) Human. Wesley: What was that? Did you say that Cordelia’s not human? Buffy: How could that happen? Giles: I’m afraid I still am not completely clear on it myself. Angel: Well get clear. Buffy: Angel! Don’t talk to him like that. Its not his fault. Willow: I need to speak to Angel. Buffy: That’s what we’re here for. Willow: No, I need to talk to Angel alone. Buffy: Excuse me? Giles: (to Willow) Are you sure? Willow nods as Angel looks at her in confusion. Giles: Buffy, perhaps we could go inside and try and determine the changes in Spike. Xander: I thought we were going to all get on the same page. Willow wants to be on a different page. Willow: I just need to talk to Angel. Please.
Cut to Lobby Spike: I’m not sitting around here any longer! He rushes across the room as Dawn stands to stop him. But the others come in and he runs right into Buffy. They both step back surprised and before anyone speaks, Spike takes her by the hand and pulls her into Wesley’s office. Xander: Hey! Dawn: Just leave it Xander. Xander: You want to let him have another shot at her? Wesley: What’s that noise? Xander: What? Wesley: Dawn, did you not hear that before we came in? Dawn: Hear what? The three stop speaking to listen and finally the sounds from upstairs are heard again. Wesley: That. Xander: Well I’m not otherwise engaged. Wanna check it out? Wesley: (looks back to the atrium and then his office) Yes. I think we have some time. It’s probably nothing. Xander: Yeah, cause nothing is all that happens around here I bet. Dawn? Dawn: I’ll just sit here and stay out of the way. Xander: Keep an ear out for Buffy. If Spike gets out of line, holler. Dawn: Sure. Where’s Willow? Xander: Quality time with Angel. (sees Dawn’s look) Don’t ask. Wes and Xander head upstairs. Wes grabs a sword from the cabinet on the way past and Xander grabs a stake. Dawn watches them until they disappear and then looks towards the quiet atrium and the even quieter office. Dawn: Oh yeah, great idea with the coming to LA. Only good things will come of it I’m sure. She plops down dejectedly on the seat.
Cut to Hideout Fred: No sign of either of them. Gunn: I didn’t figure it’d be this easy. Anya: So how did you two manage to hook up? Fred: What do you mean ‘manage’? Anya: Did you not notice the lack of successful relationships in those around you? Gunn: What do you know about it? Anya: It’s the curse. Fred: You mean like Angel’s curse? Anya: No, I mean like THE curse. The curse of anyone who chooses to involve themselves in their fight. I got sucked in myself, I know how easy it is. And once you’re in, there’s no escape. It’s just a vicious cycle of heartbreak and pain and misery and death and fighting with no hope for an end. It will never end. Gunn: Damn. Who let loose on you? Anya: Not who…what. You two think your love is enough. Just like I did, and all of them did once. But we’ve all learned to face reality. That’s the hardest part you know. And when it happens, I just hope you can find a way not to blame one another. Cause its really no one’s fault. Okay? Fred: (innocently) Okay. Gunn: Are you listening to her Fred? She’s a demon! A vengeance demon remember? She probably plays these games with people just for sport. Anya: You don’t know me! You can’t say that! Fred: Ok, let’s just forget about this. We have to find Connor. Gunn: You’re right baby. I’m sorry. Bends to drop a kiss on her lips. From doorway someone speaks. Man: Look at you two crazy kids. Still doing that love thing. The three look to see who’s joined them. Fred: (the first to recognize the voice) Lorne! Anya: Who? |