{"id":5845,"date":"2015-07-18T14:05:36","date_gmt":"2015-07-18T13:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/?p=5845"},"modified":"2015-07-18T14:46:44","modified_gmt":"2015-07-18T13:46:44","slug":"girlfriend-in-a-coma-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/18\/girlfriend-in-a-coma-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Girlfriend in a Coma. 6"},"content":{"rendered":"
They touched down in LA on what qualified as the worst storm in the history of ever.It didn\u2019t bother Cordelia so much – being all go-throughable meant that she was bone dry when they got outside the airport.Buffy, on the other hand, looked like a drowned rat. \u201cTell me again why I didn\u2019t pack a better jacket?\u201d She asked, trying to signal a cab along with the other 95 people on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

It took 45 minutes of elbowing and pushing and Buffy was officially convinced that chivalry was as dead as her love life when some guy jumped the queue and right into her first cab.<\/p>\n

She directed the second to the offices of Wolfram and Hart and Cordelia breathed out a sigh, worrying a nail between her teeth. Or trying to.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou nervous?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you would not believe,\u201d Cordelia admitted, though it probably wasn\u2019t for the reasons Buffy thought. Every block, every sidewalk passed in a blur – Cordelia barely noticed.<\/p>\n

All too soon the ride was over and the rain had thinned into a crappy drizzle once they got out the car at Hell Incorporated. Buffy yanked her bag up her shoulder. \u201cWell, here goes…\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia glanced at her, \u201cBuffy, wait…\u201d They\u2019d made it out of the cab, at least, before her bleeding heart had won out and she\u2019d realised that maybe, after all of this, she kind of owed Buffy an explanation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to tell you something,\u201d said Cordelia, just as Buffy was gearing up to march right into Angel\u2019s building of evil and declare holy-hell on his crazy-manpire-ass.<\/p>\n

Buffy paused, turned, and looked at the brunette. \u201cCordelia, really, you don\u2019t have to thank me…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d Cordelia\u2019s cheeks flushed, \u201cI mean… I am grateful, God, I\u2019m grateful, I just… There\u2019s something you should know first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy looked puzzled, \u201cSomething else?\u201d<\/p>\n

This was it. Her grand rehearsal. Her big step-up to everything she was gonna have to tell Angel, except… Well, she knew Angel better than she did Buffy. She told Angel this<\/i> and he was gonna do everything that was in his power to stop it (which was nothing) and it would destroy him in the process.<\/p>\n

But Buffy–Cordelia weighed up her options for a moment. Buffy was all about the greater good – was she not the person who\u2019d thrown herself off a tower to save the world? Or who\u2019d sent Angel packing off to hell with Acathla for much the same reason?<\/p>\n

Okay, so she wasn\u2019t exactly saving the world. But she was saving Angel and that was something that Buffy would absolutely get behind, once she understood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t go in with you,\u201d she said finally, meeting Buffy\u2019s gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWolfram and Hart. They have some ward around the building or something… I don\u2019t know. I know it\u2019s mystical and I know it\u2019s anti-Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Buffy looked a little nonplussed, as if she\u2019d been used to the fact that Cordelia was just there and would be until she saw this thing through. \u201cOkay, so you\u2019ll wait here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot exactly.\u201d She explained quickly and quietly that the long-ass trip from Rome had taken it out of her. It was like a store of borrowed mystical energy from the Powers That Be and hers had all but been used up. She had another day, maybe – a day to get Angel back on track and then…<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t be serious,\u201d Buffy whispered, her mouth falling slack.<\/p>\n

Cordelia smiled, though it was a little wistful. \u201cHow\u2019d you think this was gonna end?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot like this<\/i>…\u201d Buffy gave her a hard look, \u201cYou asked me here to help you die?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked you here to help Angel,\u201d she clarified. \u201cYou\u2019re the only one that can sell this. You\u2019re the only person I can get to that he\u2019ll take this from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia…\u201d Buffy frowned, trying to stall a little and come to some conclusion where she wasn\u2019t helping a former classmate out of a coma and into a coffin, \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen each other in six months. After that? 2 years and then some… I\u2019m not part of his life any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not,\u201d she conceded, \u201cBut he does love you. And whatever else he says? He values your opinion. Trusts it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy scowled, \u201cStill…\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia held up a hand and thanked God Buffy didn\u2019t care that she looked crazy right now, talking to thin air. When she spoke her voice was soft, careful. \u201cI\u2019m not afraid of dying, Buffy,\u201d said Cordelia, surprising herself with the fact that it was actually true no matter how much she didn\u2019t want it. \u201cYou know what I\u2019m really afraid of?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecoming another reason for him to brood in the dark, alone… Alphabetising his past sins and failures and counting me as one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy frowned. \u201cBut this way… You, dying…\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia knew that face. (You can\u2019t die.)<\/i> She\u2019d seen it on Angel a billion times. (There\u2019s got to be a way…) <\/i><\/p>\n

And that face on Buffy was the exact reason that she could never tell Angel the truth about what was going to happen here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want that for him,\u201d said Cordelia, shaking her head, \u201cWhen I got to LA he–He saved me, y\u2019know? He gave me purpose, a reason to keep on going… All I wanna do is repay the favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCordelia–\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cMy body is gonna give out on me sooner or later, you know that, right?\u201d Cordelia asked, effectively stalling Buffy\u2019s next argument. Retired or not, this was Buffy\u2019s job, her calling. And it\u2019d been ingrained in her since the get-go – just like it had Angel – that she had to try to save everybody. And as much as Cordelia hated to admit it, this was one body that was past saving.<\/p>\n

\u201cMystical coma aside? There\u2019s only so much damage it can take and I\u2019ve been burning the candle at both ends for three years now. At least this way I get to go out on my terms. I get to wake up and see my friends. And I get to help Angel in the process. Added bonus, much?\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy was shocked to find herself blinking back tears. \u201cGod…\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia grinned suddenly, \u201cMan-up, Summers, this is what you do. You help people, remember? It\u2019s your thing. I got a guy in that building that needs reminded of it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy risked a glance up at Angel\u2019s Casa-De-Evil, and then back at Cordelia. \u201cDo you love him?\u201d<\/p>\n

She half-expected her smile to be sad, instead, it lit up her face. \u201cThat isn\u2019t covered in the willing-to-die-for-him<\/i> part?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the kind of humour that cut to the bone and, though expected from its source, still didn\u2019t sting any less.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he love you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her smile widened, \u201cYou really have to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched as Buffy scrubbed a hand over her face, trying to compose herself. \u201cWow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Cordelia waved a hand between them, \u201cLook at us. Growing as people. Having an actual conversation without name-calling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr hair-pulling,\u201d said Buffy, smiling, though it was sad.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo bad it took one of us dying to make it happen, huh?\u201d Asked Cordelia, surprised to find that she liked this grown-up version of Buffy way more than she had the high-school version.<\/p>\n

Buffy sighed, \u201cYou know, sometimes? I really hate this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took her a moment to speak past the lump in her throat. \u201cMe too. But somehow… I guess I believe it\u2019ll all work out in the end. How can it not with a kick-ass Guardian Angel like me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m doing this,\u201d said Buffy quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have one more favor,\u201d said Cordelia softly, placing a ghost-y hand on Buffy\u2019s arm. It went right through, just as she\u2019d known it would, but the sentiment behind it was there. \u201cI need you to keep quiet about all of this. If he knows, he\u2019ll try and fight it… And I don\u2019t think the PTB are giving me much of an option on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy sighed. \u201cIt never ends, does it? This fight, losing people…\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia gave her a sad smile, \u201cI\u2019m not the first soldier down… And I won\u2019t be the last. At least this way I get to die for something.\u201d Instead of slipping away in a coma or worse. \u201cYou promise you won\u2019t tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy nodded and hesitated just a second before she held up her pinky. \u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia laughed, touched by a gesture that she could only half-return, and threaded hers through anyway. \u201cCrazy freak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVapid whore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know this is airtight, right?\u201d Cordelia nodded towards their fingers.<\/p>\n

Buffy did her best approximation of Cordelia\u2019s \u2018duh\u2019 look. \u201cI have a younger sister. You don\u2019t go back on a pinky-swear.\u201d She watched as Cordelia seemed to flicker for a moment and both their hands dropped, \u201cI guess that\u2019s my cue… What\u2019ll happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll call him. They\u2019ll tell him I\u2019m awake, which I won\u2019t be. They\u2019ll tell him I\u2019m pissed, which I will be. I\u2019ll get my only half-real-self out of that hospital, help him and then I\u2019m done. He just needs to find his path, is all, and if I can help…\u201d<\/p>\n

Buffy sighed, remembering how it had felt to stand on that rickety tower, to know that she was going to jump and to know why. She\u2019d figured it out – it stood to reason that Cordelia had too. \u201cYou get to die for something,\u201d she finished quietly, \u201cI get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She did.<\/p>\n

Cordelia smiled, \u201cGive my love to the gang? Y\u2019know, once…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will,\u201d Buffy promised, turning to head up the stairs to Wolfram and Hart.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuffy?\u201d Cordelia spoke without thinking and when Slay-Gal had turned back, she grinned, \u201cDon\u2019t be too hard on him? Well, be a little hard on him… And… Thanks. I mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome,\u201d said Buffy with a nod, \u201cI mean that.\u201d She glanced back towards the building, steeled herself, and when she turned back to say goodbye, Cordelia was gone.<\/p>\n

FIN<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0Ficbitch82<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They touched down in LA on what qualified as the worst storm in the history of ever.It didn\u2019t bother Cordelia so much –…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-completed-fics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}