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Cordelia didn't bother to mask her entrance into the warehouse, for it had never been her style. Nor was it a necessity in this case; according to the note, Angelus already knew she was coming. None of the lesser vampires attempted to stop her as she walked through the factory to meet her arch nemesis. It wasn't long before she came upon Angelus and his gang, sparing a brief glance at Xander and Darla and noting that both were in handcuffs.
Cordelia clutched a stake firmly in one hand, knowing she'd have to play this right if Xander was to have a chance. "Okay, Angelus," she said calmly. "You wanted me to come, and here I am... Now, it's time to bargain."
Angelus laughed. "Cordelia, really!" he said in a mocking tone. "You have nothing to bargain with... You don't think I'll really spare Xander's life in exchange for yours, do you? You know me better than that!"
"Oh, yeah, I know you really well," Cordelia replied, taking half a step towards her two captive friends. "The question is, how well do you know me?"
Angelus smirked. "Enough to see that you'll be dead in an hour or less." He took a step forward. "There is, however, one thing I've always been curious about... Any other Slayer would be getting nervous right about now, but not you. What makes you so damn cool and cocky? Not even Willow's crossing over and your tragic miscarriage a few years back were enough to ruffle you."
"Maybe it was always the knowledge that I had several cards to play against you. That I was always just three steps ahead of you and your friends," Cordelia replied with a secretive smile. "So don't think that just by taking Alex and Darla away that you've won. I still have one more ally on my side."
Angelus eyed her warily, then exchanged a confused glance with Willow. "And who might that be, exactly? Ethan Rayne? The lame excuse for a Watcher who keeps withholding information from you?"
Surprisingly, it was Darla who spoke up next, looking equally amused. "Oh, come on, Angelus," she put in. "If you think about it, I've had my humanity for over a century now. Why do you think you never guessed during all that time? I'll tell you, I could never have covered my tracks that well alone..."
Angelus looked at both Cordelia and Darla in confusion, but hid it quickly by saying, in his roughest voice, "Who is it? Tell me!"
"And spoil the surprise? I don't think so," Cordelia replied accordingly.
Inwardly, rage filled Angelus. "How dare this insolent girl and her pet vampire keep things from me." He looked at his sire and said, "It does not matter. The Slayer and you will still die, Darla."
Hidden from Angelus' sight, Spike moved in behind Drusilla, grabbing her roughly by the hair and holding a knife to her throat. Upon hearing her cry out, he said, "How do you like the taste of your own medicine?"
"Spike, you're an idiot," Drusilla growled, failing to catch Angelus' attention as he and Cordelia continued to bicker. "Let me go before I make you."
"You make one move, and you'll be dead before you know it," Spike threatened, surprising her.
"Why, Spike, that's the most lucid sentence you've put together in 200 years. And the most stupid. Now let me go and we'll go see Angelus and tell him the good news." All of this was said in a patronizing tone that did nothing to sway him; subtlety was never Drusilla's strong suit.
"Nice try, dear, but I don't answer to you anymore," Spike told her, slicing her throat in one swift movement. Drusilla stared at him with widened eyes as the blood left her body. "Spike?" she gasped out weakly before falling into dust.
He ignored her, taking a few steps towards his next victim: Willow. He caught her by surprise, pressing the blade to her neck, but refrained from killing her right off. Shocked, Willow turned and said, in a surprisingly gentle voice, "Spike, what are you doing?" Catching sight of Drusilla's remains, she added, "No! You bastard! You killed her!"
Darla answered instead, while Angelus looked on in fright, not daring to move lest he lose his beloved as well as his greatest warrior. "He was the weakest of you all, and the one with the most susceptible mind," Darla said. "I've had a hundred years to twist it in my favor. And it was so easy to coerce him."
Angelus was impressed, but he knew that Spike could easily be talked down with the right words. "Spike, don't be stupid. Put the knife down and get over here. If you do, I'll go easy on you later."
Cordelia took a step forward, demanding Angelus' attention. "The fight's between us, Angelus! Unless you want me to end it quickly while you're distacted..."
He sneered, moving to stand across from her even though Willow's lack of safety still worried him. "Very well. Let's begin. I'm going to enjoy this."
Cordelia adopted a fighting stance, watching Angelus warily and waiting for him to make the first move. He struck out hard, diving directly for Cordelia's neck. But, having not really fought and fought hard for a while, his skills weren't coming easy to him.
Cordelia threw a well-placed punch to his chest, knocking him off balance. While he was down, she rushed forward and brought down the stake, aimed for his heart. However, Angelus caught it easily, squeezing both the stake and her hand, splintering the weapon and breaking a finger or two. "Fool, you think I would go down that easily?!?" he roared.
Meanwhile, Spike abruptly clubbed Willow on the back of the head, knocking her unconcious for the time being. He grabbed a set of keys from her jacket pocket, sliding them across the floor towards Xander and Darla before rising to delay Angelus' remaining minions.
Cordelia knocked Angelus away from her with her good hand, then stood and circled him, looking for a weak spot. He whipped around and stood, faster than she remembered him being, and grabbed her shoulders roughly. "Too bad, you actually made one hell of a Slayer," he whispered, his face inches from hers.
Cordelia seized him by the throat, holding him in a vise-like grip. "I still am," she answered in a low voice, tossing him effortlessly towards the nearby balcony. Angelus twisted in midair, grabbing the bottom railing and hauling himself up. Upon seeing he was attempting to flee, Cordelia vaulted up to the catwalk after him, using the nearby table as a springboard.
Once Cordelia got her footing, she launched herself into him, kicking and punching hard and fast. Angelus fell against the railing under her assault, taking note of a pile of broken crates on the floor below. To Cordelia, he said dangrously, "If I go down, I'm taking you with me, Slayer."
"Mindless threat noted and discarded," Cordy replied as she moved in for the kill, stake in hand. Taking that as his cue, Angelus seized her firmly by both arms, moving to a gap in the railing and deliberately falling backwards. Upon seeing his intent, Cordelia screamed as she fell with him.
Xander looked up from rubbing at his sore wrists, horrified by the sight that greeted him. He was frozen to the spot, aware that his "inner voice" was screaming in anguish, while Darla rushed forward to try and help. However, she quickly found it was too late. Angelus was instantly dust and Cordelia lay where she had fallen, painfully still.
Darla pulled Cordelia from the wreckage, laying her flat on the ground and surveying the damage. Gently, she removed the piece of jagged wood from the girl's chest, simultaneously checking to see if she was still alive. Finding that there was still a somewhat steady pulse, Darla removed her velvet jacket, pressing it to the wound and wincing as it elicited a moan from the Slayer.
Cordelia stirred slightly after a time and weakly motioned for Xander. Holding Darla's hand, she gasped weakly from the pain. Xander knelt by Cordelia's side, taking her other hand and knowing instantly that she was dying. "Oh, God, don't die," he said, prompted by that little voice inside. "You can't leave me, leave us!"
Gazing up at him with pained brown eyes, she said, "Xander, I know you're not Alex... my Alex, but there is so much of him in you. Take care of your Willow. She needs you, just as much as you need her."
"I will," Xander promised her, tears springing to his eyes. Before he could say anything further, Darla took him aside.
In a whisper, the blonde vampiress said, "The injuries are too severe. Even with all the medical skills I learned... Cordelia only has a few hours at the most." She paused, then added, quite offhandedly, "Damn you, Angelus! I wish I'd never met you!"
Darla took a moment to calm herself, then said, "If only there was something we could do so she could see Alex again. I would hate it, knowing they would never see each other again."
Xander broke in at this. "Don't talk like she's already dead! We can still get Alex back," he replied, glancing towards what remained of Angelus. "Only... Only, without him, there's no way to reverse the spell." Xander settled back, hopes sinking when Spike approached, holding a handcuffed Willow.
"Not so," Spike informed them. "Willow can reverse it."
Darla looked up in surprise, stroking Cordelia's forehead with one hand. "What are you talking about? Only the person who cast the spell can revoke it..."
Spike shook his head violently. "That's just it. Angelus didn't want you to know and thus put an end to it easily. Willow cast the spell, not him. It is hers to break."
Xander stood. "But how? She won't do it willingly..."
Darla grinned and put in, "Who said anything about her doing this willingly?" She stood, walking over and taking Willow from Spike. "I may have a soul, but I haven't lost any of my old torturing techniques. Give me an hour, and I'll have her screaming for mercy."
Xander eyed both of them and declared, a bit pale faced, "Are you sure there's not another way? I mean, Willow is in there somewhere. Do you really want to hurt her that bad?"
Darla halted at his words, suddenly having an idea forming in her mind. Handing the redhead back to Spike, she told him, "Take her to Cordelia's apartment. We'll be close behind." Darla watched him leave, then turned to see to Cordelia's injuries. Once she was certain it was safe for the Slayer to be moved, Darla picked her up gently, leaving the warehouse with Xander trailing after her...