|
|
He arrived at Cordelia's apartment perhaps half an hour past the time he'd been returned to his world. Upon reaching the correct room, Alex pounded frantically on the door until Ethan opened it for him. Rushing in, moving to Cordelia's bedside, Alex asked hurriedly, "How is she?"
Ethan trailed behind at a slower pace, his expression grim. "It doesn't look good," he answered. "Although I swear she was hanging on just to be able to see you one last time."
Alex took all that into account with a heavy heart, kneeling by the bed and taking one of Cordelia's hands in his own. Stroking her face with his other hand, feeling a lump in his throat, he said, "Oh, baby... Don't leave me, please!"
Cordelia stirred and opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, turning her head to gaze at him. "Alex?" she asked, sounding very tired and weak.
"I'm here," he assured her. "I made it back." Alex paused, then added, "You're gonna be fine, Cordy. Just hang in there."
She closed her eyes for a bit. "It's better this way, Alex... If I were to live, I'd only be in the way... you and Willow."
Alex was confused, but he didn't want Cordelia to talk any more than necessary. So, he turned to Ethan instead, seeking an explanation.
Taking a step forward, Ethan said, "Now that Angelus is destroyed, Darla has gone to the gypsy tribe to inform them and have them restore her mortality... She's taken Willow with her, Alex, on the hope that the same can be done for your former love... In a few days, if all goes well, you'll have back the girlfriend you lost."
Alex's eyes brimmed with tears as he looked back at Cordelia. She spoke before he could, reaching up to stroke his face. "My last gift to you, my love," she said. "I always sensed that you still loved her, no matter how much time passed... I give you and Willow back the life you should have had before I entered it."
Alex bit his lip to stifle a sob, then leaned closer and kissed Cordelia gently on the forehead. "I love you," he whispered. "You can leave knowing I'll hold your memory in my heart, Cordy." He pulled back, gazing into her brown eyes. "You were the only Slayer I've known in this world, but in my eyes, you were the greatest there ever was. I'm sure that whoever comes next, she won't live up to your standards."
Cordelia smiled sadly. "I love you too, Alex... I pray that..." At that, Cordelia's strength failed her, and she let out a soft moan as her life left her. Her hand grew lifeless in Alex's grip, telling him that she was gone. Gently, with a numb feeling, he laid that hand on her chest, reaching up to close her eyes. With that action, he burst into tears, grieving over his loss...
Days later, standing over the fresh grave of the lost Slayer, his lost wife, Alex strangely found himself not feeling an ounce of pain. He had lost her unfairly, tragically; that much was true. But yet, in a few days, he knew for certain that the Willow he had once loved would be returning to him.
Ethan had vanished after the funeral, leaving a note that merely said his purpose in life was gone. Alex didn't know where the elder man would go or what fate would befall him, but Alex wished him well in whatever he chose. Darla, on the other hand, had called two days after Cordelia's death, saying that her life had given back to her, as well as Willow, and that she was sending the redhead home to him. When Alex questioned her on what she had planned, Darla had slyly mentioned something about going to school for a nursing degree.
Coming back to the present, Alex stepped forward and lay a bouquet of carnations on top of the grave, tracing his hand over the engraving of the tombstone. CORDELIA CHASE-HARRIS, it read in big blocky letters, BELOVED WIFE AND CONFIDANT. SHE WILL BE SORELY MISSED.
After a long moment, Alex stood, eyes cast downward. "Be happy, Cordy, wherever you may be," he whispered. Then, he looked up, to a sight he had been long waiting to see. Willow was walking to meet him, her mood a mixture between joy and sadness, as the sun she had previously hid from shined down to reveal her in all her glory. Just before he moved to approach her as well, Alex's thoughts drifted to Xander and the same redhead he had known in another world.
"I wish you both well, too," Alex whispered, even though they couldn't hear him. "May the two of you have as happy a future as my Willow and I will." And with that, he moved to embrace, finally, the girl he knew he was meant to be with for the rest of his life...