This is the last chapter, so thank you to everybody who read and reviewed.
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Chapter Nine: Love Song For A Vampire
Cordelia didn't know how long she and Angel been locked in each other's arms. She wasn't wearing a watch. She had the feeling that even if she had been, she wouldn't have been able to read it. It was that kind of night. Some time earlier, she had dimly registered a dirty look from a girl she recognised as one from the bar. It had made her giggle, which had required an explanation. Soon, they had both been giggling.
Dreamily, she smiled. Her vampire … and he *was* hers … giggling like a little girl. Dork.
"But," she told him aloud, "you're *my* dork."
"I should be offended," Angel replied, leaning his forehead against hers, "but I keep getting distracted…"
He kissed her again, ran his hand down her cheek, trailed his fingers across her collarbone and drew her even closer to him. She shivered.
"Angel…" she mumbled. "Angel … I'm getting, I mean … we should st-"
"Don't wanna," the vampire whispered against her throat.
"Me *unbelievably* much neither. And yet."
Angel pulled away with a sigh. "And yet," he agreed sadly.
Cordelia took his hands in hers, noted that their trembling matched her own. "Those Powers have a lot to answer for," she said glumly.
The vampire nodded, pulled her back to him and rested his chin on her shoulder. "If I ever meet 'em, we're gonna have-"
"A loooong talk," she finished for him. "You know it, mister."
They stood there for a while, Cordelia with her back to his chest, his arms tucked around her waist. Angel wasn't aware of the moment the music changed, but Cordelia was, because she suddenly straightened.
"Oh my god," she said softly.
"What?" Angel asked, oblivious to anything but her nearness.
She cocked her head. "This song … I can't believe it." She whirled in his arms, locking her hands behind his neck. "Dance with me."
Angel shuffled uncomfortably. "Cordy…"
"Dance with me," she repeated softly, and kissed him.
The vampire weakened under this onslaught, but still managed, "Cordy, I can't-"
The Seer interrupted him with a hand over his mouth. "As we've established, there are a lot of things we can't do." He opened his mouth again, so she shut it for him. "A lot of things," she clarified, pressing herself against him in a way that made his knees weak. "But we can dance, Angel. We can have that."
Angel drew in a shaky breath as her body began to move sensuously against his own. "No fair," he complained half-heartedly.
She smiled devastatingly. "Uh-huh." Her lips captured his own just long enough for him to lean forward into the kiss before she broke away. "Dance with me, Angel," she whispered.
And he broke.
As they made their way to the floor, she turned to him. Lacing a hand in his hair, she whispered into his ear. "This music," she told him. "Angel, it's called Love Song For A Vampire."
Angel couldn't believe how much he loved her.
She wrapped her arms around him and melted into him as the song played. And he surrendered to her completely. For the first time, the vampire and the Seer were locked in a battle neither wanted to end.
Song after song came and went, and still they danced. Because finally, they could.
* * *
Xander dropped into the seat beside Buffy and handed her a drink. The Slayer muttered something unintelligible.
"Okay," said Xander, "that could have been a 'Thank you, Xander,' or you might have been cursing me in Japanese."
Buffy smiled half-heartedly and patted his hand. "Sorry. Thank you."
"What's with the grim?"
"Cordelia Part Two: The Strangeness Continues." She gestured to the couple on the dance floor and shook her head. "I mean, *look* at that. I know I haven't been to LA in a while, but did they change it to an alternate universe or something?"
Xander turned just as Cordelia executed a devastating double-spin, came up short and fell laughing into Angel's waiting arms. The glimmer of a smile crossed Xander's face. That look of Cordy's, the laughter and warmth that exuded from her. He'd never seen her so unselfconscious. So natural. So real. For the first time since Xander had known her, Cordelia had eyes for nobody else in the room. She wasn't trying to make a statement or impress anybody, wasn't surreptitiously looking for a better option, didn't care how she looked or what anybody thought of her. Her whole heart was focused on the tall vampire who was holding her as tenderly as if she were glass and as tightly as if she were smoke that might slip away.
"Buff, as unspeakable as this may sound, coming from *my* lips, no less … Deadboy actually looks kinda … happy."
"Don't call him that," Buffy responded automatically, and resumed her intense scrutiny of the dancing couple.
Xander watched her quietly for a few moments before asking, "Are you okay?"
Buffy sighed. "Yeah. Of course."
"Ah, yes. Cause that's your 'okay' face."
"No, really." Buffy picked up her drink and turned to Xander. "Angel and Cordelia's business is their business, you know? I don't have a right to feel this way. Not any more. And especially since Sp-" She caught herself, and paled with shock at what she'd almost revealed.
"Sp?" Xander asked with a grin. "Spears? Spigots? Sputnik?"
"Yes," Buffy deadpanned. "Since the Russians made with space travel."
Xander chuckled, then sobered. "Look, Buffy, I don't know exactly what's going on with them, either. But think about it. I was doing this little tally o' weirdness in my head, counting up all the strange stuff that happened here since they left. Guess where I got up to?"
"Eleventy thousand?"
"Lost count right around 'Willow's gay' and 'We merged our essences to make Matrix Buffy'," admitted Xander. "People change. Stuff … happens, you know?"
The Slayer nodded emphatically. "Yeah. Stuff. Angel and Cordelia in a more than platonic groove kind of stuff."
Xander gave a tiny shrug. "Look, you know De-, um, Angel and I never really- "
"Liked each other even a tiny bit?"
"There is that, yes. But much as it pains me to say it, he's one of the good guys. And Cordy-"
"Is completely different."
"You noticed that too, huh?"
"Yeah, the radiant glow kind of gave her away." Taking a deep breath, she added, "Plus, she's not the Cordelia I remember any more. She's actually really … nice. Who'd-a thunk it?" She looked out onto the dance floor again. "They've changed each other, haven't they? For the good."
Xander followed her eyes. "Looks like it."
They were quiet for a while.
"I've decided to be Magnanimous Man," said Xander suddenly. "I think they deserve this. You know, one demon for another?"
Buffy glanced across at the couple again, and despite herself, a smile touched her lips. "Maybe you're right. Look."
Out on the dance floor, wrapped in Angel's arms, Cordelia had begun to glow.
THE END
1.1.1.1 Love Song For A Vampire – Annie Lennox
Come into these arms again
And lay your body down
Rhythm of this trembling heart
Is beating like a drum
It beats for you
It bleeds for you
It knows not how it sounds
For it is the drum of drums
It is the song of songs…
Once I had the rarest rose
that ever deigned to bloom
Cruel winter chilled the bud
and stole my flower too soon
Loneliness … old hopelessness …
To search the ends of time
For there is in all the world
No greater love than mine
Still falls the rain (still falls the rain)
Still falls the rain
Be mine forever (be mine forever)
Let me be the only one
To keep you from the cold
1.2 For now the floor of hell is laid
With stars of brightest gold
They shine for you
They shine for you
They burn for all to see
Come into these arms again…
…and set this spirit free.
Chapter Nine: Love Song For A Vampire
Cordelia didn't know how long she and Angel been locked in each other's arms. She wasn't wearing a watch. She had the feeling that even if she had been, she wouldn't have been able to read it. It was that kind of night. Some time earlier, she had dimly registered a dirty look from a girl she recognised as one from the bar. It had made her giggle, which had required an explanation. Soon, they had both been giggling.
Dreamily, she smiled. Her vampire … and he *was* hers … giggling like a little girl. Dork.
"But," she told him aloud, "you're *my* dork."
"I should be offended," Angel replied, leaning his forehead against hers, "but I keep getting distracted…"
He kissed her again, ran his hand down her cheek, trailed his fingers across her collarbone and drew her even closer to him. She shivered.
"Angel…" she mumbled. "Angel … I'm getting, I mean … we should st-"
"Don't wanna," the vampire whispered against her throat.
"Me *unbelievably* much neither. And yet."
Angel pulled away with a sigh. "And yet," he agreed sadly.
Cordelia took his hands in hers, noted that their trembling matched her own. "Those Powers have a lot to answer for," she said glumly.
The vampire nodded, pulled her back to him and rested his chin on her shoulder. "If I ever meet 'em, we're gonna have-"
"A loooong talk," she finished for him. "You know it, mister."
They stood there for a while, Cordelia with her back to his chest, his arms tucked around her waist. Angel wasn't aware of the moment the music changed, but Cordelia was, because she suddenly straightened.
"Oh my god," she said softly.
"What?" Angel asked, oblivious to anything but her nearness.
She cocked her head. "This song … I can't believe it." She whirled in his arms, locking her hands behind his neck. "Dance with me."
Angel shuffled uncomfortably. "Cordy…"
"Dance with me," she repeated softly, and kissed him.
The vampire weakened under this onslaught, but still managed, "Cordy, I can't-"
The Seer interrupted him with a hand over his mouth. "As we've established, there are a lot of things we can't do." He opened his mouth again, so she shut it for him. "A lot of things," she clarified, pressing herself against him in a way that made his knees weak. "But we can dance, Angel. We can have that."
Angel drew in a shaky breath as her body began to move sensuously against his own. "No fair," he complained half-heartedly.
She smiled devastatingly. "Uh-huh." Her lips captured his own just long enough for him to lean forward into the kiss before she broke away. "Dance with me, Angel," she whispered.
And he broke.
As they made their way to the floor, she turned to him. Lacing a hand in his hair, she whispered into his ear. "This music," she told him. "Angel, it's called Love Song For A Vampire."
Angel couldn't believe how much he loved her.
She wrapped her arms around him and melted into him as the song played. And he surrendered to her completely. For the first time, the vampire and the Seer were locked in a battle neither wanted to end.
Song after song came and went, and still they danced. Because finally, they could.
* * *
Xander dropped into the seat beside Buffy and handed her a drink. The Slayer muttered something unintelligible.
"Okay," said Xander, "that could have been a 'Thank you, Xander,' or you might have been cursing me in Japanese."
Buffy smiled half-heartedly and patted his hand. "Sorry. Thank you."
"What's with the grim?"
"Cordelia Part Two: The Strangeness Continues." She gestured to the couple on the dance floor and shook her head. "I mean, *look* at that. I know I haven't been to LA in a while, but did they change it to an alternate universe or something?"
Xander turned just as Cordelia executed a devastating double-spin, came up short and fell laughing into Angel's waiting arms. The glimmer of a smile crossed Xander's face. That look of Cordy's, the laughter and warmth that exuded from her. He'd never seen her so unselfconscious. So natural. So real. For the first time since Xander had known her, Cordelia had eyes for nobody else in the room. She wasn't trying to make a statement or impress anybody, wasn't surreptitiously looking for a better option, didn't care how she looked or what anybody thought of her. Her whole heart was focused on the tall vampire who was holding her as tenderly as if she were glass and as tightly as if she were smoke that might slip away.
"Buff, as unspeakable as this may sound, coming from *my* lips, no less … Deadboy actually looks kinda … happy."
"Don't call him that," Buffy responded automatically, and resumed her intense scrutiny of the dancing couple.
Xander watched her quietly for a few moments before asking, "Are you okay?"
Buffy sighed. "Yeah. Of course."
"Ah, yes. Cause that's your 'okay' face."
"No, really." Buffy picked up her drink and turned to Xander. "Angel and Cordelia's business is their business, you know? I don't have a right to feel this way. Not any more. And especially since Sp-" She caught herself, and paled with shock at what she'd almost revealed.
"Sp?" Xander asked with a grin. "Spears? Spigots? Sputnik?"
"Yes," Buffy deadpanned. "Since the Russians made with space travel."
Xander chuckled, then sobered. "Look, Buffy, I don't know exactly what's going on with them, either. But think about it. I was doing this little tally o' weirdness in my head, counting up all the strange stuff that happened here since they left. Guess where I got up to?"
"Eleventy thousand?"
"Lost count right around 'Willow's gay' and 'We merged our essences to make Matrix Buffy'," admitted Xander. "People change. Stuff … happens, you know?"
The Slayer nodded emphatically. "Yeah. Stuff. Angel and Cordelia in a more than platonic groove kind of stuff."
Xander gave a tiny shrug. "Look, you know De-, um, Angel and I never really- "
"Liked each other even a tiny bit?"
"There is that, yes. But much as it pains me to say it, he's one of the good guys. And Cordy-"
"Is completely different."
"You noticed that too, huh?"
"Yeah, the radiant glow kind of gave her away." Taking a deep breath, she added, "Plus, she's not the Cordelia I remember any more. She's actually really … nice. Who'd-a thunk it?" She looked out onto the dance floor again. "They've changed each other, haven't they? For the good."
Xander followed her eyes. "Looks like it."
They were quiet for a while.
"I've decided to be Magnanimous Man," said Xander suddenly. "I think they deserve this. You know, one demon for another?"
Buffy glanced across at the couple again, and despite herself, a smile touched her lips. "Maybe you're right. Look."
Out on the dance floor, wrapped in Angel's arms, Cordelia had begun to glow.
THE END
1.1.1.1 Love Song For A Vampire – Annie Lennox
Come into these arms again
And lay your body down
Rhythm of this trembling heart
Is beating like a drum
It beats for you
It bleeds for you
It knows not how it sounds
For it is the drum of drums
It is the song of songs…
Once I had the rarest rose
that ever deigned to bloom
Cruel winter chilled the bud
and stole my flower too soon
Loneliness … old hopelessness …
To search the ends of time
For there is in all the world
No greater love than mine
Still falls the rain (still falls the rain)
Still falls the rain
Be mine forever (be mine forever)
Let me be the only one
To keep you from the cold
1.2 For now the floor of hell is laid
With stars of brightest gold
They shine for you
They shine for you
They burn for all to see
Come into these arms again…
…and set this spirit free.