Title: The Power of Love

Author: Alan Hitchen

Feedback: Would be nice

Disclaimer: BTVS and its characters belong to Joss Whedon et al

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Cordelia must save a life and make a choice

…

"I love you Cordelia."

The words echoed around the darkened classroom. No reply came.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." said the voice.

An etiolated hand reached out of the gloom and flicked the light switch on. The serried ranks of fluorescent lights flickered into life revealing the gagged and bound figure of Cordelia Chase sitting at a desk. Her captor approached and gently removed the gag from her mouth. Cordelia replied harshly.

"How can you say that? You don't know what the word means. I know what you are. You may look like my friend but you're not. You're just wearing her body like I'd wear a coat. At the dead heart of you is a demon, a creature of pure evil. You wouldn't know love even if it leapt up and bit your throat out."

The vampire that wore the face of Willow Rosenberg sat down facing her.

"But you're wrong Cordelia. Yes I am a demon at heart, but I have everything your friend had. Her body, her memories, her innermost thoughts and feelings. She loves you and therefore so do I. It's a strange concept I'll admit. I don't fully understand it myself, but I can't help responding to it. It is so strong that even I, a creature of pure evil as you say, can't ignore it. So I find myself a slave to her passion, driven by her desires, that's why we're here."

Cordelia remained unconvinced. "This is insane. Willow never loved me. She didn’t even like me very much. This is just some sick attempt to seduce me. To have some fun before you kill me, isn't it?"

Willow sighed. "Again you are wrong Cordelia. I can't hurt you. She won't allow it. She won't let me harm anyone."

"So what are you up to? Why did you stop Buffy from staking you? Why kidnap me?" asked a puzzled Cordelia.

"Because Willow can be saved. Before her death she had taken precautions against such an eventuality. Her soul is held safe in a vandermeer crystal. It's hidden under her bed along with the incantations that will expel me and restore her soul to her body. She can live again."

"Why tell me this? It'll mean the death of you won't it?"

Willow smiled. "No, I can't be killed. I'll just be returned to the demon dimension and your friend will be restored to you. It's what you want isn't it?"

"Yes, but I still don't understand why you're doing this or why you need me?"

"Because she won’t let me feed, either I do this or I starve, so I’m doing this. I need you to restore Willow to her to her body and by doing so you’ll prove that her love for you is not misplaced. She'd have never told you how she felt, for fear of rejection, but I thought you should know the truth. She won't know I've said this, so it's up to you to do something about it if you want to."

Willow stood up, gazing at her captive. "I'm intrigued Cordelia. The demon within only sees you as another hot snack, but she sees so much more. To inspire such emotion is a very rare thing." She moved forward to untie Cordelia but then hesitated.

"Ah, what the hell." she declared, and kissed Cordelia passionately on the startled girl's lips, before releasing her. She took her hand and led the flushed Cordelia towards the door. "Come on," she said, you've got work to do. Willow is waiting for you."

...

Cordelia looked around Willow's bedroom once again. All was exactly as it should be, except for a neatly labelled row of packages lying on the bed and a glowing crystal in its display box. It could have been a snow globe, but it wasn't, and the glow came from Willow's soul imprisoned within it.

"So tell me again, what do I have to do?"

The vampire Willow pulled an exasperated face. "We don't have time for this. Unless you act now I will be too strongly attached to this body and your Willow will be trapped forever in that crystal. Remember also, with me gone she will be returned to what is essentially a dead body, so she'll need immediate medical treatment if she is to live."

"Okay. Okay. I get the picture." Cordelia gestured at the packages on the bed. "Spell one gets rid of you. Spell two puts Willow back in her body. Spell three keeps her alive long enough for me to get her to the hospital. Right?"

"That's it. She trusts you to get it right, so don't let her down," she said sharply.

"A fat lot you care!" Cordelia retorted.

Willow looked hurt. "Strangely enough I do. Willow Rosenberg is a most remarkable woman. It would be a great pity if she were to perish from this earth before her time."

Cordelia snorted with derision. "Now I've seen everything. A vampire with scruples."

Willow smiled wryly. "I'll take that as a compliment. Well, goodbye Cordelia, it's been an experience, for both of us."

Suddenly Cordelia found herself being held firmly in vampire Willow's cool embrace, looking down into those expressive green eyes of hers.

"Don't forget I - she - loves you very much. Don't bring her back for nothing."

She kissed Cordelia tenderly, and this time Cordelia did not resist, then she stepped back and lay down on the floor.

"Okay, let's do it," she said.

Cordelia set to work.

...

Half an hour later Cordelia's car screeched up to the entrance of the emergency room. Her piercing calls for help quickly brought the trauma team running out to the car. They began an urgent examination at once. They seemed very familiar with Willow's condition.

"It's another code five." called someone from inside the melee. "She needs blood and plasma now!" shouted another. And with that, they pulled her from the vehicle, slapped her on a gurney, and raced her away to begin their life saving work.

The confused scene faded into a blur as Cordelia's eyes filled with tears. She hadn't cried in years, well in public anyway, but now the stresses and strains of the night's events were beginning to take their toll, as she began to sob uncontrollably.

Did the spells work? Had she performed them correctly? Was she in time? Would Willow live? And if she did survive, what on earth could she say, knowing what she did about Willow's secret love for her?

For all these things only time would tell. It always does.

...

The Scooby Gang had come and gone. Only Cordelia remained at the bedside, holding Willow's hand, desperately wanting her to live. Willow's pallid face, framed in an untidy shock of red hair, looked angelic, or would have done, had it not been half hidden by tubes and wires. The steady beep of the heart monitor lulled the tired Cordelia to the edge of sleep.

...

"Hi honey, I'm home!"

Willow stuck her head out of the study. "Oh, so you are. What do you want, an Oscar?"

"Oh, very funny," replied Cordelia, "I got the part."

"You did? That's fantastic!" said Willow as she shut down her computer. She ran into Cordelia's arms to give her a kiss and a cuddle.

Cordelia beamed with happiness. "This is it Will. I'm finally on the A list."

Willow stroked her hair and nuzzled her neck. "You've always been on my A list, darling. Shall we go out and celebrate?"

"Yes let's, and how was your day?"

"Oh, same old, same old, a programmers work is never done."

"But luckily its also very well paid," chipped in Cordelia. "How else could we have managed during my lean years?"

...

Cordelia awoke with a start, and for a moment didn't know where she was. Then she realised what it was that had woken her. Willow was clutching her fingers - hard. She was awake but unable to speak. Cordelia rang for the doctor.

"Your friend is extremely lucky, Miss Chase. Such a massive loss of blood would normally be fatal, but she's going to make a full recovery. She's sleeping now, and my advice to you is to go home and do the same. You can visit her later."

...

Cordelia had never thought about it before. Now she could think of nothing else. A relationship with another woman - with Willow - could it work?

It did in her dreams. Every night she could see a happy home life based on love, trust, and mutual respect. What could be better than that?

In real life, however, she knew things could be quite different, the whole thing needed very careful consideration.

She had been putting off visiting the convalescent Willow until she was certain of her feelings towards her. After much deliberation she had made her decision. She was sure it was the right one. She would tell her today.

...

"Hi Cordy. Long time. No see." said Willow brightly, as she sat up in bed to greet her friend.

Cordelia entered the room and stood at the foot of the bed, her eyes fixed upon the duvet, not daring to look at her directly.

"Buffy says I've got you to thank for saving my life, though she's a bit hazy on the details. So, I was hoping you could fill me in about... What's the matter Cordy?"

Cordelia looked up to meet Willow's puzzled gaze, and after what seemed like a lifetime, she spoke.

"I love you Willow."

...

(From the diary of Cordelia Chase)

"I'd been searching for something I didn't really believe existed, but I found it was there all the time, right under my nose. True love, and Willow Rosenberg, what a combination!"