Title: The Power of Love
Author: Alan Hitchen
E-mail: akh@bushinternet.com
Feedback: Would be nice
Disclaimer: BTVS and its characters belong to Joss Whedon et al.
Rating: PG

...


"I love you Cordelia."

The words echoed around the empty 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 flourescent 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 spoke harshly in reply.

"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 resist it, so I find myself a slave to her 
passion, driven by her desires, that's why we are here."

Cordelia remained unconvinced. "This is insane. Willow never loved me. 
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?"

The creature that looked like 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 are doing this or why you 
need me?"

"Because she will not let me feed. Either I do this or I starve. So I'm 
doing this. I need you to restore Willow to her body and by doing so 
prove that her love for you is not misplaced." She would never have 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 strong emotions 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 looked like a snow 
globe, but it wasn't, and the glow was coming 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 to 
be removed, and Willow will be trapped in that crystal forever. Remember 
also, when I am gone she will be returned to what is essentially a dead 
body, so she'll need immediate medical treatment if she is to live."

"Ok. Ok. I get the picture." Cordelia gestured at the row of packages. 
"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 is trusting you to get it right, so don't let her down."

"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. "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.

"Ok, 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. Willow's comatose body lay next to her. Her piercing 
calls for help quickly brought the trauma team running out to the car. 
They began an urgent examination at once. They seemed to be very 
familiar with Willow's condition.

"It's another code five," called someone from the melee. "She needs 
blood and plasma now!" shouted another. 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, at least not 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.

Had the spells worked? 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 it 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?" she asked.

"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?" asked Cordelia.

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

"But luckily it's also very well payed," 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 homelife 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 to be very carefully considered before she acted.

She'd been putting off visiting the convalescent Willow until she was 
certain of her feelings towards her. After much deliberation she had 
finally made her decision. She was sure it was the right one. She'd 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 detail. 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!"

THE END