Chapter One

Champions and The Afterlife Are Easily Parted

Disclaimer: I didn't do it. If I did, I would be pretty damn awesome. Supernatural, Angel, and Buffy belong to Eric Kripke, Joss Whedon, and other people who aren't me.
Timeline: Post “Not Fade Away, Post “No Rest For The Wicked”. Obviously this means there will be spoilers for all seasons of BtVS & Ats, and seasons 1-3 of SPN. Also, slight spoilers for S4 Ep1 of SPN.
Summary: Cordelia must be losing her mind. Or she just gained a whole new one. Either way, it sucks. At least she'll have company, though. Even if he is kinda' dirty.
A/N: It just popped into my head. Not sure where it's going, but then I rarely am when I start these things. No beta for this one, so no one but me can be blamed. You know the drill. Point it out if it's wrong, and I'll fix it.

-:-

September 18, 2008

She ran.

Panic clutched at her chest, demanding more oxygen even as its presence caused her body to push harder, burning away the short frantic bursts of air faster than she could draw them in. A desperate mantra of faster! faster! in her head to match the deafening rhythm in her chest, commanding her legs to keep pumping, and a strangled sob forced its way out between her labored breaths as she realized it wasn't enough.

Oh God, I'm gonna die!

Her feet pounded erratically against the pavement in answer to that thought, her whole body rebelling against it with every ounce of strength not yet expended.

An animalistic roar sounded from somewhere behind her, still too close, and the renewed sense of urgency provided a burst of energy that refused to heed her burning muscles. Another roar from a different direction and she turned sharply to the left, then stumbled. She fell to her knees, scraping her palms as she thrust her hands forward to keep from face-planting. She launched forward in a half-crawl before quickly scrambling back to her feet and glancing back over her shoulder to try and catch sight of her pursuers.

Their forms were lost to the darkness but she could still hear the vicious howls and snarls that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Her attention diverted, she didn't see the dark shape materialize ahead of her until she collided with something solid that knocked the breath from her.

She bounced off of it with a high-pitched squeal and looked up into glowing yellow eyes. Swallowing convulsively as the others caught up and surrounded her, her heart made a valiant effort to free itself from the confines of her chest as if to save these monsters the trouble of killing her.

The flight was over. Fighting was her only option now.

If only she'd taken her boyfriend up on paying for those self-defense classes. She was seriously regretting her remark that she didn't need to defend herself because she had a big, strong man to protect her. The same man who'd taken one look at these monsters and run away screaming, leaving her frozen in terror in the parking lot outside of that fancy restaurant. Alone.

Sweat beaded out all over her body, her slinky black dress clinging to her bronzed skin as she took in her assailants with wide, fearful brown eyes. Her new shoes had been lost in her frantic retreat as the strappy, heeled nuisances had nearly caused a sprained ankle and her bare feet were scraped and sore. The long, brown hair she had so meticulously styled in preparation for the evening had fallen from its clips, hung around her shoulders and clung to her face in damp strands. She wiped away one of the stray hairs as it fell over her eye and evaluated her situation.

Her eyes darted around the empty park and slid over a sign that declared the area to be off limits after ten p.m. Calling for help was not a likely option, then. She eyed the immediate vicinity: nothing but grass and trees, sidewalks that wound up and around the sloping landscape, and a few scattered benches. Nothing that she could see to use as a weapon.

The rise and fall of her chest seemed to captivate the disfigured creature directly in front of her. It cocked its head, eyes sparking with something she really didn't want to think about as it sniffed at the air and ran a tongue over its protruding and horribly sharp teeth.

Fangs, a voice in her head provided, a voice that sometimes whispered other things to her. Crazy things that she was constantly trying to ignore for fear of her sanity being called into question.

But that voice knew this. She knew this if she was being realistic and let herself admit it. At least, a part of her did.

“Delicious,” the creature before her hissed, scenting something in the air.

The other two on either side of her snickered their agreement, and she slowly began to back away.

Faster than her sight could register, she was spun around as the monster pressed against her back with an arm that may as well been made of steel holding her in place. She whimpered and her mind raced as it used its free hand to jerk her head to the side, brushing her hair away to bare her neck.

It released an appreciative growl, almost a purr, as it nuzzled her throat and allowed its tongue to trace a line up the length of it. “So sweet,” it whispered in a way that sent shivers up her spine and made her skin crawl.

Images of the things it could do to her, of the things its tone suggested it wanted to do, flashed through her mind and filled her with terror. She couldn't let that happen. She had to fight. A quick death would be infinitely better, she was certain.

As she felt the fangs begin to pierce her neck, that other part of her, the source of the voice that spoke lunacy, was too disgusted to be afraid. That part of her refused to suffer this insult from such filth and suddenly the voice wasn't whispering anymore. It was shouting, filling her head.

And this time she listened.

Her face hardened as she brought her hands up and grabbed the vampire's arm at the same time she positioned her feet for better balance. She pulled the vampire's body closer and jerked forward, using her body weight to flip it over her shoulder and send it sprawling on its back in the grass.

Using their momentary shock to her advantage, she sprinted toward the nearest tree and reached it just as they registered her escape and tore after her. She had no plans for escape, though. She knew she'd never outrun them and grasped the lowest hanging tree branch that she judged to be thick enough to wield repeatedly without breaking. She wasn't endowed with much upper body strength, though, and snapping the branch off proved somewhat of a challenge.

Her eyes widened again when she glanced back to see they were nearly on top of her and she redoubled her efforts, practically hanging off of it in hopes that her weight would tear it free. She was rewarded with a loud crack and spun to face the oncoming threat, catching one directly in the chest before it crumbled to dust.

The part of her that was usually in control was completely unprepared for the display, but she didn't allow herself to freak out over it now. There would be time for that later. If she survived.

When, the voice insisted, and she didn't argue. That was more than fine with her.

She kicked out at the remaining lackey as it advanced with a snarl, sending it stumbling backward until it tripped and rolled downhill. She turned her attention to the leader and her expression turned thunderous. “You bit me, you jackass!”

The vampire didn't seem at all deterred by the death of its brethren or the way she held the makeshift weapon in her fist, ready to strike if it made a move toward her. “Relax, doll,” it snarled. “Just wanted a taste. Wasn't gonna kill ya.”

It was caught off guard as her face broke into a grin that managed to be dazzling and calculating at the same time. “I know,” she growled, using the distraction to plunge the wood into its unbeating heart.

She turned away before the ash had fully broken apart and stalked down the hill to meet the last vampire as it ambled upward, limping. She launched into a spinning kick and planted a bare foot in its face, sending it back to the ground before she leaped on top of it and pinned it with a knee in its stomach. “Looks like you picked the wrong damsel,” she ground out as she raised the branch over her head.

“We didn't pick nothin'!” the vampire blurted, stalling for time. “We was paid to bring ya in!”

Her eyes narrowed, but she aborted her move to shove the weapon into its chest. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.

“S-some big shot demon! Said you was worth a-a lot to certain folks and he was willin' to pay a pretty p-penny to have you brought in!” he stammered, wide eyes locked on the branch still clenched in her white-knuckled fist.

She grabbed a handful of its dirty black t-shirt with her free hand and yanked it forward, then slammed its head down again. “Who?”

“If I tell ya that, he'll do worse than stake me!”

“What does he want with me?” she tried.

“Didn't really say.”

She jerked the branch in warning.

“O-okay! He mighta said somethin' about power. Knowledge is power and some other nonsense. He says you got the know-how.”

“What else?”

“T-that's all. I-I swear!” It held up its hands defensively and regarded her with a nervous smile. “Ya gonna let me go now?”

She smirked depreciatively. “Right. So you can run back and report to your boss? I really don't think so.” She brought the stick down and rammed it home before standing and waving a hand in front of her face to dispel the dust as she coughed.

Fear and disbelief didn't grip her when it was all over as she had half-expected. She turned to leave the park in somewhat of a daze, planning to head back to her apartment and never speak to her boyfriend again as she put the night's events in the back of her mind, though she didn't dare forget it completely enough to discard the piece of wood in her hand.

But as she traversed the empty streets, the scene replayed over and over in her head, raising so many questions she thought she would go insane. If she hadn't already. After all, if she relayed her encounter with a trio of vampires to anyone, they would certainly have her committed.

There was something else, though. It was all familiar. And those moves. She had never learned to fight like that. At least, she didn't remember ever learning. even though her body seemed to recall the motions.

Something niggled the edges of her memory and she mentally reached for the sensation, as she had so many times before only to have it retreat further into the recesses of her mind. This time, though, she felt something tug, pulling her in as if it had lost all patience, and suddenly she was assaulted with images of a different life.

Flashes.

Sunnydale. Cheerleading. A blond. Slayer. Hellmouth. Witches, werewolves, vampires.

A vampire. The cuddly kind. Redemption. Los Angeles. Helping the helpless.

A half-demon. His death. His visions. Then, her visions. A watcher turned rogue demon hunter. A street kid. A green karaoke demon. Portals, human slaves, a princess. A shy girl from Texas. A baby. A teenager. Love, bright lights, gone. Forgotten.

Awakened. Trapped in her own head. Hurting them. Coma. A kiss.

Death.

Then, a second chance. A new city, a new name, new memories. No more monsters.

She didn't realize she had closed her eyes until they snapped open and she found herself kneeling on the pavement, one hand on the ground for support while the other gripped the stake and pressed against her chest. She gasped and tried for deep, calming breaths, blinking several times at the sudden invasion of bright light and shaking her head.

Wait. Bright light?

Her eyes widened as she glanced around. When did the day come? And where did civilization go?

She found herself kneeling not on the sidewalk she remembered just a few minutes ago, but in the middle of some narrow-lane back road surrounded by brambled woods and unkempt grass, ditches rank with roadkill and the gold-green glow of sunlight filtering through foliage. Birds and bugs chattered noisily from within the dark gaps of shelter, the baked gravel digging in and burning her knees, power lines skimming high across thin air.

“Hey,” a voice said softly.

She flinched, her heart rate ratcheting up another impossible notch as her eyes darted around for the source.

“Are you okay?”

A hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped to her feet, whirling around with her weapon high in the air.

“Whoa!” the guy chuckled nervously, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “I was just checkin' to make sure you were all right. No need for violence.”

She eyed him suspiciously, making no move to lower her weapon as she looked him over and tried to determine his threat potential. He smirked at her, green eyes trying to convey sincerity and reassurance as he locked them with hers.

The first thing that jumped out at her was the filth. He wore a thin, black t-shirt that hinted at the well-muscled form beneath, a faded green over-shirt tied around his waist, both caked in mud. His jeans were equally soiled and worn, the beginnings of tears evident around the knees. She let her eyes travel to his scuffed boots before roving back up again to take in what she could see of his very handsome face beneath the sweat and smears of dirt. He carefully let one muck-covered hand fall to his side and ruffled his short, sandy-colored hair with the other, loosening yet more flakes of dirt that floated to the ground, while he patiently waited for her to finish her assessment.

“I'm okay,” she said in a hollow voice that betrayed her, her posture still rigid and defensive.

He nodded slowly and smiled, evidently confused at her choice in attire as he performed his own assessment and cocked a brow. “It's probably not safe for a girl like you to be alone out here.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You don't say,” she scoffed.

Watching her face as baffled distress warred with confident bravado, he then looked around and noted with slight puzzlement that the only building in sight was a rundown gas station at the end of the road, the exterior faded and crumbling, glass smeared with grime and the rusty pumps sagging as if to lament their neglect.

“I don't suppose you live around here?” he asked rhetorically.

“Yeah, I'm a friggin' wood nymph!” she snapped, her weirdness quota having been exceeded for this lifetime and the stress of it all catching up to her. She brandished the branch agitatedly. “This is my nympho wand and I just appeared before you in my evening gown to grant three wishes!”

He snorted. “Did you just say nympho wand and offer to grant my wishes in the same breath?”

“Okay, mind out of the gutter, pal! So not happening.”

“Yeah, okay. So, wood nymphos aside, what're you doin' here?”

“Why the hell are you asking me? One minute I'm walking home after my boyfriend left me to die at the hands of a bunch of horndogs with teeth, and now I'm here talking to Swamp Thing!”

“Maybe you should try to calm down a little.”

“You calm down! Where the heck did you come from anyway? And where in the crap are we?”

He glanced back over at the gas station. “Let's see if we can find out,” he offered, reaching out to usher her forward.

She jerked back and held her free hand up to warn him off, wagged her finger in his face. “Don't touch me! There will be no touching and no biting!”

Releasing a breath that could have been a half-hearted laugh, he pulled back. “I wasn't planning on any kinky sex,” he said, his gentle tone trying for reassurance despite the quip.

She quirked a delicate brow and scowled. “Please,” she huffed. “I don't do vampires. That's Buffy's thing.”

It was his turn to narrow his eyes as he stared at her like she'd just fallen off the crazy train. “Vampires?”

Her hand subconsciously traced the puncture marks on her neck, the small amount of blood sticking to her fingertips as the presence of the sunlight and what that meant belatedly hit her. Hey, no one could fault a girl for being a little off her game when it had been the middle of the night only moments before and, oh yeah, she had been someone else.

Eyes tracking her movement, his suspicion melted to concern. He moved forward, easily blocking her move to stab him with her stick as he grabbed her wrist and held it still while he checked her over. “Someone bit you?”

She nodded, her wide eyes finding it difficult to catch his expression as he leaned close to her neck. He wasn't trying to kill her, so that was a point in his favor. So far.

“It's not deep,” he assured, stepped back and carefully released her wrist.

“I know.” She wrinkled her nose at the smell that invaded her nostrils due to his proximity. “Look, thanks for your concern and all, but I just wanna go home.”

He nodded shortly. “Yeah, well, I don't know where home is, but maybe we should stick together until we can get you there.”

“No way,” she said vehemently, shaking her head. “First of all, you wreak. No way am I putting up with that smell for another second.” She wrinkled her nose again and took a step back to emphasize that point. “And second, you look like you just crawled out of your grave. If you're not a vampire, then you're some other dead thing I don't wanna be hanging out with.”

“I'm not dead,” he said a touch too defensively.

“Undead. Whatever,” she drawled.

He stood silently for a long moment, apparently deep in thought as he gazed off into the distance and stole glances at her every now and then that seemed to send him into further confusion. To her semi-amusement, his actions bore a striking resemblance to a certain brooding fellow and she surreptitiously covered her mouth to hide the smirk.

Finally, he appeared to reach a decision and extended his arm. “Check my pulse.”

She looked at him dubiously and he nodded in encouragement. Hesitantly, she reached out with her free hand, keeping the other tightly wrapped around the tree branch, and placed two fingers over the inside of his wrist. Relief flooded her features when she detected the steady pulsing beneath his skin and she pulled back, scrunching up her face at the dirt on her fingers.

“Well, good for you,” she said. “You still smell bad.”

He smirked. “I'll try to stay downwind.”

“I can take care of myself,” she insisted.

He pointedly looked over her disheveled appearance. “Yeah, I can see that.”

“Hey, I dusted three vamps and only got a scratch. I'd say that's pretty damn good.”

“Dusted?”

“Yeah. You know, when they go poof?”

“Riiight.”

“Whatever. Just leave me alone,” she clipped, waving him off as she turned on her heel and headed toward the gas station. His boots scuffing against the pavement behind her caught her attention and she spun around, pinning him with a glare. “What are you doing?”

He favored her with a look that said it should be obvious. “Coming with you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You really can't take a hint, can you?”

“Well, I can, but you weren't hinting. You were pretty straightforward and this is me not listening.”

Huffing dramatically, she whirled around to continue on her way. She glanced back at him plodding along behind her and called over her shoulder, “If you're going to be stalking me, you mind throwing me a name? Ya know, so the police report can be more accurate.”

He scratched his head and looked away uncertainly as he shrugged, grimacing. “I, uh, I'm actually not sure.”

“Excuse me?”

“I can't remember,” he mumbled.

She huffed again. “Of course you can't. But I just bet you didn't forget how to be a serial killer.”

“I'm pretty sure I'm not a serial killer,” he said with an amused tilt of his lips. “Well, as sure as I can be with the memory loss, but I don't have any urges to rip your throat out if it makes you feel any better.”

“That's very reassuring.”

He shrugged uncomfortably and shoved his hands into his pockets.

She stopped and stared at him. “You're serious, aren't you? You've really got amnesia.”

“Seems to be the case.”

She rolled her eyes and released a put upon sigh. “Great. Ditched, attacked, teleported, and now I get a charity case!” She raised her eyes to the cloudless sky and tossed her hands up in exasperation. “Thanks a lot!”

Running a hand through her hair, she scowled at the sticky dampness there before appraising him once again. “I guess I have to name you.”

He didn't appear at all enthusiastic at that prospect. “What?”

“It's only temporary,” she assured. “You want me to just call you 'hey you' until you get your memory back?”

“Guess not,” he conceded, then regarded her strangely as the full meaning of that statement sank in. “Wait, until I get my memory back? You seem to have made some long term plans when I wasn't payin' attention.”

She shot him a look that could clearly be interpreted aswell, duh! “What are you gonna do? Wander aimlessly?”

He shrugged, indicating that he hadn't planned that far ahead.

“Uh huh. Don't be an idiot.” She turned and resumed her stroll up the road. “Come on, Dennis.”

He cocked a brow as he trailed after her. “Dennis? Could you possibly come up with a geekier name?”

“I like that name.”

“Fine. Just don't call me that in front of people.”

“That just guarantees that I will.”

“Figures,” he grumbled as he caught up to her and they walked side-by-side. He sighed and looked over at her. “So, you got a name or do I get to return the naming favor?”

“Alic— uh... Cordelia. Cordelia Chase.”

He caught the stumble and gazed at her curiously. “You sure about that?”

“As sure as I can be with the double set of memories,” she mumbled, yanking at the door as they reached the entrance.