Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, Xander, etc. I own the Coin, the Jester, the Hydra etc, as well as this 'fic', insofar as anyone can own a work of fanfiction.
Thanks to Starway Man, my beta-reader, and dieticlast for creative consultancy services.
The Iron Coin Chronicles: Season 2
By Alkeni
Episode 1: Campus Life
September 5th , 1999
17619 White Oak Drive, Sunnydale
"So. Classes start tomorrow." Cordelia told Xander softly, as they lay in bed next to each other. "You sure you set the alarm correctly?"
Xander nodded. "Yes, I did. Don't worry - you'll get to the college campus on time, I promise." The plan was pretty simple, what they'd worked out – Xander would drop her off at UC Sunnydale in the mornings, and pick her up later in the afternoons at their prearranged time. She could always call him to come and pick her up early, but if he was at work, that would be easier said than done.
"You said for me to park by the library to pick you up tomorrow afternoon, right?" Xander was fairly sure that was what she wanted, but it wouldn't hurt for him to make sure.
"Yeah." Cordelia agreed. "And pretty much goes without saying, but you know I really appreciate this, right?" She smiled and leaned in to kiss her boyfriend lightly.
"Yeah. Nervous?" He asked with a slight grin.
"About college?" Cordelia shook her head with a small laugh. "I can't say I'm looking forward to classes and everything that comes with that, but no, not nervous about about starting my freshman year at UC Sunnydale." She shrugged, "I'm more nervous about what starting up school again really means."
It took Xander a moment to follow her meaning, but then he nodded. "The craziness in Sunnydale always picks up at the start of the school year." He agreed.
"And then some." Cordelia sighed. "So, what do you think it'll be this year?"
"Hm?" Xander raised an eyebrow.
"Apocalypse season, y'know, about eight or nine months from now." She clarified. "That whole bringing about Armageddon thing – initially it was that Master guy during sophomore year, right? Then Angel went all evil and used that, that...A cat of la thing, or whatever, to try and destroy the world. And last year, the Mayor tried to turn us all into his personal tasty snack at Graduation, before sending everyone in Sunnydale straight to Hell. So, what do you think it's going to be this year?"
Xander shrugged, "Demon Ninjas?" He suggested randomly.
Cordelia laughed and hit him lightly on the chest. "Yea, right! You've been watching too much anime on TV, dweeb. I mean, something like that happening? Ha, that'll be the day!"
"Probably." Xander agreed. Of course, if I could get more from the Iron Coin... "Well, whatever it ends up being? Buffy and Faith will do the Slaying, Giles and Wesley will be all tut-tut about our abuse of the Queen's English and do the researching, Willow and Amy will do the magic, and Oz, you and me will be the backup who contribute and help save the world at the last minute." He smiled. "See? I've got it all figured out."
"So you do." Cordelia replied, but then she sighed. For a moment, Xander thought she was going to say something more, but his girlfriend remained silent.
"Cordy, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Well, nothing more than the fact that we're stilling living in Sunnyhell, and I really wish we didn't have to." Sighing again, she closed her eyes. "It's late. Probably a good idea to get to college tomorrow well-rested."
Xander smiled a moment, "Alright. Hey, Cordy?"
"Yeah?"
"Have I told you that I love you today?"
She smiled. "Yeah, but it doesn't hurt if you simply can't help repeating yourself about that."
September 6th , 1999
Front of Campus, UC Sunnydale
Xander did a double-take at the sheer human mass clustered around the college's front lawn when he pulled up at the main entrance, Cordelia in the passenger-seat next to him. He looked to his girlfriend and said, "You sure about what time should I come by to pick you up?"
"Five-thirty, yep." Cordelia answered. She grabbed her purse and the various paperwork and folders she'd already gotten from the college administrators.
Man, it feels kinda weird not being with Cordy and everyone else first day of school. Still, guess sitting in a lecture hall for the next four years isn't for everybody; and especially not me!
"Okay. See you then." Before Cordelia could get out, Xander leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. She kissed him back with a brilliant megawatt smile, and then opened the car door.
"See you tonight!" She got out and closed the door behind her, and watched Xander drive off, waving as she did so.
It didn't take Cordelia too long to figure out that she needed to head over to a 'Weisman Hall', judging from the fact that she didn't have a yellow folder.
"Of course," She muttered under her breath, "It would be too easy if I actually knew where Weisman Hall was! " Fending off the flyers being thrust out at her by random upperclassmen in sheer annoyance, Cordelia saw Buffy walking slowly through the throng, also looking confused.
"Buffy!" Cordelia cut across the crowd and walked over to the Slayer. She didn't see a yellow folder in Buffy's bundle of papers. "Weisman Hall?"
"Hey, Cordelia!" Buffy said, smiling a little at the sight of a familiar face. "Yeah. You wouldn't happen to-"
Cordelia shook her head, not letting her finish the question. "Nope. Not a clue." She went looking through the papers again. "Y'know, you'd think that amongst all this crap we got supplied with, they'd bother to give us a freakin' map!"
"And ruin the overwhelming disorientation?" Buffy managed a smile. "I think they think it's part of the authentic college experience." She looked around, "Have you seen Willow or Oz? Amy?"
"Not yet. You're the first familiar face. And remind me – you are living on campus, aren't you?" Cordelia asked.
"Yep. I've gotta get to my dorm later on as well, meet my new roommate and all. But, one thing at at time here. Where's-" She saw a flash of red hair and then a familiar face. "Willow!" Buffy maneuvered her papers and managed a small wave to her friend.
A huge smile on her face, Willow half bounded over towards them. "Buffy, Cordelia! Hey!"
"What? Did someone forget to keep the caffeine away from you?" Cordelia offered with a small laugh at Willow's evident exuberance.
Apparently nothing was going to puncture Willow's bulletproof good mood just yet, however. "This is just so cool! There's so much going on!"
"Yeah." Buffy nodded slowly. "Almost, one might say, too much."
Almost, yeah. Even though she wasn't as overwhelmed as Buffy seemed to be, Cordelia had to agree with the Slayer. She hadn't expected their first day at UC Sunnydale to be so...lively.
Unfortunately, Willow simply wasn't in the mood to notice what her two companions were feeling right now.
"I got in to all my courses... except for 'Modern Poetry', I had to switch to 'Ethno-musicology.' But that's cool, West-African drumming, I think it's going to change everything. Have you met your roommate yet?" she asked Buffy in a rapid tone of voice.
Ah, yeah, and here comes the Willow-babble. Cordelia still wouldn't say she was 'friends' with Willow, exactly; but the girl did have a way of growing on you a little, as it turned out. Still, mostly it was a matter of putting up with her boyfriend's best friend.
"No." Buffy shook her head.
"I can't say I'm envying you the whole 'roommate' part of things." Cordelia commented.
"Oh, but it's part of the whole college experience!" Willow gushed, "Meeting a new roommate, learning to live with another person, getting exposed to new things! "
"Well, I've already met my roommate, I've already learned what it's like living with him, and getting exposed to new things? Hello – been doing that ever since the IRS repossessed everything and I had to move in with my boyfriend!" Cordelia said with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh! Well, yeah. " Willow looked briefly embarrassed. "Still, you know what I mean! And while I haven't met mine yet, I hope she's cool."
"You got ticketed." Buffy commented to Willow. "And you didn't." She added, looking at Cordelia.
Cordelia shrugged. "I wanted to get at least as far as obtaining my student I.D. first. What did you two get, then?"
"Oh, look!" Willow fanned out five flyers. "I've been told about five different issues so far today, and I'm angry about each and every one of them!" She punctuated the words 'each and every' with a motion of her free hand. She looked at Buffy. "What did you get?"
Buffy looked down a moment. "Jello shots." Cordelia watched in amusement as Willow and Buffy exchanged fliers, after a further brief exchange.
"So, you been to Weisman Hall yet?" Cordelia asked Willow.
"To get my I.D.?" Cordelia and Buffy nodded. "Yea. But the lines are really long now. You guys should have gone early."
As they kept walking, Buffy's reply couldn't help but make Cordelia even more amused: "Well, I hope that I learn from this experience and that I grow."
"I'm being annoying, aren't I?" Willow asked after a moment, after seeing the looks on her companions' faces.
"No." Buffy answered. "It's nice that you're excited."
"It's just in High School, knowledge was pretty much frowned upon." Willow said, starting to babble again. "You really had to work to learn anything. But here, the energy, the collective intelligence," Yeah, because people always associate intelligence with Jello shots, Cordelia interjected mentally. "It's like this force, this penetrating force, and I can just feel my mind opening up-you know?-and letting this place thrust into and spurt knowledge into..." Willow trailed off with a frown.
Okay, and now I'm wondering if Oz was out of town or something for the last couple of days. Cordelia started to wonder what was going on with the red-head and her boyfriend; not that their sex life was anything she wanted to think about!
"That sentence ended up in a totally different place than it started out in." Willow concluded, to agreeing nods from Cordelia and Buffy.
"I'm with you, though, I'm all for spurty knowledge." Buffy told her best friend. "It's just, a little overwhelming. Don't you feel it?"
Before Willow could get out more than a few words, Oz arrived. "Ooh, boyfriend!" Willow looked over at Buffy and Cordelia with a smile that almost came across as smug, but not quite. "It's my on-campus boyfriend." She and Oz quickly shared a kiss.
Buffy frowned again, and Cordelia realized her thoughts must have gone back to Angel. "Oh, no. I forgot to pick mine up." She forced a small smile to her face. "Line's probably really long now, too." The smooching Willow and Oz seemed not to notice her mood or her response, however.
"Well, on the subject of long lines." Cordelia said, after failing to come up with anything else to say, "We should probably head over to Weisman Hall right now before they get any longer. Which way, though-?" She started.
Oz caught on and pointed. "Building's pretty much thataway."
"Thanks." Cordelia looked to Buffy. "Coming?"
Buffy nodded, "In a minute." She gestured for Cordelia to go on. "You go ahead, I'll catch up."
With a shrug, Cordelia left the three to chat, while she headed towards the building she needed to get to.
September 6th , 1999
The Bronze, Sunnydale
"Hey. How was the first day of college?" Faith asked Amy. The two friends were just unwinding her a little bit before they went out on patrol. Amy still hadn't really gotten that fire spell perfect, but she'd been practicing with it, even though Faith wasn't ready to let the Madison girl go out and dust vamps with her fire spell on her own.
So bringing her along on most of her patrols had become the norm. On the nights when Amy didn't come along, she let Wesley come in her place, with much the same thing in mind.
Faith doubted Wesley would ever become good in a fight with a vamp at anything from a distance; but she was pretty sure at this point that he could survive a fight with your average fledgeling, if he had to.
Especially if he has a crossbow. She'd been practicing with the one he'd gotten her, but even with the laser sight she still didn't have Wesley's accuracy or ease with the weapon. She was working on her proficiency, and her Watcher had had good things to say about her progress, but still.
It isn't right he's better at anything to do with the fighting than me.
Amy shrugged, "No classes yet, so kind of hard to judge. A lot of orientation, trying to figure out where everything was. And meeting my roommate."
"Yeah? How was she?"
"Pretty normal, I guess. From out of town, though, so she doesn't know a thing about the night-life here. I gave her a warning about not going outside and walking alone after dark. No idea if she'll listen or not. But she's not into loud music or anything like that, so I don't think we'll have too many problems between us."
"If you do, you can always crash on my couch 'til you can find someone else." Faith offered.
Amy laughed. "No offense, but I don't know if that couch is especially comfy."
"Never said it was." Faith pointed out. "G-man may have talked the crumpet brigade back in the mother country into covering my living expenses, but it still isn't much." She laughed. "On the plus side, they don't pay Wesley much either."
"The Council sounds pretty cheap, if you ask me."
"According to Wes, they are." Faith shrugged. "I'm guessing you won't have as much time-"
"Not as much," Amy interrupted, "But I'll make sure I have enough free time to help you out on the Slayage. Maybe won't be available for as many patrols as I was during the summer..." Now it was her turn to shrug. "But I'll have time for my best friend. Promise."
Faith smiled a little – but she quickly brought it under control. She liked Amy – a lot. The dark-haired witch really was her best friend here on the Hellmouth, too. Only friend, really. Sure, she got on well with Buffy and everyone else, but...Faith had to admit she still had trouble considering herself Buffy's friend, or Willow's friend, or a friend to any of the others. It didn't seem to her that they were bosom buddies, anyway.
"Appreciate that." Faith replied. "Got time tonight, then?"
"Of course." Amy smiled back.
September 7th, 1999
17619 White Oak Drive, Sunnydale
Xander and Cordelia were getting ready to watch a movie on TV, now that dinner – cooked by his mother, who unlike the two of them, actually could cook a decent meal.
"How were classes today?" Harris asked, stroking her hair.
"About what you might expect, pretty much." Cordelia answered, snuggling up to her significant other. "Not much learning today – introduction to the teachers, the classes, the way they're going to do things. Professor Walsh pretty clearly set herself up as the most hard-ass one I had classes with. We'll see if she is."
"Walsh? Wait, so that's you, Willow, Oz and Buffy taking her Psych 105 class? Huh. Is it really that interesting?"
"Willow actually seems interested in that stuff, probably because of what her parents do for a living. Oz is taking the class because Willow is – although he might like it too, for all I know. Buffy's definitely taking it only because Willow's in it, or at least 'cause Willow recommended it." Cordelia shrugged.
Xander nodded. He'd heard how Buffy had left her class selection to the very last minute. He really didn't have that much in the way of room to judge, since he wasn't going to college at all, but at least she'd gotten it handled in the end.
"Myself, I'm taking it mostly because it's a Gen. Ed class that happened to fit my schedule. Although there may be something about the class, since Amy's taking it too." Cordelia shrugged. "Again, probably for the same reasons I am."
"Maybe Professor Walsh is a demon in disguise, and you guys are all picking up on that with your Scooby senses." Xander suggested, laughing.
Cordelia smirked briefly. "Yeah, well, if she's a demon, I just hope Buffy slays her before any big tests this semester. I do have a GPA to consider, after all!"
September 9th, 1999
The Bronze, Sunnydale
Neither Xander nor Cordelia could say they were especially fond of the Bronze at this point, since it was a teen and young adult club; a place for high school kids to hang out. But, regardless, it was still the only real place in town to go for a night out on the town. Cordelia had wanted some time to unwind after all her classes today – and then studying in the library until Xander could come to pick her up. And so, here they were.
"I'm not dancing to this." Cordelia said in distaste, listening to tonight's band.
"Yeah, I kinda figured this isn't really the music you're looking for right now." Xander nodded.
Cordelia nodded. "Not that the Bronze is into conventional music and rock star bands, but I thought for sure they'd have something that doesn't sound like a funeral dirge." She looked around as they sought a place to sit, and saw Amy and Faith sitting at one of the tables. "Looks like they agree with you on the music too." She gestured.
"If anyone thinks this is the kind of music Faith likes, they probably need their head examined." Harris looked over at Cordelia. "Wanna say hi?"
Cordelia shrugged. "Why not?" They started to make their way over to the two females in question, when Xander saw Buffy standing by one of the couches. She was holding one arm close to her body, like it was hurt, or maybe broken.
"Buffy?" Xander asked, concerned.
The blonde Slayer turned and managed to generate a half-hearted smile at the sight of the two new arrivals. "Xander. Cordy." While she wasn't 'good' friends with Cordelia, she certainly counted the cheerleader as a friend by this point – she'd gotten to know her fairly well over the summer, teaching her how to fight and all that.
"Good to see you." She gave Xander a quick hug.
"Haven't seen you in a couple days." Xander said, frowning. "And all I know is that you're taking the same psych class as Cordelia. So, what's it like being College Girl?"
Buffy looked at him a moment, then managed with a shrug – well, a shrug of one shoulder, to be more accurate – to sound tired and unenthusiastic without appearing to even try. "College is...good."
Xander resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Okay. Once more with even less feeling, Buffy!"
Buffy shrugged again. She managed a better tone when she spoke again, though. "No, really. I mean, Willow's in heaven and Oz has this really cool house off-campus with the band..." She sat down on the couch. There were two chairs opposite it, and Cordelia and Xander sat down in them. Harris looked over to his girlfriend a moment, silently asking her lead.
Cordelia gestured a little with one hand – a kind of 'keep going' motion.
"And you're here alone at the Bronze looking like your puppy has cancer, why?" Xander asked. Something was up with his friend, and he wanted to know what.
"It's just..." Buffy let out a small sigh, "There was this vampire...she took me down...and I just...I don't know how to stop her."
"There's a vampire on campus?" Cordelia cut in, looking disgusted. "Ugh. I'm always the last to know these things! And is there nowhere in Sunnydale they don't show up?"
"Not just one, either. She's got a whole gang..." Buffy half-murmured.
"Then where's the rest of our gang? Avengers assemble, Buff. That's what the Scooby Gang is for, remember?" Xander demanded, looking surprised.
"Yeah, but...I don't want to bug you with this – I mean..." She gestured limply at Cordelia, "You and Willow and Oz and Amy are just starting classes, and you've got a job, Xander. You guys don't need this."
"Are you doing drugs, or what? What we need is no vampires on campus!" Cordelia countered, looking annoyed as only Queen C could. "What the hell is wrong with you? Willow and Amy live at UC Sunnydale, and with all his extracurricular activities, Oz is going to be wandering it at night. Don't you think they should know there's a whole gang of vampires with a nest set up right in their midst?"
Buffy blinked a moment at Cordelia's words, and realized after a moment that the former cheerleader actually had a point. "I...didn't think about that..."
"And even if you didn't want to bother us, Faith doesn't have college or a job that isn't Slaying." Xander pointed out. "You could always ask her for help. Why didn't you?"
"I...I dunno. I mean, I fought one vampire and I couldn't take her on." Buffy muttered. "This isn't High School anymore, and I thought after the Mayor – well, I guess I didn't want to ask for help this early after the summer was over..." She sighed a moment and looked back up from her hand in her lap, seeing the incredulous looks Xander and Cordelia were sending her. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, it made a lot more sense in my head!"
Xander got off the chair and crouched in front of the couch and took Buffy's good hand in one of his. "Look, Buffy, so you had a bad day- "
"Bad couple of days..." Buffy muttered.
"So, what, you're having trouble dealing with the start of your new life in college?" Cordelia asked. "Well, get over it! You're the Slayer. If you can handle vampires, demons and a giant snake mayor, you can handle college! I'm not having the easiest time in the world right now either, ya know – no car, precious little money, plus there's no way I'm gonna get inducted to any of the sororities I woulda liked to have been a member of! – but at least I'm not all moping, and having a big self-pity party because of it!"
Xander looked over at his girlfriend. She meant well, he knew, but... "Cordy? Can you-"
"Don't start, Xander you know I'm right!" Cordelia cut him off at once, sending him a stern glare. "Look, Buffy. You're having a bad few days with the normal college stuff, and then a vampire gets the better of you in a fight. So what? It happens! You're still alive, and you have people who can help you deal with this vamp and her gang." Cordelia made a face. "Sure, I can't say I like the idea of going out to fight the undead on a Thursday night, but I like the idea of them hanging out on campus less." She slapped Xander's back. "And since my boyfriend is going to help you, like duh, I'm coming along too."
"I..." Buffy sighed, starting to say something.
"Buffy, you're not just 'the Slayer'." Xander said. "Not even just 'a Slayer'." He let go of her hand. "I've faced some pretty scary things here in Sunnydale, gone through some dark times. But when it comes down to it – when I'm scared, freaked out or whatever...I ask myself: 'what would Buffy do?'" Xander took a moment before continuing. His Slayer friend needed this pep talk, and he was the one to give it, it seemed.
The image he'd seen from the Iron Coin over a week ago drifted through his mind, and he briefly wondered if tonight was the night it was finally going to come to pass. He'd been flipping daily since, but nothing new had come up for the blonde Chosen One.
"Because when it comes right down to it, Buffy...you're my hero." Harris stood up. "So let's put this bitch in the ground. What do you say?" He hand out a hand to help Buffy up. She took it and then looked to the two of them.
"I think...I say thank you." She told him. "Both of you." Buffy added to Cordelia. She frowned. "Of course, it would be easier if they hadn't taken my weapons..." she trailed off as Cordelia pulled a stake from her purse and handed it to Buffy.
"What?" Cordelia asked the Slayer. "I'm not walking around Sunnydale without one if I can help it! Day or night."
Xander smiled and embraced his girlfriend for a quick he let go of Cordelia and looked back to Buffy. "Okay, what do we do first?"
Buffy nodded over towards Faith and Amy, who were getting ready to head onto the dance floor as the music changed. "First we rustle up the support troops, then we figure out where this undead bitch is holed up, already!"
September 9th, 1999
Outside of the Psi-Theta House, UC Sunnydale
It hadn't taken them long to figure out where the vamps were hiding.
Okay, it would be more accurate to say that it hadn't taken him long. Xander had asked about the year and shown her his work to make sure she didn't ask questions around the others – Buffy had, fortunately, never pressed him about his source of 'information' since the night Angel had admitted he'd been struck blind after trying to go somewhere he shouldn't have, and he wanted that question as far from her mind as possible – but as soon as he'd seen the picture of the building, Harris had realized it was the one he'd seen in the vision from the Iron Coin.
"Only one door." Faith pointed out. "It'll make it easy to make sure they don't escape, but also means there's only way we can get at them."
"I could climb up, take a peak through that skylight, see what we're dealing with." Buffy suggested.
Xander shook his head at once. "Bad idea, Buff. That article I found about the frat house being closed for renovations? Author talked about concerns regarding the skylight." Sure, Buffy hadn't been seriously hurt from the fall, judging from what the Jester's coin had shown him – but still. No point in letting that happen if he could stop it.
"Storm in, take them out, get your stuff and leave sounds like a plan to me." Faith commented as she twirled her stake. "You and me go in through the front, B. You three, make sure they don't get away if any of them manages to get past us."
"Sounds good to me." Cordelia nodded and Xander and Amy spoke in agreement.
September 9th, 1999
Psi-Theta House, UC Sunnydale
"Look how tough I am." The vampire that had beaten her earlier was saying, holding a skirt up to her hips and shaking herself around some. Buffy suppressed an exclamation of anger at what the undead bitch was doing with her clothes!
It didn't do any good because, of course, it was then that the undead noticed the door had opened and the two young women standing there, both with stakes in their hands.
All but one of them had their vampire faces on. Correctly, Faith gestured at the one who had beaten up Buffy earlier. "I'm going to guess you're the boss, right?" Buffy nodded and Faith looked to her. "She's all yours."
"I know I know you." The leader said, her minions parting so there was a clear path between them. "You know, from beating the crap out of you." She pointed to Faith. "I don't know you...'cause I'm sure I'd remember anyone who dressed that much like a skank."
"Spare me the speech. I just came to get my stuff back. Including that skirt." Buffy gestured to the one in the leader's hand. She shrugged, "Hey, look at it this way. With those hips, you'd never be able to wear it anyway."
Snarling, the blonde vampiress rushed at Buffy, who fought back with her good hand. Faith watched the two fight for a moment, then looked at the other ones.
"Who's up first?" She asked, pointing her stake towards them.
"Uhm, hey..." One of them said, his voice sounding slightly off, like he was high or stoned or something. "Didn't we hear somethin' about...two Slayers in town...?"
Faith smirked wickedly and lunged towards the other female vampire in the room, grabbing her and hurling her bodily at the vamp that had spoken.
"Yep. The way I see it, you made two mistakes. One, you messed with Buffy, and two, you forgot there were two of us Slayers here in Sunnydale." Jumping over a couch, Faith went for another one of the vamps, driving her stake into his heart as he stared dumbly at her.
Dust exploded everywhere. "Who's next?"
Sunday – not that either Faith or Buffy knew her name, of course – wasn't paying attention to the fight between Faith and her minions.
She'd gotten the upper hand on Buffy, and was pressing it for all she was worth. Grabbing Buffy's bad arm, she pulled at it, wrenching it in the wrong direction. Buffy let out a cry of pain, but kicked at Sunday's legs, knocking her back and on her ass. Grabbing her momentarily let-go stake – well, the one she'd borrowed from Cordelia – Buffy went after her enemy again.
"You know," Sunday said, standing back up, "You'd be a hell of a lot scarier if you didn't have a broken arm!" She punctuated her words by punching Buffy. The blonde Slayer caught the punch on her good arm, but winced a little at the force of it.
"I don't need to scare you to dust you." Buffy countered. Then she added, "By the way. The arm's hurt. Not broken." Ignoring the pain as she moved it, Buffy punched Sunday square in the chest with her injured arm, sending the female vampire flying into a pile of assorted detritus.
Time to end this, already!
September 9th, 1999
Outside the Psi-Theta house, UC Sunnydale
Between Faith focusing on the minions and tearing through them like a lioness tore through a bunch of baby gazelles, and Amy, Xander and Cordelia on guard duty outside the front door, none of the vamps had actually managed to get out and run for it.
Which was the way it should be, as far as Xander was concerned. He wasn't sure what setting all this up had been about, in terms of Fate's plans – although really, if all they'd set up was Buffy falling through the skylight...
No, hang on. They don't need to plan it for something to be accounted for...
Nonetheless, Xander was pretty sure that Faith killing that vamp he'd seen in his vision a while back, that had been set up for her to be somewhere else right now – unavailable to help Buffy. But his using the Iron Coin had screwed that up – which was even more of an added bonus.
It had taken a bit of time to find all of Buffy's stuff, but they'd managed it in the end. Even Faith had volunteered to help carry it all back.
"So...all that other stuff in there...it's just going to sit there. Right? I mean, nobody owns it?" Xander had a job, even if it was in the fast food business, so he didn't really need anything he could take from this vampire's nest; but hey, he wanted to build up a nest egg for him and Cordy to eventually get their own place, and the stuff was sitting right there. And with no way to know who it had been stolen from...
He wasn't going to touch most of the stuff the vamps had here, but any money or jewelry? Heck yeah. The pawnshops in Sunnydale didn't exactly ask many questions, after all.
"Seems wrong, somehow." Amy offered.
Faith, apparently, didn't agree. "I'll split anything in there sixty-forty with you."
Xander laughed at her suggestion a little. Before he could respond, however, the coin-bearer heard someone huffing and puffing and Xander looked up to see Giles, carrying a crossbow, an axe and an extra-large cross running towards them.
"Buffy!" He called out, coming to a halt in front of them, breathing hard.
"Hey, G-man." Xander greeted him. "What's with the arsenal?"
"I've been awake all night," the now unemployed librarian told the blonde Slayer, still huffing and puffing every few words. "I know I'm supposed to teach you self-reliance, but I can't leave you out there to fight alone. To hell with what's right," He gestured with the axe, "I-I'm ready to back you up."
Sure you are. Now that it's all over. Buffy had a half annoyed, half appreciative look on her face at Giles' words, but it looked like the annoyed part was somewhat winning. "I'm kinda surprised you're alone, actually. Where's Wesley?"
"Err, he's somewhat indisposed right now, I take it. Still, let's find the evil and-and fight it together!" Giles finished.
"Great." Buffy said, starting to walk around him. "Thanks. We'll get right on that." Xander couldn't help but smile at Buffy's deadpan delivery.
"The evil is this way?" Giles asked in confusion, starting to follow his charge.
"Her dorm is." Faith answered
September 9th, 1999
Buffy's Dormitory Building, UC Sunnydale
"...I bet there were circumstances." Willow's voice came down the hall towards them from the open door of Buffy's dorm room. "We've probably been so wrapped up in our own petty lives that we totally missed the circumstances..."
Following Buffy into her room, Xander saw Willow sitting on Buffy's stripped bed, looking half-dejected. "We're bad friends."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Will." Buffy said, walking in and setting the stuff in her hands on the floor.
"Buffy!" Willow jumped off off the bed and embraced the Slayer. "You're- you're not gone. And all your stuff is back...why was all your stuff gone?"
"It got taken by-" Buffy started, and then trailed off when she saw a person other than Willow and Oz was in the room. Xander presumed she was Buffy's roommate.
"It was a prank." Xander supplied, thinking quickly. "Some of her other friends – you know, the ones that don't come out during the day, because they don't tan well? They took her stuff as a joke, thought it would be funny." He set the chest down on the floor next to Buffy's bed.
"Yeah, real laugh riot." Cordelia added with an irritated toss of her hair, having arrived into the dorm by now as well.
"Those friends." Willow said after an 'oh' of realization.
"Funny guys." Oz noted. "Did you guys-"
"B made it pretty clear she didn't think it was funny." Faith answered, walking into the room as well. Giles and Amy also came in, making the room rather crowded as everyone set Buffy's stuff down – on the floor, or on the bed.
"Good." Willow said determined, then hugged her blonde friend again. "I'm sorry we weren't around to help-"
"It's okay. I didn't want to bother you, anyway." Buffy interrupted. "But if they start causing problems again, I'll make sure I ask you for help, deal?" She smiled a little.
"Deal." Willow agreed.
September 9th, 1999
17619 White Oak Drive, Sunnydale
"And the moral of the story is," Cordelia said, as she finished brushing her hair in the upstairs bedroom, "I am just thrilled that I don't live on campus, like Buffy and the rest of them."
"Well, it does seem like it might be safer for you living here." Xander agreed, sitting on the bed. "Though that concept kinda seems a little narrow in scope to be the moral of the story."
"It's the only one that matters." Cordelia said with a soft smile, setting the hairbrush down and coming over to kiss Xander. He was only wearing his boxers, and her lacy nightgown left little to the imagination. She sat on his lap, smirking after a moment at his reaction.
"Now," she said, kissing him quickly again. "Enough of that crap. We have more important things to discuss. Like, oh, I don't believe you've told me you love me today yet, have you?"
"Sure I did, don't you-"
"Xander?" She interrupted. "Shut up. Or do you not want me to do this?" She slid her nightgown down from her shoulders, and then Cordelia kissed her boyfriend full on the mouth, pressing her naked chest against his and then pushing him down onto the bed.
Xander didn't have a single rational thought again for the rest of the night.
