CHAPTER TWO: SILVER GLASS

"Too much with the gawking already!" Cordelia Chase marched over to them, and flung her arms around Angel. "Say hi at least!!" she muttered, releasing him. Angel was still in shock. "Hellooo..?" she said, waving her hand across Angels face. "Are you in there Angel?"
" Oh leave him alone Cordy." Fred spoke for the first time, and Angel felt questions hammer through him again. " He's probably in shock. Because we just turned up. Alive"
"How..." Spike spoke quietly. Then... "BLOODY HELL!!! DO YOU REALISED HOW MUCH YOU SCARED US!! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE A FRIGGIN' GOD OR SOMETHIN'!!!!"
The two girls looked around sheepishly. " Sorry" apologised Fred. "Boy it feels glad to be back!" sighed Cordy, and the hugs and welcomes ensued, all happy, and unaware of the person leaning against the portal wall, staring down at them with a amused expression on their face. When they finally broke apart, after Angel had spun Cordelia and Fred countless number of times in the air, making them squeal, they stood staring at each other. Then Gunn spoke. "Where's Illyria? And... Wesley, I thought you were dead?" They looked at Wesley standing silently beside them. But he was only staring at Fred. "I think, because Fred is...alive, and in this dimension...Illyria has...gone" He murmured, eyes on Fred all the time. He didn't mention his sudden appearance however, and it was left at that. " Aww pity, liked her." Drawled Spike. " But she was a pain in the arse to Angel!" Exclaimed Gunn. " Yeah, that's why I liked her." Was the response he got. " So how did you do that?" Angel gestured to the empty street. " I mean...that was ...amazing" He was still disbelieving that all of the army had gone. " It would certainly have taken an amazing resolve, and speechless willpower to do diminish the countless thousands" agreed Wesley. Cordelia snorted. " Oh, we didn't do that. Major duh. I don't do that stuff. It ruins my hair. I dunno about Fred. No, that power field was done by Buffy."



Buffy watched as they greeted Cordelia and Fred with barely concealed amusement. Leaning against the portal wall to steady herself because of the momentary dizziness caused by the power release, she looked at the warm welcome with slight jealousy. They all looked pretty beat up, especially Angel. But he still looked great though, as always. She wondered if he would still look good as mush. No, not a place I want to get into, she scolded herself silently. But all the same, they looked bad. Then suddenly she realised. I probably look worse, she thought with an ironic smile. After all she had been fighting a battle for four days. A tad longer than they had. With creatures that were much worse than the worst the armies here had held. And those were just the smaller ones she had fought.
A she ran through this in her mind, she heard Cordelia mention her name. Oh, damnit. Games up. She thought, annoyed, as all heads turned towards her. Keeping cool- or trying to -, she lithely leaped down from the portal, taking the step as if it were nothing. She could feel the gazes sweep her up and down, examining the clothes caked with dirt and blood, her numerous cuts and bruises (there was a nice one coming up on her arm), and the runaway hair, wet, and wavy, straggling slightly. She was soaking, and her face was haggard and tired, and they were all looking a bit shocked by her appearance except for Cordy and Fred.
She summoned up her voice from somewhere and spoke. "Ya know, people actually tend to say, 'hey, how ya been!!' these days rather than stare at the person who they are lookin' at, " she pointed out, gracefully moving herself into her usual 'don't-mess-with-me-'cause-I-can-give-one-hell-of-a- punch' position.
" You look..." Gunn raised an eyebrow.
" Like hell, I know." Buffy sighed, her voice low." Not compared to what I've been in for the last few days. And you are..?"
" Oh, sorry. Charles Gunn, Demon hunter. I help Angel. One of his groupies."
" Hmm...nice to meet you" Buffy eyed him skeptically as she shook his hand." Hey Wes" she waved at Wesley across the room. Then she turned to Angel. "Hi" She let her gaze linger a little longer on him.
"Buffy" he said in return. He watched her long after she had turned away. She was still as beautiful as ever. She was hurt worse than all the groupies put together, but she looked great, sexy, in the rough, tough, and wild sort of way. He thought that that look could only be achieved and carried off by men. Obviously he was wrong. And he wasn't the only one that thought so, He could see Gunn eyeing her appreciatively. A soft growl escaped him. He still felt protective towards her, even though the whole immortal thing was going on.
Spike wasn't going to be left out. He walked up to Buffy and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hello, love" he smirked, as she turned around to face her. Angel could have killed him in that moment. But Buffy's reaction put a smile back on his face.
"Before you say anything, wipe that smirk off of your face. I don't want to look at you like that, hell I don't want to look at you at all. Really should have rung me up to say you were alive. Were you hoping that I would find out and come running to you? No way dude. We are FRIENDS get it? FRIENDS. "
"As you want it love." Spike said, looking taken aback, and annoyed.
Buffy took a deep breath and hugged him "Now I can say hi" He gave a hug back, knowing that was all he would ever get from her.
Angel decided it was time to interrupt the conversation. " So...you did this.." He pointed to the empty street.
"Yeah. I guess" Buffy looked down the passage and shrugged.
"That's..all I can say..quite extraordinary, to have such sheer will. I thought this was more Willows area of expertise?" Typical Wesley.
"Lived seven years on Sunnyhell with a witch and an Ex-demon. It rubs off on you." She laughed bitterly, but with a light heart.
"Why don't you join us and we can tell them what happened," Fred suggested. "It would explain why we are alive, thanks to Buffy"
" Yeah sure why not, but first we have to get out of here. You never know what will come next" Buffy glanced down the passage again..
"Umm...Where are we going?" Gunn asked, as Buffy sprinkled something on to the portal, which whirled in different colours and then turned to silver that seemed paper-thin, and silk .
"I dunno, It'll be the best place where we won't be noticed by the...well, your enemy or whatever. That's what I asked for." She muttered, tucking the bottle into her clothes. "Come on, she gestured. Step through the Silver Glass"