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Chapter 55- There Is No Place Like Plrtz Glrb
"We need to see what happened, quickly!" Buffy said as she turned the final recording of Year 2 on.
Cordelia sobbed over Lorne's severed head, begging for forgiveness as she'd pardoned him and so he'd been killed to teach her a lesson. She then said she didn't like it here and wanted to go home. Then she covered her face with her hands, not seeing Lorne's eyes open. "Oh, honey, I'm right there with you." Cordelia pulled her hands from her face, let out a scream and fell backwards.
Everyone let out short screams too, even Giles.
"The head, the head is talking!" Xander said. "Is it a ghost?"
"Damn!" Buffy said, clearly jump scared, which was rare for her.
"His head just spoke!" Giles said too.
"It was creepy", Dawn muttered.
"He did it on purpose to creep her out", Tara said.
"Looks like his species stay alive even without heads", Willow said in realization.
"So he's alive, but he creeped us all out!" Buffy said. "But he's alive."
"Thankfully", Dawn said as they all sighed in relief.
"But the head needs to go back to the body", Tara pointed out.
"I think it will be", Xander said as he and Willow exchanged a look.
Cordelia screamed again, sustaining it as Lorne told her to get it out of her system before shutting her up, and she stopped before gasping, shocked as Lorne explained his people could survive even with chopped off heads till their bodies weren't mutilated, so his body was a backlog in the mutilation chamber.
"Ah, so that was it", Willow said in realization.
"Sounds like it would come in handy to survive during fights", Giles commented.
"Now why couldn't normal humans have that?" Buffy groaned.
"Maybe because it's too creepy?" Dawn asked.
2 'cow' slaves walked in on hearing her shrieking and she explained it was a meditation technique and did it again. They wanted to take Lorne's head away but she said she wanted to defile it, spitting on it, and they left, while she wiped his head with a piece of cloth, apologizing. Lorne suggested to put him in a bag and go to the mutilation chamber but she had no idea where it was, so he asked her to find someone who knew.
"You need to someone who knows and also wants to help you", Xander pointed out.
"So, nobody", Buffy realized and they groaned again.
The 'cow' slave Markallo told Silas that Cordelia was distressed and so he asked the Captain to hunt her 2 friends, and asked if the Captain knew what Angel was, to which the Captain said he was an animal who'd taken apart 2 of his soldiers, and another Priest said he was a Van-tal, drinker of blood and could only be killed via fire, decapitation and a wooden spear through the heart, so Silas told the Captain to use all 3, and also that Angel's heart was at the same place as a cow, the Captain finding it disgusting as he left.
"And we find you all very disgusting too", Dawn snarled at the Pylean people.
"Van-tal, their word for Vampires", Giles muttered. "So ones from our world have gone into that one a lot, accidentally."
The Priest said the Angel-beast had saved a slave from her rightful beheading and ignored their laws, to which Silas said he brought hope to the 'cows', which was worse, and eventually Silas pointed a small silver device at Markallo and pushed down on a jewel set in its side. Markallo's eyes widened as a whizzing sound was heard, then his head was blown off his shoulders. Silas didn't show any reaction as the slave ring around his neck clinked on the floor. He told Kaldar to clean it up and pulled a cloth off a console, letting his hand hover over the outline of a hand set with jewels in the middle of it, talking about smiting slaves down.
Silas' brutality was disturbing, to say the least.
"So the Suicide Squad comparison was correct", Xander muttered darkly. "What a bastard!"
"Someone needs to smite you down", Dawn snarled.
At the rebel camp in day, Wesley and Gunn were kneeling, their hands bound behind their backs, their heads clamped into a pair of stocks. They got executed to death but before the executioner could strike, a black-fletched arrow buried itself in his chest and he fell back with a scream, dropping the ax. The rebel leader spun around to see mounted guards charging down from the surrounding hills. The rebels turned to fight the attacking guards. Wesley and Gunn got up, the stocks clamped around their necks swinging around ponderously, then swung the heavy stocks still clamped around their necks, using them to knock out the soldiers attacking them on foot.
"Turning around a bad situation", Buffy commented, impressed. "Clever job."
"Looks like they're free now", Tara said.
Angel was lying on some pelts on the cave floor. He let out a low moan then woke with a sudden gasp and looked over to the cave entrance. Fred entered carrying a wooden bowl in her hand, having Kalla berries to sweeten something like oatmeal she had, and they talked about Angel having slept, Fred letting out a short shriek to let Angel know he'd been caterwauling. She gave Angel a little 'oatmeal', and he muttered about his Demon as Fred told him all had their Demons.
"We do", Willow agreed. "She'd have had to do a lot to survive for 5 years. Demons will be a thing."
The others could only give Fred sad and sympathetic looks.
Fred asked if it tasted like oatmeal and he said it was good, and then she yelled 'Tacos' in his face, startling him before apologizing as she asked if they were still a thing, and he confirmed they were, and they talked a little more.
"Tacos can never go out of business", Xander quipped. "I'm sure even Hulk would agree to that." [1]
"Why him specifically?" Dawn asked.
"Uhhh, well, he doesn't care that much about food compared to normal humans", Xander said lamely to cover.
The door to the throne room opened as a maid walked in, and after a humorous exchange Cordelia asked to be taken to the mutilation chamber, but was told it couldn't be done due to the shame it would bring, so Cordelia asked her to take off her clothes, making her stare as Lorne's eyes blinked open.
"What's she gonna do?" Dawn wondered.
"I think I have an idea", Buffy said, sharing a look with Giles.
Angel stood in a patch of sunlight, telling Fred a little about the different effects the Dimensions had on him, before reading the symbols on the walls which were the words his team had used to come to this side, and Fred said they were a mathematical transfiguration formula, adding she'd tried for years but no portal had opened. Angel mentioned Landok and the Drokken, saying she might have opened a portal unintentionally but she said the Priests had the power.
"Transfiguration?" Xander questioned. "That's in Math too? Where did she study Math? Hogwarts?"
"Probably", Willow said with a lame look.
Angel turned back to look at the walls. Fred screamed as a palace guard tackled her. Angel spun around, grabbed the guard and tossed him against the cave wall. Another guard attacked Angel, and then the Captain tried to run Angel through with a spear. Angel grabbed the spear and deflected it so the Captain stabbed the guard behind Angel with it instead. The Captain hit Angel with his fist, pulled the spear free and used it to beat up on Angel, who staggered back under the assault. Angel's eyes suddenly took on a red glow. Fred cowered against one of the cave walls. "Can't change. Won't change." The glow slowly faded. The Captain swung the spear around, knocking Angel to the ground, then stabbed him in the chest with it. Angel groaned as the Captain pulled the spear back out, saying he'd missed the heart.
"All right, just change, think about the after-effects later", Xander said, wanting the Captain to die.
"He won't", Tara told him.
He ran Angel through again. Still no heart. He got ready to try again, but suddenly collapsed, revealing Fred behind him, holding a big boulder up above her head. Fred crouched down beside Angel repeating over and over, begging Angel to not die as he passed out.
"He won't, but he does need to recover", Buffy told Fred, though she was worried herself.
"Now the only way to make it all right seems to be a battle with the Covenant of Trombli", Giles told them. "They control everything, they go down, it all goes down."
"I think they're going to go down soon", Willow said.
The last of the guards fled the camp as Sasha threw a sword at him. Sasha walked over to the corpse of their leader and pulled the sword out of his body, then walked over to where Wesley and Gunn, stocks still around their necks, hands bound behind their backs were standing together. He asked why the palace guards were after them and they explained they were trying to rescue Cordelia from mating with the Groosalug, and so Sasha realized they were on the same side, letting his men untie them, and noted they'd fought even in this condition, being ashamed and had 5 cheers for them.
"5 cheers in this world", Dawn commented like Wesley. "I like it more than 3."
"Well, at least they're safe now", Buffy said with a smile. "But there's still a lot of work to do."
Wesley and Gunn needed to find Angel but Gunn said these people had a cause worth fighting for, and had won a skirmish but couldn't win a whole war, and to get Cordelia out they needed a lot of muscle, which could come in handy to incapacitate Angel too. Gunn said he didn't want these people to get killed as he'd done that enough.
"It wasn't your fault", Tara assured Gunn. "It wasn't, don't blame yourself."
"Guilt's never rational", Willow told her girlfriend.
"So they have a small army too now", Buffy noted. "But they need to play it right if they want to win without losing any of these good men."
"Let us see what they do", Giles said.
Fred dabbed at a wound on Angel's chest as he woke up and she asked why he hadn't changed, to which he said he may not turn back if he did. Fred told him he wasn't a beast and the Captain laughed, saying they'd write it on her bones when he tore her to pieces. Fred was going to roll him over the cliff to the Drokken gully but Angel hauled him up, asking about the Princess, to which he called her a cow-bitch and Angel threatened to remove his face slowly if he called her that again.
"If you call her that again, I don't think you'll have a tongue", Dawn said to the Captain. "Actually, after he's done talking just remove it anyway, not like he doesn't deserve it."
The Captain said she'll be put to death after mating with the Groosalug like Lorne had been, horrifying Angel as he was told Lorne had been beheaded and his body mutilated. Angel started to move to the exit but Fred wanted him to stay, making him apologize. The Captain pulled a knife from his sleeve and cut himself free. Fred, during that time assured Angel she wasn't afraid of the beast like the rest. The Captain launched himself at them from behind Fred with his knife. Angel pulled Fred out of the way, as Fred let out a scream. Taking a hold of the Captain's knife hand he twisted it around and stabs him in the gut with it. The Captain dropped to the floor. Angel went over to Fred and pulled the hand clamped over her right upper arm away to get a look at the wound underneath, then assured she'd be fine.
"Now what?" Dawn wondered.
"A battle is definitely gonna happen", Buffy said grimly.
Cordelia snuck into the mutilation chamber, wearing the servant's dress, holding Lorne's head in a bucket, then noticed chopped up body parts and dropped it, making him complain, and then lifted him up to look around, and he found a chopped up body in his suit, wondering why he wasn't dead before seeing the body had 5 toes. Then Groo came in, saying he'd betrayed his vows for Cordelia and her friend as he didn't want them to suffer, revealing he'd stolen Lorne's body and put his clothes on this corpse to fool people.
All of them sighed in relief.
"This guy is the real hero!" Buffy said. "He's awesome."
"You're not getting him", Dawn told her with narrowed eyes.
"I don't think he'd be interested in you", Buffy told her with a matching smirk.
"Stop it, children", Willow said, rolling her eyes, amused.
Cordelia hugged Groo tight, smashing Lorne's head into his back as he complained, and then held up his head as he thanked Groo, who revealed he's smuggled Lorne's body to his mother's farm and Landok shall meet them at the eastern watchtower to transport them home. The two were overjoyed as Cordelia hugged Groo again, smashing Lorne's head on a pillar, making him complain again.
"Poor guy", Xander muttered.
"At least he will survive", Giles told him.
The rebels were discussing their plans as Wesley said storming the castle would kill them, but guerilla warfare aka sneaky attacks would give them the victory, explaining it as the rebels agreed, and then Sasha gave the bloody sword he'd pulled from the leader's body, making him the leader because their leader was dead and he had the plan, so they hailed him as Wesley wondered why he was put in-charge all the time.
"This was a good plan", Buffy agreed. "Wes is learning how to lead properly."
"I can see that", Giles agreed, now knowing why Willow called him 'badass'. Wesley was changing a lot.
Angel tied a bandage around Fred's arm, telling her not to move her arm, and walked to the exit. Fred called him a good man who wanted to help his friends. He walked out but then came back in as he didn't know how to get there, so she decided to lead him.
"She is so sweet, even here", Dawn said. "I love her."
"We all do", Willow told her. "She's very nice. And intelligent."
"Basically you", Tara said to Willow.
"Aww", Willow as they kissed each other.
Groo told Cordelia he'd disobeyed the Covenant but she said he'd done the right thing, and he agreed it was worth her intimate touch, which was the hug. She also called him a champ for his actions, but he found himself unworthy of bearing her burden, explaining the prophecy said when the one with visions and Groosalug mated, the visions would pass to him, and he'd use them to fight evil, but she said it was her burden to bear, even if she couldn't handle them. "They're a part of who I am now. They're an honor."
"Oh my God", Buffy said, respect for Cordelia shining in her eyes. "She'd keep them, in spite of the pain."
"A true champ", Xander said with a bittersweet smile.
"They want the Groosalug to have the visions", Giles then said, a grim undertone in his voice. "Via this ritual, and then they'll kill her once that happens."
That bit made them all pale again as Willow said. "Angel, Wesley, Gunn and those rebels need to do their thing fast."
Cordelia put a hand to her head as she got hit by a vision. Groo managed to keep her from falling as she got some blurry images of Groo lying on the ground, a growling beast on top of him, horrifying her.
The viewers were horrified too, but for a different reason.
"Was that…" Dawn trailed off.
"Angel", Tara said, eyes wide in horror.
"Angel's gonna kill him?" Dawn asked. "Oh no."
"It's a vision of the future, they can change it", Buffy pointed out. "It shouldn't happen if they already know."
Wesley, Gunn and the rebels developed a battle plan which involved drawing Groosalug out via a challenge, and they could worry about defeating him later, and then they'd create diversions before scaling the back wall where defenses were weakened, and Wesley was also told of the killing device by Sasha, who said the palace was well-guarded when Angel's voice said this place wasn't, and arrived with Fred behind him, alarming the rebels though Wesley assured he was a friend.
"They do have poor security", Buffy agreed. "The guards arrived pretty easily too, nothing stopped them."
"Well, they are rebels, those are the rulers, you get the difference", Willow pointed out.
Gunn said it was Angel and he did that, before asking how Fred had done that, to which he said she was Fred and she'd done that too, and Wesley realized she was the woman from Cordelia's vision. Sasha asked the others to check the perimeter as Angel introduced Fred to Wesley and Gunn, then Wesley and Gunn informed Angel of the situation, Wesley asking him to be leader, but Angel said he couldn't be due to what had happened to him, and was ashamed for what he'd done to Gunn, who said they needed to get out of here soon.
"Oh yeah, this place is crazy", Dawn agreed.
"Seeing it is gonna drive me crazy, Fred is something else", Willow added.
Angel said Fred knew about portals and she babbled science stuff as he said she'd been here a while, and then told them he'd bad news about Lorne. That was when Landok arrived, dragging 2 rebels by the neck, and pushed them off as the guys walked to meet him, Fred hiding behind Angel.
"I don't think you're the one who captured anyone", Buffy commented dryly to the Rebels.
Landok said he won't battle Angel as he was performing a sacred duty, and showed them Lorne's head inside a basket, eyes closed, horrifying the three as they and Fred looked at it. Angel started. "He was..." Gunn agreed. "Yeah." Wesley muttered. "Hmm." Lorne's eyes popped open. "That's it?" Angel, Wesley and Gunn all recoiled with a scream, leaving Fred the only one still framed by the rim of the basket, peering down - completely unmoved. Lorne asked. "Where is the praising and extolling of my virtues? Where's the love?"
While it had been horrifying the first time, the second time it was hilarious for the Scoobies, while traumatizing for Team Angel.
"This is gold", Dawn laughed. "Can we take some of these recordings home?"
"I'll ask the future people", Buffy said with a chuckle.
At night, Wesley leaned on a sword as Gunn told him the guys who'd do the diversions would die, and Wesley agreed, adding that if they tried not to get anybody killed they'd get everyone killed.
Now that disturbed some of them to some extent.
"What?" Dawn asked, clearly disturbed by seeing Wesley so cold. "But…..why…..? Why would he let them die?"
"Wesley", Buffy whispered.
"That's pretty cold", Willow said, though she did understand deep down.
"Using your people as sacrificial lambs is not the perfect method", Tara muttered.
"What the hell happened to him?" Xander now wondered. "He's supposed to be a good guy!"
"Watcher mentality", Giles said in realization as they looked at him. "The Watchers use the Slayer as a tool. He is using these people as a tool."
"But he's better than they are! Both of you are!" Buffy said, not believing it.
"Doesn't mean there is no Council bone left in our body", Giles said in a grim tone. "You know what I've done at times. Wesley, he is trying to make the best out of a bad situation, and unfortunately, letting some people die is the way to do it. It may not be perfect, but it is the only way to do it right now, there is no wrong here, and no right either. Some of them will have to go, even if he doesn't want that."
"But they're still people!" Dawn snapped. "Good people, he is responsible for them."
"He knows that", Giles said. "Which is why what he does will eat him alive."
"Let's see how much of a comfort that is to the dead people", Xander muttered.
"Would you like to go there in his place?" Giles asked, and Xander couldn't respond.
Wesley told the camp to move out as Angel asked what he was supposed to do, to which he said challenge the Groosalug and kill him. Angel reminded he'd have to unleash the Demon, saying he'd fired them to keep them away from the darkness that was coming out, and this was even worse, so if he did this, there won't be any going back, but Wesley assured he'd come back, because he was the man with a Demon inside, not the other way round. The two looked at each other for a long moment.
"He will, I know it", Buffy said. "He came back once."
"But the vision", Dawn said.
"The vision only showed him over Groo, not killing him", Willow reminded. "Maybe he comes to his senses before that."
"Yeah, could be it", Xander nodded.
Fred said she'd go with them as she could prepare the challenge torch, and Wesley assured Angel he'd come back, and then Angel left with Fred. Gunn asked Wesley if he thought Angel would really come back, to which Wesley said he needed Angel to think it.
"Oh come on!" Xander snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"He has changed", Buffy said in realization.
"I don't like the change", Dawn told her. "He was incompetent at first, but he was good."
"He is trying to win the battle", Willow said, sharing a look with Buffy. "Whatever it takes."
"I don't want it to cost him his humanity", Tara told them all. "But sometimes we have to do things we don't like."
Cordelia told Groo to not leave and fight the Demon when Silas and some priests arrived, telling the two to get on with mating already, only for another priest to enter, telling Silas to see something. The priests walked over to a window and looked out. Angel, trailed by Fred, was entering the village square, carrying a burning triple-torch. Angel stepped up on the podium and planted the torch in a holder there. "I challenge the Groosalug to mortal combat." Angel glanced back at Fred, who was mouthing the words along with him. Fred gave him two thumbs up. "Come out and face me you spineless coward!" She told him he shouldn't have added the spineless thing and hid behind a market stand.
"If he is as good as they say he is", Giles said. "Angel is going to have a hard time winning that battle."
"Unless", Buffy said, eyes widening, and the others knew what she was thinking of.
Silas told Groo he must fight, and in spite of Cordelia's protests, Groo followed Silas to fight while the priests shut the door. Groo looked out at the challenge torch as Silas told him the filth would ravage and defile his princess, then kill her if he won but Groo said he'd die.
"Already manipulated him into giving his all", Willow said in anger.
"Angel's in trouble, and so is Groo", Tara said. "He's not a bad guy, just forced to fight on the wrong side."
"I hope no one dies", Buffy said.
A voice rang out, announcing the challenge. Wesley watched as some of the guards ran off, then moved deeper into the bushes where the rest of the rebels were waiting. He gave some hand signals and some of the rebels moved off. A few moments later voices rang out again due to rebels at the south gate and north wall. Wesley crouched down next to Bartok and looked at him. Bartok looked from Wesley to the guards left in front of the gate, then rose and charges yelling 'Death to the state!' Two more rebels followed him to engage the remaining guards as Wesley looked down to the ground, then signaled for the others to follow him. Gunn threw a grappling hook up over the wall and began to scale it. Two rebels charged the gate with a battering ram. One of the rebels fighting the guards let out a scream as a sword sliced across his stomach. The Groosalug arrived at the village square in a chariot, taking off his gloves, walked up on the podium and held his hand into the flames of the torch.
Everyone was shocked by that bit.
"Does he not feel pain?" Xander asked.
"Doesn't look like it", Giles muttered grimly.
"It has begun", Buffy told them.
"Not appropriate I know, but this looks like a medieval flick, doesn't it?" Dawn asked.
"Huh, good point", Willow agreed.
"Unfortunately, it's not", Tara reminded.
Angel asked if he didn't feel pain to which Fred said he just walked it off and wished him luck, then hid behind an empty market stand. Groo told Angel he'd die, calling him a barbarian. Groo walked over to a rack to pick up an ax and a club and went to attack Angel, who barely managed to get a few kicks and hits in between the ones he received from Groo. Angel was hit hard in the stomach and flew backwards onto the ground. Groo followed up with a downward swing of his ax. Angel managed to avoid the ax, getting back to his feet and attacked Groo in return, but was easily beaten back and soon got kicked through the air again. He flew through the tarp of the market stand Fred was hiding behind and landed on the ground not far from her. She told him not to hold back but he said he was holding on.
"No, you are holding back", Willow said, not that she blamed him.
"He is strong", Buffy said about Groo. "And very skilled, because Angel is a tough enemy, even without his Vamp face."
"I'm never messing with that guy", Xander said about Groo.
Silas walked down a corridor as a priest hurried to him, saying the rebels had breached the castle. Wesley, Gunn and another rebel arrived, being intercepted by some palace guards. Wesley and Gunn battled some guards with swords. Wesley sliced one, then deflected blows from 2 before elbowing another away, and sliced another too, taking his sword, before blocking a blow from the last one and stabbed him with the other one. Gunn battled 2 more and elbowed one before slicing them both swiftly.
"That was so cool", Dawn said with an awed smile.
"Wesley sure is a great fighter now", Buffy said with a smile, seeing a proper display of his skills against multiple foes finally.
"And Gunn is great himself, especially when you consider he has no training", Willow pointed out.
"That makes him even more badass", Xander said.
"But they still have a battle to win", Tara reminded.
"The strategy seems to be working so far", Giles said.
Cordelia saw Silas coming and told him to stop the fight but he knocked her to the ground by hitting her face, before pulling her up by the throat, blaming her for this, and said he'd kill every 'cow' before their way of living was destroyed, pulling the cloth off the killing device as he pushed her into a bookcase.
"You goddamn bastard", Xander snarled with gritted teeth.
"He shouldn't have pissed her off", Willow told them before reminding. "Remember, she takes crap from no one."
"And he's on that list too", Buffy realized with a smirk.
Angel managed to disarm Groo and landed a few hits before Groo beat him down. Angel came back up with a sturdy stick in his hand, but before he could use it, Groo whipped out one of those things the old demon man used to capture Cordelia. It winded itself around the wrist of Angel's right hand, tying it tightly against one of the posts, and causing him to drop the stick. Groo then bludgeoned him with his cudgel, saying he was an animal who'd defile her. Groo kept pounding on Angel. Fred hid her face behind her hand. Angel was hanging by his right wrist, still tethered firmly against the post, and Groo lowered his cudgel. Angel slowly lifted his head to look at him - and morphed into the Angel-beast. The guards' horses reared, almost unseating them. Groo swung the cudgel but the Angel-beast caught it in its left hand, then tossed Groo across the square before ripping its right hand free. Groo barely managed to get to his feet before the beast pounced on him in one incredible leap.
Everyone paled as Tara muttered. "Now he is fighting two battles- Groo and himself."
"He has to win both", Willow said urgently.
Silas was about to press the killing device when Wesley, Gunn, Bartok and Sasha arrived. Silas said they were a little late, so Wesley gave his sword to Sasha, telling them so stand down and saying Silas didn't have to do this. "I don't have to - but I'm going to." Cordy slowly straightened up behind him. "And you and your filthy cow-princess can go straight..." Cordelia swung the sword she had picked up as hard as she could and Silas' head went flying off his neck. "Your cow-princess is tired of hearing you yak, padre."
"Hell yeah!" Xander said, cheering for her. "You got what you deserved!"
"Told you he shouldn't have pissed her off", Willow smirked.
"And now he has paid the price", Buffy said.
"She doesn't take crap from anyone, including religious fanatics", Dawn said with folded arms.
"Now Angel and Groo need to be stopped", Tara reminded.
"I am not sure how that will turn out", Giles said grimly.
Sasha assured Cordelia these people stayed dead without a head, and then Cordelia said she'd seen a vision of Groo fighting a beast, to which Wesley informed her Angel was the beast. Groo was getting mauled, barely managing to keep the beast away from his throat as the two of them rolled around in the dirt. The beast pinned him down and Groo squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable. The beast pulled its clawed hand off Groo's face and Groo opened his eyes to look up at Angel, back in his human face. "We're not gonna do this. We're gonna find another way." Angel backed off from Groo. "I'm not an animal."
"You're not", Buffy said, a proud smile crossing her face.
"I knew it", Willow sighed in relief.
"So both live, Silas is dead, I think this is over", Tara summed up.
"And the good guys won", Xander said.
"Happy ending then", Dawn pointed out.
"Looks like it, at least this time", Giles said, none of them knowing what going to hit them when this ended.
Cordelia arrived to stop the fight as Groo sent Angel back with a punch, who wondered what part of the nobility hadn't gotten through to him. Cordelia ran between them, saying she loved him as Angel asked if it was him, but she said it was Groo, and then gave him a hug.
"No, I love him!" Dawn popped up.
"Get in line", Buffy told her.
"I am sure both of you will get your chance when Cordelia realizes who she truly loves", Willow said to them jokingly.
"Angel jumped through Dimensions to save you, I think he's better for you", Tara told Cordelia.
Cordelia announced to lay down the weapons as the priests were defeated with Silas dead, and now anyone harming a human would answer to her. Angel wondered if he was loved too as Cordelia hugged Groo and asked for medical care for him.
"He does love you, don't worry", Tara assured him.
"It's just a crush with Groo", Willow added. "It'll pass."
"Ummm, I think she should see how much Angel was beaten before transforming", Xander pointed out.
Next day, the double Pylean suns blazed in the sky as Lorne twisted his neck, whole again and Angel complimented his look. Lorne told his mom he'd see her in a millennium or three but Angel told him to talk to her, as she hadn't placed his body over a maggot pile.
"Guess she's not all bad", Dawn said hopefully.
Lorne thanked her, and she said she'd thought he'd been lost forever, sniffing, and then said he'd come back, making Lorne smile, but then said the 'runt of her loins' had now shamed them even further, spitting on his face as Angel pulled Lorne away, and the mom called Lorne a misfit and said may he burn in Tarkna before shutting the door on his face. Angel said all families had issues as the mom's voice came. "Numfar, do the Dance of Shame." Shuffling and clomping was heard from the house as Angel said his family had more than most.
"Guess I was wrong", Dawn groaned.
"She should have slammed the door shut after Numfar started dancing", Xander said, making all chuckle.
"Well, at least Lorne will have no regrets now", Willow assured with a smile.
Lorne said. "My psychic friend told me I had to come back here. I didn't believe her. Then I realized I did have to come back here, because - I really always thought I had to come back here, deep down inside, you know? I had to come back here to find out I didn't have to come back here. I don't belong here. I hate it here. You know where I belong? LA. You know why? Nobody belongs there. It's the perfect place for guys like us." Angel nodded his head, a slight smile on his face. "That's kind of beautiful."
"It is", Tara nodded in agreement.
They started walking down the path leading away from the farm. "Ain't it? I'm very moved, if I do say so myself." Angel clapped him on the back. "Please do." Lorne said. "You know, I feel a song coming on." Angel agreed. "Yeah, I thought you might." Lorne sang. "Somewhere over the rainbow..." Two guys that were doing something at the side of the road further down, clapped their hands over their ears and sank to the ground, groaning. "...way up high..."
Everyone laughed at that.
In the throne room, Cordelia paced with an ax in her hand and told the priest that now all citizens were created equal so slavery and religious persecution was outlawed. The priest wrote it down, and then Cordelia shattered the killing device. Wesley, Fred and Gunn walked in, holding the Wolf, Ram and Hart books as Fred, now wearing a white dress, said she was opening the portals, but these priests' books explained where they were being opened. They decided to say the words on Angel's car. The priest said these were sacred books but on Cordelia's look said they could have those as a small memento.
All chuckled again before Buffy said. "Now they can come home finally."
"It's all a success", Willow smiled.
Cordelia told Groo he was in-charge and had to do reconstruction, confusing him with the term as Gunn explained it to him. He asked if she had to go and she said she did due to her job back home, but it was fun being his princess. They kissed as Wesley and Gunn looked down while Fred watched with a smile on her face.
"Good thing Angel wasn't here", Dawn said.
Groo draped her cape over her shoulders and they bid farewell. Tying the strings of her cloak Cordelia walked down the steps and across the room towards the others, smiling as the people on both sides of the aisle bowed and said 'your majesty.' The others fell in behind her as they walked out. Wesley asked. "Should people be bowing in a free society?" Cordelia shrugged. "These things take time."
That brought a few more chuckles as Xander. "Never change."
A slight wind tinkled the glasses in a deserted Caritas. The curtain behind the stage started to billow. White spots of light appeared and coalesced to form a portal. Angel's convertible came barreling through with Angel, Cordelia and Wesley in the front, Gunn, Fred and Lorne in the back, all of them screaming. Angel managed to stop the car as it rammed into the bar after crashing through the tables in front of the stage. "You know I've been thinking about remodeling the bar. - Who's up for a nightcap?" They all got up out of the car.
"I think they all are", Buffy said.
"And now everyone's back, and Fred as well", Willow said with a smile. "She's back home."
But then she remembered something. The clothes they were wearing, mainly Cordelia, she had wore these that night when she had…..Oh no! Willow's eyes widened as she realized what they were about to see now.
At Hyperion Cordelia, Fred and the guys were entering the garden court as Fred asked. "Are-are you sure about that?" Cordelia assured. "Trust me. Tacos everywhere - and - soap!" Gunn quipped. "Yo, that portal jumping is a fun ride. We sell it to a theme park we could get paid!" Angel pushed to the front as the get to the doors leading into the hotel itself, smiling: "Okay. Can I say it? I wanna say it." Wesley asked. "Say what?" Angel pushed the double doors open, walking into the lobby. "There's no place like..." He trailed off as he saw Willow sitting hunched up on one of the chairs in the lobby. Angel's smile vanished as Willow looked up at him. "Willow?" Cordelia asked. "What's..?" Willow slowly got up, never taking her eyes off Angel. Angel quietly muttered in realization. "It's Buffy." The screen went black.
The mood instantly plummeted as Willow, Xander, Tara, Dawn and Giles all remembered standing around Buffy's dead body after she had sacrificed herself, the memory still fresh like it had been yesterday, while Buffy flashed back to the trauma and depression she had on her resurrection.
Dawn ended up holding Buffy to reassure herself she was still there, Buffy holding her back to reassure her too.
"You're here", Dawn said in a whisper, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I am", Buffy told her.
"I'm sorry, that must have been hard", Tara said to Willow about informing Team Angel of Buffy's death.
"It was", Willow said with a nod, wiping her eyes, the memory still fresh.
"I…" Xander trailed off, not being able to say anything comforting, and hating himself for it. "Anyone wanna…..?"
"Go?" Giles asked and he nodded. "After this, yes."
"Let's go then", Buffy said, taking deep breaths to calm down, and they got up and walked off.
And we're done with 2 Seasons now! Can you believe it? Damn!
This episode was all hilarious with some dark moments. Then the final scene happened.
Boy did I hate the Cordelia/Groo thing, especially when it happened again, I mean, Joss the moron can give us 3 Seasons of Bangel melodrama, which got almost as tiresome as Ross/Rachel by Buffy Season 3, but he can't give us a happy Cangel (an infinitely superior relationship) for even 2 episodes? No wonder he's such a monster.
Out of my Top 10 Buffyverse ships (from top to bottom) - Willow/Tara, Angel/Cordelia, Buffy/Spike, Willow/Oz, Angel/Darla, Wesley/Lilah, Giles/Jenny, Wesley/Fred, Xander/Anya and Xander/Cordelia, can you count how many of these got a happy ending?
Answer is- you can't. Because none of them did. Fuck Joss and Marti!
Anyway, next chapter is break, and then Season 3 starts, YAY! Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!