Chapter 22
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Motel 6
Sunday, 2:30 pm
"Doyle?" Angel gasped. "I saw you die..."
"It's a long story, man. Sorry to drop in on you like this, but you
know how Cordelia gets when she gets an idea into her head," Doyle
said.
"Hey! I think I resent that, but I'm not sure," Cordelia said with a
frown.
"I should go, you guys have a lot to catch up on obviously," Buffy
said.
"Buffy, you don't have to," Angel protested.
"Yeah, I do," she insisted. "I need to check on Xander--"
"Don't bother, Buffy. He won't let you in," Cordelia interrupted.
"How would _you_ know?" Buffy demanded, a puzzled expression on her
face.
"I was just there--" At both Buffy and Angel's incredulous
expressions, she sighed. "Look, Xander and I haven't been friends for
a while. So I guess he expected a whole lot less from me than he did
from you," looking pointedly at Buffy. "Or Willow. I'm just trying to
warn you that if you go over there, you'll be wasting your time. Why
don't you respect what he wants for once and give him some time?"
"I don't need your advice, Cordelia," Buffy replied, walking to the
door. "You're right, you are _not_ Xander's friend. I am, so if you'll
excuse me," she stopped facing Cordelia, who was in the doorway.
Cordy sighed and shrugged, moving out of her way. "That girl, I
swear. She never listens to anybody! She thinks she knows everything.
Please, just because she's the Slayer, that doesn't mean she
knows everything. It's a miracle that she listened to me about the
Mohra demon."
"Cordelia," Angel said, breaking her rant. "There's more important
things to talk about right now than your issues with Buffy."
"Oh, yeah. Like Doyle being a Watcher!"
"Cordelia!" Doyle yelled.
"Oh, sorry. I always was terrible for giving away the best part of a
story first," Cordy shrugged, smiling.
Doyle groaned, and said to Angel, "How on earth have you put up with
her for this long?" in mock-irritation.
"You're a Watcher?" was all Angel could manage in reply, a bewildered
look on his face.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Xander's House
Oz was waiting outside as Willow exited the house. The sad expression
on her face answered his question. "Go ahead," she said. "Say I told
you so."
"I wouldn't do that to you, sweetie," Oz replied, putting an arm
around her shoulders. "It'll work out," he reassured her.
"Hey, Willow," Buffy walked up then. Noting Willow's expression, she
said, "Let me guess. No luck with Xander?" Willow just shook her head
in reply. "Well, is there even any point in me knocking on the door?"
Buffy asked.
"You can try, Buffy. I guess that's all we can do, right? Keep
trying," Willow shrugged, and walked off.
Oz said, "My advice is to just let him be for now," and ran to catch
up with Willow.
Buffy turned to the door, but was distracted by her cell-phone. "Now
what," she said, shaking her head in irritation. "What?!" she
answered it, none too kindly.
"Er, Buffy?" Giles was on the other end.
"Sorry, Giles. What's up?"
"Could you come over here? There's someone that you need to meet."
"Can it wait?"
"No, actually; It can't. It's rather important."
Buffy sighed, but said, "Okay, Giles. I'll be there in five." She
ended the call, and turned to go. "I'll be back later to talk to
Xander. Maybe Oz is right, and he'll be more open to me then," she
said to herself.
*******
"Now what?" Anya asked after Willow had left.
"Huh?" Xander looked at her, confused.
"Snap out of it! You need to take control of your life again," Anya
insisted.
"How? I think it's safe to say that Buffy and Willow aren't going to
give me the space I need to deal with things. If I could just make
myself forget about them, Anya, I would. If someday I managed that, I
might be able get my life back to normal for a little while. Until the
day you and I are out together, and we run into Him."
"You don't know he's going to stay in Sunnydale," Anya protested.
"Oh, please," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "I think I know how this
story goes. Buffy will get back together with her demon lover, for a
while, anyway. Then he gets a little too happy, and we all get to run
for our lives again. I'm tired of playing that game, but I seem to be
the only one who is tired of it."
"So...we're still back to my previous question, Xander," Anya replied.
"Now what?"
"I don't know," Xander sighed. "When I do, you'll be the first person
I tell."
"Tell me what to do to help you," Anya said.
Xander took Anya's hand, and kissed her gently. "You already are
helping, Anya. You've taken care of me, run interference for me. Just
put up with me a while longer, okay? Until I can figure out what I'm
going to do next?" he pleaded, giving her his patented puppy-dog look.
"You don't have to worry about me going anywhere," Anya
replied. "After over 1000 years of enacting all kinds of revenge on
the male species, I had to go and fall in love with one of them," she
added with a sigh.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Motel 6
3 pm
"Angel? Say something, Man," Doyle prodded. He'd finished his story
five minutes ago, and Angel was still looking at the floor, a dazed
expression on his face.
Angel looked up at Doyle and blinked. "Um... sorry, nothing's coming
to me," Angel shrugged. "I guess I don't know what to say to such an
incredible story. Somehow, 'Gee, Doyle, glad you're back' doesn't
quite cut it," he added with a smile.
"Well it's a start," Cordelia said. "And if that's all you have to
say then I'm going to change the subject and ask the question I'm
dying to know the answer to."
Angel chuckled, "I know, what you're dying for is to hear me say that
you were right. Okay, okay. But you'd better not let it go to your
head. Just this once, you were right about me and playing the what if
games. Instead of ignoring the fact that I've got another chance
because something could go wrong, Buffy and I are going to try make
something go right for once."
"Wow. I mean, I'm in shock that you actually listened to me for once,"
Cordelia said. "And I'm happy for you."
"But?" Angel said.
"No, no buts," Cordelia replied. "Everything's fine. I mean, why
wouldn't it be. Doyle's alive, you're alive. Only things to be happy
about, right?" And to both Angel and Doyle's utter amazement, Cordelia
burst into tears and ran out of the door.
"Go after her, Doyle," Angel said.
"I'm not sure she wants me--"
"Doyle, go!" Angel yelled.
"Fine, I'm goin', I'm goin'." Doyle replied, and ran after Cordelia.
&&&&&&&&&&&
End of 22
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Motel 6
Sunday, 2:30 pm
"Doyle?" Angel gasped. "I saw you die..."
"It's a long story, man. Sorry to drop in on you like this, but you
know how Cordelia gets when she gets an idea into her head," Doyle
said.
"Hey! I think I resent that, but I'm not sure," Cordelia said with a
frown.
"I should go, you guys have a lot to catch up on obviously," Buffy
said.
"Buffy, you don't have to," Angel protested.
"Yeah, I do," she insisted. "I need to check on Xander--"
"Don't bother, Buffy. He won't let you in," Cordelia interrupted.
"How would _you_ know?" Buffy demanded, a puzzled expression on her
face.
"I was just there--" At both Buffy and Angel's incredulous
expressions, she sighed. "Look, Xander and I haven't been friends for
a while. So I guess he expected a whole lot less from me than he did
from you," looking pointedly at Buffy. "Or Willow. I'm just trying to
warn you that if you go over there, you'll be wasting your time. Why
don't you respect what he wants for once and give him some time?"
"I don't need your advice, Cordelia," Buffy replied, walking to the
door. "You're right, you are _not_ Xander's friend. I am, so if you'll
excuse me," she stopped facing Cordelia, who was in the doorway.
Cordy sighed and shrugged, moving out of her way. "That girl, I
swear. She never listens to anybody! She thinks she knows everything.
Please, just because she's the Slayer, that doesn't mean she
knows everything. It's a miracle that she listened to me about the
Mohra demon."
"Cordelia," Angel said, breaking her rant. "There's more important
things to talk about right now than your issues with Buffy."
"Oh, yeah. Like Doyle being a Watcher!"
"Cordelia!" Doyle yelled.
"Oh, sorry. I always was terrible for giving away the best part of a
story first," Cordy shrugged, smiling.
Doyle groaned, and said to Angel, "How on earth have you put up with
her for this long?" in mock-irritation.
"You're a Watcher?" was all Angel could manage in reply, a bewildered
look on his face.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Xander's House
Oz was waiting outside as Willow exited the house. The sad expression
on her face answered his question. "Go ahead," she said. "Say I told
you so."
"I wouldn't do that to you, sweetie," Oz replied, putting an arm
around her shoulders. "It'll work out," he reassured her.
"Hey, Willow," Buffy walked up then. Noting Willow's expression, she
said, "Let me guess. No luck with Xander?" Willow just shook her head
in reply. "Well, is there even any point in me knocking on the door?"
Buffy asked.
"You can try, Buffy. I guess that's all we can do, right? Keep
trying," Willow shrugged, and walked off.
Oz said, "My advice is to just let him be for now," and ran to catch
up with Willow.
Buffy turned to the door, but was distracted by her cell-phone. "Now
what," she said, shaking her head in irritation. "What?!" she
answered it, none too kindly.
"Er, Buffy?" Giles was on the other end.
"Sorry, Giles. What's up?"
"Could you come over here? There's someone that you need to meet."
"Can it wait?"
"No, actually; It can't. It's rather important."
Buffy sighed, but said, "Okay, Giles. I'll be there in five." She
ended the call, and turned to go. "I'll be back later to talk to
Xander. Maybe Oz is right, and he'll be more open to me then," she
said to herself.
*******
"Now what?" Anya asked after Willow had left.
"Huh?" Xander looked at her, confused.
"Snap out of it! You need to take control of your life again," Anya
insisted.
"How? I think it's safe to say that Buffy and Willow aren't going to
give me the space I need to deal with things. If I could just make
myself forget about them, Anya, I would. If someday I managed that, I
might be able get my life back to normal for a little while. Until the
day you and I are out together, and we run into Him."
"You don't know he's going to stay in Sunnydale," Anya protested.
"Oh, please," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "I think I know how this
story goes. Buffy will get back together with her demon lover, for a
while, anyway. Then he gets a little too happy, and we all get to run
for our lives again. I'm tired of playing that game, but I seem to be
the only one who is tired of it."
"So...we're still back to my previous question, Xander," Anya replied.
"Now what?"
"I don't know," Xander sighed. "When I do, you'll be the first person
I tell."
"Tell me what to do to help you," Anya said.
Xander took Anya's hand, and kissed her gently. "You already are
helping, Anya. You've taken care of me, run interference for me. Just
put up with me a while longer, okay? Until I can figure out what I'm
going to do next?" he pleaded, giving her his patented puppy-dog look.
"You don't have to worry about me going anywhere," Anya
replied. "After over 1000 years of enacting all kinds of revenge on
the male species, I had to go and fall in love with one of them," she
added with a sigh.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Motel 6
3 pm
"Angel? Say something, Man," Doyle prodded. He'd finished his story
five minutes ago, and Angel was still looking at the floor, a dazed
expression on his face.
Angel looked up at Doyle and blinked. "Um... sorry, nothing's coming
to me," Angel shrugged. "I guess I don't know what to say to such an
incredible story. Somehow, 'Gee, Doyle, glad you're back' doesn't
quite cut it," he added with a smile.
"Well it's a start," Cordelia said. "And if that's all you have to
say then I'm going to change the subject and ask the question I'm
dying to know the answer to."
Angel chuckled, "I know, what you're dying for is to hear me say that
you were right. Okay, okay. But you'd better not let it go to your
head. Just this once, you were right about me and playing the what if
games. Instead of ignoring the fact that I've got another chance
because something could go wrong, Buffy and I are going to try make
something go right for once."
"Wow. I mean, I'm in shock that you actually listened to me for once,"
Cordelia said. "And I'm happy for you."
"But?" Angel said.
"No, no buts," Cordelia replied. "Everything's fine. I mean, why
wouldn't it be. Doyle's alive, you're alive. Only things to be happy
about, right?" And to both Angel and Doyle's utter amazement, Cordelia
burst into tears and ran out of the door.
"Go after her, Doyle," Angel said.
"I'm not sure she wants me--"
"Doyle, go!" Angel yelled.
"Fine, I'm goin', I'm goin'." Doyle replied, and ran after Cordelia.
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End of 22