Part 17 –
They were nearly there. Cordy was sitting in the back seat of Angel's car, her head on Spike's lap, which she tried not to be amused about because it was a situation she never had expected.
Wesley was in front on his motorcycle while Angel drove the car. Of course, the top was up because the sun was.
"You feeling better, Cora?" Angel called back to her five minutes from Giles' place.
"Yeah." She said weakly.
"She's not, mate. She's still really weak, and has gone really pale." Spike informed his sire.
Cordelia wacked his arm. "You can talk! *You* haven't seen the sun in *forever*!"
"Cora, I know you really badly want to get to Sunnydale to save Xander, but if you wait at least a day 'til you're a little stronger. And if all that energy was needed to make Spike's cut heal, putting the life back into Harris is gonna take all you have!" Angel told her worriedly only around the corner from Giles'.
"Xander can't afford to wait, Angel." She told him, sitting up. "I can't let him just lie there being so, so un-Xander. So lifeless, so jokeless. I just can't, no matter if I don't even have an ounce of strength, I've got to at least try!"
Angel wanted to argue more. But he knew he'd feel the exact same way if he was able to heal and a friend's, say Cordy's, life depended on him. So he shut up.
When they parked by Giles'. Wesley was already there, standing with the other ex-watcher. They both held blankets, ready to escort the two vampires inside away from the sunlight.
Giles opened Angel's door. "Angel, get under this." He held the blanket over the car door, and Angel stepped out under it.
Then with Giles beside him, making sure the blanket covered the vampire, they jogged to the door.
Wesley followed with Spike, and Cordelia got out of the car to follow.
Her legs shook as she walked, and her head was absolutely pounding and she seriously thought about banging her head on the floor for relief.
"Cordelia!" A familiar voice called. She turned around.
"Oz?" She was extremely surprised. Last time she spoke to Willow to get a spell that Angel needed, she had been 'casually' told that the witch and the werewolf had broken up, and Oz had left town. "I thought you'd -"
"Gone? ... I left Giles with an emergency number in case something came up. And, well, he called and told me about Xand... I *had* to come." He said his last sentence as if to justify something.
"Willow will understand, Oz." Cordelia told him, knowing her red headed friend would undeniably understand Oz's need to be there.
Oz nodded slowly, and came closer to her. "Spike and Angel under the blankets?"
They walked together to the apartment.
"Uh - huh." She said, obviously distracted.
"You OK?" Oz asked, seeing Cordy sway a little, and wondering why she was not doing her usual babbling.
Cordelia stopped, and sunk to her knees. "My head hurts." She admitted quietly.
"Stay here. I'll get Giles." Oz told her not knowing what else he could do.
"Uh - huh." She nodded as he ran away, and then she slowly faded into darkness.
~*~
Buffy could only clench his hand tightly and hope he'd take her strength.
'If I wasn't the slayer, he wouldn't have been there when... oh, God! Why the hell did he have to go patrolling with me! If I lose Xander...' She sniffled, and felt Riely clasped her other hand tightly.
"My fault." She whispered to him.
"Buffy. It's not your fault. Have you looked at yourself, have you seen what that demon did to *you*? Xander took a chance by jumping in to try to help you. And that doesn't make it his fault either. I really think that -"
"Guys." Willow greeted somberly as she entered the room. She sat on the opposite side to the slayer, and clasped Xander's other lifeless hand. "How's he doing?"
"Same as he was when you left ten minutes ago, Will." Riely said quietly.
"I phoned Giles. Wesley, Cordy and Angel turned up. ... As did Oz."
"Who's Oz?" Anya asked as she came into the room.
"Anya, you don't remember *Oz*?" Buffy asked ridiculously.
"Oh, *Oz*. Werewolf guy? Right. Remember him." She nodded and sat down on the end of the bed with the coffee. "Why'd they have to make this stuff so hot, anyways? It'll be half an hour before I can drink it without burning myself."
"Y'know, Anya, you're not being very concerned about your boyfriend who might die here! Do you even *care* for Xander?!" Buffy fumed standing up.
"Jeez, slay-gal, calm down. Of course I care for Xander, but this is always the deal, OK, someone's in trouble or dying or whatever, and you somehow rescue them. No biggie, Xander will be fine." Anya brushed it off.
"Reality check, Anya. There's nothing I can do! There's *no* magical cure for this, because it's not magical. I *can't* go slaying and make this better. Do I need to kick it into you that Xander has more of a chance of dying than coming back to us?! - You don't deserve him! I thought I'd never say this, but Xander was better off with the Bitch of Sunnydale High than he'll ever be with you! At least I know she *really* cared for him! Really *loved* him!" The slayer spat out angrily, nearing the ex-vengeance demon.
"Buffy. Come for a walk with me." Riely steered his girlfriend out of the room as she glared at Anya.
"Die. Willow, he won't die, right? It's always been fixed before -"
"This is different. We *can't* stop this, Anya. The only thing we can do is sit and wait and hope like hell we don't lose him."
"Oh."
"Now, you stay with him. I never finished telling Buffy about my conversation with Giles." The flaming haired wicca dashed out the room and raced after the slayer and her boyfriend. "Guys! Wait up!"
"Willow! Will *you* talk Riely into letting me hit her?" Buffy asked urgently.
Willow gave her a look.
"But, Will, he could *die* and she doesn't care! *Cordelia's* showing much more in the way of caring just by coming down from LA with Angel and Wesley!"
"Buffy, Anya not caring is the last of Xander's problems right now. Riely, can you stay here with Xand? - Buffy and I are needed at Giles' urgently, and I don't think Xander should be left with just Anya, she wouldn't even notice if he came around, let alone inform us of any change!"
"Sure, Willow. Take care of her. I'll phone you the second anything happens." Riely assured the girls before heading back to the hospital room they had come out of.
"Why am I needed?" The slayer asked as her friend pulled her arm and steered her towards the exit. "Wills, I don't think I could do the slayer thing at the moment, no matter how much the world is in trouble."
"Well, Cordelia is a situation -"
"Isn't she always?!" Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Apparently, Cordy's acquired some powers - healing powers, Giles didn't have time to fill me in on the what, why, where, how stuff, he did say though, she could possibly save Xander. But -"
"Oh there *had* to be a 'but'!" The slayer complained.
"*But*, she doesn't have enough strength to walk at the moment, let alone build up the amount of power that's needed in the healing process. That's where you, Tara and I come in. Giles found a spell that can take some of your slayer power, give it to Cordy, she then can heal Xander, we wait for Cordy to get stronger before taking your strength back so it won't kill her, and boom! We're all back to normal!"
"Normal's good. Even *our* type of normal!"
~*~
Go on to part EIGHTEEN
They were nearly there. Cordy was sitting in the back seat of Angel's car, her head on Spike's lap, which she tried not to be amused about because it was a situation she never had expected.
Wesley was in front on his motorcycle while Angel drove the car. Of course, the top was up because the sun was.
"You feeling better, Cora?" Angel called back to her five minutes from Giles' place.
"Yeah." She said weakly.
"She's not, mate. She's still really weak, and has gone really pale." Spike informed his sire.
Cordelia wacked his arm. "You can talk! *You* haven't seen the sun in *forever*!"
"Cora, I know you really badly want to get to Sunnydale to save Xander, but if you wait at least a day 'til you're a little stronger. And if all that energy was needed to make Spike's cut heal, putting the life back into Harris is gonna take all you have!" Angel told her worriedly only around the corner from Giles'.
"Xander can't afford to wait, Angel." She told him, sitting up. "I can't let him just lie there being so, so un-Xander. So lifeless, so jokeless. I just can't, no matter if I don't even have an ounce of strength, I've got to at least try!"
Angel wanted to argue more. But he knew he'd feel the exact same way if he was able to heal and a friend's, say Cordy's, life depended on him. So he shut up.
When they parked by Giles'. Wesley was already there, standing with the other ex-watcher. They both held blankets, ready to escort the two vampires inside away from the sunlight.
Giles opened Angel's door. "Angel, get under this." He held the blanket over the car door, and Angel stepped out under it.
Then with Giles beside him, making sure the blanket covered the vampire, they jogged to the door.
Wesley followed with Spike, and Cordelia got out of the car to follow.
Her legs shook as she walked, and her head was absolutely pounding and she seriously thought about banging her head on the floor for relief.
"Cordelia!" A familiar voice called. She turned around.
"Oz?" She was extremely surprised. Last time she spoke to Willow to get a spell that Angel needed, she had been 'casually' told that the witch and the werewolf had broken up, and Oz had left town. "I thought you'd -"
"Gone? ... I left Giles with an emergency number in case something came up. And, well, he called and told me about Xand... I *had* to come." He said his last sentence as if to justify something.
"Willow will understand, Oz." Cordelia told him, knowing her red headed friend would undeniably understand Oz's need to be there.
Oz nodded slowly, and came closer to her. "Spike and Angel under the blankets?"
They walked together to the apartment.
"Uh - huh." She said, obviously distracted.
"You OK?" Oz asked, seeing Cordy sway a little, and wondering why she was not doing her usual babbling.
Cordelia stopped, and sunk to her knees. "My head hurts." She admitted quietly.
"Stay here. I'll get Giles." Oz told her not knowing what else he could do.
"Uh - huh." She nodded as he ran away, and then she slowly faded into darkness.
~*~
Buffy could only clench his hand tightly and hope he'd take her strength.
'If I wasn't the slayer, he wouldn't have been there when... oh, God! Why the hell did he have to go patrolling with me! If I lose Xander...' She sniffled, and felt Riely clasped her other hand tightly.
"My fault." She whispered to him.
"Buffy. It's not your fault. Have you looked at yourself, have you seen what that demon did to *you*? Xander took a chance by jumping in to try to help you. And that doesn't make it his fault either. I really think that -"
"Guys." Willow greeted somberly as she entered the room. She sat on the opposite side to the slayer, and clasped Xander's other lifeless hand. "How's he doing?"
"Same as he was when you left ten minutes ago, Will." Riely said quietly.
"I phoned Giles. Wesley, Cordy and Angel turned up. ... As did Oz."
"Who's Oz?" Anya asked as she came into the room.
"Anya, you don't remember *Oz*?" Buffy asked ridiculously.
"Oh, *Oz*. Werewolf guy? Right. Remember him." She nodded and sat down on the end of the bed with the coffee. "Why'd they have to make this stuff so hot, anyways? It'll be half an hour before I can drink it without burning myself."
"Y'know, Anya, you're not being very concerned about your boyfriend who might die here! Do you even *care* for Xander?!" Buffy fumed standing up.
"Jeez, slay-gal, calm down. Of course I care for Xander, but this is always the deal, OK, someone's in trouble or dying or whatever, and you somehow rescue them. No biggie, Xander will be fine." Anya brushed it off.
"Reality check, Anya. There's nothing I can do! There's *no* magical cure for this, because it's not magical. I *can't* go slaying and make this better. Do I need to kick it into you that Xander has more of a chance of dying than coming back to us?! - You don't deserve him! I thought I'd never say this, but Xander was better off with the Bitch of Sunnydale High than he'll ever be with you! At least I know she *really* cared for him! Really *loved* him!" The slayer spat out angrily, nearing the ex-vengeance demon.
"Buffy. Come for a walk with me." Riely steered his girlfriend out of the room as she glared at Anya.
"Die. Willow, he won't die, right? It's always been fixed before -"
"This is different. We *can't* stop this, Anya. The only thing we can do is sit and wait and hope like hell we don't lose him."
"Oh."
"Now, you stay with him. I never finished telling Buffy about my conversation with Giles." The flaming haired wicca dashed out the room and raced after the slayer and her boyfriend. "Guys! Wait up!"
"Willow! Will *you* talk Riely into letting me hit her?" Buffy asked urgently.
Willow gave her a look.
"But, Will, he could *die* and she doesn't care! *Cordelia's* showing much more in the way of caring just by coming down from LA with Angel and Wesley!"
"Buffy, Anya not caring is the last of Xander's problems right now. Riely, can you stay here with Xand? - Buffy and I are needed at Giles' urgently, and I don't think Xander should be left with just Anya, she wouldn't even notice if he came around, let alone inform us of any change!"
"Sure, Willow. Take care of her. I'll phone you the second anything happens." Riely assured the girls before heading back to the hospital room they had come out of.
"Why am I needed?" The slayer asked as her friend pulled her arm and steered her towards the exit. "Wills, I don't think I could do the slayer thing at the moment, no matter how much the world is in trouble."
"Well, Cordelia is a situation -"
"Isn't she always?!" Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Apparently, Cordy's acquired some powers - healing powers, Giles didn't have time to fill me in on the what, why, where, how stuff, he did say though, she could possibly save Xander. But -"
"Oh there *had* to be a 'but'!" The slayer complained.
"*But*, she doesn't have enough strength to walk at the moment, let alone build up the amount of power that's needed in the healing process. That's where you, Tara and I come in. Giles found a spell that can take some of your slayer power, give it to Cordy, she then can heal Xander, we wait for Cordy to get stronger before taking your strength back so it won't kill her, and boom! We're all back to normal!"
"Normal's good. Even *our* type of normal!"
~*~
Go on to part EIGHTEEN