A few swear words in this part, but really not that bad. And the thing Kristen tells Xander is a Klingon phrase. (In case anyone didn't know.)

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Hyperion Hotel

Day 2

Kristen sat in her pajamas, looking very depressed. Her booth in the hotel's old dining room was the only bit of light present therein. She glumly sipped her hot chocolate, as she flipped through the large photo album on the table.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Kristen looked up to see Buffy in a set of white pajamas, with pictures of food all over them. "I gave up trying to sleep after three am," she told the older Slayer.

Buffy sat down opposite her, setting down her coffee. She looked over at Kristen's mug, and frowned as she noticed the tiny marshmallows. "Hot chocolate?"

Kristen smiled. "I never liked the taste of coffee."

"Not even cappuccinos?" Buffy asked with a grin.

"Any kind of coffee." Kristen looked down. "I think that's what I'm gonna miss the most, ya know. The little things. Xander was always up, before I was. He'd have a hot chocolate waiting for me..."

She looked down for a second, to gather her thoughts. "It still amazes me, when I think about it. When we were going from city to city, he didn't do anything but try to cheer me up. Any time I got really scared, he would just hold me. God, I was so scared when I fought my first vampire..."

"Tell me about it," Buffy grinned painfully, remembering that LA cemetery with Merrick.

"We were hiding out in Essex, waiting a bit before coming back here. One day we were walking down this street, when I got this huge cramp in my gut. Xander started to look around, and sure enough he spotted a female vamp trying to feed off a little kid. We went after her, and Xander…" the girl trailed off.

Buffy took Kristen's hand in hers. "He what?"

"Xander got the bloodsucker off the kid, but he didn't attack her. He told me to do it. Man, I was scared shitless. He just told me he was right there, if I needed him. The damn vamp nailed me with a shot to the head, and I just got so pissed after that! I charged her, and just kept hitting her; I almost forgot that I had to stake her, but I eventually did."

Kristen smiled, "I was so happy, when I saw Xander's face grinning at me. He said that he was so proud of me! All the time I had to train with Mr. Parks, he never once said he was proud of me. The prick always said I was just wasting his time."

The younger Slayer then giggled, "When we got back to the hotel, I was very in the mood. I wanted to jump Xander's bones right there, but I didn't want our relationship to be just sex. He'd told me how great that had helped Faith. Plus, we had a kind of Kung Fu master/student thing going on."

"He made you watch Kung Fu?"

She nodded. "We rented all the old movies we could get our hands on. I loved the old Godzilla movies in particular. For an hour we kept trying to talk out of synch, like the actors – I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time! He even had me watch Star Trek with him. He got a DVD player, and all the seasons of Deep Space Nine. He knew all the lines almost by heart, and I gotta admit – the last few seasons with the Dominion war were pretty good."

Buffy looked down. "He tried to get me to watch it in high school with him, but I never did. Kind of wish I had, now."

Kristen broke down, "I asked him one night why he stayed with me. Why he didn't just run off back to Sunnydale. He told me, that I was one of his girls now. I knew then that he wouldn't leave me, ever. That I was safe, as long as he was with me..."

****

Willow, Cordelia, Gunn, Angel, and Spike staggered through the hotel gates. All of them were tired, bruised and bloodied; Gunn in particular was ready to collapse. "Jeez, I don't think I can take anymore..."

Spike just snorted at him. "Kids these days, no bloody stamina!"

"Now, uh, why did we have to kill a hibernating demon?" Willow asked.

"Because the Powers sent Cordy a vision." Angel told her.

"But it wouldn't have come out of its shelter for another five more months, at least!" the redhead kept at it. "I can understand the vamps in the park, but the last two missions? They were, like, a waste of time!"

Angel shook his head. "The Powers wouldn't jerk us around like that. There's no reason for it..."

"Well, what about what Graham said that Xander knows? Seems to me like these Powers are just keeping everyone busy."

"Willow, we've had hard nights like this before. I…" Angel stopped when he stepped into the lobby.

"Angel? What's wrong?" Cordy asked, as she stepped past him. Then she saw them too. Two people – a man and a woman in U.S. military uniforms, working behind the counter.

Angel bolted over to them. "What the hell is going on here? Who are you?"

The souled vamp was startled, when the woman turned to him. "Hey, I know you – you're the woman that was here with Xander!" he exclaimed.

Beth nodded her head. "I'm just following his orders. We got it all set up for you."

"Got what all set up?" Cordelia demanded.

The man put a new laptop computer on the counter, with a rotating 3-D seal of the Air Force visible on the screen. He then put a very expensive camera up next, and plugged it into the computer.

The guy nodded to Beth, then walked out without saying a word. Beth looked to Willow, "Let's see. Short, red hair, an excited look when seeing the computer…you must be Miss Rosenberg."

"Oh! Uh, yeah," Willow said sheepishly.

"Well, we're setting this up so you can talk to Xander for a few minutes. April is setting up a similar connection on the ship. Just don't touch it, and it'll all be fine. Just have whoever wants to be here for this, present at ten am today."

"But that's in four hours!" Cordelia complained. "Look, just call his lazy butt, and tell him to get on-line already!"

Beth shook her head. "No can do. He was up very late last night with… with the others, planning. We actually had to force some pills down his throat, just to make him sleep! The Captain hasn't been having the best few days. And God knows, it's just gonna get worse from here..."

Cordelia's face softened. "How's he doing? Honestly."

"Honestly?" Beth looked at her with a frown. "Not good. He's trying to hide what all this is doing to him. But finding out you have to die to stop the bad guys, is not exactly what anyone wants to hear. He says he's been prepared for something like this ever since Jesse, whoever that is..."

Willow and Cordelia's eyes went wide at that name, as ancient memories of Sunnydale High came roaring back.

"But none of that compares to who told him all this. Now with all the new info we got last night? It's just too damn much..."

"Please, you can trust us. What is going on?" Cordelia pleaded.

"It's not my call to make. I wish I could tell you what's going on, but it would just make it harder for him. I swear, it's hard enough to watch him try to bury the rage he has right now. But he'll have plenty of targets to take it out on soon enough."

****

Watchers Council training room #2

"You mustn't drop your guard like that, Lori!" Rupert Giles said with a chastising voice, as he helped his young charge up from the mats.

"Sorry Mr. Giles," the 16-year-old girl said with a noticeable Southern accent.

"Just Giles will do fine. It's, uh, been too long since I've had anyone use the "mister" title, I must say."

"Yes Mr. Gi…Giles," the girl said obediently, as she took up her fighting stance again.

Giles dropped into a similar stance, and then he pounced. Lori easily ducked her head to avoid Giles' right hook, then she jumped up to avoid his sweeping kick. Next she punched him in the chest, causing the Brit to stagger for a split second.

Lori took advantage of her situation and planted her hands on his shoulders, and back-flipped over the Watcher. She then lashed out with her foot, as soon as she landed. Giles fell flat on his face, and Lori pushed her stake straight into the heart target on his back padding.

"Was that better, Giles?" she asked.

"Yes, um, uh, quite good. I-I see your gymnastics training as a youth has been very helpful for you..."

Lori and the seven other teenage girls in the room giggled, as Giles started to stand up. One, a tall attractive blond moved to help him. "Mr. Giles. You're on the Inner Council now! You must have better things to do, than to help us with our training. We have very good teachers in many forms of martial arts..."

"Yes," Giles interrupted her. "But none of them have had any experience in the field, Nika. You see, you've all been trained to use many weapons in close combat with vampires. But none of you have been shown how to fight, when you have to use only the items around you at the time. If you're called to be a Slayer, there will be occasions when you will have to be... very creative. Also, the fact that I'm now on the Inner Council is exactly why I'm doing this."

He looks at the girls for a moment, before continuing. "You are all aware of when Buffy Summers went through the Cruciamentum, on her 18th birthday?"

The girls all nodded.

"The Council was, and in some ways still is, very rooted in the old traditions. Such as the Cruciamentum. Most tend not to know what it's like in the field. Very few on the Council wanted to have the Slayer seek allies in her battle with the vampires."

Giles sighed. "You know by now of the important contributions that all of the Slayer's friends in Sunnydale made. Such as Willow's being able to attack Glory to keep her out of the battle, or Xander's acquiring the rocket launcher to defeat the Judge. In fact, all of the Slayerettes performed Buffy's duties one time, that summer before their senior year..."

Sachi, a 15-year-old Japanese girl, grinned. "I wouldn't mind following Xander's orders for the entire summer."

Corin, the Greek Slayer-in-waiting grinned also. "I bet Cordelia didn't mind."

She giggled. Most of the girls smiled too. Lori spoke up, "Giles? I'm a little confused about a part of the history between Slayerette Xander and Slayerette Cordelia."

"What's confusing you, Lori?" Giles asked, not liking where he thought this would go.

"Well sir, they dated for a long time. But after you made an entry in the diaries that two of the Slayerettes were briefly kidnapped by the vampire Spike, you then wrote that Slayerette Xander and Slayerette Cordelia ended their relationship. Yet you didn't give any reason..."

Lori paused, trying to find the right words. "Afterwards, you made mention several times about how the two of them were constantly fighting, and practically hating each other. And that they seemed to become friends again, shortly before the ascension of the Mayor Richard Wilkins III. I guess what I'm wondering is, what happened that caused them to break up like that? You recorded that Slayerette Cordelia was injured, but nothing else."

Giles found all the girls' eyes on him, as they all wanted to know about one of the juiciest secrets of the Slayerettes. "Girls, I-I'm afraid that that's a private matter, that must remain in the past. Some secrets must stay in the confidence a Watcher has with his young charges."

****

Beth's lab

April, Beth, and Major Carter were all hunched over the table, and all eyes were glued to the LCD screen on the watch-like band that Beth was holding. "So this Alexis woman took these from the Assembly?" Carter asked.

"That's what she told Xander. She said that she's had them for a few years, now. Apparently, it was just dumb luck that she found one of their bases," Beth told her.

"And she didn't call for any help?"

"Call who? And tell them what? That an invading army from another dimension was plotting an attack? Who the hell would have listened to her?"

April picked one of the bands up. "So what does this thing do, anyway?"

"It can record the coordinates of an alternate dimension, and open a portal back to your home dimension. Otherwise, you could end up stuck in another world for good. And with all the energy that magnifier is pumping out…Xander might get sent to another dimension before he can get near it," Beth told her.

"Too bad we don't have the mirror anymore," Carter mused.

"What mirror?"

When Carter hesitated, Beth got angry. "Hey, we signed the damn papers! Just tell us already."

"Okay, here it is. A few years ago on an abandoned planet, Daniel found a mirror – one made of the same alien element that the 'gate is made out of. When he touched it, it gave him a mild shock. But what he didn't know at the time, was that it sent him to an alternate dimension... one in which the Goa'uld were attacking Earth."

The blonde Major looked down, overcome by the memories. "He barely made it back from that world, before it was taken over by the invaders. But the kicker is that while he was there, he found out where the attack was being launched from. We went through the Stargate and ended up on the attack ships, heading for Earth. Do you remember the giant explosions in space, back in early '98?"

Beth nodded.

"Well, that was the two Goa'uld mother ships exploding," Carter finished up.

"Damn," was all that Beth could say.

****

Hyperion lobby

Everyone was crowded around the counter, and full of anticipation. Several chairs had been moved in, and now everyone was constantly watching the small clock at the bottom of the computer screen. At 10:01 am a new screen popped up, and the camera came to life.

In the new window, they could see the torso of a woman in a very tight and revealing shirt. Cordelia and Kristen exchanged confused looks, as they heard the woman start to speak.

"Okay, now just stare into the lens, and chat your butts off." And when the woman moved out of the way, they saw Xander's face looking back at them.

"Xander!" Cordy yelled happily.

"Hey, Cor. Graham said you wanted to talk to me. I guess my little solo number to Lorne worked, huh?" Xander said in a semi-joking way.

Cordelia went right up to the screen. "You're damn right I wanna talk to you, mister! You tell me you love me, and then just take off!? Then I find out you're going to die! What the hell's the matter with you?"

"Take it easy, Cor," Xander held up his hands. "Look, I just didn't want to take the big dirt nap with anything left unsaid between us..."

"And that's another thing – how can you talk about your upcoming death so calmly?" the seer demanded.

She was surprised, though, when Xander's voice got tighter. "You know this isn't easy for me, damn it! Add to that, finding out my entire life for the last few years was..." the USAF officer then stopped himself, before he finished.

"Xander, what about the last few years? Is this about what Graham mentioned?" she asked softly.

He just looked at her, and Cordelia could tell he was trying to keep calm. "Cor, I can't tell you. Not now. After this is over, you are gonna be so upset that I didn't, but just believe me when I say I don't have the time to deal with it at the moment. But you will know it all eventually, and I know you'll be good to them."

"Good to whom?"

"I can't, Cordy. Every single fiber of my being wants to tell you, so we can take care of it. But if I say something, someone might overhear us..."

Cordelia looked around at the people with her, and then she looked back at the screen. "Xander, we know everyone here! We trust everyone here. They wouldn't do anything…"

He cut her off. "No, it's not that – I trust them too. Look, I don't have a lot of time here Cor, but you will find out soon so let's leave it at that. Now, what did you want to talk to me about? And before you start, there is no way you are gonna talk me out of this. It has to be this way…for now, at least."

Cordelia cleared her throat and said clearly, "Xander, I love you."

Xander was very much taken aback with that. "Cor, it's okay, you don't have to say that to make me feel better before I finally kick the bucket. 'Cause I know you're with Dead Boy – sorry, Angel, now…not that I really understand that at all, but…"

"Shut up!" Cordy yelled. "I'm not with Angel. I love you! Get that through your thick head! You are the one I want!"

Xander was definitely stunned at this, so much that he could hardly talk. "What? How…"

She spoke softly, "Damn it, Xander, I've always had feelings for you. They were just, um, buried for a while. Didn't you ever wonder why I wrote back so quickly after every email? Called back after every phone call? We just never admitted it to ourselves. Why the hell do you think I cried on your shoulder for days, after what happened to Doyle? Damn it Xander, I love you."

Xander was almost crying, as he looked at her. "Oh. Huh. Well, our timing kinda sucks then, don't it Cor?"

The former Queen C started tearing up, "You just can't die on me now! There's still so much we have to do in our lives together..."

"Cordy. I swear I want nothing more than to hold you, and tell you that it'll be all okay. But we both know it won't be. Please, just listen to me. When you find out what I know, those people sitting around you will be there for you. That much, I know for certain."

"Xander, do you remember my favorite romance novel when we were dating?"

He smiled, "Yeah, you made me read it twice. How could I ever forget the tale of love on the high seas from the 18th century, with Fabio on the cover?"

"Do you remember what she called her husband?"

He thought for a moment. "Uh, something like love-?"

Cordelia smiled, happy that he remembered after all this time. "She called him, 'my love'. That's what you are to me Xander, what you'll always be. My first true love. My Love. It's cheesy as hell, but it's true."

"Uh, I don't know what to say Cor-"

"I know what's in your heart. It took me long enough to see it again, but I know it's there."

Cordy then heard the woman's voice from before. "Captain? You-know-who has just arrived. We have to start looking for you-know-what, right now."

They all saw his head look away, towards where the woman must be standing. "Okay, April. I'll be there in a few minutes." He turned back to the screen. "I have to go…"

"No! Please, stay!" Cordelia pleaded with him.

He just looked into her eyes – and even with two computer screens between them, she felt safe, and loved in his gaze. "I can't, Cor. Look, I need to ask you something. I need you to promise me that you'll help Conner look after Kristen for me."

Cordelia looked at Kristen, as she came closer to the screen, and then took the Slayer's hand in hers. "I'll look after her like she was my own daughter, Xander. I swear..." And the messenger for the Powers could have sworn she saw Xander look sadder, when she said that.

The young man looked at the both of them. "You know how much I love both of you. Stay safe – well, as safe as you can fighting demons..."

He looked to the others. "Buffy, Willow, Dawn, Lee, Amanda, Oz wherever he is, hell even you Spike. Thanks for being my real family. All of you. And Buffy, next time you see Giles..." he choked up a bit. "Can you tell him I said thanks for everything…Dad."

Buffy nodded as Dawn gripped her arm, and they both looked at the screen. Willow could hardly see through the tears, "I love you, Xander."

"I love you too, Willow. Thank you for everything…and if I see her…I'll tell Tara that you miss her." Willow just collapsed into Lee's arms, as she cried over hearing that.

"Cordy?"

"Yeah, Xander?"

"That thing I told you I do on someone's birthday every year. Could you…"

She smiled at him through her tears. "I'll do it every year. We'll all go see his mom."

Kristen spoke up, "Xander?"

"Yeah?"

She sat straight up. "Qa'pla! May you die with honor, songs will be sung of this day."

Everyone looked at her strangely, but Xander had to let loose a small laugh. "Just make sure they don't set the songs to disco or rap..." Kristen nodded, as she too started up with the waterworks.

"I gotta go. G'bye..." He kept his eyes on Kristen and Cordelia, as he started to log off.

Cordelia reached out, and put her fingertips to the screen. "Goodbye, my love..."

Xander stared at her with tears coming down, as he cut the connection. When the screen went black, Cordelia and Kristen held each other tightly as they cried a river of tears.

Willow, Buffy, and Dawn came together, and did the same, as did most of the others.

Spike just looked at Angel. "Don't even try to hug me, or I'll bloody well stake myself..."

****

Demon Command

His teammates looked on with worry, as Xander came down from the meeting room. They were all concerned about him, and with some justification.

"Are you okay?" Rebecca asked softly, as they all crowded around him.

Xander nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. There's just way too much going on at once, is all."

Melissa took his hand. "What did they say? What did she say?"

Xander looked at her for a moment. "Oddly enough, it appears that we both still have feelings for each other. Yep, my great timing kicks in yet again," he said sadly.

Gavin looked at him. "Those Tok'Ra guys have arrived in orbit, and started to scan the caves. Are you up to meeting 'em?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah, well, I have to be. What's the guy-in-charge's name? Spock?"

"No, it's Jacob Carter."

"Carter? As in Major Carter?"

"Her dad."

"Oh."

****

Someplace else

Cordelia stood up slowly, as she wiped her tears away. A split second ago, she'd been sitting with Kristen, crying her eyes out.

Now she was standing by herself, in what to any other human would think was a very strange place indeed.

But Cordy had been here before, even though it felt like a long time ago now. This was the realm of the Powers That Be.

She saw no floor, no wall, and no ceiling, only white. She looked down to notice she was now wearing the white robe that she'd worn, when she'd first come here. The woman saw no one, but she knew she was being watched.

The thing was, being here at this moment scared Cordelia Chase more than she'd ever thought it would. "No!" she yelled. "You can't just bring me back up here now, of all times! Show yourselves!"

She was expecting Skip, or possibly that Whistler guy Angel had told her about. Maybe even her old teacher, that had helped her when she'd first come here to dwell with the Powers. But what she got, was nothing like she'd been expecting.

The air around her shimmered, and human forms materialized out of thin air. Eight men and women, or what appeared to be men and women, stood there. All in white robes, all silent, and all looking at her. She knew who they were, she had just never seen them before in person.

They were the real Powers That Be.

One finally spoke. "Cordelia Chase. You have completed your test on Earth."

Normally Cordelia would have shown a bit more respect or maybe fear with the Powers, but not today. "Test?! You're saying that you sending me back after I helped Angel, was all a test!?"

A female Power to her left spoke. "Yes, child. And congratulations, you passed. You did what needed to be done; the ensouled vampire is back on his path. His son is no longer a danger, and Alexander Harris is now ready to face his destiny."

Cordelia turned to her. "You mean you just wanted me to break up with Angel long enough to say 'I love you' to Xander?! All that crap about how I was needed on Earth was all a lie?"

Another spoke. "You have passed this test. You are now ready to remain here, to begin your true destiny."

"No! No way in hell! They need me down there! Xander needs me, they all do. I promised him I would look after Kristen, and that's what I'm going to do!" the former cheerleader shouted.

"The life of one Slayer is nothing in the grand scheme of things. What you must do here is more important. Besides, Alexander Harris does not truly love you. He simply said that, so you would remember well of him. The one he truly loves is called Willow," he said plainly.

Cordelia couldn't believe it. "That's a lie! He loves me, and I've loved him all this time! It just took me too damn long to realize it. Now, send me back!"

"You can never return to that place. You are to be sent to…"

"Send me back now!!"

The Powers, and even Cordelia, were shocked at her tone. No one had ever spoken to the Powers That Be like this before, no one.

"Child, you must control your human feelings in our presence. But do not worry, you will not be troubled by them soon."

She got scared, hearing that. "What do you mean?"

The head Power spoke again. "Your human emotions will make it more difficult to do the work you must do. Thus, they will be removed from you. Then you will be bothered no longer by the memory of your time on Earth."

"You're going to take away my memories again?" Cordy asked, as she backed away slowly.

"Regrettably, it must be done..." The other Powers stepped closer to surround her. They grabbed her, and held her in place as the main Power approached.

"No, please," she pleaded as she watched the Power come to her. "I need my memories. They're who I am! It's my life we're talking about, you assholes! Don't do this!" she cried.

The Power stood in front of her, and ignored her tears. "It is for the best, child. And do not be concerned for your friends, the one called Winifred will be given your visions."

Cordelia tried to kick him away, but he just laid a hand on her head. Cordelia looked up through her tears, to see his hand start to glow white. "It will all be over soon, child..."

****

Low Earth Orbit

Xander sat in the seat, and grinned. It was a dying man's last request, he'd told them. Just for a few minutes...

The Air Force captain looked out the windows, to see what he'd never thought he would get to see from this vantage point.

Space.

At long last he was out in space, and the Earth was slowly turning underneath him. Plus, he was at the controls of a spaceship. It was just a small cargo ship, true, but it was still a spaceship all the same.

Moments later, no one noticed the look on Xander's face go from pure joy to pure terror. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine – as he knew something was wrong, that something very bad was happening.

Something was happening to Cordelia.

He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. And he also knew he could do nothing about it.

****

Watchers Council Headquarters

The main Council chamber was filled with people. The half-circle Council desk went all the way across to the back of the room, and there sat the most important Watchers of the day.

In the center seat was Emma Consworth, the head of the Council, and to her right sat Rupert Giles. All eight Slayers-in-waiting sat in seats off to the side. The now 19-year-old Russian girl, Nika, sat at the head of their group.

All eyes were on the large screen, pulled down in the front of the room. The projection TV showed CNN reporting live. There was large text on the screen that said, 'The Next Attack?'

All of them listened to the reporter, as his voice came through the speakers hidden in the room. "All we do know for sure is that the entire town of Sunnydale, California, located 85 miles from Los Angeles, has been evacuated. No one from the police force, or the local government is still within the town limits; it has been sealed off completely. We have gotten reports that most of the patients from the local hospitals have been moved, to hospitals in LA. We…"

The main anchorwoman cut in, "I'm sorry, Tom. But we have Phil Marks on the phone, with some new developments. Can you hear me, Phil?"

The screen switched to a color map of lower California, with Sunnydale in red. An older man's picture was at the top with the words 'On the phone' next to it.

"Yes, we have just learned that several units from all branches of the military have been sent to Sunnydale. The Pentagon will not confirm this as yet, but some sources are saying they expect a possible attack soon..."

The anchor asked, "Do we know any of the troop deployments?"

The map screen came back up. "No. No one is talking here at the Pentagon as to what's expected, or even how they knew of this attack. But they are treating it as a very real threat. This could be the next al-Qaeda attack that many people in the government have been warning about. But why they would pick a target I believe most of them have never even heard of, I honestly don't know..."

Giles stared at Emma with a dark look. "Well, ah, now we know why no one in Sunnydale is answering our calls. They aren't there."

"Do you think we should send a team to the Hellmouth?" Emma asked him.

Giles thought for a moment. "We should have one nearby at the very least, maybe in the next town over."

"Could it be a new Initiative?"

"I certainly hope not," Giles replied with a sigh.

****

The realm of the Powers That Be

Cordelia kept trying to struggle, but she was being held too strongly. Through her tears, she saw the Power's hand glow. She had never been this scared, not even when she was being tortured by the demon priests in Pylea.

Even then she'd had the memories of Angel, Wesley, Xander, Doyle, and her other friends; she'd known that they would come for her, as they always did.

Then Cordy suddenly felt light-headed. She tried to recall things; her address, the way Wesley had looked in a tux at the Prom, making out with Xander when she was a teenager…but it all seemed to slip away from her.

As her memories were leaving, she cried out, "I love you, Xander Harris!"

But even as she finished saying the words, the woman realized she had no idea who Xander Harris was. Let alone, why she had called out his name.

****

Demon Command

April was working on a computer in Beth's lab, when she suddenly felt... wrong.

She looked around, only to see no one in the room with her. But the feeling only got worse and worse. She recalled the saying, Someone just walked over my grave. That was exactly what she felt like.

It hit her fast, when she realized what it was. What was happening. April dropped the folder she was holding, and winked out of the room.

She reformed in the center of the control room, and headed right for the woman at the side console. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Major Carter spun around to face her. "Nothing. Just checking out a few things..."

April pushed past her to see the screen. Her program was running, and her command codes were on the screen. This person shouldn't have had access to them; only Andrews, Beth, and Xander had her codes. "This sure as hell doesn't look like nothing to me!"

"Calm down. I was just testing your…"

"Who the hell gave you the authority to mess with my programming?"

Carter was shocked to see the fury in April's face. "Hey! I don't want to have to take you off-line, so calm down!"

"Calm down? You're messing with everything that makes me, me! And you want me to be calm!?"

Beth came running over. "What the hell is going on over here?"

April just moved aside to show her the screen. "She was messing around with my program!"

Beth spun on Carter. "How the hell did you even get access?"

"That's not important. Besides, I just wanted to see how she was working out! We haven't gotten any reports about her in a month."

"And why would you get reports about April's performance?"

"I helped program her core functions," she told Beth with a shrug.

"So, you think you're what? My mother?" April asked, still ticked.

"In a way; one of about a dozen of them, anyhow..."

April closed out her program, and re-encrypted the access. "Well, consider this me cutting the umbilical cord!" she yelled, before storming off.

Carter looked to Beth. "Is she always this emotional?" She stopped when she saw the look on Beth's face. "What?"

"I know she's just a computer program to you. But to us, she's a member of this command. We are about to lose one of our people, and I will not have some outsider mess with another of our own!"

"Look, I'm sorry. I just wanted to…"

"Freak her out? Get everyone's nerves even more wound up? Congratulations, you succeeded. I told you before, she is one of the team. If you don't believe me, then go ask Captain Harris why he gave orders to take her CPU with us when we evacuated the last base!"

****

The realm of the Powers That Be

The Powers released her. "Now, doesn't that feel better child?"

Cordelia didn't understand. "Was I in pain?"

"No, child, you were just confused. Are you ready for your mission?"

"I'm always ready to serve sir."

The elder Power was about to speak, when he noticed Skip come out from behind the other Powers. "Skip, this is a private matter. You were told to wait until we sent for you."

Skip just kept walking right up to the Power. "Someone wants to talk to you."

"And who would that be?"

"Me."

The Powers turned to see a man dressed in jeans, and a blue sweater. They fell to their knees, when they saw who it was. Metatron.

"You honor us with your presence, Lord Metatron," the head Power spoke. "Does the One wish us to complete a task for him?"

Metatron looked down, speaking in a British accent. "Actually, He wouldn't mind having you, and your entire little band of idiots here, jumping into the deeper most pits of Hell. And believe me, I would love to see it happen too."

"I do not understand," the Power said, shocked.

Metatron just squatted down to be at eye level with him. "Did you really think that the upper echelons wouldn't notice your completely screwing up the entire master plan?"

"But Lord Metatron, I don't – I, we have been doing as we were tasked to do, eons ago. Protecting the Earth plane..."

Metatron pointed to the motionless Cordelia. "You expect me to believe that your reformatting the girl's brain like it was an old IBM, is the right thing to do!?"

He grabbed the Power by his robes, pulling him up. "The plan has been in place for all eternity. And with your little act of stupidity you screw it up, and then try to cover your arses?!"

"My lord, the Assembly attack was too severe in the original timeline. We needed a champion to lead the fight, and Alexander Harris would not have…"

"Don't even think that that'll work with me! We both know Harris, and his now vegetable-like wife here, were supposed to move to Los Angeles after a few years so she could continue with her entertainment career. He would then have been drafted into the fight against the Assembly."

Metatron shook his head. "But you all thought that having two Slayerettes in the same city as your damn Champion would lessen your hold on him. That's why the Assembly attack was so bad the first time around! But did you try to make it right? Oh no. You screwed it up even more, by having this woman become the vampire's seer. But the biggest screw up of them all, was when you kidnapped their unborn children!"

The Power stepped back from the enraged Metatron. "They have not been harmed..."

Metatron didn't let up. "Do you have any clue how important those kids are? How important the Harris family lineage is going to be?"

The higher being waved his hand, and Whistler appeared next to Skip; so did a large older black man, with grey hair. Metatron addressed them, "You're all here now, because you knew nothing of this stupidity. And because you've all helped Mr. Harris and Ms. Chase or their friends, at one point or another. Until further notice, you three are now the Powers That Be."

The head 'old' Powers was speechless. "Lord Metatron! This is…"

"Do you really want to see those hell pits? If you don't, I'd shut up if I were you. This is on His orders," Metatron told him. Next, he went over to Cordelia.

"What can I do for you, sir?" she said in a very cheerful voice.

"Just hold still, already," the guy told her, as he placed his palm on her forehead. It glowed brighter and brighter.

Everything then came flooding back to Cordelia; her entire life. Playing with her father when she was two. Riding on his shoulders, while her mom videotaped it. Playing in a sandbox with her friends Xander, Willow, Harmony, and Jesse...

She remembered everything. Every laugh, every tear, every kiss. She remembered the pure terror she'd had, the first few times she was sure she was going to die back in Sunnydale...

And for the first time, Cordy remembered with crystal clarity the night of the Harvest at the Bronze. How Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Xander had come in and saved the day. She'd never really been able to recall it fully, even when Xander had tried to help her remember when they were dating.

Xander. Oh dear Lord, she remembered it all. All the joy, and the tears. The times she'd cried herself to sleep after they broke up, all the times they'd made out in the closet at school, or in the back of the library...

How he had held her all night when she was so vulnerable. How he hadn't tried to take advantage of her that night in her room. And how much she'd cried tears of joy after she listened to the tapes of his sessions with his shrink.

Those three days in that hotel room before she left – it suddenly made her body tingle all over.

Cordelia then remembered that getting on that bus to LA, was the hardest thing she had ever done. She was also surprised that she now had two sets of memories; ones with Dawn as part of their lives, and ones without her.

She could remember babysitting Dawn, on the same night she and Xander had actually gone to see a movie. But then, the Englishman in front of her interrupted her thoughts.

"There, now. All better, I take it?"

Cordelia didn't answer. She just walked right past him to the Power, and she punched him in the face as hard as she could.

Metatron chuckled. "Yep, she's fine. You want me to hold him for you?" he then asked her in amusement.

She didn't answer. She just punched the Power again, and again. Finally, Metatron grabbed her arm. "Amusing as this is, we have more important things to deal with at the moment. Skip, go to Harris. Tell him that Cordelia is fine. We can't have him worrying about her when the attack is so close..."

The demon guide vanished, going off about his business.

Metatron turned to the Powers. "And all of you…take a walk. You will be dealt with shortly." He turned back to Cordelia. "Come with me, please."

She followed him but had to ask, "Uh, how could Xander be worried? He couldn't possibly know I'm up here..."

"Oh, he knows alright. Just as you'll know when he…well, you know."

"When he dies," Cordy whispered sadly. "Who are you?"

The higher being sat on a leather recliner that appeared out of thin air. Another one appeared, and Cordelia sat next to him. He said cheerfully, "I'm Metatron. Don't worry, not many people down there know who I am either. I gave up on trying to get any fanfare when I appear, long ago."

"So you're a, uh, 'higher' higher power?"

"Not exactly, I only work for one. But it gets the underlings scared shitless of me, so that's always a plus. Also, I got a great dental plan." He saw her confused look, "For Heaven's sake, woman. Hanging around Harris as long as you did, you should be used to bad jokes by now!"

"Sorry, then who do you work for?"

Metatron pointed upwards. "I work for the big man…or woman, depending who you ask. The Creator. The God."

She was stunned. "You're saying God has time to be concerned with me?"

"Don't sell yourself short, kid. You and Harris are amongst the major players."

"You can not be serious!"

"Miss Chase," Metatron began with a sigh. "That whole soulmate thing, that's you two. You and your other half were meant to be some of the big guns down there."

"We were?" she asked weakly.

"Yep, but you see the Powers screwed it all up."

"How?"

"Please tell me you know how time travel works, or else we're gonna be here a while," Metatron said with a grin.

Cordelia was completely confused now. "I dated a sci-fi geek, I know some things. Just don't get too technical."

Metatron waved his hand again, making a large big screen TV appear in front of them. "Well then, that saves us some time."

The TV came to life, and Cordelia saw three people on a catwalk. Angel, Doyle, and Kate Lockley.

"Do you know where they are?" Metatron asked her carefully.

Cordelia nodded, as that was one night she would never forget. "That's right before

Doyle jumped to shut off the light bomb of the Scourge. But where am I?"

"Somewhere else. Because basically, you were never meant to be there. In fact, you were never meant to meet Doyle at all."

"What!?" she yelled. "But I was there! He kissed me before he jumped, and gave me the visions!"

Metatron looked at her sadly. "This is the original timeline, as history was supposed to be. You did go to LA to get into international superstardom and all, but you moved back to Sunnydale shortly after your old boyfriend came back from his road trip."

Cordelia was stunned. She didn't know how to respond, but then a light went off in her head. "Wait a minute! Original timeline? Time travel? Are you saying someone went back into the past, and changed history?!"

He smiled at her. "Good to see that you do have a brain again. Most others tend to take forever to figure stuff like this out."

The image on the TV moved. Cordelia watched Doyle hitting Angel, knocking him off the catwalk. Then Doyle said something to Kate, just before he jumped. The image faded into nothingness after that.

"Sorry, I just didn't think you wanted to see him get killed again," Metatron told her. "You see, thing is...originally, you went back to Sunnydale and your one true love before you ever met Angel again at that party."

"But why the hell would I have gone back to the Hellmouth? Okay, I did miss Xander, but I got letters from him almost once a week."

"And you used to run home every day to see if you had gotten another letter, didn't you?"

The former seer got defensive. "He was my friend, okay!? The only one I thought I had left! But I remember the mood I was in, those first few months. I know I wanted to go running back to him, just give it up and go home, but that would be admitting that I couldn't hack it on my own. I had to see it through."

"Right, that's why you almost started to cry when that bloodsucker Winters said he wanted to help you...before you realized he was a vampire."

"I never said I was at my best, alright?" the woman told him in a snappish voice. She didn't like someone else knowing all her life's details.

"Well, then. You wanna know why you originally went back to la Boca del Infierno?"

"Yes!"

The TV came back on. It showed Xander and her at the Espresso Pump, in Sunnydale. They both looked very happy, and Xander had his arm around her. Then they got up, and Cordelia could see her past self…really see her.

And it shocked her to her core. She was pregnant!

"You can't be serious!" Cordelia yelled. Half of her was deliriously happy, but the other half was so confused it didn't know what to think. "How did that happen?"

"I don't really need to explain about the birds and the bees to you, do I?" Metatron asked her with a smile. The TV flashed again. This almost surprised her more…almost.

A small hotel room. A bed. Herself and Xander. They were kissing, while she was lying on top of him in a full-on French Maid outfit. Metatron smiled, "That's when it happened. Well, okay, about two hours later, but since this is the most G-rated I can make it here..."

She was floored. "You watched us!?"

"Kid, everyone's life is open for review to the big man. And He doesn't really watch it like a Peeping Tom; you see, He would have to have some bits of human anatomy for that to happen, but he doesn't. And I already told you, that you two are major players down there."

Cordy was now very confused. "But I remember that happening, so how was the past changed? I never got pregnant, unless you count those demon babies…which I so do not want to relive right now!"

"Well, you see, this is the thing that your ex recently found out – and that really ticked him off. What that Graham guy was talking about. Look, I need to fill you in a little on the back-story..."

Metatron looked annoyed again, more than ever. "In the original timeline, you and Harris got married, and stayed in Sunnydale up until the fight with Glory. After that, you and the little tykes went to LA where you tried the acting thing again, while your squeeze got a construction job with a company that built movie sets."

"So, Xander married me just because I was pregnant?" the former May Queen looked down sadly.

Metatron looked at her, surprised. "Do you honestly think that was the reason? He loved you, and you loved him. But hey, my opinion, the reason you didn't go back to him in the timeline you remember is because you were scared."

"I was not scared of Xander!"

He just looked at her.

"Okay," she admitted it with ill grace. "I was, a little. I trusted him once, and I nearly got killed for it."

"Kid, you know the one phrase that is used to justify way too much down on Earth? 'God has a plan'. Well, in this case he did. Your breakup, and the months of fighting were all planned. It was meant to happen like that."

Cordelia's eyes went wide. "Like I said before, you can't be serious!"

"Cordelia," he said, shaking his head. "Neither of you were ready for that kind of relationship then. And if you two hadn't broken up…then Harris wouldn't have been there to stop that bomb going off and killing everyone, that night the Hellmouth almost opened up. Best case scenario, you two would have lasted till about halfway through college; and then you would have never seen each other again. Both of you would have ended up very lonely and bitter old people."

"I thought we could have lasted," she said softly, almost to herself.

In reply the TV flashed, and Cordelia saw her and Xander in the closet during their junior year at Sunnydale High.

"Cor, why can't we?"

"Xander, we've been over this. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I, on the other hand, have everything to be ashamed of."

Cordelia winced at her past self's words. She remembered speaking them, but this time she also got a look at his face when she'd said she was ashamed of him. Xander looked on the verge of tears, but the younger Cordelia was too busy ranting to notice it.

"Not nice to hear, is it?"

The young woman lowered her eyes. "No, it isn't. I didn't know he felt that strongly about it."

"You never told him the real reason why you didn't want anyone to find out about you two, did you?"

She glared at him. "What? That I was terrified about becoming a social pariah?"

"You know what I mean."

Cordelia looked at him, with tears starting to run down her face. "I was so scared that if we started going out openly... that there was a small chance that Harmony and the others might have accepted him. That he would become popular, since he was with me."

"And since every popular boy you were ever with just wanted to get into your panties, and show you off to his friends, you thought he'd become one of them."

She nodded. "He was the first guy that gave a damn about what I said. Sure we fought all the time, but he listened to me! I didn't want to lose that."

"Yeah, but you did."

The TV flashed to show her in a hospital bed. Xander was walking out of the room, with his head down. She saw her younger self break down in sobs. "One of the worst moments of my life," Cordy said hollowly.

Metatron nodded. "Your pride wouldn't let you take him back."

She wiped away a tear. "God, it seems so simple now. Oz and Willow got back together, but my damn stupid pride stopped me, every time he tried to talk to me. I totally built him up as a monster in my head, just to make it easier I guess."

"Want to see it from the monster's point of view?" Metatron asked her. She nodded.

The TV changed yet again. She could now see Xander pleading with her to stay awake in the ambulance. Xander forced out of the emergency room, when they started to work on her. Xander sitting in the hospital bathroom, crying in one of the stalls.

She then watched, as the boy tried to hide his tears as he came out of her room. Xander then pulled Giles aside, "Giles, she wants nothing to do with me. But I can't just abandon her! Her parents are off at some goddamn party in Paris, and she needs someone here for her. Can you please…?"

Giles nodded. "Of course. I'll be here if she needs anything."

Relief washed over Xander. "Thanks. Just don't tell her I asked you."

"Xander, for heaven's sake – I would be here even if you hadn't asked me! I consider all of you to be like my own children."

Cordelia watched, as Giles hugged Xander as he broke down crying. "Turn it off!" she cried.

"Not what you thought it was like, huh?"

"No!" she answered.

"Honey, another popular saying down there is 'no pain, no gain'. And thing is, you two got a lot of pain then. You don't know how much you grew up during those few months. Sure it was painful, and lonely, but you got through it on your own. His pain started a little sooner, though."

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

A young boy that Cordelia knew was Xander appeared on the screen, and he was watching a movie on TV. She couldn't tell what it was, but she saw the look on young Xander's face as he said to himself, "When I get a girlfriend, we're gonna get married and live happily ever after like Snow White…"

A loud voice boomed in the room. "You think some broad would be stupid enough to marry you, ya little punk?" His alcoholic father came into the room. "You were a stupid drunken mistake, you shithead, and mistakes don't get that in life. And even if you did, you would screw it up anyway!"

She watched horrified as Little Xander tried to leave the room, only to be blocked by his father. "Did I say you could leave?"

The old man then threw an empty beer bottle at him that hit the wall only inches from young Xander's head. The image froze this time on Xander's scared face, as he watched his father come at him.

Metatron shook his head. "Some humans, I will never understand why they're allowed to procreate."

Cordelia was still horrified, and couldn't take her eyes off of young Xander's face. "Oh my God! I knew his home life was bad, but it was like that?! His entire childhood?"

Metatron sighed. "Yeah, his entire childhood. Why do you think he was so clingy to Miss Rosenberg, growing up? She was his lifeline as a kid, her and that Jesse guy were all that our pal here had. She was the only girl he could have ever cheated on you with. And…"

"There's more!?" Cordy yelled.

"Well, you see, young Mr. Harris here tried his entire life to prove that his father was wrong, that he could mean something. The summer when the Slayer was in LA, that was his time. He missed Buffy, sure, you all did. But he took charge. He got everyone into a team, and even you went out with him to patrol. He finally had the respect he'd always wanted, and the woman he desired. He was your team leader..."

Metatron shrugged. "...but when Buffy got back and took over again, you were all he had left. And after your breakup, he didn't fare so well." He turned to her looking very serious. "Now, I need your most solemn holy vow that you will never tell anyone about this next bit. No one can ever know it. He can never know, that you learned about it."

"I'm not sure I can take much more of this, but okay – I swear I will never tell anyone," Cordelia told him softly.

The TV did a rewind, to show Anthony Harris again. "Even if you did, you would screw it up anyway!"

"Xander tried for years to prove his old man wrong, and then wham – he was proven right! The guy did screw it up with you. Plus his friends started to push him away, with that "we just wanna protect you" crap. After a not-so-good 'talk' with his father for screwing up the chance to hook, and I'm quoting here, 'a rich slut like that', I'm afraid your ex couldn't take it anymore."

The screen changed again, and this time Cordelia screamed, "No!! No way in Hell! He would never do that!"

On the screen was a teenage Xander Harris, with a gun in his mouth.

"Oh yeah, he did it alright. He even pulled the trigger, but lucky for him the gun jammed," Metatron shrugged.

Cordy still couldn't believe it. "No! Where the hell would he have gotten a gun anyway?"

The screen flashed again, to show one of the few vampires that Cordelia had ever truly hated in her whole life.

Darla.

On the screen she was in the Bronze, shooting two pistols at Buffy. Angel came from behind, and staked her. And as everyone was moving towards Buffy, Xander leaned down and pocketed both guns.

"After that gun jammed, Harris took it as a sign to move on. Which he did; the next night, he stopped those zombies from blowing up the high school. And that's the day he stopped making attempts to win you back, remember?"

Cordelia looked down. "Yeah," she said sadly.

Metatron looked right at her. "In those few short months, you and him went from kids to adults so fast that you became friends again, during the days after the Prom. And as you now know, you were supposed to come home after the summer, but with the Powers' stupid mistake that didn't happen."

"Exactly what did they do? How could they have screwed up this master plan, the way they did?" she asked him.

Metatron sighed. "I wish I could say it was all for some good reason, but it's not. The Powers knew only a tiny bit of the future. That's why your visions normally ever came only an hour or so in advance! The dummies knew that you two were going to move to LA; and since they've always been control freaks..."

The guy sighed again. "They thought that you guys would try to get Angel out from under their guidance. So, they made it such that you two never got back together. Harris lost his destiny. His, uh, fling with that Anya girl was never meant to happen, and so didn't pan out. The same goes for you, with that guy from Pylea..."

"What was Xander's destiny?"

"The first time around, he sorta got drafted into fighting the Assembly," he told her.

"Who?"

"The Assembly is an army from another dimension, where demons and humans are all one big happily evil family. They attack other worlds, and you can guess the rest. Bottom line is, Harris was in the wrong place at the right time, and he helped stopped a huge attack. At least, that was the plan..."

"What do you mean?" Cordelia's mind was starting to get overwhelmed.

"Okay, let's see if I can break this down for you," Metatron started. "After the Powers' meddling, our boy was not around to stop the Assembly. Their attack therefore on truth, justice and the human way was very bad. The Powers next tried to fix it by having you guys get married, but not go to LA. That didn't work out too well either. You and one of your twin babies got out with Dawn and Amanda – the rest? They didn't make it, that time around."

Cordelia just couldn't take this. "Xander…and our child…"

The TV flashed again, showing Dawn throwing bags into a SUV. Amanda was holding a baby girl, while Xander was trying to calm down another Cordelia. All around them, Sunnydale was burning.

Cordelia looked on in horror, at the state she saw herself in on the TV. Dried blood over her face, eyes red from crying, her clothes torn, ripped and burned.

But what shocked Cordelia the most, was the other Cordy's eyes. She could see the hopelessness in them, as she pleaded with the Xander who was holding some kind of sci-fi ray gun.

"Xander, for God's sake please come with us!" she cried. "There's nothing more you can do here. Please! I…I can't lose you too. I can't make it without you!"

Xander just looked into her eyes. "Yes you can, Cordy. I know you can. Look, someone needs to stay, and keep them distracted long enough for you guys to get out. And as long as they're looking for me, they won't be looking for you. You can escape, and you will, 'cause our kid needs her mother Cordy."

"She needs her father! I need you, damn it!"

Xander grabbed her, and kissed her. She melted into his body, and for a brief second that Cordelia looked like she was okay; but that was over, as soon as the kiss ended. She grabbed him, and wouldn't let go.

"Amanda!" Xander called.

The woman in question handed the baby to Dawn, then came and grabbed Cordelia from behind, pulling her away to the car. Xander just watched her being pulled away, as his wife struggled as hard as she could.

"I love you, Cordelia Harris!" Xander yelled to her, briefly looking down.

That version of Miss Chase just started screaming, as she was pushed into the back seat of the SUV. "Xander! No! Please! I love you!"

Amanda pushed her all the way in, and closed the door. Cordelia jumped in the back, looking out the window to see Xander looking at her with tears coming down his face. As the SUV started to pull away, her eyes stayed locked on Xander till he was nothing more than a speck in the distance.

When Cordelia couldn't see him anymore she leaned against the inside, and pulled her knees close to her. "No…please, God, no..." she whispered as the tears fell.

The image stopped on her crying face. Cordelia got up, and stared at herself on the screen. She couldn't even imagine the pain that version of herself had gone through...

She then faced Metatron, not even trying to hold the tears in. "All this, because the Powers did something so stupid? This is what you told Xander, when you spoke to him?"

"I've never spoken to Harris about any of this. Only you."

She was confused. "But then how did Xander know some of this stuff?"

"Somebody else told him. You met her once, yourself."

Cordelia was surprised. "I did? Well, can't you talk to your boss to fix this? He should be able to stop the Powers from ever screwing everything up, right?"

Metatron looked at her. "That would be like wiping the last few years away completely, as if they'd never happened. Everything you and he did since you left Sunnydale, would never have existed. Not a good idea, as a tiny bit of good has come out of this mess."

"What good could have possibly come from all this?"

"One word; Kristen. If Xander hadn't been with the Council to rescue her, then Travers would have brainwashed her but good. He woulda turned her into a very cold-blooded killer, trained to take out one person above all others."

"Who-?"

"She would've tried several times to kill Buffy Summers, until your friend would have had to kill her in self-defense. You think what happened with Faith was bad? That was nothing, compared to what would have happened when she went over to the dark side. Plus Angel wouldn't have gone to Pylea after you, thus no Fred. Oh, there is one more thing before you head back downstairs."

"Oh, God. I can't take anymore!"

The TV changed back to the image of her and Xander, in that hotel room. "You should know this event happened, in the history you remember. You still got pregnant."

"But I was never..."

"I also think you're gonna want to keep hitting those Powers guys, after I show ya this..."

The TV vanished, revealing a plain door. Metatron got up, and Cordy quickly followed him. He looked into her eyes, "As Xander said, you'll be good to them."

He flung open the door. When Cordelia saw what was inside, she started crying as she fell to her knees.

"Thank you," was all she could whisper out.

****

After Cordelia vanished, Whistler stepped up.

"You were told?" Metatron asked.

Whistler frowned, trying to comprehend what he was told. "She's an
Immortal?! That sure as hell was not in the file that I saw on her. How
the hell can she have kids then!?"

Metatron sighed. "Her template was Immortal."

"Her template?"

Metatron sighed again. "Kid, as I told the old Powers… the plan
concerning Harris and Chase and their kids was all planned. Back in 1980,
Mrs. Chase's little girl was going to be still-born, so we 'upgraded' her."

Whistler was still confused. "Okay... but how does that explain the kids?
Or the pregnancy she had a few years ago?"

Metatron groaned. "Do I have to have a flashing neon sign over my head that
says 'I work for God!'? I'll explain this only once. In some dimensions and
alternate realities, Cordelia Chase is and always was an Immortal. And ours
is one of them... kind of. Hell, there's even some places where the Slayer
is an Immortal! Anyway, Miss Chase's genetics was tweaked somewhat to allow
her to be with child, but with only one man. And can you guess who that is?"

"Harris."

Snapping his fingers, the higher being said, "Bingo!" Metatron continued,
"She can have all the kids she wants... but only with him. As for the demon
spawn she almost had... well, does the phrase 'evil demon magic' mean
anything to you? The plan was always for her to lose her Immortality,
before it was even activated."

"Uh, maybe I'm being too dumb for words, but how does she lose her
Immortality?"

"Well, in the first timeline it was planned that Glory would suck it
out of her - when she thought Cordelia was the Key. But since she wasn't
there this time around, Glory went after Tara instead. Cordelia lost
her Immortality this time, when the old Powers changed her to suit their
needs."

"You mean, when they made her part-demon."

"No...she was never made part-demon. You think the Powers would change her
into a demon, then have her come up here? How many times have you heard the
phrase 'lower being' around here?"


"Then what did they change her into?"

Metatron shook his head. "Now, that would be telling. You can't expect to
be told the entire story at once, can you? It would be like reading
spoilers on the Internet."

"You read Internet spoilers? For what show?"

"Please, I don't. During the 80's, then I would have. But you do not want
to see my boss when he gets on the 'Net, looking at 'Smallville' spoilers."

Whistler couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. "God watches
Smallville?"

Metatron shrugged. "How do you think it's still on the air? I just wish
they would get him in the damn tights already. Be glad you weren't around
when he wanted the 'V' TV series to be made. The movies were good...
but the series..." he shook in horror.

****

Hyperion

Everyone was speechless, when Cordelia reappeared in a flash of light. A few seconds ago she was sitting with Kristen, but now she was standing there, with two babies in her arms.

Angel ran to her. "Cordy, where did you go?"

"The Powers called," she said derisively, as she looked at her babies.

Angel took note of the disgust in her voice, when she mentioned the Powers That Be. "And whose kids are these?"

Cordelia looked up glancing at everyone in the room. With pride in her voice she said, "They're mine…and Xander's."

Dawn was the first to recover from the shock. "Ah, Cordy. Just how long were you up there?"