Thank you for all the feedback! I adore you all! Now if you'd just all review again then I'll love you all even more!

I have an idea to bring an old character back, yes. Begins with L, ends in Y and has 6 letters all together (

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Cordelia in wonder around the bar, this had to magic, she had never seen so many people in before.

"Is it someone's birthday again?" Cordelia asked the other bar maid, Vicky as they crossed paths.

"Nah, I heard something about a pig killer," Vicky rolled her eyes. "Nothing like a killer dog to get these lot down here drinking and gossiping."

"Pig killer?" Cordelia said with a snort and shook her head in disbelief. "I wish I had moved to France." She added. Vicky smiled and poured another pint of beer.

"Hey, you know it's my birthday next week, I'm having a party, you and Wes should come."

"Party?" She repeated doubtfully. Were wild parties permitted here? Ugh, Cordelia could see it now, smelly old farmers and grey old women sat around drinking tea with her and Wesley on the edge been bombarded with all those annoying questions old people feel they have to ask so you feel you are been included.

Vicky laughed at Cordelia's expression. "Don't worry, it's not what you think, it is possible to have a party here. Besides, it's my 21st. And we live miles out, no one can complain about the noise."

"No old biddies and farmers?" Vicky laughed harder.

"All guests are under thirty."

"Thanks, I'll ask Wes."

"Here, take these over to the table in the corner," Vicky said and shoved three glasses in Cordelia's hands. Cordelia made her way over to the table, juggling with the glasses and trying to dodge past people who were walking to and from the bar while trying to make polite conversation with passing people.

"Here you go gentlemen." She said brightly and slammed the three pints down. They chorused there thank you's and continued to talk in extremely loud voices.

"Ay, and only last night I was chasing a man of my property. Big lad he was!" One man said, making large gestures with his arms.

"If he was so big, why did he run away from you?" His friend teased and they all laughed.

"I got my riffle out! That's why, I made it quite clear, I says, laddie, if you isn't of my land I'll shoot, and he laughs in my face he does, hidden in the shadows, must 'av been close to midnight, and he laughs so's I gets my gun and I shoot! Now here's the funny bit mate," Cordelia had stopped dead in her tracks and was straining to hear the conversation now. "I got him straight in the chest, but the boy never even stumbled! He just laughs some more at me, apologizes and gets on his way!"

"Oh Frank! You've never hit anything in your life, you're a terrible shot!"

"I shot him I tell ya! I shot him straight in the chest!" At his distress, the table laughed even more and patted him on the back heartily and started cracking jokes about just how terrible Frank was at shooting.

Cordelia slowly made her way back to the bar. She tried to tell herself it was just an old mans ramblings, but the fear was there now, and it wasn't going to go away.
***

[I]

Wesley dropped the paper and backed up against the wall, he wanted to get out but his legs wouldn't work properly. He closed his eyes tightly and slumped down against the wall, he his face in his scarred hands and let salty tears drop over them and escape through the gaps.

He raised his head a second later and turned it to the side, he retched and wrinkled his nose at the added stench of sick.

He forgot how long he sat in his bedroom, he forgot what he had came back for, he was lost in sorrow. How could he have let this happen? He should have made sure Gunn and Fred were ok when he had all those hours to spare in the hospital, a phone call took seconds. He was disgusted with himself for been so careless. Now two of his friends were dead, another was a basket case crying in her room, and his over friend was a murdering rapist.

Wesley threw his phone against the wall in anger and slammed his fist onto the floor. He was angry and confused. He was afraid, and he was sorry, so sorry that he hadn't been able to stop this in time.

It was no wonder his father hated him, he was useless and a waste of space. What use had he been so far? None at all. If only he could turn back the clock, there may have been something he could have done to prevent all this. He was so stupid; he hated himself more than ever. Those three people had trusted him with their lives, and now only one of them was still alive. A sobbing wreck, but still alive.

He dared a glance at Fred and shivered as glassy brown stared at him. Already the memory of those eyes filled with happiness was fading. He vaguely remembered the way they lit up when she smiled and the way you could look deep into them and still not know what was going on in her head.

It was while Wesley was debating was debating whether or not to call the police when Gunn stirred. At first Wes thought he had imagined it, he looked closer and saw Gunn's fingers clenching up and then a groan escaped his throat.

New hope surged through Wesley and he felt once again that he had a responsibility over people. Cordelia and Charles were alive. It was up to him to protect them now, and this time he would not fail.

"Gunn!" He exclaimed and crawled over, cursing himself for not checking his pulse earlier. "Is anything broken?" Wesley questioned and inspected his head, noting the deep gash in his head. He remembered the way Angelus had stuck a blade deep into his own leg, slowly dragging it through flesh and grimaced as he realized it was probably what had happened to his friend.

"Wesley?" He muttered and turned over on his own. He lay on the floor his head looking up towards the ceiling. Fred was not in his line of vision. Wesley wondered whether Gunn new what had happened.

"Stay there, I'll get you an aspirin." Wesley ordered noticing the clotted blood on Gunn's dark head.

Wesley stumbled out of his bedroom and staggered into his kitchen and raided his cupboards. Eventually he found a packet lurking in the back of a drawer. He threw two into a glass and hurried back to the bedroom, the liquid sloshing over the glass. Gunn had seen Fred by this time. Wesley's earlier query was answered and it was apparent that Gunn had seen what he had done. He wasn't crying though. Just staring at her with a look of hurt on his face.

"This'll help the pain," Wesley said handing him the glass. Gunn turned to look at English man.

"The pain isn't in my head."

They both looked back at Fred. Gunn reached out with a shaking hand and touched his girlfriends.

"She's so cold," He whispered croakily. He had seen many dead bodies, he had watched a couple of his friends die, but he had never known it could feel this bad. Gunn had never given himself so fully to a woman before; he hadn't known he could love someone so much.

He knew know why he had never been so close to anyone before Fred now. This new pain wasn't worth it. Devastating grief washed over him in a cruel wave and hatred swirled upwards for Angelus.

"The bastard."

"We can still get Angel back." Wesley said, but there was no hope or desire in his voice.

"I don't want him back, I want the fucker dead." Gunn growled.

[/I]

***

"Are you ok?" Vicky asked later that night as they stood outside the bar waiting for rides home.

"I'm fine," Cordelia said automatically.

"You just seem a bit out of it." Her friend said with concern.

"Just tired," She replied with a weak attempt at a smile.

"You better be better by my party! I'm having you dancing all night!" Vicky said enthusiastically.

"Or maybe just looking cool in a dark corner?" Cordelia wheedled. Vicky looked disappointed.

"I'm going to keep my eye on you, and if I see you of the dance floor there will be trouble, huge, monstrous trouble, got it?" Vicky said, wagging her finger at Cordelia. Cordelia laughed and assured her that yes, she had got it. "There's my ride," Vicky said and called a goodbye as she tottered down the road and jumped into the back of her friend's car.

Cordelia sighed and shuffled into the doorway of the bar. It was cold and now she was alone. The bar was miles away from everything else, everything was miles away from everything, and it was the stupidest society Cordelia had ever come across. She sighed and wrapped her jacket tighter around her and glanced at her watch.

"Come on Wesley."

When she heard leaves rustling to the left of her she didn't look up, it was probably just birds. After living here for so long she was used to all the wildlife now, it was comforting when she stayed home alone and she heard noises at night, it gave her something to blame instead of scaring herself half to death.

Then someone coughed. Cordelia clamped her hand over her mouth and bit into her skin to stop herself from crying out. She peered into the darkness and tried to make out if there was anyone there. If there was they were invisible to Cordelia. The moon was hidden behind a cloud, typically.

The more she convinced herself there was someone there the more evidence there was to back it up, suddenly the familiar rustlings were the sounds of an approaching figure. When she heard the cough again she stepped out from the doorway and scowled into the night.

"Is there anybody there? We're closed!" She said with a bite of annoyance in her voice. It went silent for a few minutes. "Go home, you hear me? Go home!" Cordelia yelled but her shout died in the evening wind.

Cordelia jumped as the headlights of Wesley's car appeared outside the bar. With a sigh of relief she ran over and slammed the door behind her, pressing the lock down.

"What's wrong?" Wesley asked in alarm.

"Nothing. Can we just go?" She asked quietly and switched on the car radio.

Wesley gave her a withering look and started to pull out. As they drove away he looked in the side mirror and saw darkness. But when he turned around and looked out of the back window he saw him.

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds and then Angel melted into the black sky. Wesley shuddered and pressed down on the accelerator.

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