Author's Notes: Set after Hells Bells in BtVS and the episode where Wesley
takes Connor.
"I'm worried about Angel, Dennis," Cordelia said as she wrote a check
for her rent. "Ever since Connor- was taken to that dimension, he
hasn't said a word. And poor Wesley- god I wish I was around when
this happened. Maybe I would've been able to stop it." Cordelia
couldn't help but feel guilty for her absence during Angel's loss and
Wesley's betrayal. Fred had called Groo and herself, and Cordelia
knew she had to come back. Unfortunately, Groo just couldn't
understand why her friends were so important, and he returned to Pylea.
Fred and Gunn didn't hesitate to fill her in on what happened. Luckily,
Wesley was okay, and had made it to the hospital on time. Unluckily,
the tension between the two of them was still too great. Between that,
and Angel unable to focus on anything, Angel Investigations had taken
a temporary shut down. So Cordelia was catching up on everything she
left before her vacation.
"I wish he would talk to me. Fred called and said he won't talk to
anybody. He just keeps pouring through books, intent of finding a
way to save Connor. And at that, he should really start getting along
with Wesley, because that's all Wesley's doing." Dennis knocked against
the table as his form of saying that he agrees. Cordelia nodded her
confirmation, but the knocking continued.
"Dennis stop that!" Cordelia shouted impatiently. Not that she liked
being mean to her ghost, but there was a line to draw.
"It's me, Xander," Xander's voice called through the door.
Cordelia dropped her pen, and stood up abruptly. Xander was all
but expected. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be on his
honeymoon with Anya, celebrating their new marriage. From a wedding,
she might add, that neither she, Angel, nor Wesley were invited to.
Cordelia quickly composed herself, after all, she was still Queen C, to
Xander anyway. She strolled over to the door and opened it, where a
bedraggled Xander revealed himself.
He was a mess. His eyes were bloodshot, he looked like he
hadn't gotten any sleep for a week, and most of all, his best feature,
his smile, was missing. It also appeared that Xander cared nothing for
his appearance, even more than usual for his hair was uncombed, his
clothes looked like he just grabbed the first things that he saw. His
Hawaiian shirt did not go with his pants at all.
"God Xander, you look terrible." Cordelia was never one to try and
hide the truth. Call a spade a spade, that's what she believed. No
use in hiding the actual truth. "Why are you here and not at your
honeymoon?" She couldn't help but place a bitter tone to the word
honeymoon. After all, here's Xander getting married, while her last
boyfriend switched dimensions.
"The wedding didn't happen," Xander said plainly. "Do you mind if I
crash here? I needed to get out of Sunnydale for a while. I
considered asking Angel, but I value my neck too much," Xander cracked
a weak smile, which quickly disappeared when he found that Cordelia was not
at all amused.
"Why didn't the wedding go through?" She asked, not moving to let him
in. Cordelia, at the moment, felt no obligation to let Xander stay-
they'd barely been in touch at all since she left Sunnydale. She
would of course, she had no desire to send her former boyfriend to live
on the streets, but he didn't need to know that yet.
"I saw what I could be." Xander said cryptically, but when she made no
effort to move, he sighed and explained better. "A demon that hated
Anya told me he was from my future- and he showed me an image of what
our marriage would turn out to be. It was wrong, of course, but that
doesn't mean it wouldn't happen. I basically wasn't ready."
Cordelia gave him a half smile, and moved aside so he could walk in.
"Ok- I'll let you stay a couple of days. But you're sleeping on the
couch or floor. And you're not making any wisecracks about Angel. If
I'm not here, Dennis is in charge."
"Who's Dennis?" Xander looked around, but saw no resemblance of
another person living there. He was at first flustered, he didn't know
Cordelia had a boyfriend- especially one that lived with her. He wasn't
sure if he liked that idea.
"He's my ghost. You can't see him, but he's here. And if I hear that
you didn't follow his and/or my rules, you're out on the street,"
Cordelia smirked, enjoying Xander's shocked, but somewhat relieved look.
"I'm just kidding- mostly."
Xander chuckled, and dragged his old bag in, that had all his personal
belongings. Everything else was left in his apartment in Sunnydale.
Where he could not stand to be. Everywhere he looked, he saw memories
of Anya. He couldn't stand to face her, or his friends. He just
wanted to be alone- or with someone that didn't witness the event.
Cordelia was a fine choice.
***France, 1308***
"Princess Isabella is gone," Farrel told his King, Philip the Fourth of France
bitterly. Farrel was a practicing wizard, though none other than the King
knew. If anyone found out, he would be excommunicated and executed by the
Church. He had cast a spell to find Isabella, the princess and heir
to throne, and it brought about unfortunate results. She was on her way
to Roger Mortimer's castle.
"Oh dear lord," the King Philip bowed his head in concern, trying to figure
out what to do. "Not now, not with Prince Edward II coming
tomorrow!" King Philip had been defeated at Courtrai, and had called on
Edward the First for a peace treaty. Part of the treaty involved Philip
giving up French land, and his daughter must marry Edward's son, Edward the
Second. She would become the Queen of England, and thus create peace
between England and France. He hoped.
"That may be precisely why she's left," Clyde, the house servant spoke
up, and immediately turned away in apology. He was not supposed to
speak until asked, and he did not want to reveal anymore than he'd
have to. Luckily, his error was not noticed by either the King or
Farrel.
"How will we get her back, and on good terms with Prince Edward," the
King started pacing, beginning to feel one of those aches in his head.
"We need the two of them to wed for the alliance! It's part of the deal!
King Edward will not look too forgivingly at breaking his treaty!
Isabella knows this, why is she doing this!"
"What we need is more time," Farrel murmured. "That will give us
time to reverse the spell that I pray has been put upon her, and figure
out matters from there."
"And if there was no spell?" The King looked horrified at the
prospect of his daughter willingly crossing over, and abandoning her
family. She would have right to the throne if her brothers did not produce
any heirs, which they haven't as of yet.
"Let us hope there is one," Farrel was already getting his supplies
for the spell. "Let's hope this works."
***LA, present time***
Cordelia and Xander were sitting at the table, and Cordelia was telling
him about Angel's son. Xander himself was baffled at the idea that
a vampire could reproduce. He couldn't help but feel bad, and a little
angry at Angel for sleeping with Darla, when he could still tell that
Buffy still loved him. But he knew he was being ridiculous and
childish, they both have moved on, and as long as Angel stayed good,
he could make his own decisions.
"Hey is that your ghost?" Xander pointed to a black hole that had
emerged in front of them. Cordelia looked at the hole in fear, and
jumped back.
"What the hell is that!" She screamed, as the portal sucked her in,
and she disappeared before Xander's very eyes.
"Cordelia!" Without a second thought, he jumped in the portal after
her. Then it closed, and only Dennis was left behind.
takes Connor.
"I'm worried about Angel, Dennis," Cordelia said as she wrote a check
for her rent. "Ever since Connor- was taken to that dimension, he
hasn't said a word. And poor Wesley- god I wish I was around when
this happened. Maybe I would've been able to stop it." Cordelia
couldn't help but feel guilty for her absence during Angel's loss and
Wesley's betrayal. Fred had called Groo and herself, and Cordelia
knew she had to come back. Unfortunately, Groo just couldn't
understand why her friends were so important, and he returned to Pylea.
Fred and Gunn didn't hesitate to fill her in on what happened. Luckily,
Wesley was okay, and had made it to the hospital on time. Unluckily,
the tension between the two of them was still too great. Between that,
and Angel unable to focus on anything, Angel Investigations had taken
a temporary shut down. So Cordelia was catching up on everything she
left before her vacation.
"I wish he would talk to me. Fred called and said he won't talk to
anybody. He just keeps pouring through books, intent of finding a
way to save Connor. And at that, he should really start getting along
with Wesley, because that's all Wesley's doing." Dennis knocked against
the table as his form of saying that he agrees. Cordelia nodded her
confirmation, but the knocking continued.
"Dennis stop that!" Cordelia shouted impatiently. Not that she liked
being mean to her ghost, but there was a line to draw.
"It's me, Xander," Xander's voice called through the door.
Cordelia dropped her pen, and stood up abruptly. Xander was all
but expected. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be on his
honeymoon with Anya, celebrating their new marriage. From a wedding,
she might add, that neither she, Angel, nor Wesley were invited to.
Cordelia quickly composed herself, after all, she was still Queen C, to
Xander anyway. She strolled over to the door and opened it, where a
bedraggled Xander revealed himself.
He was a mess. His eyes were bloodshot, he looked like he
hadn't gotten any sleep for a week, and most of all, his best feature,
his smile, was missing. It also appeared that Xander cared nothing for
his appearance, even more than usual for his hair was uncombed, his
clothes looked like he just grabbed the first things that he saw. His
Hawaiian shirt did not go with his pants at all.
"God Xander, you look terrible." Cordelia was never one to try and
hide the truth. Call a spade a spade, that's what she believed. No
use in hiding the actual truth. "Why are you here and not at your
honeymoon?" She couldn't help but place a bitter tone to the word
honeymoon. After all, here's Xander getting married, while her last
boyfriend switched dimensions.
"The wedding didn't happen," Xander said plainly. "Do you mind if I
crash here? I needed to get out of Sunnydale for a while. I
considered asking Angel, but I value my neck too much," Xander cracked
a weak smile, which quickly disappeared when he found that Cordelia was not
at all amused.
"Why didn't the wedding go through?" She asked, not moving to let him
in. Cordelia, at the moment, felt no obligation to let Xander stay-
they'd barely been in touch at all since she left Sunnydale. She
would of course, she had no desire to send her former boyfriend to live
on the streets, but he didn't need to know that yet.
"I saw what I could be." Xander said cryptically, but when she made no
effort to move, he sighed and explained better. "A demon that hated
Anya told me he was from my future- and he showed me an image of what
our marriage would turn out to be. It was wrong, of course, but that
doesn't mean it wouldn't happen. I basically wasn't ready."
Cordelia gave him a half smile, and moved aside so he could walk in.
"Ok- I'll let you stay a couple of days. But you're sleeping on the
couch or floor. And you're not making any wisecracks about Angel. If
I'm not here, Dennis is in charge."
"Who's Dennis?" Xander looked around, but saw no resemblance of
another person living there. He was at first flustered, he didn't know
Cordelia had a boyfriend- especially one that lived with her. He wasn't
sure if he liked that idea.
"He's my ghost. You can't see him, but he's here. And if I hear that
you didn't follow his and/or my rules, you're out on the street,"
Cordelia smirked, enjoying Xander's shocked, but somewhat relieved look.
"I'm just kidding- mostly."
Xander chuckled, and dragged his old bag in, that had all his personal
belongings. Everything else was left in his apartment in Sunnydale.
Where he could not stand to be. Everywhere he looked, he saw memories
of Anya. He couldn't stand to face her, or his friends. He just
wanted to be alone- or with someone that didn't witness the event.
Cordelia was a fine choice.
***France, 1308***
"Princess Isabella is gone," Farrel told his King, Philip the Fourth of France
bitterly. Farrel was a practicing wizard, though none other than the King
knew. If anyone found out, he would be excommunicated and executed by the
Church. He had cast a spell to find Isabella, the princess and heir
to throne, and it brought about unfortunate results. She was on her way
to Roger Mortimer's castle.
"Oh dear lord," the King Philip bowed his head in concern, trying to figure
out what to do. "Not now, not with Prince Edward II coming
tomorrow!" King Philip had been defeated at Courtrai, and had called on
Edward the First for a peace treaty. Part of the treaty involved Philip
giving up French land, and his daughter must marry Edward's son, Edward the
Second. She would become the Queen of England, and thus create peace
between England and France. He hoped.
"That may be precisely why she's left," Clyde, the house servant spoke
up, and immediately turned away in apology. He was not supposed to
speak until asked, and he did not want to reveal anymore than he'd
have to. Luckily, his error was not noticed by either the King or
Farrel.
"How will we get her back, and on good terms with Prince Edward," the
King started pacing, beginning to feel one of those aches in his head.
"We need the two of them to wed for the alliance! It's part of the deal!
King Edward will not look too forgivingly at breaking his treaty!
Isabella knows this, why is she doing this!"
"What we need is more time," Farrel murmured. "That will give us
time to reverse the spell that I pray has been put upon her, and figure
out matters from there."
"And if there was no spell?" The King looked horrified at the
prospect of his daughter willingly crossing over, and abandoning her
family. She would have right to the throne if her brothers did not produce
any heirs, which they haven't as of yet.
"Let us hope there is one," Farrel was already getting his supplies
for the spell. "Let's hope this works."
***LA, present time***
Cordelia and Xander were sitting at the table, and Cordelia was telling
him about Angel's son. Xander himself was baffled at the idea that
a vampire could reproduce. He couldn't help but feel bad, and a little
angry at Angel for sleeping with Darla, when he could still tell that
Buffy still loved him. But he knew he was being ridiculous and
childish, they both have moved on, and as long as Angel stayed good,
he could make his own decisions.
"Hey is that your ghost?" Xander pointed to a black hole that had
emerged in front of them. Cordelia looked at the hole in fear, and
jumped back.
"What the hell is that!" She screamed, as the portal sucked her in,
and she disappeared before Xander's very eyes.
"Cordelia!" Without a second thought, he jumped in the portal after
her. Then it closed, and only Dennis was left behind.
