December 21st, 2004. 3:20 am
The Hyperion Hotel
Angel put on his jacket, as he descended the staircase to the lobby. Everyone else had gone to bed a while ago, but the undead guy with a soul couldn't sleep – creature of the night thing, and all that – so he decided to do a quick sweep of the city.
He got halfway across the lobby, when he heard it.
A weird sound, that he had heard only a few times before. The MSN messenger on Fred's laptop computer. He went behind the counter, and turned the screen to face him.
Ghostboy: Is anyone there??
Science nerd032: This is Angel, who is this?
Ghostboy: You know any other ghosts??
Science nerd032: Dennis?
Ghostboy: Yes. Something weird's going on.
Science nerd032: What?
Ghostboy: Cordelia had a vision, and ran out screaming and crying!
Science nerd032: What?? What was the vision about?
Ghostboy: She just paused long enough to tell me to keep an eye on the babies, and put a baby monitor in Mr. Giles' room. I think she's still around, maybe outsi-
Science nerd032: WHAT WAS THE VISION ABOUT???
Ghostboy: Okay! It was something about Xander, and cheating.
Ghostboy: Angel?
Ghostboy: Angel, are you there??
Dennis tried for ten more minutes, before he gave up. Either Angel was just not answering, or he had left. The ghost then left its room and headed to the nursery, to watch over the two girls.
***
The Lost Boys Warehouse
"Not a bad setup you've got here," Vince said with a professional eye, as they finished the tour.
Gunn grinned to Rondell, "That flame thrower is new, though."
The large man next to him nodded. "Extra crispy vamps work just as well with us nowadays, man. It's taken out two of the bloods in the last three weeks! There isn't a vampire who can get past it..."
"I wouldn't say that," a voice said from the main entrance.
"Angel, that you?" Gunn asked, surprised, as he noticed several Lost Boys picking up weapons. "Don't think this is such a real great place for you to just drop by unannounced, bro..."
The vampire ignored the teenagers around him, as he waded through them. Not even bothering to pay them any attention, as he made it to the group. "Sorry, didn't have time to call..." He patted Xander on the shoulder. "I just need to have a private chat with Xander here."
"You do?" Xander asked with a surprised look.
"Yeah. I surely do," Darla's childe told him, as he dragged Xander outside into the cool night air.
Xander looked around, not liking Angel's sudden appearance. He turned around to look at the street for a moment, to make sure they were alone. And as he started to look back at the vampire...
That was when Angel's fist connected with his jaw, as the undead Champion exploded into action.
***
Outside the Chase family mansion
Cordelia sat on the grass in the dark, crying.
"No! Oh my God, it can't be true!" she yelled to herself. "I'm better than that! Aren't I? I wouldn't have done that!" the young woman wailed to herself, before she calmed down a little bit.
Cordy then just stared out at the city lights, miles away. "I couldn't have. I mean, me cheat on Xander?! This *has* to be some sort of sick joke!"
"Oh, it's no joke."
Cordelia jumped to her feet, and spun around. She was more annoyed than pissed. "Harmony??"
At seeing her friend's face, the blond got annoyed herself. "Well, it's great to see you again too..."
"Look," Cordelia said dismissively. "I'm kind of dealing with something right now. Why don't you head back to Sunnydale? Spike still has his annoying blonds' fetish going..."
"That's another thing I've been meaning to ask you," Harmony said hotly. "How the hell could you guys let *him* of all people do that sorta stuff to my corpse? I mean, ewww! At least I did it with Bobby Rogers first on my 17th birthday. And he had a pulse!" the blond shuddered.
Cordelia grabbed the stake she carried with her always. "Look, I told you to get lost! I've got enough on my mind right now, without having to deal with the bimbo patrol!"
Harmony just shook her head, amused. "You've got a nice setup here these days, Cordy. I mean, no more mind-splitting visions, a huge-ass house far enough away from the big city...well, granted, this area will be full of new residences in the next few years. And you'll have two little girls who you'll have to help steer clear of the mistakes we made in high school..."
In an instant, Cordelia's face lost its annoyed expression and changed to a determined look. "Don't you ever talk about my babies again. The things like you are never, and I mean never, going to come near them!"
"Hang on, girl friend. Just simmer down," the blond said, as she raised her hands. "Maybe I should change my clothes into something you might recognize?" She made a small wave of her hand, and her clothes changed both color and form. "There, that any better?"
Cordelia stared at her old 'friend'. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"
Harmony now wore a white robe, the same white robe Cordelia would find herself in when she was upstairs with the Powers That Be.
***
Outside The Lost Boys Warehouse
Xander propped himself up from the ground with his arms. After wiping the trickle of blood from his mouth, he gazed up at the man standing over him. "What the hell was that for? What's gotten into you?!"
Angel just growled at him, "I told you what I would do to you, if you ever hurt Cordelia again!" he said angrily, before the former Angelus kicked the human in the ribs with all his might.
Before Xander could recover, the vampire grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so they were face-to-face. "Now, here's what's going to happen, asshole," Angel told him as if talking to an insect. "I'm going to go find Cordelia and the girls, and take them to the hotel for tonight. You're going to collect all your stuff from the house…and by morning, you will be gone. Forever. And if I see you anywhere near them again – I will kill you, very slowly!"
Xander just stared at him in shock. "Who the hell do you think you are, telling me to do all that?!"
"Who am I?" Angel growled, pulling Xander closer. "I'm the guy doing his best not to rip your head off right now, you lousy bastard!"
The vampire sneered, "You just couldn't help yourself, could you Xander? You had what I would have killed for, and still you couldn't – my God. You had Cordy…a family, but still you couldn't resist, could you? I already know it wasn't Willow again. She doesn't play for that side anymore, and besides she learned her lesson as to what kind of man you really are already! So, was it that Melissa girl? When you were missing, she was *very* intent on finding you..."
"Angel?" Xander said simply "I'm wondering something."
"Yeah?" the vampire demanded, as he looked at the 'man' before him. "What's that?"
"I'm just wondering if that wall back there is built to withstand extreme stress."
Angel looked at him funny. "What the hell are you-?"
Xander's hands glowed an intense blue; and he lashed out, each grabbing a handful of the vampire's clothing. Before Angel could stop it, Xander used his enhanced strength to throw him over his head, into the wall behind them.
As the ensouled vampire hit and slowly fell to the ground in pain, Captain Harris looked down at him. "Now, is there any chance your brain is going to come back to planet Earth, and tell me what in God's name made you think I cheated on Cordelia!?"
The enraged undead responded only by aiming a kick at Xander's legs. The man jumped over the swipe, and commented, "Guess not..."
Then Angel, in full game face, got up and charged at him.
***
The 16-year-old girl called India Shetley watched the two men battle back and forth for a few seconds, from her second story window, before she ran to find the others.
***
Outside the Chase family mansion
"Okay, how did a vampire get to wear THAT?" Cordelia demanded.
Harmony shrugged. "Think about it. And it's not that hard to figure out, Cordy."
"Don't call me that, and answer the damn question!"
"Fine, already!" Harmony exclaimed in annoyance. "God, and I thought you were bossy when you were head cheerleader...I mean, really! I haven't seen you since 1999, and you instantly start with the yelling..."
Cordelia's annoyance was growing worse. "Unless you want this stake up your undead ass, start explaining right now!"
"It's simple, really," Cordelia's former second-in-command said. "I was – drafted." She held up her hand, "And before you say there is no way the new Powers would include a soulless vampire…well, I'm not soulless, and I'm no vampire."
"But that would make you…"
"Yeah! Harmony Kendall, the *real* Harmony Kendall. Your best friend since grade school, who died at Graduation? And then that demon took over my body! All these years, and you guys *still* haven't staked her? I swear, do you have any idea what it's like to sit up there, and watch someone with your face going around killing people?"
Cordelia could only stare at her old friend. "I don't believe this..."
"Hey, I didn't think this was how my life would end up either!" Harmony told her indignantly. "One minute I'm bad-mouthing you..." she stopped when she saw Cordy's face.
"Which is neither here nor there, anymore! But then stupid old Xander Harris comes over and drags me away, to tell me that that vampires are real and that the Mayor was going to eat us all at Graduation. I still remember that unofficial senior class meeting in the gym..."
Cordy just nodded, as the blond continued. "God, you could have heard a pin drop in that place. I don't know what shocked me more; all that evil monster and death talk, or you and your ex-boyfriend going on about battle plans like you were something from outta 'Saving Private Ryan'! And just between us girls here, I could tell how turned on you were when he started talking like – what did you guys call it? – oh, yeah, Key Guy or whatever..."
Any awe in Cordelia about talking to her dead friend like this had gone, after Xander had been brought up. "Tell me that last dream wasn't real, Harmony," she requested desperately. "Please. I could never have done that! Right?"
Her friend got a sympathetic look. "Oh, no, you did it alright. But then, that's the reason I'm here. Let's talk."
She waved her hand again, and suddenly Cordelia found herself elsewhere. She and Harmony were now sitting across from each other on the old couches in the student lounge, at the first Sunnydale High School.
"Place sure brings back memories, doesn't it?" Harmony asked her. Cordelia nodded, as she looked around at the students walking around. None of them seemed to be paying any attention to either of them.
The mother of the twins then saw several people that she knew were dead. "Hey, is this…?"
"Really the past?" Harmony finished her question. "Yes and no. We're not really here; I don't wanna get technical, but it's like taking a moment in time, and rebuilding it elsewhere. The way Jesse describes it is like when they rebuilt the Titanic, for the movie."
Cordelia only heard one word. "Jesse?! The guy who always had that stupid crush on me?"
"Yeah," Harmony told her. "He and I come here to talk, sometimes. But we're not here to talk about him. We're here to talk about you."
"Why?!" Cordelia demanded to know, with every fibre of her being. "Why would that version of me do that!?! She had everything I ever dreamed of! A guy she loved, who didn't just think of her as a hot prize to show off to his buddies. And with the twins on the way…for the love of God, why would I have done that?!"
Harmony just tilted her head to the left. Cordelia looked around, and she saw that the rest of the 'school' was gone. Xander's and her apartment in Sunnydale was in its place. The women got up, and walked into it.
Cordelia stood, looking around at the living room/kitchen with her eyes. Looking at the items in the room, while Harmony just leaned down and rested her arms on the countertop looking into the living room.
The brunette's eyebrow went up, when she saw herself walk from the bedroom, naked. As they watched herself look through a box, Cordelia asked Harmony, "Do I have to be naked for this?"
Harmony shrugged, "It's how it happened, and don't worry. I did have to shower alongside you for gym class, all those years we were in Sunnydale High! And I'm not Willow, so I'm not feeling anything that you might call...naughty."
Cordy sighed. "She can't see or hear us, right?"
A shake of the head. "Nope. You're getting the full 'this is your life' treatment."
"Great," Cordy responded sarcastically. "What? Not enough tears shed, the last time I got shown this sorta stuff?"
Harmony didn't answer, for at that moment they saw the door to the bathroom open, and out came the mystery guy she had seen in her dream/vision. The scene played out again, just as Cordy had seen it in her head, less than an hour ago...
The soon-to-be TV star felt sick as she watched the replay, even more so when her other self wrapped her arms around the unknown guy's neck and kissed him.
"No!" Cordy screamed. "This is not happening! Just…no! Enough!"
"Just watch already!" Harmony told her.
"No, I will *not* just watch this!" Cordelia raged at her. "You actually expect me to believe that I happily used the times Xander was fighting demons with Buffy, to screw around behind his back!?! This is not real!"
Harmony came over, and took the other woman's head in her hands. She twisted Cordelia back to face the other two people. "I said, watch!"
Without another word, the man grabbed his jacket and walked out the front door. As soon as he was gone, the naked Cordelia went back to searching the box of baby clothes when she suddenly stopped.
She blinked a few times, shaking her head as if to clear it. Then in wide-eyed terror, she spun to face the door.
The present Cordelia was shocked at the sudden change in her other self. She watched as the girl looked at herself, then began crying and whispering, "No...no...no..." over and over. The younger Cordy then ran into the bathroom, and moments later the two could hear the sounds of vomiting.
Blond and brunette reached the bathroom in time to see the naked girl throw up some more. Then she jumped into the shower, not even bothering to close the curtain and turned it on full blast. The girl had a look of utter revulsion and horror on her face, as the water mixed with her own tears. She started to scrub with the soap all over her body, almost frantically.
"I don't get this," Cordelia then told Harmony, at a loss for words. "She seemed to have enjoyed screwing that guy a few seconds ago, but now she's acting like it was horrible?"
Harmony snapped her fingers – and the bathroom suddenly became quiet and dark. The younger version of Ms. Chase was gone. Cordelia spun around, when she heard the front door open.
In walked Xander Harris, the young man of this timeline having a few rips in his shirt but otherwise looking fine. "Cordy?" he called out.
He also walked right past Cordelia and Harmony, as he didn't see them. Both women followed him to the bedroom; and the older Cordelia gasped at the same time the younger Xander did.
There on the bed sat the still-naked Cordelia, holding a pillow tightly against her. Her eyes were very red and puffy, and it was clear she had been crying for hours.
"Cordy!" Xander yelled in alarm at the sight, as he rushed to his girlfriend. "Cordelia, what is it?! What happened?!"
His voice seemed to shock the girl out of her trance; and she turned to look at him. As soon as her eyes saw him, they went wide as the 18-year-old jumped the guy. Wrapping her arms around him she started pleading hysterically, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Cordelia, what-?" Xander tried to say.
But the pregnant teenager kept going, "Please don't leave me! I don't know why I even did it! I'll be good, I promise it'll never happen again! I love you Xander, I love you so much! Please, please don't leave me!"
Harmony pulled the older Cordelia out into the living room. "Kind of weird, isn't it?"
"Just tell me what the hell all this is really about!" Cordelia told her. "If that bitch is really so horrified over cheating on him, then why did she even do it in the first place?"
"Ah, now that is the question! Okay. In your letters back and forth with Xander," Harmony said carefully, "do you remember what happened during Thanksgiving that year?"
"Yeah, Angel came back to fight off some Indian ghost, Buffy went nuts trying to make a turkey dinner, and that ghost gave Xander a whole bunch of diseases for a while. Am I forgetting anything?"
"Well," the blond said slowly, "thing is, with you here all that changed a bit. Angel still came back to town, and the ghost gave Xander all those diseases, but you were a lot more outspoken about the situation than that Anya girl ever was."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when Xander wrote that Buffy was fixated on making that Thanksgiving dinner, he was kinda putting it mildly. Oh, I swear, she would have given Martha Stewart the creeps! And since Willow was dead set against killing or getting rid of the ghost..."
"What?" Cordelia interrupted, surprised. "But that thing murdered people, and gave her best friend syphilis or something!"
"I know," Harmony said with a shrug. "But she was more upset that the Chumash Indians had been decimated with disease, and all their land had been taken away, and stuff. She thought they didn't have the right to just destroy the ghost that way."
Anger built up in Cordelia. "You're telling me that that redheaded idiot sided with a killer ghost, who almost made Xander die? And that Buffy was too busy making stuffing to care!?" At Harmony's nod, Cordelia's eyes flashed white for a moment. "Oh, that's it! I think I know who I have to have a little chat with, as soon as I get back home..."
"Actually, you did that already," Harmony told her with a slight smile. "You ripped them both a new one, when you were here. Made Willow and Buffy very upset with you."
"Well, good!" Cordelia declared. "But what does that have to do with this?" she asked, as she pointed to the bedroom.
Harmony produced a letter from her robe, and handed it to her. "Recognize this?"
"It's a letter Xander wrote me," Cordy responded. "Oh yeah, Willow was all depressed after Oz left," she said absently, as she skimmed the old letter. "Spike and Buffy, getting married?!" It took the former Queen C a second to remember. "Oh, right, this is when Willow did that spell that backfired, when she wanted Oz to come back to her..."
"Right. Her 'my will be done' spell," the blond teenager told Cordelia. "Like it says in the letter, whatever Willow said to happen – happened. Mr. Giles went blind, Spike and Buffy did the preview of their big fling of a few years later, and Xander became a demon magnet. Notice the date in the letter for when all this happened, though?"
Cordelia looked and then read out, "Tuesday, November 30th, 1999."
"And now here Xander comes home with his clothes all ripped up…" Harmony prodded.
Cordelia walked over to a calendar she had seen on the fridge. The days crossed off were up to…Tuesday, November 30th.
Turning back to Harmony, Cordelia said slowly, "This happened today?"
"And Xander just got back from being chased by demons all day long," Harmony informed her. "He stayed away from here because, y'know, he didn't want to lead them back to you. The pregnant mother of his children."
The light began to dawn. "Oh, no. Are you telling me that Willow said...something, about me?"
Another snap of the fingers found Cordelia and Harmony standing in one of the three grocery stores in Sunnydale. Harmony pointed down the aisle and Cordelia saw herself, and the mystery man. The former cheerleader watched as he checked out her ass, before walking up to talk to her.
Then the former seer spun around at the sound of an angry voice.
Willow was there, not looking too good. Her eyes were bloodshot and her expression was a dark one, as she looked across the store to see Cordelia talking to the guy.
"Stupid brazen hussy!" Miss Rosenberg growled to herself. "Trying to make Xander think I don't care about him...and I bet the kid's not even his, she got herself knocked up by some casting agent and knew that Xander would take care of her..."
The older Cordelia just listened in shock. She'd known the other girl and herself hadn't exactly gotten along after the fluke incident, but the redhead was going way overboard about this! The Chase woman was about to try to smack her, when the witch said something else and her eyes briefly glowed blue partway into the sentence.
"She doesn't really love Xander. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if she'll have sex with that guy in their own bed!"
With that, Willow walked away muttering to herself. Cordelia just stared at her in utter disbelief, "My God, Harmony, is it me – or is she just so…"
"You shouldn't be watching her," her mystical guide said softly. So Cordelia spun around to look at her past self and the man again.
And the brunette woman watched in utter shock, as a drastic change overtook the other Cordy. One second she was ignoring the guy, and then she started flirting with him.
"Oh God, no!" Cordelia exclaimed, as she watched her doppelgänger utilize the moves she'd used on the senior football jocks in high school. A minute later, the guy and her younger self walked out of the store together, his arm wrapped around her.
"You mean…because of…" Cordelia could not believe it. "Harmony, you mean to tell me that just because of some stupid words Willow said out of blind anger, I went and screwed that guy in mine and Xander's own bed!?"
When her dead friend nodded, the anger boiled up inside Cordelia. Her eyes flashed white, as she started to glow with a deadly aura around her. "That bitch!! I'm gonna rip her spine out, just for starters!!"
Harmony snapped them back to the student lounge. Only this time, there was only one couch and it was facing towards the rest of the student area. "Are you seeing the point of all this now?" the blond asked her friend.
"Point?" Cordelia demanded, still upset. "You mean, the point being about me teaching Willow what the word 'pain' *really* means?"
Harmony chuckled for a moment, before she shook her head. "No, how did it feel to know you'd cheated on someone you loved?"
Cordelia looked over to the former Cordette, the question breaking through her anger a little. "How do you *think* I felt?" she asked sarcastically.
"Devastated, if nothing else," Harmony said with a shrug. "But, thing is, you cheated on the guy in that universe because of a spell. Just think of how you would feel if you'd cheated on your own, with no magic stuff to conveniently blame. And how desperately you'd have wanted to change it, so that it had never happened..."
It took Cordy's brain no time at all to understand. "You mean like how Xander felt," she whispered hollowly.
"Right," the blond former cheerleader said, as she leaned into the corner of couch. "I know this was a pretty long-winded way of demonstrating the lesson, but..."
"Lesson?" Cordelia asked, surprised. "I don't understand. I already forgave Xander for cheating on me, a long time ago. He knows that, we had that talk in Vegas…"
Cordy jumped, when Lorne appeared standing in the middle of the students walking and talking in the lounge. The demon just looked at her, and repeated what he had said on the ship: "That guy is almost as guilt-ridden as Angel was, when I first met him."
Lorne vanished, and in his place the Cordelia from the other day appeared, from when she was yelling at Buffy. "Xander still feels guilty about me getting impaled then, but I KNOW THE TRUTH!"
Then Angel appeared. "So how do we know that this Metatron guy isn't doing the exact same thing? We all heard him; everyone's destines are totally screwed up. You shouldn't marry Xander, just because he told you to."
Angel vanished, and Harmony looked to Cordelia. "You now know Xander Harris better than anyone alive, Cordy. Even Willow! Do you honestly think that he would just work past all that stuff? He still blames himself for everything. When Anya was killed, when you got impaled, or when Buffy or Willow ever got injured. Because he wasn't there to help out. It's stupid, yeah, but that's him! He even blames himself for every bad thing that happened to you, ever since you moved to LA!"
Another Cordelia appeared. "And he's not the only one who feels guilt about what happened in high school, let me add! I have some major issues about stuff that I screwed up as well."
"Did you ever tell him about that stuff?" Harmony asked her.
"No, of course I didn't," Cordelia responded. "I knew he would just twist it around, to blame himself for all that too..."
"Exactly," Harmony told her. "He's always so busy trying to inspire confidence in others, that he totally forgoes it in himself. And something else: his new team hasn't had a big loss yet. Do you think he's going to take it lightly, when someone under his direct command dies?"
"What the hell else can I do?!" Cordelia asked desperately. "I want so much to help him get over it. I tell him every time he even *sounds* guilty that I don't blame him, or he shouldn't do that!"
A sigh. "It's just that when I was hurting, I...I said a lot of bad things to him after we broke up. You should know, Harm, you were there! Then Buffy and Willow basically acted like he was a burden to them for years. I don't know what else to say to erase all that!" Cordelia had a pleading look on her face.
"There is a way to help him, but we'll get to that in a moment," Harmony said. "There's, uh, one other matter we need to talk about first."
"What?!" Cordelia shrieked. "You have a way to help him, then you want to change the damn subject!?"
Harmony held up her hands. "Whoa there, girl. This has to be addressed as well. When's the last time you and Xander had a big yelling match?"
"What the hell does that have to do with this?!" Cordelia raged more.
"It has everything to do with this," Harmony said with a certainty that surprised Cordelia. "When's the last time you and him had a huge, dragged-out fight?"
Realizing she had to go along with this new topic, Cordelia responded, "A long time, I guess. I've tried to avoid them as much as I can."
"Why?"
Sighing again, the brunette girl ran her hand through her hair. "The last time I was upstairs, Metatron told me Xander and I had to grow up a bit. And I didn't think that getting into shouting matches would classify as growing up, you know?"
Harmony smiled. "With most couples on this planet, getting into that many fights would destroy a relationship. But oddly enough, it would help in yours."
"How the hell would constantly fighting *help* our relationship?" Cordelia demanded to know.
"During all the yelling, even back when you were just making out in a closet. Did Xander ever hit you? Or you him?" Harmony asked.
"What? God, no!" Cordelia answered in amazement. "The only time he ever hit me was when I was possessed back in 1997, he had to stop me from moving those demon eggs..."
"Do you think that for one second that he would ever hurt you with his fists, even if you guys really went at it?"
"NO!" Cordelia declared. "One thing I know for sure, is Xander would NEVER hit me like that. Ever. Nor would I hit him."
"Yeah, he never would," Harmony told her. "Whenever you guys would even talk about hitting each other in the fights you two had, you ended up making out. Crazy thing is, it's mutual foreplay for both of you."
"What?"
Harmony ignored the interruption. "And I know the other reason for your not wanting to have fights with him, Cordelia. You don't want the girls to grow up seeing their parents arguing all the time. But trust me on this. They won't grow up like Xander did. His parents hated each other. In the end your kids will know you two are flirting more than anything, when you're fighting. I know it's hard to imagine that your family would be better off if you and your future husband yelled at each other a lot, but it's true."
Three people appeared before them, frozen in a moment in time. "Do you recognize them?" Harmony asked.
"Yeah – Xander's parents, and Xander when he was little," Cordelia said, as she marvelled at how cute her man had looked when he was a little kid.
The three started to move and act out a scene. Little Xander stayed behind his mother's legs while his father yelled at her, "You stupid bitch! When I say I want dinner on the table at six, I don't mean six thirty!"
Xander's mom just looked down, "I'm sorry, Tony! It won't happen again!"
They froze again and disappeared. Then Xander and Cordelia appeared on their bed at home. "I've noticed most of your ideas lately have you taking the more...submissive roles. It just kind of surprises me, is all."
"What's the point of all this?" Cordelia wanted to know. "You're comparing Xander's mom's lack of a spine, to my letting him have some control in our sex life??"
"Some control, Cordy?" Harmony asked her friend quietly. "You've gone out of your way to give your man almost full control, over what goes on in the bedroom! Just think about it from *his* point of view, for a minute..."
The blond continued, "Xander Harris grew up watching his mom give in to everything his dad did, she even defended the bastard when the big dork tried to stop him from hitting her! Bottom line – he was attracted to you, Buffy, Anya and Faith for one big reason."
"Which is what?"
"Power. Not like Buffy's power fetish for the last few years, but because he knew you guys would not allow him to become what he was afraid he would inevitably be."
"An abusive drunk like his father," Cordelia understood.
Harmony nodded. "The visions he got from that demon guy at his failed wedding to Anya Jenkins? They showed him that in the end, she would have let him become exactly that, and just go off and have affairs or whatever. And – in his last vision, he killed his wife during one of their fights! You know it would never get that bad with you, though. You have way too much confidence in yourself and him, to let that ever happen."
"So, lemme see if I understand all this," Cordelia mused, thinking it over. "You want me to yell at him and take full charge in bed, for a while?"
"Basically, yeah," Harmony told her with a shrug. "You need to balance your relationship again. How can he know you and him are okay, if you don't press the issues like normal in fights or sexually take charge sometimes? He's used to it that way, so you need to go back to normal..."
"Okay, whatever," Cordelia said with a huff. "I get it already!" Then she leaned back into the couch, "But I still can't believe that to save our relationship, I'm supposed to bitch at my fiancé and control him in bed..."
"Well, don't take *all* the control away, but come on. You can't tell me there wasn't a few times lately that you wanted to issue some...commands?" Harmony asked with a smirk.
Cordelia returned her smirk. "Well, there are a few outfits I *know* he would look great in! And there's this story I recently read on the Internet about a helpless convict, and a female prison guard…"
Both women burst out laughing.
After several minutes of tossing back and forth ideas, Cordelia asked. "Now, what did you have that could help Xander about the guilt thing?"
"Well," Harmony began. "It has to do with what the Powers changed you into."
"You mean, now that I'm half-demon?" Cordy asked with a frown.
"You were never half-demon, Cordy," the blond woman told her friend. "Think about your powers for a moment. Have they ever reminded you of anything demonically evil?"
"Well, no," Cordy responded. "But we don't know about all the types of demons that the old Powers knew about. And what do you mean, I was never half-demon?"
"Well, first, the term 'half' would be way off! More like 1/5th. Like, do you remember what you did when Connor tried to kill you that one time?"
"Of course," Cordy said in surprise. "I acted on instinct and..." she trailed off.
"And what?" Harmony prodded.
Cordelia whispered. "And I took away his anger. Lorne called it a soul colonic, or something – but I just glowed, and took away his damn anger!" The woman was shocked she had never thought of it that way before.
"Now, does that sound like a demon power to you?" Harmony asked her. "Taking away anger and hate? Most demons feed off those emotions in human beings, you should know. It's why vampires want their victims to be terrified, before they drain them..."
"But if I'm not – Harmony, what am I now?" Cordelia asked quietly.
Harmony smiled. "When you think of evil, you think of demons and monsters. But when you think of the forces of good, up in the higher realms…what's the only thing other than God that you think of?"
Cordelia's eyes went wide in shock. "You can't mean…"
***
Outside The Lost Boys Warehouse
"Angel, man, stop! Just back off for a second!" Gunn shouted as he grabbed his old comrade-in-arms.
The vampire shook his friend off. "Stay out of this, Gunn. Enough's enough, I'm gonna teach this guy not to mess with my people once and for all..." He moved back for Xander, when he noticed several of the Lost Boys members aiming their weapons at him.
"This has nothing to do with any of you. Go back inside!" Angel told them angrily.
"We don't take orders from no bloodsucker, and sure as hell we ain't part of your fan club – vampire," Rondell told him, as he stood with his own stake upraised. "Now, my man Gunn here tells us that you're a…" he forced down a laugh. "A champion. As in, one of the good guys. But from what I'm seeing, you're acting like one of the enemy..."
"HE'S the enemy here!" Angel pointed to Xander, his anger getting the better of his normally-impeccable judgment.
The former Zeppo just looked at Gavin and Vince near him, trying to understand why Angel had *really* suddenly gone postal like this.
"So says you. But this particular white man," Rondell said, pointing at Xander, "just helped me and mine out a lot, with food and supplies. And as I recall, all *you* ever do is order us to stay out of harm's way; like you're the pro, and we're just amateurs cramping your style..."
The black man smiled, and it was not a nice thing to witness. "Now, tell me – who do you *think* we're likely to side with? So walk away, nosferatu. While you still have the option."
Angel was about to respond – and given his fury, seriously screw up his karma – when a bright light appeared a few feet from the large group. Everyone stopped and started, as Cordelia Chase in a white robe walked out of the light.
While everyone else was stunned to see her appear like that, Cordelia had a very perturbed look on her face as she looked at both Xander and Angel.
"Hey, he started it!" Xander blurted out, before even *he* realized how childish that sounded.
Cordelia walked up to him and said, "Xander, shut up. I'll deal with you later..."
She turned to Angel. "I know the truth now, and what I really am. And I know you were just trying to protect me, but I don't need you to do that anymore. You know why, Angel? Because I can take care of myself..."
Cordelia then made a fist, and punched the surprised Angel so hard he sailed back into the wall. As the stunned vampire stared at his former seer, she told him, "Don't EVER do anything like this again, understand? Make sure you get the full facts *before* you get mad, and make an idiot out of yourself! On account of next time, I might not show up in time to stop Gunn's friends...look, I promise I'll call you tomorrow. And I hope we can finally put all crap this behind us..."
She then took Xander's hand, and without another word dragged his ass into the light and they disappeared. The former Irishman got up, and walked back to the others, unable to believe she'd done that...
"Damn impressive," Rondell whistled appreciatively.
Angel just stared at where the light had winked out, as his friend and her lover disappeared – and the 251-year-old vampire felt something inside him shatter. The man suddenly understood that if it ever came down to choosing between him or Xander like this – then Cordelia wouldn't even hesitate for a moment now, over what choice she would make. Angel felt like he had lost something precious forever...
Gunn looked at his vampiric friend. "What the hell was all that about? And what does she mean, she knows what she really is?"
"I can answer that."
Angel and Gunn spun on the voice. "Harmony!" the Champion growled, not having forgotten when the vampiress was last in LA.
The blond just rolled her eyes. "Oh no, I have to explain it all again!? What, I'm just gonna have to wear a freaking sign around my neck!?"
As Angel approached menacingly, she sighed. "Hey, look. If you *really* have so much pent-up aggression that you need to get rid of, I know where a certain blond vampire is that could use a good staking?"
***
The Chase Mansion
Cordelia and Xander closed the door to the nursery quietly. "Now Dennis," Cordelia whispered. "Xander and I have some things to work out – so keep an eye on them, okay?"
They watched, as the hall light flashed on and off twice. "Thanks," the mother of the twins whispered. She then took Xander's hand and pulled him down the long hall to their master bedroom, whereupon she closed and locked the door.
"Cordy?" Xander asked. "What's going on? Why did Angel think-"
"I'll tell you everything in the morning, my love," she told him. But as they were walking to the bed, Cordelia grabbed his hands from behind.
"Cordy! What are you-?"
Xander didn't have time to finish the question, before he heard the sound of handcuffs locking his hands behind his back. "What the hell?" he then asked, completely confused as she pulled him over to the bed.
"Like I said, my love. I'll explain everything in the morning. You can ask all your questions then..." Cordy told her betrothed, as she started to remove her robe and clothes. When she was completely nude, she got on the bed and said, "But for now, I have other things for your mouth to be doing. Parts of me have been feeling...neglected, for quite a while."
When the USAF officer just looked at her in surprise, "Do you have a problem with that?" Cordelia demanded, very sternly.
"Well, no, not really..." Xander said, becoming amused.
"Good boy!" Cordy said, before she pulled him onto the bed. "Now. Time for you to remind me just how good you are in the sack, Harris..."
***
December 21st, 2004. 12:43 pm
The Hyperion Hotel
"Man, but that was fun!" Gunn said with a smile, as the group came into the lobby.
Buffy was pleased with the results as well. "Yeah, there's nothing like taking out a huge vampire nest to get a Slayer in a good mood!"
"Oh, for sure," Willow agreed as she put away her weapons in the cabinet. "But, it was way weird that Harmony's ghost led us to it, wasn't it?"
"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Gunn told them. "Me and my crew have been trying to find that nest for months now, with no luck. Then in one day, one hundred vamps get dusted? Celebration time!"
"You guys come out all right?" Fred asked, as she and Lorne each came down the stairs holding a baby.
"We eliminated the entire nest," Wesley told her, as he allowed the baby girl in her arms to try and grab ahold of his finger.
"Fred?" Angel asked, concerned. "Why are the girls here?"
"Cordy dropped them off, she said she and Xander had some stuff to go over," the Texan told him with a shrug.
"So, this is it huh?" Willow sadly asked no one in general. "The big breakup? God, I really didn't think Xander would cheat on her this soon..."
Buffy agreed, "I swear, I love Xander, but he just can't seem to keep his…"
"Are you two completely insane?" Fred asked them suddenly, her eyes huge.
"What?" Buffy asked her, she and Willow being confused after the somewhat garbled explanation from Angel.
Fred just sighed and looked at the baby in her arms for a moment, before turning back to the Sunnydale women. "Cordy was here, and she explained everything to me. Uh, there was no cheating, but Willow? If I were you, I would steer clear of Cordelia for a bit. Like, weeks. Months. Even years would not be considered crazy talk..."
"Me?" Willow looked nonplussed. "What did I do?"
***
The Chase Mansion
Xander just looked at his fiancée sitting across from him in shock. "Whoa. You've had a busy few days then, huh?"
Cordelia took his hands in hers. "Yeah, I'm sorry I kept it all from you like that. But...it just felt like the right thing to do at the time. And seeing myself with that guy, whoever the hell he was, it still makes my skin crawl..."
The woman shivered. "But I meant what I said the other night. You are everything to me. You, and the girls, are my life, and I know me and them are yours. No stupid fight is going to break us up, but we should set up a few ground rules."
"Yeah," Xander agreed, as he rubbed his thumb against her hand. "Because the truth is, there is no one else in the entire world I would rather fight with, than you. And I know you'll never try to demean me, or hate me like my parents..."
"And I know YOU will never treat me like a brain-dead valley bimbo, or a trophy wife. Xander, people used to say that we were the perfect example of opposites attracting. But we're more alike than we ever thought, and I know for the first time in my life where I belong in this world. Where I fit. Not as a spoiled rich princess, or a receptionist, or a Vision Girl, but as a soon-to-be wife and mother."
"And I know where I fit too," the military man told her. "Not as a Slayerette, or a Watcher, or a Xander-shaped friend, but as a husband and father."
They just sat there, looking at each other for a full minute before Cordelia said, "Now, the biggest ground rule of them all. No matter how heated our arguments may get? Our bedroom upstairs is neutral ground. We can fight all the way to up there and after we're down here having breakfast, but when we're in between those sheets and my head is resting on your chest at night…"
"Got it," the young man said at once. "The bedroom will always be safe territory. And the second ground rule?"
"Yeah?"
"We always make sure, especially when they're young, that the girls know that Mom and Dad are okay," he told her. "When they're teenagers, they'll understand that it's just how we are, but before they hit puberty…"
"Understood," the woman said, equally at once.
"And a small favor, Cordy?"
"Anything, Xander."
"Well," the former two-dollar costume king started to say. "When they have me firmly wrapped around their little fingers in a few years, and get away with nearly everything…promise you'll help me out sometimes?"
"You can count on it," the woman once known as the nastiest bitch in Sunnydale history replied. "But only sometimes, because they'll have *me* as their mother. And honey, I have to teach them how to control their men. It's like, a mother's duty to her daughters! But as much as they'll have you wrapped around their little fingers..." Cordy looked into Xander's eyes. "I know that they'll also love and do anything for their Daddy."
She reached over and wiped a tear from his eye. "Thanks, Cor," the head of the Four Horsemen stammered.
She just smiled warmly at him, "Anytime, my love."
For several minutes, the duo just sat there holding each other's hands and not wanting to break the moment. Eventually Cordelia asked him, "Well, are you ready?"
Xander's voice was small. "I'm kinda scared, y'know."
"Of what, baby?" she asked quickly. "I would never hurt you, doing this..."
"I know that," the guy told her. "But I'm afraid that if I don't have my guilt or…whatever, I might make the same mistake again – that I've made twice already."
"Xander, look at me," the girl told him softly.
And when he did Ms. Chase continued, "Alexander LaVelle Harris, I trust you completely. I *know* that you will never stray. Sure, you'll have thoughts about other girls, but so will I about other guys. A male model in a magazine, or a potential Slayer thinking you're cute...but it doesn't matter. 'Cause at the end of the day, Xander, I know that you'll never do that to me again." She cupped his cheek with her hand. "I trust you."
He drew out a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."
Cordelia removed her hand, and closed her eyes. Xander watched her for several seconds, as a bright white glow appeared all around her. It seemed to grow, as she stood up.
The son of two drunks took her offered hand to help him up, and the daughter of a tax cheat drew his body up to hers.
"You're so beautiful, Cor," Xander said in deep wonder.
"So are you," Cordelia responded. "Now, let me take it away my love, let me take it all away..."
Had anyone been watching them, the last sight before the light became blinding would have been her drawing him into a warm hug.
***
December 22nd, 2004. 7 pm
Maxim Magazine Photo Studios
Cerina and Courtney groaned, as they sat down in their chairs. "God, that was a long shoot!" Cerina commented.
"Yeah," Courtney, agreed as she took off her heels and rubbed her feet. "Oh, Cordy, what happened to your fiancé? I thought the guy would stick around all day to watch this stuff. Those interns did..."
"You're right," Cerina said, looking around. "I haven't seen Xander for about an hour and a half." She looked to Cordy. "What happened to him? And why are they getting ready to retouch you hair?"
Cordelia smiled at her friends. "I'm just taking advantage of this little opportunity. Xander's with makeup right now..."
"Makeup?" Courtney asked, surprised. "He's going to model?"
"Yep," Cordelia responded with a grin. "We figured, why not?"
At that moment, they heard one of the female photography interns whisper, "Holy crap!" The three actresses then turned, and saw Xander Harris walk in.
"I have to agree with her, Cordy," Cerina said slyly, as she looked Xander over. "Your boy does clean up damn fine..."
"I know," Cordy told them, as she watched him too. "Doesn't he?" she added with a girlish giggle.
***
January 7th, 2005. 9 am
Watchers Council Main Building.
Office of Rupert Giles
"Mail for you, sir."
Rupert Giles looked up from his translations, and took the large package from the young man. "Thank you, Philip."
"You're welcome, Mr. Giles," the twenty-year-old Watcher said, before he left to finish his rounds.
Buffy's mentor used his letter opener to cut back the packing tape, and opened the package. He found an 8x10'' framed photo.
The photo was of Xander Harris in a black monkey suit with his hair slicked back, holding a Walter PPK. Looking very James Bond-ish. In front of him, also holding a gun in a normal action movie pose, was Cordelia Chase...
She wore a pair of tight spandex pants that were green on the outside of the legs, but blue on the inside. She also had a skin-tight white T-shirt on that stopped at her midriff, and the shirt was ripped in very strategically pleasing places.
They both looked like they'd come straight off the big screen of an American action movie or something.
Giles read the inscription again as he hung it in his office, chuckling as he did so...
'To Grandpa Giles,
Love Xander and Cordelia-his little Angel.'
***
Epilogue
February 26th, 2005. 3:30 pm
Phoenix, Arizona
It was a somewhat average day, for the area at 68 degrees. Two teenagers in jeans and jackets were taking advantage of the good weather on this late Saturday afternoon. Like many teenage boys, they were busy checking out girls.
Not the girls around them, but three in a magazine they had just purchased.
"Oh man, where has she been all my life?!" the 17-year-old Benjamin Kayser said, as he looked over the pages.
His best friend Joshua Nash looked at the girl he was staring at. "Cerina Vincent. Huh, I think she was on Power Rangers..."
Ben looked up at him. "You watched Power Rangers?!"
His friend just pointed to the picture, "Look at her, man! Like you wouldn't watch it if she was on. And dude, you have to see this one movie – she walks around naked in it, the entire time!"
"You're kidding me, right?" Ben asked, grinning. "Well, we're renting that movie tonight! Hey, I recognize this Courtney Peldon chick too. She was on an episode of DS9..."
"Yeah," Josh said, "But check out the Cordelia Chase hottie. Damn..."
"I know what you mean, dude," Ben said. "Just look at her legs in this one..."
Both boys whistled. "Hey, check the interview," Josh told him. "See if she's been in anything else..."
"Okay," Ben said, as he skimmed the interview. Before he moaned in disappointment. "Oh, man! This sucks!"
"What? What?" Josh asked him.
"It says she's getting married to her high school sweetheart next month!"
"Yeah? Oh well, what does it matter? Like you ever had a chance with a woman like that, buddy boy," Josh teased him. "Anything else in there?"
Ben skimmed the rest of the interview. "Nope, just that she wants some guy she knows named Oz to write them, so they can send him his invite to the wedding."
"Maybe I can change my name to Oz," Josh joked badly.
"I don't think that'll…" Ben started, but cut himself off as he threw up his hands to cover his eyes.
"What-?" Josh asked, when he stupidly turned around to see.
Thus, both boys were blinded by the initial flash. But that didn't make any difference; and besides, neither of them would have wanted to see the mushroom cloud expand as it ripped through and destroyed the city of Phoenix, incinerating their bodies as the firestorm expanded mercilessly...
***
To be continued in the next story in the series.
The Hyperion Hotel
Angel put on his jacket, as he descended the staircase to the lobby. Everyone else had gone to bed a while ago, but the undead guy with a soul couldn't sleep – creature of the night thing, and all that – so he decided to do a quick sweep of the city.
He got halfway across the lobby, when he heard it.
A weird sound, that he had heard only a few times before. The MSN messenger on Fred's laptop computer. He went behind the counter, and turned the screen to face him.
Ghostboy: Is anyone there??
Science nerd032: This is Angel, who is this?
Ghostboy: You know any other ghosts??
Science nerd032: Dennis?
Ghostboy: Yes. Something weird's going on.
Science nerd032: What?
Ghostboy: Cordelia had a vision, and ran out screaming and crying!
Science nerd032: What?? What was the vision about?
Ghostboy: She just paused long enough to tell me to keep an eye on the babies, and put a baby monitor in Mr. Giles' room. I think she's still around, maybe outsi-
Science nerd032: WHAT WAS THE VISION ABOUT???
Ghostboy: Okay! It was something about Xander, and cheating.
Ghostboy: Angel?
Ghostboy: Angel, are you there??
Dennis tried for ten more minutes, before he gave up. Either Angel was just not answering, or he had left. The ghost then left its room and headed to the nursery, to watch over the two girls.
***
The Lost Boys Warehouse
"Not a bad setup you've got here," Vince said with a professional eye, as they finished the tour.
Gunn grinned to Rondell, "That flame thrower is new, though."
The large man next to him nodded. "Extra crispy vamps work just as well with us nowadays, man. It's taken out two of the bloods in the last three weeks! There isn't a vampire who can get past it..."
"I wouldn't say that," a voice said from the main entrance.
"Angel, that you?" Gunn asked, surprised, as he noticed several Lost Boys picking up weapons. "Don't think this is such a real great place for you to just drop by unannounced, bro..."
The vampire ignored the teenagers around him, as he waded through them. Not even bothering to pay them any attention, as he made it to the group. "Sorry, didn't have time to call..." He patted Xander on the shoulder. "I just need to have a private chat with Xander here."
"You do?" Xander asked with a surprised look.
"Yeah. I surely do," Darla's childe told him, as he dragged Xander outside into the cool night air.
Xander looked around, not liking Angel's sudden appearance. He turned around to look at the street for a moment, to make sure they were alone. And as he started to look back at the vampire...
That was when Angel's fist connected with his jaw, as the undead Champion exploded into action.
***
Outside the Chase family mansion
Cordelia sat on the grass in the dark, crying.
"No! Oh my God, it can't be true!" she yelled to herself. "I'm better than that! Aren't I? I wouldn't have done that!" the young woman wailed to herself, before she calmed down a little bit.
Cordy then just stared out at the city lights, miles away. "I couldn't have. I mean, me cheat on Xander?! This *has* to be some sort of sick joke!"
"Oh, it's no joke."
Cordelia jumped to her feet, and spun around. She was more annoyed than pissed. "Harmony??"
At seeing her friend's face, the blond got annoyed herself. "Well, it's great to see you again too..."
"Look," Cordelia said dismissively. "I'm kind of dealing with something right now. Why don't you head back to Sunnydale? Spike still has his annoying blonds' fetish going..."
"That's another thing I've been meaning to ask you," Harmony said hotly. "How the hell could you guys let *him* of all people do that sorta stuff to my corpse? I mean, ewww! At least I did it with Bobby Rogers first on my 17th birthday. And he had a pulse!" the blond shuddered.
Cordelia grabbed the stake she carried with her always. "Look, I told you to get lost! I've got enough on my mind right now, without having to deal with the bimbo patrol!"
Harmony just shook her head, amused. "You've got a nice setup here these days, Cordy. I mean, no more mind-splitting visions, a huge-ass house far enough away from the big city...well, granted, this area will be full of new residences in the next few years. And you'll have two little girls who you'll have to help steer clear of the mistakes we made in high school..."
In an instant, Cordelia's face lost its annoyed expression and changed to a determined look. "Don't you ever talk about my babies again. The things like you are never, and I mean never, going to come near them!"
"Hang on, girl friend. Just simmer down," the blond said, as she raised her hands. "Maybe I should change my clothes into something you might recognize?" She made a small wave of her hand, and her clothes changed both color and form. "There, that any better?"
Cordelia stared at her old 'friend'. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"
Harmony now wore a white robe, the same white robe Cordelia would find herself in when she was upstairs with the Powers That Be.
***
Outside The Lost Boys Warehouse
Xander propped himself up from the ground with his arms. After wiping the trickle of blood from his mouth, he gazed up at the man standing over him. "What the hell was that for? What's gotten into you?!"
Angel just growled at him, "I told you what I would do to you, if you ever hurt Cordelia again!" he said angrily, before the former Angelus kicked the human in the ribs with all his might.
Before Xander could recover, the vampire grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so they were face-to-face. "Now, here's what's going to happen, asshole," Angel told him as if talking to an insect. "I'm going to go find Cordelia and the girls, and take them to the hotel for tonight. You're going to collect all your stuff from the house…and by morning, you will be gone. Forever. And if I see you anywhere near them again – I will kill you, very slowly!"
Xander just stared at him in shock. "Who the hell do you think you are, telling me to do all that?!"
"Who am I?" Angel growled, pulling Xander closer. "I'm the guy doing his best not to rip your head off right now, you lousy bastard!"
The vampire sneered, "You just couldn't help yourself, could you Xander? You had what I would have killed for, and still you couldn't – my God. You had Cordy…a family, but still you couldn't resist, could you? I already know it wasn't Willow again. She doesn't play for that side anymore, and besides she learned her lesson as to what kind of man you really are already! So, was it that Melissa girl? When you were missing, she was *very* intent on finding you..."
"Angel?" Xander said simply "I'm wondering something."
"Yeah?" the vampire demanded, as he looked at the 'man' before him. "What's that?"
"I'm just wondering if that wall back there is built to withstand extreme stress."
Angel looked at him funny. "What the hell are you-?"
Xander's hands glowed an intense blue; and he lashed out, each grabbing a handful of the vampire's clothing. Before Angel could stop it, Xander used his enhanced strength to throw him over his head, into the wall behind them.
As the ensouled vampire hit and slowly fell to the ground in pain, Captain Harris looked down at him. "Now, is there any chance your brain is going to come back to planet Earth, and tell me what in God's name made you think I cheated on Cordelia!?"
The enraged undead responded only by aiming a kick at Xander's legs. The man jumped over the swipe, and commented, "Guess not..."
Then Angel, in full game face, got up and charged at him.
***
The 16-year-old girl called India Shetley watched the two men battle back and forth for a few seconds, from her second story window, before she ran to find the others.
***
Outside the Chase family mansion
"Okay, how did a vampire get to wear THAT?" Cordelia demanded.
Harmony shrugged. "Think about it. And it's not that hard to figure out, Cordy."
"Don't call me that, and answer the damn question!"
"Fine, already!" Harmony exclaimed in annoyance. "God, and I thought you were bossy when you were head cheerleader...I mean, really! I haven't seen you since 1999, and you instantly start with the yelling..."
Cordelia's annoyance was growing worse. "Unless you want this stake up your undead ass, start explaining right now!"
"It's simple, really," Cordelia's former second-in-command said. "I was – drafted." She held up her hand, "And before you say there is no way the new Powers would include a soulless vampire…well, I'm not soulless, and I'm no vampire."
"But that would make you…"
"Yeah! Harmony Kendall, the *real* Harmony Kendall. Your best friend since grade school, who died at Graduation? And then that demon took over my body! All these years, and you guys *still* haven't staked her? I swear, do you have any idea what it's like to sit up there, and watch someone with your face going around killing people?"
Cordelia could only stare at her old friend. "I don't believe this..."
"Hey, I didn't think this was how my life would end up either!" Harmony told her indignantly. "One minute I'm bad-mouthing you..." she stopped when she saw Cordy's face.
"Which is neither here nor there, anymore! But then stupid old Xander Harris comes over and drags me away, to tell me that that vampires are real and that the Mayor was going to eat us all at Graduation. I still remember that unofficial senior class meeting in the gym..."
Cordy just nodded, as the blond continued. "God, you could have heard a pin drop in that place. I don't know what shocked me more; all that evil monster and death talk, or you and your ex-boyfriend going on about battle plans like you were something from outta 'Saving Private Ryan'! And just between us girls here, I could tell how turned on you were when he started talking like – what did you guys call it? – oh, yeah, Key Guy or whatever..."
Any awe in Cordelia about talking to her dead friend like this had gone, after Xander had been brought up. "Tell me that last dream wasn't real, Harmony," she requested desperately. "Please. I could never have done that! Right?"
Her friend got a sympathetic look. "Oh, no, you did it alright. But then, that's the reason I'm here. Let's talk."
She waved her hand again, and suddenly Cordelia found herself elsewhere. She and Harmony were now sitting across from each other on the old couches in the student lounge, at the first Sunnydale High School.
"Place sure brings back memories, doesn't it?" Harmony asked her. Cordelia nodded, as she looked around at the students walking around. None of them seemed to be paying any attention to either of them.
The mother of the twins then saw several people that she knew were dead. "Hey, is this…?"
"Really the past?" Harmony finished her question. "Yes and no. We're not really here; I don't wanna get technical, but it's like taking a moment in time, and rebuilding it elsewhere. The way Jesse describes it is like when they rebuilt the Titanic, for the movie."
Cordelia only heard one word. "Jesse?! The guy who always had that stupid crush on me?"
"Yeah," Harmony told her. "He and I come here to talk, sometimes. But we're not here to talk about him. We're here to talk about you."
"Why?!" Cordelia demanded to know, with every fibre of her being. "Why would that version of me do that!?! She had everything I ever dreamed of! A guy she loved, who didn't just think of her as a hot prize to show off to his buddies. And with the twins on the way…for the love of God, why would I have done that?!"
Harmony just tilted her head to the left. Cordelia looked around, and she saw that the rest of the 'school' was gone. Xander's and her apartment in Sunnydale was in its place. The women got up, and walked into it.
Cordelia stood, looking around at the living room/kitchen with her eyes. Looking at the items in the room, while Harmony just leaned down and rested her arms on the countertop looking into the living room.
The brunette's eyebrow went up, when she saw herself walk from the bedroom, naked. As they watched herself look through a box, Cordelia asked Harmony, "Do I have to be naked for this?"
Harmony shrugged, "It's how it happened, and don't worry. I did have to shower alongside you for gym class, all those years we were in Sunnydale High! And I'm not Willow, so I'm not feeling anything that you might call...naughty."
Cordy sighed. "She can't see or hear us, right?"
A shake of the head. "Nope. You're getting the full 'this is your life' treatment."
"Great," Cordy responded sarcastically. "What? Not enough tears shed, the last time I got shown this sorta stuff?"
Harmony didn't answer, for at that moment they saw the door to the bathroom open, and out came the mystery guy she had seen in her dream/vision. The scene played out again, just as Cordy had seen it in her head, less than an hour ago...
The soon-to-be TV star felt sick as she watched the replay, even more so when her other self wrapped her arms around the unknown guy's neck and kissed him.
"No!" Cordy screamed. "This is not happening! Just…no! Enough!"
"Just watch already!" Harmony told her.
"No, I will *not* just watch this!" Cordelia raged at her. "You actually expect me to believe that I happily used the times Xander was fighting demons with Buffy, to screw around behind his back!?! This is not real!"
Harmony came over, and took the other woman's head in her hands. She twisted Cordelia back to face the other two people. "I said, watch!"
Without another word, the man grabbed his jacket and walked out the front door. As soon as he was gone, the naked Cordelia went back to searching the box of baby clothes when she suddenly stopped.
She blinked a few times, shaking her head as if to clear it. Then in wide-eyed terror, she spun to face the door.
The present Cordelia was shocked at the sudden change in her other self. She watched as the girl looked at herself, then began crying and whispering, "No...no...no..." over and over. The younger Cordy then ran into the bathroom, and moments later the two could hear the sounds of vomiting.
Blond and brunette reached the bathroom in time to see the naked girl throw up some more. Then she jumped into the shower, not even bothering to close the curtain and turned it on full blast. The girl had a look of utter revulsion and horror on her face, as the water mixed with her own tears. She started to scrub with the soap all over her body, almost frantically.
"I don't get this," Cordelia then told Harmony, at a loss for words. "She seemed to have enjoyed screwing that guy a few seconds ago, but now she's acting like it was horrible?"
Harmony snapped her fingers – and the bathroom suddenly became quiet and dark. The younger version of Ms. Chase was gone. Cordelia spun around, when she heard the front door open.
In walked Xander Harris, the young man of this timeline having a few rips in his shirt but otherwise looking fine. "Cordy?" he called out.
He also walked right past Cordelia and Harmony, as he didn't see them. Both women followed him to the bedroom; and the older Cordelia gasped at the same time the younger Xander did.
There on the bed sat the still-naked Cordelia, holding a pillow tightly against her. Her eyes were very red and puffy, and it was clear she had been crying for hours.
"Cordy!" Xander yelled in alarm at the sight, as he rushed to his girlfriend. "Cordelia, what is it?! What happened?!"
His voice seemed to shock the girl out of her trance; and she turned to look at him. As soon as her eyes saw him, they went wide as the 18-year-old jumped the guy. Wrapping her arms around him she started pleading hysterically, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Cordelia, what-?" Xander tried to say.
But the pregnant teenager kept going, "Please don't leave me! I don't know why I even did it! I'll be good, I promise it'll never happen again! I love you Xander, I love you so much! Please, please don't leave me!"
Harmony pulled the older Cordelia out into the living room. "Kind of weird, isn't it?"
"Just tell me what the hell all this is really about!" Cordelia told her. "If that bitch is really so horrified over cheating on him, then why did she even do it in the first place?"
"Ah, now that is the question! Okay. In your letters back and forth with Xander," Harmony said carefully, "do you remember what happened during Thanksgiving that year?"
"Yeah, Angel came back to fight off some Indian ghost, Buffy went nuts trying to make a turkey dinner, and that ghost gave Xander a whole bunch of diseases for a while. Am I forgetting anything?"
"Well," the blond said slowly, "thing is, with you here all that changed a bit. Angel still came back to town, and the ghost gave Xander all those diseases, but you were a lot more outspoken about the situation than that Anya girl ever was."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when Xander wrote that Buffy was fixated on making that Thanksgiving dinner, he was kinda putting it mildly. Oh, I swear, she would have given Martha Stewart the creeps! And since Willow was dead set against killing or getting rid of the ghost..."
"What?" Cordelia interrupted, surprised. "But that thing murdered people, and gave her best friend syphilis or something!"
"I know," Harmony said with a shrug. "But she was more upset that the Chumash Indians had been decimated with disease, and all their land had been taken away, and stuff. She thought they didn't have the right to just destroy the ghost that way."
Anger built up in Cordelia. "You're telling me that that redheaded idiot sided with a killer ghost, who almost made Xander die? And that Buffy was too busy making stuffing to care!?" At Harmony's nod, Cordelia's eyes flashed white for a moment. "Oh, that's it! I think I know who I have to have a little chat with, as soon as I get back home..."
"Actually, you did that already," Harmony told her with a slight smile. "You ripped them both a new one, when you were here. Made Willow and Buffy very upset with you."
"Well, good!" Cordelia declared. "But what does that have to do with this?" she asked, as she pointed to the bedroom.
Harmony produced a letter from her robe, and handed it to her. "Recognize this?"
"It's a letter Xander wrote me," Cordy responded. "Oh yeah, Willow was all depressed after Oz left," she said absently, as she skimmed the old letter. "Spike and Buffy, getting married?!" It took the former Queen C a second to remember. "Oh, right, this is when Willow did that spell that backfired, when she wanted Oz to come back to her..."
"Right. Her 'my will be done' spell," the blond teenager told Cordelia. "Like it says in the letter, whatever Willow said to happen – happened. Mr. Giles went blind, Spike and Buffy did the preview of their big fling of a few years later, and Xander became a demon magnet. Notice the date in the letter for when all this happened, though?"
Cordelia looked and then read out, "Tuesday, November 30th, 1999."
"And now here Xander comes home with his clothes all ripped up…" Harmony prodded.
Cordelia walked over to a calendar she had seen on the fridge. The days crossed off were up to…Tuesday, November 30th.
Turning back to Harmony, Cordelia said slowly, "This happened today?"
"And Xander just got back from being chased by demons all day long," Harmony informed her. "He stayed away from here because, y'know, he didn't want to lead them back to you. The pregnant mother of his children."
The light began to dawn. "Oh, no. Are you telling me that Willow said...something, about me?"
Another snap of the fingers found Cordelia and Harmony standing in one of the three grocery stores in Sunnydale. Harmony pointed down the aisle and Cordelia saw herself, and the mystery man. The former cheerleader watched as he checked out her ass, before walking up to talk to her.
Then the former seer spun around at the sound of an angry voice.
Willow was there, not looking too good. Her eyes were bloodshot and her expression was a dark one, as she looked across the store to see Cordelia talking to the guy.
"Stupid brazen hussy!" Miss Rosenberg growled to herself. "Trying to make Xander think I don't care about him...and I bet the kid's not even his, she got herself knocked up by some casting agent and knew that Xander would take care of her..."
The older Cordelia just listened in shock. She'd known the other girl and herself hadn't exactly gotten along after the fluke incident, but the redhead was going way overboard about this! The Chase woman was about to try to smack her, when the witch said something else and her eyes briefly glowed blue partway into the sentence.
"She doesn't really love Xander. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if she'll have sex with that guy in their own bed!"
With that, Willow walked away muttering to herself. Cordelia just stared at her in utter disbelief, "My God, Harmony, is it me – or is she just so…"
"You shouldn't be watching her," her mystical guide said softly. So Cordelia spun around to look at her past self and the man again.
And the brunette woman watched in utter shock, as a drastic change overtook the other Cordy. One second she was ignoring the guy, and then she started flirting with him.
"Oh God, no!" Cordelia exclaimed, as she watched her doppelgänger utilize the moves she'd used on the senior football jocks in high school. A minute later, the guy and her younger self walked out of the store together, his arm wrapped around her.
"You mean…because of…" Cordelia could not believe it. "Harmony, you mean to tell me that just because of some stupid words Willow said out of blind anger, I went and screwed that guy in mine and Xander's own bed!?"
When her dead friend nodded, the anger boiled up inside Cordelia. Her eyes flashed white, as she started to glow with a deadly aura around her. "That bitch!! I'm gonna rip her spine out, just for starters!!"
Harmony snapped them back to the student lounge. Only this time, there was only one couch and it was facing towards the rest of the student area. "Are you seeing the point of all this now?" the blond asked her friend.
"Point?" Cordelia demanded, still upset. "You mean, the point being about me teaching Willow what the word 'pain' *really* means?"
Harmony chuckled for a moment, before she shook her head. "No, how did it feel to know you'd cheated on someone you loved?"
Cordelia looked over to the former Cordette, the question breaking through her anger a little. "How do you *think* I felt?" she asked sarcastically.
"Devastated, if nothing else," Harmony said with a shrug. "But, thing is, you cheated on the guy in that universe because of a spell. Just think of how you would feel if you'd cheated on your own, with no magic stuff to conveniently blame. And how desperately you'd have wanted to change it, so that it had never happened..."
It took Cordy's brain no time at all to understand. "You mean like how Xander felt," she whispered hollowly.
"Right," the blond former cheerleader said, as she leaned into the corner of couch. "I know this was a pretty long-winded way of demonstrating the lesson, but..."
"Lesson?" Cordelia asked, surprised. "I don't understand. I already forgave Xander for cheating on me, a long time ago. He knows that, we had that talk in Vegas…"
Cordy jumped, when Lorne appeared standing in the middle of the students walking and talking in the lounge. The demon just looked at her, and repeated what he had said on the ship: "That guy is almost as guilt-ridden as Angel was, when I first met him."
Lorne vanished, and in his place the Cordelia from the other day appeared, from when she was yelling at Buffy. "Xander still feels guilty about me getting impaled then, but I KNOW THE TRUTH!"
Then Angel appeared. "So how do we know that this Metatron guy isn't doing the exact same thing? We all heard him; everyone's destines are totally screwed up. You shouldn't marry Xander, just because he told you to."
Angel vanished, and Harmony looked to Cordelia. "You now know Xander Harris better than anyone alive, Cordy. Even Willow! Do you honestly think that he would just work past all that stuff? He still blames himself for everything. When Anya was killed, when you got impaled, or when Buffy or Willow ever got injured. Because he wasn't there to help out. It's stupid, yeah, but that's him! He even blames himself for every bad thing that happened to you, ever since you moved to LA!"
Another Cordelia appeared. "And he's not the only one who feels guilt about what happened in high school, let me add! I have some major issues about stuff that I screwed up as well."
"Did you ever tell him about that stuff?" Harmony asked her.
"No, of course I didn't," Cordelia responded. "I knew he would just twist it around, to blame himself for all that too..."
"Exactly," Harmony told her. "He's always so busy trying to inspire confidence in others, that he totally forgoes it in himself. And something else: his new team hasn't had a big loss yet. Do you think he's going to take it lightly, when someone under his direct command dies?"
"What the hell else can I do?!" Cordelia asked desperately. "I want so much to help him get over it. I tell him every time he even *sounds* guilty that I don't blame him, or he shouldn't do that!"
A sigh. "It's just that when I was hurting, I...I said a lot of bad things to him after we broke up. You should know, Harm, you were there! Then Buffy and Willow basically acted like he was a burden to them for years. I don't know what else to say to erase all that!" Cordelia had a pleading look on her face.
"There is a way to help him, but we'll get to that in a moment," Harmony said. "There's, uh, one other matter we need to talk about first."
"What?!" Cordelia shrieked. "You have a way to help him, then you want to change the damn subject!?"
Harmony held up her hands. "Whoa there, girl. This has to be addressed as well. When's the last time you and Xander had a big yelling match?"
"What the hell does that have to do with this?!" Cordelia raged more.
"It has everything to do with this," Harmony said with a certainty that surprised Cordelia. "When's the last time you and him had a huge, dragged-out fight?"
Realizing she had to go along with this new topic, Cordelia responded, "A long time, I guess. I've tried to avoid them as much as I can."
"Why?"
Sighing again, the brunette girl ran her hand through her hair. "The last time I was upstairs, Metatron told me Xander and I had to grow up a bit. And I didn't think that getting into shouting matches would classify as growing up, you know?"
Harmony smiled. "With most couples on this planet, getting into that many fights would destroy a relationship. But oddly enough, it would help in yours."
"How the hell would constantly fighting *help* our relationship?" Cordelia demanded to know.
"During all the yelling, even back when you were just making out in a closet. Did Xander ever hit you? Or you him?" Harmony asked.
"What? God, no!" Cordelia answered in amazement. "The only time he ever hit me was when I was possessed back in 1997, he had to stop me from moving those demon eggs..."
"Do you think that for one second that he would ever hurt you with his fists, even if you guys really went at it?"
"NO!" Cordelia declared. "One thing I know for sure, is Xander would NEVER hit me like that. Ever. Nor would I hit him."
"Yeah, he never would," Harmony told her. "Whenever you guys would even talk about hitting each other in the fights you two had, you ended up making out. Crazy thing is, it's mutual foreplay for both of you."
"What?"
Harmony ignored the interruption. "And I know the other reason for your not wanting to have fights with him, Cordelia. You don't want the girls to grow up seeing their parents arguing all the time. But trust me on this. They won't grow up like Xander did. His parents hated each other. In the end your kids will know you two are flirting more than anything, when you're fighting. I know it's hard to imagine that your family would be better off if you and your future husband yelled at each other a lot, but it's true."
Three people appeared before them, frozen in a moment in time. "Do you recognize them?" Harmony asked.
"Yeah – Xander's parents, and Xander when he was little," Cordelia said, as she marvelled at how cute her man had looked when he was a little kid.
The three started to move and act out a scene. Little Xander stayed behind his mother's legs while his father yelled at her, "You stupid bitch! When I say I want dinner on the table at six, I don't mean six thirty!"
Xander's mom just looked down, "I'm sorry, Tony! It won't happen again!"
They froze again and disappeared. Then Xander and Cordelia appeared on their bed at home. "I've noticed most of your ideas lately have you taking the more...submissive roles. It just kind of surprises me, is all."
"What's the point of all this?" Cordelia wanted to know. "You're comparing Xander's mom's lack of a spine, to my letting him have some control in our sex life??"
"Some control, Cordy?" Harmony asked her friend quietly. "You've gone out of your way to give your man almost full control, over what goes on in the bedroom! Just think about it from *his* point of view, for a minute..."
The blond continued, "Xander Harris grew up watching his mom give in to everything his dad did, she even defended the bastard when the big dork tried to stop him from hitting her! Bottom line – he was attracted to you, Buffy, Anya and Faith for one big reason."
"Which is what?"
"Power. Not like Buffy's power fetish for the last few years, but because he knew you guys would not allow him to become what he was afraid he would inevitably be."
"An abusive drunk like his father," Cordelia understood.
Harmony nodded. "The visions he got from that demon guy at his failed wedding to Anya Jenkins? They showed him that in the end, she would have let him become exactly that, and just go off and have affairs or whatever. And – in his last vision, he killed his wife during one of their fights! You know it would never get that bad with you, though. You have way too much confidence in yourself and him, to let that ever happen."
"So, lemme see if I understand all this," Cordelia mused, thinking it over. "You want me to yell at him and take full charge in bed, for a while?"
"Basically, yeah," Harmony told her with a shrug. "You need to balance your relationship again. How can he know you and him are okay, if you don't press the issues like normal in fights or sexually take charge sometimes? He's used to it that way, so you need to go back to normal..."
"Okay, whatever," Cordelia said with a huff. "I get it already!" Then she leaned back into the couch, "But I still can't believe that to save our relationship, I'm supposed to bitch at my fiancé and control him in bed..."
"Well, don't take *all* the control away, but come on. You can't tell me there wasn't a few times lately that you wanted to issue some...commands?" Harmony asked with a smirk.
Cordelia returned her smirk. "Well, there are a few outfits I *know* he would look great in! And there's this story I recently read on the Internet about a helpless convict, and a female prison guard…"
Both women burst out laughing.
After several minutes of tossing back and forth ideas, Cordelia asked. "Now, what did you have that could help Xander about the guilt thing?"
"Well," Harmony began. "It has to do with what the Powers changed you into."
"You mean, now that I'm half-demon?" Cordy asked with a frown.
"You were never half-demon, Cordy," the blond woman told her friend. "Think about your powers for a moment. Have they ever reminded you of anything demonically evil?"
"Well, no," Cordy responded. "But we don't know about all the types of demons that the old Powers knew about. And what do you mean, I was never half-demon?"
"Well, first, the term 'half' would be way off! More like 1/5th. Like, do you remember what you did when Connor tried to kill you that one time?"
"Of course," Cordy said in surprise. "I acted on instinct and..." she trailed off.
"And what?" Harmony prodded.
Cordelia whispered. "And I took away his anger. Lorne called it a soul colonic, or something – but I just glowed, and took away his damn anger!" The woman was shocked she had never thought of it that way before.
"Now, does that sound like a demon power to you?" Harmony asked her. "Taking away anger and hate? Most demons feed off those emotions in human beings, you should know. It's why vampires want their victims to be terrified, before they drain them..."
"But if I'm not – Harmony, what am I now?" Cordelia asked quietly.
Harmony smiled. "When you think of evil, you think of demons and monsters. But when you think of the forces of good, up in the higher realms…what's the only thing other than God that you think of?"
Cordelia's eyes went wide in shock. "You can't mean…"
***
Outside The Lost Boys Warehouse
"Angel, man, stop! Just back off for a second!" Gunn shouted as he grabbed his old comrade-in-arms.
The vampire shook his friend off. "Stay out of this, Gunn. Enough's enough, I'm gonna teach this guy not to mess with my people once and for all..." He moved back for Xander, when he noticed several of the Lost Boys members aiming their weapons at him.
"This has nothing to do with any of you. Go back inside!" Angel told them angrily.
"We don't take orders from no bloodsucker, and sure as hell we ain't part of your fan club – vampire," Rondell told him, as he stood with his own stake upraised. "Now, my man Gunn here tells us that you're a…" he forced down a laugh. "A champion. As in, one of the good guys. But from what I'm seeing, you're acting like one of the enemy..."
"HE'S the enemy here!" Angel pointed to Xander, his anger getting the better of his normally-impeccable judgment.
The former Zeppo just looked at Gavin and Vince near him, trying to understand why Angel had *really* suddenly gone postal like this.
"So says you. But this particular white man," Rondell said, pointing at Xander, "just helped me and mine out a lot, with food and supplies. And as I recall, all *you* ever do is order us to stay out of harm's way; like you're the pro, and we're just amateurs cramping your style..."
The black man smiled, and it was not a nice thing to witness. "Now, tell me – who do you *think* we're likely to side with? So walk away, nosferatu. While you still have the option."
Angel was about to respond – and given his fury, seriously screw up his karma – when a bright light appeared a few feet from the large group. Everyone stopped and started, as Cordelia Chase in a white robe walked out of the light.
While everyone else was stunned to see her appear like that, Cordelia had a very perturbed look on her face as she looked at both Xander and Angel.
"Hey, he started it!" Xander blurted out, before even *he* realized how childish that sounded.
Cordelia walked up to him and said, "Xander, shut up. I'll deal with you later..."
She turned to Angel. "I know the truth now, and what I really am. And I know you were just trying to protect me, but I don't need you to do that anymore. You know why, Angel? Because I can take care of myself..."
Cordelia then made a fist, and punched the surprised Angel so hard he sailed back into the wall. As the stunned vampire stared at his former seer, she told him, "Don't EVER do anything like this again, understand? Make sure you get the full facts *before* you get mad, and make an idiot out of yourself! On account of next time, I might not show up in time to stop Gunn's friends...look, I promise I'll call you tomorrow. And I hope we can finally put all crap this behind us..."
She then took Xander's hand, and without another word dragged his ass into the light and they disappeared. The former Irishman got up, and walked back to the others, unable to believe she'd done that...
"Damn impressive," Rondell whistled appreciatively.
Angel just stared at where the light had winked out, as his friend and her lover disappeared – and the 251-year-old vampire felt something inside him shatter. The man suddenly understood that if it ever came down to choosing between him or Xander like this – then Cordelia wouldn't even hesitate for a moment now, over what choice she would make. Angel felt like he had lost something precious forever...
Gunn looked at his vampiric friend. "What the hell was all that about? And what does she mean, she knows what she really is?"
"I can answer that."
Angel and Gunn spun on the voice. "Harmony!" the Champion growled, not having forgotten when the vampiress was last in LA.
The blond just rolled her eyes. "Oh no, I have to explain it all again!? What, I'm just gonna have to wear a freaking sign around my neck!?"
As Angel approached menacingly, she sighed. "Hey, look. If you *really* have so much pent-up aggression that you need to get rid of, I know where a certain blond vampire is that could use a good staking?"
***
The Chase Mansion
Cordelia and Xander closed the door to the nursery quietly. "Now Dennis," Cordelia whispered. "Xander and I have some things to work out – so keep an eye on them, okay?"
They watched, as the hall light flashed on and off twice. "Thanks," the mother of the twins whispered. She then took Xander's hand and pulled him down the long hall to their master bedroom, whereupon she closed and locked the door.
"Cordy?" Xander asked. "What's going on? Why did Angel think-"
"I'll tell you everything in the morning, my love," she told him. But as they were walking to the bed, Cordelia grabbed his hands from behind.
"Cordy! What are you-?"
Xander didn't have time to finish the question, before he heard the sound of handcuffs locking his hands behind his back. "What the hell?" he then asked, completely confused as she pulled him over to the bed.
"Like I said, my love. I'll explain everything in the morning. You can ask all your questions then..." Cordy told her betrothed, as she started to remove her robe and clothes. When she was completely nude, she got on the bed and said, "But for now, I have other things for your mouth to be doing. Parts of me have been feeling...neglected, for quite a while."
When the USAF officer just looked at her in surprise, "Do you have a problem with that?" Cordelia demanded, very sternly.
"Well, no, not really..." Xander said, becoming amused.
"Good boy!" Cordy said, before she pulled him onto the bed. "Now. Time for you to remind me just how good you are in the sack, Harris..."
***
December 21st, 2004. 12:43 pm
The Hyperion Hotel
"Man, but that was fun!" Gunn said with a smile, as the group came into the lobby.
Buffy was pleased with the results as well. "Yeah, there's nothing like taking out a huge vampire nest to get a Slayer in a good mood!"
"Oh, for sure," Willow agreed as she put away her weapons in the cabinet. "But, it was way weird that Harmony's ghost led us to it, wasn't it?"
"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Gunn told them. "Me and my crew have been trying to find that nest for months now, with no luck. Then in one day, one hundred vamps get dusted? Celebration time!"
"You guys come out all right?" Fred asked, as she and Lorne each came down the stairs holding a baby.
"We eliminated the entire nest," Wesley told her, as he allowed the baby girl in her arms to try and grab ahold of his finger.
"Fred?" Angel asked, concerned. "Why are the girls here?"
"Cordy dropped them off, she said she and Xander had some stuff to go over," the Texan told him with a shrug.
"So, this is it huh?" Willow sadly asked no one in general. "The big breakup? God, I really didn't think Xander would cheat on her this soon..."
Buffy agreed, "I swear, I love Xander, but he just can't seem to keep his…"
"Are you two completely insane?" Fred asked them suddenly, her eyes huge.
"What?" Buffy asked her, she and Willow being confused after the somewhat garbled explanation from Angel.
Fred just sighed and looked at the baby in her arms for a moment, before turning back to the Sunnydale women. "Cordy was here, and she explained everything to me. Uh, there was no cheating, but Willow? If I were you, I would steer clear of Cordelia for a bit. Like, weeks. Months. Even years would not be considered crazy talk..."
"Me?" Willow looked nonplussed. "What did I do?"
***
The Chase Mansion
Xander just looked at his fiancée sitting across from him in shock. "Whoa. You've had a busy few days then, huh?"
Cordelia took his hands in hers. "Yeah, I'm sorry I kept it all from you like that. But...it just felt like the right thing to do at the time. And seeing myself with that guy, whoever the hell he was, it still makes my skin crawl..."
The woman shivered. "But I meant what I said the other night. You are everything to me. You, and the girls, are my life, and I know me and them are yours. No stupid fight is going to break us up, but we should set up a few ground rules."
"Yeah," Xander agreed, as he rubbed his thumb against her hand. "Because the truth is, there is no one else in the entire world I would rather fight with, than you. And I know you'll never try to demean me, or hate me like my parents..."
"And I know YOU will never treat me like a brain-dead valley bimbo, or a trophy wife. Xander, people used to say that we were the perfect example of opposites attracting. But we're more alike than we ever thought, and I know for the first time in my life where I belong in this world. Where I fit. Not as a spoiled rich princess, or a receptionist, or a Vision Girl, but as a soon-to-be wife and mother."
"And I know where I fit too," the military man told her. "Not as a Slayerette, or a Watcher, or a Xander-shaped friend, but as a husband and father."
They just sat there, looking at each other for a full minute before Cordelia said, "Now, the biggest ground rule of them all. No matter how heated our arguments may get? Our bedroom upstairs is neutral ground. We can fight all the way to up there and after we're down here having breakfast, but when we're in between those sheets and my head is resting on your chest at night…"
"Got it," the young man said at once. "The bedroom will always be safe territory. And the second ground rule?"
"Yeah?"
"We always make sure, especially when they're young, that the girls know that Mom and Dad are okay," he told her. "When they're teenagers, they'll understand that it's just how we are, but before they hit puberty…"
"Understood," the woman said, equally at once.
"And a small favor, Cordy?"
"Anything, Xander."
"Well," the former two-dollar costume king started to say. "When they have me firmly wrapped around their little fingers in a few years, and get away with nearly everything…promise you'll help me out sometimes?"
"You can count on it," the woman once known as the nastiest bitch in Sunnydale history replied. "But only sometimes, because they'll have *me* as their mother. And honey, I have to teach them how to control their men. It's like, a mother's duty to her daughters! But as much as they'll have you wrapped around their little fingers..." Cordy looked into Xander's eyes. "I know that they'll also love and do anything for their Daddy."
She reached over and wiped a tear from his eye. "Thanks, Cor," the head of the Four Horsemen stammered.
She just smiled warmly at him, "Anytime, my love."
For several minutes, the duo just sat there holding each other's hands and not wanting to break the moment. Eventually Cordelia asked him, "Well, are you ready?"
Xander's voice was small. "I'm kinda scared, y'know."
"Of what, baby?" she asked quickly. "I would never hurt you, doing this..."
"I know that," the guy told her. "But I'm afraid that if I don't have my guilt or…whatever, I might make the same mistake again – that I've made twice already."
"Xander, look at me," the girl told him softly.
And when he did Ms. Chase continued, "Alexander LaVelle Harris, I trust you completely. I *know* that you will never stray. Sure, you'll have thoughts about other girls, but so will I about other guys. A male model in a magazine, or a potential Slayer thinking you're cute...but it doesn't matter. 'Cause at the end of the day, Xander, I know that you'll never do that to me again." She cupped his cheek with her hand. "I trust you."
He drew out a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."
Cordelia removed her hand, and closed her eyes. Xander watched her for several seconds, as a bright white glow appeared all around her. It seemed to grow, as she stood up.
The son of two drunks took her offered hand to help him up, and the daughter of a tax cheat drew his body up to hers.
"You're so beautiful, Cor," Xander said in deep wonder.
"So are you," Cordelia responded. "Now, let me take it away my love, let me take it all away..."
Had anyone been watching them, the last sight before the light became blinding would have been her drawing him into a warm hug.
***
December 22nd, 2004. 7 pm
Maxim Magazine Photo Studios
Cerina and Courtney groaned, as they sat down in their chairs. "God, that was a long shoot!" Cerina commented.
"Yeah," Courtney, agreed as she took off her heels and rubbed her feet. "Oh, Cordy, what happened to your fiancé? I thought the guy would stick around all day to watch this stuff. Those interns did..."
"You're right," Cerina said, looking around. "I haven't seen Xander for about an hour and a half." She looked to Cordy. "What happened to him? And why are they getting ready to retouch you hair?"
Cordelia smiled at her friends. "I'm just taking advantage of this little opportunity. Xander's with makeup right now..."
"Makeup?" Courtney asked, surprised. "He's going to model?"
"Yep," Cordelia responded with a grin. "We figured, why not?"
At that moment, they heard one of the female photography interns whisper, "Holy crap!" The three actresses then turned, and saw Xander Harris walk in.
"I have to agree with her, Cordy," Cerina said slyly, as she looked Xander over. "Your boy does clean up damn fine..."
"I know," Cordy told them, as she watched him too. "Doesn't he?" she added with a girlish giggle.
***
January 7th, 2005. 9 am
Watchers Council Main Building.
Office of Rupert Giles
"Mail for you, sir."
Rupert Giles looked up from his translations, and took the large package from the young man. "Thank you, Philip."
"You're welcome, Mr. Giles," the twenty-year-old Watcher said, before he left to finish his rounds.
Buffy's mentor used his letter opener to cut back the packing tape, and opened the package. He found an 8x10'' framed photo.
The photo was of Xander Harris in a black monkey suit with his hair slicked back, holding a Walter PPK. Looking very James Bond-ish. In front of him, also holding a gun in a normal action movie pose, was Cordelia Chase...
She wore a pair of tight spandex pants that were green on the outside of the legs, but blue on the inside. She also had a skin-tight white T-shirt on that stopped at her midriff, and the shirt was ripped in very strategically pleasing places.
They both looked like they'd come straight off the big screen of an American action movie or something.
Giles read the inscription again as he hung it in his office, chuckling as he did so...
'To Grandpa Giles,
Love Xander and Cordelia-his little Angel.'
***
Epilogue
February 26th, 2005. 3:30 pm
Phoenix, Arizona
It was a somewhat average day, for the area at 68 degrees. Two teenagers in jeans and jackets were taking advantage of the good weather on this late Saturday afternoon. Like many teenage boys, they were busy checking out girls.
Not the girls around them, but three in a magazine they had just purchased.
"Oh man, where has she been all my life?!" the 17-year-old Benjamin Kayser said, as he looked over the pages.
His best friend Joshua Nash looked at the girl he was staring at. "Cerina Vincent. Huh, I think she was on Power Rangers..."
Ben looked up at him. "You watched Power Rangers?!"
His friend just pointed to the picture, "Look at her, man! Like you wouldn't watch it if she was on. And dude, you have to see this one movie – she walks around naked in it, the entire time!"
"You're kidding me, right?" Ben asked, grinning. "Well, we're renting that movie tonight! Hey, I recognize this Courtney Peldon chick too. She was on an episode of DS9..."
"Yeah," Josh said, "But check out the Cordelia Chase hottie. Damn..."
"I know what you mean, dude," Ben said. "Just look at her legs in this one..."
Both boys whistled. "Hey, check the interview," Josh told him. "See if she's been in anything else..."
"Okay," Ben said, as he skimmed the interview. Before he moaned in disappointment. "Oh, man! This sucks!"
"What? What?" Josh asked him.
"It says she's getting married to her high school sweetheart next month!"
"Yeah? Oh well, what does it matter? Like you ever had a chance with a woman like that, buddy boy," Josh teased him. "Anything else in there?"
Ben skimmed the rest of the interview. "Nope, just that she wants some guy she knows named Oz to write them, so they can send him his invite to the wedding."
"Maybe I can change my name to Oz," Josh joked badly.
"I don't think that'll…" Ben started, but cut himself off as he threw up his hands to cover his eyes.
"What-?" Josh asked, when he stupidly turned around to see.
Thus, both boys were blinded by the initial flash. But that didn't make any difference; and besides, neither of them would have wanted to see the mushroom cloud expand as it ripped through and destroyed the city of Phoenix, incinerating their bodies as the firestorm expanded mercilessly...
***
To be continued in the next story in the series.