Wesley woke up and jumped when he saw Faith's side of the bed was empty. He
sprung off the bed and hurried down the stairs.
"Where is she?" He asked Angel, who was sat in the living room reading a book.
"Calm down Wes, she went for a walk with Cordy." He told him, snapping his book shut.
"Where to?"
"The coffee shop I think, she wanted to get some fresh air."
"I knew I shouldn't have gone to sleep." Wes said angrily.
"She seemed okay." Angel told him. "She looked a little pale but Cordelia will look after her. It will probably be good for her to get out of here. Fresh air might do her good."
"She should have woken me; I'd have gone with her."
"She'll be okay with Cordelia." Angel reassured.
"I know, but I would have gone with her."
"She told me you were sleeping and that she didn't want to wake you." Angel explained.
"Well, she should have." Wes insisted. "Did she say how long she'd be? How long ago did she leave?"
"They've been gone about half an hour. They didn't say how long they'd be. But they've only gone for a walk. If Faith feels ill or gets tired I'm sure they'll come back."
Wes nodded. "I guess so."
"Let her do what she wants right now Wes." Angel advised. "Don't make her feel trapped."
"Do you feel better now?" Cordelia asked Faith as they walked down Main Street drinking coffee.
"Yeah, the fresh air has done me good."
"I still think you'd be better off in bed, Wes is probably going crazy." Cordelia warned her.
"I'll handle Wes." She said confidently. "Besides, what is he going to do? Shout at me in my weakened state?"
Cordelia laughed. "I guess not. Do you feel okay mentally? I mean, you don't feel like you're going to break down?"
She shook her head. "You know me; I got all my crying out last night. I'll be okay now. And even though I feel really bad I know it'll be okay, there'll be another chance for me to have a baby. Later on when it's planned."
"Angel buried the body last night in the garden. He burnt his hand putting a cross there. He made it a proper grave. We could stop for some flowers to put on top."
Faith smiled. "That was really kind of him. I'd like that."
Cordelia choked on her coffee. "Oh my God."
Faith looked at her strangely. "What the hell was that?"
"Is that Dawn?" She pointed to a girl walking a couple of metres ahead of them.
"I don't know, maybe. But isn't Dawn halfway to Florida?"
"Apparently. Dawn!"
The girl spun around automatically and saw them. It was Dawn. She turned back around and started walking faster.
"Dawn! Get your skinny ass back here right now and start explaining yourself!" Cordelia shouted angrily.
Realising she'd been caught out Dawn turned back. "Cordy, hi!"
"Don't try that." Faith advised. "Not going to work."
"Where the hell have you been?" Cordelia hissed. "Taking off was really not a good thing to do. Where have you been?"
"I was staying with a friend until Buffy calmed down." She told them. "She really freaked out."
"Do you have any idea where your sister is?" Cordelia asked quietly.
Dawn looked at her watch. "Probably at the school, she's a counsellor there now, did you know that?"
"No I didn't and no she isn't!" Cordelia shouted. "She is halfway to Florida looking for you!"
"What? But I'm not in Florida!"
"We can see that." Faith added. "But Buffy doesn't."
"Why does she think I'm in Florida?"
"You have had everybody so worried about you that they've been following up on any lead they can get. The last one they got was of a young girl travelling alone on a bus Florida! So, Buffy, Spike and Xander are on their way there because they care about you and want to find you! Have you any idea how much trouble you have caused?"
She shuffled her feet. "I didn't think it would be that much of a big deal. I mean, Buffy ran off to LA that time she killed Angel. But there is something good about all this."
"There is?" Cordelia asked mockingly happy. "I'm failing to see it."
"I'm not pregnant." She told them happily.
"Well, now at least Buffy only has to kill you once." Faith told her. She looked at her watch. "We'd better be getting back, Wes will be freaking out."
Cordelia nodded. "Can we trust you to go back to your house? Willow and Tara are there."
She nodded. "I can find my way back to my house."
"That's not what I meant Dawn." Cordelia warned.
"I know, I know!" She held up her hands in mock defence. "I'm going."
They stood and watched Dawn stomp off in the direction of her house.
"Let's go get those flowers." Cordelia told Faith and took her arm, nudging her into the direction of the flower shop.
Cordelia left Faith at the newly formed grave and went into the mansion, slipping in the front door quietly.
"Where is she?" Wes asked, springing up as soon as he heard the door open.
"She's outside." She told him gently. "We bought flowers to put on the grave."
He nodded. "Should I go out there?"
She nodded. "Yeah, go be with her."
He touched her shoulder as he went past her.
Angel was leaning against the kitchen doorframe. "Hey."
She smiled and went to put her arms around his waist, sighing as his went around her shoulders. "We found Dawn. She's been in Sunnydale this whole time."
"Did she have anything to say?"
"Well, she's not pregnant so that's good. Buffy might not kill her as much when she gets back from her wild goose chase."
"She's not what? Back up there a minute. Pregnant?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that part." She told him sheepishly. "She thought she was pregnant, that's why she took off. She called and told me she'd slept with some asshole and that she thought she might have gotten pregnant. I told her to tell Buffy, Buffy shouted and Dawn ran away. She's been at her friend's house all along."
"I was wondering why Dawn took off but I kept forgetting to ask you when you called. Wow, pregnant, there must be something in the water."
She laughed and leant up to kiss him. "I'm not pregnant."
"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Oh well."
"Is that good or bad?" She asked curiously.
"I don't know." He admitted. "Having another baby could be good, but having Ashleigh together was a miracle, having another baby is practically impossible. But if it did happen then I wouldn't be unhappy."
"That's good to know." She smiled.
He looked at her strangely. "Are you?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. But one day maybe I'd like to be again."
He kissed her lips gently. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Faith and Wes came in hand in hand. Wes's eyes were slightly red rimmed but Faith looked composed and at peace.
"I've been thinking." Cordelia told them.
"Duck." Faith joked lightly.
Cordelia smiled. "Very funny. Do you guys want to stop here on your own for a while? Angel and I want to get back to the children but there are two cars here now so you two could stop for a few days, spend some time on your own."
They looked at each other and Wes answered. "That sounds like a very good idea. Thank you."
"I'll go see Dawn and Willow tomorrow and then we'll go home when the sun sets." Cordelia told them. "But right now I'm hungry so Angel, take me out for dinner?"
"Sure." He agreed. "In a good couple of hours when the sun sets."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course, my meal plan has to coincide with the sun's movements. You can cook, and not eggs."
She dragged him into the kitchen where he proceeded to cook her beans on toast.
Cordelia went around to Buffy's house the following afternoon.
Willow and Tara were sat in the kitchen with cups of strong coffee.
"Hey Cordelia." Willow smiled. "I guess we owe you a thank you."
She waved her hand. "No you don't. Where is she?"
"Upstairs." Tara answered. "Where she'll stay until Buffy comes back."
"Which will be?"
"Tomorrow or the day after." Willow told her and got up to pour Cordelia a cup of coffee.
"It's probably a good thing that I'm getting out of Sunnydale tonight then. Out of the way of the fireworks."
"Are you going home?"
She nodded.
"What happened yesterday?" Tara asked.
"It was something to do with Faith, nothing big. She wasn't too well so I stayed at home to look after her. Wes and Angel came through yesterday morning and Angel is going to drive me home. Wes is going to stop with Faith a few days in the mansion until she gets better." Cordelia exclaimed.
"Oh, is she okay?" Willow asked, concerned.
"Yeah, she's fine, just a bit weak."
"Who's a bit weak?" Giles asked, coming in the back door. "Oh, hello Cordelia, good to see you. How are the children?"
"They're fine; they're at home with Lorne, Fred and Gunn." She smiled. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm quite alright thank you. Where is the prodigal?" He inquired.
Both Willow and Tara pointed to the ceiling. "We banished her to her room."
"Quite suitable if you ask me, might I go speak to her?"
"Feel free." Willow told him. "Tea?"
"No thank you Willow, I'll just go and talk to her."
"Somehow I think with all English-ness of his voice, he'll get through to her more than Buffy and her shouting will." Cordelia smirked.
"I don't know, when I called Buffy's cell she sounded pissed off." Willow confided. "Xander had to take the phone off her to stop her swearing."
Cordelia laughed. "There's definitely going to be fireworks. That reminds me, where's Anya?"
"Oh, she's running the Magic Box. Business has picked up because it's nearer to Halloween. She wanted to go with Xander and look for Dawn, or rather go on road trip, but Giles needed her to look after the store for him." Willow explained. "She's not complaining though, she likes to touch the money."
Cordelia laughed again. "Faith is like that with the cheques we get."
"Do you want to stop for lunch?" Tara asked. "We're only having tuna salads but there's plenty for you if you want some."
"That sounds really nice, thanks." She smiled.
They heard the sound of shouting voices from upstairs and they cringed, Dawn was getting it from Giles.
Cordelia arrived back at the mansion before sun down and went straight upstairs to pack her bag.
She left all of her toiletries in the bathroom for Faith to use and moved the blanket off their bed onto Faith and Wes's, their room was colder.
She lifted her bag off the bed and carried it down the stairs ready to put in the car.
The sun set a half hour later so Angel went and put their bags in the car while she said goodbye to Faith.
"You can call me anytime you want. Angel pays the phone bill when it comes in so feel free to bump it up a bit."
Faith smiled. "Thanks Cor."
"You take good care you of yourself, yeah? Let Wesley pamper you." Cordelia ordered.
She nodded. "Thanks for everything Cor, you've been fantastic."
She smiled and hugged her. "See you when you get home."
She let go of her and went to say goodbye to Wes. "Take good care of her Wes."
"You don't have to worry about that." He told her with a smile and then hugged her. "Thank you Cordelia."
She sensed he was about to get emotional so she pulled back. "Hey, she's a tough girl. She'll be fine. And so will you."
He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I will thank you properly eventually."
"Seeing her well is the only thanks I need."
He squeezed her shoulder. "Make sure you drive carefully."
"Don't worry, I'm not driving." She reassured.
"Oh good."
"Hey!"
"Where is she?" He asked Angel, who was sat in the living room reading a book.
"Calm down Wes, she went for a walk with Cordy." He told him, snapping his book shut.
"Where to?"
"The coffee shop I think, she wanted to get some fresh air."
"I knew I shouldn't have gone to sleep." Wes said angrily.
"She seemed okay." Angel told him. "She looked a little pale but Cordelia will look after her. It will probably be good for her to get out of here. Fresh air might do her good."
"She should have woken me; I'd have gone with her."
"She'll be okay with Cordelia." Angel reassured.
"I know, but I would have gone with her."
"She told me you were sleeping and that she didn't want to wake you." Angel explained.
"Well, she should have." Wes insisted. "Did she say how long she'd be? How long ago did she leave?"
"They've been gone about half an hour. They didn't say how long they'd be. But they've only gone for a walk. If Faith feels ill or gets tired I'm sure they'll come back."
Wes nodded. "I guess so."
"Let her do what she wants right now Wes." Angel advised. "Don't make her feel trapped."
"Do you feel better now?" Cordelia asked Faith as they walked down Main Street drinking coffee.
"Yeah, the fresh air has done me good."
"I still think you'd be better off in bed, Wes is probably going crazy." Cordelia warned her.
"I'll handle Wes." She said confidently. "Besides, what is he going to do? Shout at me in my weakened state?"
Cordelia laughed. "I guess not. Do you feel okay mentally? I mean, you don't feel like you're going to break down?"
She shook her head. "You know me; I got all my crying out last night. I'll be okay now. And even though I feel really bad I know it'll be okay, there'll be another chance for me to have a baby. Later on when it's planned."
"Angel buried the body last night in the garden. He burnt his hand putting a cross there. He made it a proper grave. We could stop for some flowers to put on top."
Faith smiled. "That was really kind of him. I'd like that."
Cordelia choked on her coffee. "Oh my God."
Faith looked at her strangely. "What the hell was that?"
"Is that Dawn?" She pointed to a girl walking a couple of metres ahead of them.
"I don't know, maybe. But isn't Dawn halfway to Florida?"
"Apparently. Dawn!"
The girl spun around automatically and saw them. It was Dawn. She turned back around and started walking faster.
"Dawn! Get your skinny ass back here right now and start explaining yourself!" Cordelia shouted angrily.
Realising she'd been caught out Dawn turned back. "Cordy, hi!"
"Don't try that." Faith advised. "Not going to work."
"Where the hell have you been?" Cordelia hissed. "Taking off was really not a good thing to do. Where have you been?"
"I was staying with a friend until Buffy calmed down." She told them. "She really freaked out."
"Do you have any idea where your sister is?" Cordelia asked quietly.
Dawn looked at her watch. "Probably at the school, she's a counsellor there now, did you know that?"
"No I didn't and no she isn't!" Cordelia shouted. "She is halfway to Florida looking for you!"
"What? But I'm not in Florida!"
"We can see that." Faith added. "But Buffy doesn't."
"Why does she think I'm in Florida?"
"You have had everybody so worried about you that they've been following up on any lead they can get. The last one they got was of a young girl travelling alone on a bus Florida! So, Buffy, Spike and Xander are on their way there because they care about you and want to find you! Have you any idea how much trouble you have caused?"
She shuffled her feet. "I didn't think it would be that much of a big deal. I mean, Buffy ran off to LA that time she killed Angel. But there is something good about all this."
"There is?" Cordelia asked mockingly happy. "I'm failing to see it."
"I'm not pregnant." She told them happily.
"Well, now at least Buffy only has to kill you once." Faith told her. She looked at her watch. "We'd better be getting back, Wes will be freaking out."
Cordelia nodded. "Can we trust you to go back to your house? Willow and Tara are there."
She nodded. "I can find my way back to my house."
"That's not what I meant Dawn." Cordelia warned.
"I know, I know!" She held up her hands in mock defence. "I'm going."
They stood and watched Dawn stomp off in the direction of her house.
"Let's go get those flowers." Cordelia told Faith and took her arm, nudging her into the direction of the flower shop.
Cordelia left Faith at the newly formed grave and went into the mansion, slipping in the front door quietly.
"Where is she?" Wes asked, springing up as soon as he heard the door open.
"She's outside." She told him gently. "We bought flowers to put on the grave."
He nodded. "Should I go out there?"
She nodded. "Yeah, go be with her."
He touched her shoulder as he went past her.
Angel was leaning against the kitchen doorframe. "Hey."
She smiled and went to put her arms around his waist, sighing as his went around her shoulders. "We found Dawn. She's been in Sunnydale this whole time."
"Did she have anything to say?"
"Well, she's not pregnant so that's good. Buffy might not kill her as much when she gets back from her wild goose chase."
"She's not what? Back up there a minute. Pregnant?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that part." She told him sheepishly. "She thought she was pregnant, that's why she took off. She called and told me she'd slept with some asshole and that she thought she might have gotten pregnant. I told her to tell Buffy, Buffy shouted and Dawn ran away. She's been at her friend's house all along."
"I was wondering why Dawn took off but I kept forgetting to ask you when you called. Wow, pregnant, there must be something in the water."
She laughed and leant up to kiss him. "I'm not pregnant."
"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Oh well."
"Is that good or bad?" She asked curiously.
"I don't know." He admitted. "Having another baby could be good, but having Ashleigh together was a miracle, having another baby is practically impossible. But if it did happen then I wouldn't be unhappy."
"That's good to know." She smiled.
He looked at her strangely. "Are you?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. But one day maybe I'd like to be again."
He kissed her lips gently. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Faith and Wes came in hand in hand. Wes's eyes were slightly red rimmed but Faith looked composed and at peace.
"I've been thinking." Cordelia told them.
"Duck." Faith joked lightly.
Cordelia smiled. "Very funny. Do you guys want to stop here on your own for a while? Angel and I want to get back to the children but there are two cars here now so you two could stop for a few days, spend some time on your own."
They looked at each other and Wes answered. "That sounds like a very good idea. Thank you."
"I'll go see Dawn and Willow tomorrow and then we'll go home when the sun sets." Cordelia told them. "But right now I'm hungry so Angel, take me out for dinner?"
"Sure." He agreed. "In a good couple of hours when the sun sets."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course, my meal plan has to coincide with the sun's movements. You can cook, and not eggs."
She dragged him into the kitchen where he proceeded to cook her beans on toast.
Cordelia went around to Buffy's house the following afternoon.
Willow and Tara were sat in the kitchen with cups of strong coffee.
"Hey Cordelia." Willow smiled. "I guess we owe you a thank you."
She waved her hand. "No you don't. Where is she?"
"Upstairs." Tara answered. "Where she'll stay until Buffy comes back."
"Which will be?"
"Tomorrow or the day after." Willow told her and got up to pour Cordelia a cup of coffee.
"It's probably a good thing that I'm getting out of Sunnydale tonight then. Out of the way of the fireworks."
"Are you going home?"
She nodded.
"What happened yesterday?" Tara asked.
"It was something to do with Faith, nothing big. She wasn't too well so I stayed at home to look after her. Wes and Angel came through yesterday morning and Angel is going to drive me home. Wes is going to stop with Faith a few days in the mansion until she gets better." Cordelia exclaimed.
"Oh, is she okay?" Willow asked, concerned.
"Yeah, she's fine, just a bit weak."
"Who's a bit weak?" Giles asked, coming in the back door. "Oh, hello Cordelia, good to see you. How are the children?"
"They're fine; they're at home with Lorne, Fred and Gunn." She smiled. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm quite alright thank you. Where is the prodigal?" He inquired.
Both Willow and Tara pointed to the ceiling. "We banished her to her room."
"Quite suitable if you ask me, might I go speak to her?"
"Feel free." Willow told him. "Tea?"
"No thank you Willow, I'll just go and talk to her."
"Somehow I think with all English-ness of his voice, he'll get through to her more than Buffy and her shouting will." Cordelia smirked.
"I don't know, when I called Buffy's cell she sounded pissed off." Willow confided. "Xander had to take the phone off her to stop her swearing."
Cordelia laughed. "There's definitely going to be fireworks. That reminds me, where's Anya?"
"Oh, she's running the Magic Box. Business has picked up because it's nearer to Halloween. She wanted to go with Xander and look for Dawn, or rather go on road trip, but Giles needed her to look after the store for him." Willow explained. "She's not complaining though, she likes to touch the money."
Cordelia laughed again. "Faith is like that with the cheques we get."
"Do you want to stop for lunch?" Tara asked. "We're only having tuna salads but there's plenty for you if you want some."
"That sounds really nice, thanks." She smiled.
They heard the sound of shouting voices from upstairs and they cringed, Dawn was getting it from Giles.
Cordelia arrived back at the mansion before sun down and went straight upstairs to pack her bag.
She left all of her toiletries in the bathroom for Faith to use and moved the blanket off their bed onto Faith and Wes's, their room was colder.
She lifted her bag off the bed and carried it down the stairs ready to put in the car.
The sun set a half hour later so Angel went and put their bags in the car while she said goodbye to Faith.
"You can call me anytime you want. Angel pays the phone bill when it comes in so feel free to bump it up a bit."
Faith smiled. "Thanks Cor."
"You take good care you of yourself, yeah? Let Wesley pamper you." Cordelia ordered.
She nodded. "Thanks for everything Cor, you've been fantastic."
She smiled and hugged her. "See you when you get home."
She let go of her and went to say goodbye to Wes. "Take good care of her Wes."
"You don't have to worry about that." He told her with a smile and then hugged her. "Thank you Cordelia."
She sensed he was about to get emotional so she pulled back. "Hey, she's a tough girl. She'll be fine. And so will you."
He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I will thank you properly eventually."
"Seeing her well is the only thanks I need."
He squeezed her shoulder. "Make sure you drive carefully."
"Don't worry, I'm not driving." She reassured.
"Oh good."
"Hey!"