The vamp grinned victorious, but changed into a stunning surprise as he saw the hand from Xander reaching to his face, his arm stretched. "Talk to hand!" he said, serious with a heavy tone. The vamp stared in surprise, not knowing what to say instead of his usual wit. This moment was fatal as Xander finally found the stake and moved it quickly, with dust as its result.

Wesley saw him dusting off his jacket, picking up the stakes and walking over to the unconscious girl, talking.

"Holy shit, that guy could think. Can't have that tomorrow, we wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention if they are that chatting- like as him, like old grannies 'bout life when that once was like in their prime." He shivered at the image of old vamp grannies in front of the highschool during graduation, chatting them to death by boredom.

Wesley stepped towards him, "We have arranged it, Xander. They approved it all," he said.

Xander turned around his head while checking out the girl's pulse. "Great. Never thought they would go along with it."

"Pressing the right buttons, I think," he said and continued more to himself, "By the right, caring and understanding people."

Xander frowned at that, not understanding what he meant, but thought that it wasn't his concern. He pulled up the child and handed her over to Wesley. "Could you bring her to her parents, they will be very worried by now," he said, while Wesley sunk away deeper in his thoughts.

Getting no response, Xander glared at him more carefully. "Wes? Are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, quite right, I assure you."

Xander looked concerned at him. "I hope that Faith didn't ground you down, completely?" he asked gently.

Wesley looked up at him. "No! I mean, no, *she* didn't . . . I think I deserved it. I mean, I did lose faith in her . . . "

Xander interrupted quickly. "You did what you thought had to be done. It's not always easy to take a harsh decision, Wes. I know, believe me," he said softly while shaking his head.

Wesley remembered some of the words Faith had told him and nodded.

Xander saw him thinking, but pressed the child in his hands. "Here, take her home."

Wesley accepted her and walked away into a dark alley.

Before he left, Xander shouted to him, making him turn his head. "But I would have killed you *if* Faith would have hurt Willow . . ."

*****

At Cordelia's apartment.

"Uh, hi, Cordy . . . Uhm, can I come in?"

Cordelia smiled and she sweetly welcomed him in.

Xander blinked and walked in.

"Uh, why are you so nice, Cordelia?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Xander shrugged. "I don't know . . . Maybe something to do with me being a goofball?"

Cordelia winced inside, but smiled outside. "Well, you are!" She quickly changed her voice as she corrected herself. "But a sweet goofball," she gently said.

"Uh . . . yeah . . ." he stuttered while looking around. "This is your new place?" he asked nicely.

Cordelia nodded, somewhat ashamed. "This is everything I could effort. It's not much . . ."

Xander laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's not bad. Bit small, but you'll manage . . ."

Cordelia smiled shyly. "Thanks. Thanks Xander for what you did with the dress and all. I . . . I was such an ass to you . . . I . . ." she mumbled, trying to apologize.

"It's ok. I understand that I have hurt you, deeply. I'm sorry for that, there is nothing I can do about it. No matter how much I want to," Xander spoke softly and saw some disappointment in her face.

"I'm sorry, Cordy . . . I . . . I love Faith. I . . ." he stumbled, looking at a small tear appearing in Cordelia's face.

He hugged her softly, but she quickly broke it. She swallowed and then spoke softly, "It's ok, Xander. I expected this . . ." #Faith was way too confident,# she thought.

Xander nodded gently, understanding her pain. "Hey, I. . . You will be always in my heart, Cordy."

Cordelia nodded as she smiled wryly at him, wipping a tear away.

Xander wanted to walk away, but then he realized his visit and showed her an envelope.

Cordelia took it and looked surprised when she saw that it was addressed to her. She opened it. "Cambridge University?" she asked, surprised.

Xander nodded, "Yeah, I forgot to give it to you."

"England?"

Xander nodded again.

She shook her head, "I can't pay that! It's impossible!"

Xander shook his head lightly. "Look further."

"Scholarship? Watcher's Council?"

Xander nodded. "Isn't it great. I think you'll do fantastic!"

"Did Giles . . . or you arrange this?

"Uh . . . no, uh, it was Wesley . . . He is the only member of the Council. He can pull some strings apparently, he has this uncle in a high position . . . He thought that you should have a chance for a good education."

Cordelia smiled brightly at the mentioning of Wesley's name, but then shook her head. "I don't wanna be a Watcher."

"You can choose what you wanna study. The only thing that they ask is doing some research in summertime for them and then . . ."

"And then what. Work for them? Help an ungrateful Slayer? It's not for me," she interrupted.

Xander flashed a lopsided grin. "I know. But this is an unique opportunity . . . And you don't have to work for them . . . Besides I know you like Wesley."

She looked at Xander with wide eyes, not believing.

Xander smiled, "He is a nice guy, Cordelia. He asked me to give it to you, he didn't want to impress you like this."

Cordelia flashed a smile and shook her head, "I wanted to be an actress. Become famous."

Xander laid his hand on her shoulder. "You have proven that you can be more then that, Cordy. I think you can do more . . . I know that you can't just walk away from what you have seen. Instead of most other people you're not ignorant about what is going on at night."

Cordelia looked up at that while Xander continued, grinning, "Besides you can always become an actress after you have finished it. An actress with a degree."

Cordelia flashed a shy smile. "Like an egghead," she quipped and then shook her head. "You really think I should do it?"

Xander nodded. "You can always try! It's a great way to see the cultured Brits in their natural environment." He chuckled. "Isn't that amazing? And you can see more of Europe." Cordelia nodded and Xander tapped with his hand on her shoulder, "You can always try. Just think about it and don't rush it," he said while he walked away.

*****

Xander walked out of the apartment into outside air. It was refreshing as he took a deep breath. Then he saw something red in the light watching him, very nervous.

"Hey, Xander. Wha . . what a . . . are you do . . . doing here?" Willow asked.

"Hey, Wills. Oh, I just visited Cordy. Her mood seemed in very advanced state of depressing. Can't have that with the big day tomorrow. What're you doing here?" he asked.

Willow's nerves increased instantly with that question. "Uh . . uh, I . . . I saw it too. Yeah, she was really not herself. Did you what she was wearing this afternoon?"

Xander's memories trailed back, completely natural. His hand instantly rubbed his forehead. "Uh, yes, more like what she /wasn't/ wearing . . ."

Willow nodded firmly. "Yeah, that's what I mean. She was . . . I'm sorry to say it, but Faith was right, she was a bit slutty. I mean she wasn't even wearing a bra . . . I . . ." she said with a apologetic face, but serious, before Xander interrupted her.

Xander's hand slowly finished rubbing his forehead and sighed as he realized he was lucky Willow didn't get his slip of the tongue

Xander shook his head. "She was uncertain, Wills. Her life was falling apart into pieces, without any confidence in a hopeful future."

Willow turned her head, unconsciously to Cordelia's apartment and her eyes widened as she saw her shadow through the window's curtain.

"I helped her a bit . . ." He chuckled. "Do you remember when we came back from gym . . . "

Willow nodded as she saw Cordelia taking of her shoes.

"And that you ran out the locker room with your clothes all wet?"

Willow let out a faint smile and nodded her attention fully focused on the shadow.

He took his hand in the air, smiling. Not really seeing Willow as he his thoughts trailed back to those days. "I was so mad at her, that I rushed into . . . "

Willow attention for his tale of the past disappeared completely as she saw Cordelia taking of her shirt, revealing her nice breasts in shadow form.

". . . And then I saw her taking off her shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra . . . Uh, guess that wasn't really necessary then . . ."

Willows gaze fixed itself on Cordelia's athletic body as she stretched herself, letting her breasts point forwards. But her eyes opened itself to the max when she was her taking of her skirt. Not revealing much, but the thought was arousing . . . very arousing.

"Man! I have never seen her so mad!" he exclaimed, not paying any attention to Willow.

This brought Willow out of her fixation. "Uh . . . uh, yeah mad, really mad . . . " she said, disoriented.

Xander looked at her, a huge grin on his face. "She could have killed a vamp with that gaze she was wearing."

Willow's eyes were showing her dizziness. "Yeah, angry . . real angry . . ."

"Yeah, she is something, that lady. She can be real angry, but she also really knows how to get to you . . . playing mind tricks . . ."

"Yeah . . . mind tricks . . . dirty mind tricks . . ."

Xander nodded and laid his hand on her shoulder. "C'mon Wills, let's go. We have a big day tomorrow. I need to do something first. Then we can do something together tonight. Like old times, you know. There is a rerun of the A-team or we could go to the movies. Cruel Intentions is still running, you have been begging me to see this with me for weeks now, it's not really my taste, but I heard that this bitch, Kathryn Valmont, looks like a twin of . . . "

They walked away and when they almost turned the corner, Willow turned her head, confused, until the sight got blocked by the walls of the alley . . .