You know the drill. These folks belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, not
me.
Xander Harris was happy, and that worried him.
It had been months since he had found himself kissing Willow like the world was going to end, and every morning he kept expecting to wake up and find her gone-- or worse, to find the whole thing had been some kind of dream and that she had never really been with him at all. He didn't deserve to be this happy, to feel this good....
"Y'see, Xander, that's your problem. YOU do deserve it."
For a moment, the voice mystified him. He was home alone. Will had gone shopping with Buffy and Dawn. G-Man and Robin O'the Wood were doing their best to make Andrew into a passable Watcher while simultaneously training a horde of new Slayers how to do the monster stomp. He was supposed to have the place to himself tonight. Who'd made an early night of it?
"Xander Harris, don't you dare pretend you don't know who I am." A soft chuckle. "Or do I have to find a supply closet so I can refresh your memory?"
"Cordy?!"
"That's Cordelia to you, Zeppo!" But there was a twinkle in her eyes as she said it and there was no malice in the hug she gave him.
"Cordy! God, it's good to see you. Big as life and twice as snarky." Xander touched her cheek. "But how? Last we heard from Deadboy, you were in some kind of mystical coma."
"Well, that was then and this is now." Cordelia looked away from him. "Xander, what the blazes are you doing in Cleveland?!"
"Would you believe keeping an eye on another Hellmouth?"
"That's my ex. A glutton for punishment." Cordelia touched his cheek, but he couldn't see her hand because it was on his blind side. "Does it hurt?"
"A little. Sometimes. But I'm okay. In fact, I'm great."
"I heard about how you wound up with Willow ... and don't look at me like that, Xander. I forgave you a long time ago."
"You did?"
"Well, yeah. Kinda. Look, Xander ... what you and I had was... special in a crazy sort of way, but it never would have lasted. You and I were good. You and Willow are magic."
"Cordy, I don't know what to say--"
"Good. Then let me do all the talking."
"Like I ever had a choice in the matter?"
"Hardy har har. Seriously, Xander. I don't have a lot of time. I just wanted to talk to you ..."
"About what?"
"To let you know that I forgive you. That it's okay for you to be happy."
"But Kennedy--"
"Kennedy isn't your fault. She's got a choice. She can stay bitter and resentful or she can move on with her life. You're not responsible for what she feels, and neither is Willow. You're a great guy, Xander. Willow is lucky to have you. You aren't going to hurt her." She took his face in both her hands and looked at him. "You aren't your father, Xander. You're not going to turn into an alcoholic wife-beater. You're not going to let Willow down. You two are going to have a great life together. I know it."
"Hey, I'm supposed to be the one who sees."
"I'm vision girl, remember?"
"Um, I seem to recall something about that ..."
"Xander, I don't want to go now. There's so much more that I want to tell you about ... how you changed my life for the better. If it hadn't been for you, I'd never have stopped being the self-involved bitca that I was when Buffy met me. You saved me, Xander. You may not realize it, but you saved me."
"Cordy--"
"I don't think Willow will mind one kiss, Xander. Consider it a going away present."
Xander gasped as her lips touched his. Their kisses in the past had always been passionate and intense ... this was sweet and gentle and loving. It wasn't the kiss of a lover. It was the kiss of a dear friend ...
"Cordy, that was ..."
"I know. I still have it, don't I?" Her eyes seemed to be shining with unshed tears.
"You can say that again--"
Before he could say more, there was a knock on the door.
"Xander, let me in. My hands are full and if I try to magick the door open I'm probably going to knock it off its hinges."
"I'll be right there, Will! You'll never guess who came to visit!" Without looking back at Cordelia, he ran towards the door and opened it up. "Look, Willow, it's-- um, no one but the two of us? Cordy? Cordelia? Where are you? Come on...."
"Xander, what are you talking about? Cordelia's in the hospital. She couldn't possibly be here."
"But she was here. She even kissed me--"
"What, I'm going for two hours and you're already dreaming about an old girlfriend?"
"Dream? Yeah. That's it. It must have been a dream. I must have dozed off ... Cordy was never here at all, was she? Musta been more tired than I thought ..." his muttering becomes a wordless exclamation of pain, and Xander Harris falls to his knees.
"Xander! Xander, what is it?!"
"A girl, Will. I saw a girl. In a hospital bed ...and my socket is itching like crazy. Did I burst a blood vessel?" Xander yanked off the eye patch, and looked at Willow. "Is it bleeding?"
"Xander, your eye! You have your eye back!"
Xander blinked. "My eye? How do I have my eye back ...?" And then he blinked again as understanding hit him. "It's not my eye, Will. It's Cordy's. She's gone, Will. Cordy's dead."
"How--?"
"The girl. It was Cordy. And she only had one eye ..." Xander sighed. "Just call me Vision Guy, Will. Think I just became Buffy's early warning system ..."
((Per what I dug up on the web, both Charisma and Nick have hazel eyes, so I kind of had to do the vision route for an explanation ...))
Xander Harris was happy, and that worried him.
It had been months since he had found himself kissing Willow like the world was going to end, and every morning he kept expecting to wake up and find her gone-- or worse, to find the whole thing had been some kind of dream and that she had never really been with him at all. He didn't deserve to be this happy, to feel this good....
"Y'see, Xander, that's your problem. YOU do deserve it."
For a moment, the voice mystified him. He was home alone. Will had gone shopping with Buffy and Dawn. G-Man and Robin O'the Wood were doing their best to make Andrew into a passable Watcher while simultaneously training a horde of new Slayers how to do the monster stomp. He was supposed to have the place to himself tonight. Who'd made an early night of it?
"Xander Harris, don't you dare pretend you don't know who I am." A soft chuckle. "Or do I have to find a supply closet so I can refresh your memory?"
"Cordy?!"
"That's Cordelia to you, Zeppo!" But there was a twinkle in her eyes as she said it and there was no malice in the hug she gave him.
"Cordy! God, it's good to see you. Big as life and twice as snarky." Xander touched her cheek. "But how? Last we heard from Deadboy, you were in some kind of mystical coma."
"Well, that was then and this is now." Cordelia looked away from him. "Xander, what the blazes are you doing in Cleveland?!"
"Would you believe keeping an eye on another Hellmouth?"
"That's my ex. A glutton for punishment." Cordelia touched his cheek, but he couldn't see her hand because it was on his blind side. "Does it hurt?"
"A little. Sometimes. But I'm okay. In fact, I'm great."
"I heard about how you wound up with Willow ... and don't look at me like that, Xander. I forgave you a long time ago."
"You did?"
"Well, yeah. Kinda. Look, Xander ... what you and I had was... special in a crazy sort of way, but it never would have lasted. You and I were good. You and Willow are magic."
"Cordy, I don't know what to say--"
"Good. Then let me do all the talking."
"Like I ever had a choice in the matter?"
"Hardy har har. Seriously, Xander. I don't have a lot of time. I just wanted to talk to you ..."
"About what?"
"To let you know that I forgive you. That it's okay for you to be happy."
"But Kennedy--"
"Kennedy isn't your fault. She's got a choice. She can stay bitter and resentful or she can move on with her life. You're not responsible for what she feels, and neither is Willow. You're a great guy, Xander. Willow is lucky to have you. You aren't going to hurt her." She took his face in both her hands and looked at him. "You aren't your father, Xander. You're not going to turn into an alcoholic wife-beater. You're not going to let Willow down. You two are going to have a great life together. I know it."
"Hey, I'm supposed to be the one who sees."
"I'm vision girl, remember?"
"Um, I seem to recall something about that ..."
"Xander, I don't want to go now. There's so much more that I want to tell you about ... how you changed my life for the better. If it hadn't been for you, I'd never have stopped being the self-involved bitca that I was when Buffy met me. You saved me, Xander. You may not realize it, but you saved me."
"Cordy--"
"I don't think Willow will mind one kiss, Xander. Consider it a going away present."
Xander gasped as her lips touched his. Their kisses in the past had always been passionate and intense ... this was sweet and gentle and loving. It wasn't the kiss of a lover. It was the kiss of a dear friend ...
"Cordy, that was ..."
"I know. I still have it, don't I?" Her eyes seemed to be shining with unshed tears.
"You can say that again--"
Before he could say more, there was a knock on the door.
"Xander, let me in. My hands are full and if I try to magick the door open I'm probably going to knock it off its hinges."
"I'll be right there, Will! You'll never guess who came to visit!" Without looking back at Cordelia, he ran towards the door and opened it up. "Look, Willow, it's-- um, no one but the two of us? Cordy? Cordelia? Where are you? Come on...."
"Xander, what are you talking about? Cordelia's in the hospital. She couldn't possibly be here."
"But she was here. She even kissed me--"
"What, I'm going for two hours and you're already dreaming about an old girlfriend?"
"Dream? Yeah. That's it. It must have been a dream. I must have dozed off ... Cordy was never here at all, was she? Musta been more tired than I thought ..." his muttering becomes a wordless exclamation of pain, and Xander Harris falls to his knees.
"Xander! Xander, what is it?!"
"A girl, Will. I saw a girl. In a hospital bed ...and my socket is itching like crazy. Did I burst a blood vessel?" Xander yanked off the eye patch, and looked at Willow. "Is it bleeding?"
"Xander, your eye! You have your eye back!"
Xander blinked. "My eye? How do I have my eye back ...?" And then he blinked again as understanding hit him. "It's not my eye, Will. It's Cordy's. She's gone, Will. Cordy's dead."
"How--?"
"The girl. It was Cordy. And she only had one eye ..." Xander sighed. "Just call me Vision Guy, Will. Think I just became Buffy's early warning system ..."
((Per what I dug up on the web, both Charisma and Nick have hazel eyes, so I kind of had to do the vision route for an explanation ...))