He hadn't been in this building for a little over a year. After returning
from Sunnydale, his new liaison had presented him with a deed to the hotel
and the keys to his new apartment above his office. After everything that
had happened with Connor, Cordelia, and Jasmine, he had decided it would be
easier to just leave it alone, try to move on. He wasn't prepared for the
rush of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him as he stepped over the
threshold. Everywhere he looked, he could see them. They had left their
mark on this place, and he was irrationally angry that instead of being
able to sit here alone and grieve in peace, the lobby was filled with
people. Giles sat at Cordy's desk. Willow stood at the counter, standing in
the same place Gunn had leaned so many times. In the office, instead of
Wesley, there was Xander. No Fred, no Lorne. It wasn't fair. Over the
years, they had fought just as hard as the so-called Scoobies. They had
sacrificed any chance at a normal life, had given up their dreams, and had
all been rewarded with death and misery. The Sunnydale kids had lived
almost selfishly, and thrived.
He knew he wasn't being rational. Perhaps thrived wasn't the best word, with Buffy cradling her dead sister. Willow was embracing the curly haired girl as if she hadn't really expected her to return, and Faith was confirming for Giles and Xander that all of the missing girls were indeed dead. "All of them?" Xander kept asking. Giles merely sank down in a nearby church.
Angel searched the room for Illyria, not surprised to find her standing by herself in the courtyard, head cocked to one side, as if she was listening intently to something no one else could hear. Spike stood in a corner, arms crossed protectively around himself, eyes following Buffy's every move.
Still standing in the doorway were two girls he hadn't noticed before. One was a light skinned black girl, wearing tight jeans and a cropped red tank top. Her skin was covered in bruises and scrapes but otherwise she seemed to have faired better than the rest of them. The other girl had pitch-black hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in looser clothes – jeans, a t-shirt, a flannel shirt. She looked pretty shell- shocked. One hand was pressed against her side where blood was seeping through her fingers. The other hand hung limply. They both seemed unsure of what to do next, causing Angel to wonder if her had ever been that young. Giles recovered from his own shock and went to the girls, leading them to the couch in the middle of the lobby. "Tiffany, Caitlin," he said. "How are you holding up?"
The black girl was Tiffany and her voice shook as she explained to Giles, "I- Rona fell on me, and I must have passed out. I missed most of it, Giles. I'm so sorry."
"Nonsense." Giles said reassuringly. "You think no one else has ever been knocked out in the middle of a fight? It doesn't mean you didn't do your best." He turned. "Come, Caitlin, let me see how bad it is." He moved her hand away from her stomach and blood poured out. "Oh, dear. Do you have any kind of supplies?"
Angel started, realizing he was being spoken to. "There's some in the office, more in the kitchen." He answered.
Xander grabbed what there was in the office and asked Angel where the kitchen was. Seamlessly the Scoobies moved from the after-fight grief to patching up the wounded. "I know a spell." Willow explained to Angel as she fastened a sling for her girlfriend, Kennedy. "It should remove the dead demons from the alley."
"Can you – can you bring back Gunn? There's a spot, by where Doyle and Cordelia..."
"Cordy?" Xander asked. "What happened to Cordy?"
Angel was speechless for a moment, saved only by Giles. "We'll have time for explanations soon enough."
"We're not staying." Buffy broke in.
"Buffy, we don't know if we're done here." Giles said. "I really think-"
"Then stay. I'm leaving."
Xander frowned. "Buff, we don't even know if someone will come after us for helping out here. I think we should at least find out what's going on."
"I – Fine. I'll go help Willow. I just can't stay here." She shot Angel and Spike an angry glance before walking out the door. Willow looked apologetically at Angel as she hurried after her.
He knew he wasn't being rational. Perhaps thrived wasn't the best word, with Buffy cradling her dead sister. Willow was embracing the curly haired girl as if she hadn't really expected her to return, and Faith was confirming for Giles and Xander that all of the missing girls were indeed dead. "All of them?" Xander kept asking. Giles merely sank down in a nearby church.
Angel searched the room for Illyria, not surprised to find her standing by herself in the courtyard, head cocked to one side, as if she was listening intently to something no one else could hear. Spike stood in a corner, arms crossed protectively around himself, eyes following Buffy's every move.
Still standing in the doorway were two girls he hadn't noticed before. One was a light skinned black girl, wearing tight jeans and a cropped red tank top. Her skin was covered in bruises and scrapes but otherwise she seemed to have faired better than the rest of them. The other girl had pitch-black hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in looser clothes – jeans, a t-shirt, a flannel shirt. She looked pretty shell- shocked. One hand was pressed against her side where blood was seeping through her fingers. The other hand hung limply. They both seemed unsure of what to do next, causing Angel to wonder if her had ever been that young. Giles recovered from his own shock and went to the girls, leading them to the couch in the middle of the lobby. "Tiffany, Caitlin," he said. "How are you holding up?"
The black girl was Tiffany and her voice shook as she explained to Giles, "I- Rona fell on me, and I must have passed out. I missed most of it, Giles. I'm so sorry."
"Nonsense." Giles said reassuringly. "You think no one else has ever been knocked out in the middle of a fight? It doesn't mean you didn't do your best." He turned. "Come, Caitlin, let me see how bad it is." He moved her hand away from her stomach and blood poured out. "Oh, dear. Do you have any kind of supplies?"
Angel started, realizing he was being spoken to. "There's some in the office, more in the kitchen." He answered.
Xander grabbed what there was in the office and asked Angel where the kitchen was. Seamlessly the Scoobies moved from the after-fight grief to patching up the wounded. "I know a spell." Willow explained to Angel as she fastened a sling for her girlfriend, Kennedy. "It should remove the dead demons from the alley."
"Can you – can you bring back Gunn? There's a spot, by where Doyle and Cordelia..."
"Cordy?" Xander asked. "What happened to Cordy?"
Angel was speechless for a moment, saved only by Giles. "We'll have time for explanations soon enough."
"We're not staying." Buffy broke in.
"Buffy, we don't know if we're done here." Giles said. "I really think-"
"Then stay. I'm leaving."
Xander frowned. "Buff, we don't even know if someone will come after us for helping out here. I think we should at least find out what's going on."
"I – Fine. I'll go help Willow. I just can't stay here." She shot Angel and Spike an angry glance before walking out the door. Willow looked apologetically at Angel as she hurried after her.