A/N: YAY! I got lots of reviews for this chapter! I'm sooo happy right now! Oh, by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'm glad all you Faith-Lovers got your 'redeeming' speech, etc etc etc... " The King and I "... watched it last night. Anyway... Hmph... glad you also liked my little Cordelia suprise. Wanna find out where she's been the past for years since Graduation? You're gonna find out! Keep Reading!

Disclaimer: Do I claim to own these characters? Check back and find out.

Chapter 12: Surprises

"CORDELIA?!" The they shouted in unison.

Buffy stared, mouth agape, at the beautiful brunette. Her hair was in kinky curls that reached her chin. Blonde streaks illuminated the brown in a icky kind of way. (For those of you who haven't figured it out, I dislike Cordelia. Alot. cough Angel stealer! cough)

"Happy to see me?" She asked with a grin plastered across her unblemished face.

In the meantime, Faith had managed to sneak out of the room to leave Buffy and Angel with Queen C.

Buffy just stood dumbstruck but Angel finally found his voice. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged and pushed him to the side so she could enter the mansion. "Visiting, duh! So where'dFaith go? I wanted to tell her that I'm proud of her, even though she was all psycho for a while, because she totally wants you guys to forgive her. Especially you Buffy."

Both Buffy and Angel looked extremley perplexed. "Cordelia..." Buffy started. "How do you know about Faith's little speech?" Her hazel eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Cordelia sighed. "Fine. I guess you win. I'm a Higher Being now."

Angel raised an eyebrow incredulously. "A Higher Being?"

"You are a Higher Being?" Asked Buffy skeptically.

"Yes! Why is that so hard to believe?!" The sentence was rhetorical, Buffy knew that, but she couldn't help but giggle. "What is so funny?!"

Buffy shook her head quickly and composed herself. "Nothing. Continue, please."

"Okay, well, after graduation and Angel blew up the school I got an offer from this really creepy demon guy.. except he wasn't a demon... well I mean he was but he wasn't an evily demon guy--"

"Cordelia!"

"-- Okay, okay. Geez, what was your childhood trauma?! Anyway, he said I would be a powerful asset to the Powers That Be, they're like the main mojos that work the entire--"

"We know what the Powers are, Cordelia."

"-- Oh. Kay then, so anyway I said 'sure! why not!' and then I was watching over you guys for like, the past four years and, oh Buffy! Sorry about the whole 'coma' thing. Sucks. So anyway I decided that since you two are totally in love, and anyone whose anyone can see it, that I'd give you a little.. present, since I am in the Christmas spirit and all. Anyway, I made it so that you and Angel could, ya know.... Anyway, now that I gave you your little presents I decided to come visit."

Buffy gritted her teeth and clenched her right fist. "Say anyway one more time..."

Cordelia looked at Buffy with a smile. "Anyway."

Buffy brought up her fist but Angel grabbed hold of it and gently pushed it down. "Buffy...." He then looked at Cordelia. "So it was you? That... "

She nodded. "Yup. All me. Got any yogurt?"

The trio could hear footsteps falter down the stairs and soon Faith came into view.

"Hey B! Got any of that vanillla --- Oh fuck no!" She said with wide eyes and turned back up the stairs.

Cordelia was too quick and stood at the foot of the stairs almost immediatley. "Faith! How are you?"

Faith rolled her eyes and slowly turned to face Cordelia. "Hey Queen C, how's it hangin' in the land of the brainless and beautiful?"

Cordelia's eyes hardened for a moment she quickly covered it up with a laugh. "Hahaha.... that was really not funny."

"So why'd you laugh?"

"Girls, girls!" Buffy said, completley enjoying Faith's little jabs at Cordelia. "Coffee in the kitchen. Shall we?"

"No!" Cordelia said defiantly. "I think we should open presents."

Angel sighed. "Cordelia, we didn't know you were going to be here. We don't have any presents for you."

She shrugged. "So? I have presents for me!" With a cheeky grin she plopped down in front of the tree and motioned for everybody to follow.

Faith stopped Buffy and whispered in her ear. "Member how I promised not to kill anymore?"

Buffy giggled. "Don't worry Faith, I'm right there with ya."

The two sat on the couch and Angel sat in the plush chair on the side.

Cordelia began humming to herself. "Oh look! This one is to me!" She said holding a small box. When she opened it, there sat a pair of diamond earrings. "Oh, Cordy you shouldn't have!" She praised herself.

Buffy groaned but suddenly gasped as a large, heavy box was tossed onto her lap. "Gee, Cordy, thanks." Buffy looked at Faith who just shrugged shyly.

"Faith when did you go shopping?"

"I uh... took a stroll the other day when you weren't home."

Buffy looked inside the box to find a slick black crossbow just her size. It had a Celtic carving on it and a small inscription on the side which read,

'Kill Something Good!

- Gotta Have Faith'

The blonde smiled as her hands roamed over the black, which to her, felt like silk. "Faith it's beautiful. Thank you."

Cordelia next threw a medium sized box at Faith that was wrapped in dancing reindeer. Faith looked at Buffy who smirked. In the box was a long silver dagger with two sharp edges and a Latin phase on the handle. It came with a sheath that had gold trim. "Damn, B. This is wicked awesome!"

Cordelia sighed. "Is killing all you two ever think about? I mean, hello! Who would give a knife and an arrow shooting thing to someone, unless you have a thrill for kill. Oh gee! That ryhmed!"

Buffy and Faith shared a look until Faith spoke up, eyeing Cordelia with a greedy look. "Better watch it Cordelia, me and B need to test out our new toys and what's better than a moving target?"

Angel couldn't help but laugh. With one last glare, Cordelia handed him a gift. It was his present from Buffy which happened to be a really old book that she figured he might like because when she read the first few pages she understood none of it.

Several more presents were opened and quite a few of them belonged to Cordelia, oddly enough.

"So what about that yogurt?" Asked Cordelia sweetly as she stood up.

In England...

"This is ridiculous!" Giles countered as he paced around the large conference room in fury. "You can't expect her to allow you this. She'll kill you and you know it!"

Quentin Travers sighed. He was seated at the rectangular table with a folder of papers in front of him. "Rupert I don't think you understand me correctly. She has no choice. The Council must take things into their own hands."

"If I do recall, four years ago, she quit The Council. She won't do anything you tell her to."

Quentin stood up to his full height in front of Giles but found Giles towering over him. He cleared his throat rather loudly. "Then we will have to take her into our custody for the time being. Rupert we refuse to change our mind. He isn't good for her."

"Like hell! I may not come to terms with their relationship in a happy way but I know she loves him and he loves her. He has a soul and he's done more good to this world than you or your bloody Council will ever do." Giles face was the colour of a tomato and his eyes were as hard as stone.

A chuckle erupted from the throat of Quentin Travers and he looked away. Taking a few steps back from Giles, he began to read through the papers. He looked up at Giles. "There is nothing more you can say, Rupert. We will be contacting Miss Summers tonight and if you try to interfere, in any way whatsoever, I will personally have you escorted to the dungeons. I'm sure there's a nice cell with your name on it."

Giles was silent.

He had to warn Buffy and Angel about what was going to happen.

No matter what the consequences.

--------------------------------------

Giles left the office building with rage in his eyes. There was only one way he could think of to warn Buffy that might not lead back to him.

When he got into the Taxi he asked the driver to drop him off on the corner of St.Duke's.

Giles stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the telephone booth on the corner of the sidewalk. He knew someone was probably watching him or tracing his calls, but it was a payphone, and even if it was bugged, he wasn't calling Buffy.

"Yes, I'd like to be connected to Miss Willow Rosenburg in the United States."

Pause.

"Hello?" Said a soft voice on the other end that could belong to no other than Willow.

"Willow, it's Giles. This is urgent, now listen. I need you to reach Buffy immediatley. Tell her that The Council will be there soon and she and Angel must leave as soon as possible."

"Giles?" Willow asked dumbfounded. "Uh.. are you gonna tell me what this is all about?"

"No. Not right now. There isn't enough time. I need you to call her, get a hold of her some way, now! Please and thank you, Willow. Good day."

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Sunnydale

"Merry Christmas!" Cordelia said giddily into the phone.

Buffy and Faith were sitting at the table drinking coffee and Angel had jumped in the shower. The girls were having a 'girly' chat which mostly involved Cordelia talking and the others listening.

"Who is this?" Asked Willow.

"Cordelia. Who's this?" She asked snottily.

"Willow.. uh.. Cordelia what are you -- nevermind. Is Buffy there?"

"Maybe.... Maybe not."

"Don't play, Cordy. I need to talk to her, it's really urgent."

"Geez, fine, whatever." Cordelia turned to look at Buffy and held up the phone. "Phone for you! It's Willow! Says it's important!"

The doorbell rang.

"Uh, tell her I'll be right there." Buffy said as she stood and headed out of the kitchen. She walked to the front door and pulled it open only to be hit in the neck with something sharp. "Oww..."

She muttered painfully. She tried to move from the floor but found herself being restrained. Suddenly her mind began to close and her vision became blurry until it finally disappeared and all she saw was black.

Faith moved to the entryway of the kitchen as she heard Buffy moan in pain. She peeked over the frame and saw a group of six men in ties and khakis holding Buffy down. A dart was positioned oddly in her neck and the blonde slayer looked unconscious.

Faith moved into the kitchen and grabbed the phone from Cordy. "Cordelia, stay here. Willow what the fuck is going on?!"

Willow sounded worried. "I'm not sure.. Giles just told me to call Buffy and warn her. To tell her and Angel to leave as soon as possible."

"Too late. Gotta split."

The phone dropped to the floor as Faith grabbed Cordelia's wrist in a painful grip. "Come on Barbie we gotta go."

"Why? What's going on? Where's Buffy? What about Angel?"

Faith pulled Cordy out the door that led into the kitchen and outside into the setting sun. It was still pretty light out but Faith could sense that it was only for a few more minutes.

The two snuck around to the front of the house to see one of the men carrying an unconscious Buffy in his arms to a large white van.

Suddenly a very pissed off Angel was dragged out of the mansion with his hands and legs in chains. He was dressed in a black sweater and pants but his hair was still newly damp from his earlier shower.

Three men were pulling him toward the van and suddenly knocked him in the head, sending him onto the plane of unconsiousness.

Cordelia almost immediatley ran over to the van if it weren't for Faith holding her back.

"You wanna be like them?" Asked Faith with a icy glare. She then continued when Cordy didn't reply. "If we're gonna save them we have to be awake, alright? C'mon!"

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