Act Three

The Cult of Sagamon met that night in the same clearing as they had just a few nights earlier. However, this time there was someone new among the group. He was as tall as a bus, and just as thick. His pointed ears protruded from beneath long black hair that ended at his lower back. His eyes were completely black and his skin was tinged blue. The creature wore a black huntsman's uniform and carried a crossbow on his back.

The fire roared as the hooded figures circled the creature, heads lowered and chanting, "All hail Sagamon, the great hunter of the Slayer."

When they had circled him three times, the leader bowed down before the large blue hunter. "Powerful Sagamon, we come to you with good news."

"Is she ready?" Sagamon asked, an evil grin spreading across his face.

"The tracking has been begun and the trap has been set. The changes have been almost immediate," responded the still-bowing leader of the group.

"Her youth and inexperience have made her an easy catch. Very satisfactory," replied Sagamon. "When can I make the capture?"

"If all goes according to plan, you shall feast tonight."

Wesley had to ring Cordelia's doorbell twice, and was about to ring a third time before she answered. He looked very disgruntled when she opened the door and smiled.

"Don't you know a lady never answers the door or the phone before the second ring?" she teased.

"Cordelia, I am your Watcher, not a suitor. Don't make me wait because you have grandiose dreams of becoming Scarlett O'Hara," Wesley snapped.

"Hmmm…sounds like someone had a fight with his girlfriend," Cordelia said happily.

"The way you spoke to Miranda today was uncalled for. I'd like for you to apologize to her when you're back at school tomorrow," Wesley stated.

"You're incredibly British today, did you know that?" Cordelia asked as she turned to collect her bag of supplies.

"In case you still haven't noticed, I am—Cordelia, what are you wearing?"

Cordelia looked down, then at Wesley. "What? What's wrong with my outfit?"

"Nothing," replied Wesley, holding back a snicker. "I just don't think I've ever seen you quite so…casual before. Training sessions aside."

She was wearing a Sunnydale High School t-shirt, jeans, and running shoes. "I was just thinking that this is the kind of outfit I wouldn't be caught dead in. You know, so saggy-bottom can't kill me if I look like this."

Wesley frowned and placed both hands on Cordelia's shoulders. "You are not going to die. I have the key to defeating Sagamon."

"When did this happen?" Cordelia asked as she closed the door behind Wesley, bringing him into the house.

"Right before you were called," Wesley began as he and Cordelia walked into the study. "My word, look at all these books!"

None of them are any good, though. All about business and law. Dad loves to bring his work home with him. Anyway, you said you know how to kill this Slayer hunter guy?"

Wesley was still mesmerized by the large room. "Do you realize that this room us as large as the Council conference room?"

"Earth to Wesley! We have bigger issues than the size of my dad's office," Cordelia said, annoyed.

Wesley cleared his throat. "Oh, um, yes. Remember I told you that I conducted research for the Council before being named your Watcher?"

Cordelia nodded and sat down on a small sofa.

"I was researching Sagamon. His weaknesses, possible ways to defeat him, and so forth, while he was hunting the Slayer before you. Unfortunately, I found the answer too late, and Sagamon captured and killed her." Wesley sat down beside Cordelia, and grew very quiet.

"Is that why you're my Watcher?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes," he answered quietly. "The Council thought I could be your best defense against the demon were he to choose to hunt you."

"Good thinking," Cordelia said with a sigh. They sat quietly together on the sofa for a few moments before Cordelia added, "Because I think I'm being tracked."

Wesley looked up with alarm. "What? When did this…how do you…why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know until you told me about the daydreams."

"You should have told me immediately. Right after the first episode," Wesley said in a concerned voice.

"Like I said, I didn't realize what was happening to me. I thought I was just feeling guilty about being mean to the new girl."

Wesley became furious. "Something else you held from me, and when I specifically asked you if there was anyone new in your life!"

"I didn't think she mattered," Cordelia said defensively, sitting up.

Wesley stood up, his voice getting louder. "That is your problem, Miss Chase. You think that anyone who doesn't conform to your standards is beneath you! Well, I am telling you that this girl does matter. She could mean the difference between life and death for you! Does that matter? I am your Watcher, and it is my responsibility to make sure that you live. For the life of me, I cannot understand why you do not trust me enough to tell me what is going on in your life!"

Cordelia looked at Wesley and bit her lip. She had never seen him so angry. He was positively seething.

"I do trust you," Cordelia said gently.

"Well, you certainly have a strange way of showing it," Wesley responded, still livid. He paced around the room, both hands behind his back, occasionally stopping to clean his glasses. Wesley paced for so long that Cordelia reclined back into the sofa. Leaning back, she felt her eyelids get very heavy. Closing them, she started to dream.

Andromeda and Mitch were dancing at The Bronze, and suddenly it was as if she was standing right beside them. Mitch looked at her and said, "I miss you," then Andromeda turned around and said, "Wish you were here!" and began to giggle.

Cordelia turned and saw Harmony and Aura in their cheerleading uniforms, shaking their pom-poms. They pranced over to where Mitch and Andromeda were dancing, and began to cheer them on. Before Cordelia knew what was happening, Aura had taken Andromeda by the hand and led her up onto the stage, and Harmony placed a crown on her head. Harmony began applauding, and a crowd suddenly appeared and applauded along with her. Andromeda stepped up to the microphone and said, smiling, "Thank you all for making me your May Queen. And I want you all to know that I take this title very seriously. After all, being popular isn't just my right, it's my responsibility."

Cordelia screamed. "No!"

Wesley appeared at her side and started to shake her. "Cordelia! Cordelia!"

"I'm May Queen! Me! Not her!" She continued to scream as she opened her eyes. Wesley was kneeling beside her on the couch, his hands grasping her arms tightly and shaking her.

"Cordelia, wake up! You've got to wake up!" he pleaded with her.

Cordelia sat straight up and hugged Wesley tight. "Wesley it was so real! She was at The Bronze with Mitch and all of a sudden, she was being crowned May Queen!"

Wesley tentatively patted Cordelia's back. "It was a dream, and nothing more. What you saw wasn't real; it was Sagamon's followers planting these dreams in your head. That means they're getting closer."

Cordelia pulled back. "Closer? I've only had two conversations with the girl."

"Two conversations would have been plenty to satisfy their needs," Wesley told her. "This cult…they have great powers. All that's needed to get into your head was one touch."

"That's it. We've got to kill this guy." Cordelia put her feet in the floor and laid her head in her hands. "I can't do this anymore."

Wesley sat beside her on the couch. "Maybe you should stay home tonight," he said, not looking at her.

Cordelia raised her head at looked at Wesley. "What am I supposed to do, then? Just wait for them to come and get me? You're crazy."

Wesley stood up and straightened his jacket. "I'm going to kill him."

"Now I know you're insane,"

"On the contrary. I'm quite a skilled fighter, and, after all, I am the Watcher that discovered how to kill Sagamon. It's probably best that I do it," Wesley said as she adjusted his glasses.

Cordelia stood up and faced him. "Wesley, I'm the Slayer here. Supernatural strength and speed. The one girl in the entire world. Any of this sound familiar to you?"

"Of course it does, but I will not stand idly by and have another Slayer devoured by this monster," Wesley said, his temper flaring.

"Tell me how to fight the demon," Cordelia began. "And another Slayer won't have to die."

"Cordelia, I…" Wesley said apprehensively.

Before he could finish, Cordelia grabbed Wesley one-handed by the collar of his jacket and kissed him hard on the lips. While kissing him, she reached out and took hold of a golfing trophy. She pulled her lips away from his, but kept her arms around him. He looked like he might faint.

"I'm a little dizzy," he said breathlessly.

"It's going to be worse in the morning," Cordelia said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Cordelia apologized as she clunked Wesley in the back of the head with the trophy. He slumped over into her arms immediately. Cordelia lifted him over her shoulder and walked upstairs. "Watchers watch and Slayers slay."

Once she had Wesley upstairs, she placed him on her bed, took a blanket from her Hope chest, and covered him up.

"You're so cute when you're knocked out," Cordelia said to Wesley as he slept. She sighed, and patted him on the cheek softly. "Now—I've got to go read your Diaries. Got a monster to kill."

Before she closed her bedroom door, she was careful to place a sign on her doorknob. It was a bright pink satin pillow with a black satin ribbon attached. The embroidery was black, and it read, "Queen C is Sleeping". Her mother had given it to her when she was twelve, as part of a birthday gift, but she'd never used it until now.

Cordelia walked back into her father's office to make sure she'd left nothing of Wesley's inside. A quick run-through of the foyer produced her weapons bag and Wesley's car keys. Locking the front door behind her, she slid into the driver's side of Wesley's car and slowly backed out of the drive. She hoped that Wesley had written the method to killing Sagamon in the Watcher's Diaries. Those books held the key to her life.

By the time Cordelia arrived at Wesley's apartment, her mind was racing. Sliding the door key into the lock, Cordelia did not bother to close the door behind her. Instead, she walked to Wesley's bookcase and removed several volumes from the shelves. She sat down at Wesley's desk and immediately began poring over the pages. She was so engrossed in reading about Slayers from the past and the foes they faced, she did not heat the kitchen door open, or see Miranda walk into the room.

"Wesley, I'm glad you're back early, because we have a few things to discuss," Miranda began, then stopped short when she saw Cordelia sitting at his desk. "You're not Wesley."

Cordelia jerked her head around. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying here until I find my own apartment," Miranda stated. "Why are you here? Where's Wesley?"

"He's sleeping," offered Cordelia nonchalantly, who turned back to the Diary.

"Pardon?"

Cordelia sighed, as if annoyed beyond belief, and turned to Miranda. "Your boyfriend is unconscious in my bed. I hit him over the head with one of my dad's golf trophies when he decided he was going to keep me at home and kill Sagamon on his own."

Miranda's jaw dropped. "Is he insane?"

"That's what I said," Cordelia agreed with the arch of an eyebrow. "So here I an, searching the Watcher's Diaries."

"You don't know how to kill Sagamon?"

"No," said a guilty Cordelia. "I hit him over the head before he had the chance to tell me."

"Oh, dear," Miranda said, hurrying over to Cordelia. She picked up one of the Diaries and began to read.

"I'm guessing you don't know how to kill him, either," supposed Cordelia.

"You would be correct," replied Miranda, who sat in a nearby chair.

"Why did he do all this research and not tell anyone about it?" asked Cordelia, who was quickly becoming frustrated.

"He didn't have to. The Diaries travel with the active Watcher. And was made active shortly after discovering the answer, so there was no need to inform anyone else, other than Quinton."

"That's why he's so young, right?" asked Cordelia as she flipped through the pages.

"Exactly. Normally, you aren't considered for an active post until reaching 35," answered Miranda. Almost to herself, she added, "And, of course, his father was a factor."

Cordelia turned around and faced Miranda. "I don't get his dad. Wesley is a great guy—why is he so hard on him?"

Miranda sighed. "Upholding the family name and all that rubbish so important to the Wyndham-Pryces, I presume. Roger is a retired watcher, and now he teaches at the Academy. He was a ruthless instructor, so I can only imagine what he would have been like as a Watcher, much less a father."

"Glad I've got the son as a Watcher, and not the father," added Cordelia.

"As you should be. Keep reading those books, and you'll see what kind of man your Watcher's father really is."

Cordelia and Miranda were both quiet now, researching for any mention of Sagamon. Finally, the curiosity overcame Miranda, who looked up from her book.

"You two must be really close if he's told you about Roger."

Cordelia shrugged. "I just figured that's the way it works between Slayers and Watchers."

Miranda shook her head. "It's a very professional relationship. Orders are given and the Slayer follows through. That's the way it has always been."

"That's ridiculous. I don't take orders. Wesley tried that at the beginning, but I had to put him in his place. Now, we're a team."

Miranda chose her words carefully. "Well, it must be working well for the two of you. You're very…protective of one another. But I'm sure you know the dangers of becoming too close of a team."

Cordelia walked over to Miranda's chair and took a seat. "I've told you both, I'm not jealous of you."

Miranda smiled. "Repeatedly. I don't have to tell you that I'm still not convinced, do I? I just hope that you've convinced yourself."

Cordelia stared at Miranda, and then added, "I'm always very honest with everyone. Especially myself."

"Okay," Miranda said with a nod and a smile. She closed her book and stood up. "I think Wesley has more of these in the bedroom. I'll go look."

When Miranda had turned to Wesley's bedroom, Cordelia took the book the librarian had been reading and began to leaf through it. There were sketches and verbal descriptions of various notorious vampires and demons. Cordelia also found that the male Watchers were more inclined to describe the physical aspects of their Slayer then the female Watchers.

"Men are such pigs," declared Cordelia.

"Cordelia, I found some Diaries here in the closet," called Miranda from the next room. "I'll look through them in here."

"Hope you have better luck than me," Cordelia answered back.

Miranda sat on the bed with a stack of smaller journals. The years were listed on the spines of the books, and Miranda found one labeled '1997'. She opened it and began to read.

…I want to be close to her, to the fire that drives her…filled with longing for her…inches from holding her hand…dreams I can't admit to in daylight…all I can see is her beautiful face. I wake in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, my heart racing…I love everything about her. I love her, period.

"Oh, dear…" escaped from Miranda's lips as she read what had to be Wesley's personal journals. Her eyes grew wider with each word, each passage more shocking than the next. Wesley, the brightest and most dedicated student at the Watcher's Academy, was in love with his Slayer. And that girl in the next room knew it. That's why Cordelia had been acting so venomously toward her. She longer held all of Wesley's attentions.

Miranda closed the journal and was careful to place them exactly as she had found them. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and closed the closet door, just in time to hear Cordelia calling her.

"Miranda, quick! I think I found something!"

"Coming," Miranda called back calmly. She walked back into the living room to find books strewn all over. Cordelia was still on the couch, only more sprawled out. When Cordelia saw Miranda, she sat up and waved Miranda over.

"This guy is huge! There's no way Wesley could have fought him!" exclaimed Cordelia.

Closing a Diary and setting it on the coffee table in front of her, Miranda sat down beside Cordelia and peered into the book.

"That's him?" Miranda asked, pointing to a sketch of a gigantic blue half-man, half-monster. "What does Wesley have written about him?"

"Let's see, Sagamon is a Slayer Hunter who is worshipped by blah, blah. Stands blah, blah, and weighs blah, blah. So he's big," Cordelia said, fear evident in her voice.

"The last Watcher told us he was as tall as a bus, and just as wide," commented Miranda casually. "But I'd never seen a picture of him."

Cordelia glanced sideways at Miranda, but didn't say anything. "Ok, Wes. Tell me how to kill this guy," she said to the book. "Here it is! 'To kill Sagamon, the Slayer must capture the acolyte that made the initial connection. Sagamon is only invincible when he all his 'children'—as he calls them—are not present. Once the acolyte has been separated from the master, slash the arteries behind Sagamon's knees to bring him down, then cut off his head.' Blech." Cordelia closed the book and her eyes.

When several moments passed, Miranda became concerned at the Slayer's silence. "Cordelia, are you alright?"

Cordelia opened her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Were you having another dream?"

"No," Cordelia answered, shaking her head. "I was swallowing my pride. Miranda, can you help me kill this big blue demon?"

The inactive Watcher smiled at the Slayer with a mix of sympathy and pride in her eyes. "I'd be glad to."