Hey everyone. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of Second Chance. I know it was a long time coming, and I was seriously beginning to think that my muse had taken a permanent vacation. But she's back now and the words are flowing. I'm still considering a sequel to Across Time. Maybe about Ashling, maybe about Cordy and Doyle. I haven't gotten that far. Let me know what you think.

Cordelia felt a headache, right behind her eyes. Doyle was getting the same thing. Harry was angrily watching her husband and Buffy was looking for Angel. Wesley was nowhere to be seen, and downstairs was strangely quiet.

Cordelia finally made the first move. "Hi, Harry, Buffy. Angel's downstairs with Faith, wouldn't recommend going down there at the moment, and Harry, Doyle wants a divorce because he has a new girlfriend."

Harry was baffled, Buffy was angry and Doyle was, uncharacteristically, beaming. Cordelia was rather proud of herself too. She hadn't ever liked Harry much, and putting her in her place was oddly satisfying. She heaved out a sigh when it became obvious no one was going to do any talking and continued her monologue.

"Now, why don't I make some coffee, Doyle, you go tell Wesley we have guests, and Buffy, you stay away from those stairs."

Buffy snorted a laugh. "Or what?"

"You don't want to find out." Cordelia called in a sing song voice over her shoulder. "I have had the worst two days of my life. You don't want to mess with me. Not, mind you, that I'm happy with Faith right now. But seeing as she tried to kill me and my boyfriend just yesterday, I think I have more of a right to want to beat her to a bloody pulp than you do."

Buffy had noticed the stiffness of Cordelia's gate and the bruises on her face. "What are they doing right now?"

"Oh, Faith's having some sort of an epiphany, realizing she's done bad, and that she needs to turn herself in."

Buffy sneered. "In your dreams, Queen C."

Cordelia plunked coffee cups down in front of everyone. "You do not want to mess with me, Slay Girl. I've done my share of ass kicking in the last few weeks. And seeing as I just helped stop the Scourge," Cordelia paused to relish in the unwilling look of surprise and impressment that quickly crossed Buffy's face, "And was in a coma for a whole three weeks, which I just woke up from two days ago, and then got kidnapped the very next day, I am in a mood that is just right for kicking your ass as well."

Buffy wisely chose to remain silent. Harry didn't. Cordelia thought that the woman was much unfriendlier than she had remembered. "Now look, whoever you are, you have to right to move in on my husband."

Cordelia rolled her eyes and took a drink of coffee. "Okay, yeah, you're right. I don't have any right to move in on your husband. But you have to remember that you've been separated for quite a while now, and he's asking you for a divorce. Does it sound like I'm a home wrecker?"

Buffy snorted into her coffee. Cordelia shot her patented icy glare toward the blonde. Harry was looking even more agitated. Buffy spoke. "Okay, fun as this revelation is, and as fitting as the role of home wrecker is for Cordelia, I'm gonna have to pass on this soap opera. I need to see Angel and kill both him and Faith." She said, getting to her feet. Cordelia shook her head.

"I already told you that you aren't going to go down there. Look, Buffy, if anyone has a chance at getting through to Faith without violence, it's Angel. He's been where she's at and he knows what to say to get to her. Just let them be for a while. There haven't been any crashes for a while, so I think they must be getting somewhere. And if they are and she sees you, she'll probably take off again."

Buffy continued to the stairs. "That's what you don't get, Cordelia, I don't want to end this without violence. I want to kill her. I want to kill him for helping her when all she's done for him is hurt him. And as you've been there too, I don't see how you could sit here and act as if a murderer isn't downstairs."

"She wasn't the only one there that night."

It was a low blow. Cordelia knew it as she said it, and couldn't stop the words that were coming out of her mouth. She saw the surprise and shock register on Buffy's face, and instantly regretted saying it, though she'd be damned before she'd admit it.

Doyle and Wesley had come to the top of the stairs in time to watch the two women face off. Wesley cringed as Cordelia hit a particular nerve he wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole. Buffy turned a disturbing shade of pink and took two steps toward the brunette.

"Yeah, Cordelia. I was there that night. I knew what she had done, I saw her do it, and I covered for her. I'll regret that all of my life. But you've been there a few times and not tried to do anything too. I remember you standing aside when vampires attacked the school. The first time you ever staked something was at graduation, three years after you found out."

Cordelia shrugged. "That's right. And y'know what? I wouldn't change a thing. I don't have regrets, Buffy. I only wish I would've one more to make the lives of the Scoobies hell."

"You're gonna wanna move now."

"Am I? I don't think so. I think I'm gonna wanna stay right here and that if you think you're going down those stairs, you're gonna have to go through me. He can help her. You just have to give them the chance. He won't give up on her like you did."

Buffy shoved Cordelia and sent her into Doyle. She shoved past Wesley and stormed down the stairs. Doyle righted Cordelia as Wesley went after the Slayer. "Nice job, Princess."

Cordelia shrugged him off. "Don't patronize me. I insulted her and made things worse than they were when she came in." she said ,walking to Doyle's ex wife. "Now it's your turn since I don't think I'm up to my disaster quota for the day. If it were you, you'd be the one demanding a divorce. You've both had lives without one another for a good long time now, and just who the hell do you think you are to deny both of you happiness because you can't admit failure? Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to go up to the roof and break a few things and scream until I lose my voice."

Doyle watched her in amazement as she breezed up the stairs to the roof. "Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be here this soon and I wanted to be able to talk to you alone."

"No, no. I like seeing my replacement. How old is she, Francis? Sixteen?"

"Nineteen."

Harry barked a bitter laugh. "That's a little young for you, don't you think?"

"Six years. Not that big a difference."

"She's barely out of high school! I can't believe this. You're working for a vampire, with a Watcher and there are two Slayers in here and you walk out on me because I'm more ready to embrace your demon half than you are. Seems like you've embraced it pretty well by now."

"No, Harry. I left because I didn't want to risk hurting you. I didn't know what I was. I was confused, overwhelmed, scared. And yeah, you were just a little too curious. I wasn't comfortable with my other half and I damn sure didn't want to let you look at that face when we were together."

"It didn't matter to me! It doesn't matter to me! I loved you for who you were. I don't care about where you came from. I wanted to understand."

"I didn't understand, Harry. I didn't know what was going on. What would happen, what I would become. And Cordelia, she's just as uncomfortable with that part of me as I am. She grew up on a hell mouth. Vampires and demons were a fact of life. And it took her a long time to get used to Angel. For her, demons were always absolutely evil. We're figuring out what's what. Accepting it together."

"So she's better for you because she hates your other side?"

Doyle grinned swiftly. "I know it sounds like that, but no. And she doesn't hate it. She's just as confused and scared and overwhelmed by it as I am. It's easier to come to terms with something when there's someone there to do it with you."

"I was there."

"No, Harry, you were way ahead."

Faith was gone, Buffy and Angel were fighting, Wesley had escaped under the pretense of looking for the rogue Slayer, and Harry and Doyle were fighting. Cordelia had foregone the smashing and screaming for pacing and crying. She'd had the worst two days ever. Waking up, having to adjust to a whole new life. Faith, Harry, Buffy, even Dennis. Nothing that was happening was supposed to be happening. Most was supposed to have already happened.

But it had all been worth it. She was in love. God, that was weird. Cordelia Chase, reigning bitch of Sunnydale High School was head over heels for a partial alcoholic, Irish half demon. Fate could sure launch some curve balls. She hadn't expected to fall quite so hard so fast. She hadn't known what her feelings would be had she given Doyle a chance and she was finding out they were deeper and stronger than she had ever imagined.

And she hurt, deep inside. She knew that Doyle still had feelings left for Harry. Knew that she had a part of him that he couldn't ever have back. That Cordelia couldn't ever get to. She'd shared his life. And Cordelia knew that there was a chance that Doyle would go back with her. That he would decide he belonged with his wife. And that she had just been a one night thing. A stepping stone to finding out what it was he really wanted.

And Cordelia knew that would hurt more than anything. But despite all that, she wouldn't regret that she had chosen to live over again. If anything, Doyle leaving her for Harry would close that chapter in her life and she would be able to move on and have a chance at happiness with someone else. And even that was better than what she had had.

Doyle approached the roof carefully, ears tuned for the sounds of things breaking. The last thing he needed was to be bashed in the head with something heavy. But Cordelia was sitting on the ledge, staring out at the city as the sun sank. She'd already heard him approach.

"So, what's going on?"

Doyle was surprised she'd heard him. "Harry went home, and Angel called to say that he and Buffy are out looking for Faith, but there's been no luck as yet."

Cordelia turned around and Doyle saw that her eyes were wet. "I'm sorry. For what I said to Harry and Buffy. It was none of my business and I had no right to say any of it. I know you still have feelings for her, and if you're leaving, I can totally accept that."

"Feelings? For Harry?"

"Yeah, you know the warm, fuzzy kind. The kind that make you marry someone."

"I don't have any feelings for Harry. She agreed to sign the papers. As of tomorrow, I'm a free man."

Cordelia's eyes widened. "You aren't going back to her?"

"No. Why would I?"

Cordelia leapt off the ledge and into his arms. Doyle was caught off guard and collapsed into the nearest chair that he could find. She fused her mouth to his, kissing him wildly as he held her. When she jerked away, they were both out of breath.

"I thought you were going to go back to her. I was so scared, Doyle. I thought I was going to lose you again."

"Again?"

"We almost lost you when you faced off the Scourge. Take me home, Doyle. Be with me tonight. I need you. I love you."

"I love you, too Princess."