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"Hey Xand, how you holding up?" Willow asks.
"I've been better, actually I'm looking for Cordelia, have you seen her?" Xander queries.
"Oh Xand, no one told you. Cordelia is, well she's in a coma. They don't think she is ever going to wake up. Sorry I had to be the one to break it to you." Willow replies sympathetically.
"Not again, I need to see her." Xander answers before taking off for the lobby. "Where is Cordelia?" He demands.
"She's in a private hospital with all the best medical care and round the clock physicians. Why do you ask?" Wesley answers.
"Take me to her, I've lost too many people to this nightly war we wage. I am not going to lose another one. I need to see her, now." Xander says angrily.
"O.K. as soon as Angel comes back I will see if he will take you." Wesley replies.
"I'm here and the answer is no. I won't have her disturbed." Angel answers as he comes down the stairs.
"Angel, Cordy was my first love and yeah we haven't been together for a long time, but I need to see her. You owe me, I had to have done something in the past that entitles me to this favor." Xander answers.
"Angel-cakes I'd take him if I were you. He's radiating a whole other glow, the Powers are screaming that this boy needs to go to Cordy." Lorne says answering the room.
"O.K. green guy, who I have no idea who you are, but thanks." Xander replies.
"Fine, we leave now, Wes can you stick around and keep an eye on our guests? I told Buffy to go to bed and I'd keep everyone in line." Angel asks.
"No problem, good luck." Wesley answers. Xander and Angel leave.
"So, you seemed against me seeing Cordy until the green guy said something, what changed." Xander asks once they are on the way.
"I've learned over the last few years, that Lorne mentions the Powers I listen. We're here." Angel replies curtly.
"Do you mind if I have a few minutes alone with her? I haven't seen her in so long and I regret that." Xander asks.
"No problem." Angel replies.
Xander walks through a set of glass doors and there lying on a bed surrounded by machines is Cordelia. She is in the center of the bed as if asleep, the machines precautionary and not attached to her. "Oh Cordy, what has happened to you? I see you like this and I expect you to sit up and start barking orders at me. Well, what's happened lately, lets see, Sunnydale is a great big hole. What else?" Xander says as he sits in a chair beside the bed. Xander tells her some funny stories of life since she left, like the time they all lost their memories and Buffy named herself Joan, or the time all the girls thought this one guy was hot and started doing all these outrageous things to win his affections. Then he told her about the not so happy times like losing his eye and losing Anya. When he gets up to leave he leans over and kisses her lightly on the lips and time appears to melt away for a moment and a beautiful blue light envelops them. As quickly as it began it was over, leaving Xander slightly dazed and not remembering the light or the emotions from the moment and he leaves. He and Angel leave for the Hyperion.
Hyperion
Everyone is sleeping at the Hyperion except for Angel and Willow. "We should probably setup a meeting tomorrow after everyone is up, just to firm up some details. I know Buffy was concerned about who was going to go to Cleveland to guard that hellmouth and also about where to train the new slayers." Angel begins.
"I've been thinking about that and I was wondering if we could stay and train here? You have plenty of room for everyone and a place to train. Unless you had other plans, Fred mentioned something about you taking over Wolfram and Hart? I mean if you were going to get out of the Hyperion we could find something else." Willow babbles.
"I was thinking the same thing actually, about everyone staying here. Even with us taking over Wolfram and Hart I am still going to keep this place. Listen you don't have to stay up with me, go get some sleep you had as long a day as anyone." Angel replies.
"Maybe I will, I wanted to thank you for letting Xander see Cordy it meant a lot to him. He's lost so much in the last few weeks that it made his day to talk to her, even if she couldn't answer him. Although maybe he liked it better that she couldn't answer. Anyways thanks." Willow responds. She leaves to go to bed and is interrupted by an ear-piercing scream. "That was Buffy." She says as she runs up the stairs only to be met by a panicked Dawn.
Buffy is thrashing on the bed in the midst of a nightmare. "What do we do? Should we wake her up?" Dawn asks.
"No, she has to let her nightmare play itself out, why don't you go sleep in my room. I'll stay here and make sure she doesn't hurt herself." Angel instructs.
Buffy's dream.
She appears to be back in Sunnydale High, but not the new school they destroyed the day before, but the old school. As Buffy realizes where she is a figure comes up behind her, "Hello, luv, remember this night in our past?" The blonde vampire says.
"Spike! You're dead." Buffy replies.
"Well I've always been dead, but yeah I guess I am more dead then usual. You didn't answer my question, do you remember this night?" Spike asks again.
"Parent-Teacher night, the night you almost single handedly ruined my life. How could I forget, why are you here?" Buffy asks.
"I'm here to give you a nudge in the right direction. Peaches I can come see while he's awake and he won't think its anything out of the ordinary. You on the other hand are a little trickier, I came to tell you to move, on your destiny was never with me. I know that now, you are my unfinished business. I can't move on until you do, you need to let go. Life is going to be strange enough without you pining away for me. The new girls need a leader and apparently the fates have chosen you. So let me go and move on, I need to go and so do you. Awaken and gaze upon your love." Spike says before her disappears.
Buffy awakens to find Angel sitting beside her bed watching over her. "What are you doing here?" She asks.
"You were having a nightmare and scared all of us, Dawn wanted to wake you up. I told her sometimes it was better to get it out of your system and sent her to my room. You had us all worried. Want to talk about it?" Angel asks.
"Spike came to me in a dream, he said that I needed to move on. He told me that unless I do, he can't move on. Be warned I think you're next, and I don't think it will be in a dream for you. I think he's a ghost, you know unfinished business and all." Buffy replies.
"I can hear movement, want to get up and start breakfast?" Angel asks, completely avoiding her comments.
The Hyperion Lobby
The Slayers are milling around gossiping about the hotel and its inhabitants. Those who hadn't heard about Buffy's screams heard about it from the others. The other topic of discussion was just who was Angel. Most of them had not met him until breakfast and were surprised at the familiarity he showed to Buffy and her friends. He had even managed to bring back a part of Xander that had been missing since his accident, quelled even more by Anya's death. They had all been assembled for a meeting about their futures now that The First had been stopped. Many who still had homes wondered if they could return to them, also wondering about the wrath of their parents they had left behind. Hopefully their questions would be answered.
"Alright if everyone would gather round we have a few announcements to make." Buffy says with Faith and Angel beside her. "Many of you probably are wondering where we go from here. First off, I know I probably didn't show it enough yesterday, but you did good. We accomplished something yesterday that shouldn't have been possible and for that I say thanks, I couldn't have done it without you. Secondly, we are sending a small contingent to monitor the Hellmouth in Cleveland, I will be heading this group for the time being. Faith will maintain a base here and a training camp out of the hotel, anyone who wishes to may also stay. Many of you are probably wondering about your families and homes, if you wish to return to them you may, as the danger of The First is past. Let me tell you though, everything is different now. You are Slayer's, there is a whole new world out there that is going to be coming at you and your lives will never be the same."
