Buffy and Cordelia

"Season 6"

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

AN: I need to hook Dawn, Spike, and Faith up with people…who should I hook them up with. Oh and remember I have the characters from Angel that I could hook them up with. Let me know what you guys think. I was thinking that I could do Angel/Faith, or Angel/Kate. Maybe Spike/Kate or Spike/Dawn.

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Chapter 30: After Life

Summers House

When Buffy arrived home from the bus station the house was dark, she didn't know if people were asleep or if they weren't home yet. As she walked through the door she could hear running water upstairs so she guessed that at least someone was home.

She closed the front door and she heard the water stop and when she looked up the stairs she saw Dawn standing there. She walked down the stairs and brought Buffy into a hug. Buffy just stood there, not sure what she was supposed to do. Sure she had strange feeling toward the rest of her friends because they ripped her out of heaven…but Dawn had nothing to do with it.

"Welcome back Buffy," Dawn said when she finally released her sister. "How was Cordelia?" she asked.

"She was Cordelia," Buffy said in a way of explanation. "Were is everyone?" she asked.

Just as Dawn was about to answer she heard the front door slam shut. She guessed it was Spike sense she just left him without any word of where she was running off. Dawn didn't know if she should go down and face Spike or if she should send Buffy down first and see what happens. Because maybe if he sees Buffy he will forget all about being made at her…right?

"Dawn!" he called out and Dawn decided that she should be the first to walk down the stairs toward the vampire. Dawn walked toward the stairs and she looked a little over the rail and saw Spike pacing, which was never a good sign. It always meant that he was trying to control his anger. Dawn to a deep breath and then started down the stairs toward a very upset vampire, which would scare must people…but not her.

"Listen her Dawn, you know better than to run out into the night like that. You could have gotten hurt and if you did those bratty Scoobies would have staked me for sure," he said. "Plus I was worried about you…you tell anyone I just said that I will rip your throat out." He said when he saw her coming down the stairs.

"Spike there is someone that you should see," Dawn, said as she looked up at the top of the stairs.

Buffy emerged from the top of the stairs and looked at him as she made her way down. "The Buffybot big deal…it is amazing how red got her fixed so quick…" he trailed of as he listen closer and he could hear a heart beat in the Buffybot and he realized that it wasn't the Buffybot. "Buffy?" he asked in a small voice. "Is it really you?" he asked again.

"As real as real gets," she said as she stood on the bottom step next to Dawn.

"How?" he asked.

"That what I would like to know," all three of them turned to see Cordelia standing next to the banister. She looked at Buffy confused look and decided it was time to explain. "I was on the bus right after yours…I was not going to leave it like that." She said.

"Buffy?" they all looked back toward the front door and saw Willow, Tara, Faith, Xander and Anya all standing there. "We have been looking for you." Willow said.

"I told them to look here first," Faith said. "No one trust our slayer connection B.," she added. Just then Faith noticed Cordelia. "Hey there Queen…long time no talk…what you didn't know how to use the phone?" Faith asked a little bitter.

"Sorry Faith but I had no important things to take care of," Cordelia said in a sarcastic way that was just reserved for her.

Buffy watched back and forth as Faith and Cordelia went at it and then she watched as Willow and Dawn started to bicker, one thing that remain constant through the whole thing was Spike. He didn't move the whole time, his eyes fixed on her as if she wasn't real. "That's enough!" Buffy yelled and everyone quieted down. "I am too tired to deal with this right now…I'm going to bed." She turned and looked at Cordelia. "You coming?" she asked. And then Buffy turned to Faith. "Stay here tonight…not because I don't think you can't handle yourself…I just need you here," she said that last part only so Faith could hear and she nodded.

The Scoobs watched as Buffy and Cordelia walked the stairs to their bedroom and the rest of them filed out of the house. Willow looked at Faith. "You know where everything is?" Faith nodded and Willow walked up the stairs with Tara, leaving Faith alone. Faith sat on the couch and stared at nothing. Buffy was back to the world of the living and she didn't know what it meant. She did know that they spell that Willow had cast was one powerful spell and she had a feeling that there were going to be some serious consequences.

Buffy's room

Buffy and Cordelia are lying in bed, both wide-awake, and neither saying anything. Buffy didn't know if she should be angry as Cordelia for suggesting that she leave all the burden of slaying on Faith, or if she should feel happy because Cordelia was thinking of their future…together.

Suddenly Buffy turned around and looked at Cordelia and wasn't surprised when she saw that the brunette was wide-awake also. She looked at her girlfriend for a while and smiled. "You know I love you right?" Buffy said and Cordelia smiled. "You know why I can't give up the slaying right?" Buffy asked and Cordelia smiled faded.

"Buffy I will never understand that, I mean Faith is here. She can do it just as good as you did it and if she needs you your only a phone call away." She insisted. "You do know why I don't want you to slay anymore right?" she asked as she looked at her girlfriend.

"Yeah I know why," Buffy said. "But I am not going to give it up because I don't think it's fair to have do this by herself," Buffy said. "Yeah sure I did it by myself, but I never really was by myself. I always had my friends and family around…Faith doesn't have that." Buffy said. "She would be all alone." She added.

"She would have you, but you wouldn't be in the hunt as much as you are now," Cordelia said trying to reason with her very stubborn girlfriend. "Listen Buffy it's just that it scares me when you go out at night and I have to sit home, I never know if your coming home or not," she explained.

"I will always come home to you," she said.

"Will you?" Cordelia asked in an accusing tone.

"Always," Buffy said as she leaned her head against Cordelia's and just started at her girlfriend.

Willow's room

Willow and Tara were just getting ready for bed when Tara turned on the bedpost lamp and gave her girlfriend an accusing look. Tara knew that the spell she cast tonight was an extremely dangerous spell, and highly powerful. She also knew that Willow wouldn't tell her anything if something went wrong or if she needed help…or even if she were scared. Willow would keep it all to herself because she thought she needed to be strong when she didn't need to be, not around her anyway.

Willow looked over at her girlfriend. "What's wrong baby?" she asked as she looked at Tara.

"I am worried about you," she said. "You seem to have closed yourself off." She paused. "We need to talk about the spell and Buffy." She said.

"There is nothing to talk about. The spell went fine, Buffy is back…there is no problem." Willow said.

"Your upset." Tara stated simply. "Buffy never said thank you and you think she should have." Tara explained.

"Would little 'thank you' hurt so much?" Willow asked. Just as Tara was about to say something she heard something being thrown against the wall. When Willow looked up she saw a figure standing at the edge of the bed. "Buffy?"

"You thought you could wash your hands clean of the blood? But I see it! You will never be clean again you witch! You think she belongs here…she doesn't and soon a will bring her back to were she belongs." The figures said.

Tara sat up and turned on the lights and when the room was lighted there was no one in the room but them. "No glass or anything," Tara said when she looked down at the bed and around the room for anything that could have been broken. "What's goin on?" she asked. As they both looked around the room it looked as if nothing had happened…but they knew different. "Was that Buffy?" Tara asked.

"I think so," Willow said as she got out of the bed followed by Tara. They both walked down to Buffy's room and opened the door a little, just so they could see inside. And all they saw was Buffy sleeping with Cordelia in her arms.

Willow closed the door and turned to look at Tara. "What is going on?" she asked and Tara just shrugged. "Something is not right." She added.

Outside (morning)

Buffy walked out into the backyard when she woke up thinking that she was going to be able to find so peace and quite. Dawn had been hanging around her all last night and all this morning…Buffy would kill from some peace and quiet right about now.

But when she walked into the back yard she saw the group sitting there. Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya. Buffy walked over to them and the last thing she heard was, "…we might have to kill it."

"We're killing something?" Buffy asked when she walked over to them. "I mean I now I have been back for awhile but I thought we would get a break from killing thing for at least a month." She looked at them all. "I guess I couldn't get that lucky, huh?"

"It's nothing your going to have to worry about," Willow said and then she looked where Buffy had just come from. "Where is Cordelia?" She asked.

"Went to the Magic Box with Faith, they were going to drop Dawn off at school on their way." She explained. "So what were you guys talking about?" she asked and when she saw that none of them were willing to answer. "I am back now, alive and kicking…now tell me. Because if I don't get to kick some serious ass than I am gonna pull a Faith and kill someone." She explained.

"Okay, okay…we think something might have followed you back from your hell dimension," she explained and Buffy flinched when she said hell dimension because she knew that was not where she was. If anyone saw her flinch they didn't say anything. "We are going to research it later when we go over to the Magic Box…to find out what kind of demon hitched a ride to our world." She said.

"Basically we have nothing," Anya said bluntly.

Willow glared at her. "We have nothing," she confirmed with a shrug.

Buffy looked at her group of friends and gave them a small smile. "Don't worry guys, this happens to us all the time, we never know what we're facing until it comes time that we actually have to face it." Buffy turned and walked back toward the house. Before she walked into she looked back at them. "I am sure you guys will figured this out in no time." She said and then walked back into the house.

"Is it just me or does she not seem very happy to be back?" Xander asked. "I mean after coming back from some hellish place you think you would be more…I don't know…"

"Chipper?" Tara asked.

"Yeah." Xander said. "But she seems kinda…"

"Depressed?" Tara asked.

"Yeah." He said.

They all sat there in silence each in their own little world thinking about Buffy, the new evil thing, and in some cases nothing at all.

Magic Box (later that night)

Cordelia was standing in the Magic Box main room by herself. Faith had gone to the back room to train a little.

She knew that Giles never really liked her and that he only put up with her because she was with Buffy. But what Giles didn't know was that she was more than what she was in high school. She actually cared about helping people because it was right, not just because she had too. So she was kind of glad that he was still in England, because she really didn't want to deal with his accusing eyes.

She knew he didn't mean to do it but that didn't make it any less hurtful when he looked at her as if she wasn't good enough for his Buffy. But she knew that in his eyes no one would be good enough for Buffy.

She had changed a lot at that is what people can't seem to see in her. Even Buffy thinks she only does it so she would have something in common with her, sure that used to be true, but now she does it because it is the right thing to do…and she even likes helping people…a little.

Cordelia was about to go into the back room and tell Giles and Faith that she was going to head back home, but then someone came through the door and when she looked that way she saw Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander walking in.

"Hey guys," she said as she went over to greet them. "Where is Buffy?" she asked when she saw that the blonde slayer wasn't there with them.

"She said as had to go somewhere and that she would stop back later…we didn't ask where she was going?" Xander explained as she sat at the research table and waited for Willow and Tara to collect the books they would need.

Willow and Tara came walking over to the table with about five books and sat down. "Okay these where all the ones that we could find on hitchhikers." Tara said as she handed everyone a book.

"What we are looking for demons that need cars?" Cordelia asked. "Or are they demons that hitch rides with people and then kill them? Who would pick up a demon?" she asked. "What?" she asked when she saw everyone staring at her.

"No we are looking for a demon that could have jumped dimensions with Buffy when we brought her back," Willow explained and she started looking through a book. We need to find a away to get ride of it, therefore we need to know what kind of demon it is." She added.

"Oh…I had a Xander moment didn't I?" she asked and they all nodded.

"Okay I am sitting right her," he said as he raised his hand. "Maybe you could make comments like that when I am not around," he said as he looked at Cordelia pointedly.

"But then they wouldn't be as funny," she said. He shot a glare at her and she smiled. "Okay so what do we know so far?" she asked as she looked around the table and she saw looks of disappointment. "Okay, nothing, I see." She said.

"No not nothing, we know that it is some kind of hitchhiker." Willow said.

"Yeah but we don't know what kind," Anya added.

They all let Anya statement hang in the wind as they read the books In front of them hopping to find the answer before it was to late and they would have to do something drastic.

Meanwhile in the training room…

Faith sat on the couch with her hands wrapped up like she was about to train with the punching bag, but she didn't move. She just stared at the nothingness, into the darkness of the training room. She had come back her to train when her and Cordelia had shown up but so far she hadn't done any training.

For some reason she couldn't get her mind off of Buffy. She had come back from the dead before, or so she heard, but this time was different. It was almost like bringing her back made her death seem less noble. Almost like her death was not as important as it really was.

She died to save the world, just jumped into a vortex, giving her life up so other people could live to see another day. She held no prejudice in that moment. Everyone was the same, the murders, the rapist, the mother, the children, the father, everyone, at that moment in time. In her mind no one dissevered the fate that they would have received if she had let the demons come from the vortex.

But that all seemed like nothing. Because Buffy still walked the earth when she should be dead and buried and only her memory remains.

Buffy is and always will be a hero in everyone's minds, but she should have to face what she does anymore. She should be able to live a nice normal life because she has died for her cause and it wasn't her fault that she was forced back into the line of duty…

She should have been able to rest in piece and Faith now realizes the mistake the made in bringing her

back.

Faith stood and walked over to the punching bag. She remembered a time when her and Buffy would do nothing but beat on the punching bag as if it was some vampire, and man did they give the punching bag a beating.

Flashback

Faith and Buffy sat at the research table right after they finished their training. The both ended up knocking the punching bag from the ceiling a couple of times, but hey they put it back up at did it again.

These were the times that Faith loved the most when she was around Buffy. She was in one of her usual training outfits, a little sports bra and some short shorts. Faith could see the sweet on her body reflecting off the lights, and it really grossed her out that she thought that was sexy. But hey, she thought everything about Buffy was sexy.

"So B what was with the major anger today…I mean you showed that punching bag no mercy," Faith said as she grabbed a sip of her drink.

"Nothing…" she looked at Faith and a little smile crossed her face. "Okay so it was Scott," she said.

"What happen with the cutie pie?" she asked.

"He dumped me," Faith almost chocked on her drink, was the guy an idiot? Faith asked herself. "He said I wasn't the same person he thought I was and told me that we could still be friends, whatever."

"So who you goin to the prom with?" Faith asked.

"No one," she said. "I don't think I am going to even go." She said.

"No way B…you have to go. There is no way that you are going to let that shit face one up you like this," she said. "Me and you will go," she said.

"You sure?" Buffy asked.

"Are you kidding…free food…where else would I rather be?" she asked and they both shared a laugh.

End Flashback

Faith smiled at the memory as she cocked her hand back and brought it to the punching bag with full force and the bag hit the ground. "Just like old times," she told herself as she looked at the fallen bag and then turned and went out into the shop.

Spike's crypt

Buffy walked into Spike's crypt and saw that the place was lit by candlelight and it looked like no one had stayed in there for awhile. She looked around and she noticed that Spike wasn't there, but she could feel him, yet he was nowhere in sight.

Just then she saw his head come out from a hole in the ground and he looked at her as if he didn't see her at first. "Buffy? What are you doing here?" he asked as he looked at her.

"I came to see you," she said. "I needed to talk to someone other than everyone else. There too busy asking me if I am okay or if I need anything, so I just figured that I could talk to you for awhile." She said.

"Okay." He said as he walked over and sat on his crypt while she sat in one of his comfy chairs.

Buffy looked at him as if she was willing him to start talking but he said nothing, he just stared at her.

"I want you to know that I did save you," he said suddenly and Buffy looked at him. "Not when he counted obviously. But every night I would save you. I would play it all in my head again and I would do something different and I would save you." He paused. "If I would have been more cleaver you never would have had to jump." He added.

"No." she said and he looked at her. "I never would have had to jump if I wasn't the slayer." She said. "Someone is always going to be trying to kill me and my family because of what I am." She said.

"But I should have stopped him…" he trailed off.

"You have no control over what he did…it wasn't your fault." She paused. "I don't blame you Spike, if anything I thank you." She said and it was his time to look at her funny. "I need something to show me that I was invincible, something to show me that I could be stopped. Granted I would have rather have done it without dieing but hey…can't change it now." She said. "I want you to come live with us," she said.

"What?" he asked as if he heard her wrong.

"I know you were living with Dawn and everyone when I was dead…I want you to come back," she pasued. "The basement is all the same, I haven't changed anything…I would like you to move back in." she said. "Would you do that for me?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure." He said.

"Good now come on, we need to find a demon that came back with me." She said as they headed out of the crypt together.

Magic Box

They were all sitting in different spots as before, almost as if it would give them more luck in finding something, but it didn't. They still had nothing. But at least now they had been joined by both Faith and Dawn and maybe they would find something.

"I think I found something," Willow said as she looked at everyone. Faith, Dawn, and everyone hovered around her. "It seems here that the demon did hitch a ride here…we made it." She said. "When we brought Buffy back they needed to even the scale so they, or we, created the demon," she explained.

"So we created it," Faith said. "How do I kill it?" she asked.

"All you normal beheadings?" Dawn asked. "You would be surprised at how many unkillable things that would kill." She said and everyone looked at her. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Tara asked.

"Come on…twentieth century TV…there is nothing I don't know." Faith looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Okay there are some things but no many," she said as she stuck her tongue out at Faith.

"Okay a beheading…now how do I find it?" Faith asked.

"Where ever Buffy is this thing will be," Willow said.

"What was that?" Cordelia asked. "This thing is linked to Buffy?" she asked.

"No it is merely attached to her because she is the reason it lives," Willow explained.

"What is it with Buffy and evil things?" Cordelia asked. "It she a demon magnet?" she asked to no one.

"Being the slayer…yeah," Anya said and Cordelia just shot a glare at her. "Okay not a serious question right?" she asked Xander and he nodded. "Sorry."

"Okay so I find Buffy and the demon should be somewhere with her?" Faith asked just to be sure.

"Yeah," Willow said.

"Great," Cordelia said. "Now any ideas on where exactly Buffy is?" she asked.

"She's at home," Tara said and they all looked behind them to see Tara doing a locator spell. "And she isn't alone," she added.

"Hurry," Cordelia told Faith.

Faith ran for the door and on her way out she made sure to grab an axe.

Buffy's house

Buffy walked into the house followed by Spike. When they walked in they both noticed that no one was home. Buffy just guessed that they were still at the Magic Box research this new demon thingy. She walked into the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge that told her what she was thinking was right.

"Did you hear that?" Buffy asked as Spike walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah…it's these shoes…they make noise…been tryin to fix them." He said.

"No…not that." She paused. "You know you and Xander are more a like than you like to think." She said.

"If you EVER say that again I will bite you." He said.

She smiled and just then she heard a bumping noise again. "Did you hear it that time?" she asked and he nodded. The walked over to and up the stairs slowly as they made their way toward the noise. "I think it is coming from my room," she said as she walked toward her room.

When she walked into her room she saw Faith getting up from the floor. "Hey B," she said.

"Faith why are you in my room? And why did you climb through my window…the door is unlocked." She said.

"I don't know, I've never done it before so I tried it." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Weird much?" Buffy said and Faith smiled. "Okay whatever…what are you doing in my room?" she asked.

"Looking for that," Faith said pointing behind Buffy and when she turned around Buffy saw a big white misty thing hover over her. "You see we created that when Willow brought you back…so you glad to be back?" Faith asked.

"What to the death and fighting and evil…oh yeah." Buffy said sarcastically.

"How do we kill it?" Spike asked.

"Buffy!" Buffy heard Dawn calling her from downstairs.

"We don't, you need to go make sure that Dawn doesn't come up here…Faith and I can take care of this." She said and Spike ran down stairs. "So how do we kill it?" Buffy asked as she backed up to where Faith was.

"If I remember Red correctly we have to wait for them to complete the spell to make it sold." Faith said.

"And what do we do until then?" Buffy asked.

"Avoid it?" Faith guessed.

Just then they white misty thing lashed out at Buffy sending her across the room. She got up and looked hard at Faith. "It can hit us but we can't hit it!" she asked.

"I guess." Faith said.

"That's sonot fair," Buffy pouted.

Faith laughed but that was before the demon sent her flying.

Magic Box

Cordelia was pacing around Willow and Tara as they did the spell. She wanted to go with Xander but they told her no saying that Buffy would kill them if she was put into any danger.

"Solid!" Cordelia heard Willow say and when she turned around she saw Willow looking up at the ceiling. "Solid!" she said again.

Buffy's room

Just as Buffy hit the floor and landed next to Faith the demon took solid form. Buffy and Faith peeked over the bed, both with bloody noses and smiled. "It's about time Red," Faith said as she leaped at the thing and before it knew it's head was on the floor.

"Well that was fun," Buffy said as she looked at Faith. "We should do it again some time," Buffy added as she looked around and saw a broken mirror and some broken closet door. "Although somewhere other than my bedroom." She added. She looked at Faith. "I missed this…you know the you and me slaying side-by-side thing." She said.

"Me too," she added.

Just then the phone rang and Buffy walked over and picked it up on the second ring just as Dawn and company walked through the door. "Hello?"

"Buffy are you okay?" Cordelia asked.

"Cordy…I'm fine…in fact tell Will and Tara that we are one our way over." She said as she hung up the phone and looked at the group assembled in her room. "Okay guys…let's get out of here." She said as she picked up the head leaving the body for Faith.

Faith shot Buffy a glare as she picked up the body. One their way to the Magic Box they dropped the body off at the graveyard…in a crypt of a friend that Spike knew. He told them that this guy could take care of the body. When they asked him how he told them that they didn't want to know.

Magic Box

Cordelia had been pacing ever since she called Buffy and Buffy told her that she would be there in a few minutes. She really didn't like this whole waiting thing. She was going to have Buffy and Faith train her so she didn't have to wait for Buffy to come home…this waiting was making her older than her years.

Just then Buffy walked in the Magic Box with the rest of the group behind her. "You know your home when you have a demon attack you in your bedroom." She said and then she turned to Cordelia. "We are going to need to do some serious re modeling." She added.

Before Buffy knew it Cordelia wrapped herself around her girlfriend. Buffy brought her arms around Cordelia also.

"Miss me?" she asked jokingly.

"That's not funny." Cordelia said looking at her. "Now come on…I have a bus to catch." She said. "Angel called, he needs me in L.A." she added.

"Okay," Buffy said as she looked at the others. "I guess I'll be back in a few." She said as they walked toward the door.

But before she walked out she turned and looked at her friends. "Oh and thanks…it's good to be home…alive and kicking," she said with a smile before she turned and walked out the door.

Bus station

Cordelia was just about to bored the bus when Buffy took her into a hug. "I missed this, the you and me, being able to touch thing." Cordelia said. "You know with you being dead and all." She added.

"Yeah that did put a damper in our relationship," Buffy said. "Well I guess you gotta go," she said as she pointed to the driver. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Cordelia said.

"Oh and Cordy," Cordelia turned around and looked at her. "Don't forget we have a wedding to plan for," she said with a smile. Cordelia got off the bus and gave Buffy a kiss and then bored the bus again. "Bye baby," she said as the bus drove away.

Buffy headed back to the Magic Box. It's good to be alive again. Buffy thought as she realized that there are some things worth living for.

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AN: I hope you liked it! And for those who want more Faith…don't worry it's coming.