If Wishes Were Horses…

Based on Season 3's 'The Wish'. Cordelia makes the wish, but this time Spike's in town. Wackiness ensues…

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, I'm just using them for my own amusement, though I have unashamedly borrowed some lines from the show by way of an homage…

Chapter Two

Everything was dark, soft, warm…but something was tickling at the edges, something bright and harsh and painful…she resisted, wanting to stay where everything was fuzzy and safe, but found herself rushing instead toward the cracks of light…

With a groan, Cordelia sat up and found herself laid out on the table in the middle of the Sunnydale High School library. Relief and nausea slugged it out for dominance.

'Hey!' said a voice from somewhere behind her.

'Giles!' Cordelia said frantically, recognising the cultured accent. 'It's all my fault! I wasn't - I made this stupid wish…'

The librarian was at her side by now. 'Come on, please lie - '

'No!' she interjected, clutching his arm. 'You have to get Buffy, Buffy changes it. It wasn't like this, it was better. I mean, the clothes alone…but people were happy…mostly, and – wait…' She slid off the table, brain racing. 'Why are you here and she's not? I mean, you were her Watcher.'

'How do you know I was a Watcher? I've never - ' He broke off, turning his head at the sound of something thumping and scratching outside. Immediately he strode into the book cage, grabbing a cross and a stake. Cordelia sighed in relief; this was more like it, everything would be okay now.

'Now,' Giles said from inside the cage, 'I want you to start again and explain everything very carefully.'

The door slammed shut under Willow's hands. 'You're in a big cage.'

Outside in the parking lot, Oz's van screeched to a halt. Oz, Nancy and Larry leapt out, looking around carefully. They took a few steps towards the library when Larry stopped, clutching Oz's arm. 'Hold up, man, I forgot the crossbow.'

'Oh. Well, Giles must have one…'

'No, he asked me to bring it, remember? C'mon, we'd better go back for it.'

Oz paused, looked around. It all seemed quiet enough… 'Okay.'

They hurried back to the van, Nancy clambering into the back while Larry slid into the passenger seat. Oz froze, hand on the door handle. Something was prickling in his mind, some premonition that if they left, something bad would happen.

'Oz?' Larry said urgently. 'C'mon man, we don't have time!'

'Yeah,' Oz said slowly. 'I think I'm gonna go inside. You two'll be okay without me, right?'

'What? Well, yeah, I guess…'

'Cool,' Oz said, tossing the keys to Larry and slamming the door. He clutched his stake tighter, slinking toward the school building. 'Daniel Osborne, you better know what you're doing…'

Cordelia's heart was racing, Xander's icy hand clamped over her mouth. She watched in horror as Willow waved the cage key in front of Giles's face. He slammed the cross against the mesh, making Willow flinch back, but Cordelia knew it wouldn't be enough. When his eyes met hers, they were filled with dread and defeat.

C'mon, brain, wake up! What was that move they taught me in self-defence class…something about his instep…? Oh, will that even work on a vampire? I wish Buffy was here! No, hang on there, missy - you're Cordelia Chase! It'll take more than a pair of skanky, undead, ex-geeks to get the better of you!

Cordelia gasped against Xander's hand as his fangs slid into her neck. Everything receded into the distance; all she could hear was her own ragged breathing, all she could feel were two points of intense pain and the sensation of blood, of life, rushing out of her. Her body throbbed with a mixture of fear and arousal, intensifying as Willow pressed her lean body up against her and sank her teeth into her throat.

Oz crept into the library, freezing in horror when he saw the Master's favourites feeding from Cordelia. Behind them, trapped in the book cage, Giles spotted him and waved frantically, silently. Oz willed his feet to move, mind racing as he tried to figure the best strategy. Ah, what the hell – I never was Strategy Guy.

Breaking into a run, Oz gabbed Willow and spun her around. Her features blurred and settled into human, and she smiled like a little girl.

You have the sweetest smile, Oz thought randomly as he plunged his stake through her pale, creamy skin.

'No!' Xander roared through the cloud of dust, thrusting Cordelia away from him and launching himself at Oz.

Cordelia landed hard, head spinning. Dimly she heard Giles shouting something about a key. She looked round and saw the book cage key lying in the dust. Her fingers felt numb, pain radiating out from somewhere deep inside her, but she managed to grab hold of it. She got to her knees, unsteady, and fumbled the key into the lock before slumping to the floor.

Giles sprang out of the cage, grabbing Xander and pulling him away from Oz. He pressed the cross against Xander's face, and the vampire howled in pain and rage. Without a backward glance, he took off through the stacks.

'Are you alright?' Giles asked Cordelia, kneeling beside her. He took out a clean linen handkerchief from his pocket and ripped it sharply into two. He folded one half into a pad and pressed it carefully against a bite on her neck. 'Here, put pressure on this.'

'Thanks,' Cordelia mumbled, pressing trembling fingers against her neck as he tended to the second bite.

'Thank God you arrived,' Giles said over his shoulder to Oz. 'Are Larry and Nancy…?'

'They're alive,' Oz said. 'Should be here any minute.'

'Thank God,' Giles repeated, eyes squeezing closed for a second. 'Now, uh, Cordelia, is it…? You need urgent medical help - do you have a family we can take you to?'

'No, I need to tell you…about the wish…' Cordelia broke off, woozy. Bright lights flashed behind her eyes. 'Please, take me with you…'

'She's unconscious,' Giles said to Oz. 'We'll take her back to my apartment. Call Martin, tell him to meet us there with a transfusion kit.'

Oz nodded and grabbed the phone.

'NO!' roared the Master in a rush of pain and rage. 'My Willow, gone? How could you let this happen!'

'Master, please,' Xander said, face livid with a cruciform burn, tears flowing freely. 'I didn't…I couldn't save her.'

'On your knees,' the Master demanded. Xander fell to his knees, still weeping for his love, his sire. Spike shifted uncomfortably; fun though it was to watch the whelp humbled, it hit too close to home. A vivid memory of Prague flashed before his eyes, the roar of the mob swelling in his ears, and he clenched his jaw and forced the visions away.

The Master bent down to stare into Xander's eyes. 'Be quiet,' he said, and Spike recognised the hypnotic voodoo that Dru was so good at. Xander went still immediately, like a mouse facing down a cobra. 'Of all the disappointments in my six centuries on this Earth, you are by far the greatest. You failed to kill the girl, you failed to protect my Willow, and now we have a Slayer on her way here on the eve of the opening!'

'Master, please,' Xander said again, helpless. 'I'm sorry, so sorry…'

'Too little, too late,' the Master barked. He stroked Xander's face with both hands, claw tips scraping gently across his skin. 'Such a shame…'

With a powerful twist, he wrenched Xander's head clean off. Brushing dust from his hands, distaste painting his twisted features, he ascended to his throne.

Spike was impressed; maybe I should start treading a tad more respectfully. 'Got a Slayer infestation, eh?' he said. 'Nasty business. But you know what I find works real good with Slayers?' He paused, grinned. 'Killing them.'

'And I suppose you can do that?'

'Yeah, I done a coupla Slayers in my time. I don't like to brag - '

'Spare me,' the Master interrupted. 'I have immortality stretching before me, but still no time to listen to your hollow boasting. I have a proposal.'

'Well, I'm flattered and all…' Spike began, tailing off when the Master's eyes narrowed. He eyed the dustpile and cleared his throat. 'I mean, uh, go on.'

'I know how to restore Drusilla. But the terms of our agreement have changed; I want you to bring this Slayer to me, alive. Once I have her, I will give you the cure.'

'You want her alive? Why don't I just finish her off for you, save you a job?' Spike asked, then grinned, 'Besides, I quite fancy goin' for the hat-trick.'

'I must be the one to kill her,' the Master said. 'It is written.'

'Ah, written,' Spike nodded, mock-solemn. 'Well, you're the boss, boss. Alive it is.' He paused. 'So, uh, if I c'n ask…what's this puppy that Red was goin' on about?'

'Oh, him,' the Master said, waving a dismissive hand. 'A thorn in my side.'

'So who is he?'

A sly look came over the Master's face, and he smiled nastily. 'Why don't you go see for yourself?'