The next morning Cordelia arrived at school early. She knew she had made some small mistakes the previous day, but she'd had no time to prepare herself. Everything had been spur of the moment. Now that she'd had a good night's sleep and more time to think she would be better able to use her foreknowledge. Cordelia had had several hours to prepare her story. She'd be able to ask leading questions and make lucky guesses. Smiling confidently, she walked over to where Xander and Willow were sitting. They fell silent as she approached.
"Buffy here yet?" Cordelia asked.
Xander shook his head and looked nervous. "You knew about those things last night, didn't you? How?"
Cordelia nodded. "Let's wait for her in the library. We can talk privately in there."
"But Mr Giles is weird."
"He knows stuff. He can explain things."
"We can meet Buffy out here and see what she says," Xander said, looking stubborn.
"Did you tell her to meet you here?" Cordelia asked.
When Willow shook her head, looking nervous. Cordelia continued speaking. "The best place to wait is the library; we know she's going there, and we can start asking questions."
"Since when are us three a we?" Willow muttered, looking thoughtful, then she turned to face Xander. "As I was saying, we should go to the library. It's the best place to find answers and Buffy might already be there. If Cordelia decides to follow us we might even find out why she's being different."
Cordelia smiled. Willow did know how to make her point.
Cordelia followed Xander and Willow into the library. Giles looked at them, startled.
"Has Buffy told you about the vampires last night yet?" Cordelia asked, as she sat down at the table. Before Giles could speak she went on, "Don't worry. Me and Xander overheard you yesterday afternoon. We know Buffy's some superhero slayer and you're her watcher."
"I didn't," Willow said nervously.
Giles looked uncomfortable. "Um, well, she hasn't made her report yet but Willow's here so everything's fine. Nothing for you to worry about."
"No," said Buffy, striding through the doors, "They got Jesse."
Buffy glanced round the room then stared at Cordelia.
"Jesse?" Giles asked.
"My friend. They just dragged him off, like a sack of rubbish." Xander looked angrily at Cordelia. "If you'd danced with him, he'd still be alive."
"Darla would have just taken someone else," Cordelia retorted. "Would that have been any better?"
Xander frowned uncertainly
"Darla?" Giles interrupted, "That was the vampire's name? H-how do you know?"
That had been a slip. Cordelia had to cover it up, even if it meant lying outright.
"She told me when I was trying to bluff her," Cordelia replied, not looking at Giles.
Xander nodded. "Jesse told me her name when we were walking to the mausoleum, and how you rescued him. Those were his last words, how brave you looked."
Xander hesitated, then looked directly at Cordelia. "You risked your life to rescue him. You couldn't have done more."
"He might still be alive," Cordelia said reassuringly. "If they hadn't wanted to keep us alive they would have killed us on the spot."
Giles put a book on the table and opened it, showing them an old photo. "Is this who you saw?"
Buffy nodded. "She's dead now."
"Dead?" Giles sounded surprised. "She was about four hundred years old, not a great fighter but she killed a slayer once. She was one of the top hundred vampires in the country, quite infamous. How did you kill her?"
Cordelia felt faint. If she'd known Darla was that dangerous she wouldn't have dared bluff her.
"She ran away. I staked her in the back." Buffy had never given detailed reports.
"Cordelia hit her too," Xander added, then looked directly at Cordelia. "What were you doing there, with that cross?"
Giles and Buffy both looked at Cordelia, waiting for an answer. Cordelia swallowed nervously. She had never liked lying but she had no choice. She just hoped she could keep her story straight. Fortunately, she was a natural actress, so nobody would spot her deception.
"I followed Jesse there. I already knew Darla was a vampire and I wanted to try and save him."
"How?" Willow asked. She was listening intently to the conversation, but looked pale.
"I saw her bite Brian three weeks ago," Cordelia lied. She hadn't, but she had read about his death in her diary. In retrospect it was obviously a vampire killing. "And there have been four other deaths since then, people whose corpses were found drained of blood, like the boy yesterday."
Giles looked thoughtfully at Cordelia.
"So that's why you were odd yesterday," Willow muttered, then blushed. "You wanted to talk to us about vampires? Why us?"
"I don't want vampires in my town. I thought you and Xander could help me get rid of them. I knew my friends would be no use but you looked suitable."
In quick succession Xander looked surprised, slightly flattered then angry. "Like cannon-fodder you mean. You were just going to use us. As if we'd follow your orders. Jesse loved you and you just let him walk to his death."
"Upset much? Don't take it out on me," Cordelia said, then lowered her vocie to a near-whisper. "I wanted to save him. I did everything I could to stop anyone dying last night. I risked my life trying to save him."
Cordelia looked at Giles and frowned. "You were in the Bronze last night. If Darla was so famous why didn't you and Buffy spot her and kill her?"
Really, it was Xander's fault for not telling her enough about what had happened, but she couldn't say that. Xander had never spoken about Jesse, but it had been obvious that his death had left a void in Xander's life. If Xander found out that he was responsible for his friend's death, the knowledge would crush his spirit. Cordelia might want Xander to suffer, but she knew he didn't quite deserve that.
"I'm sorry," Giles began, then looked thoughtful. "You said you bluffed Darla? How?"
Xander interrupted. "Jesse's gone, probably dead and you want to talk? We've got to do something, call the police, rescue him, anything." Xander sounded frantic to help his friend.
"And they'd believe us, of course," Giles said, sounding sceptical.
"Well, we don't have to say vampires," Willow suggested. "We could just say there was a bad man."
"The police couldn't handle it if they did show up," Buffy explained. "They'd only come with guns."
"Vampires," Xander said disbelievingly. "That's where I'm having the problem. We're talking about vampires. Vampires can't be real."
"Weren't they what we saw last night?" Willow sounded unsure, reluctant to believe her own memories.
Sarcastically, Buffy said, "No, those weren't vampires, those were just guys in thundering need of a facial. Or maybe they had rabies. It could have been rabies. And that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of the light."
Xander looked at Buffy in disbelief, clearly unwilling to swallow that explanation but Willow appeared to have been thinking.
"Um, Cordelia," Willow said hesitantly, "I understand why you were trying to ingratiate yourselves with us, well sort of, and I'm flattered, but suitable how? Anyway, why in front of Buffy? You didn't know she was whatever she is, which I'm not clear on yet, Xander's hearsay being unclear, so why wouldn't you expect her to tell the people you don't want to know what you did know. What I'm saying is why didn't you behave normally in front of Buffy, since you thought she was normal and you were being secretive?"
As Willow finished babbling Cordelia frowned. She hadn't anticipated that question. She would have to make up an answer as she went along, making it harder to keep her story straight.
"Well, Willow," she said, giving herself a moment longer to think in, "I thought you were suitable because of your research skills. You could find out where the vampires were hiding and stuff. As for Buffy, it was just that being new she wouldn't be believed if she did speak and she did seem suitable." It would be tricky to explain why she had thought Buffy suitable but she needed to. Otherwise her behaviour the previous day wouldn't seem plausible.
"Cordelia," Giles began, "I need to know what Darla said to you. It might be important."
"Suitable?" Buffy objected, frowning at Cordelia. "How do I look like a vampire slayer?"
Cordelia decided to answer Giles first, giving her time to think of an answer for Buffy. "She told me her name, said 'Tomorrow will come the harvest. The Bronze will be our feeding ground' and claimed to have seen the crucifixion."
Cordelia smiled briefly. She might have had to lie to do it, but she had just told Giles information gained from the future, information he wouldn't otherwise have had yet. She knew they had been going to find out about the Bronze eventually but her lie meant they had found out earlier. Hopefully that would mean that this time they'd stop the harvest before anyone could die.
"Interesting," Giles replied. "Odd that she spoke to you though."
"She was about to bite her when I arrived. Why was I suitable?" Buffy was staring intently at Cordelia.
"I kept her talking for a good minute though. I was trying to give Jesse time to run away. I didn't know he'd been bitten. I just spoke confidently to Darla, as though she weren't a threat, and hoped she'd believe that meant I was too dangerous for her to attack. It's worked once before. That vamp mentioned your name before it ran away. I thought you might have some connection with vampires," Cordelia said, then smiled, hoping that explanation would satisfy Buffy.
"You were lucky," Giles said, nudging his glasses. "Most vampires are so stupid they'd attack without listening. Most of the rest are too smart to believe a bluff, at least not without more evidence."
Cordelia nodded. Darla had believed her bluff but had still attacked. She had intimidated Gorch, but he'd been told she was a slayer. If she had her back to the wall even bluffing would be worth trying but otherwise vampire fighting was best left to Buffy.
Xander interrupted, looking impatient. "You forgotten Jesse? Remember, he was dragged off by vampires?"
Willow added, "If Buffy hadn't shown up they would have taken us too. I almost died. Does anyone mind if I pass out?"
Willow had looked nervous throughout the conversation, but now she appeared to be on the edge of panic. Cordelia was surprised by how poorly Willow was coping. It was such a contrast to what she remembered but it should make Willow easier to manipulate. Helping Willow cope with the terrors of the hellmouth would be a good way to gain her trust. Besides, it was distressing to see Willow so panicked.
Cordelia tried to look sympathetic. "I understand but you're safe now with your friends."
"I need to sit down." Willow's voice was trembling.
"You are sitting down," Buffy and Cordelia replied in near unison.
"Oh, good for me."
"Breathe," Buffy added.
Cordelia gently patted Willow on the shoulder. "You can help Giles. That should make you feel better, being useful."
Willow nodded then said to Giles, "What are vampires anyway? Which legends are true and how can we protect ourselves?"
Giles looked hesitant for a moment then spoke. "This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold aeons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their— their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magics, certain creatures …."
"And vampires," Buffy added cheerfully.
"So vampires are part demon?" Cordelia said, trying to sound interested, as if she hadn't heard that speech before.
"The books say the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood," Giles said. "He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding …. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."
"What about Buffy?" Xander asked. "Yesterday you called her a slayer."
"She is," Giles said. "For as long as there have been vampires, there has been the slayer. One girl in all the world, a chosen one."
"He loves doing this part," Buffy added.
"All right. Buffy is the slayer. The slayer hunts vampires. She will protect you from them. I think that's all the vampire information you need."
Cordelia smiled. Giles was trying to stop anyone else from becoming involved in Buffy's weirdness. It was odd to think that if Giles had succeeded Buffy would have been dead by now. All the slayerettes had saved her life at least once. From what had been said Cordelia guessed the only reason why Xander and Willow hadn't already repressed their memories, the way everyone else in Sunnydale did, was because Jesse had gone missing. That had stopped them forgetting. Cordelia still wished she had been able to save Jesse, but perhaps his death had been for the best after all. It was a comforting thought anyway.
"Except for one thing: how do you kill them?" Xander looked determined.
"You don't. I do," Buffy said gently.
"Well, Jesse's my — "
Buffy interrupted, "Jesse's my responsibility. I let him get taken."
"There was nothing you could do," Cordelia assured her. If only she had been better prepared. Perhaps she could have sent Angel an anonymous warning. Where was he anyway? He hadn't been mentioned yet. Had Buffy even met him yet? Cordelia would have to think about that later.
Buffy looked at Giles. "This big guy, Luke. He talked about an offering to the Master. Now, I don't know what or who, but if they weren't just feeding then Jesse may still be alive. I'm going to find him."
Giles glanced briefly at Cordelia and the other teenagers then asked, "You have no idea where they took Jesse?"
He must finally have realised he wasn't going to be able to avoid speaking about slayer business in front of Cordelia, and the others.
"I looked around," Buffy said, "but as soon as they got clear of the graveyard they could have, voom."
"They can fly?" Xander asked.
"Why would they have to leave the graveyard to fly?" Cordelia asked scornfully. "They can probably drive and they might've gone underground."
Buffy looked thoughtfully at Cordelia and nodded. "Vampires really jam on sewer systems. You can get anywhere in the entire town without catching any rays, but I didn't see any access around there."
"Willow can find the blueprints online," Cordelia said, looking at her.
Willow nodded eagerly and rushed to the computer, but Buffy was still staring at Cordelia, a puzzled frown on her face.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Cordelia asked.
"You've coped very well with all this." Buffy hesitated, then continued, "Giles, I dreamed about Cordelia last night. I had the exact same dream seven times."
"Are your dreams significant?" Cordelia asked. She knew the answer though. It wasn't too surprising that Buffy might be warned about someone rewriting history, but Cordelia had forgotten about that problem. She would just have to hope the dream was too cryptic for Giles to understand.
Giles nodded. "Sometimes. If she had it seven times it must have been important. What was it?"
"Well," Buffy began, "first I saw Xander and Willow kissing, then I saw Cordelia holding an hourglass. She had a metal spike driven through her stomach and looked really upset. She turned the hourglass upside down and everything changed. Cordelia was balancing on a tightrope over an ocean of blood and she was holding the world in her hands. But the worse part was the laughter. All the time something nasty was sniggering in the distance. It sounded really horrible."
Buffy paused and took three deep breaths. She had gone pale and was shuddering slightly. Cordelia swallowed nervously. If just remembering the laughter frightened Buffy that badly, it was definitely bad news.
Buffy smiled wanly and started speaking again. "It really gave me the wiggins. I woke up too scared to scream. I had to put all the lights on before I could get back to sleep, and then I had the exact same dream six more times. It wasn't a normal dream. Giles, I have to know, what does it mean?"
Cordelia had a good idea what that dream meant. The first part had already happened to her. Whatever sent Buffy her dreams hadn't forgotten the future her wish had erased, but at least it was lacking in the clear communications department.
The second part was more cryptic but perhaps it meant that if the information in Cordelia's head got into the wrong hands, the world would be in great danger. If Spike had known the future he would have been much more dangerous. That was another good reason not to tell anyone about her wish. She didn't think they'd tell the bad guys deliberately but the more people who knew the more likely accidents would be. The laughing thing might be the Judge, or Acathla, or some other big bad thing that could destroy the world if it learned what Cordelia knew.
Giles looked thoughtful, then answered Buffy's question. "I'm not sure. It sounds like a warning. If Willow and Xander get, um, i- involved Cordelia will be injured and asked to do something. If she make the wrong choice the world will be in grave danger. The hourglass suggests there will be a time limit on her actions. The laughter probably means some big major force will be involved." Giles paused and looked at Xander. "You and Willow aren't i-involved, are you?"
Xander looked almost disgusted at the notion, an expression Cordelia was pleased to see. What had Willow done to make him change his mind about her? Climbed naked into his bed, perhaps? It didn't seem like something she would do, but neither had stealing another girl's boy.
"No. Willow's not that kind of girl. She's just one of the guys and Cordelia is almost the last person I'd trust with the world. That will not happen."
Willow looked disappointed at Xander's words but hearing about that dream should stop her pursuing Xander. Giles's misinterpretation of Buffy's dream had been lucky for Cordelia. Xander's low opinion of her was disappointing though.
Giles looked confused. "That's reassuring but then I'm not sure why the message would be sent with such urgency. I will have to consult my books."
Cordelia shrugged. "Perhaps the Willow in Buffy's dream was a vampire or, well, I've heard near death experiences can make people have orgies."
Willow blushed, then said, "Not with me. Are you sure it wasn't a normal dream? We can't do anything about it now anyway. We'll have to think about it later. Jesse —" Willow paused. "I've found the city tunnel plans. Let's concentrate on rescuing Jesse now and worry about that dream later."
Everyone but Giles moved round to look at the screen. Buffy pointed out a tunnel running directly under the graveyard, but the plans didn't show any surface access to it.
"So are all the city plans just open to the public?" Giles asked, sounding curious.
Willow replied hesitantly. "Well, in a way. I sort of stumbled on them when I accidentally cracked the city council's security system."
"This is useless. There's nothing here," Buffy complained, moving away from the screen.
"There could be lots of unofficial tunnels down there, built by vampires and other things, but I'm sure knowing where some of the tunnels are will prove useful," Cordelia said, trying to sound supportive of Willow's efforts, then continued, "Think about last night. Perhaps that will give more clues."
Buffy shook her head. "No. I staked Willow's vamp easily. That monster Luke attacked me from behind. We escaped. End of story."
Willow looked thoughtful. "Cordelia, did you see Luke go in the mausoleum? How far behind Buffy were you?"
"No, but I saw Buffy go in. Ooh, I get it. You think there might be a secret passage in the mausoleum," Cordelia replied. Willow really was the smart one.
Buffy nodded. "I was facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow me out. The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum! They must have doubled back with Jesse after I got out! God! I am so mentally challenged!"
"So what's the plan? We saddle up, right?" Xander sounded eager to take action; that was just like him.
"There is no 'we.' I am the slayer and you aren't." It seemed Buffy didn't want any help.
"We can help Buffy in other ways, like Giles does," Cordelia added.
"We?" Xander said. "Since when do you help people? Buffy's here to kill the vampires; we don't need you. You can stop pretending to like us and go back to your friends."
Clearly Xander didn't want her in the gang. Understandable, Cordelia supposed, since they had never been friends, but it wasn't his choice. All Cordelia needed was Buffy's acceptance and she would be in. After that it would only take a few days to make Xander trust her.
"I can do as much as you can," she replied. "I won't just stand back and let people die, not when I have a chance to make a difference."
Willow was looking undecided. "I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters, but I do want to help. I need to."
Giles looked at Willow, nervously at the computer then back at Willow. "Well, then help me. I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine."
Cordelia smiled. That speech was vintage Giles, if a little stuffy even by his standards. Of all Buffy's gang, Giles was the most like the person she remembered from before her wish, just a little stiffer. Looking around, she realised that everyone else, lacking her long experience with Giles, had been completely baffled by him.
"I think that means he wants Willow to go on the net," Cordelia said. Willow nodded.
Buffy hurried off, promising to bring Jesse back. Cordelia looked at the wall clock, nearly ten to nine. She hadn't realised it was so late. They had been talking for longer than she had expected.
"Well, I've got a class to get to," Cordelia said, and quickly left the library. They wouldn't be saying anything important with Buffy gone and Cordelia needed to mingle with her flock. If they didn't see her every morning, there was no telling what gossip Harmony might start.
Cordelia confidently amended her program. Even with her extra eighteen months schooling, computer lab was less than easy, but it was better than it had been the first time around. She had even found time to type a short cryptic note for Angel. If she could just think of a way to get it to him anonymously, she would soon have him following her instructions.
"We going to the Bronze tonight?" Harmony asked.
Cordelia smiled. It was nice to be back in a time when Harmony did nothing without Cordelia's approval. She hadn't been able to hold court properly the previous night because she'd been trying to save Jesse, but the coming night would be different.
Then Cordelia remembered about the harvest. The only thing she'd be doing in the Bronze that night would be assisting in the world saveage, not that she planned to fight, but it was important to be there, to show willing. She didn't want Harmony there though. She'd been unharmed in the original history and Cordelia's intervention should reduce the death toll, but the fewer potential victims the better. Besides, she definitely didn't want Harmony to see her associating with Xander or Willow.
"No," Cordelia said, "I saw the school librarian there last night. Anywhere librarians go is anticool."
"That why you vanished last night? Aura thought it was shock from yesterday morning. She spent a whole five minutes looking for you, then Buffy attacked her."
"Yesterday? That was only a corpse. I've seen much worse," Cordelia replied, then hastily added, "On TV that is."
"Where did you go last night anyway? Where are we going tonight?"
Cordelia frowned. She didn't have any answer to the first question so she would just have to try and distract Harmony. "Tonight? I haven't decided yet. What did Buffy do?"
Cordelia already had a good idea. Buffy had probably attacked Aura, thinking she was a vampire, the way she had Cordelia the first time round. Hearing Harmony's secondhand version would be interesting though. It was a pity she had missed that topic at the preclass chat but that was what came of spending too long in the library.
"She attacked Aura with sticks," Harmony said, "screaming that she was going to kill us all. That girl's weird."
Cordelia couldn't see Willow's face, but she had definitely twitched when Harmony spoke. It seemed she was listening, which was inconvenient. Cordelia didn't want Buffy's gang to think she was two-faced so she couldn't agree with Harmony's assessment of Buffy in front of them, but defending Buffy would soon harm her image. Cordelia tried to think of something she could say about Buffy that would keep both Harmony and Willow happy, despite their diametrically opposite opinions of the Slayer.
"Remember, she's from LA. She's not accustomed to living in a peaceful little town," Cordelia said, smiling at the irony. "It was probably just mistaken identity. She could have thought she was about to be mugged."
"Really?" Harmony sneered. "I heard she burnt her last school down. That's violent by any standard. The girl must be a psycho loony."
Willow interrupted. "No, she's not. You don't even know her."
Cordelia smiled. "See. Willow likes her. I hardly think someone as harmless as Willow would hang with anyone dangerous, even if they let her. Willow's too fluffy to be a psycho loony's sidekick. You're just jealous of Buffy. She's prettier than you, and she has better fashion sense, though that isn't saying much."
As Cordelia spoke, she watched her listener's faces. Willow had looked confused at first, but she had soon started smiling at Cordelia. Harmony just looked angry. She glared at Willow and asked, "Who gave you permission to horn in on our private discussions? You are just too boring."
Willow shrank back in her chair as Harmony turned to look at Cordelia. "Why did you let her speak? Willow's opinions are worthless. It doesn't matter if she likes Buffy. That girl is seriously weird. You shouldn't be talking to either of them."
Cordelia had never liked people telling her what she should do. She smiled sweetly. "Willow has her uses. Ask nicely and she'll tell you how to save that program."
Willow nodded, then stood up. As she went to pick her printouts up, she said, "Press deliver."
Cordelia watched Willow leave the classroom, then continued, "Buffy might be odd, and certainly odder than you, but that just makes her interesting. Normal people are so dull."
She smiled briefly as her barbed comment made Harmony flinch. The girl might only be a sheep but she had ambitions to dominate the flock. Harmony was constantly probing for weakness, looking for a chance to topple Cordelia from her rightful pedestal but Cordelia had never had any trouble keeping Harmony in her place, at least not until she had started dating Xander. Until that day Harmony's weak insults had never bothered Cordelia; they sprang from simple envy, not malice, and they were much better than being ignored.
"That why you were acting weird yesterday? Aura said you were about to kiss a corpse, you vanished last night and, weirdest of all, you actually sat down next to Willow during lunch."
Cordelia refused to let her face show any response to the feeble attempt at an insult. Harmony just didn't have what it took, not like Xander, but she did have an odd sense of priorities. Harmony was completely incapable of seeing beyond her obsession with social status. Cordelia could only hope she had never been that foolish but, looking back on her memories, she feared she had been.
Still, feeble though the insult was, Cordelia could not let it go unanswered. Harmony had to be discouraged from questioning Cordelia's movements and, after the hurtful things Harmony had said when she found out about Xander's betrayal, Cordelia didn't feel like pulling her punches.
"Aura was in shock," Cordelia said, adopting her most superior tone. "It's not that surprising that she failed to recognise standard first aid procedures. I know it might be a difficult concept for you to grasp but even you should realise it is important to check people are really dead before we bury them. The boy might have been in a coma. Still, if you really think someone kissing a corpse would be less weird than talking to Willow you might want to consider rearranging your priorities. You might think necrophilia is normal, though I've no idea why you would, but nobody else does."
Cordelia watched Harmony cringe at that last remark, which could spark a rumour certain to wreck Harmony's reputation, then decided to give the knife one last twist for Willow's sake. Cordelia saw nothing wrong with criticising Willow herself, but Harmony had not earned that right. Cordelia had risked her life for Willow and been greatly wronged by her; Harmony had not. Also, if Harmony were less critical, that should help the morale of all Buffy's gang. "Your program looks finished. Why don't you save it? Willow said 'deliver', right?"
Cordelia correctly saved her own work, then printed and deleted her letter to Angel. She knew Willow could do a lot with computers but she was almost certain even Willow wouldn't be able to trace the letter's origin, not when the file had been deleted from the system. Cordelia walked over to the printer and tucked the letter securely away, then turned to look back at Harmony. She was still hunting for the right key. Harmony finally made a tentative stab at the keyboard then stared in horror at the screen as her last hour's work was deleted. Cordelia just smiled, pleased by the expression on Harmony's face, then left the classroom.
When Cordelia stepped into the corridor she saw Willow slowly walking away. Willow glanced back over her shoulder, then stopped and waited for Cordelia to catch up. The two girls began walking along the empty corridor together.
"Did she do it?" Willow asked, a smile on her face.
Cordelia nodded. "You should have seen the expression on her face. It was even better than the first time."
Willow smiled broadly then looked pensive. "Was it right though? Harmony was unpleasant but - "
Cordelia interrupted. "It's too late to change your mind now. Apologising would only make her angrier. She deserved it anyway for insulting us."
This younger Willow really was an innocent if she had qualms about playing a small trick on Harmony. Cordelia supposed it had only been nerves that had stopped her apologising in the original history. Why couldn't she have been as reluctant to hurt Cordelia? It must have been due to Willow's increased self-confidence, which hadn't been a bad thing. Cordelia knew the world needed a more confident Willow; she just wished she hadn't paid the price.
"What did she say to you," Willow babbled, "or was that after I'd left? Anyway, I thought she was your friend, but you defended me and Buffy. Me! I can hardly believe it. You were trying to be diplomatic, weren't you, taking our side without sounding obvious about it."
Cordelia had actually been trying to sound neutral, but perhaps she hadn't managed as well as she had thought. Either that or Willow was more perceptive than Cordelia had expected. Willow was so quiet, most of the time, that it was easy to underestimate her. That was how she had been able to steal Xander.
Cordelia checked there was nobody within earshot, then replied to Willow. "Harmony's my friend, but that doesn't mean I like her. I know she only hangs with me because I'm popular, but that's better than being alone."
Willow looked disbelieving, but said nothing. After a moment's awkward silence, Cordelia decided to continue speaking. She needed to explain things, to make Willow be comfortable in her company.
"Harmony doesn't respect you. She doesn't even know who you are, any more than she knows who Buffy is. I'm different. I respect you, sort of. Your fashion sense is awful but there are slightly more important things than that. High fashion wouldn't be much comfort if the vampires won. Fashion is still very important though."
Willow smiled. "You're still Cordelia. I was beginning to wonder."
Cordelia frowned. She hoped Willow wasn't speaking literally, but a direct denial would just sound suspicious.
"I thought I explained that this morning, and yesterday too. How many time do I have to repeat myself? Finding out about vampires changes things."
"It's certainly changed you, for the better, not that you were bad before. But, um, I'm —"
Willow fell briefly silent, before continuing. It sounded to Cordelia like Willow was hiding something, though she couldn't guess what.
"I'm thinking you're trying to be friendly," Willow said, "because you still want to help Buffy so we'll all need to trust each other but you don't want to lose Harmony, or even let her know you are hanging with us."
Cordelia nodded. She was certain that wasn't what Willow had originally been about to say, but it was true.
"We'll all need to trust each other with our lives." Cordelia was confident she could manage that. Xander and Willow could both relied upon to be heroic in the face of evil. They wouldn't let her die. Cordelia could only hope that level of trust would be enough. After the way they had betrayed her, she would never be able to trust either of them in her heart. After the way she had been hurt, she doubted she would ever be able to trust anyone that way again. Still, she should be able to do everything she needed to without getting emotionally involved. That way it wouldn't hurt when they lied to her about their feelings, as she knew they would.
Willow looked thoughtful. "Xander's gone chasing after Jesse. He left me a note."
That was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but Cordelia was glad for the change.
"That's foolish, brave but foolish. What can he do?" Xander had never told Cordelia about that. It seemed there was quite a lot he hadn't told her. At least she knew he would be safe.
"He needs to do something," Willow said, as she pushed open the library doors.
Giles looked up. "Buffy?" he said hopefully.
"Just us. They not back?" Cordelia said, sounding unconcerned, as she followed Willow into the library.
"Not as yet, no."
"Well, I'm sure they're doing great," Willow said, sounding doubtful.
"Did you find anything of interest?" Giles asked.
Cordelia smiled. Giles sounded as though he had half expected Willow to have come up empty handed. He had probably asked as much to distract Willow from Xander's absence as in the hope of actually learning anything. He would soon learn though. Willow was just as good at research as he was.
Willow smiled. It seemed Giles's distraction had worked.
"I think maybe," she said. "I surfed through the old newspapers back around the time of that big earthquake in '37. For several months beforehand there was a rash of murders."
Willow handed her printouts to Giles while Cordelia sat down. He quickly looked at them, then said, "Great! I mean, well not great in a good way, but go on."
"Well, they sound like the kind you were looking for; throats, blood …" Willow fell silent, looking squeamish.
Giles frowned. "It's all coming together. I rather wish it weren't."
"So what are you thinking?" Cordelia asked.
"Wait until Buffy gets back. It'll save repetition."
It seemed to Cordelia that Giles was still trying to prevent civilians getting involved. He was giving Willow another chance to walk away from the weird stuff. Cordelia wasn't going to let him get away with that. She wasn't sure how long it had taken him to accept the slayerettes' participation in the original timeline, but she knew the faster he did the better it would be.
"It'll be lunchtime soon," Cordelia said. "You won't mind if Willow has it in here, will you Giles? I know she won't want to eat alone, with all our friends missing, and possibly dead. We can help you look stuff up in your books too."
Willow nodded, looking glum. Giles hesitated briefly, then spoke, "Of course. Um, Cordelia, shouldn't you be calling me Mr Giles?"
Cordelia shook her head. "I'm not that stuffy. We're all going to be working together a lot and Giles sounds friendlier." Cordelia turned to face Willow and smiled. "You can call me Cordy."
"To help you remember which hat you are wearing?" Willow said, then blushed. She sounded dubious, but at least she hadn't said face.
Giles sighed, sounding resigned. "Cordelia, why do you think we'll carry on working together? Once the harvest is dealt with, it will all be over."
He was clearly still trying to discourage Cordelia from getting involved. Why couldn't someone have done that the first time round? Still, this was an opportunity for her to use her foreknowledge to sound perceptive. It was a lot easier to ask the right questions when she already knew the answers, especially since she had had over a day to think of those questions.
"Why are the vampires doing this harvest thing here? There's probably some reason why they chose this town. We should expect other vampires to come here for the same reason. I've been looking at some of the old year books too."
Cordelia paused as she tried to remember the figures Willow had quoted once. "Since this school was founded, there's not been a single year with under about 10% fatalities. In my mother's year, out of about three hundred freshmen, only a third lived to graduate. That can't be natural. This town must've had a serious pest problem for a long time. I don't think it's just vampires either. When my father was in high school here he found the dead bodies of three of his friends one morning, in this library, right where we are sitting now, and they'd all had their skin peeled off and their hearts removed. Vampires don't do that, do they? I think there might be something about this town that attracts evil."
Cordelia was confident that little speech would make her look good. Giles would be impressed with her acumen and ensure she played a key role in Buffy's gang. That would make it impossible for Xander to avoid her, putting him in the perfect position for Cordelia to gain her revenge.
Giles and Willow were both looking at her. Giles spoke first, sounding slightly startled. "Well, that sounds like a variant on one of the Aztec sacrificial rituals, so the malefactors may have been human, but my research does suggest that you may be right about this town."
Willow was looking puzzled. Cordelia frowned. She hoped she hadn't appeared too knowledgeable, that would only make Willow suspicious, but she did know more than Willow, and it was proving trickier to hide that knowledge than she had first expected.
"Why haven't I heard about that before?" Willow asked. "I'd have thought that would be the kind of thing we'd all have heard rumours about, however long ago it happened."
"People forget about these things," Giles said. "If that had been the only death on campus then people would talk but from what Cordelia said about the yearbooks, I'd guess about thirty of your fellow students die each year. Most people just can't face that high a death toll, especially since the supernatural is involved; they refuse to think about it. It's easier to forget. If they remembered, they wouldn't be able to live here."
Cordelia nodded. "I only know about that incident because it's how my parents met. One of the dead boys was my father's friend and my mother's brother. They met at his funeral. My mother was weeping over the coffin and my father comforted her. He took her out for a meal and let her cry on his shoulder. Four years later they got married. It was very romantic."
Her father had only told her about the funeral though; he had probably forgotten finding the corpses. Cordelia hadn't found out the full truth until she after she had learned about the hellmouth. Learning how dangerous Sunnydale really was had made her curious about her uncle's early death. Eventually, she had persuaded Willow to check the records; she had needed to be sure it wasn't some family curse or suchlike.
Willow was looking doubtful. "Wasn't it a bit morbid, picking up a girl at a funeral?"
"It's not that unusual." By Sunnydale standards it was almost normal. Willow looked slightly shocked, but said nothing.
Giles put two of his esoteric books on the table and Cordelia began to read.
Cordelia closed the book and yawned. "It doesn't say anything about a harvest in here. I've got other things to do this lunch time, so I'll go now and let you two bond. I'll be back."
She walked briskly to the library door, peered through it to check the corridor was empty, then slipped out. It had been a dull half-hour, but worthwhile. She had taken the first steps to making Willow and Giles trust her. Soon they would be wrapped round her little finger, which would make getting revenge on Xander and Willow much easier.
She might have stayed longer, but there was one other piece of slaying business she needed to take care of, her letter for Angel. She pulled it out and reread it, smiling at her clever phrasing.
"Angelus, ex-scourge of Europe, we know of thy curse and the loophole therein. One moment of happiness will cancel the curse. We therefore most humbly advise that ye not associate overmuch with the fair sex, lest ye know pleasure. This slayer is to be aided in her task by three mortal children, Cordelia the beautiful brunette, Xander the brave clown, and Willow the quite bright. To ensure ye are never happy we suggest that ye only speak to Xander. He will relay your messages to the slayer. All three children will be present when the slayer stops the harvest. If ye also aid the slayer tonight, at the Bronze, we will give thee further advice."
Cordelia was confident nobody would think she had written that letter. She had carefully written it in a style completely different from the way she talked, trying to make it sound more like some of Giles's older books instead, and since she had signed it 'The children of Athena' Angel should assume it was from some secret society. The letter wasn't in her handwriting, and the computer file had been deleted, so there was no way it could be traced to her.
She hoped Angel would believe the letter, but it didn't really matter. She would keep on sending him anonymous letters until he did believe. Then she would be able to use him to stop bad things from happening while still keeping her distance from the action. Of course, if he did believe her first letter, that would be interesting. Xander had never liked Angel, making them work together would be partial revenge for her humiliation. Xander deserved much worse, but it was a start.
How would she know if he had believed it? Xander hadn't said but Cordelia assumed Angel had been planning to stop the harvest anyway. She would have to watch the way he behaved round Buffy. If Angel refused to look at her that would mean he believed everything. If he started flirting with her Cordelia would just need to make her next letter more convincing. She most definitely did not want to see Angel lose his soul again. That had been Buffy's biggest mistake, so far.
Cordelia tucked the letter away again. It wouldn't work unless she actually delivered it. It was ten past twelve, so she should have just enough time to walk over to Angel's, slip the letter under his door, get back to school and have lunch before her next class started, but only if she hurried.
Cordelia checked the corridor was empty, then slipped back into the library and looked around. Buffy still wasn't back yet and it was almost two o'clock.
"I bet Xander insisted on stopping for lunch," she muttered, annoyed.
Giles frowned. "Aren't you worried?"
Cordelia sat down. "Buffy's the slayer and Xander's always been lucky. Why should I worry? Made any more progress with the harvest?"
"Is there any word?" Willow said as she walked in, looking worried.
"No," Cordelia said bluntly.
"Um, well, I'd better go then. I'll check again after the next class."
Cordelia didn't really want to keep going in and out of the library. Everytime she did that she risked someone seeing her. Also, if Buffy arrived when Cordelia wasn't there, they'd start making plans without her. It would be best if she stayed in the library for the rest of the afternoon, but she didn't want to be alone with Giles. He might start asking her questions about what she had seen over the last three weeks, questions she couldn't easily answer. No, it would be best if Willow stayed in the library too. She could help with the research and, if Giles did start asking questions, Willow would probably join in, giving Cordelia more time to think.
"Don't go," Cordelia said. "You can help Giles research. You want to do something useful, don't you?"
Willow looked torn. "But class —"
"You don't need to go to class. You're clever. You could get top marks even if you slept through all your classes. Giles can write you a note. Stay here and help Buffy."
Willow wriggled uneasily, then sat at the table. "Where can I start?"
Cordelia smiled, then pulled out her make-up case.
"Cordelia," Giles said sharply, "I can't let you miss classes unless you are doing something useful."
"If I walk around with bruises people will talk. You wouldn't want that, would you. They were showing through the make-up."
Cordelia gently wiped her wrists down with a paper tissue, then reapplied the make-up to conceal her bruises. It wasn't easy but she'd had a lot of practice. Giles shrugged, a curious gleam in his eye, then passsed the girls two hefty volumes. The phone rang in his office, and he went to answer it.
Thirty minutes later everyone looked up as the library doors opened. Buffy and Xander walked in, but there was no sign of Jesse.
"Did you find Jesse?" Willow asked optimistically.
Xander nodded, but he didn't look pleased. Jesse must be dead.
Cordelia frowned, feeling slightly distressed. She had known since the previous night that he was probably dead, and he had been dead to her for the previous eighteen months anyway but he had been alive just fifteen hours earlier. She could have saved his life but she had failed. His death was her fault, and Buffy's too, of course. Xander was clearly upset, which should have pleased her, but it was for the wrong reason. Cordelia was the only one with a grievance against Xander; only she had the right to make him suffer. Seeing Xander upset, when she hadn't caused it, just made Cordelia feel uncomfortable.
"Was he dead?" Willow was sounding worried. She must have realised something had gone wrong.
"Worse," Buffy said as she sat down. "We were too late. They were waiting for us."
"At least you two got out," Willow said, trying to sound cheerful.
Cordelia watched as Xander paced round the room. He was not taking this well. She decided to distract him, rather than letting him dwell on it. "What took you so long?"
Xander turned and glared at Cordelia. "You should try walking in the sewers. I'm sure you'd feel at home. We couldn't go move very fast. It took us hours to reach Jesse and when we found him …" Xander fell silent.
Cordelia hid a smile. When she didn't give him a soft target to vent his anger on Xander tended to fume, then rush out and do something recklessly heroic. "There was nothing you could do. It's unfortunate but you'll get used to it, and to sewers."
Xander looked at Cordelia and smiled. "You think you're nasty but at least you're human. Vampires aren't. I'm going to take a stand and say vampires are all bad."
As Xander sat down Buffy turned to look at Giles. "So, Giles, what have you got that can make this day any worse?"
"How about the end of the world?" Giles said, stepping in front of the whiteboard.
"I knew I could count on you," Buffy said, smiling.
"We have two problems. First, the harvest. This is what we know," Giles began. "Sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this town, and not just to feed."
"He came because this town's a mystical thing," Buffy guessed.
Giles nodded. "The Spanish who first settled here called it 'Boca del Inferno'."
"The hellmouth. We live on the mouth of hell, which explains a lot," Cordelia added.
"It's a portal between this reality and the next," Giles said. "The Master hoped to open it."
"Bring the demons back," Buffy said, anticpating Giles.
"The end of the world," Xander added gloomily.
"But he blew it!" Willow smilingly said. "I mean there was an earthquake that swallowed half the town, and him too."
"You see, opening dimensional portals is a tricky business," Giles explained. "Odds are he got himself stuck like, um, a cork in a bottle."
"But the harvest can release him," Cordelia said. Buffy needed to understand the nature of the problem.
Giles nodded. "It comes once in a century, on this night. The Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this symbol."
Buffy smiled as Giles drew a three-pointed star on the whiteboard. "So we go to the Bronze and dust anyone sporting that symbol."
"Simply put, yes," Giles said. "We do have another problem though, your dream."
Buffy shuddered. "What have you found out?"
"Nothing good. Prophecy is a rare gift, but we watchers did have a seer. He killed himself yesterday, but he left a message raving about 'hideous laughter'."
"He must have had the same vision," Buffy said gloomily. "But do you know what it means?"
"Not specifically," Giles admitted, "but we do have some ideas. I've been talking to my colleague, Mr Travers. There have been other dire omens and mystical signs. All the tarot cards in our headquarters turned to dust, there were strange lights at stonehenge and Drake's drum beat twice."
Giles looked at his notepad. "There were dozens of other signs, more than we'd normally see in a year. We think some vile entity of great power cast a world-shaking spell on Monday morning, but we don't know what it did or who it was. The signs do suggest it involves a millenia-old trap and the end of the world, sometime soon."
Cordelia guessed the spell the watchers had detected had been her wish. Whatever had granted her wish must have had some ulterior motive, but it had underestimated her. It might think she would slip up, tell the bad guys about the future, and destroy the world, but she knew better. That plan wouldn't work. The watchers must have misread the omens.
"Could it be the Master who did it?" Willow asked.
"He's not powerful enough. If this entity were in Sunnydale we'd notice. It would start raining blood, or maybe worse."
That confirmed Anya herself wasn't responsible. Cordelia would have noticed if it started raining blood, but it hadn't. Perhaps it was Anya's master, if she was working for some dark power, but more likely it had nothing to do with Anya at all. Freak coincidences happened everyday on the hellmouth so perhaps it was just bad luck that the wish had sent Cordelia back to the exact time the big spell had happened. Buffy's dream must have got Cordelia's wish confused with the effects of the spell. Yes, that must be the explanation. This must just be one of those things Xander had forgotten to tell her about.
"It's important that we know, did anything unusual happen to any of you yesterday?" Giles asked.
"You mean apart from Willow being kidnapped by vampires? No," Xander said sarcastically.
Willow echoed him. "No. Nothing you don't know about."
"No," Cordelia said. Giles didn't need to know about her wish, which was quite normal by Sunnydale standards anyway.
"Are you sure?" When they had all nodded Giles sighed. "If anything unusual ever happens to any of you, tell me about it. We might be able to prevent the dream coming true. If you want to avoid the supernatural then that would be good. The watchers will even arrange for you and your families to move anywhere you like. If you put half the world between you, that might stop the dream coming true. However, it may be too late for that. It's contrary to all tradition, but Mr Travers agrees we may not be able to keep you out of the paranormal, not if destiny is involved, so, provided your motives are sound, I might be willing to consider giving you some training in dealing with it, the paranormal that is. You can help me watch Buffy, under strict supervision, and I'll try and teach you enough to give you a chance of making the right decision when this trap, whatever it is, bites. We'd prefer it if you moved to Wales though."
Cordelia wasn't certain but that sounded like a more formal arrangement than she was used to. The change must be because of something she'd done, but what? Cordelia considered the problem. It must have been that dream. Xander, Willow and herself had probably only appeared in it because of the wish, but now Giles thought that meant they were involved in the spell so he was acting differently. Still, it had worked out well. It meant that Cordelia was firmly in Buffy's gang, ideally placed to manipulate Xander. Cordelia smiled, pleased at the effect she was having on history.
"So, do we get a cool name then, like the slayer?" Xander asked. He seemed to have ignored half Giles's speech.
"Well, we're going to help Giles, so we could be apprentice watchers," Cordelia suggested jestingly. "I don't suppose we can give Buffy orders though."
"No!" Buffy sounded very firm about that, which amused Cordelia.
Xander smiled. "I knew you'd want to be giving orders."
"We won't have to wear tweed, will we?" Cordelia continued, half-faking horror at the thought.
"No," Giles said dismissively. "I think people might find that a little odd. You must continue to act normally."
Willow smiled, then spoke. "Buffy's the slayer, so we could be the slayerettes, or would watcherlets sound better?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Very amusing. Are you forgetting about the harvest? Let's go to the Bronze now."
"Without a plan?" Giles asked rhetorically. "It's several hours till sunset. That gives us time to plan for the harvest, and to confirm that these three are suitable."
"Suitable? What do you mean?" Xander sounded slightly worried.
"We need to be sure you are reliable before we start counting on you to do your part," Giles said. "If you are likely to run away when the going gets tough you would just be a liability. There's no shame in it though; few people can stand the strain of my job. If you decided to use the dark arts for personal gain that would be worse."
Giles should know. He'd killed people with magic in the past. Xander was also capable of abusing magic, as Cordelia knew from her own experience. Even Buffy had run away once.
For that matter, Cordelia realised, her plans to avoid the weird stuff could have been seen as a way of running away from the truth. It didn't matter though. While Cordelia understood Giles's motives, he wasn't the one who decided who would be in Buffy's gang. All Buffy's friends would get in anyway. In the original history Giles had probably realised that before he could start questioning her friends' suitability, but in this altered history things were bound to be slightly different.
"There's no need for that," Buffy said. "I trust them. Xander followed me into a vampire lair, Willow has been helping you research, and Cordelia was brave last night. None of them are going to run away and I'm sure they won't do anything wrong. You don't need to ask them insulting questions."
That was flattering, but Buffy didn't know them well enough to say so yet. She must have ulterior motives. People normally did.
"Buffy needs normal friends, and she's not going to let you choose them," Cordelia said, interpreting Buffy's statement. "We are all normal, compared with Buffy, and we quite like her. With us, she can try and have a normal life, when she's not slaying. That way she can be Buffy, not just the slayer."
Cordelia was only paraphrasing things Buffy herself had said in the future, but from the smile on Buffy's face she could tell that her apparent insight into Buffy's mind was scoring points. Xander was also looking at Cordelia, apparently confused by her acumen.
"Slaying isn't a hobby; it is a sacred duty. Buffy can't have a normal life," Giles said. He was probably still hoping he could persuade Buffy to act more like Kendra. Cordelia knew that, the first time round, he had lost that argument within days of meeting Buffy, maybe less. This time would be no different. Giles would be taking the slayerettes' participation in the weird stuff for granted within a week.
"I will have a normal life," Buffy said firmly. "Willow and Xander are my friends, and Cordelia too."
Buffy glanced at Cordelia. "Sorry, but you came off a bit weird yesterday. Anyway, I want to have normal friends, and cheerlead, and other normal stuff. Giles, you are stuck with these three slayerettes. I don't want to involve them in anything dangerous, but I'm not going to let you force them away."
Willow nodded. "When you know something like this, you can't just walk away. Everyone needs friends, real friends, and that includes Buffy. She needs people who will be there for her, and you're too old. It's not the same. Not that you are old or anything. It's just that well, um. Anyway I'm going to help anyway I can."
"We'll all do our bit. Willow is good with computers. Xander can keep us smiling and he can be brave," Cordelia said, thinking of the things she had seen them both do. What could she say about herself? She couldn't tell them the best reason.
Xander interrupted. "And you, Cordelia? What will your amazing contribution be? A new cheerleading routine?"
"You might not like me yet," Cordelia replied, "but we're all on the same side now. Try and act like it." Cordelia shrugged. "I can be helpful. I'll stop any rumours about Buffy dead. Nobody believes any gossip in this school unless I tell them to. I'll do what I can, as long as it's not icky. If you need any autopsies done, ask Willow. She probably reads medical textbooks."
Giles started polishing his glasses, a clear sign he didn't like the way the conversation was going.
"It would be more productive if I discussed this with each of you individually later. We can worry about the dream when we've got a better idea what it means. Willow, can you get floor plans of the Bronze and a map of the nearby sewers? If we can stop the vampires from reaching the Bronze they won't be able to start the harvest."
Willow went over to the computer and began typing.
"Can you think of a way of keeping people out of the Bronze?" Giles asked.
Willow looked up. "Cordelia has been telling people the Bronze is unfashionable."
"You are good for something then," Xander said, unconvincingly. "That might keep your friends out. What about everyone else?"
"We could ring the fire alarm," Buffy suggested.
Willow printed out the blueprints and the group began talking.
The sun was low in the sky when Buffy, Cordelia and the rest arrived at the Bronze. Cordelia looked around and smiled. The entire street was in deep shadow. Nobody would notice her talking to Willow when the street was this dark nor would they remember what happened when the action started so Cordelia's reputation should be safe.
"Does everyone know what they're doing?" Giles asked. "Remember, only Buffy will fight."
Buffy nodded. "When the vamps come you get the people out. That's all. Don't go all wild bunch on me."
"Of course," Xander said unconvincingly. "Let's have the weapons."
Buffy handed each of them a cross, a jar of holy water, and a small stake, then said, "Don't chase the vampires. Self defence only."
Angel stepped into view, startling everyone. Cordelia hadn't expected to see him until after sunset. Still, he was standing in the shade, so he was safe enough. She wondered what he was doing here. He might have come in response to her letter but Cordelia wasn't sure. For all she knew, he might have gone to the Bronze in the original history too. Xander hadn't said and her own memories of that night were vague. She was fairly sure nobody knew he was a vampire but she didn't even know if he had met Buffy or Giles yet.
"Giles, this is Angel." Buffy said. "He's the one who told me about the harvest last night. What are you doing here?"
Giles looked curious. "How did you know?"
Angel smiled mysteriously.
"Xander, Willow and Cordelia, I believe," Angel said, looking at each of them in turn. "They said you three would help the slayer. Do you know what you are doing, the risk you are facing?"
Xander and Willow both looked surprised when Angel named them, Buffy just looked annoyed, but Giles looked puzzled.
"How do you know their names? Who said?" he asked. "Who are you?"
"I'm Angel." He smiled again. "These three were in the graveyard last night, and Darla died. You can be certain the Master knows their names. Darla was high in his favour; he would not be pleased by her death."
"But we didn't do anything. It was Buffy who killed her. I wasn't even there." Willow seemed flustered.
"The Master doesn't care. You know, that is enough. He will kill the strong and brave, keeping the weak and cowardly to feed on. Helping the slayer means you will be first in line to die, after her."
Xander looked impatient. "You here to help us, or just to play games? We haven't got time for this. The vampires could be here anytime."
"I can't fight," Angel said.
Cordelia raised one eyebrow in disbelief. Angel was almost as good a fighter as Buffy. Cordelia supposed he had some reason for not fighting, perhaps to conceal his being a vampire, but she had been counting on his contribution. The sooner he started taking an active part in the slaying, rather than just making cryptic comments, the better.
"We aren't planning to fight either and we don't have any spare weapons for you anyway. We're just going to evacuate people when the vampires arrive. You can help us with that, if you want to be useful," Cordelia said firmly, glaring at Angel. "You won't have to fight. Leave that to Buffy."
Buffy nodded. Angel looked at her, his face unreadable, then asked, "What's your plan?"
Cordelia looked around the Bronze, waiting for the vampires. The club was full of people dancing, completely unaware of the danger they were in. They didn't know how lucky they were.
"There should have been some way of keeping these people away," she said.
Buffy looked at her. "I know, but we couldn't think of one."
After much discussion they had ruled out a hoax fire alarm since they didn't know when the vampires would come. Giles suspected it would be early, which fitted with Cordelia's vague memories of the night, but they couldn't be certain. The vampires could arrive anytime before midnight; a hoax alarm couldn't keep the Bronze empty for all that time. At least none of Cordelia's flock were there yet; that rumour seemed to have worked.
"It's just all these people. You're the only thing between them and death but they don't know the danger."
"Aren't they lucky?" Buffy replied.
Cordelia and Buffy had been stood by the Bronze's back entrance for the last ten minutes. If the vampires tried to come in that way Buffy would just kill them all before they could enter, at least that was the plan. If it worked nobody in the Bronze would be in any danger.
"Are you sure that lock's broken?" Cordelia asked.
Buffy nodded. "Cordelia, you need to relax," she said, sounding oddly tetchy. "If you keep this up, it will be a very long night."
Cordelia looked up at the balcony, where the other four were. Angel and Giles both seemed uneasy, but Xander and Willow looked relaxed. If the vampires came in through the front the balcony gang would signal, giving a few extra seconds warning. It wouldn't be much but anything they could do that gave Luke less time to feed was worthwhile. Those few seconds might mean one life saved; they might be enough to stop the Master rising.
When Giles signalled Buffy would move to fight the vampires before they could hurt anyone, while Cordelia and the rest of the gang ushered the bystanders out of the back door. Cordelia knew she didn't really need to be stood by Buffy but it felt safer. She had persuaded Giles that it would attract too much attention if she was seen on the balcony with Xander and Willow, as well as the school librarian. It wasn't as if she was completely useless where she was; she could keep Buffy company, Xander had suggested she could fetch Buffy drinks and, most usefully, if the vampires came in the back she could signal the balcony.
A few minutes later Giles started waving frantically from the balcony.
Cordelia nudged Buffy. "They're coming in the front."
"They would," Buffy groaned, then ran to meet the vampires.
Cordelia pulled out her cross and looked around, waiting. She could just see Luke pushing his way through the crowd to the stage. She smiled. It seemed Luke wanted to make a big production out of the harvest, very foolish of him. If he had started feeding immediately, he could have drained at least one person by now but instead he'd decided to make a speech.
"Ladies and gentleman, there is no cause for alarm," Luke began.
Cordelia stopped listening. Buffy would take care of Luke, but Cordelia had a more urgent problem of her own. A vampire was moving towards her, coming to block the back entrance. Cordelia shrank back against the wall and tried not to be noticed. The vampire pulled out a key and turned it in the door, then walked away. It hadn't noticed the lock had been broken, but then most vampires were stupid.
Cordelia waited till the vampire was gone, then pushed the door open. Everyone was staring at the stage. The teenagers were in the centre of the crowd, frozen in fear by the sight of Luke's vampire face. Surrounding them, the other vampires stood, their faces rapt as they watched Luke. They didn't seem to be expecting any resistance, always a big mistake. Cordelia caught a glimpse of Xander sneaking round the edge of the crowd. Luke had grabbed the bouncer but he was still speaking.
"Watch me, people," Luke ranted. "Fear is like an elixir —"
Buffy interrupted Luke's speech, bounding onto the stage.
"You!" Luke cried, dropping the bouncer.
"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you, Vessel boy?" Buffy moved to attack Luke.
All the vampires were distracted now, busy watching the fight. Cordelia moved towards the crowd and began ushering people towards the exit. With Giles and the rest doing the same, most of the crowd escaped before the vampires realised their prisoners were getting away.
Jesse looked round, puzzled. "Where'd everyone go?" Then he noticed her. "Cordelia, this is your lucky night."
Alerted by Jesse, the other vampires turned to face the rest of the slayerettes. The crowd, freed of the vampires' restraining presence, bolted for the door.
Jesse walked slowly towards Cordelia, looking almost menacing. If she had had less experience with vampires she might have been terrified. Instead she laughed and brandished her cross. She knew she couldn't beat Jesse in a fair fight, but she wouldn't have to. Angel would easily win his fight, then rescue the rest of them. She1 just had to hold out for a minute.
Jesse snarled at the cross, then grabbed her arm by the wrist and twisted. As Cordelia dropped the cross Jesse pulled her close to him. He wrapped one arm round her waist, tilting her head with his other hand.
"Tonight I will give you your fondest dream," Jesse whispered. "You will never grow old. Your beauty will never wither. Tomorrow you will thank me, and your body will be mine."
"Ego much?" Cordelia snapped, elbowing Jesse in the stomach and stamping on his foot, then tried to pull away.
"Hold still. You're not making this easy."
"Jesse man. Don't make me do it." Xander stepped into view behind Jesse, a stake just visible in his hand.
Jesse turned to face Xander, still holding Cordelia in an iron grip. She looked around, wondering how he had gotten to her first. Angel had armed himself with a pool cue and was managing to keep three vampires at bay, Giles and Willow were wrestling with a third vampire and Buffy was still fighting Luke. Two more vampire were skulking round the stage, apparently waiting for a chance to help Luke.
"Jesse, I know there's part of you still in there. Don't do it."
Cordelia groaned. Giles had explained this repeatedly but Xander still refused to believe the Jesse he had known was dead.
"Xander! Remember what Giles said. This is the thing that killed Jesse. Kill it, now."
Xander ignored her. "Jesse, can't you remember who you were?"
Jesse looked contemptuous. "Let's deal with this. Jesse was an excrutiating loser who couldn't get a date in the sighted community. I'm a new man."
Xander lifted his stake, pointing it at Jesse's heart, then hesitated again.
"You can't kill me. You don't have the guts." Jesse sounded triumphant.
Cordelia sighed. Jesse had already mastered the vampire art of extreme overconfidence. Ignoring the stake was the worst thing he could have done. He was holding her conveniently close so she just shoved him forwards. Jesse stumbled and fell onto Xander's stake, instantly vanishing in a puff of dust.
Xander looked disturbed. Seeing your best friend die couldn't be easy. He had never talked about it but Cordelia had noticed the shape of his silence. There were topics he would not discuss, memories he did not acknowledge, a void in his life.
Cordelia was sure the memory of Jesse lay at the centre of that void. She wished there was something she could say, something that would ease the pain she saw newly born in his eyes, but she could find no words to soothe him.
She settled for distraction. "How did you get free so fast?"
Xander smiled. "He lost his head." Xander waved one hand dismissively and, his voice warm with humour, added, "All in a day's work for Xander, vampire hunter extraordinaire."
Cordelia smiled. Xander might only be joking to hide his pain, perhaps even from himself, but at least it showed he was coping.
"If you've quite finished with the self-congratulation," she said, her gentle tone belying her words, "perhaps there are other damsels in need of your aid."
Giles and Willow were standing up, brushing the vampire dust off themselves. Buffy was still busy with Luke on the stage, but there were no other vampires left up there. Angel still had one opponent left, which was a surprise. Cordelia had been expecting him to have killed them all minutes ago. Cordelia looked more closely at Angel. She was no expert but he seemed less adept than she remembered. His time on the hellmouth must have improved his technique.
Seeing that Xander had gone to talk to Willow and Giles, Cordelia followed him.
"He's doing well for someone who didn't want to fight," Willow said as Angel rolled across the pool table. "Shouldn't we be helping him?"
"Killing Luke comes first. He is the vessel," Giles reminded them, coldly pragmatic.
"How?" Xander asked.
"I've still got my holy water," Cordelia said.
Giles took the jar from her and threw it at Luke, hitting his head. While Luke was distracted Buffy threw a stake through his heart.
His last opponent finally dead, Angel looked up at the gloom.
"She did it!" he said, then vanished into the shadows.
Buffy jumped off the stage and walked toward Giles.
"Did we win?" Willow asked.
"Well, we averted the apocalypse. I've got to give us points for that." Buffy sounded cheerful.
"And nobody died," Cordelia said. "That's always good." It was certainly an improvement on the original history.
"One thing's for sure; nothing is going to be the same again," Xander said.
"Want to bet?" Cordelia asked, smiling. "We'd better go before the police get here, investigating 'gang' activity."
Xander looked at Buffy. "You're the slayer. What should we do now?"
Buffy smiled. "Go home. Cordelia's right."
"See," Cordelia said the next morning, looking at Xander. "This is still the same."
With a wave of her hand Cordelia pointed to the entire campus. The rest of the students were just sitting there, completely oblivious to the near apocalypse of the night before, just as Cordelia herself had once done, eighteen long months ago.
"People have a tendancy to rationalise what they can and forget what they can't," Giles explained.
Cordelia nodded. She knew she shouldn't be risking talking to Buffy's gang in public, but after last night's excitement she needed to spend a few moments in the company of people who could appreciate what she had done.
"Believe me, I've seen it happen," Buffy said, backing Giles up.
"Well, I'll never forget it, not a bit of it." Willow sounded slightly excited, probably still high on adrenaline.
"Good. Next time you will be prepared." Giles was perfectly calm.
"Next time?"
"Next time is why?" Xander and Willow both seemed startled by that idea. They must have forgotten what Giles had said about the hellmouth.
"We've prevented the Master from freeing himself and opening the mouth of Hell. That doesn't mean he's going to stop trying. There's also Buffy's dream, whatever that meant. I'd say the fun is just beginning."
"More vampires?" Willow asked.
"Not just vampires," Giles replied. "The next threat we face may be something quite different."
Cordelia smiled. "Oh, good. Just vampires would get boring."
"We're at the centre of a mystical convergence here," Giles said, apparently excited by the thought. "We may be all that stands between the earth and its total destruction."
"Well, I've got to look on the bright side," Buffy said. "I could still get kicked out of school."
As Buffy, Xander and Willow headed off to class Giles listened to their jokes, then groaned, "The earth is doomed."
"It couldn't be in safer hands," Cordelia assured him. Thanks to her wish, the future was in her hands. Fortunately, she was the perfect person for the job.
"Shouldn't you be going to class with them?" Giles asked.
"Me? Be seen with them?" Cordelia said scornfully. "In public? A werewolf on campus would attract less attention. They're good people, and I'm sure we'll enjoy saving the world together, but I'm not going to alter my lifestyle just because we live on a hellmouth. If I did it would've won another victory. I'm going to live a normal life, despite the hellmouth, and that means I can't be seen with them too much. I shouldn't be talking to you outside the library either."
Cordelia walked off, thinking about the future. She had handled the harvest pretty well. Jesse had still died, but nobody else had. Next time she would do better. Next time would be what? There had been trouble at the cheerleading tryouts but Xander had told her all about that. Buffy's dream hadn't been resolved yet but Cordelia was confident it couldn't be too important. Then there was Principal Flutie to save, Marcie Ross to deal with, vengeance on Xander and much more besides.
Cordelia smiled. She would soon get everything she deserved. Nothing would ever go wrong for her again.