See Part One for disclaimer and details. Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest update! Thanks to everybody who's reviewed and sent feedback, as always it's greatly appreciated. Please keep it coming! Not much else to say, except that even though Xander is still vegetating in his coma, important elements of the story are being set up in this chapter...and there will be conflict and argument a-plenty! Hope you enjoy...
Part Five: Visitations
Hancock Park, Los Angeles
January 24th, 2004
More or less alone in the night-time park, Ethan held up a candle and chanted in Latin, "Do not deny me, Spirit Guide. Let the wisdom of those who have passed be showered upon me."
The Spirit Guide appeared in the form of a bright cloud, above and in front of the British mage. It replied in the same language, "Such secrets belong to time and the dark regions. To reveal them would bring Chaos down upon the living Earth."
{ And the problem with that is what, exactly? } Ethan thought irritably. He had decided to get a second opinion regarding Wo-Pang's prognosis, and like Giles had done five years ago, he had chosen to call upon the Spirit Guides; oracles who existed outside of space and time, and entities who might know how to help him.
Rayne decided to try another approach. "I am told that I am dying, that my soul shall soon no longer be. Is this the truth?"
"Yes."
Ethan inadvertently gulped over the straightforward confirmation. "If I fail to avert the destruction of my soul, what shall be the consequences?"
"Thy name shall be removed from the Akashic Records, and none will remember that you ever were," the Spirit Guide replied, which was enough to make Ethan gasp in true horror.
Because, if the Spirit Guide spoke truly, then his upcoming fate was worse than mere death; far worse. There would be no form of afterlife for him, not even the worst of all the hell dimensions out there; just empty oblivion. Ethan Rayne would cease to exist, in every sense of the word.
{ Hell with that, } Ethan thought forcefully. He then said, "I have also been told that had I sought help after fragmenting my soul, the damage could have been prevented. So, then, can you send me back in time and give me the opportunity to accomplish this?"
"No," the Spirit Guide said vehemently. "And seek not such a thing, for that too will bring Chaos upon the living Earth!"
The warning fell upon deaf ears, though. Ethan replied, "If you cannot help me to achieve my goal, can you advise me on who can?"
"Enough of this! You will disturb me with your questions no longer!" the Spirit Guide said angrily. A strong wind started blowing, and the cloud subsequently moved away and up into the sky. It then split in two, and both halves disappeared up into the firmament.
{ Well, fat lot of good that did. } Rayne wasn't pleased with the situation, as he started packing up his supplies before he left the park. Still, he knew there were other sources of information in this city; mystical and otherwise. And since it was his personal survival at stake, there was not a moment to lose in gaining access to them.
Roughly 35,000 feet somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean
An hour later
Buffy and Willow were heading for the U.S. aboard a red-eye flight from Heathrow to LAX, via JFK in New York. They were alone, as no one else in the Council could come; well, no one in the old Scooby Gang, anyway. Dawn had school on Monday, and so she couldn't leave the country just like that – despite her loud and somewhat heated protests otherwise. Giles likewise couldn't simply abandon his post in London, as that would mean leaving Andrew in charge of the organization; and not even Wells himself wanted that to happen.
Just their luck, news of an impending apocalypse would come in – and Andrew wouldn't have the first clue on how to prevent the end of the world.
"So, uh, I couldn't help noticing you and Dawnie have...problems, nowadays?" Willow asked uncertainly, staring at her best friend.
"It's more than just a 'problem', Will. I'm beginning to think that she hates me," Buffy sighed forlornly.
"I know, Buff. I mean – I was there, I heard her. She's angry on Xander's behalf, and I guess Dawn sorta has a right to be," Willow sighed as well. "We should have told her the truth about Cordelia, long before now – or you should have, anyway, since I was stuck hiding in Brazil."
"I know, I – well, I sorta just forgot, all right? It's been a pretty busy year so far, and...I guess it simply didn't feel that important," Buffy gestured uncomfortably, glad that no one else could hear their conversation. The first class compartment was completely deserted, other than the two of them. "And personally, I still don't get why Dawn is making such a big fuss about this! It's not like my little sister's been talking to Cordelia since she left Sunnydale, right?"
"Well, no, but I have mentioned things to Dawnie here and there. And, uh, Cordy and Dawn used to be close back when she and Xander were dating," Willow said hesitantly. She believed that, anyway, thanks to the spell the monks of the Order of Dagon had performed way back when. "That summer before the start of senior year, for example; I remember how Cordelia volunteered for babysitting duty all the time, while you were away in L.A."
"Really? I never knew that!" Buffy seemed to be surprised by that news.
"Yeah, uh, I remember how Xander once made a Dr. Evil 'mini-me' joke about it. But only the one time; neither Cordy nor Dawn liked the comparison," Willow shrugged with momentary amusement in her eyes, before she got serious again. "And I guess Dawnie had a point after we saw Xander's videotape, Buff; we didn't do enough to try to help Cordelia, while we were staying at Angel's hotel. We, we just took his word for it that he was doing everything possible for her, and left it at that."
"Well, we pretty much had to," Buffy frowned. "I mean, hey – what else could we have done?"
"Uh, just off the top of my head? I could have tried to enter Cordelia's mind and make her wake up, pull her out of it like I did with you. Back when Glory kidnapped Dawn and you went catatonic, remember?" Willow asked, looking away.
Buffy's jaw dropped. That possibility simply hadn't occurred to her before now. "Oh."
"Yeah. Y'know, now that I come to think of it – if we had simply told Xander the truth back then? I'll bet you a mani-pedi that hewould have thought of that. He may have been grieving over Anya, but Xander still would have turned himself inside out in order to help Cordelia. I'd almost forgotten how he felt about her, to be honest," Willow shrugged again. "But after seeing that tape, listening to what he said about why he did this – it convinced me that deep down, Xander never, ever really quit being in love with Cordy."
"He loved her?" Buffy sounded absolutely stunned.
"Yeah – and present tense, Buffy. Somewhere deep inside, he still loves her. He has to! I mean, why else would the guy really put himself in a coma, for an ex-girlfriend that he hasn't spoken to for nearly five years?" Willow asked her best friend. "Assuming that Angel's information – what he said that Whistler guy told everyone – is accurate, anyway. And that reminds me – what with the danger he's in now if Angelus ever gets loose again, I really ought to look into permanently anchoring his soul, somehow..."
{ Yeah. I only wish you could have done that back in high school; everything would have ended up so different, } Buffy thought unhappily to herself, before the female pair discussed what they should do once they arrived in the City of Angels.
R&D labs, Wolfram & Hart building
A while earlier
"Angel did what?!" Gunn demanded loudly.
Fred narrowed her eyes over Gunn's disbelief and Lorne's wide-eyed stare, after she had told them what had happened in Cordelia's hospital room. "I told you, Angel messed with all our minds and made us completely forget about his son! Connor!"
"Sorry, cupcake, but I don't have clue-one who and what you're talking about," the former Host of Caritas said, shaking his head.
"I know. And that's the worst part of it," Fred responded angrily. After she'd left the hospital and had gotten a chance to integrate the repressed memories into her mind, her temper had gotten a lot worse. The physicist added, "At least Wesley and I can remember how we were violated that way. Whereas you and Charles don't! You're, you're like rape victims who were given so many roofies, you can't even recall what happened!"
"Hey, now, Fred – slow down, I mean...rape victims?" Gunn looked at her oddly, finding the comparison very difficult to swallow.
"Don't tell me to slow down, Charles!" Fred yelled at him, causing to the lawyer to recoil in shock. "What – you think I'm wrong, or a liar? If you do, go talk to Wesley about it! He's already packing up his stuff in order to get out of here! And if it wasn't for my promise to Cordelia to help wake up that Xander Harris guy, I'd be out of here as well!"
"Wes is leaving?" Lorne looked surprised as all heck to hear that.
"Yeah, he is," Angel said, entering the research lab. He was still hurting after Cordelia's unpleasant rejection inside that hospital room, hurting a lot; but he had managed to temporarily put all that aside for now. "Guys, we need to talk..."
"And I need to be elsewhere," Fred said coldly, giving Angel the evil eye. "I'm going to find Wes before he walks out the door; I gotta make sure he gives me full access to everything in the research vaults for after he's gone. I can't trust that his successor around here will be willing to do me that courtesy." She quickly swept out of the laboratory, not looking back once.
"Angel-cake, Fred just told us-" Lorne started to say.
"Yeah, I know. And it's true, every single word of it," Angel interrupted, before he pseudo-sighed hopelessly. "I did what I had to do; but unfortunately, Fred doesn't see it that way. Wes and Cordy, either."
Gunn shook his head. "So, you really mind-wiped us all? And, uh...I mean, now that the cat's outta the bag, are you gonna undo that spell for me and Lorne as well?"
"Yes to the first part, but as for the second – I can't, I didn't cast the spell and I don't know who did. Or even how to undo it," Angel shook his head. It wasn't like he knew where another Orlon Window was conveniently located, after all.
"Well, then, next best thing. Tell us what we don't know, stud-muffin," Lorne suggested, staring at Angel intently.
The vampire hesitated, but then said, "My son's name is Connor..."
Angel told them everything. How Darla had been brought back as a human, and then vamped by Drusilla, and then he'd screwed his reborn sire senseless one night. How she'd become pregnant and left; and after returning nine months later, she'd staked herself so that their baby might live. Then Angel talked about Holtz.
Wesley's betrayal.
Quor-toth.
His son's reappearance as a bitter, hostile, murderous teenager.
His many attempts to reach through to the boy, always resulting in failure and defeat.
The final agonizing decision to let Connor go forever, by taking the deal offered by the zombified woman known as Lilah Morgan.
"This is nuts," Gunn shook his head in disbelief. "I, I don't remember hardly any of that! Man, are you sure you aren't yanking our chains here? Even just a little bit?"
"Go ask Fred that if you want, Gunn. Personally, I wouldn't advise going anywhere near Wes; he can remember now how you two practically hated each other," Angel shrugged.
"Okay, that's it. You need to sing for me, sugar-buns," Lorne said grimly, even as Gunn gaped at his boss. "It sounds like things are screwed up, big-time – and if I'm supposed to help you, then you need to bare your soul for me, like pronto!"
Angel didn't think that would help, but decided to oblige the anagogic demon anyway. "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl, with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there-"
"Okay, whoa, that's enough," Lorne said at once, cutting him off. "Seriously, pudding – no need to give both Mr. Manilow and me nightmares!"
"You got something outta that?" Angel stared at his demon friend doubtfully.
"Yeah – as in you need to get to your office, right now. You got a visitor; and before you ask, that's all I know," Lorne said, just as Angel opened his mouth. "Go on, git!"
Shrugging, Angel, got. Gunn then said to Lorne, "Man, I still can't believe this..."
"Neither can I, Slim – nonetheless, it's all true, apparently. Not even a hint of deceit in Angel's aura just now. And if you'll excuse me, I need some alone time to think," the green-skinned demon shook his head sadly. "Gotta decide on whether or not I'm still gonna be working here in the morning."
"You're thinking of leaving, like Wes and Fred?"
"Aren't you?" Lorne asked Gunn, walking out of the lab and pulling out his cell phone to cancel all of his appointments for today.
{ Good question, } Charles thought to himself, looking around the now-empty lab. He felt betrayed, certainly, and suddenly found himself in a less than forgiving mood with Angel (for screwing around with his memories, if nothing else). But God help him, Gunn liked the lawyer upgrade which working here had resulted in. { Am I willing to give that up, simply on a matter of principle? }
The black man didn't know the answer to that question, which suddenly terrified him a lot more than anything Fred, Angel and Lorne had said just now.
Main lobby, Wolfram & Hart building
Two minutes earlier
Faith the Vampire Slayer was in a bad mood, as she entered what she couldn't help thinking of as enemy territory.
Right now, it seemed like only yesterday that she had arrived here to meet that trio of evil lawyers, who had hired her to kill Angel – Lindsey McDonald, Lilah Morgan and Lee Mercer. Faith briefly wondered if those three were still around, but then quickly dismissed that thought. Angel would rather stake himself than trust those three not to stab him in the back, at the first opportunity.
{ Shoulda done something about them, maybe, before that so-called trial when I gave myself up, } Faith thought philosophically. { Oh well, hopefully all of 'em have gotten what they deserve by now. }
At that moment, a security guard moved to intercept her. The Slayer sent him a look that said 'don't fuck with me or you'll be sorry', but the grunt was either too loyal or too stupid to let that stop him – so Faith just knocked him unconscious before he could pull out his pistol, and then continued on her way.
Hey, reformed; not a doormat.
"Hi! Can I help you?" a somewhat ditzy-looking blonde (who looked way too pale for Faith's liking) said from behind her desk, which had quite the collection of unicorns on it.
"You're a vampire," the Chosen One said, scowling, her Slayer-sense suddenly going wild.
"Yeah, and-? Oh, wait, I recognize you! Well, vaguely. You hung around with Buffy Summers and her gang of losers during high school, didn't you?" the undead version of Harmony Kendall asked.
"Yeah. Sort of." Faith squinted at Harmony. "Hey, did I know you when you were alive? You look kinda familiar..." Then the Chosen One's eyes narrowed. "Oh, yeah, now I remember! It's Harmony, right? Hell, Angel even mentioned you during one of his prison visits. You were one of Queen C's sheep, who totally gave her crap for dating Xander after they broke up!"
"Hey! That was a long time ago, and I was never a sheep," Harmony retorted angrily. "What do you want, anyway?"
"Here to see your boss. You got a problem with that, dust pile?" Faith said threateningly.
"What are you-" Harmony started to say, and then she recoiled as the Slayer pulled a stake out from the back of her pants. The former Cordette had seen Buffy do that way too many times in Sunnydale not to recognize the move. "Oh my God, you're a Slayer! Oh, oh – I heard about you, you're that Faith person!"
"Yeah, I am. And everything you heard? Believe it," Faith grimaced at the soulless blonde, itching to stake her just on general principles. "Now tell Angel I'm here, before there's one less bloodsucker in the world!"
Harmony nervously jabbed the intercom. "Boss? Boss! There's a homicidal Slayer out here who wants to see you!" There was no reply. "Boss?" Still nothing. So Harmony just shrugged helplessly. "Uh..."
"Page him. I'll wait for him in there," Faith said shortly, already heading into Angel's office.
"Uh, wait; you can't go in there without my say-so!" Harmony insisted, looking indignant from the way Faith was treating her – like she didn't matter, or something.
The Chosen One stopped, an unholy gleam appearing in her eyes and the stake appearing in her right hand again. "Yeah? Then maybe I oughta do my duty out here first..."
"On second thoughts, go, go! I'm totally sure Angel won't mind," Harmony backpedalled at once, shrinking back into her chair.
Frowning, Faith put away the stake and went in to the ensouled vampire's office. She looked around, before going over to the massive window; damn, but this place had a sweet view of the entire city. Saturday night in L.A., the whole town was lit up like a beacon...
"Faith?"
The Slayer turned around at once, smiling. "Been a while, Fang. Got time to talk to an old friend?"
Angel came up and gave her a fond hug. Faith hugged him back, despite still not being a big fan of such things; and as she stepped backwards, he gave her an appraising look. "For you, I've got all the time in the world. But what brings you back to L.A.? And to Wolfram & Hart? Last year, you said..."
"Yeah, yeah, and I haven't changed my mind on all o' that. But some shit happened in Cleveland – still pissed about being assigned there, by the way – and I had to bail."
"Your boyfriend? Robin Wood, I think his name was?" Angel asked questioningly.
"War-time romance, pal. Didn't work out," Faith said succinctly, choosing not to go into details about her ex. "And just outta interest, how safe is it for me in this town nowadays? I know you said you were gonna fix things as far as me busting out of that prison in Stockton was concerned, but..."
"Already done. You've got nothing to worry about," Angel said with a smile. "I had all records of your conviction mystically sealed or destroyed, and then I gave orders that everyone in authority who knew you'd been in jail – cops, prison guards, you name it – be made to forget that. So as far as everyone outside our little circle is concerned, Faith Lehane is not and never has been a prison convict."
"Thanks, Angel. I seriously appreciate that," Faith smiled back, feeling like a great weight had been dropped from her shoulders. As previously hinted, she had known that the previous administration around here had bought the trial, and arranged to have put her away in revenge for betraying them; so it was a relief to know that piece of her past had finally been fixed. Avenged. Whatever.
"You're welcome. But like I said, what brings you back to L.A.?" Angel asked again. "And what exactly happened in Cleveland?"
Faith exhaled. "That Dana girl – you remember her, right?"
"Vividly," Angel replied, recalling what the crazy Slayer had done to Spike. Namely, sawn off both his hands with surgical precision, before attempting to stake him...
"Well, she said – ah, hell, never mind what she said. But Loony Girl reminded me of Xander, and how I freaking forgot to tell him the truth about Cordelia," Faith spat, very annoyed with herself. "Figured I'd swing by and check on her, before telling him the news – assuming he hasn't heard it already by now." The Slayer then saw the expression on Angel's face and said, "What?"
The vampire went over to the mini-bar, and poured himself a shot of Irish whiskey. He said, "Faith, Cordelia woke up from her coma earlier today."
"Yeah? Hey, that's great!" Faith figured that might earn her a bit of forgiveness, once she told Harris the situation.
"Xander did it by taking Cordelia's place, and now it might be a year or more before he wakes up," Angel added, before downing the alcohol all in one gulp.
Faith's jaw dropped, and it took her a few moments before she could say, "That's – not so great..."
Restricted area of the coma ward, Wolfram & Hart private hospital
A short while later
Someone knocked on the door, causing Cordelia (who had dozed off at some point) to wake up with a jerk. "Huh? What? Who's there?"
The door to the hospital room slowly opened, and instead of the doctor or nurse which the Seer had expected – there was a not-so-welcome blast from the past, in the form of Faith. "Cordelia?"
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Cordy thundered angrily, automatically shielding Xander's body with her own.
"Hey! White flag, already. Didn't come to cause trouble or nothing," Faith said defensively. "Angel told me how you don't remember the last time we met?"
"What? Hey, I remember what happened the last time we met just fine! Your fist almost cracked my cheekbone in half!" Cordelia replied viciously.
Faith sighed, shaking her head. "No, not what I meant. Last year, when you were all possessed and evil? I busted out of that prison once Wes told me that Angel was gone, and Angelus was loose. Not sure anyone's told you about that?"
{ What the hell is she talking about? } "What the hell are you talking about?" Cordelia demanded, still an 'I think it, I say it' type of girl at heart.
"Yeah, figured as much. Look, I'm hungry and kinda thirsty; it was a long trip from Cleveland, and I didn't wanna stay at that damn law firm even a moment longer than I had to. So, you want me to bring you anything from the cafeteria before we talk? Angel runs this place, so I'm pretty sure it'll have something better than the usual hospital slop," Faith shrugged.
Cordelia didn't know how to respond to that. "Why are you talking to me like we're, I dunno, friends or something?"
"Because even though you don't remember it, or probably didn't even mean it since you were evil and everything, far as I'm concerned...we settled a few things while I was in L.A. last year. And hey, we got us a Xander in common." She gestured over to the comatose, one-eyed man. "Believe it or not, I was gonna tell him about you being in that coma the moment I heard about it; but at the time, he was fast asleep in your bed at Angel's hotel, and I frickin' forgot the next day. And over the next three weeks, it totally slipped my mind before Xander shipped out to Cleveland, and then he left the country. Otherwise, he'd have woken you up ages ago. Figure this is a chance for me to sorta make amends, ya know what I mean?"
{ Make amends? To who, me or him? } Cordelia suddenly remembered Whistler's warning, not so long ago. { Be ready for a fight when Harris's so-called friends hear about this, and come charging over here to take him away from you people. } "You're not taking him away from me to Slayer Central, or wherever. You, or anyone else. We clear on that?"
"Crystal." Faith shrugged and smirked. "But hey, that's not really my call. And now I'm kinda lookin' forward to seeing what happens when B and Red show up, ya know? Angel told me to tell you they're coming here from England – should be here by tomorrow morning, at the latest."
"Really. So whose side are you gonna be on, in that fight?" Cordelia wanted to know.
"Who, me?" Faith's face suddenly dimpled, much to Cordy's surprise. "Oh, hey, I gotta be Switzerland on this one. Because that prison shrink tried to get me to take an interest in spectator sports – and sure as hell, this one's gonna be a doozy!"
"Fine. Then make yourself useful and bring me something from the cafeteria, like you offered before. A chocolate-chip muffin and a cappuccino. Make it...cinnamon, chocolate, half-caf, and nonfat milk," Cordelia ordered imperiously, taking a moment to consider her choice of beverage.
"Anything else, Your Highness-ness?" Faith asked mockingly.
"Yeah. Make sure there's extra foam on the cappuccino. Seriously, don't forget it!"
The Slayer snorted and nodded, heading back out the door. Cordelia stared after her, admitting to herself that she was kinda tired as well as hungry and thirsty; the young woman hadn't left Xander's bedside once after she'd woken up, apart from having to use the toilet facilities, and what little food and drink she'd consumed so far had come from the nursing staff around here. { I'm gonna have to do something about that, I suppose. Like pay them back, or something... }
Then Faith's words about Willow and Buffy arriving soon really registered in her mind, and Cordelia sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. The redhead she knew she could handle fairly easily, but the blonde was another matter entirely, especially if the freakzoid got started on her 'I'm the Slayer!' shtick. Still, there was no doubt in the former cheerleader's mind on who would eventually emerge the winner in that particular clash of wills.
{ Because I'm Cordelia Chase, and I. Don't. Lose. Period. }
Main lobby, Wolfram & Hart private hospital
January 25th, 2004
Buffy and Willow entered through the front doors of the hospital, somewhat fatigued after their long voyage from the United Kingdom. Even though they had Slayer stamina and witchy spell-power to prevent them from being completely exhausted by the flight to L.A., they weren't exactly calm and refreshed either.
Buffy looked around and said simply, "Hospitals. I hate 'em."
"I know," Willow replied with a sigh, briefly recalling all the occasions the old Scooby Gang had visited one. "It's the smell, isn't it? The Lysol, the body odors, the food and everything else. Y'know, every time I enter a place like this, it gives me flashbacks to high school. Especially all the times we had to break into the morgue!"
"Do me a favor, Will? Let's not talk about that right now," Buffy asked painfully. "And especially not about visiting the morgue!"
"Oh – right," Willow nodded, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Until they knew exactly what the situation around here was, it would be better not to tempt fate that way. She then went up to reception and asked where Xander's room was.
It took a while for the duty nurse to find out, as Harris still wasn't officially registered as a patient here – but eventually the woman told Willow what she wanted to know, and both she and Buffy made their way to the second floor of the building and then to the coma ward.
"You ready?" the Slayer asked her best friend cautiously, as they arrived at the appropriate door.
"No," Willow sighed. "But I guess that doesn't really matter." The red-haired witch then grasped the door handle, and entered Xander's room.
Only to find, he wasn't alone...
"Hey, B! Red. Glad you could finally join us," Faith's voice immediately sounded too loud and too cheerful to Buffy and Willow's ears. "How was the flight from England?"
"Okay, I guess," Willow said, a little hesitantly. "Kinda tiring, but nowhere near as bad as what it'd have been, i-if I'd tried to teleport us both here..."
"What are you doing here, Faith?" Buffy demanded, looking part-confused and part-annoyed. "Aren't you supposed to be in Cleveland right now, guarding the Hellmouth there?"
"Haven't you heard? We've got nearly two dozen Slayers stationed in Ohio nowadays, so not exactly vital for me to personally stick around. And as for the first part, you thought I wouldn't come here after hearing what happened to Xander?" Faith asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
Willow could instantly foresee how that question led nowhere good, and so attempted to reroute the topic of conversation. "Can we see him?"
Faith shrugged. "Don't need to ask my permission..."
Buffy and Willow hesitantly made their way to the bed, and examined the one-eyed man. Like Cordelia, they were immediately shocked over how much machinery had been hooked up to Xander's body, and how it made him look so, so...fragile...
Willow said to Faith, "We heard what happened from Angel, a-a-and we came as soon as we could. Uh, Xander left us a videotape and all, but we still don't know exactly how he found out about-"
"Me?"
The husky and somewhat familiar female voice came from the entranceway to the nearby bathroom, where Cordelia was standing after finishing relieving her bladder. She stared at Buffy and Willow stonily and added, "That was what you were just about to say, wasn't it, Willow?"
"Cordelia! You're awake, oh, oh, thank the Goddess for that!" the Rosenberg woman began to babble. Willow rushed over and gave her a brief if uncomfortable hug, which somehow thawed the frosty atmosphere somewhat. "I, I'm so sorry I didn't do anything to personally help you while you were in the coma, but Angel assured us he was doing everything possible, he promised us, he-"
"Willow! Breathe," Cordelia cut her off firmly, but with a slight quirking of her lips that hinted at hidden amusement. { Hmm, maybe the hair-pulling catfight won't be necessary, after all. } "Deep breaths. This isn't high school anymore, remember?"
"Oh, yeah," Willow nodded like a bobble-head doll. "Anyway, I'm so glad you're okay..."
"I wouldn't be, if it wasn't for Xander," Cordelia said simply, gesturing to where the comatose man lay in his bed. "In fact – I'd have died if he hadn't done what he did."
"Say what?" Faith spoke up, looking astonished.
"Seriously? The brain damage was that bad?" Buffy added in her two cents, likewise looking very surprised.
Cordelia turned to look at her, and the Summers woman almost flinched at the deep, penetrating stare being sent her way. "Yeah. And lemme guess, Angel forgot to mention that part? No, don't even bother to answer. I swear, sometimes, that man – he and Xander are so alike in some things, it's creepy! Neither of them ever want to give the other proper credit for anything good they've done...one day, I've got to look into whether they're distantly related or something!"
{ Eww, } Buffy thought instinctively. But then she said, "I'm glad you're awake too, for the record."
"Thanks," Cordelia replied frostily. "So, now that that's out of the way, wanna get started?"
"Huh?" Willow said in confusion.
"C'mon, Red! Chant the chant, do your mojo, and wake our boy up! Isn't that why you're here?" Faith demanded, looking surprised.
"Uh, well..."
"What?" Cordelia suddenly lost all traces of friendliness. "You mean, that isn't why you came here?!"
"It's not that simple," Buffy said shortly, disliking Cordelia's tone.
"Why not?" Faith asked, sensing the colder atmosphere at once.
"Uh, well, don't get me wrong, I do want to go into Xander's mind and wake him up, kinda like I did with Buffy way back when," Willow started to babble again. "But after he consulted with Mrs. Harkness and the coven in Devon, uh, Giles phoned me about an hour ago and, um, sorta told me not to do that, e-except as a last resort type plan."
"What? WHY?" Cordelia demanded angrily.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch, apparently," Buffy shrugged. "This was Xander's choice, and if Will does wake him up that way – Giles said the Powers might take it as him welshing on the deal he made to wake you up. So, like she said, last resort scenario."
"Damn, that blows," Faith scowled. "So, what, we just gotta wait until Xander wakes up on his own?"
"Not necessarily," Cordelia said, looking upset. Deep down, she'd sorta been expecting for Willow to simply snap her fingers and fix the situation, but then she told herself not to be an idiot. Her former classmate was hardly some all-powerful deity, after all. "Fred said she might be able to come up with something."
{ Fred? } Buffy wondered, before recalling the dark-haired physicist she had briefly met months ago. "I thought she wasn't a doctor, though?"
"Hey, East Texas is the smartest woman I've ever met – no offense, Red," Faith threw a quick grin in Willow's direction, who simply nodded and didn't take any. "So if she says she might be able to do it somehow, in my book? It's just a matter of time, pretty much!"
"All right," Buffy said reflectively. She'd been about to suggest making arrangements for taking Xander back to England, not knowing that that would have been the worst possible thing she could have said – Cordelia might have done something drastic to prevent it, as she was feeling very protective towards her former boyfriend right now – but luckily, fate and circumstance had conspired to make her abandon that idea. "Well, in that case-"
"Sodding hell, cheerleader, where are you?" an incredibly familiar British voice said from outside in the corridor, before the door opened and Spike strode into the room. "Oy, the big poof asked me to – Buffy?"
"Spike?" Buffy gasped, feeling faint. She honestly couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her for a moment, she was that shocked right now. "Spike? You're, you're alive?!"
Faith had already heard how Spike was back from Angel, and so wasn't completely astonished like the two recent arrivals from Great Britain. "Uh, vampire, so I'm thinking not," she interjected humorously.
Buffy completely ignored her. "Wait a minute – are you the First?" She quickly strode over and poked William the Bloody in the shoulder, instantly confirming that he was corporeal. "No, obviously not..."
"Bloody hell, luv, wasn't expecting you to be here-" Spike began to say, when Buffy unexpectedly punched him hard, right in the mouth. The vampire went reeling backwards, crashing into a wall and bleeding slightly from the corner of one lip. "Owww! Bleedin' heck, pet, what was that for?!"
"You're, you're kidding, right? Spike, we all thought you were dust at the bottom of that crater, which, which used to be Sunnydale!" Willow said incredulously. "And yet, you're here in L.A.?"
"Huh. Andrew actually kept his promise not to open his big gob after we ran into each other last week, then? Gotta admit, that's surprising – I reckoned he'd blab the big news to everyone, the second he arrived back in London," Spike shrugged.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us that you'd survived what happened last year?!" Buffy suddenly screamed, her emotions now completely out of whack thanks to this latest shocking development.
"Thought about it, luv, I really did. But like I said to Harm few months back, it's kinda hard to top an exit like that-"
"Are you freaking insane?!" Buffy interrupted with a loud yell, now feeling utterly livid. "I grieved for you! It took me months to get over the fact that you chose to die for me, and everyone else! Before I started dating the Immortal, I told myself that I had to move on from 'us'-"
"'Ere, hang on – the Immortal?! You're dating that no-good, ruddy pillock?!" Spike growled at once, much like his grandsire had done once Whistler had told him the news.
"Well, what exactly were you expecting? That she'd be in mourning for a year?" Faith asked in an amused tone. "If ya think about it for a minute, Fangless – B didn't even do that for Angel, way back when..."
"Shut up!" Buffy and Spike said to her in perfect unison. Then they looked at each other, and the ensouled vampire said, "Buffy-"
"I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. It," the blonde Slayer hissed angrily at him. "My God, I finally tell you that I love you, and straightaway you tell me that I don't really mean it? Then you come back from the dead, and don't even bother to pick up the phone to tell me this little factoid? Did I mean that little to you, all along?"
"No, 'course not!" Spike tried to reassure her hurriedly.
"Uh, I'm not so sure, myself. I mean, I heard from Angel that Spike had sex with that Harmony vamp a few weeks ago, not long before their big grudge match concerning some kinda fake cup, so..." Faith shrugged, enjoying herself immensely with the choice comments and easily ignoring the vampire's pissed-off glare.
"What?! Spike, is that true?!" Buffy screamed, turning to look at him. Somewhat tellingly, the undead guy couldn't look at her, which pretty much answered the question as far as she was concerned.
Cordelia, who had been quiet up until now – spectator sport, hmm, maybe Faith had actually had a point about all that – suddenly spoke up. "Seriously, Spike? You and Harmony? What happened, did she lose a bet or something?"
"Oi, that's enough outta you, Prom Queen! And it wasn't like that, I..." Spike trailed off, suddenly sensing that Buffy was glaring at him. "Listen, luv, it's not-"
"I'm not your 'luv', William," Buffy interrupted him, her tone now freezing cold. "In fact, I'm not your anything; not anymore. I told you – I grieved your loss, and I moved on. I'm in a serious relationship with another guy now, and it's your own damn fault if you don't like it! And when I go back to London soon – don't follow me, stay here in L.A. with Angel. Because he didn't tell me you were back either, so as far as I'm concerned? You two deserve each other!"
She then stormed out, and straightaway Faith got up to follow her – figuring that since she was more or less the Good Slayer now, it would be better to make sure that her mystical sibling didn't go out into the city and do something stupid. Like get herself killed in an impromptu brawl with the undead. The brunette thought to herself, { Man, the things I do for redemption... }
Spike growled after the Chosen Two left; a loud, animalistic noise from the base of his throat. "Well, that's just bloody marvelous, innit?"
"Why are you here, Spike?" Cordelia demanded, unimpressed. "I mean, you originally came in looking for me, didn't you?"
"Wot? Oh, right, yeah," Spike turned to face her. "Captain Forehead said to say for you not to worry about what kind o' dosh this place charges; he's willing to cover the whelp's medical expenses, as thanks fer saving yer life 'n all. And I s'pose I also wanted to see Harris fer meself..."
Still pissed about Buffy, he then went up to Xander's body and sneered, "Tried to copy what I did with them Trials, did you? Shoulda known better than to try to run with the big dogs, mate, ya simply don't have what it takes-"
That was all he managed to say, before Willow (who had been silent up until now, and following the conversation as avidly as Cordelia) used her magic to telekinetically shove the vampire out the door of the hospital room. Spike subsequently slammed into the corridor wall, and fell down to the floor.
"Sorry, Spike, but you don't get to talk that way about my best friend," a black-eyed Willow told the unconscious Englishman roughly, before a simple hand gesture slammed the door shut.
TBC...