2's a Crowd – 5

Part 1: More Fragments Chapter 25
Part 2: Yet More Fragments Chapter 52
Part 3: Yet More Fragments Chapter 72
Part 4: Yet Even More Fragments Chapter 48

"Who dares to mess with my unit?!" the winged figure demanded, flaming sword in his right hand raised, ready for battle.

Buffy rushed forward even as Giles yelled, "Buffy, no!" Her sword shattered when it met the flaming blade and a side kick flung her back ten feet. Angel leapt between the two combatants, ready to sacrifice his life to give her time to recover.

"Harris?!" the figure demanded, his wings folding down onto his back as he squinted at the figure, the flames on his blade dying out. "No, but you are in his body. Do you want to explain to me what you are doing in my recruit commander's body?!"

"You know where my Xander is?" Cordelia demanded.

"I allowed him time off to visit you last night, Miss Chase. Are you saying he didn't visit with Ariela? I was given to understand that you were helping my recruits deal with their new forms," he said after examining her for a moment and figuring out what was going on.

"I thought I was dreaming," Cordelia admitted, noting the name tag on the black robes he was wearing. "So, Mr. Beccera, when can I get him back in his body?"

Buffy had gotten a new sword from Giles, but held off attacking for the moment.

"Within the next two weeks local time," Mr. Becerra assured her. "I can't be more exact because, thanks to Harris' encouragement, the recruits are moving at an accelerated pace. However, I won't be putting him back in that... thing," he said, gesturing towards Angel with his sword.

"What? What's wrong with it?" Willow demanded.

"It's not in the best shape and that's ignoring the fact that it's ... infected," Ed replied with a snort. "I'll requisition him a new body from supply."

"I have VD?" Cordelia asked in shock, thinking about what she'd been doing with Xander.

"No, you're clean," Ed said. "Him and the slayer have it."

"And such?" Cordelia asked Buffy with a glare, as she put two and two together and recalled a comment she'd made.

Buffy winced. "We thought he'd be dying today."

"Oh," Cordelia said, her anger vanishing like a blown out candle. "So I get him back in two weeks in a new, adult Xander body?" she asked Ed.

"Yes, Miss Chase. I'll see to it personally. I'll also make sure Xander's visits are extended long enough for you to get a full night's rest, as well as some time to talk," he promised her, noting how tired she looked.

"So, I get to remain human?" Angel asked.

"I have no use for you," Ed said, dismissing him as unimportant as he turned to Willow. "This is your one warning. Try to interfere with any of the angels under my command again and I'll introduce you to the CIC personally."

There was a blinding flare of light and the winged messenger vanished.

"Xander's been visiting you every night?" Willow asked Cordelia, trying to distract herself from what Ed had said.

"I thought I was dreaming," Cordelia admitted again.

"Can I see him the next time he visits?" Willow begged.

"No!" Cordelia shot back instantly before clearing her throat and saying in a calmer tone, "He visits in dreams."

Angel and Buffy held each other tightly, already blocking out the world.

"I can't believe Xander gave us VD," Buffy said with a frown as she thought about how that sounded.

"Cordelia's clean, so I probably got it from some infected blood," Angel told her, not wanting to think about how he might have gotten infected over the centuries when Angelus was in control and passed it on to Buffy who'd infected him in Xan- his new body.

"That does sound more likely," Buffy said, brightening up. "And now I don't have to lose you!"

"I'm human again," Angel said with a smile. "Permanently!"

Cordelia turned her back so she wouldn't have to see the two kiss.

"Xander's training with angels?" Willow asked Giles.

"It appears that way," Giles said.

"What are they training him to do?" Willow asked, turning to Cordelia for answers.

Cordelia froze, eyes wide; then frowned. "I don't know," she admitted. "We didn't talk about what he was doing."

"Then what did you talk about?" Willow asked.

"We didn't," Cordelia said flatly, obviously unwilling to talk about it.

Willow opened her mouth to ask anyway, but Oz laid a hand on her arm.

"I assume we can dispense with researching succubae," Giles said to a very red faced Cordelia who nodded.

"So we're going to have two Xanders?" Andrew asked.

"That's going to be confusing," Johnathan said.

"They're nothing alike," Buffy said, shaking her head as they rejoined the group.

"How are you going to cover there being two of him?" Oz asked.

"I have some contacts who can make me a new identity," Angel said. "I'll return his life to him when he gets back."

"We should take you two to the hospital for some blood tests," Giles said. "Hopefully a shot or two will clear things up."

"Erm," Buffy said nervously, "If this gets back to my mom, she'll kill me."

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but it has to be done," Giles said firmly. "Left untreated, some venereal diseases can cause blindness, insanity, and even death."

"There's an after school special for you," Cordelia said. "Why sex with vampires is a bad idea and... uh oh."

"What, uh oh?" Willow asked, seeing that Cordelia had just thought of something.

"You two didn't use any protection," Cordelia said.

"Vampires can't have children," Angel said.

"You aren't a vampire now," Cordelia said pointedly.

"Uh oh!" Angel and Buffy chorused.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Haddoken!" Xander shouted as he shoved his hands forward, rocketing a ball of white energy across the field to hit a blonde angel who smiled brightly in response, her black robes absorbing it easily.

"The blessing worked," she announced to the surrounding angels.

Ed face palmed. Only a Californian teenager would think of casting blessings like they were attacks to bless a comrade from a distance.

"Try the healing touch," encouraged a dark haired angel.

"Ok," Xander agreed, bringing both his hands up to his chest and cupping them like he was holding a ball. "Kami-"

Ed turned away to go search for something to drink. He was sure he was going to be the first angel in all of existence to get an ulcer.

Typing by: Ordieth!