The day after the Jhe Sisterhood attempted to open the Hellmouth and the group ended up in another reality and met doubles of Cordelia, Giles, Xander and Buffy, they met at the library to discuss their accidental trip.
"So, Grandma, you mentioned a vampire with a soul. What was that about? How can a vampire have a soul?" Xander asked.
"I can answer that, actually." Ms. Calendar said. "About a hundred years ago, there was a vampire who called himself Angelus, he of the angelic face. He was also known as the Scourge of Europe. He was part of a group called the Whirlwind. He fed on the daughter of the Head Man of a Romani Tribe. The Elder Woman of the Tribe conjured what she considered a perfect punishment. She cursed the return of his human soul into him. It was to punish the demon. I originally came to Sunnydale under orders. You see, I am Romani. My birth name is Janna of the Kalderash. I was to watch him and report if his suffering was lessoning. The Elder Woman's visions said something would lesson his suffering. Something happened, though. One of you must of dusted him. Without knowing about the soul, you would have assumed he was just another vampire, I guess."
"What's an Elder Woman or Head Man mean?" Willow asked.
"It's their equivalent of Medicine Woman and Chief, Willow." Xander answer. "We learned about the Romani in our studies. They're one of the few people that still practice the Guardian Ritual. Plus I'm related to them. My grandmother on my father's side, she was a Lavelle. Lavelle's were French Cajun and before that French Romani."
"That curse was an abomination. It should never have been done. The soul suffered far more than the demon. Not to mention, it had reincarnated, so like with the other Willow doing the curse, someone died to make it work." Grandma said. "And it was Buffy who would have lessoned his suffering and the curse of that cowardly pedophile."
"Cowardly pedophile?" Giles asked.
"According to my visions, he stalked her for a year, starting when she was 15, before making contact with her."
"Did he meet our Buffy?" Willow asked.
"I don't know, he may have. He had been in town for a while, I know that." Jenny said.
"What did he look like?" Willow asked.
"Tall, good looking, brooding."
"Cute, cryptic guy. That sounds like the guy she called cute, cryptic guy! He was the one who warned her about the Harvest." Willow exclaimed.
"It does sounds like the guy she pointed out to us." Rhonda agreed. "But shouldn't she have sensed he was a vampire?"
"I don't know. She never seemed to notice it in any of the visions I had."
"He gave her a jacket, it smelled like a vampire had been wearing it, like decay. She said the only thing she could smell was cologne, but vampires don't need to shave, so why wear cologne?" Cordelia asked.
"To confuse her senses, perhaps." Giles suggested. "If what one sense was telling her was one thing and another was telling her something else, she'd eventually have tuned them out. It sounds like he may have had an agenda where she was concerned. We may never know, for sure."
"I hope now that they know what's coming, they'll do the tests Grandma suggested." Xander said. "And that Xander and Cordy get back together. I can't imagine being happy with anyone other my Cordy."
"Same here." Cordelia said.
"I can't believe other me used Magic to break them up. That just doesn't sound like me." Willow said.
"Actually, I think it sounds exactly like you, Willow." Xander said. "You'd been getting increasingly possessive of me, remember? Add to that damaging your soul to make that curse work, I absolutely could see you doing that. You'd probably tell yourself, it was for my own good. Maybe convince yourself I'd never be happy with Cordy."
"He's right, Willow." Grandma said. "Your use of Magic would have been very selfish. You would have used it to 'fix' what you perceived to be problems with people. But were actually things you just didn't like. You would have caused a great deal of pain and misery, to yourself, as well as others, before attempting to end the world in a moment of grief. Xander would have stopped you. He would have talked you down. Giles would have allowed you to study on your own. Like you, he would have assumed your intelligence would safe guard you. Problem is, Willow, you have nothing in the way of wisdom. Xander, whether he has power or not, sees to the heart of people. He often knows you better, than you know yourself. It's one of the reasons he such a good Alpha. He sees what his Pack needs."
"What about that mystical potential you mentioned?" Giles asked.
"That may manifest on its own. Mine did. I know Cordelia has the potential to be a seer, similar to myself. It's why that fallen power would have taken an interest in her. It would have used it as a gateway into her. After which she would have been controlled and then birthed the Devourer. It would have killed thousands before being stopped. But that won't happen now. It can't use you anymore, my dear."
"Thank you, for that." Cordelia said.
"From me, too." Xander said.
"Grandma, you said this Devourer would manipulate Cordelia. Isn't that what you've been doing?" Willow asked.
"I presented an opportunity, Willow. The choice was theirs. That's what made the Guardian Ritual so perfect a way to try to save them and hopefully stop that future I saw. It was based on choice. Each of you have chosen for yourselves, a different path than what you would have chosen before. I gave you an option. Whether you it took or not, was up to you."