Xander returned to the hospital and found Oz, Cordelia and Lupe still there. He handed Lupe her car keys and thanked her for letting him borrow her car.
"The one responsible for Willow's current condition?" She asked. "Please tell us he's a pile of dust." Xander raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Please," She said. "I may never have seen any of those creature, that I'm aware of at least, but I always believed they existed. And Sunnydale has always felt evil to me. I stay because the Chase's are my family and I will not leave them. I've helped raise Cordelia and I have watched her change over the last several months and become more grounded and happy. The happy I attribute to you."
"I hope so, I'd like to think I make her happy." For the first time since this nightmare had started Xander didn't feel the rage and pain he'd been feeling, he felt the world fall away as he met Cordelia's understanding eyes. "Unfortunately, no, Angelus is not dust as far as I know. Buffy stopped me. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt and say it was so she could finish him herself, but I think Angelus called it when he said she was trying to save him. I got even more pissed and I said I wish she could see the truth or something like that and something said wish granted and they both disappeared. I went to Giles and he said there are actually demons that grant wishes and they're not cute little fairy godmothers, they do it to cause pain and misery. Wherever Buffy is, she's not having a good time. Angelus either, for that matter."
"How do we help Willow?" Cordelia asked. "Oz admitted to Lupe that he's a werewolf and he told us you're like his Alpha now. I hope you can explain that, Doofus. Anyway, Oz offered to change her and Lupe and I both told him to wait."
"For one thing she can't decide anything for herself right now." Lupe explained, the grandmotherly woman sighed softly. "And even when she can, it will only heal the physical damage if I understood his explanation. It will do nothing to heal the damage to her soul, her spirit. Only time can do that."
"And not having a definitive answer on what's going on with Angelus won't help." Cordelia interjected. "I was essentially kidnapped twice last year, once by the Epps boys who wanted me to be Chris' frankensteined girlfriend and once when those frat boys ruffied me and tried to feed me to a demon. Just knowing that Chris is dead for good and the other two were arrested helps and the demon I was being offered to is dead and the frat boys mostly killed themselves. I know they won't be coming after me again and I still had nightmares. Willow doesn't get to know that Angelus is gone for good and trust me, it's going to eat at her."
"Which is part of why I wanted to destroy him." Xander replied. "I wanted to beat on him to make myself feel better, I wanted to destroy him to avenge Willow and so I could tell her she's safe from him. Maybe he's in Hell where he belongs, maybe that's the only place Buffy can really see the truth of him, but without knowing, Willow's got a ghost hanging over her head and I don't know right now what I can do about it. As for why Oz considers me his Alpha, it's because I am an Alpha and I established dominance. Remember when I you told I'd been possessed last year?" He asked Cordelia.
"Yeah, an animal spirit, you said. I thought it was gone."
"It is." Xander explained Giles' findings and Lupe looked thoughtful.
"Reminds of stories I've heard of shamans, it might be a place to start researching, to help you understand what's happening to you."
"That's a good idea since Giles doesn't have much information himself. But that's going to have to wait. First, Oz, I need your sniffer, there's apparently an invisible demon in the hospital feeding on sick kids. I need you to sniff it out so I can explain to it our feelings on it's life choices." Yeah, Xander was getting good at the flat shark eyed look.
"After that?" Cordelia asked.
"After that I find out if any of my pack is in a similar situation. They could have a seed of Magic in them too and not know until something happens. I should have done something back then, for two days they were my responsibility, but I wanted so badly to forget everything the spirit did while it was in control and I thought they probably felt the same way. Now I feel like I abandoned them."
"If I remember correctly," Cordelia leveled a glare at him. "you told me the spirit wanted a mate and chose Buffy because she was strong and because you had a crush on her. Where are your thoughts on the matter now?"
"That I already have a Queen who's strong and I have no need for another one. And even if I did, it wouldn't be Buffy."
"And this Queen you have in mind?"
"Oh, Queen C, do I really need to spell it out?" Xander's grin flashed. "No one and nothing can compare to you."
"Damn right." She nodded regally and bestowed a smile of her own on him. "Go find that demon and make sure to finish the job this time, Doofus."
"As my Queen commands." Xander playfully saluted her.
"Damn right as I command." Cordelia and Lupe returned to the waiting room as Xander and Oz went hunting for an invisible kid killing demon and made it the unfortunate recipient of their rage at Angelus.