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"Oh William!" the blond woman sighed, shaking her head, her eyes closed in frustration.

"Anne?" Her '*sister'* asked, coming up besides her and grasping her hand.

"They are heading the wrong way!" Anne informed her friend.

"I know. I saw."

"OH Joyce, " The woman answered her *sister*. "They are heading right from the frying pan into the fires. Of hell. Literally!!."

"I know. But, there is still hope Anne."

"Hope." Anne sighed.

"Yes there is much hope." The brunette who suddenly appeared said to them, "This isn't a foul end, but merely..a delay to their final destination. A test.."

Both of the other women groaned.

"A test!" Anne cried. "Another test?" How many test do they have to go through? How many times does William have to prove himself. Honestly Cordelia.."

"Wait listen.. Just one more test. Well...Maybe two. Three tops! But this is a crossroads people. One that will put them on a path to help save more lives.."

"Oh I see!" Anne's eyes narrowed at Cordelia.

"Anne." Joyce began.

"No! I see!. This isn't about our children or grandchild. This is about helping that brut that started this all!. This is about her influence with the Powers. Her putting those boys right in the path of evil so she can try to salvage her precious Angel."

Cordelia's eyes flared briefly "Look the Powers have a will of there own. And Hello. Why shouldn't they do something for Angel. He was on the side of good for like years. He makes a few little wrong turns and than what?? Spike just swoops up and get the reward after a few months of good doing!?"

"So jealousy rules the Powers now!? Is that it?" Anne spat out.

"Please! Please!" Joyce intervened. "We have to focus on the children now. Cordelia, We all know that Angel was led astray from the path. Leaving Sunnydale. His vendetta campaign against Wolfram and Hart, which led to Connor. But he made his choices and the Power's have made their choice. Now, there is an innocent child's life at stake."

"Connor was an innocent child once." Cordelia reminded.

"Yes and his creation was not of the Powers's will. Well, least not *our* Powers." Another brunette answered as she as she walked to join the discussion. "Honestly you think Wolfram and Hart would know better than to try and force a prophecy. Did they really believe they could get control the champion and the gift!?" The brunette laughed jovially.

"Oh no!! No! NO!" Anne said as she pointed a finger accusingly. "Not her!"

"Sorry" Another, lighter brunette answered as she appeared. "But she's involved now as well. Apparently, the Power's have her spying on the other side, trying to block their interference in this matter. Looks like our old pal the First haven't finished with their meddling. Seems like their already trying to pry into Spike's head; sending him off in the wrong direction. Apparently if one of their servants can't get to them, they'll be happy to let the other do the deed. Now I know it's going to be tuff to all work together... What with the history and all...."

"History!" Anne was near hysterics now. "This women. This trollop! Cecily or Halfrek or whatever you call yourself. She put my son. My baby! In the path of a monster. She.."

"FYI, It's Hallie now. Okay? Thanks. And that was eons ago. How was I to know that when I casually wished that your son would find a woman to occupy his attentions for a couple of hundred years that the woman I was confiding in was a vengeance demon, and that she'd take the wish quite so literally!"

"You little troll." Anne started, with Joyce trying to calm her.

Hallie seemed unfazed as she continued, "My callousness towards the whole ordeal is how I got the vengeance demon job. Did I tell you than Anyanka?" Before Anya could answer, Hallie continued on, turning back to Anne. " And if I didn't have him turned there would be no *Little William* for us to be trying to save. We would probably be calling him Liam right now; And your son would have died a pathetic little momma's boy virgin, sprouting out bad poetry until the end of his days."

"You harpie!! You trollop...You little ..whore! My son was a good man!" Anne was beside herself, and Joyce had to physically hold onto her, afraid she would violently lash out against Hallie.

Hallie just kept rambling on "I mean really, here I am. Sentenced to 1000 years as a go-for to the Powers for humanity. And I don't even get decent accommodations and only one weeks vacation a year. Honestly Anyanka how did you escape my fate?"

"It's Anya, Hallie. And it's because I chose to renounce my demon ways willingly, like Spike did." Anya gave a slight glance at Cordelia at that sentence. "And I died in the service of the Powers, on the side of good! You were only let off as easy as you were because of your help and sacrifice to me and on the condition that you work off your debt to humanity. Besides Heaven's not all it's crack up to be. Sure it's peaceful and all, but I haven't found any good organisms yet!! Everyone's so..passive here. So boring and bland and blah.. Reminds me a bit of England."

Haliie nodded in agreement.

"Anyway." Anya continued, "That's why I volunteered for this gig. Not drafted because I'm a servant to the Powers for the next millennia."

"Which is much more generosity than she deserves." Anne spat, "She deserves hell fire and brimstone and..."

"Please people." Cordelia finally cut in. "Getting off topic here."

"Yes. Please." Joyce spoke. "What can we do to help them?" How much longer before they can return home?"

Cordelia took in this mothers' stricken face and pleading eyes. "I'm not sure Joyce. I'm just not sure."

Anne gasped and nearly collapse in Joyce's arms. The women held her *sister * firm. She wasn't faring much better than the other mother was, but then again Anne had a couple hundred more years of waiting and hoping behind her. Poor Anne's strength was beginning to wane. She'd had her hopes built up so many times only to have them crushed every time Spike made and impulsive.., and often wrong..choice.

Once Joyce was certain Anne had recovered, she turned to Cordelia with a determined look on her face. As far as she was concerned his whole game of life that the Powers were playing better be over soon. Really, Buffy's childhood was ripped from her. Forced to fight evil to the death night after night. Her dying..Twice. Being ripped from heaven. Having to endore the loss of her mother. The abandonment of her mentor and her friends in the times she needed them the most? Now the loss of the two people who meant the world to her?
No, this had gone on for far too long, her daughter had suffered enough.

"Cordelia," Joyce began, trying to keep her voice calm, belaying the turbulent emotions swarming behind her thoughts, "There must be something we can do."

Everyone was quiet as they watched The favored servant. Even Hallie stood silently by, waiting for advice on what direction they could nudge their charges toward.

She more than anyone else wanted this conflict resolved quickly and quietly. She hoped that the faster William got back and settled, the sooner every would...forget her...little involvement..in this matter. Maybe she could get some better assignments..like sunny Spain or maybe snowy Aspen..Oh how she had loved Aspen. She'd love to go to Aspen again.. because...
Because if she had to get one more deadbeat dad in Wyoming to pay up or deal with one more washed out red neck in Topeka... Or even worse, be sent to New Jersey again.. she may just offer herself up to Hell and take her chances.

After a few seconds thought, which had seemed much longer to the group, Cordelia finally spoke," It's complicated right now."

Ignoring the groans of the group Cordilia continued with a raised voice while trying to swim above the waves of murmurs and chatter she had induced with that riling sentence. "I's just..Just that things have already been interfered with. All our attempts to steer Spike in another direction has failed. So we figured since they were going that way anyway..It was..a good way to see how far gone..Ang..The gang in L. A. was. We'll get to see how they react..The choices they'll make...

"Uh. This is such a farce. You influence this into a test to prove that your beloved Angel has not yet been too far corrupted. I told you.. See this is her influence to try to save that monster. That monster that corrupted and ...abused my poor boy!" Anne sobbed.

"Oh come on, we're not exactly talking about St. Francis of Assisi over here", Cordelia reminded.

"My William was a good man!!, Not like that drunken, womanizing lout! Even as a demon he held onto his humanity, bit of his soul. It was that foul loathsome creature that tortured what was left of my poor William out of him. It was Angelus that taught my boy to be a monster. " Anne charged.
And no one could argue with her on that.

But Joyce had other concerns. Now was not the time to dredge up that which they could not change. After all, the choices of the past had led them all here. There were other lives at stake now. Ones that they could save.
"Cordelia..Buffy...she can't take much more of this. There must be something we can do?" Joyce pleaded.

Cordelia looked at the group. She was the direct link to the Powers and the desicions had already been made. However she wasn't too happy to have to be the one to deliver the news. At least *kill the messenger* could not be applied here. Pummel maybe.
"It is the will of Powers not to turn Spike from the path he has currently chosen." she said simply.

The other women gasp. Even Hallie seemed effected by the recent turn of events. It seemed that this drama was to play out longer than expected.

Joyce held firmly to Anne as she spoke to Cordelia. "If..If we can't get to Spike right now, that you must let me contact Buffy. She can't go on wondering if her son is dead..or hurt beyound repair."

Cordelia was already shaking her head when Anya spoke up. "Joyce could visit her in a slayer dream. Like she did during the whole First Evil thing. She wouldn't have to tell her where he is. Just that he's alive, and in safe hands."

"And I'm sure there is some bit of help we could throw William's way" Haliie offered, "After all they are stuck in that horrible desert. Little William will be will be ready for college by the time the reach L. A. at the pace their going."

Cordelia sighed. "I'll see what I can do," she promised, "For now that's the best I can offer. The time will come soon were we will all have to work together to save as many of them as we can," Cordelia glanced at Anne's sour face, "But for now, I'm afraid that the Powers have left them to themselves. It is imperative to see what choices they will make. And it's their will and all that so don't anyone get any ideas of acting on their own and trying to influence anyone, or you'll end up out of the loop on a purgatory assignment for the next 12 weeks right beside Darla. So unless you want to be monitoring the mating season of the Siberia snow rat you'll cool your heals and sit tight."
"It is time to see what road their choices lead them to."





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