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Chapter 1

The room was dark and musty, shadows of large covered furniture dancing across the walls. Suddenly two bright flashes of light fill the room as two portals opened. Two figures fell from the endless depths onto the floor and the portals winked out of existence. Slowly and painfully they started to stir, trying to sit up. They turned and looked at each other.

"Angel?"

Spike?"

They gasped in unison.

Spike and Angel just glared at each other, too weak to actually get up.

"What are you doing here?" they again cried simultaneously.

Spike in spite of himself chuckled. "Guess that answers that." He gave a meaningful look to Angel seeing how beaten and tired he looked. "Hell dimension?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Did you have any doubt mate?"

Angel chuckled lightly. "No." He started struggling to his feet. "So the question is why are we both here?" He studied Spike still sitting on the floor. "So do you remember everything before,,," he trailed off.

"You mean with the death and the dying and the turning into a big dust cloud? Yeah mate."

Angel nodded and then turned to glance around the room. "Well at least I know where we are if not when we are." He glanced around at the lobby he'd spent so much time in over the last 3 years.

"Actually it's been two months." The familiar voice came from behind Angel and his mouth hung open as he swung around.

"Cordy?" He asked in barely a whisper.

"Well don't just stand there mouth all agape and all." And just like that he quickly closed the gap in between them and flung his arms around her.

"You're really here." He said astounded.

"Well sort of. This isn't a social call Angel, the PTB sent me as a messenger."

"They sent you? This can't be good." Spike moaned still sitting on the floor.

"Spike, you're just as charming as ever." She smiled at them both. "Look you kind of threw them for a loop. I mean this plan of yours Angel, just not making much sense. Getting yourselves killed kind of makes sure your not here fighting the good fight. This wasn't the Appocalypse this was the Senior Partners getting a little vengeance on you and yours." She shook her head at him sadly. "When I talked to you before I thought you had kind of figured some of this stuff out. Guess you're denser than I remembered."

"But..." he stopped confused. "I mean I didn't lose focus we still brought down the inner circle that had to have done some damage to them"

She sighed loudly. "Angel, they may have been the ones in charge here but the Senior Partners were still pulling the strings. They were just puppets and they will just find more in their place. The only thing you really accomplished was making sure our side was a lot weaker." She walked over closer to where Spike was starting to stand up. "Let's just say the amount of disappointment was felt all around. For us to lose not just two Champions but the human cost." She shuddered. "Not the best strategy I've seen and I've seen a few doozies."

"The others...?"

"Fred, Wesley, Gunn and Illyria? All of them gone Angel. I understand what you thought you were trying to do and I understood their..." she trailed looking for the right words. "devotion to your ideals. Been there you know. But it's all past now." She watched as he sat heavily in a chair. "And now the balance of power has shifted again. Really the both of you were brought back here because this wasn't supposed to happen." She walked to him placing a calming hand on his shoulder. She could see the pain and loss etching it's way onto his face. "I have a lot more to tell you but its gonna be a lot more painful. I think the best thing is for you guys to actually get some rest and we'll talk about all of this in a couple of hours."

"Rather get it all out now if you don't mind." Spike growled.

"Please, that Big Bad routine isn't going to work with me. I know the hell you guys just came from and I know the pain you're feeling.. I can see it in your eyes Spike. Both of you are not going to be able to do any good unless you can look at this situation a little calmer and less hurt than this. So go upstairs, get some sleep and I'll be back at sunset."

"Look you stupid bint..."

"Enough!" she spat as she wheeled towards him. "Don't make this any harder than it already is okay?" her tone softened.
"I know coming back from the dead again is not what you had in mind but I'll explain everything I promise." Spike finally nodded at her. "Besides you both look like hell." She smiled as she turned and walked out of the lobby.

*****

Angel and Spike had just made their way back down the stairs, neither having had much luck sleeping. Both had spent the time thinking of the people they had lost and the pain they were feeling. Angel had been brooding just as expected but even he noticed how subdued Spike was. Never one to let silence alone for its own sake his grande childe was uncharacteristically quiet. It suddenly occurred to him that he had never really understood the younger vampire. The last few months had given him some insight into his character more than he had during all the time that they had spent as they tore across Europe.

"Hey." Cordy's voice drifted over to him as he came to the bottom of the stairs. "Thought you guys might be a little hungry."
She gestured to the table next to her a couple of blood bags laid out. "Sorry didn't know the microwave had been packed up."

They just approached the table and picking up a bag each ripped the tops off and chugged them down. Both grimaced at the cold blood.

" 'Salright pet." Spike grumbled.

"Well I guess we should get this started then. Come on sit down the two of you." She motioned to the chairs opposite her.
"You know that the Powers sent me because they think you've both lost your paths. Got to get you guys set on your way again."

"There is no bleedin' path for me. Peaches here is their soddin' champion not me." He had raised his voice but there was no venom behind the words.

Cordy gave him a warm smile. "Ah but you are now aren't you. Whatever reason you give Spike you gave your unlife twice. Once to stop an apocalypse and once cause you thought it was one. Things like that get you noticed by those that run things. Fact is Spike you are the talk of the higher planes. No one demon or human has managed to do what you've done, to manage to merge yourself into a man with a demon so flawlessly. The fact that you got your soul on your own is something many of us still can't get over."

"Didn't do it for anyone but her." he said under his breath.

"That's the thing, you did it out of love. Love you're not supposed to feel. You are a unique individual as much as you hate to hear it." He shook his head at her. "I know pride keeps you from admitting a lot of things to yourself. But trust me you have everyone's attention now."

"So what the hell do we do now?"

"Right. Well first off you guys are going to be splitting up now. I know you've gotten quite used to each other but you have very different destinations down the road." Both vamps started to protest.. "Please just listen, I don't need any of your petty arguing just to keep yourselves from admitting you don't hate each other." Both their jaws clamped shut. "Good. Spike, you're gonna be doing a little something special for us. They want you to take a message to someone. They've kind of gotten lost and need someone to bring a little focus back into their life."

"I thought that was your gig?"

"Only for you two. Let's just say this one's got a bit of a temper and doesn't like interference from the Powers. We're thinking a familiar messenger might make things a little easier on her. You're gonna need to contact the Watchers Council."

"A slayer stray, already?"

"Not exactly. Let's just say she just stopped caring about everything. Kind of turned her back on life. We just wanted to reaffirm her importance here to her."

"What if I refuse?" his tone was quiet.

She shook her head at him a little sadly. "I know you won't. It's Buffy." she said the last very quietly.

Both Vamps jumped to their feet. Protests rang out around her.

"Look..." she said getting up "She and the other slayers were having visions of your last fight. She came down here to help you guys out but the truth is they had to let you die in that alley." Angel could see the pain in her warm eyes. "These guys weren't going to stop until the whole gang was dead. If any of you walked away they would have hunted you down no matter how many innocent lives were in the way." She sat back down and glared at the two of them. Slowly they sat back down."The dream they had was the whole fight in that alley. She didn't even have an idea that you were alive again until she started having the vision. To his credit Andrew didn't tell her anything until the night before." She saw Spike's eyes fill with tears and watched him blink them back. She could almost feel the pain radiating from him. "Because we knew that you weren't going to make it out of that alley we had to stall her. Any human who died there.." she paused, "no one was going to be able to bring back.. They just wanted to make sure they didn't lose her again. She got here right after the last of the demons went back through their portal. Anyway after knowing that you had come back and that you had died again without her getting a chance to talk to you... well she decided she wanted nothing to do with being the slayer."

"Maybe she just faced the fact that she wanted a normal life finally." Angel said under his breath.

"No you don't get it. I mean anything. Her friends, her family, she wants nothing to remind her of who she is or was." She looked meaningfully at Spike. "See the Powers never noticed before. I mean you guys had been constantly crossing paths but it turns out your destinies, well they kind of intertwine."

Spike felt his shoulders slump and his mind screamed in pain at the thought of his slayer. "Buffy." her name slipped from his lips in sigh.

Angel was on his feet again. "Hold on one second here. Did I hear you right Cordy? Are you really telling me that they are connected forever?"

"Oh don't start with that tone, you and her haven't felt that way in a long time. I know." She looked at Angel her eyes pleading. "Unless what we had..."

"No! No what you said is right its just, its Spike." He shrugged hands in the air trying to make sense of all this.

"What the bloody hell are you trying to say?"

Angel just shot him a disinterested look.

"So what is this then petty jealously?" Angel's face softened at that. She turned to Spike his face so lost. "You Spike... you and Buffy are connected. It may mean you'll always be friends or it could mean more, no one but you and her know that. All we know is the two of you will be there for each other." She smiled softly at him. "If you can show her the true path her life is to take then you and her will walk that path together." She let her words sink into the vamp and she could almost see his mind trying to wrap itself to this new information.

"So what am I supposed to be doing during all of this?"

She smiled tenderly at him. "Angel they wouldn't tell me anything specific about what was coming for you. All I've been told is that they want you to open AI again."

He slumped forward in his chair. "That's it, just open back up. I can't do that Cordy, not with all of you gone."

She placed a hand on his knee. "You can and you will. You knew someday something like this would happen Angel, we were all mortal. I know it's painful but I promise you won't be alone for long. People will come to help you because it's the right thing to do." She looked deep into his eyes. "I wish I could stay and help you through this but I pulled as many strings as I could to be here now." He placed a loving hand on her cheek. "You can do this Angel. It will be hard but you'll make it."
As if hearing something she stood suddenly. "It's time for me to go."

"Cordy I-" he stood and pulled her into another hug. "Thank you." he whispered.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Don't make me come back here and kick your ass. Take care of yourself." He nodded at her. "That goes for you too Spike."

He tilted his head at her words refusing to come.

With a brief caress of Angel's cheek she turned and walked away. And like that she was gone.





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