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‘Cordy’, Xander smiled, ‘its good to see you’

‘Good to see you all as well: now I’ve been sent to hurry you all along.
Giles has had things his own way for far too long, and you lots have to move it. If he manages to bring Eyghon through completely it will open up the doorway for thousands of demons to come. Eyghon isn’t just any demon. He’s a demon lord and you need some really powerful mojo to beat him. Dawn’s list is accurate, those really are the jobs you’ve got to do, but first you need all the players in place. So you need to call Riley and Sam, now, and you are going to have to warn them what’s coming; they will need protection, especially with the baby. They need to be prepared, because if you fail, if we all fail, then this whole dimension will be overrun by demons.’

‘Can’t happen.’ Xander said, reaching for another donut, ‘in fact won’t happen,’ he added, shoving the donut into his face, grinning like a lunatic.

‘What are you on about? It’s what I’ve come to warn you about!’ Cordy pouted: she was getting cross with the poor man. Xander seemed to be particularly thick today. ‘Of course it will happen, it’s happening. There is a demon taking over the head of the council, the last of the guardians died before Sunnydale and the heroes are spread out all over the place.’

Xander flapped his donut holding hand nonchalantly towards the glowing apparition. ‘We only do apocalypses in Spring,’ he explained, ‘it’s the end of summer, don’t do apocalypses in summer.’ He grinned up at the beautiful angel in front of him. ‘You should know that: you were involved in enough of them.’

Cordy rolled her eyes and Buffy started laughing. They were facing the end of the world and Xander still goofed around and made them laugh. Even Willow was smiling again.

‘Yeah, right, well unfortunately this demon doesn’t have a calendar, so maybe the fact that he can’t read and we’re not on a Hell Mouth changed the season for the Apocalypse.’ Cordy said, and poked her tongue out at Xander, whose nose was covered in chocolate frosting from the donut.

Cordy walked across to where he was sitting, her skirts swishing as she moved, she reached out with her hand and gently wiped his face with a tissue. Xander would always have a place in her heart.

‘Can someone call Viv, Rona, Kennedy and Septamus?’ She asked, looking over her shoulder at Buffy. ‘I think they should hear all this.’
Buffy nodded and headed for the door, shouting through the hotel for the missing members of the gang.

‘Now,’ Cordy continued, ‘most important Willow, you were right to check where the souls are now. You have really grown up. We are all very proud of you up here.’

Willow blushed with pleasure. She was still the insecure little girl who grew up in the shadow of her powerful friends, and such praise really meant something to her.

‘This time you won’t be working on your own: you’ll have help.’ She indicated Morgana, who was sitting quietly listening to everything that was being said. ‘And you won’t be pulling anyone out of heaven, you need a completely different spell for what’s going to have to happen.


‘Anya,’ Cordy explained, ‘is working for us, but technically she’s in purgatory and has said she would be happy to come back. She misses you Xander, very much, but would have to come back as a demon. The vengeance in her heart against Giles is just so strong. Could you cope with that?’

Xander started to reply but Cordy held up a perfectly manicured hand. The pale pink nail polish shimmered in the sunlight.

‘No, don’t answer me now. You really have to think about this Xander: Anya is willing, in fact happy to come back, but she can’t be hurt again. She would still be a vengeance demon, that is who and what she is. Can you deal with that? Really understand her needs, strengths and weaknesses and love her anyway? You couldn’t last time, you let your fears dictate your behaviour and it ruined everything for you both. Will you let that happen again? Will you be able to stay this time?’

‘After what Bleach-boy did for us, I’ve learned not to be so prejudiced,’
Xander answered, ‘and after what Giles has done, I think it’s humans that I’ll have the problem with.’ He answered as honestly as he could. ‘I miss Anya so much, we had so much unfinished between us. I want her back and I think, if I’m honest, I need her back as well. No one matched me like Anya, she really was my soulmate and I was a total fool.’

Buffy looked at Cordy. ‘Where’s Spike?’ she asked quietly, almost frightened to hear the answer. ‘Is he with you, in heaven?’ her voice was shaking so much. She needed to know he was alright.

Cordy smiled softly. ‘He doesn’t consider it heaven. He hates it there. He’s the only vampire, in fact he’s the only demon, ever to have got in. He can’t hustle anyone at pool, he can’t get drunk, he isn’t supposed to fight. In fact his only joy is that he’s seen his mum and sisters again, and he spends most of his time with Joyce and Anne. He says that he’s glad that he has hot chocolate there or there would be nothing worth staying for.’

‘My Mom?’ Dawn whispered.

‘She sends her love to you both. She is well and happy, God I sound like a really bad medium.’ Cordy moaned. Buffy and Dawn laughed as Cordy put her hands together and pretended to meditate.

Willow sat quietly: she was a little intimidated by the ex Cheerleader. Cordy turned her attention totally to the Witches in the corner.

‘Right,’ she started again, ‘due to Giles’ and Angel’s meddling The Powers have to actually take a hand and try and put things right. Normally a quick shove in the right direction is all that is needed, but this time, what with the huge fight with WolfRam and Hart, and not helping Willow so the First was let loose and everything else, they have to act directly, and they are not happy about it.’

‘Morgana, you are to teach Willow everything and I do mean everything. She is your new apprentice: consider it an order. Willow, Morgana is a direct descendant of Merlin, and she knows more about magic than anyone else in history near enough. All her family have been powerful, because she is not a white witch, but she’s not a black witch either,’ Cordy added, holding up a hand to still the riot that had threatened with that statement. ‘She’s a true neutral. Able to pull power from everywhere, charged with maintaining the balance in this dimension. It’s what they true daughters of Gaia have always been. The Mother has kept their line strong and secret. The original guardians were servants of the line, so that tells you how powerful, and well-connected Morgana is. It was her family that made that Scythe you carry around, Buffy.

‘Willow, you will learn everything you can. We know how powerful you are: only someone with your power could have released all the slayer line from its imprisonment, but you will have to work harder, in fact harder than you ever have before. You are strong, you are a fabulous person, and it’s time to let go of your fears. That’s what Kennedy is here for. Her love will be your balance. You will be, no, you are the mind, she is the physical, the body, but she is your wisdom as well. She understands what it is to be selfish: that’s how she was raised. She’s overcome it and she will help you to do the same. No more doing things to make people behave the way you want them to. You have to let free will rule others, only using your remarkable gifts to help keep the balance in the world. This one and others.’

‘And me?’ Asked Dawn.

‘You are what you’ve always been, the key, the gateway to all dimensions, heaven and hell. You can open them and you can close them: when Willow is trained she will help you.’

‘And me?’ Xander repeated Dawn’s question.

‘You are a dilemma, you have proved yourself the hero time and time again, but you are pure human. If you want to help, you have a choice. You can help as much as you can for as long as you live and die a natural death, or you can join them, join them as a sort of Powers hit team, we’ll help you sort out Giles whatever you decide. He has broken just too many rules, but if you choose, you become our hit squad. So Xander, you get to choose: mortal and have a lifespan, or join with us, become one of the forever living, and keep fighting the bad guys.’

‘I always knew I’d end up one of the undead,’ Xander mumbled quietly to himself with a smile. ‘I don’t have any other family, my family are all here in this room, so I vote for staying. But will I stay looking young? Don’t think I’d be much help in a fight when I have a walker.’

‘Yep, you’ll stay as young as you are now, and best of all when Willow is up to full power she will be able to heal any wound, no matter how old. Your eye is fixable, or at least will be.’

Xander put a hand up to the patch. ‘No more pirate jokes?’

‘No more pirate jokes,’ Cordy responded.

‘I’m the learning girl then, full time and with Speed!’ Willow babbled happily. She would be able to help Xander.

Rona and Viv entered the room quietly, followed by Septamus, his nose still in a book.

‘What’s up? You shouted, leader?’ Viv asked.

‘Yep,’ Buffy said, ‘seems Cordy here wants us to form a hit squad.’

‘Hit squad?’ Rona asked ‘what sort of hit squad?’

‘Seems bad…’ Viv added.

‘Septamus Pratt, it’s been far too long,’ Cordy said to the elderly man, offering her cheek for him to kiss and totally ignoring Rona’s question.

‘Cordelia my dear, you look wonderful, positively glowing.’

Cordy laughed gently.

‘Well the majority of the gang’s here, time to get down to business.’ Cordy became serious again. ‘I wasn’t ignoring you Rona, I was working out how to answer you. You as slayers all have a choice, well, all except Buffy.’

‘What sort of choice do I get, or don’t I get one as well?’ Dawn started to pout.

‘If you join in with what’s being planned the slayers become immortal. They will travel: heaven, hell, parallel dimensions, all will be available to you, but you will work to keep the fabric of the universe stable. It should sort itself out though: you’ll just sort of nudge it when necessary. Thing is you will all need a permanent partner: every angel needs a devil to balance her. Kennedy balances the black witch in Willow, Anya balances the hero in Xander…’

‘Why don’t I have that choice?’ Buffy asked, ‘who’s made the decision for me this time?’

‘Xander did,’ Cordy replied.

‘What! No I didn’t!’ Xander spluttered.

‘Well in a way you did, you brought her back when the Master killed her: the CPR ring any bells? She became an immortal then, it was what allowed Willow’s spell to work when she was in her grave, although Willow didn’t finish it because of the demon bikers from hell.’

‘Another black mark against Giles: we gave him a prophecy that the Slayer would die if she faced the Master alone, we gave her a member of the Master’s clan to fight for her, all Angel and Giles had to do was walk in and use a crossbow on bat face, Buffy could have had an early night, but no, they leave her to go off on her own…’ Cordy ranted.

‘And my balance?’

‘You, my dear beloved friend, need a real devil to balance you, one of the worst that has ever walked on earth, one who will love heart and soul: your balance is Spike.’

Buffy was speechless. She had been born for that man, she knew it now.

‘And why don’t I get to choose?’ Dawn asked again.

‘Well you can choose whether or not to use your gifts, but Dawnie you are immortal. The monks made you from Buffy, so immortal blood there, and the key just changes forms: green energy, a statue, a girl, for you it makes no difference. Now you all need time to think: Septamus, we would like you to run the library for those who decide to stay. You’ll be in charge of research, you will have all you need.’

Septamus smiled and nodded and went back to his book. He knew all that already and had been ready. He had his own sources: Morgana.

‘Buffy, a word?’ Cordy added and swept out of the room with Buffy in tow.

‘Buffy you have to choose. Do you think you’ll be able to do what is necessary with Giles? He’s not the man you remember.’

‘Even if he was, I would still kill him. I sent Angel to hell remember?’

‘I know. He’s back there now, Angel, paying his dues for killing when he had a soul. Spike makes it to heaven: despite having no soul he changed for you, and Angel gets chance after chance and his ego sends him to hell.’

‘You loved him…’ Buffy realised why Cordy was so sad.

‘We both did; give him a few hundred years and he may learn. After all he’s supposed to be my balance, and at least I manipulate him when I have to.’ Cordy added with a small smile. ‘Now I’ve got to go: babysitting again tonight, and I daren’t be late.’

‘Who are you babysitting for, cause I find it really hard to imagine you caring for a child.’

‘A lovely little baby boy, and I was bribed, new shoes and dress if I get it right. And they’ve asked Coco Chanel to design it for me; Dior has said he would do me a whole new wardrobe if I get this whole job right. The things I’ll do for fashion,’ she added with a smile. Cordy vanished into the glow that surrounded her, leaving Buffy alone in the main foyer.





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