Chapter Summary: Angel is in town with Cordelia and Connor in tow. Wesley stayed behind in Los Angeles. Willow and Angel have a chat when he arrives, and she explains her woes to him. Cordelia has another vision, and she goes out in search of some answers. Buffy's getting a little bit antsy, and they decide to head out on a patrol.
Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.
'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.
Willow and Amy lounged on the new couch that Amy conjured up after looking through catalogues. The old couch was simply not large enough for both of them to spread out on comfortably, and Willow wanted to be able to kick back and relax with Amy.
Willow was upset about Dawn being kidnapped and nervous about Angel's arrival. So, Amy had offered to perform a quick relaxing spell. Willow accepted, and the result was two very mellow witches. To keep themselves occupied until Angel arrived, they decided to paint their nails. A bottle of Violent Light nail polish for Willow and Pink Paradise for Amy levitated in the air while the brushes hovered over their toes, slowly stroking each nail in turn.
Willow waved her fingers in the air, "How did we ever manage to paint our toes and fingers before this?"
Amy giggled, "Who knows. After your friend arrives can we go back to Rack's? Last night was a blast, but I need a recharge."
Willow's answer was cut off by a loud banging on the door. With a quick wave of her hand, the nail polish vanished and their toes were magically dry. She sighed and straightened up on the couch. She didn't even bother to go to the door. She called out, "Come in, Angel."
"That was a foolish thing to do, Willow." Angel stomped into the living room with a scowl crossing his face. He hated leaving Connor's side, even if Cordy was there to take care of him in the car. He knew no one would protect Connor like he could, but the thoughts of trying to explain to everyone why he had a baby was too much to deal with right now. He didn't want to explain Darla to anyone right now, much less admit what happened to Buffy or her friends.
"I was specific with the invite." Willow huffed at Angel. "Only you would have been able to come in with that offer. I'm not stupid."
Angel ran his hand through his hair, careful not to mess up the gelled mass too much. 'Maybe not, but you can't find one teenager without calling me to Sunnydale to help you out,' He thought to himself. 'It's not like Dawn isn't in danger every other week. Buffy always saves her.' He frowned. "It is better to be safe than sorry, Willow."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I know what I'm doing."
'Is dragging me here some form of revenge? Is Willow still that upset over her fish that she would do this to me on purpose? Torment the vampire with what he can never have?' Angel sighed audibly.
"You aren't here to give me a lecture on proper vampire procedures, Angel." Willow started to get angry. Angel had no right to tell her what to do. She was a powerful witch now. She didn't need his guidance.
"Right." Angel clenched his hands into fists at his side. He fought to keep down the anger at the redhead. 'They call me to come here and help out and protect them, then she has a hissy fit when I try to tell her to be careful.' His anger increased the longer he stewed on it.
Amy cleared her throat beside Willow. She wasn't about to get in the middle of a fight, but if this was the Angel that Willow had been waiting for, she wanted to get rid of him so they could head to Rack's.
Angel focused on the other girl on the couch. "Hello ... Who are you again?" He figured that she had to be one of the Scoobies he didn't remember or she wouldn't be in Buffy's house.
Willow answered Angel impatiently, "This is Amy. Do you remember the burning at the stake incident and the turning into a rat problem we had?" At Angel's blank stare she continued, "Never mind it's not important. Amy is an old friend of ours from high school. She is moving into Dawn's room now that Dawnie has moved out."
Angel stared at Willow. She was making absolutely no sense again. "I thought you said Dawn had been kidnapped. Why are you moving people into her room, if she has been abducted?" He paused a moment, "Why are you moving people in here at all without Buffy being here?"
"The state will probably take Dawn away from Buffy for real, anyway." Willow shrugged and looked unconcerned. "The social worker really doesn't like Buffy. It's not like Buffy is ever home anyways." She complained, "No one has heard from her, except Dawn, for the last four days. Not once has she bothered to call and check on me." It didn't matter to Willow that if Buffy was gone she wouldn't know that Tara had left her. She was just upset that Buffy hadn't coddled her. 'It's just like when Oz left all over again.'
"Buffy has been gone for over half the week, and you are just now contacting me? Who has been patrolling for her? She is the Chosen One, the Slayer." Angel was flabbergasted. It wasn't like Buffy to shirk her duties and responsibilities like this, not the Buffy he knew. "She should be here guarding the Hellmouth. What the hell has been going on since she got back?"
Willow was feeling annoyed, and she could feel the relaxing spell starting to wear off. Her eyes started to darken, and she snapped at Angel. "Look I told you on the phone that Buffy had disappeared, and Dawn was the only one who knew where she was. You need to focus Angel."
Angel looked at the redhead and sat down in a chair. 'This could be a long night,' He thought to himself. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"
"Beginning? You've got to be joking." Willow watched Angel for a moment before she realized he was serious. She contemplated incinerating the vampire from the inside out, but she needed him to find Buffy and Dawn. Wolfram and Hart have Dawn, Buffy is nowhere to be seen, I can't find her checkbook to pay the mortgage that the bank keeps calling me for, and Tara left me." She spat out all in one breath.
Angel inwardly rolled his eyes. Did Willow even realize how she sounded to him?
"To top it off Giles is drunk, and Xander is off trying on tuxes for his wedding. I have to help patrol, everything is falling apart, and I'm the only here trying to hold it all together. So whatever the heck is bothering you I'm sorry, but hello, you need to help me deal with this now. I don't have all night to hold your hand." Willow finished her tirade of anger and complaining.
"What exactly do you want me to do about it all? Most of that I can't do a thing about." Angel was beyond annoyed. For being Buffy's best friend, Willow seemed more concerned about her own personal problems than she was for Buffy's welfare. He was very close to slapping Willow for her whining attitude.
Two hours later, an annoyed Cordelia stormed into the house with a crying baby and a small overnight bag. She stomped over to Angel, and she thrust Connor into his father's arms. "You take him. He won't calm down for me anymore. He can tell you're upset even from the car."
Cordelia plopped down in a chair. She waved at the two women. "Hey Willow. Hey Amy. Can we stay here tonight?" She stretched her legs out in front of her. She'd been cramped up in that car for far too long, and her legs hurt. "I have a feeling this isn't going to be resolved any time soon, and I am really tired of sitting in the car, even if it is a nice one." At Willow's nod, Cordy jumped up and grabbed her bag. "Thanks, I am going to take a shower."
Willow just stared as her former high school nemesis dropped off a baby, which calmed immediately, and headed upstairs towards her bathroom. "What the ..."
Angel grimaced, 'I guess I will have to explain now. Couldn't Cordy have waited five more minutes?' He sighed and began the story of Wolfram and Hart's meddling and how it had resulted in his miracle son.
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Cordelia waited until she got into the bathroom, and she had turned on the shower, before she started shaking. She had fallen asleep in the car with Connor cuddled up to her chest. During her rest she dreamt a truly bizarre dream.
Cordy still tried to make sense of what she had seen. Some of it seemed like flashbacks to her vision from earlier. Others were flashes of things that didn't quite make sense to her. Was it precognition like her visions, or was her mind recreating the worst fears she'd dwelled on during the ride to Sunnydale.
Cordelia had clearly saw Buffy die in a cemetery from what looked like a gunshot wound. Then, she saw Buffy being turned. From the hair color of the head leaning over the dead Slayer, she placed her bets on Spike being Buffy's Sire. The rest was a jumbled array of scenes.
In her dream, Cordy saw Spike and Buffy fighting demons, caring for Dawn and a couple of blond women that she didn't know but were at their side. She saw Buffy fight Angel, who looked a lot like Angelus with all the leather and demon face, and Buffy crying over an unconscious Willow. A vamped Slayer would be dangerous, but the thought of Angelus on the loose made her blood chill.
Were Buffy and Spike going to be their salvation, or did they help create the situation? Was it their fault that Angelus got free? Cordelia knew Wolfram and Hart was involved somehow from Angel's ramblings on the way from Los Angeles. Could it have been they who took his soul? Was it simply a dream she misunderstood or a vision gone wonky.
She decided to try and find out what was going on. She slipped out of the shower and left in running. She hoped the noise would mask her leaving for a while. She quickly dressed into suitable fighting clothes. She went to Buffy's room and slipped down the tree, much like Buffy did hundreds of times. She hoped to find some answers to her questions by wandering into the night.
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Buffy stared out into the night. She waited until Dawn and Tara had dozed off before coming out to the porch to think. Her thoughts were overwhelming at times. She needed the space, for both her soul and her demon.
Silently, Spike slipped out onto the porch. Buffy smiled at her Sire. Sometimes, he could be so sweet and gentle. "Are you going to sit with me?" She'd seen him be equally as protective, kind, and loving over the last couple days as he was hard and vengeful over what happened to her.
Spike nodded and moved over to the porch swing. He sat down on the furthest side of the swing. He felt Buffy's emotions running high, and he wasn't sure what was wrong. So, he opened up his arms for her to slip into if she wanted to.
Buffy snuggled into Spike's arms and closed her eyes as Spike began to stroke her hair. "What are you thinking luv? I can hear the wheels turning."
Buffy squirmed around until her head rested in the nook of Spike's shoulder. She took an unnecessary breath and sighed. "You haven't even tried to touch me the whole time I've been here, not even when I rose."
Spike stilled. He wasn't able to tell if Buffy was trying to convey his restraint as a good thing or a bad thing. He had to choose his words carefully. "Don't what to push you into anything, pet. I read all those books that Tara picked up, and they all mentioned how it important it is not to push you into something you're not ready for."
"You actually know how to read?" Buffy teased before she became silent for a few minutes.
Buffy's silence unnerved him. So Spike continued to talk to her as he stroked her hair. "Luv, you're so beautiful and strong. I love you very much, and I want to be with you forever." He lifted her chin up to look into her eyes. "I want any joining we have to be something you choose, not something you do because I am your Sire or because you're suddenly a vampire." He cupped her cheek. "I can wait until you're ready to decide if I'm the one you want to be with. Time is on our side now."
Buffy smiled and stretched up to kiss Spike on the cheek. "Thank you." She felt relieved and a strong sense of contentment. Knowing that he was willing to wait for her was a relief. She just needed some more time to get used to everything.
After a while of sitting on the porch and cuddling close to each other, Buffy looked up at Spike. "I think I might be ready to patrol. I'm getting a bit restless about being cooped up. Can you come with me?"
"Sure, luv. A little patrol would go a long way to smoothing your demon's need for violence." Spike held out his hand for Buffy to stand up with. Hands still clasped, they slipped off into the night together.
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Cordelia walked towards the cemetery she'd seen in her vision. She had a few stakes on her, and she felt fairly prepared if she ran into any vamps. She wasn't hunting for vampires however. She wanted answers, and like everything strange in Sunnydale, the answers would most likely be found in the graveyard.
Walking silently in the shadows, Cordelia observed the night around her. The air felt heavy. It was as if the night knew why she was there and wanted to stop her from finding out its secrets. She quietly moved around the darkened corners and listened. The crypt she saw in her vision was closer to the other side of this cemetery.
Quietly, Cordy listened in on the conversation floating on the air. She rolled her eyes. 'How do they ever manage to sneak up on vampires with the racket they are making?' She ducked behind a crypt to keep from being seen.
Giles and Xander lounged on tombstones discussing the whereabouts of the missing Slayer.
"All I am saying Xander, is that Buffy really should have given us a way to contact her. It was bloody irresponsible of her to run off like that." Giles had been following the same rant for the last two days. He was forced to cancel his flight back to England, and he was ticked off. "I know that being pulled out of Heaven must have been hard on her, but it is time for her to act like an adult. She needs to take responsibility for her self and for Dawn."
Cordelia stifled the gasp that wanted to escape. 'Buffy was resurrected from Heaven? Oh my gosh! No wonder she was so messed up when she came to LA.' Her heart broke to think of how hard it must have been for Buffy to transition from Heaven back to the hell that was Sunnydale.
Giles continued his tirade. "We can't always be here to clean up after her, take care of Dawn and patrol for her any time she decides to take off."
Xander grimaced and attempted to soothe Giles' rant. "Channeling the evil undead G-Man? Buffy is going through a rough time right now. She's easing back into things." He sighed audibly. He still had a hard time dealing with the fact that they had resurrected their friend out of a heavenly dimension. "We ripped her out of Heaven. The important thing is to help her through this transition."
"Didn't you say something like that last week when you thought she had been in Hell?" Giles knew that he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't stop it all from coming out.
"It's still true, no matter if she came from Heaven or Hell. I think coming from Heaven would be a lot worse of an adjustment than a hell dimension."
The conversation quickly spiraled into an argument over what Buffy really needed: time versus responsibility. Each of them had a different opinion, but they both seemed to agree with the fact that they wished they knew where Buffy was.
Cordy shook her head. 'Those idiots tore Buffy out of Heaven, and they expect her to be all happy about it?' It seemed that Xander was okay with allowing Buffy the time away to deal with it. 'What the hell is with Giles though?'
Finally a body rose from the grave and both men went into attack mode. After they dusted the newly risen vampire they moved on to another part of the cemetery.
Cordy quietly snuck past them. She finally reached her destination, the crypt she saw in her vision. She tried to open the door silently, but she winced when it made an annoying creeping noise. 'God this is so like a cheesy movie.'
All light thoughts fled when she saw the inside of the crypt. The burial vault was covered in blood. She covered her mouth and forced herself to walk in further. Tears burned in her eyes. She noticed a trail of blood and some half burned cigarettes on the floor.
Everything looked exactly like her vision. She could almost picture a dying Buffy and a weeping Spike standing over her. She bent down to touch the space on the ground that she imagined they rested against. She'd seen enough to validate her worst fears. She needed to get to Angel to have him verify if this was Buffy's blood or not.
Cordy turned and fled out into the night as quickly as she could. She had to get away from that crypt fast, before she threw up. She fled out past the crypt door, but her progress was stopped abruptly when she ran straight into the arms of a snarling vampire. She screamed.
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Angel knocked on the bathroom door. The shower had been running for over an hour now. Although vampires were not sensitive to cold and hot, he still wanted to get some lukewarm water for his own shower.
"Come on Cordy, answer the door." Angel knocked again. He heard Willow and Amy leave the Summers' house about a half hour ago. He didn't know where they were headed to, and he really couldn't bring himself to care. Something about Willow seemed darker than before. His demon seemed to lean towards her. That was never a good thing.
Angel pounded on the door. He didn't want to wake up Connor, but he wondered if something was wrong with Cordelia. "Delia ..." He knocked again. "I'm coming in if you don't say something in the next five seconds." He counted to five, and after no answer, he shouldered the door to the bathroom open.
Angel searched the bathroom for any sign of a struggle or trouble. He reached into the empty shower and turned off the water. "Strange." He looked around the room again. After a trek to Buffy's bedroom, and seeing that Cordy's clothes were strewn about, he assumed that she slipped out. "What the heck does she think she's doing?"
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(To Be Continued)