Ten

-----

"I can’t believe this. Why didn’t...?" Buffy trailed off, thinking it wasn’t right to go on the attack. "You could’ve told us."

"I didn’t know until --" Jenny began to respond.

"I meant about who you are." The slayer clarified. "You could’ve been honest with us."

The teacher had asked to speak to the slayer alone after she woke up, even though she wasn’t feeling too great. Her left leg was in a cast, her lower lip was cut, and there was bruising on her face and wrists. As well as on areas she didn’t realize Angelus had hit. But above all, she was worried about Giles. Being in worse shape than she was, they’d immediately rushed him into surgery, and it’d been nearly three hours since the two of them were admitted. They weren’t saying anything to her about his condition.

He wasn’t supposed to get caught up in her clan’s ancient crusade, but outside involvement was pretty inevitable at this point. The situation was out of her control. Well, almost.

When she learned that she had visitors, she knew she had to tell Buffy the whole story. Now that the secret was out, Angelus would step up his plans -- whatever they happened to be. In any case, she needed to get ready for him. Her reaction to the news, to the truth, had been a relatively calm one, but she wanted answers. Jenny would’ve been happy to oblige, except that there weren’t many to give.

"I know...I should have. It was a mistake, and I’m sorry. I really am, Buffy, but I was taught to put my people ahead of my life. They were fools." Jenny closed her eyes, pushing back the pain. "I guess that makes me a fool, too."

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "So you care about people that used you, and act like they were the only ones hurt by Angel...a hundred years ago. I’m trying to understand, here."

"No, not anymore." There was bitterness in the woman’s voice.

"What about Giles?" Buffy wondered. The teacher-student dynamic was still in place, but her eyes gave her feelings away. "Good." Then she wasn’t a fool. "Cause he cares a lot about you."

"I think I blew my chance." Jenny sighed. "How is he? Do you know?"

"The doctor said there was some internal bleeding..." Buffy’s forehead creased. "There was other stuff, but the only thing I really heard was the, ‘he’ll heal’ part."

Jenny was obviously relieved. "Thank God."

The blonde’s expression softened, her arms dropping to the side. The woman had gone through hell; she’d paid enough. "How’re you doing?"

"I won’t ever badmouth drugs again." Jenny received a chuckle in response. "My uncle said they were going to send me a permanent spell before..." She swallowed; his death was fresh in her mind. "It’ll save Angel."

"We just gotta find someone to do it in time, right?" Buffy frowned. This was bad, but the scariest thing, was that it began to explain his recent, odd behavior. "You’re sure he’s still there?"

"If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be alive right now." The techno-pagan said. "Neither would Rupert. Angel isn’t doing this, Angelus is."

"But you have no clue why they’re, uh, separating?" Buffy asked.

Jenny shook her head on the pillow, as the gang came in.

"Can we...is it okay?" The redhead gently asked.

"Sure, Willow." Her teacher smiled.

They were definitely a special group of kids.

"Hi, Miss Calendar." Cordelia greeted her, grabbed Buffy’s hand, and then focused on the teacher. "Oh, geez."

"I see your ‘geez’ and raise you a ‘whoa.’" Xander looked away, realizing how not tactful that sounded, which was one of the side effects of being around the cheerleader. "Sorry."

"Ooh. Who did that?" Willow questioned, getting angry. "I’ll-I’ll...do something real mean to them! And glare at them when they’re...um, in jail. A-a whole bunch, though!"

Buffy shrugged, giving Jenny a, "they’re gonna find out, anyway" look. Still, she hesitated.

"They’re moving Giles to a room." Xander said. "We’ll keep her entertained if you wanna go see him."

The slayer nodded. "I’ll let him know you’re all right."

"Tell him," Jenny wanted to be able to move, "tell him I wish I could get up and come with you."

"Bet he’s thinking the same thing." Buffy smiled. "Don’t worry, you haven’t run out of chances yet, just get better." She looked at her friends. "Make sure she stays comfortable, guys."

"Will do." The hacker stated, firmly.

Cordelia wordlessly followed her exiting girlfriend, not releasing her grip. Sensing a new level of stress, she figured she should remain close. Stress mixing with Buffy wasn’t a good thing.

***

The cheerleader walked slowly across the parking lot, making her way to her car. A very ill-looking Buffy was barely managing to trail behind her, which was why she wasn’t leaving school grounds as quickly as usual. Everyone knew the slayer had been pushing herself too hard. She had passed exhaustion after the second day, but they were afraid to say anything. Angel had moved out of his apartment, so they didn’t know where he was, and they were all anxious about what he was going to do next.

Opening the passenger-side door, Cordelia watched as Buffy wearily climbed into the seat, a hand on her forehead. Then she spotted Snyder, and ducked. He had been trying to corner them; their "open displays of affection" were inappropriate and unwelcome in his school. There was an occasional, kiss, hug, or handhold. What was so wrong about that? If it was the gender issue, then she didn’t buy it. All he wanted to know was how he could get his hands on a videotape.

Ugh. Yeah, she’d avoid him.

"Don’t patrol tonight." The brunette said, focusing on the blonde. "You’re sick."

"I have to; and I don’t get sick." No sooner had the words come out of Buffy’s mouth, that she sneezed. "First time for everything."

"Uh huh. Right." Cordelia’s face displayed concern, but she wasn’t budging. "You should stay in and get your mom to make you soup or something. At least you have a parent that lets you milk illness."

Buffy smiled a little. "Would you make me soup if...nah. You wouldn’t wanna have what I got."

"I’ll risk it if it’ll keep you inside. Where you can’t get killed." Cordelia hated saying it even more than she did thinking it. "It’s going around. Probably catch it, anyway." Her eyes widened as an idea came to her. "Hey, maybe I could mooch off your mom, too. It’s not like Marta’s an option. She’s a maid, but somehow, there’s a list of things she swears she won’t do, which I don’t get."

"Lemme guess...’nurse’ is at the top?" Buffy asked.

Cordelia nodded. "Figures, doesn’t it? But that’s actually fine by me, cause frankly, there’s no way I’d put my life in her hands."

The blonde saw the forceful look behind the humor. She knew it well by now. "It won’t be a long one, okay?"

"You can barely stand!" The cheerleader sighed, not used to people arguing with her. "No wonder you’re ready to collapse! All week you’ve been going to cemeteries looking for Angel, then you spend the rest of the night at the hospital and playing stakeout waiting for Angel to show up, and then you come to school and worry about what he might’ve done. Do you even sleep? Am I in there somewhere?"

"Of course you’re in there. That’s why I’m..." Buffy’s words dropped off. "I don’t want him coming after you. And Giles and Miss Calendar are getting released tomorrow --"

"Buffy, you’re missing the point. So I just won’t go out at night. Fine, I can adjust. But what happens if you run into him this time?" Cordelia questioned. "What’re you gonna do, cough on him?"

"What choice do I have, Cordy?" The slayer shot back.

"Wait till you can breathe. It’s great that you wanna save people’s lives, especially mine, but you won’t be able to do anything like this, and you know that." Cordelia said, pointedly.

"It really gets to you, huh?" The dizzy slayer was slowly starting to understand that.

"The idea of you dying? Yes!" Cordelia was ready to rank her girlfriend’s question up there amongst the dumbest ever. "Oh, and since I don’t trust you to overcome your Super-Girl complex, I’m not letting you out of my sight."

Maybe it was because she was delirious, but Buffy thought that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.

***

Spike’s legs hung over the side of the mausoleum; he had been sitting there for the last twenty minutes, puffing on a cigarette. Being able to move freely once again had its advantages. He was back in the loop with everything from Angel’s unpredictable behavior, to the new twist in the Slayer’s love life. No middlemen or lackeys for him, anymore -- he decided that now was the time to take charge, to be his own man. Yeah, he was the master of his destiny, and no one else would tell him what to do.

He’d used his brief period of disability not only to grieve, but also to make a clean break from his attachment to Druscilla. Oh, he’d definitely have his revenge...and when that was over, he was going to say so long to this damn town. He and Sunnydale were through. Where would he go? Maybe back to his old haunts, establish a permanent lair, and let eternity pass him by, all the while achieving the vampiric status he knew he deserved.

Alone and solitary. Love? Who needed it? Certainly not him. Why’d he get so upset, anyway? He was a demon -- the biggest and baddest of them all. It was time they all knew that.

Hearing the crunch of footsteps, he nonchalantly blew one final cloud of smoke out of his mouth, and flicked the cigarette to the grass. One of the shoes that was the cause of the sound, stamped out the faintly glowing butt. The bleached vampire had known he was here; that’s why he had picked this spot to wait for him. Took the guy long enough, but then again, Spike was okay with the staking delay. It allowed him to get motivated.

"Know what I heard? I heard somebody’s been unstable lately." Angelus looked up when he heard Spike’s voice. "What’s the matter, Angelus? Soul got you down?"

"It’s a phase, Spike, and it’s almost over." The elder vampire said.

"Really? Well, that’s a relief." Spike commented. "I’m no doc, but I bet it’s gotta be bloody crowded in there."

"Like I said --" Angelus began.

"Yeah...phase...right. Got the message. Don’t get repetitive on me, Granddad. You’ll start showing your age." Spike advised.

Angelus never liked him. "What’re you doing here?"

"Just enjoying the night air, is all. I hope that doesn’t bother you." Spike smirked. "Hiding from the Slayer yet?"

"Hiding?" Angelus asked, incredulously -- with a touch of annoyance. Like he would hide.

"Not that I blame you." Spike ignored him. "Hell, I’ll be the first one to admit she’s got the stuff, and word is, she’s on full alert."

"I happen to be recruiting, so --" Angelus was cut off again.

"Oh, my mistake." Spike was quick to say. "Waitin’ for one of your boys to wake up, are ya? Smart. I mean, you’ve never needed reserves before, but it’s nice to see that you’ve figured out when you’re outmatched. I had to learn the hard way, but you’ve always been the strategic one. Are you rushing off to smother her watcher with his pillow, or to tear apart the slut she ditched Softy for? No, not you. You say, why be rash? Not cause you’re scared, but cause you’ve got brains. And that’s why you won’t ever stop teaching the rest of us."

Angelus was leery. "I’m a giver."

Spike hopped off the mausoleum to stand in front of his elder. "I don’t wanna sound greedy or anything, but could you give me something else? Only an answer; nothing big."

"What’s the question?" Angelus wondered.

"Who did Dru in?" Spike asked. "You or the Lapdog?"

"He did." Angelus supplied.

"Thanks." His knuckles connected with Angel/Angelus’ forehead, then. "Doesn’t make a difference, but I appreciate it, anyway."

He hated them both.

***

Buffy had to admit it -- Cordelia had a good idea. After spending the whole day in the house because her mother forced her to stay home from school (if she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought there was some conspiring going on), her girlfriend had come to get her outside. The brunette commented that the entire place smelled like sweat and germs, and her response was that they didn’t have a particular smell, which then led to a debate on the purposes of scented Lysol.

But the night before, Cordelia stuck to what she had said. She kept Buffy at her house until Joyce finished at the Gallery, and then took the blonde home, to be monitored by a watchful, motherly eye.

It was two forty-five in the afternoon now, though, and they had just about absorbed all the fresh air that Wetherby Park had to offer. The rest of the group had accompanied them -- including Amy and Oz -- and soon they were going to pick up Giles and Miss Calendar from the hospital. Buffy rested her head on Cordelia’s shoulder as they walked, but other than feeling completely drained, she thought she was doing okay. Her fever had broken a half-hour ago.

"Whatcha thinkin’?" She asked the cheerleader, as there had mostly been silence so far.

"Thoughts." Cordelia loved sarcasm.

"Wanna narrow it down for me?" There wasn’t enough energy in Buffy’s body to devote to smacking.

The brunette glanced behind them, judging their distance from their friends. "You don’t wanna hear them; not when you look that pale and splotchy."

"What’s it have to do with how I...?" Buffy lifted her head up, as the answer dawned on her. "Oh." She flushed, but the reason for it was totally unrelated to her health. "Really?"

True to form, Cordelia wasn’t the least bit fazed at being found out. "Did you forget that we’re kind of involved? Also called ‘dating’? It was bound to cross my mind, eventually."

"How much?" The blonde wondered.

"Enough that it causes me problems, all right? Sheesh. Too much flattery can be bad for you, you know." Cordelia warned her. "And don’t tell me you haven’t."

"No, I-I have...I mean, look at you." Buffy said, which made the brunette grin. "But I just...that’s far."

"Do you have somebody else in mind?" The cheerleader asked. "Cause I’m not going anywhere."

"That’s not what I meant." Now Buffy checked the gang’s distance, whispering. "I’m a...I’ve never...and I want us...except...there’s this thing where...I don’t exactly know how."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "And I do?"

"Well, you’ve had...experience." Buffy said, quietly.

"Hello, in case you didn’t notice before? They were guys. I’m just as clueless as you are about...that." The brunette divulged.

"Um, we could rent some videos, or...books." Buffy realized. "Are there books?"

"Yeah, in a back room somewhere." Cordelia wrinkled her nose as if she had just caught a whiff of a really bad odor.

"What’s your bright idea, then? We gotta know what we’re doing." The slayer said.

"Xander’s probably read all about it. We could ask him." Cordelia paused. "Ew. Even as a joke, that’s *so* wrong."

"What’re you two talking about?" Xander questioned, which was very good, almost creepy timing. "Can’t be any more interesting than the conversation we’ve got going on. Birds, bees, and nature in all its glory."

"That’s too easy even for me." The cheerleader remarked.

Buffy wanted to laugh, but grimaced instead; her unpredictable monster of a flu was coming back with a vengeance. "Can we sit?" She requested, not knowing why the trees had to spin. "Dizzy."

Cordelia briefly wondered if this was just a way to leave the topic they were discussing, but one look at her girlfriend told her it wasn’t. "Hang on, there’s a bench right..."

Things were darkening -- they weren’t going to make it there.

***

"What do I owe ya, Danny?" Spike asked the blood bank’s delivery boy, as they stood at the back of Sunnydale General that night.

Just as he’d gotten the upper hand, the recruits decided to rise. Three of them -- Angelus must have had a big meal. Could anyone blame him for not liking those odds? If it had stayed one-on-one he would’ve taken him, but as soon as he saw an opening, he decided it was better to split. He probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to get the drop on Angelus again, though. It was always a bad idea not to finish what you started.

"That’s five bags...three AB positive, two O negative...got a special this week. Thirty-five. Outside shipment -- quality straight from Virginia. Lucky you." The substantially younger vampire answered.

He reached into his pocket and handed over the requested price. "Yeah, lucky me."

"Laying low, huh?" Danny said as he accepted the cash. "It’s understandable."

The Brit had issues with rage, and it showed in his face. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Danny’s hands went up. "Nothing, Spike, nothing. Just...you don’t normally buy this much from me, and we all heard about Angelus. What you did."

"And I’d do it again. It’s not him I’m worrying over; it’s the Slayer. She doesn’t know I’m out and about, and I’m trying to keep it that way." Spike said. "Don’t need them both to be on the hunt. Got that, Danny Boy?"

"Sure, sure. But I don’t think the Slayer’ll be a problem. Least for a couple nights. She checked in this afternoon." Danny told him.

This caught Spike’s attention. "You’re kidding." He smiled when Danny’s head shook. "For what, Bitchitis?"

The information would be worth parting with his money.

***

Before she even opened her eyes, Buffy knew exactly where she was, and mentally groaned. The smell gave it away, though she also felt the IV in her arm, and the too tight blankets pulled up over her. She didn’t want to see just yet, but she would’ve bet anyone that they put her in one of those gowns. When she finally allowed herself to look at the room they’d given her, she had to rationalize --

"Well, was coming here, anyway."

But for other people, not for herself. As she reached for the controls to make the bed sit her up, several questions flew through her mind: Did they get Giles and Miss Calendar out okay? Where was everybody? They didn’t patrol, did they? How was Cordelia? When could she leave? Because the blinds were closed, she didn’t know what time it was. Day or night? She’d be a sitting duck if it was the latter.

Then she remembered something. Whether it was last night or a few hours ago or a dream, she didn’t know, but she thought she got out of bed after seeing a kid walk down the hall, and there were two doctors arguing about treatment for them...was there some sort of demon wearing a hat? And a dead girl? It was probably just all in her head; she knew she hadn’t been thinking straight.

Her mother came in. "Oh good, you’re awake."

"Hi, mom." Buffy smiled.

"How’re you feeling?" Joyce asked.

The slayer yawned. "Groggy, but okay."

"The doctor said you’re doing much better. You want me to tell them to bring you breakfast?" Joyce offered.

So it was morning. Hospital food? That would make her sick all over again.

"No, I want you to tell them that you’re taking me home." Buffy said in a small voice.

Joyce went over to the bed and rubbed her daughter’s hair. "They only wanna keep you a little while longer."

Buffy frowned. "You weren’t here all night, were you?"

"No, they made Cordelia and I both go home." Joyce said. "She was scared for you."

"She was? Why?" Buffy asked.

Joyce’s expression was sympathetic. "You were out of it when they were wheeling you away, honey. Saying things..."

The younger Summers’ eyes widened. "What things?"

"Just about how you didn’t want to be here." The elder Summers answered. "And something about vampires..."

"Heh." Her daughter smiled nervously. "You don’t say?"

Joyce smiled. "But we all knew it was because you were sick."

"Right." Buffy sighed, nodding. "Sickness leads to crazy talk. I’m a nut-job."

"I told your friends why you didn’t like hospitals, and Cordelia seemed to take it hard. I think she felt guilty. She drove you here, you know." Joyce informed her.

Celia. Her cousin had died in the hospital while she was there in the room. It was a very traumatic thing for an eight-year-old to experience; she still thought about her. Now the gang knew one of her biggest fears, and her girlfriend was wrongly punishing herself for revealing it. Even though Buffy didn’t want to admit it, going to the hospital more than likely had saved her life.

"Are the guys at school?" Buffy asked.

"Hmm mm." Joyce nodded. "Xander said they’d come visit afterwards, and Mr. Giles said he’d call to see how you were. Miss Calendar is staying with him until her leg heals."

The slayer couldn’t blame him for not wanting to come back after spending a week here, but thinking about the living arrangements, the slayer had to mask a grin. "Really?"

"That was a horrible thing that happened to them. Did they ever find who was responsible?" Joyce wondered.

Buffy’s eyes got both sad and angry. "I’m sure they will."

The provider in the family glanced at her wristwatch. "I should go to work. Will you be all right? I promise I’ll be by later."

"I’ll be fine, mom." Buffy smiled.

After her mother kissed her forehead she headed for the door, but for some reason, she suddenly stopped and turned around. There was a questioning look on her face.

"You and Cordelia...you spend a lot of time together, don’t you? More than you used to last year?" Joyce half-asked, half-stated.

"I guess..." Buffy answered shyly, a big ‘CAUTION’ sign going up. "Why?"

"I just thought she hung out with a different crowd, that’s all." The mother answered.

"Things change." The daughter shrugged. "And she’s really a cool person."

"She didn’t wanna leave; she dared security to try and throw her out." The young blonde gaped. "It’s nice that she’s learning who the good people are, but is she usually that direct?"

"I think it’s impossible for Cordelia to be anything else. She lives by it; it’s practically a code." The slayer smirked.

Joyce smiled. "That’s a good quality to have; it shows she has confidence. Not many people will say ‘no’ to her."

"So...then what?" Buffy prodded.

"I talked her down." Her mother deserved a medal. "I’m a parent, it’s what I do."

***

"Party Wagon’s here!" Xander announced, bursting into the room with balloons several hours later.

Buffy was happy to see them, especially after getting Giles’ call. He asked how she was, said that he and Jenny had talked things out, but the main reason he phoned was to tell her that he’d been doing some thinking about Angel. He didn’t want to get into specifics because she was in the hospital where their conversation wasn’t entirely private, and so he left it by saying that he’d know more when she came home.

"Good!" Dr. Wilkinson said as the rest of them flooded in. "Maybe you can keep our

patient from bolting." She looked at Buffy before leaving. "Rest! Hmm?"

"Flowers for milady." He presented the patient with his gift.

The patient looked up at them. "I think they call those balloons."

"Yeah, stick ‘em in water, maybe they’ll grow." He said.

Cordelia shut the door, and then joined the group, biting her lip almost like she was frightened.

"Not to be outdone..." Willow put the books she was carrying on the bed.

"Homework?" Buffy asked.

Her friend had to know her better than that.

Willow beamed. "It’s my way of saying, ‘Get Well Soon’."

Perhaps not.

"You know, chocolate says that even better." Buffy told her.

The redhead grinned. "I did all your assignments. All you have to do is sign your

name."

The slayer’s eyes appeared to light up. "Chocolate means *nothing* to me."

Amy was next in line. "I just did a healing spell for you. I didn’t know what else to do, really."

"I knew doctors were full of crap." Buffy smiled.

The brunette was last, but not least. "Nobody told me I was supposed to bring a gift." She eyed everyone. "I was out of the loop on gifts."

Cordelia wanted to smack herself; she was the girlfriend. Out of the group, she was the most expected to bring something. It was just difficult to keep track of all the relationship rules. Buffy’s well-being was on her mind every single period, though. They had to give her points for that.

"Silly, we’ve discussed this. You’re my gift." The slayer patted the mattress, and the cheerleader climbed up onto it to sit beside her.

"You look good." Cordelia couldn’t hold back any longer. She touched her lips to her girlfriend’s for one, impressively long French kiss. "Feel good, too."

"Not too shabby yourself." Buffy noticed. They turned to stare at the spectators. "Yes?"

"Isn’t it traditional to unwrap gifts?" Xander wondered, hopefully.

"It’s also traditional to take dogs for walks." Cordelia countered, glaring. "Amy, maybe you should tie him up outside."

"How about I give him fleas?" Amy suggested, crossing her arms.

"Hey, that’s not fair. You have no idea how hard it is being a guy, constantly surrounded by high levels of estrogen." Xander defended himself. "Plus you two with the rainbow action..."

"You’ve been a guy, what, seventeen years now? Get used to it." Buffy told him.

"Sleep okay?" The brunette asked. "I didn’t know...I’m sorry."

"Not really, but I’m glad you finally got me here...and I know you didn’t. Thanks for doing what I needed instead of listening to me." Buffy kissed her that time. "Heard about the fight you put up."

"Well...visiting hours suck." The cheerleader declared.

All day, Buffy couldn’t shake the feeling that the thing she saw last night was real. At the risk of sounding insane, she thought she ought to place it before the group. They could research.

"You know? Let’s all take a walk." Buffy said. "I gotta tell you guys something."

***

Angelus was thoroughly enjoying his new abode. The mansion fit him; large, antique...it always came down to status. If vampires didn’t grab a hold of the finer things in life, then they were only animals. Not him. He appreciated art and wealth, as did his more moral half. Though it had kept quiet for the most part, conserving what remained of its strength, no doubt, for when it would truly come in handy.

Smart in a way, but just plain stupid in another. People still continued to die.

He figured that Spike’s little attack was a formal announcement that the bleached blonde had chosen to enter into the game, and he could handle that. Right now, he was content to wait and see just how much Spike was willing to put on the line; the move was his. Buffy wasn’t going anywhere, but he wanted to be there when she disposed of the competition. A part of him almost felt sorry for his grand-childe.

*Almost*. Not really.

Hearing his dinner moan behind the gag, he wondered how he could have forgotten. Where were his manners? The ones who fought were the most fun.

***

The sun was going down the next day, as Buffy sat in her hospital room with Willow, contemplating how to deal with Der Kindestod. The thing went after sick children, and it killed the doctor that was trying to treat the kids, because he was taking them away. She didn’t see anything; it was like it was invisible, but she knew she had seen it the first night of her stay. She needed to be able to look at it to fight it -- she wasn’t a Jedi.

"She actually brought it up?" Willow asked.

What she was thinking and what they were saying were two different things.

"Technically I guess the ‘word’ wasn’t used, but yeah. We had a non-conversation conversation about the possibility." Buffy summarized.

The hacker pushed aside the embarrassment that wanted to overtake her. "Well, you should research. Knowledge is power. I’m a firm believer in that. The firmest."

"We should be the best we can be, right?" The slayer paused. "And that sounded way too Army. But then I think that maybe going with the flow is the best thing. It’s supposed to be natural, so...I dunno."

"What don’t you know?" Cordelia questioned, walking in and up to them carrying a McDonald’s bag and a milkshake.

Fast food had never smelled so good.

"How I ever could’ve survived in here without you." Buffy eyed the bag hungrily, clawing for it, but her girlfriend held it just out of reach.

The cheerleader ignored the whimper. "Honesty first, imitation chicken and grease, second."

"This is something that’s priv..." Willow trailed off as she was silenced with a look. "Who ever said hospital chairs weren’t comfy? Nothing could get me out of this. Nuh uh."

"You obviously know what it is, so why shouldn’t you be here?" Cordelia eyed the hacker.

"Fine. We were trying to find the most enjoyable way for me to ravish you, happy?" Buffy spilled, too starved to be evasive. "Now gimmie."

"B-but there was no experimenting. No, uh, testing or anything remotely close to...talking! We talked. Oh! But no talking about experimenting. There was none of that. Bad cause of Oz and you, and best friends and boundaries and they have Hungry, Hungry Hippos in the waiting room...okay, leaving." Willow bolted.

"The chair must not have been as comfortable as she said." Cordelia commented. "She should really see someone about that."

"I swear I’ll get her a Babble Specialist as soon as they let me out, just feed me." Buffy whined. "I can’t slay on an empty stomach."

"Feed you? Did you break your arms when I wasn’t looking?" The brunette chucked the bag, and the blonde caught it. "Didn’t think so."

Carefully positioning herself beside Buffy so she didn’t drop the cup, Cordelia handed it over as she kicked off her shoes. Then she stole the fries once her girlfriend got them out, resulting in a mini staring contest as she dared the slayer to challenge with her eyes. Buffy silently admitted defeat when the straw was stuck into the milkshake, but gave the "Puppy-Dog" look, nonetheless.

"You’re such a baby sometimes...here." Cordelia held a fry in her hand. "If every vampire knew --"

"But they don’t." Buffy cut her off, and was fed, the fry being contorted and pushed into her mouth. As she accepted it, she couldn’t help but accept a fingertip as well.

Cordelia’s eyes widened at this development, but then became very focused. "Is it getting hotter in here?"

Buffy chuckled, ceasing her actions. "Not even two seconds, and already you’re going ‘badly-acted porno’ on me. I’m definitely filing that for future reference, but see?" Getting the kissing underway, she didn’t even realize that the solution to the demon problem had presented itself. "I receive, I give...I’m versatile."

"I demand proof." The cheerleader’s lips managed to reach neck, and her hands started to feel up the gown. That was all Buffy was wearing.

*All* Buffy was wearing.

"You had to pick here? Now?" A few more seconds of touching, and the slayer wouldn’t be coherent. "Where it’s public, where there’s nurses making rounds...and..." Did she just hiss? "God, thanks to you my temperature’s gonna go back up and they’ll keep me here for a month."

"That good?" Cordelia looked up.

"Who said stop?" Question answered. More than one actually, because then it clicked. "Temperature, that’s it! That’s how I’ll be able to see it when I kill it!" Buffy exclaimed.

Her girlfriend could sense that their heavy groping session had come to an end. "Kill what?"

"Der Kindergarten or whatever. I was sick when I saw him before, so I need to be sick again; Willow can help me." Buffy responded. "She was going to a waiting room. Which one did she say?"

"She didn’t." Cordelia sighed. "This slaying thing is going to put a serious cramp in our sex-life, I can tell. Meaning, we’re never gonna have one."

"We will too." Buffy insisted, hugging her close. "And...hospital? They catch us, we’re in the slammer. You’re the only bitch I want, Cordelia."

"Nice, Buffy. Real nice." The cheerleader took a deep breath. "But I am the best; I won’t deny that."

"That’s all I’m sayin’. Harmless compliment." The slayer said in her defense.

Cordelia grinned. "I think that nurse would’ve cut us some slack, no questions asked."

"Can we save the kinkiness until after I have one, normal sexual experience?" Buffy’s request teetered on the edge between a demand and a moan. "Who knew Cordelia Chase was such a --"

"It’s a flaw, you *did* know that, and I can’t help it if you drive me crazy." Cordelia’s kiss was more chaste than the ones before it. "I guess you want me to track down Willow."

"Would you?" Buffy released her.

Cordelia tried to look put out, but couldn’t manage it, going for a smile instead. "Yeah." Which was followed by a shrug. "Why not?"

Buffy returned the smile. "Thanks."

"Besides, now I have to go to the bathroom and make myself presentable. *Twice* in one day." The cheerleader felt the need to emphasize.

"I know you can’t possibly wanna blame your appearance on me, you animal." The slayer teased, resulting in Cordelia sticking her tongue out. This was the childish side only she witnessed, and she shook her head at it. "Don’t with the tempting, you can’t win."

Buffy resumed eating the fries, demonstrating her point.

***

The second Cordelia emerged from the bathroom and turned to go search for their missing friend, a hand reached around to cover her mouth from behind.

"Hello, luv."

She was quickly and quietly dragged over to the next door, which led down to a sewer grate. It was great for entering and exiting without being seen.

Eleven

---------

***

The cheerleader was sitting on a box in the rundown factory, watching apprehensively as her chain-smoking captor paced back and forth. Was he trying to kill her by way of secondhand smoke? And since when did he lose the wheelchair? She guessed it didn’t matter for the time being, because her nerves were shot, and if he was going to torture her, she wished he’d get it over with. Patience wasn’t something she had. She’d been here...well, it was now the following afternoon. She thought she had earned a reward for being the obedient captive this long.

It was becoming clearer and clearer to her that Spike’s kidnapping plan wasn’t that airtight. The only thing he’d told her to do was stay quiet, which was hours ago, and a quick glance around the factory revealed to her that they were alone. He didn’t have anyone watching her; she could wait for him to turn away and be out in the daylight easily. He must’ve known that, because he wasn’t going anywhere. He also had to know that she was at the top of the priority list, and that Buffy was probably freaking out.

What was the deal? The slayer didn’t know he was back in action, so it would take her a little while to get on the right track, but that’s all Spike had going for him. It wouldn’t last.

"Are you gonna start acting evil anytime soon?" Cordelia decided to try her luck. "You are a vampire, right?"

"What did I tell you?" He paused in his pacing to snap at her, and then resumed.

"Hey, I haven’t said a word since last night. That’s a first for me." She studied and picked at her nails. "Doesn’t matter. I’ll play hostage, Buffy’ll come kick your ass, and then we can go back to worrying about someone who’s actually scary."

He walked up to her, speaking with controlled anger. "Don’t test me, Peaches. Works in both our favors if you keep breathing; makes things less complicated, and you less dead. But I can improvise if I have to."

"I’m sure." She was flippant, because he was just buying time. Even she could see the fear in his eyes. "Just...whatever you’re trying to prove, do it some time today? I have places I could be."

***

That’s the last thing Giles had said to her before she left to come here, and he hadn’t needed to finish his sentence. Getting Angel back was an option. A week ago she would’ve been gung ho about the idea, but she’d lost her ability to be subjective -- the demon wearing his face kind of made that hard to do when it stole her girlfriend. That was the general consensus around town, anyway. Who else could it have been?

And she wanted to punish him. Badly. Her emotions were all over the place, but she knew that much. She’d lay it into him, maybe even kill him, and then do the rescuing. That was her focus; concentrating on Cordelia’s safety was the only thing stopping her from collapsing, because Angelus would do it, end the brunette’s life on a whim. He didn’t care, so she had to find him before that whim hit.

She was surprised Giles even told her, though by the look in his eyes, and the way he looked at Miss Calendar, she got the feeling that he hadn’t wanted to. He wanted to see Angelus dusted for injuring his girlfriend. Watcher and slayer were on the same page, but the teacher was more forgiving. Somehow, she was still able to make the distinction between man and monster. The two adults had obviously debated the issue, but it wasn’t a shock to Buffy that the woman won.

Freddy Kruger’s less talkative cousin was no more; she had snapped his neck, and the children could get healthy. Cordelia had been missing at the time, but she wasn’t able to worry about her, then. After she was released and spent the morning in her own bed (per her mother’s orders), the worry didn’t hold back. She’d been right down the hall...god, she was so mad at herself for that. The uneasy feeling that was spreading throughout her body didn’t help much, either. She didn’t know what she’d do if...if something happened to her.

But nothing would. It was going to be okay; she could handle this. Her girlfriend was tough, and she’d hang in there until help came. Or so Buffy hoped. She was learning the true extent of her feelings for Cordelia -- it had to be a test. As a slayer, if she wanted love, she had to work for it. Unfair? Most definitely. The choice wasn’t hers, though; jumping through the hoops placed in front of her was part of the job. Yeah, it was a test, and for once, she cared about getting a high score. She had to.

She knew she deserved to pass, because being separated and not having any say in it, was causing her real pain. Realizing that, any reservations Buffy had about telling her mother, floated away. Somewhere along the line they had gotten serious; there was a hopeful, long-term investment. She didn’t think it was a conscious decision on either of their parts; it kind of evolved beyond their control, and she welcomed that.

She was attached big time, and just wished they could’ve made love. Cordelia had been pushing, and while she hadn’t said no, she hadn’t been nearly as motivated. Well, she was damn sure motivated now. She planned to show her just how committed she was to their relationship, however, first they had to get past this speed bump.

"Out." Buffy commanded the demonic patrons of Willy’s Bar as she stepped inside. Those that could, greeted her with wide-eyed expressions. "Now."

She stared them down until they began filing out past her, and her unwavering, determined stance. Checking to see if she and the bar’s owner were alone, she was disappointed when she saw a vampire still sitting at a table, having a drink. This wasn’t the right day to challenge her resolve, it really wasn’t.

In full slayer-mode, she walked up to the vampire, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Here, let me help you find the door."

Briefly she considered being nice and simply dragging him to the sewer entrance, but then she pretended he was Angelus, and thoroughly enjoyed tossing him out into the sunlight, where he burned up rather quickly. Vampires were very fragile.

Willy was fragile as well, which was why he ducked behind the bar. "He was one of my best customers, ya know." He spoke, poking his head out.

"You’ll cope." She joined him, leaning over the counter so they were closer.

"What brings you here, Slayer? Need anything? Or did you just chase away my business for the fun of it?" His nervous queries got no replies. "Which I’m totally cool with, by the way."

"I need to know where Angel’s new place is. And don’t try to weasel your way out of this, because I’m not in the mood to bargain." She meant it.

Willy forced a cough. "Is this about your girl?"

She hopped over to the other side, and then drove him back, eventually slamming him up against the jukebox. "Do you really wanna see my mean side, Willy?"

"You’re always mean." He cringed. "And I think I have a hernia."

"I’m about to get a whole lot meaner." She promised.

There was a fire in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. "Okay, okay. I’ll tell. On the house, even."

Buffy loosened her grip. "I knew you had a generous bone somewhere in there."

"Yeah, sure do, and you almost broke it." He complained.

***

Spike had almost reached his limit; he didn’t know if he could stand any more.

"So you kidnapped me to make Buffy think Angel did it?" Cordelia wanted to laugh, but held it in. "Why don’t you kill him if you hate him so much?"

"I tried, all right? The bugger’s a cockroach. He just won’t bloody die." His desperation was obvious. "My whole un-life he always acted better than me; he was always Dru’s favorite." He sneered. "It’s time for him to check out, and if I need to use Blondie, then so be it."

"It’s a jealousy thing? Oh my God. I can’t believe...you are *such* a loser." Cordelia thought he was pitiful. The vampire glared at her as she stood up. "And wait. What happens if Buffy can’t do it?"

"Should have more confidence in her, pet. Seeing as how your life hangs in the balance and all that." He reminded her.

The now pissed off brunette got in his face. "You could’ve sent my girlfriend marching off to her death."

"Risk I was willing to take, yeah." He smirked.

"Have you always been a coward, Spike? Or is it just seasonal?" She quipped. He vamped, but she didn’t flinch. "If she dies, I’ll --"

She felt the blow of the supernatural slap, and then was on the floor, her jaw aching.

"You’ll what, join her? I can arrange that." He picked her up, flung her over his shoulder, and carried her into what was once Druscilla’s room. "You stay here, be good, and we’ll know how she fared soon enough."

"You dumb ass!" She yelled. "You’re gonna be so staked! Put me down!"

He obliged, setting her on the bed, and Cordelia was quickly creeped out by the doll collection that surrounded her. Spike grabbed a sheet, tore it in slices to make a piece that would fit around her wrists, and then proceeded to tie her hands together. She wanted to be out of there, dying young wasn’t a goal, yet if there was a possibility Buffy could die coming after her, she’d rather take her chances with the lame excuse for a creature of the night.

But aside from being one of the rare selfless thoughts she’d had during her short lifetime, it didn’t hold any weight. That’s all it was; a thought that wouldn’t change a thing. Still, it led to an important revelation (how come those always seemed to happen when she was bound?). All she had begun to picture her future to be, the slayer was in it -- the stubborn, strong, weak, funny, serious, childish, complex, beautiful slayer. She’d fallen. Despite her better judgment, of course.

What was her category? Lesbian? Bi? Straight was off the list obviously, but she had come to learn that sexuality was too confusing to label, so she didn’t bother. The world had its own system, and wherever people were going to place her later in life, that’s where they were going to place her, whether she was okay with the choice or not. It was going to happen, it was unavoidable, yet there was no way she was stereotyping herself. Good thing she counted on Buffy being there with her so they could adjust together.

The blonde was a permanent fixture in that vision. A year, two years, three, four...she was seen down the road, and that was what was important. ‘Love’ was a term meaninglessly thrown around in high school, that was hardly unknown, but they were the real deal. She could feel it, if only because of the simple fact that Cordelia Chase didn’t tend to put the well being of many people ahead of her own, and here she was wishing she could do that right now.

"If she finds out it was you?" Cordelia asked.

"Then you’ll find out just how much she fancies your pretty head." Spike answered.

Another piece was used as a gag.

***

"You’re not going, Giles." Buffy told him, gathering weapons. "You want me to list reasons? Cause I can." She examined the blade of an axe; it could’ve been sharper. "One,"

"I won’t argue. I realize there isn’t time." Giles said.

He saved her the trouble of a lengthy explanation, because he knew the shape he was in, and that irrationality was bound to cloud his judgment. But he also feared that it would happen to her, and then she’d get careless. That wasn’t going to happen. Cordelia was alive and depending on her, so she was going to be anything and everything but careless.

She was focused, prepared to do whatever it took, even if it meant losing Angel. She didn’t want it to come to that, but it was in the back of her mind, and if she had to, then she had to. Plus, besides holding her girlfriend hostage, Angelus had to pay for all the deaths he was responsible for, all the pain he inflicted...all the evil she couldn’t prevent.

Jenny was lying on the couch, her leg propped up on pillows, concernedly watching them both. There was more that had to be said, and she hoped he would.

"Thanks." The slayer was grateful. The gang was her support team -- they weren’t letting her go alone, and unlike with Giles, her objections weren’t as stable. "They said they’d be right back."

"And they will." He paused. "Buffy, I know that you care for Cordelia..."

"Love." She interjected, wondering if the two people knew how strongly she felt.

It was no different than how they felt about each other. Age didn’t make experts, especially not when it came to heart stuff. The emotional one; the physical one was gross, yet necessary. Whenever she heard someone say, ‘You don’t know what love is,’ she wanted to counter with, ‘What’s the divorce rate again?’ Though she wasn’t making that prediction for Giles and Miss Calendar; she didn’t want them to be a statistic.

Removing his glasses, the Englishman wisely stood corrected. "That you *love* her a great deal, and I don’t want to say anything that might affect how you plan to go about getting her back...but, you should be aware of all that we’ve discovered."

"There’s more?" She threw her selections into a duffel bag that was at her feet, and then gave him her full attention. "Tell me."

"The Judge." He spoke.

"Incinerated. We put him in five different trash bags, which we then happily burned." Her face fell. "His ashes didn’t remake him, did they?"

She knew she should’ve looked for Energizer batteries when they blew him up.

Giles shook his head. "No, it’s nothing like that."

"What then?" Buffy wanted answers.

"He could’ve caused Angelus to come out. He’s the only force I can think of that’s powerful enough to break through the magick my people used." Jenny said, noting the perplexed look. "I wasn’t there at the mall, but Rupert walked me through what happened."

"Angel got hit." Buffy replayed the events in her head. "Me; he got hit protecting me. It bought time, and I was able to get the shot off."

"Had the Judge held onto him a few seconds longer, Angel would have been vaporized." Giles continued.

Jenny saw that the slayer wasn’t speaking. "But instead, his soul weakened just enough for the demon to take over. The curse wasn’t broken though, only damaged. Which is why he’s still there."

"Sooner or later he won’t be, right? Then it’s too late?" Buffy asked, and received a nod of confirmation from her watcher. "Does the Judge have anything to do with the spell? You know, because he caused --?"

"We don’t think so." Jenny interrupted.

Buffy should’ve figured it out, should’ve known. It made perfect sense, and she knew why they told her. Her plan was to kill him all along, but the blinders weren’t working now. Angel had to watch his hands murder innocents because he had saved her life. Knowing that, it would make staking him harder. He risked his existence for her, and his thank you was death? That didn’t seem right.

And it wasn’t his fault -- he didn’t know. Neither did she, but there was guilt anyhow. When she reached that decision point, she wasn’t certain of what she’d choose, but at least she knew the whole story. If she had found out afterwards, she wouldn’t have taken it very well. This added a new wrinkle to the plan for sure, but she had options. She liked to be in control whenever possible, and Giles and Jenny showed her all the available paths.

She hated having decisions made for her.

Willow came in. "We’re all set. Tense, frightened and...really frightened, but set." She gave a brave smile. "You ready?"

"You don’t have to..." Buffy trailed off as she watched the redhead’s foot tap expectantly on the floor. "Ready and raring." She looked at Giles. "That it?"

"Be careful." He answered, seriously.

"I will." She headed to her friend once she picked up the bag, and then turned to smile reassuringly at him. "We all will."

***

Angelus had decided that he loved the twentieth century. All the information and news he could possibly want was at his fingertips, and as he looked at the headline in the morning’s paper again, he smiled. Just when he thought he wouldn’t come up with anything grand enough that’d let him give Buffy the proper send off, this was waiting. He should’ve known that America, with its need for expansion and wealth, would help him out; the land was so giving. And what better way to say goodbye to the soul, then by giving it one, final kick while it was down?

Some of the boys were out doing a little last minute checking, but he planned to have it before dawn tomorrow.

He was close, and being as confident as he was, it was a bit of a shock to see Buffy and four of her friends just stroll right into his home. Three of his people surrounded them quickly, but they were hit by bursts of holy water from the Super Soakers that Willow and Xander were holding. He watched, rather impressed by their organizational skills, as the werewolf and a girl he hadn’t seen before, staked two of the trio while the pain distracted them. Buffy easily handled the third with a well-aimed bolt from a crossbow.

Stuffing the paper underneath one of the cushions that belonged to the couch he was sitting on, Angelus got to his feet, clapping. It took his foe a second to remember that she wasn’t looking at her friend.

"Three? That’s all you had? And I was expecting this to be hard." Buffy taunted, tossing the bag that was hooked around her shoulder to the gang, and motioning for them to hang back.

As they did, they got in front of Amy.

"Good help’s rare these days." He answered with a, ‘what can you do?’ shrug. "If I knew you were coming, I would’ve given you more of a challenge."

"Relax, Angelus; don’t beat yourself up." She threw her weapon to the side. "Let me."

"You think you can kill me? Cause I’m betting you’ll fold." Angelus predicted.

"Why don’t we find out? Or you could tell me what you’ve done with her, and I might just reconsider." The slayer offered.

"Done with who?" He really didn’t know.

She narrowed her eyes. "Cordelia."

Then he understood the reason for the attack, and almost laughed. Spike was cleverer than he thought; she was dumber. It would cost her.

"Nice move." He whispered to himself, and said the next part so she could hear. "No, I don’t think I wanna do that."

"Fine -- I’ll cross that off, then. Thanks for making this easier." Buffy said, preparing herself.

He grinned. "No problem."

Patting her pocket to make sure she had a stake there, she charged Angelus, and the fight began. Adrenaline allowed her to get the first strike -- a high, front-snap kick, which when it connected to Angelus’ face, forced him to hold out his arms to maintain his balance, as he stumbled backwards. Seeing that he wasn’t able to counterattack, Buffy followed up with a punch to the gut, and as soon as he doubled over, she round-housed the side of his head.

He dropped onto the floor, rolling onto his back, but he could see that his opponent was in a bad position. Reaching out, he grabbed her ankle, pulled, and saw her fall, face-first to the floor. Not wasting time, he got over her and gripped her neck, giving it a tiny squeeze. Predictably she struggled, but he was putting everything he had into keeping her in place. See, the thing about adrenaline was that it always wore off, and now he could smell its replacement. Fear.

"Gotta do better than that, Buff." Angelus told her. She was lifted as he stood, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xander fire. The stream was off target though, not penetrating Angelus’ shirt. "Somebody just tagged himself in."

Throwing Buffy against the wall, he shifted to his vampiric face, not even bothering to watch her slide down to the ground. He headed in Xander’s direction, and was met by two crosses that were in the hands of Willow and Oz. He couldn’t see the other girl, but Xander was brandishing an axe. So, they had ditched their guns. He winced, keeping just enough distance. Crosses were a nuisance.

"Stay back." Xander commanded, a slight crack in his voice, betraying the image he was going for.

"What’s a matter?" The vampire questioned. "Is there a chink in the White Knight’s armor?"

"Amy." Willow whispered, looking back to see the witch nod.

What was going on? Before he could begin to decipher that, the question quickly passed, as the redhead’s lack of attention gave him an opportunity to swat the cross away. He smiled as her eyes bugged out.

"Willow!" Oz yelled, but he couldn’t get to her and keep his cross in place.

Xander, however, could do something. He swung the axe upwards, with all the strength he could muster, and snagged Angelus’ chin. Then he tried again, as it seemed to have no effect. Sometimes he forgot that he was a mere mortal. Angelus intercepted his second attempt, getting a grip on the handle. One fast yank and Xander was tossed, dropping to his knees when his legs couldn’t maintain the speed he needed to stay upright.

The axe was examined. "Could be sharper." Angelus observed.

It was being raised, anyway, and Oz didn’t have a choice. The guitarist was going to jump him, but Buffy’s voice interrupted everything.

"Yo, over here!" Buffy got his attention.

Angelus turned just in time to see his sofa come flying at him. The slayer had gotten a running start, and was able to launch it. When the contact came, his knees buckled, and he fell back onto the cushions, his legs hanging over the arm. He had also lost the axe, which Buffy caught in mid air, and was soon holding against his neck.

"Now do you wanna tell me?" The slayer asked. Still with the smile. "I’ll look while you wait here. Right, Amy?"

The group moved aside, and the witch looked upon Angelus with blackened eyes, energy swirling around her. "Thicken!"

Buffy backed away from him, and couldn’t help the laugh that came out when he tried to take a step from the couch. The spell wouldn’t let him walk beyond it.

"Watch him, and don’t get too close." Buffy began her search. "Cordelia!"

***

"Come on, Slayer." Spike said looking at the ceiling, and wishing the noise upstairs would stop. "Follow through for once."

He also wished he could be there to make sure she did, but couldn’t very well leave the girl here alone. This had to be worth it, or else he was a goner.

***

"You’ll be there for about three hours, so get comfortable." Amy told the vampire, a satisfied smile on her face.

Buffy rejoined them, glaring at Angelus. She scoured the place, and Cordelia was nowhere to be found. She waited for him to answer her unvoiced question; he just started laughing. It sent a shiver through each member of the group.

"Haven’t you figured it out yet? She’s not here." He was almost giggling. "You always fall for it!" She opened her mouth, but there was no sound. "Want a clue?" He paused. "Bleach fetish."

"Spike?" Willow questioned. "But he’s..."

"Up on two legs, and kinda mad at me. Can’t imagine why, though." There was an evil gleam in Angelus’ eye. "He’s got your plaything."

"How come no one --?" Buffy asked.

"Because they knew you’d come after me, and they all want me gone." He wasn’t naïve. "What can I say? I’m a pain in the ass; no matter who won, they’d get rid of a problem." She absorbed this information. "Anything else you wanna know? Like maybe...how to do your job?"

The slayer regained her composure. "Nope. I’ve got that down."

"So finish it." Her enemy dared her. "Kill me, and then you can go to her. If she’s still alive."

She thought she could hear Angel in that request. "Oz...sword." Not feeling anything being placed in her outstretched hand, she turned to stare at their unsure expressions. Hers, however, was not. "What’s the hold up?"

Any objections that were ready to emerge from their lips, died when they saw it wouldn’t change her mind. But what about the spell they’d been working so hard on? What about Angel? Even though she could see a flicker of him in those eyes, she had promised herself that she would punish the killer. Angel would probably welcome the release; he’d probably been craving it. The demon deserved punishment.

The guitarist fished around in the bag, finding what she wanted, and handed it to her. Angelus hadn’t wavered, still silently challenging her to go through with it, adding a cocky smirk in the hopes that it would push her over the edge. If she just walked away, it would show her lack of resolve -- a weakness she didn’t want to be associated with -- so she raised the blade, and apologized to her trapped friend.

Then she thrust the blade through his Adam’s apple, straight through until she could see it coming out of the back of the couch, covered in blood. He began gagging and failing his arms, trying to free himself. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would be painful for a very, very long amount of time. What kind of punishment was death for a vampire? It was over in an instant, and there was little to no hurt involved. This was a nice start, yet hardly the end.

"Give me the rope. We need to tie his hands." Buffy instructed. They worked quickly; he wasn’t going anywhere. "If you have any guys left, I’m sure they’ll let you out eventually, and um...if you don’t mind, I think I’ll take whatever you were trying to hide."

She lifted up his leg, and removed the paper she’d seen him stash when they entered. Yeah, he was most likely planning something, but whatever it was it wasn’t going to work, because she’d be there to stop it. She swore that she’d get Angel back as well, though first she had a cheerleader to save, and an undead, limey bastard to kill. He didn’t get off the hook.

"We’ll have to do this again, sometime." Xander remarked, cringing slightly as blood poured from Angelus’ mouth. "Careful, that’s a nice couch; you don’t want it to stain. Blood is the unforgiving predator of all cloth types."

"And you know that because?" Amy wondered as they left the mansion in a hurry.

"Mom makes me do the laundry. Never use enough fabric softener, though." Xander explained. Oz chose not to contribute any tips. "Ooh! And I steam clean."

Somewhere inside that hurting body, Angel was happy.

***

"Honestly, Slayer, it was just a --" The swift kick that Buffy gave to Spike’s groin, effectively shut him up. "Oww!" Except for the scream, that is.

Xander and Oz had to turn away.

She bent down to look him straight in his agony-displaying face, but deliberately avoided drifting any lower. "I’ll be back to finish this after I get my girlfriend, and if you so much as pinched her, believe me when I say that whatever you’re feeling between your legs’ll be nothing compared to what I do to the rest of you, Spike."

"She’s...upstairs...no harm done..." The vampire told her, and the blonde left him finally, but he wasn’t out of danger. The four groupies surrounded him, weapons at the ready. "Hello all...lovely day, isn’t it?"

Buffy was kicking down the door to Druscilla’s room in about five seconds flat, and rushing in to find dolls everywhere. Not to mention a restrained Cordelia on the floor, who was making muffled exclamations through the sheet that was supposed to prevent her from speaking. The slayer, however, despite having full control of her mouth and its related muscles, couldn’t form words. She got down, pulled the brunette into a sitting position, and freed her as fast as was super-humanly possible. Which was pretty damn fast.

"Buffy?" Cordelia blinked; her girlfriend wasn’t a mirage.

They stared at one another for what seemed like an impossibly long stretch of time, until finally, they hugged like there was no tomorrow. And considering the lives they led, there might not be. Without even realizing it, both girls had begun to allow tears to escape down their cheeks. To Cordelia, this was a relatively new sensation; her mascara was going to run. She knew she wasn’t crying because she had been afraid for her life (Spike had come close, though not that close), but because she had been afraid for Buffy’s, and now she saw that things were okay.

It was like an overload; they both were muttering unintelligible forms of ‘thanks’ into each other’s necks.

The slayer was crying for much the same reason -- only the cheerleader’s name was substituted for hers. For nearly twenty-four hours she had feared for Cordelia’s life, but she was safe. She wanted to apologize, wanted to grovel for being so careless, wanted to beg for forgiveness...but when they separated, her girlfriend told her not to. Not vocally, but Buffy knew her expressions, and the one she had now said, ‘Feel guilty and I’ll yell at you loudly.’

"I thought that he..." Buffy trailed off.

"Did you...?" Cordelia trailed off.

The blonde shook her head. "I couldn’t, not while we have a chance." She saw a faint bruise below her bottom lip, and touched it, frowning. "Did Spike hurt you?"

"It’ll cover up. He barely qualifies as a villain, but I guess I got on his nerves." The brunette grinned, and Buffy smirked. "So what happened, you break out of the hospital?"

"No, I was released legally. I’m all better." The slayer stroked her girlfriend’s dark hair. "One day. *One* day, and I go insane. You shouldn’t’ve been here in the first place, but...I missed you."

"What do I hafta do to get through to that head?" Cordelia eliminated the chance for any sort of reply by initiating physical contact. "I missed you too, but," Kiss. "I’m fine," Kiss. "We’re fine," Kiss. "It’s all fine," Kiss. "So be happy. I mean, you know I’m a fan, but did anybody ever tell you that gloom is pretty much a turn off?"

Buffy smiled. "Turning you off is definitely not what I wanna do. Just the opposite, actually."

Each was desperate to feel the other, and the kissing quickly reached a fevered pitch; they didn’t even stop as they were getting off the floor. Though as soon as Cordelia remembered the locale, she called it quits. Before she could offer an explanation, she had to be able to speak. Catching her breath was always the hardest part of making out, but seeing Buffy pant gave her a pleasant rush.

"If this is...you know, leading where I think it is...then I’d rather do it somewhere other than Crazy-Elvira’s bedroom. And minus the audience." The cheerleader gestured around to the dolls.

"Good point." The slayer found the toys just as disconcerting. "Let’s get outta this dump."

They headed out and towards the stairs.

"About damn time. You can’t go too long without natural light. Forget a tan; it’s a medical fact somewhere that it’s good for your complexion." Cordelia informed her. "Just cause Spike bursts into flames in it, that’s no excuse."

"There’s that annoying skin cancer thing." Buffy pointed out.

"Duh, that’s why they invented sun block." Beginning their descent, Cordelia lowered her voice. "Are we going to?"

Buffy nodded. "Uh huh."

"Really?" The brunette questioned.

"Uh huh." The blonde reiterated.

"When?" Cordelia needed specifics.

"Is tonight good for you?" Buffy wondered.

Buffy wasn’t joking; the cheerleader had seen that look before. She was wanted, and it made her suddenly nervous. "Uh huh." Like she’d say no? Everyone came over, relieved, yet not exactly making a commotion. "Don’t act all overjoyed to see me or anything." She said, sarcastically.

That was the green light for the gang, who hugged her one by one. Oz just held up his hand in a short wave, which she returned. Buffy stood back and viewed the mini-reunion, allowing herself a deep breath, along with a very slow exhale. No matter what Cordelia said, that was a close call, and it could’ve gone badly. The next time something tried to get to her through Cordelia, in whatever way, it might have more guts than Spike, and then where would she be?

Willow came up behind her, placing a comforting hand on her back. "Told you. She’s all safe and sound-y, see? I know what I’m talking about."

"Thanks, Will." Buffy said. That was the future; she could smile now. "And yeah, I am glad you guys were there." Her friend smiled; she liked ego boosts. "Amy was --"

"Wasn’t she awesome?" The hacker was excited. "But Xander sorta wigged."

"He better not piss her off." Buffy concluded, and they snickered. "You are okay, right?"

The redhead swatted her. "Will you stop asking us that already?"

Spike cautiously walked over to her. "Well, looks like the troupe’s all smiles, got your slag back and what all...*and* in one piece --"

"Hey, take the back!" Willow exclaimed. She’d been gaining a working knowledge of British slang so she could understand Giles, and that ‘s-word’ wasn’t very nice.

"You hit her." Buffy faced him, crossing her arms over her chest. "It left a mark."

He’d forgotten that.

"Was more of slap, really...an accidental slap, mind you..." Crap. The vampire started to backpedal. "Just tell me he moved into an urn, and I can die with a spot of happiness in my heart."

Buffy snorted. "Heart? Ha."

Spike studied her. "You didn’t do it." He let loose an anguish-ridden bellow, knowing the answer. "That’s bloody typical of you, all Hat and no Cat."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you don’t think so? Then why are you backing up?"

This was not his day.

***

"I still say you shoulda let me make him swallow one of his cigarettes. That way he could’ve burned to death internally." Buffy said through gritted teeth.

Cordelia was sitting at Buffy’s vanity brushing her shower-dampened hair, but stopped the comb in mid-stroke when she heard that comment. Looking past her reflection in the mirror, she rolled her eyes at her girlfriend’s attempt to force a disturbingly gleeful tone; it clearly wasn’t working. Similar remarks had been made ever since they left the factory, and whereas before it’d had the desired effect, now it was just overkill. The slayer was only doing it to get a reaction, and trying too hard. It was time to put the lid on it.

"Not buying it." The brunette resumed brushing, enjoying the feeling of being clean.

There must have been fifty different odors in that factory, all of which had one thing in common: Death.

"Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t go that far," Buffy conceded, lying on her bed, "but that doesn’t make the imagery any less fun." She eyed up her sleepover guest. "You look great in my robe, by the way."

Cordelia smiled, checking out the very cozy, very soft, dark-green bathrobe she was wearing. She did look great. "I know." Now Buffy rolled her eyes. "And *you* know I’m right about Spike."

"Yeah..." There was doubt in the slayer’s mind.

"You don’t kill losers; you get them to do whatever you tell them to do." The cheerleader spoke from experience. "He has to listen if he wants to live. If you wanna make him regret ‘kidnapping’ me, and I use the term in the loosest possible way, then you make him help us. Evil on Good’s side, get it? Damages his already pathetic reputation. Plus, he hates Angelus, so that’s just more motivation."

"What would I do if I didn’t have you here to rationalize every situation?" Buffy asked.

"You’d have to rely on Xander." Cordelia got glared at. "Don’t pretend that’s not a scary thought."

While they were on the topic of her job, Buffy thought back to the look on Giles’ face when she gave him that newspaper. It was too worried for her liking, and...no, she had to take a break. This was enough for one night. No more shop talk, no more shop thoughts. She got off of her bed, went over to the vanity, took the comb from Cordelia’s hand, and set it down. The brunette didn’t protest, mainly because she was distracted by the new view in the mirror.

"Is that my shirt?" Cordelia asked.

Buffy nodded. "I borrowed it when I spent the night at your house, remember?"

The brunette did remember. "Cause you wanted to change in the morning, but conveniently forgot to bring your own clothes. Right."

"Does the word ‘assassins’ ring a bell?" The slayer wondered. Cordelia smirked, but it disappeared as soon as her girlfriend’s arms went around her neck. "Believe what you want, but I wasn’t trying to steal from your extensive fashion collection; even though you stole from mine."

Oh, Valentine’s Day -- the comfortable sweater and sweatpants.

"You said I could keep them." Cordelia countered. "And if you want the shirt, just ask."

She was still looking at it, though; it was one of her favorites.

"Hey, you want it back, you can have it back," The blonde leaned over to whisper in her ear, "but ya gotta take it off me, first."

The brunette swallowed. It was easy to be the aggressor, but being on the receiving end was causing every hormone to go haywire. "Those pants...are they my pants? They look like my pants...yeah, I think they’re mine."

"So get them back, too." Buffy had a grin, a playful grin. "I don’t hafta repeat myself, do I?"

An ‘I’m about to cross a line, and I’m not planning on or expecting any interruptions, so are you coming with?’ grin.

Buffy took her hand, waited for her to rise from the chair, and then led them over to the bed, which they both sat down on. She looked to her to make the next move; her take-charge attitude was gone. All Cordelia could think to do was push back further onto the mattress so they could lie down. Then after staring at the ceiling for a while, they thought it might be a good idea if they could see one another, so they turned on their sides.

It was amazing how fast a combination of fear and sudden horniness took away the cheerleader’s ability to function, especially when it was only supposed to be a guy problem. She’d always stayed in control. The number of times that she’d had sex was a slightly exaggerated figure, but still, in her limited experience, her body had never felt as ready to give out on her as it did now. Sex had been almost trendy in the past, not something she absolutely needed to partake in. That was no longer the case, however, because she did need to do this, and not simply to ‘do it.’

She wanted to make love to Buffy (who might act like she wasn’t gorgeous, but was) more than anything; she wanted to cement what they had, while getting to learn every inch of her in the process. Would she be any good? That’s what she was afraid of, not being very skilled. It was their first time; she didn’t want to be so bad that it would be their last. Even though they were both new to this, and Buffy was probably having the same thoughts, Cordelia was nevertheless putting a lot of pressure on herself. There was going to be pleasure, damn it.

During the quiet, they’d been lightly -- not even aware of it -- touching each other. Wandering wherever their hands wished to go. Gaining courage though, Buffy, every part of her tense, decided to take the leap and guide them. The fingers of her one hand began to outline her girlfriend’s face, while the fingers of the other wrapped around the cloth belt holding the robe together. She listened as her girlfriend sucked in a sharp breath, feeling the small shudder that ran through her. Seconds then passed, which felt like eons.

The kiss came from Cordelia, who then smiled, the familiarity settling their nerves.

"Go with the flow." The cheerleader suggested, softly.

***

The moonlight had found its way into the now darkened bedroom, and was casting a shadow that played across Cordelia’s naked back. To be exact, it was a shadow that resembled the blinds hanging in Buffy’s window, but they failed to notice. A robe, a shirt, a pair of pants, and those layers of clothing that were usually kept hidden, were scattered somewhere along the floor; as soon as that had happened, all the girls noticed were the sounds and the movements their partner made as they experimented in new territory.

Their minds had long since clouded -- Buffy was subjected to jolt after jolt of pleasure, writhing under her girlfriend’s seemingly expert touch. Once Cordelia discovered that Buffy was going to like what she was doing because *she* was the one doing it, the shyness left in a hurry, and she learned a lot about the slayer’s body in an extremely short amount of time. Wanting to go beyond, wanting to master another realm purely to make someone else happy, she was making the most of the knowledge she’d gained, and enjoying it thoroughly. It helped that she knew what she’d liked, when it was her turn to give.

There were no secrets. She’d suspected that her hair was colored, and was right, which often tended to be the case. They were half covered by sheets; underneath them, as the cheerleader slid her fingers through the only hair that was still natural, the heels of Buffy’s feet pushed and dug into the mattress, while her head tossed from side to side. As sweat cascaded down her forehead, Buffy couldn’t hold back the sigh. Or the moan. Or whatever noise it was that she had just made. She didn’t torture Cordelia this much, did she?

She felt so tense; she was right there. Another hand was caressing her face suddenly, which got her to relax somewhat, and to open her eyes. She was staring up at a brunette, who she vaguely recognized as her girlfriend and lover.

"Hey." Coming from Cordelia, the word sounded husky and sweet.

It said everything. It said, ‘I love you,’ ‘I can’t believe we’re doing this, but I don’t wanna be anywhere else,’ and it asked permission. She hoped her frantic nodding was clear enough. Buffy mumbled something then; it was the best she could do, and she wasn’t sure Cordelia saw it, because the brunette went out of sight. Within a second, she felt warm breath blowing where she hadn’t ever remembered feeling it before, then she felt a mouth...then came dizziness. And spinning. Not like when she was sick, though. This didn’t hurt at all.

She was on a whole other level, knowing she was calling out her lover’s name, but not hearing anything. Knowing her hands were grasping a pair of shoulders, but not feeling them. She let the electricity that was coursing through her do what it wanted, let the blissful sensations knock her out, and then things began to calm down. Cordelia lay beside her, snuggling close and planting small kisses down her arm as she recuperated. It hadn’t even had the slimmest chance of being a disappointment; it was indescribable.

Buffy had come to the conclusion that sex with her girlfriend would be a consistently wonderful and draining experience.

Cordelia looked directly at her. "I didn’t know anyone could do that and look so..." Buffy’s tired eyes were questioning. "You know...beautiful or whatever." They rolled next, and cheeks blushed. "I’m serious. But don’t say it --"

"You looked pretty beautiful yourself. Not that that’s a new thing..." Buffy pretended not to have heard her. Cordelia had gotten used to the fact that she wasn’t listened to. "Anyway, I would’ve said so after, but you jumped me before I could get a word in edgewise."

"I didn’t have a choice. I had to have you." The brunette’s nails lazily traced the top of Buffy’s breast.

The slayer gave a throaty chuckle. "I love you, Cordy." Her eyelids were drooping, and as a result, the last part of her admission was said in the midst of a yawn. "So much."

"Mm...love you too." Cordelia pulled the covers up further, and then shut her eyes.

Maybe they should’ve taken notice of those blinds, because looking out of them would’ve revealed a Jeep in the driveway. If they hadn’t been so involved, they also could’ve heard the front door open, as well. And if they weren’t so exhausted, they would’ve realized that there were footsteps on the stairs. Sure, they heard the bedroom door open, but by then it was too late.

Light from the hallway flooded into the room. It was bright, intrusive -- a stark contrast to the tranquility of the light given off by the moon, which allowed for peace and privacy. On this night, anyway. The artificial source, however, illuminated more than the girls had intended to reveal, more than the intruder had cared to see. It made them all become real alert, real quick.

"Mom!"

:: On To Part Four ::

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