Chapter Six

Cordelia sighed and crossed her arms against the early morning chill. Here she was, leaving school, to go home, to get ready to go--to school. Her life was really just not going as planned today. And what the hell was up with Giles dying? What’d he go and do that for? Didn’t he realize how much trouble he was causing?

She sighed again, forcefully, exhibiting to the whole world just how much duress she was under at this moment. Because hello, without Giles around, there was just that much more research that they’d all be expecting HER to do. Great. Plus, there was now a much larger chance that she’d be eaten by a vampire, given that Giles, he of no life, had been largely responsible for ensuring that the vampire population of Sunnydale was kept in check.

And besides-

Whoa.

She stopped dead in her tracks.

Was that Xander?

She turned around and stared across the street. Yup. That was Xander. And dear god, for once, he was actually looking totally hot, and not just his usual inexplicable geeky hot. And he looked cool. And, oh my god, he had a gun. A very big gun.

She scurried across the street.

“Xander!”

Ok, rude. He didn’t even look up. She practically had to jog to catch up with him, and how dorky did that make her look, anyway?

“Xander, wait up!”

She came up alongside of him. He didn’t even break stride, just walked along, staring straight ahead, gun resting against his shoulder.

“Man, what is with you? Are you, like, possessed? Having a soldier boy relapse or something?”

“Cordy. Get away from me.”

‘Oh, well, that’s not what you said last night,” she said, half-joking. Her self-satisfied grin made her jaw hurt again. Stupid Buffy. Thinks that just cause she’s the Slayer, she can hit anybody.

Xander stopped and was suddenly right in front of her, glaring down at her. She shrank back a bit.

“Whoa. Psycho much?”

“Just go.”

Her eyes widened in pained shock.

“Well, fine. Whatever. Where are you going, anyway?”

He walked away, but called over his shoulder, “To get the bastard that killed him.”

***

Buffy opened the door to find Cordelia peering at herself in the glass of the adjacent window. She didn’t even look up.

“Cordelia?” Buffy finally said when it became apparent that she wasn’t going to.

Cordelia glanced up, then back at her reflection for a moment.

“God, look at that bruise. I’m going to look like a case for the local women’s shelter all day, thanks.”

Buffy began to close the door, and walk away, but stopped when Cordelia’s hand blocked the door from shutting.

“Wait! Wait, I- I saw Xander. On the way home.”

Buffy turned back to her, really not wanting to deal with Cordelia right now.

“Ok. You saw Xander. And? This is worth my time because?”

Cordelia’s brow knotted.

“I think he’s gone nuts.”

Buffy frowned, and a tendril of cold fear worked its way through her heart.

“Nuts?”

“Yeah,” Cordelia said, her eyes wide. “He had this big gun, and he was acting all, all... macho... And he said something about... getting the bastard who killed ‘him’.”

The trickle of fear turned to a flood of icy horror.

“Oh, god, no.”

“Buffy?” Willow said, coming up behind her. “Cordy? What’s going on?”

Buffy pulled away from the door and dashed up the stairs, calling back down to Willow.

“Xander’s gone after Angel.”

She burst into her room and hauled out her weapons chest, quickly digging for a few quick necessities for a rescue mission. Crosses, holy water, and a single stake. She doubted that she’d be killing any vamps this time around. Just get in, get Xander-the-idiot out, and go. She just brushed past Willow on her way out the door, but her friend trailed her down the stairs.

“Buffy! What are you doing?”

“I’m going to go and get him. Don’t worry, Will,” she said, as she stormed out into the morning sunlight, “I’m not gonna do anything dumb.”

Willow stopped following her when she reached the sidewalk.

“Be careful! And- And bring him back safe!”

Buffy stopped, then looked back over her shoulder, and saw Willow standing at the end of her walk, looking completely alone and forlorn.

“I will.”

Willow nodded, but Buffy could see her twisting her hands together in agitation. She felt like there was something more she should say, but nothing sprang to mind, so eventually, she just turned and walked away, feeling the stake, rough and familiar, press against her back with every step.

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