disclaimer in part 1
Giles, Cordelia, Oz, Willow, and Mrs. Summers sat impatiently in the Library. Xander had been gone for almost 2 hours- where the hell was he? Giles stood and began pacing in front of the door to his office. Then he decided to make some tea- Joyce could use it anyway. She looked a little green.
Cordelia broke the awkward silence that loomed over the group. "Where the hell is he?"
Oz looked up at her with annoyance in his eyes. "If we knew that, do you think we'd be sitting here doing nothing?"
Willow silenced the two other Slayerettes with a look. "He'll be back. Soon."
Cordelia was about to ask Willow how she knew that when Xander walked through the main doors.
Cordelia sprinted to her boyfriend and practically tackled him with an intense hug. "Are you okay?", she asked after kissing him briefly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he responded quietly.
Giles walked out of his office and immediately began to question Xander. "Well, did you find Drusilla? Or Spike for that matter? Is she still a threat?"
"Yes, yes, and no. In that order," explained the teen. At their annoyed looks, he went into further detail. "I went to the mansion where they were hiding out before. I was about to walk in the door, when Drusilla came bursting out of it. I punched her in the face, and she fell backwards, through the door. I walked in to tie her up or something, but Spike was there. He grabbed her before she hit the floor, and then he knocked her out. I was about to leave, seeing as he had her, but he asked me to help him. He handed me some herbs, pulled out an orb of Thessulah, and asked me to help him perform the ritual to restore Drusilla's soul. It took a while, but it worked, and we got her to write out a confession to Kendra's murder that they are going to mail to the police and newspapers and stuff. Then they took off. They won't be back." Everyone looked relieved as Xander finished up the tale.
"Are you sure they won't come after us anymore?" asked a still shaken Willow.
"Yeah, you should have seen Drusilla with her soul. She kept going on and on about how she was a devil-child and she was evil, and had to talk to God. I don't think she'll be after us anytime soon." reassured Xander.
Mrs. Summers sat up groggily. "Oh, and she was such a nice young woman, too." The rest of the group looked at her strangely, and Giles went to go retrieve that cup of tea for her.
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Buffy walked solemnly into the bus station for the second time in two weeks, hoping that this time she would be gone to stay. At least for a while. As she boarded the bus, she thought about Angel. About the feel of his lips on hers, and about the sound of his voice saying her name. And about the look on his face as she shoved the sword through him.
As much as she knew that it was her duty to save the world, she would never forgive herself for sending him to hell. It was a choice she had made, something that she was going to have to live with for the rest of her life.
As the bus pulled away from the terminal, she began to cry softly.
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Back at the Library, Mrs. Summers sat slowly sipping the tea Giles had placed in front of her. Willow was drifting off to sleep again, leaning against Oz's shoulder. If ever there was a good opportunity to talk to Cordelia alone, it was now, thought Xander. Sliently he stood and took his girlfriend's hand, leading her out into the hall.
"We have to talk, Cordelia.", he began slowly.
"Yeah, we do."
"About what I said to Willow that night at the hospital..."
"I know, you love her." She looked completely downtrodden as she said it.
"Yes, I do. I love her, and I love Buffy. I love them because they are my friends and they care about me, more than my parents, or mostly anyone in this world." He paused. "I had to tell Willow that I love her, because I wasn't sure if she was going to make it, and just for once I had to tell her how much she means to me." Again he paused, not knowing how to continue.
Cordelia took that as the end of the converstion. "Well, I understand. I mean, you two have been inseparable for like, ever. I know that..."
"I wasn't finished. I do love Willow. I love her like a friend, like you love a piece of your past. But not like I love you. I love you differently, like you are a part of my soul. I love you for you, for everything that you are and want to be. I love you, like, well, like, you love a piece of your future. I love you, Cordelia Chase. Never ever doubt that."
Cordelia was speechless, for once. She looked up at Xander, who had stopped babbling, for once. "I love you, too, Xander Harris. Forever." She kissed him, and everything was right between them, for once. No, once and for all.