"Tell the Sr. Partners I want a meeting tonight," Cordelia snapped at Eve as she stormed into her office. "Buffy's in LA, and Angel just gave her a job. I need to find out what's the best approach to get rid of that little freak once and for all. Angel's mine. I'm not giving him up until I decide that I don't want him anymore, not a minute before."
"You know they don't like you coming to see them. If Angel catches you then you're no good to them anymore." Eve tried to reason with the angry seer.
Cordelia walked over and picked Eve up by the throat. "Do as I say or they'll be replacing you. I won't get caught. Angel's going out later to negotiate that agreement between the B'Gorgs and Smortans," she said, throwing Eve across the room into a wall.
"If that bitch thinks she can come to my town and take my man, she's wrong. I'm not some weak little teenager that needs rescuing by her. I'm as strong as she is. The Powers chose me to have the visions not her. I've helped Angel for years. They never lifted a finger to help her. They made me part demon so I wouldn't die; ha, she's died three times already. Why the hell won't she just stay dead? I'll just have to make sure that this time there's nothing left to bring back. Why the hell are you still here?" Cordy looked coldly at the other woman, who rushed out of the office.
That woman is bonkers. If the Powers thought she was so special, why'd they lock her in a white room to keep her away from their champion? She has some serious mental health issues. Maybe her demon-half is eating away at her brain a little everyday. Kinda like what we're trying to do to Angel's soul. Now, that's poetic justice. Eve smiled as she went to contact the Partners.
Yeah, wouldn't it be great if by the time her plans came together, Ms Chase were a drooling idiot. I wonder if Angelus would even drink from her, or would he just snap her neck? Oh well, it'll be fun to watch either way. I'll just be glad when someone does away with Bitchdellia.
The AI Team, including Spike, sat gathered in Angel's office. "Thanks for coming everybody. I asked you here to welcome our two newest employees," Angel announced.
"Who are they, Angelcakes?"
"Buffy Summers and Xander Cage."
"Buffy's coming to work here. Is that wise?" Wesley asked, remembering how high the tension could get between the two ex-lovers.
"Isn't she the one that died and came back?" Fred asked quietly.
"Xander Cage! Shit that's X; he does extreme sports. He's the bomb. X rode a snowboard down an avalanche that guy is fearless," Gunn exclaimed. "Way to go Angel."
"Angel, Buffy and Cage are here," Harmony announced.
"Show them in," he told her. Angel felt his body respond at just the thought of seeing her again. Buffy walked in wearing low-rise red leather pants and a black halter-top. Xander had on black leather pants and a tight white T-shirt. "Hello Buffy, Xander, let me introduce you to the team. This is Fred Burkle, Charles Gunn, Lorne, Wesley Windham-Pryce, Spike and Cordelia Chase. Everyone this is Buffy Summers and Xander Cage."
"Hi, everybody. I've heard a lot about you over the years. Wesley, you're looking good. Cordy, it's nice to see you again. It's been a longtime." She walked over and gave Spike a hug. "How are you doing?"
"No worries, Slayer." He smiled, hugging her back.
Cordy laughed and said, "Buffy, I can't believe you fell for a Xander."
"Well, I figured if one was good enough for Queen C, this one was perfect for me." Buffy walked back over to Xander and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Man, X, I've seen all your videos. They're ice, dawg," Gunn said, his street slang sounding out of place with his new persona.
"Thanks dude, I live for speed. It's the ultimate rush, well it was," he said, looking at Buffy hugging her close.
"Gag me," Cordy said under her breath. Spike looked at her but she gave him her best smile.
"So, you're the famous Slayer that Angelcakes went off the deep end about?" Lorne smiled. "Gotta say, sunshine, you're one sweet twinkie."
"Thanks, I think. You're the one that reads people when they sing, right?" Lorne nodded. "Must suck if they can't carry a tune, huh?" Everybody looked at Angel and started laughing. "Did I say something wrong?" Buffy wrinkled her nose, wondering what was so funny.
"No, honey bun, it's just that sugar lips over there's one of those customers. Everybody wonders why I drink so much. A bad singer can ring in my head for days."
"Buffy, why aren't you guarding the Hellmouth?" Wesley asked unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
"Well, it's closed for one thing, and Faith's there. I figured it was her turn," she said with a shrug.
"How'd it close? Did Willow find some spell? I know she's gotten extremely powerful, but I hadn't realized it was to that degree," Wes exclaimed.
"Nope, just little ole me. I used the amulet Angel brought me. It turned out that I was the someone more than human. Anyway, it helped me close the Hellmouth and banish the First. Powers did a happy dance, I got a free trip to Hawaii, met Cage and the rest is history," she said, grinning at them.
"How'd you win a trip to Hawaii?" Cordelia asked. She was glaring at Angel since the remark about him going to see her.
"An old friend of the family that I talked with when it was over. They saw how burned-out I was, so they sent me for some R&R." Buffy decided to change the subject and turned back to Angel. "When do we get the tour of this place. Do we have offices or what?"
"Wes, will show you around today to get you familiar with the layout. Where are you staying?"
"Oh, we have a condo on the beach. It's only about twenty minutes from here." When Buffy turned to head toward the door, everyone saw her tattoo.
"Oy, Slayer what's on your back?" Spike asked, getting up from the couch for a closer look.
"It's a tattoo. Cool, huh? I got it and another one in Hawaii."
"What does it mean?" Fred asked, captivated by the beautiful design.
"It looks like some form of Chinese, but I'm not familiar with this dialect," Wesley replied, studying the letters.
"Its ancient Chinese, 5th Dynasty. It says Freedom can only be given away," Buffy supplied.
"Oh, that's beautiful. Is the other one Chinese as well?" Fred asked enthusiastically.
"No, it's a flower. A bird of paradise to remind me of Hawaii." She smiled at Xander who wiggled his eyebrows, earning him a smack on the arm, followed by a giggle. "We're ready whenever you are Wesley," Buffy told him.
"Oh, yes. Right this way." He led them out of the office.
"That's one gorgeous hunk of man," Fred said. Everyone turned to look at her. "Well he is." She looked back at them crossing her arms.
"Man, Angel, how'd you ever walk away from Buffy? She's beautiful," Gunn said, staring at the blond through the window. Cordelia huffed, glaring at him. "I'm not saying that you aren't good-looking Cordy, but that has to be the hottest woman I've ever seen."
"Oh, please. She's a midget with the body of a child," Cordelia snorted.
"I've never seen a child built like that. All that strength underneath golden velvet skin, DAMN!"
Cordelia glanced at Angel under her lashes; he was glaring at Gunn. He looked ready to pounce on the fighter-turned lawyer. She didn't care what the Sr. Partners said she planned to have that slut taken out, and soon.
Spike sat back, watching Peaches and the cheerleader closely. He could almost read their minds. Angelus only wanted something if someone else had it, and Miss Demony Britches wanted Buffy's blood. He knew the Slayer could take care of herself, but he wasn't about to let these pillocks hurt her. Spike had started following Cordy for the last month, thanks to a tip from the Whistler. He had lots of interesting information that Buffy needed to know, so that she could be ready for anything. In the meantime, he may just have to figure out a way to get rid of the bint himself. "I'm off children, ta." Spike left the office with his black duster swooping out behind him.
"Wesley, where's Connor?" Buffy asked.
"Who?" Wesley asked confused.
"Oh, I must be thinking of someone else; wasn't there someone else that worked with you?"
"Not since I've been here. There used to be a man named Doyle but he died," he told her.
"That was his name. I knew it was something Irish. You know me and names, I can't keep them straight. Thanks for the tour, Wesley. We'll be going now. Ring us when you need us. We have a few errands left to do for the house. It's good seeing you, Wesley. You've done well for yourself." Buffy hugged him before walking away with Xander.
Wesley watched them go. She's turned into a remarkable woman.
"I want you to find out what happened to Angel's son, Connor. I got a feeling it's important. No one remembers him but Angel. If W&H wiped everyone's memories, what did they do with Connor? Are they going to use him later for leverage to force Angel to do what they want? If you find him, put him where they can't touch him; no matter how innocent the situation looks. Your info on Cordy was right, my spidey sense went off the charts with her. She might've been good once, but not anymore. Lorne didn't even cause a blip, so he's cool."
Gibbons knew Buffy was really worried about the boy since she didn't call him, Gus or tease with him, just got straight down to business. "Your friends in Sunnydale have been trying to find you, but we've blocked their attempts. As far as we can tell, the other Slayer's doing the job. Oh, your house sold and I'll be sending you the funds. We'll find the boy, Slayer. We have Intel on him, so he should be easy enough to find. If we're careful we can scour the W&H databases," he reassured her, watching her leave his monitoring sight.
"Hey, boss man. She's pacing the room. You know that means trouble for someone. I'm sure we'll go break some heads tonight. These people are a trip here. There are demons everywhere and they still think they're changing it from the inside." Xander shook his head. "We'll let you know what we find out." He turned the sat phone off, turning toward Buffy. "Come here, baby." He pulled her to him. "We'll figure this out, but not tonight. Go put on your suit, we'll catch some rays then go kick some ass or whatever you want to do." Xander kissed her nose, sat her back on her feet and patted her butt as she walked away.
They relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Xander heard about a new club called 'Smash.' They decided to spend an evening out dancing. Buffy wore a short, silver, halter dress that fit like a second skin with slits up the sides. Soft curls framed her face while a clasp held the rest in a soft up-do. The silver reflected onto her hair and skin giving them a shimmering glow. Xander wore black dress pants and a dove gray silk shirt tailored to fit his body. Their outfits complimented each other, him tall and muscular, her tiny and petite.
The bouncer recognized Xander and allowed them to cut through the line. The owner escorted them to a semi-secluded table close to the dance floor and sent over a bottle of champagne on the house. Before they could get comfortable, Buffy grabbed Xander, pulling him onto the floor. They wrapped their arms around each other, grinding their hips to the music.
On the opposite side of the club, the AI team sat down and ordered drinks. "Damn, look at that girl in silver. She's got some moves," Gunn exclaimed, watching the slender body sway to the music.
Buffy raised her arms and turned so her back brushed against Xander as she ground her hips into him. Xander's hands swept down her body from fingertips to hips. Pulling her closer, holding her to him, they swiveled their hips together to the beat of the music. Buffy kept her eyes closed, leaned her head on Xander's shoulder as she allowed the music to flow over her.
Angel had just taken a sip of his drink and almost choked. The woman everyone was watching dance was Buffy, his Buffy. That Neanderthal was groping her in front of everybody. "Oh, that's Buffy. They dance well together, don't they? Talk about kyrumption. You can tell they're crazy about each other; they're in their own little world," Fred said dreamily. Xander and Buffy went back to their table, seeing that their champagne had arrived. The AI team saw Xander toasting Buffy, then watched the couple start kissing.
Angel scooted his chair back. "Forgot to make a phone call, I'll be back in a minute," he said before practically running out of the club.
Spike watched the entire thing from the bar with a grin as he rubbed his hands together. Let's have some fun, boyo. He walked to the side of the building and witnessed Angel beating his fists against the wall. "Oy, Peaches. What did the mean wall do to you?"
"Go away, Spike. I'm not in the mood for you tonight," Angel growled.
"But, that's when it's the most fun to bother you, oh gelled one."
"Leave me alone boy!" Angel vamped out, turning to roar at his grande-childe.
"Didn't like seeing Buffy with her new man, huh? Kind of stings don't it? But, isn't she doing what you left her for? Finding a normal guy, someone that can take her into the sun. I have to say the sun does look good on her. What's the problem anyway you're with the cheerleader?" Spike raised an eyebrow.
"I still care, okay. Are you happy? Yeah, I wanted her to have all that but it still hurts. Somehow, I always thought she'd be waiting for me. I know I'm with Cordy, but if I could have Buffy, wild horses couldn't keep me away," Angel screamed at the top of his lungs.
Cordelia stood around the corner, listening to every word. I'm Cordelia Chase, and I'm not anyone's second choice. He just thinks that way because Buffy has someone else. He hasn't even thought of her in years; he was too busy with me, taking care of me, falling in love with me. She went back into the club to find Buffy and Xander slow dancing. Cordelia smiled, walking over to tap Buffy on the shoulder. "You don't mind if I cut in, do you? I want a chance to get to know our newest member better."
Buffy looked at Cage, who gave her a wink. "No, I'll go say hi to everyone. Where are you sitting? We didn't see you when we got here."
"They're over by the bar. You two were already on the dance floor when we arrived. Now shoo, I want to hear all about how you two met." Cordelia gave her a megawatt smile. "X, mmm, what a naughty name. What does it stand for?" She fluttered her lashes at him and giggled.
"Xander," he said with a straight face. You have to be kidding me. He held her away from him as she kept moving closer, rubbing her breasts against his chest.
"How'd you meet our little Buffy?"
"We were neighbors in Hawaii. Our suites were next to each other, I got locked out and she let me use her phone."
"Suites, huh? Extreme sports must pay well. You look like you can handle yourself." Cordy wiggled closer, pushing her breasts against his chest.
"I do all right. Anyway, we spent the next month together and fell in love. What can I say I'm a lucky man? She's one hell of a woman." Xander smiled, looking at Buffy over Cordy's head.
"Yeah, she's something all right," Cordy said, her tone slipped before she could catch it. "Isn't it difficult being with someone so small, you being such a large man? I mean wouldn't you prefer to be with someone more womanly, taller perhaps?" She glanced up at him under her lashes.
"Are you kidding me? Believe me, she's all woman; sometimes more than I can handle. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for the dance, Cora, see you at work." He walked over to Buffy, whispered in her ear before leading her back to their table. They grabbed their stuff and made their way out of the club. Xander stopped along the way to sign autographs. Someone handed Buffy a pen and paper, which caused her to laugh and shake her head.
Cordelia stomped back to the table. Cora! Cora! How dare he! Grown men have groveled for me to throw them a bone since I was fourteen and he can't even remember my name. She watched them leave; her arms crossed over her chest while her eyes snapped with repressed anger. She almost went across the table when someone asked for Buffy's autograph. That's supposed to be my life. The life I gave up for Angel and he'd throw it away, throw me away for BUFFY SUMMERS!
Damnit, it was her turn, she was going to get everything she deserved this time and that included Angel. No one was going to stand in her way, not Buffy Summers, not anyone. She wondered what happened in Sunnydale. Maybe as a concerned friend, she would just have to call and find out.
(Note: I'll be using Cage to refer to X, so that no one will confuse the two Xanders for the next two chapters enjoy :)
Buffy and Cage went to Angel's office to report last night's patrol. She walked in first and stopped, there stood Willow, Giles, Xander, Anya and Faith.
"Buffy, look who came to visit. I was talking to Willow and she didn't even know that you were here," Cordelia said with a huge smile. "I'll leave you alone to talk. We can cancel the meeting. I'm sure Angel will understand. Bye guys, it's good seeing you again."
Buffy walked the rest of the way into the office and sat on the couch; Cage sat beside her. "Well, you showed up, you must have something you wanted to say," she sighed. Cage held her hand, rubbing it soothingly.
"Who's the guy Buffy? Some other vamp your screwing," Xander sneered.
"Yep," she said, grinning at Cage.
"What?" Xander yelped, staring at her in shock. "I can't believe you. You leave your friends high and dry. Pack your sister off to a man she doesn't even know and what, find the nearest dead thing to fuck."
"Of course, that's what I did, Xander. But, as I remember it, said friends and family kicked me out of my own home. That stranger was her father, who should've taken over when I died, and it isn't your business who I fuck." She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Xander, stop it. Buffy, we came here to say that we understand. If you want to come home, you can and we miss you," Willow said, giving her a shy Willow-smile.
"Who's the hottie, Buffy? I bet you get orgasms from him all night long. Xander was sometimes good for two times, but I bet he can do multiple times," Anya said, eyeing Cage from head-to-toe.
"This is Xander Cage, also known as X. He does extreme sports. We met after I left Sunnydale, and yes, we're together. that's all you need to know."
"Buffy, perhaps we behaved rashly when we asked you to leave. That's no reason for you to cut off all communications. We worried about you these past few months not knowing if you were alive or dead. When the house sold and we moved out, we tried to trace you, but to no avail. You can't just walk away from your responsibilities, Buffy. I thought you had outgrown the need to run from your problems. Dawn was heartbroken with you treatment of her; she would barely speak to you father. He won't allow us any contact with her. We don't even know where they're living. How could you do that to that child, Buffy? She doesn't even know that man." Giles' disappointment with Buffy clear in his eyes.
"Does anyone else have anything before I have my say?"
"B, what happened to you? Everyone depended on you. They gave up a big part of their lives for you, and this is how you treat them, like shit," Faith spat, glaring at her sister Slayer.
"My, my, little sister finally made it into the club. Be careful what you wish for because things aren't always what they seem."
"You leave her alone. She doesn't deserve any crap from an ungrateful bitch like you," Xander snarled.
"Watch it, Popeye," Cage growled, his muscles rolled under his shirt at the verbal attack on Buffy.
"It's okay, Cage. He likes to puff himself up as the white knight. The problem is he doesn't tell you how much it'll cost you for his services. Do you know that not once have you, any of you ever apologized to me in all the time that we've known one another. Oh, I forgot. Willow baked cookies for everyone for that 'Will Be Done' spell, and poof all was forgiven, and never again brought up. But, not me, oh no, my mistakes were marched out for display at every opportunity. Didn't matter what I did, or what it cost me in pain or heartache. Just as long as it kept me in line, right, Xander? How many times have you dated some demon that tried to kill you or us? But, that's okay, no problem with that. Oh and my all-time favorite 'Kick his ass.' I just wanted to thank you for that one. So, after, my Mom kicked me out, I was wanted for murder and I had to send Angel to hell with a little help from our resident knight, I left. I went to LA and tried to get my head together, even spent some time in a hell dimension saving some people. Did you know that?"
"Buffy, that isn't fair. You never told us," Willow cried, hating the coldness in Buffy's voice.
"You never asked, all you ever did was attack me. You were pissed because you took over the slaying for that summer. The summer, I should remind you, I would've spent with my father. So, because you chose to play Slayer and found out how hard it was, you decided to take it out on me. Tell me one good reason why I would've told you about Angel returning. Of course, my white knight was Johnny on the spot and brought little sister along to kill the big bad vampire." Buffy glared at Xander with disgust.
He returned her glare with equal heat and said, "He should be dust."
"Oh, and you're the one to decide who should and shouldn't live right, Xander? I forgot that's part of the Scoobies' job, their motto. What about when you tried to rape me, Xander?" Buffy watched in satisfaction as the belligerent man's face paled to a deathly white
"What?" Anya yelled, jumping up from her seat to glare at her former fiancée.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Xander said, but couldn't meet Buffy's eyes.
"Hyena boy, ring any bells. Don't give me any crap about not remembering. I talked to the other kids and they remembered everything. I let you slide because of our friendship."
"Is this true, Xander?" Anya asked quietly. She couldn't believe that the man she almost married had tried to rape his friend while under the influence of an animal possesion. Anya knew that it only brought out your baser instincts.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about. I don't remember anything," Xander exclaimed fidgeting from foot to foot.
"You're lying. You're doing your wiggle; you always do your wiggle when you lie," Anya accused, turning her back on him.
"Buffy, you're my best friend; I don't want to lose you. We've been through so much together, please can't we work this out," Willow pleaded with tears in her large green eyes.
"Let's look at this friendship, Willow. When Angel left, who was the one who wouldn't leave me alone to grieve and get over him? Who pushed me toward Parker? Then, there was Riley, oh yeah, that was you again. Who was so grief-stricken from the loss of her own boyfriend she did a spell she wasn't ready for? Who didn't tell me when Angel showed up? Who was it that couldn't leave me in heaven? Who OD'd on magic and almost killed me and Dawn? Who chose a girl she barely knew over her best friend? Nope doesn't seem like much of a friendship to me, Willow. Sorry, but I don't need someone like that in my life," Buffy told her firmly.
Willow sobbed in Giles' arms. "That's quite enough, Buffy. You've thrown your tantrum and made everyone feel bad. Willow doesn't deserve such harsh words from you," Giles reprimanded her.
"Fine, how about you, watcher mine; the father I didn't have. We won't go into the Crucitorium. How about Band Candy and Police Cars? Or, I know, when I went to college and you told me good luck that I didn't need a watcher anymore. Of course, you never trained me not to need a watcher, gotta say it was of the interesting. Or, how about when you were a Fyarl Demon and I recognized you by looking in you eyes, but when Faith was in my body you couldn't tell. Oh, my all-time favorite is when you told me to kill my sister. But, then there was your leaving after finding out they ripped me out of heaven because I depended on you too much. That was a good one too, Giles. I'd lost everything, Mom, my life, Heaven and I was too clingy for you. You're so insightful. Then, you show up months later with strange girls that I'm supposed to house and feed, somehow. You don't offer to help in anyway because I'm still supposed to stand on my own, right. You leave again only to bring even more girls until my house is overflowing. Telling me to take charge, be a General and the minute I do, you undermined my every action. With Spike, the vineyard everything and I was right about it all. I didn't ask any of you to join my fight, in fact, I pleaded with you to stay out and you refused. Then, you have the nerve to blame me when you get hurt." Buffy was breathing hard as she glared at them with her fists clenched at her sides.
"What about Dawn, B? What did she do to you? We know our history, but what did little D ever do?"
"She didn't do anything, I love Dawnie. I just took a step back and realized that as much as I love her, I'm not the right person to raise her. She deserves a stable home. Mom gave her that and now Dad will. We've talked it out on the phone. She understands and is starting to adjust. I gave my life for her, do you really think I'd do something that wasn't in her best interest?" Buffy stared at them and they all looked away.
"Big question I have, is what's happening in Sunnydale that you can't handle? What do you need me to come handle?"
"Actually since the Hellmouth's closed. It's been fairly calm. Faith patrols and only stakes one or two a night" Giles answered.
"Oh, it's too slow for Faith. She wants to leave little Sunnyhell, make her way to back to the bright lights of LA? Sorry, I'm not going back. You'll have to find another solution. What happened to Kennedy? She should be able to handle it."
"She went back home. Said it was fun, but there wasn't enough excitement for her in Sunnydale," Willow admitted sadly.
"Sunnydale is your responsibility, Buffy," Giles told her.
"Actually, it isn't. It's the Slayer's and I'm not officially the Slayer any more, Faith is. When she dies, the line passes through her. Whistler told me the Powers have released me from my responsibilities as a reward. That means, I can choose to slay or not. I chose to come and help Angel out and get paid for it," she informed them.
"You just want to be with dead boy," Xander sneered.
"I suggest you shut up. I'm tired of your mouth, and I don't care what you think anymore. Cage and I enjoy the work, and it still allows time for his extreme sports. So, it's all good. If that's all you have to say I know I've heard enough, and we have work to do."
"Buffy, please," Willow pleaded, breaking down into loud sobs.
"Red, she isn't going to listen to you. Don't worry she'll come around." Faith put her arm around Willow and walked her out with Xander following close behind.
Anya stopped in front of Buffy and hugged her. "I say screw 'em. Keep the hottie, make lots of money and make him give you loads of orgasms," she whispered.
Buffy laughed hugging her back. "I'll miss you, Anya. Come and see me, just don't bring them."
Giles was the last one left. He stood looking at Buffy, rubbing his glasses. "Buffy, I wish you would reconsider and come back with us. I'm going to start up the Watcher's Council again and need to return to England. Matters simply got out of hand and we all made mistakes, but we can get pass this to get back to where we once were."
"That's the problem Giles, after I stopped long enough to look at it all. I didn't like where we were, I didn't like the Buffy I was around you. Friends should support and accept one another, to try to help one another grow. They don't push you down and mold you into what they think that you should be. I like who I've become since I left. I'm not going back to that other girl. I'm sorry, I do care for you and I'll always remember the good times. Eventually, I'll forgive all the hurt but I can't forget it Giles. Good-bye." Buffy kissed his cheek then walked over to Cage and crawled onto his lap.
Giles looked at her with tears in his eyes and walked out, closing the door behind him. He had lost her. How did it come to this? Where did I go wrong? Her words sliced his heart like a knife. Listening to her, he couldn't believe the way that they'd treated her. He walked up to the others, waiting for him in the hall. They looked lost and sad, except for Xander, who still had a stubborn look of denial on his face.
"Do you believe the crap that she said? I say good riddance after everything that we've done for her," Xander started rambling.
"Shut up, boy. You've said quiet enough," Giles said, the Ripper in him showing through.
"What did I do? I said what everyone was thinking." Xander stared at Giles, wide-eyed taking a step back.
"You've never learned how to keep your mouth shut. You went in there an immediately attacked her. The one thing we said we wouldn't do. Your jealousy, when it comes to Buffy, has always overruled any common sense that may reside in your body. We've lost her. She isn't coming back, ever. She told me, she may forgive us one day but she won't ever forget." Giles turned, storming off toward the elevators.
"What does she have to forgive us for? We didn't run away, leave our friends and abandon our sister," Xander said with a set jaw.
Anya slapped him in the head. "Ow. An, what was that for?"
"I thought maybe your brain had a time delay and a nice slap would fix it. Didn't you listen in there, Xander? There were a lot of things you've done, all of you. Things that she 'may' forgive you for someday. If it were me, I wouldn't. I would've called a Vengeance Demon, a long time ago. I don't know how Buffy put up with you for seven years." Anya walked past Xander to join Giles at the elevators.
"Willow, we didn't do anything. We were always good friends to her. We've spent the last seven years helping her and this is the way she thanks us." He looked to the red headed witch for support.
"Xan, stop. We weren't true friends. We hung onto her coattails and she let us. We liked being a part of something, so much that we weren't about to let it go. We tried to control Buffy, pushing her; we didn't let anyone else get close, so that she only had us. We smothered her, and punished her if she got out of line, and now we have to pay for what we've done. It comes back to you, times three. I'm scared what our punishment will be for what we've done to Buffy." Willow sobbed in Faith's arms as Faith walked them toward the elevators.
Xander sullenly followed them. He knew he was right; they had to be wrong. He had never done anything bad to Buffy. He had always been a good friend. She was just selfish always thinking of herself. Well, what about me?