Cordelia Chase
It's a beautiful evening. I'm at my desk in the Hyperion grabbing my purse and jacket to leave. Doyle is by my desk. Angel is out watching over LA for monsters as usual.
"I'm going home early. I have something to do," I tell him, standing.
"Want some company?"
"Of course."
He has a crush on me, but hasn't said anything to me. Over the years, I have learned the signs of when men have a crush on me. And Doyle does. I'm surprised he hasn't asked me out yet.
Then a vision hits him and he grabs a hold of my desk with one hand, the other on his temple.
"Doyle!" I exclaim.
I grab his arm and sit him down in my chair. I then pick the shot glass up from the corner of my desk and open a bottom drawer to grab the bottle of Scotch to give to him when his vision ends. Which I do.
"What did you see?" I ask after he finishes the glass and sets it down.
"A battle against evil. Anyanka, Buffy, and some others fighting some things. Looks like they used to be vampires. They're living bones or something."
I immediately know who he's talking about. The Scoobies. A few of my friends. A few acquaintances. I mean, Buffy and I never saw eye to eye, Xander is my ex-boyfriend, Anya hates me for her transformation back into a human, Faith and I get along okay, Willow and I are as close as we can get to being friends, I've never met Dawn, Spike I hate for ruining the relationship I had with Xander before he captured Xander and Willow, and I heard of Andrew and what Potentials are. Andrew is a human buddy of Spike's from a few years ago. Potentials are girls Chosen to become Vampire Slayers when the present Slayer dies.
"Doyle, I have to go. You stay here. Help big and broody. I'm going to help out with the battle."
He looks at me.
"Be careful, Princess."
I smile.
"I always am."
I grab my purse and jacket from the floor and walk out.
Francis Doyle
I watch as the Princess leaves to go be a hero for her friends. I hope she'll be okay. I wouldn't want her to get hurt or killed. None of us would want that for her. But as she leaves, she's fearless. She seems like she's ready to die in battle if she has to. This is probably something she has always wanted to do. Another thing I don't know about her. 'It's like wrestling a tiger just to get to know her,' as I once told Angel. Yet, I have a crush on her. I'm afraid to ask her out, though. I don't know how to or if I should ever let her know what I am. Half Bracken Demon and half human. My face changes to all demon-y when I sneeze or if I really feel the need for extra strength in battle or something like that. I don't know how she would take it, given the comments she has said about demons. In so many words, she has said to me that she hates them.
Buffy Summers
It's a dark night in Sunnydale, California. We're in the living room in me and Dawn's house, when there's a knock at the door. I walk into the hallway and open it to see a brunette I haven't seen in about five years.
What the hell is she doing here? I think to myself.
"Cordelia," I say.
She smiles warmly.
"Hey, Buff. Looking good for just coming back to hell on earth. That was a compliment by the way. I'm here to help. May I please come in?"
Please? Since when is Cordelia polite? And since when does she call me Buff? But we've all changed, so I guess even Cordelia Chase can change.
"Come on in," I say.
She walks in and I close the door behind her. I follow her into the living room.
Willow Rosenburg
As soon as I see my old classmate, I stand up from the couch and walk up to her.
"Cordelia, what a surprise. Welcome home. Do you need anything? Are He and Doyle okay?"
"Thanks for the welcome. We're all fine, but thanks anyway, Will."
We give each other a smile.
Xander Lavelle Harris
"Welcome back, Cordy. We would've thrown you a welcome home party if we had known you were coming, but we're in the middle of something big," I say.
We share an awkward look before she looks away from me.
Anya Jenkins
I watch the silent exchange. They still have a thing for one another. I can see it. We're broken up so I know I shouldn't be jealous. But I am. It must be a famous human feeling. Something I didn't have until now. I watch from my seat on the couch between Xander and Dawn with hatred and jealousy in my eyes. It's her wish that made me human, which is why I hate her so much.
Spike (William the Bloody)
"Well, well. Look what the Hellmouth drug in," I announce, standing by the bookshelf, as I look at her. "And you haven't changed one bit, Princess," I add.
"Spike, shut up. Don't act like we're old friends, because we're not. You're the one that ruined everything. You know what I'm talking about," the ex-cheerleader of Sunnydale High replies sharply with venom.
Dawn Summers
"So, who's this?" I ask, looking at the brunette I have never seen before in my life.
"Cordelia," Buffy replies.
"I'm Cordelia Chase. I used to be the Sunnydale High famous Queen C and cheerleader, but that's all over now. Well, unless I get mad or I'm fighting the evil undead. That's a different story. And one more thing. I'm Xander's high school sweetheart. And when I made a wish, Giles broke Anya's amulet which made her human. Now she hates me for it. But that's nothing new. Everyone hates me. Well, almost everyone."
"Nice meeting you, finally. I've heard about you, but Buffy never talks much about you," I tell her.
"That's because we never got along in high school. But she did save me a few times. All the other times, it was Xander saving me or me saving myself."
"So, you think you can help," Buffy says.
"Of course," Cordelia answers her.
"She could help us," I interject, not that I know much about her or anything.
"No offense, but you don't know anything about her. She would get us or herself killed," Anya says.
"Let her help. She just said that she fights evil on a regular basis. She has changed. A lot," Xander implies.
"Fine. How do suppose you help?" Buffy says to Cordelia.
Andrew Wells
"So you're Cordelia. I've heard of you. You're famous in this town. Everybody knows you or if they don't, they have at least heard of you," I say to Xander's first ex-girlfriend.
"And you must be Andrew Wells. Spike's buddy. Nice meeting you, too. I've heard about you."
"So, what's the call? What are we going to do?" I ask.
"I've heard about what's here. The First Evil. You guys think you can kill it off, but you can't. It's impossible. As long as there's evil, The First will live on. So, let's do something else. Get rid of its followers, instead. Like, say, Caleb. But since we don't know where he is, let's see if we can get a leverage. I hate doing this, but let's split up. Xander, Buffy, and Willow. You go down into the Vineyard and see if there's anything there worth anything. Faith, Potentials, and I will go down to the sewer tunnels. Anya and Andrew, you guys go find some first-aid stuff. Get as much as you can and then come back here," she says.
"I don't have to do what you tell me to. You're not in charge," Anya replies.
"Then stay out of the fight," she retorts back to Anya.
"As much as I hate doing as she says, she has a good plan. And Anya, we're all sticking together. So do as she says," Buffy says to Anya.
"Fine," Anya mutters.
"What do I do, Princess?" Spike asks, looking at Cordelia.
"Stay here and make sure nothing happens to anyone here."
Buffy then goes and gets her weaponry trunk.
Faith Lehane
It's a dark night as the Potentials, C, and I walk through the storm sewers. As we do, we walk side by side like we used to do this all the time. Work together. But we never did. We were never close until recently. We have never worked together like this before. Well, unless you count Los Angeles. Which I don't. She has changed in so many ways. She's not who she fully used to be. She was once Queen C of Sunnydale High and a cheer captain there.
She was above everything in Sunnydale High when her and X were dating. Now she's not. She's just like some of us. The ones that are still trying to find their way in the world. Find out where they belong. Like me. I'm still a Slayer like Buffy, but I don't belong with the Scoobies. I don't even know if I belong in Los Angeles with C and her two friends or not. The only thing I know is that I want to live through this battle and that I have to lay low so the Watcher's Council doesn't kill me or whatever they want to do to me. But if I do die, I want to die in battle. Maybe this is the fight i'm supposed to die in. I don't know. I kind of feel like I have nothing to fight for anymore. I'm a loner. That's what I call myself. I don't let anyone in anymore. No one but Angel and Cordelia. They've been good friends to me. And X, he was there when I needed him in the beginning of my darkest hours, too. But I know C still has feelings for me. The feelings of not being sure what to expect from me and being afraid that I'll strike out any minute. I sense it every time I'm around her. She's so tense. I understand that. She knows my past.
What I did. I was in such a dark place once, not that long ago, that I could've killed Angel without any remorse.
"Over there," Kennedy, one of the Potentials says, looking over a yard away where a box is.
"What's that?" C says.
We all walk up to it.
I smash the padlock of the wooden box off with my boot. I kneel before it and swing the lid open to reveal several hundred pounds of plastic explosives connected to a detonator and timing device.
"Run!" C and I both yell and run at the same time.
All of us run full speed away, as it goes off and explodes almost straight behind us and the wood from the box explodes all over. At the same time, some debris falls with it too.
Xander Lavelle Harris
I expect it to be dark in the Pagean Temple when we go down into it, but it's not. It's lit with torches everywhere. There's a red and white scythe on stone too. We walk up to it, Buff in the lead.
"What is it?" Will asks.
"Some kind of scythe," Buff replies.
Just then, the door opens and Caleb walks down the steps.
Oh, great. Here he comes. I think to myself.
"So...you found it. Not impressed. 'Cause the question now, girly-girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there and-"
Buffy reaches and casually lifts the Axe. She holds it up and turns toward Caleb who stops in his tracks, uncertain and fearful.
"Darn..." Caleb says.
Will and I watch as Buffy and Caleb wrestle with the scythe.
Cordelia Chase
I get up and look around at everyone.
"Everyone okay?" I ask.
Satisfied that everyone is okay, I lead everybody out. I know Faith is hurting a little, but I don't say anything. I don't want to fight in the middle of a storm sewer. I'll wait until we get to Buffy's. Faith's a Slayer anyway. She'll heal. I want to give her time to heal before I say anything. If she doesn't heal, then I'll take care of her. Mom was a nurse before she died, so I know pretty much everything.
Anya Jenkins
It's a dark night, as Andrew and I walk into Buffy's house with the supplies for first aid. He closes the door behind us and we set them on the table. I can't believe i'm doing as Queen Almighty tells me to do. She's not in charge of this group or me. Buffy is. It's always Buffy in charge. No one else. If I had a say so, Cordelia wouldn't even be here helping us. I know we need all the help we can get, but she doesn't know anything about fighting against The First Evil or its followers. She needs to go back home to LA where she belongs now. I don't care if she used to live here or not. I want her gone. Out of my hair. Out of my sight.
Willow Rosenburg
A few days later, the battle comes. We fight against these things that are dead vampires. They're all bones now and you can only kill them by decapitation. I'm the only one that doesn't fight. I'm at Buffy's house doing a spell to give every girl in the world the power of a Slayer, minus the healing.
Cordelia Chase
It's a beautiful day as we all fight against the evil vampire things. Anya and Andrew are fighting side by side by the stairs, while the rest of them are fighting under the Sunnydale High school. I'm in the same room as Anya and Andrew. Willow is still doing her spell at Buffy's. Buffy and Faith are fighting side by side, as well as Xander and Dawnie. I only know this, because it's what Buffy, Faith, and I all planned. For once, Buffy and I are getting along well like. We haven't fought for a very long time. Not since I arrived a few nights ago.
I see a vampire thing sneak up behind Anya with a long stick and I decapitate it with my sword before it can stab her.
A few minutes later, I hear Faith yell, "Everyone get out! It's collapsing!" Then we're all running out of the building towards the bus. I'm the last one out, just because I wanted to make sure everybody got out before me. I'm different now. I put others first before my own well-being.
A few minutes later, Willow is driving the bus and we're all in it, excluding the Potentials and Spike. They all died in the battle, but us Scoobies all survived. Including Dawnie and thankfully Xander and Buffy and Faith. I'm glad the others survived too, but Anya doesn't like me. She doesn't even know that I saved her life today.
She was too busy fighting the other creatures. But we won. Everyone's safe. Now it's to LA we go. I mean, there's no other place to go. Sunnydale is collapsing, as Willow drives.
When it's done collapsing, we all get out and look to see the spot where Sunnydale once stood. I can't believe that our hometown is gone forever. At least, it is literally. It'll never be erased in our minds. We'll always remember it. That is, until the day we die. But I wouldn't want to think about that. I couldn't lose Xander or anyone else. I've lost enough along the way. I don't need to lose anything or anyone else.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
