Faith sat on Cordelia’s desk, dressed in light blue tank top and tan
shorts. She looked down at Cordelia as the secretary fumbled around with
the computer. The night before, when Willow had been working on it, it
had been moved out of its usual place. Even though Cordelia would never
admit it, she was a bit anal when it came to her computer. After a fine
tuning of placing her computer in place, Cordelia looked up and met
Faith’s gaze. “So, what do you think of the office?”

Before she could answer, Wesley walked in. He took one look at Faith
and started for his bag while yelling, “Cordelia, why is she here? Get
away from her!”

As he fumbled around in his bag for a weapon, Cordelia laughed and made
her way between the two. “You can relax, Wes. This is the alternate
universe’s Faith. She won’t do anything bad.”

Before he could say something, Angel bounded out into the office with
Spike behind him, both barely missing the sun’s rays. Acting quickly,
Cordelia raced to the blinds as Angel
stared ahead in disbelief. “Faith? You’re out of jail?”

Faith tilted her head as she answered, “Never been to jail.”

“What?”

Angel felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back at Spike. Smiling,
Spike answered his question, “It’s the other Faith.” Looking at
Cordelia, he stated, “I take it that the letter’s line about being here
soon has come true.”

Cordelia nodded. “Yep, and Faith isn’t our only guest. The others
should get here shortly with Willow. They dropped us off before going on
to get breakfast.”

“So what other surprises are we in store for?” asked Angel.

“Uhm, I believe you are about to find that one, uh, out pretty shortly,”
muttered Wesley at the windows.

As soon as he warned Angel, the door was opened by Willow. Another
Cordelia, this one with a dread-lock hairstyle and loose clothing walked
in. Behind her was a man that Angel was all to familiar with. Taking in
a deep breath, he remarked coldly, “Lindsey.”

Lindsey McDonald nodded, approached Angel, and held out a hand. Gulping,
evidence of his nervousness, Lindsey remarked, “I have heard so much
about you from Willow and Cordelia. It is very nice to meet you.”

Spike laughed behind Angel, commenting under his breath, “Kiss ass.”

Angel ignored Spike and shook Lindsey’s hand. “So, Lindsey, what do
you do in your universe?” tension etching his tone.

“I have a small law firm in Sunnydale, where I try to put away demons in
my own way.”

Cordelia sat back at her computer as she added, “Basically, he does the
opposite of what he does here.” Taking her order from Willow, who was
passing out food, she added, “Can we keep him?”

Cordy, who was leaning up against the stairwell chuckled. “I don’t
think you can match his salary. In our world, Oz is a millionaire and he
foots Lindsey’s bills.”

Lindsey nodded. “Yep. Oz owns me.”

Joking, Cordelia remarked to Angel, trying to get a smile on her bosses
face, “Maybe we can get Oz to let us buy Lindsey stock.” Switching her
gaze to Lindsey, she added, “Angel needs someone to fight Wolfram and
Hart in the courtroom. They have a certain knack when it comes to
getting demons back on the streets.”

Lindsey nodded. “I know. That is what I did before I received a call
from my universe’s Angel. With Oz’s help, he offered me more than
Wolfram and Hart were paying, so I just packed up and left.”

“They didn’t try to stop you?” asked Angel.

“No. I kind of left without telling them until I was already in
Sunnydale. There was no way I was walking in there and telling them I
was leaving. The last time I saw someone do that, they had one of the
guards shoot him right there.”

Faith smiled and commented before biting into an apple, “Nothing like
recruiting new people when you have blood stains in the carpeting.”

Spike nodded. “Yep. I bet the cleaning bill is a bitch.”

Angel laughed, starting to feel a little more at ease, and made his way
to the coffee maker. Cordelia ignored the conversation that continued as
she watched him pour a small cup and then take a drink. After the first
sip, his look was a bit contemplative. Then, he took another drink and
stared at the coffee. It was different. Turning from the coffee, he
looked at Cordelia and asked out of the blue, “Who fixed the coffee?”

Cordelia batted her eyes and smiled. “I did. Do you like it?”

Angel shook his head. “Delia, do you know what happens to secretaries
that lie?”

Cordelia frowned. “Why is it that everyone can fix better coffee than
me?”

“Because some of us know to change the filters?” guessed Wesley.

Faith laughed and looked down at Cordelia from where she was still
sitting on the desk. “I have the art of making coffee down to
perfection.”

“Well, maybe you could send that perfection my way, so my boss will give
me a break.”

The conversation died down as Cordelia glared at Angel. Finally, Willow
broke the silence by walking up to Spike and hugging him. “And did you
and Angel have a fun time last night?”

Spike grunted. “He read and I watched movies.”

Willow smiled up at him. “And what did you watch?”

“That doesn’t matter,” he answered defensively.

Angel walked over and whispered in Willow’s ear as Spike looked on
angrily. Willow’s smile got bigger as she said in front of everyone,
“Why, Spike, I never knew you were a Molly Ringwald fan.”

Turning red, he pointed at Angel, “Well, they belong to Peaches in the
first place.”

Cordelia shook her head. “Actually, they belong to Wesley.”

As everyone turned to him, he commented, “I happened to think she was
stunning in Pretty in Pink when I was younger.”

Faith nodded. “Oh yes, and her performance in Sixteen Candles was Oscar
worthy.”

As everyone broke out laughing, Wesley commented, “Fine, you have your
fun, but trust me, she will return one day and you will eat those words.”

Cordelia sobered up, “And I look forward to that day with anticipation.”
 

Everyone started to laugh again, never noticing the office door opening
and closing. Their laughter was cut off shortly as Buffy Summer’s voice
sliced through the air. “You! What are you doing here?”

Willow looked up in horror and raced between Buffy and her target.
Angel stiffened and stayed in place at first, glancing at Riley and
glaring for a second before realizing that maybe he should help Willow
come to the rescue. Willow and Angel stopped between Buffy as she made
her way to a very confused Faith. In a strict voice, Angel stated,
“Buffy, this is not what you think.”

Buffy stopped and crossed her arms. “I know we have been over this once
before Angel, but I still don’t think you should be helping her. Not
only that, why is she out of jail?”

Willow stepped forward. “Buffy, this isn’t our Faith. She is from the
other universe.”

Buffy looked at Willow like she was mad. “Willow, people just don’t go
jumping from one universe to another.”

From the stairwell, Cordy commented, “They do when those they love have
been taken to another universe.”

Buffy stared at the Cordelia before her. She had on baggy pants, a
heavy metal band t-shirt, and a dog collar around her neck. There was
not one bit of makeup on her and her hair was made up in a dread-lock
style fashion. Narrowing her eyes, she asked quietly, “Cordelia?”
Turning her head back to the people in front of her, she saw Cordelia
Chase, the one she knew, peer behind Angel from the desk.

From the entrance to the hallway, Spike remarked, “The slayer,
speechless....Why doesn’t this bloody happen more often? It is so
peaceful without all that whining.”

Buffy ignored him and walked back to Riley. Looking up at him, she
asked, “Do you see two Cordelias in this room?”

Riley smiled down at her. “Well, I’ve never met Cordelia, but I would
say there are twins in here.”

Willow walked up to her and said cheerily, “Look on the bright side, we
may need you to do some serious slayage. Doesn’t that sound fun? I mean,
I am sure Angel would love the help with this case.”

Buffy looked up at Angel as he shrugged, turned, and walked out of the
front office towards his own. Cordelia looked up from where she was
sitting. “He is doing the moping thing.”

Not waiting for a reply, Cordelia got up and followed Angel as she
thought she heard Riley comment, “And this is new?”

Angel looked up at her as she entered his office. “Angel, this has to
stop!”

“What?”

“This whole moping thing when it comes to Buffy. Get over it. She has
moved on, and so have you, in your own way.”

Sitting on his desk, in the same fashion that Faith was sitting on
Cordelia’s desk, he commented, “I know. It is just that I see her and it
hurts. Not only that, but I don’t like who she moved on with.”

Cordelia snickered. “And what would she say about the way you moved on?
Even though you really haven’t moved on as officially as she has, but you
know what I mean.”
Twirling her hair in her hand, she added quietly, “It isn’t like Buffy
Summers gives a damn about me.”

Angel smiled at her and placed a hand on her cheek, saying gently, “Buffy
just hasn’t got to know the new Cordelia, or even the Cordelia that I met
up with when I first got here. You’ve grown up a lot since then.”

“I know, but...” Cordelia stopped and screamed as she felt a stabbing
pain run through her head. Grabbing her head, her knees stopped holding
her, and she fell to the ground in a large heap. Angel had grabbed her
on her way down, and held her as her eyes teared, looking up at him,
wide, in pain.

A large group ran into the room, Buffy included. Her heart ached as she
saw Angel look down at Cordelia and try to soothe her. As Cordelia cried
out, he looked up and caught Wesley’s eyes. Wesley nodded and ran out,
going straight to the water and medicine. Angel looked back down as
Cordelia convulsed in his arms and then started to calm down. Her eyes
started to close and she silently cried as Wesley rushed in and kneeled
at her and Angel’s side. In a soothing voice, Angel called out, “Delia,
try to sit up and take some medicine.”

Cordelia nodded and sat up with Angel’s help. Wesley handed her the
medicine and she downed it and leaned against Angel. Closing her eyes
again, she said quietly, “I know why they wanted Doyle and William.” The
room fell quiet as she opened her eyes again and looked up at Angel, “I
think you may need to check the oracles. They may be able to help on
this one.”

“Cordelia, the oracles are gone. They were murdered.”

Shaking her head, Cordelia commented, “If you were the PTBs, wouldn’t you
want to replace such an important element.” Grabbing onto him, she
pleaded, “Please, Angel. This may be over our head, and if there is the
slightest chance that they have been replaced, then we need to play that
hand.”

Wesley placed a hand on Cordelia. “Why is this so important?”

Cordelia looked only at Angel as she commented, “I didn’t only see their
Doyle and William.” Her eyes became more desperate as she added,
“Druscilla and Darla were there, and they are going to try to turn
William against you.”

Buffy understood, as did a few of the others. In a worried voice, she
remarked, “Three against one is not very good.”

Spike grumled beside her, “And Druscilla will try anything to get her
daddy back.”
Cordelia looked up at a worried Angel and cried out, “Please, Angel, go
to the oracles. I don’t want to lose you.”

Angel nodded. “I’ll go to the oracles, and you can come with me. Will
that make you feel better?”

Cordelia sniffled and answered in a quiet voice as Buffy Summers sneaked
out of the room, “Yes.”

Angel smiled down at her, masking his own discomfort. “Okay. Now you
lay down for a few minutes and collect you thoughts. When you are
feeling more steady, we can go.”
Cordelia smiled and let him lead her to his couch as everyone filed out
of the room.

After settling her down, he walked out of the office and headed towards
the front office. A voice from the side called out to him as he walked
by the library, or rather Wesley’s office. Buffy stood inside, looking
very cross. “Do you have something to tell me Angel?”
Angel stepped in the office, away from everyone else to have this
conversation. “I don’t think I have anything to tell you.”

Buffy’s eyes narrowed. “Are you with Cordelia?”

Angel blanched at the question but answered, “No, we are just friends
right now, friends that care a great deal about each other.”

“Do you think it is a good idea to get involved with her, of all people?”

“As I said, we are not involved exactly. Our relationship is nothing
like the relationship we shared. Not only that, but why should you care
about it. You didn’t call me and ask if you could date Riley, so why
should I do the same?”

“This isn’t about Riley!” snapped Buffy.

“No, this is just as much about him as it is about Cordelia. You moved
on with him, so I should be able to move on with whomever I want.”

Buffy looked down. “I just don’t want you to set yourself up and get
hurt.”

Angel looked at her bitterly. “I think we both know that Cordelia is in
more danger than me when it comes to this relationship.

Buffy just nodded and walked out of the room. As Angel started to follow
her, he felt a hand stop him in the hall. Angel turned, surprised to see
Riley Finn. Riley tried to smile as he commented, “She still loves you.
There is no way I can replace you.”

Angel understood what Riley was trying to say. “And no one will replace
her.”

Both of them stared at each other for a few seconds as a voice
interrupted them. “Angel. Let’s go. I want to leave as soon as
possible.” Angel nodded and turned, and Cordelia followed behind him as
they got ready to leave through the sewers to see the oracles.
 

Part 7

Doyle sat against the wall, staring at his hands as the rhythm continued
- the soft tapping of a ring on the hard, cold floor. The tapping
stopped. Turning to William, he watched as William removed the ring and
then stared at it for a while, turning it in his fingers as he memorized
its every feature. “Something bothering you?”

William glanced over at him. “It’s quite a little trinket, isn’t it?”

“Very beautiful in the powers it holds.”

He twisted it one more time in his fingers. “Yes, but very dangerous in
the wrong hands - or shall I say on the wrong hands.”

Doyle searched the room. “Too bad there isn’t anything in here to smash
it with.”

Nodding, William popped it in his mouth and swallowed it, trying not to
choke as it went down. Doyle was looking at him like he was crazy. The
half demon had always admired the ring that Willow had found for him,
making him virtually indestructible. For William, though, the ring had
a different meaning. It was a link that allowed him to live a life in
the day with Willow. Because of it, he had felt himself coming closer to
humanity in what he could do, but now, the destruction or hiding of the
ring was a matter of safety.

Looking towards the door, William’s thoughts were jarred as the door to
his and Doyle’s cell opened. The lawyer who had introduced herself as
Lilah Morgan eyed the two, stopping her gaze at William. In a sour voce,
she remarked, “The mistress Darla has called for you.”

Doyle’s head snapped around to William’s and their gazes met. “You can’t
go.”

William looked back up at Lilah, noticing the guards behind her, armed
with stakes and holy water. Turning back to Doyle, he replied, “I have
to.” Standing he started for the door. Before he reached it, William
glanced back one final time. “If I don’t come back, tell Wills that I’m
sorry and that I love her.”

As the group entered the hallway and the door shut between him and Doyle,
Lilah Morgan remarked, “How sweet. I think I might have actually formed
a tear in the corner of my eye.”

Raising one eyebrow, William shook his head, “I don’t think I could ever
picture you with tears in your eyes.”

“You don’t know me,” she remarked, a little to brusquely.

“And you don’t know me.”

Lilah laughed, “I know more about you than you know, William.” Stopping
in front of a door, she motioned to it. “Your destination”

Opening the door, William walked into a spacious room. In one corner,
there was a desk. Sitting at the desk was Lindsey McDonald, books
scattering the desk. On the very corner of the desk sat Darla. She was
wearing a dark red dress that clung to her body. The shortness of it
showed off her legs, which she had crossed. Smiling at him, she looked
over to the other side of the room, where the other vampiress was setting
a table. Darla’s soft, childlike voice called out, “Druscilla, your
playmate has arrived.”

As Druscilla continued to work at her tea, William turned his attention
back to the pair at the desk. Smirking, he remarked, “So Darla, have
gotten yourself a new toy?” Stepping closer, he continued, “Will he be
your replacement for Angelus? If so, I don’t know if he’ll be up to it.
Those are pretty big shoes to fill.”

Darla smiled down at the man still studying his books. “I like him even
as a human. Think of how powerful his dark side will be if he is
turned.” Lindsey looked up at Darla, frowned, and then went back to what
he was doing.

William shook his head. “Demons that feed on a dark soul aren’t the best
of childer, from what I have heard. They always want power, even if that
means staking their own sires.”

Once again looking up from his books, Lindsey opened a desk drawer and
then pulled out a stake. “You don’t need him, Darla.”

Smiling down at him, she shook her head. “No, put up the stake.
Druscilla and I have other plans for our little Spikey.”

Druscilla caught William’s attention as she walked up to him with a cup
in one hand. Her free hand traced circles on his chest. “This William
has a secret. We could get a knife and cut it out of him.”

Darla shook her head. “Now Druscilla, is that how we want to treat our
guest?”

Backing away, Druscilla shook her head. “No. We wouldn’t want to spoil
the present.”
Walking to Lindsey, she sat a cup down in front of him. “Your tea.”

Lindsey barely looked up at her. “Thanks.”

After a few minutes, he looked up to see Druscilla and Darla both staring
at him. Smiling down at Lindsey, Darla asked, “Aren’t you going to try
it before it gets cold?”

Rolling his eyes, Lindsey pretended to take a drink. “Mmmm, good.”

“What did you think of the flavor?” asked Druscilla.

William had to smile as Lindsey had a panicked look on his face for a
second. Dru was playing with this toy. “Raspberry. Great choice.”

Acting pleased at his response, Druscilla grabbed William’s hand and led
him to the table. As she pushed him down into the chair, she remarked to
Lindsey, “William thinks you’re funny, but he hasn’t seen his tea yet.”

Darla got down from her perch on the desk and walked over to the two.
Reaching over to a pin on her dress, she pulled it out. The long,
straight needle of it shined as the light hit it. The sparkle almost
matched the sparkle in her eyes. Handing it to Druscilla, she walked
back to the desk to her perch.

Taking to straight pin, she slowly licked it, smiling at William as she
did so. Finishing the tip, she let it cut a small bit of her tongue.
The blood stained the end of the pin, darkening it. Picking up a cup,
she acted like she was stirring the tea with it. Placing the cup back
down, she pulled out the pin and in a swift motion, stabbed William in
the chest, as she sang, “Now it is time for William to have his tea.”

As the pin broke his skin, William looked down to see a small bit of mist
from the cup she had been playing with. For a few seconds he wondered
what she had been up to, but then it hit him in the form of a sharp pain
in his body. In pain, he leaned back, tipping his chair to the floor.
The battle within him raged, and his body was helpless.

Druscilla looked down at him as a seizure took over his body. Leaning
over him, she remarked to Darla and Lindsey, “Oooh. Looky at how he
writhes, like a fish out of the water, darkness yanking, pulling,
tugging, eating away like maggots at the flesh. Hunger for death.”

Darla joined her, “Beautiful isn’t it?”

Druscilla nodded, “Pretty. Red as blood.”
 

Part 8

“You don’t like my singing, do you?”

“Huh?” Cordelia replied, lost in her thoughts as they trudged through the
sewers.

“My, singing. You don’t like it.” Angel looked over to see if she was
paying attention.

“What makes you say that?” she asked as she stepped over something she
didn’t wish to name and then looked straight ahead.

“The kareoke bar is closer, yet you insisted on going to see the
oracles.”

“This trip has nothing to do with me not liking your singing.”

“Ah, so you don’t like my singing? You just said you didn’t.”

Stopping, Cordelia sighed and asked, “Wesley much?”

“What?”

“Well, he’s always paranoid about what people think.” Angel knitted his
eyebrows, pondering what she had just said. The more he thought about
it, he realized she was right. Whenever he was around her now, he was
always wondering what she was thinking about him. He hadn’t been that
way since he was dating Buffy.

Changing the subject, he asked, “So, is that one of your emergency
gifts?”

Hugging the gift to her, Cordelia asked, “What do you mean by ‘emergency
gifts’?”

“You know. You have gifts pre-wrapped and sitting aside, just in case
you forgot someone’s birthday or something.”

As they entered the area in front of the gate to the oracles, Cordelia
paused before answering, “This was actually a gift that I bought for
Doyle before he, you know, died.”
Looking up at Angel as tears started to form in her eyes, she added, “I
was waiting for the perfect time to give it to him.”

“So, now you want me to give it to the oracles?”

“No, I want to give it to the oracle.”

“Cordelia, only warriors can enter.”

Cradling the package in one arm, she lashed out at him with the other,
“Don’t go telling me what I can and can’t do. You aren’t the owner of
me, and if I want to risk going in to see the oracle, then it is my own
damned business! Got that, gel boy?” Putting on a resolve face that
rivaled Willow’s, she glared at him.

Shaking his head in defeat, Angel started the ritual, “I come before the
oracles for guidance and direction. I beseech access to the knowing
ones.” As the flame rose, he took Cordelia’s hand in his, scared of what
might happen to her. In a blink, they were standing together in the
empty chamber of the oracles. Looking around, Angel noticed that the
blood and bodies of the oracles were gone. He had always meant to return
to clean things up, but Wesley had insisted that the Powers would take
care of it.

“You’re wondering how they knew to handle it, when you know that answer
yourself. Are they not great enough to know what happens in their own
temples?” a familiar accented voice asked.

Surprise evident in his expression, Angel’s head shot up, his eyes
meeting the stare of eyes he had been trying to forget. Doyle’s smile
widened in amusement as he stepped closer to Angel. Doyle was dressed in
a loose white button down shirt and a pair of tan slacks. His manner was
cool and calm, not one of somebody watching his back if a deal didn’t
balance. No, this Doyle was at ease and happy in this existence. Angel
wondered if this was the way Doyle was before he had learned about his
demon half.

Cordelia held out a gift. “I brought you a little something.”

Stepping forward, Doyle opened the gift bag and laughed at what he saw
inside. Removing a whisky bottle from the bag, he opened it and smelled
of it. As he closed it back up, he remarked, “Thanks Delia. Now what
has brought my old friends to the oracle?”

Before Angel could speak, Cordelia started, “You. Of all oracles, you
should understand the gift of sight. Can they actually steal it from
your eyes and transfer one world’s vision to another’s? And if so, how
do we stop it before it happens?”

“Not all has been set in motion...”

Angel was staring at Cordelia when she voiced exactly what he was
thinking, “Cryptic?”

Doyle was about to answer when all of a sudden he looked at her, pain
evident in his eyes. She was about to ask about it when it hit. Angel
and Doyle both caught her as she fell to the floor. Gasping, she felt
like part of her was being ripped out. Flailing her arms, she tried to
catch it, hold onto it. If she could just grab it, hold it tight. Could
she save any of it? Just a bit. If only. The fire burned though her as
she saw their faces above.
Could they see what she hid in the palm of her hand?

Opening her eyes, she asked, eyes still unfocused, “Dru? Darla?”

“What?” asked Angel, fear entering him as he heard her gasp the two
names.

Grabbing onto Doyle’s shirt, she remarked, “We’re too late, and it is all
your fault. Why did the Powers wait till now? We could have stopped it.
They want him to help them with Angel. The family is almost complete.
He can’t stand against all three.”

Looking up at Angel, Doyle remarked, “Wolfram and Hart want to destroy
you, utterly, unless they can get you on their side. To do this, they
have reunited Angelus’s close vampire family.”

“But Spike is at the office.”

Cordelia shook her head. “No, William. They wanted a Spike that isn’t
so rash, so why not take William and take away that which makes him
human.”

“You got that from a vision?”

“I felt it being ripped out of him. Angel, we got to help him.”

“What about the eye thing?”

Doyle answered, “They want to take Doyle’s eyes and use them to intercept
the visions sent to Cordelia.”

“How do we stop it?” asked Cordelia.

“You must infiltrate the family.”

Angel shook his head, “How? I shouldn’t do it. It could bring me down
to face them.”

Doyle started to get up and walk away before remarking, “For some a soul
stirs and for some it is darkness. She must give in, and when she and
others help him do the same, then they will turn the tide. Plus, don’t
discredit your enemies, for they may hold a key.” With that, he
vanished, and Cordelia and Angel found themselves outside the entrance,
deep in thought.
 

Part 9

“Willow! Oh, God. Hurts so bad. Don’t want to lose you. Willow.” The
words hung in the air around her, first seeming to be screamed and by the
end, whimpered out.
Sitting up in the dark, alone, Willow wrapped her arms around her body.
She could still hear him sobbing and could feel the pain he was
experiencing. Why was this happening? Crying out, she dug her head into
her knees, rocking back and forth, her screams and sobs echoing through
her room and on down the hall.

Arms surrounded her, soothing her. She could feel hands wiping her hair
away from her face and then continuing to dry the tears on her face. His
gentle voice worked at soothing her, even though her mind screamed for
revenge. “Shhh. Willow. Talk to me Willow.”

Catching her breath, she remarked, trying to speak through the sobs that
were rocking her body, “William is gone.”

“Willow, we went through this yesterday, remember? Doyle was taken also,
and Cordelia went to find them.”

She shook her head as he tried to explain. “No. No. I mean that the
man William was is gone.” Grabbing his shirt and bunching it in her
fist, she remarked, “They ripped it from him. I could feel it, can feel
it. His screams echo through my ears. Such desperation to hold on. To
keep some small part of it locked away from them.”

Not understanding, he decided just to play along. “Did he Willow? Did
he hold on?”

Looking up at him, her eyes full of fear and pain, she answered, “I can’t
tell.”

Pushing him away. She got up and peered around the heavy curtains of her
bed room, feeling the rays of the sun warm her face. “How can the sun
still shine when the light of my life hangs in the balance?” Closing the
curtain and looking back at him in the dark room, she answered, “I must
go to him. It is the only way.”

“You don’t know where he is.”

Shaking her head, she picked up a book of spells she had borrowed from
Cordy. “Something tells me she was right. I have to help.”

Placing his hand on her shoulder, he nodded, “I was wondering when you
were going to give in.”
 

Part 10

Faith looked down at the slayer. Buffy was sitting, curled up on one of
the offices many couches. Breaking Buffy’s concentration, she asked,
“Can we talk?”

Buffy looked up at the other realities’ Faith. It was like looking into
the face of their Faith, having a quick surge of fear, and then suddenly
realizing that this was a different person, that this Faith didn’t have a
crazed look emitting from her eyes. Patting the couch, she nodded,
“Sure, have a seat.”

Sitting beside Buffy, Faith turned her body to where she was facing
Buffy. Trying to read

Buffy’s eyes, she asked, “Do I scare you?”

Taking a deep breath, Buffy shook her head. “No. It is just that our
Faith hurt me really bad, and when I look at you, I see only her staring
back.”

“I look that much like her?”

“That’s the funny thing, you don’t. You don’t dress like her, you don’t
even wear your make up and hair like her.”

“But I am her.” They were silent for a while. After a few minutes,
Faith asked, “What did she do? I know Willow told me that she was really
bad, but she never went into specific details.”

Buffy, not turning to look at her, tried to quickly state the reign of
Faith’s terror. “Our Faith didn’t seem to have a conscience. During our
senior year of High School, Sunnydale’s mayor tried to ascend into a
higher demon. Faith killed one of his human men while we were on patrol,
and then, when we tried to help her cope with this, she turned to the
mayor’s side. She set out to hurt all of us, especially Angel and I.
Then, in a fight, I put her in a coma. We thought she would never wake
up, but she did. She set about by taking over my body and placing me in
hers. While she was in my body, she fooled my boyfriend into sleeping
her, while I was being taken in by the watcher’s council. Luckily,
Willow’s friend Tara realized what was up and helped me get my body
back.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Looking into Faith’s eyes, she realized she was truly sorry for what her
other self had done. Buffy wondered if she looked into her own Faith’s
eyes now, if she would see the same sincerity. “I don’t hold you
responsible for her actions.” Looking around, Buffy’s eyes fell onto the
Cordelia from the other reality. Cordy had been avoiding her since she
and Riley showed up, and at this point, she was sitting alone at a
window, studying what was going on outside. “So what is your Cordelia’s
story? She won’t even look at me.”

“Don’t you know?”

“What?”

“About our Buffy.”

“She died, didn’t she? That would have been why you were called to be
the slayer.”

Faith sighed. She had never met her world’s Buffy, being as Buffy had
stated, her death was what had called her. However, she did know Buffy’s
family and friends. From the very beginning, she was living up to the
wonderfulness that was Buffy. Luckily, her gang realized she would never
be Buffy, and accepted her for who she was - a quiet, shy girl from up
north. It was through these new friends she made that she learned about
the past slayer.

“From what I’ve heard and can tell about you, our Buffy was a lot like
you. She was very classy in the way she presented herself and cared for
everyone. She also was a stickler to morals - always trying to draw a
line between what was right and wrong. At times, they said she was even
a bit fanatical about it.

“Everyone loved our Buffy, some more than others. Her and Angel were
very close, but her fine line for morals seemed to get in the way when it
came to his past. She had a hard time dealing with what he had been.
During all this, our Buffy also found comfort in someone else.”

Buffy’s eyes widened as she looked over at the girl staring at the
window, so unlike her Cordelia, and evidently, their Buffy was unlike
her. It was no secret among Buffy and her friends that she had a problem
with people’s sexual orientations - if they were different than her own.
That had been evident when it took her so long to get used to Tara and
Willow when they were together. Looking back at Faith, she asked with
shock on her face, “You mean that I was with Cordelia?” If she had to
choose from any of the girls in the gang, Cordelia would be last on her
list.

“Our Buffy liked to care for people, and Cordy had so many problems, that
she needed someone to care for her. They found comfort in each other.
Then, about a week before Buffy’s death, Cordy had Buffy go back to
Angel, because deep down, she knew that Buffy’s love for him was deeper.
It really hurt her, but it was nothing for what she would endure later.

“The next week, Cordy and Angel were supposedly on patrol together when
they came upon a fight. Buffy was up against only one vampire. Right as
she was flipping over a headstone, the vampire stepped up, grabbed her
hand holding the stake, and then rammed it into her own heart. They both
saw her die. It was a fluke. It shouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t
have been called.”

Buffy nodded, remembering a stake finding its way into her almost the
same way. Only this time, their Buffy wasn’t able to save herself. Then
there was the fact that Cordy had witnessed the death of her own. No
wonder she didn’t want to look at Buffy.

Buffy was about to ask more when all hell broke loose. Cordelia and
Angel broke through the door that led from the basement. They both
smelled of sewer, but they didn’t seem to care. Cordelia went to the
windows and started to shut the curtains along with the other Cordelia.
As soon as Faith saw them enter, she ran to the stairs and started up
them, calling for the rest of the gang. As Willow, Spike, Gunn and Riley
ran down them, Cordelia looked up from the middle of the room at them.
Turning around in a circle, meeting eyes waiting, she stopped at Cordy’s.
Wesley and Lindsey came out of the library as she started, “We know why
they want them. They took Doyle for his eyes.”

Cordy found herself falling, but then was caught by Willow, who helped
her to a seat. Cordelia looked at the girl with understanding. She too
had been in lover with her Doyle, and she still wasn’t over what had
happened to him. About to state the rest, Cordelia only got half way
through as there was a flash of light in the room. “And they took
William to....”

The light blinded everyone, and as it faded, all they could see was
another Willow beside Cordelia. Falling to her knees, she cried out,
“They took his soul!”

Faith ran to her and took her in her arms, “Wills...Shhh.”

She rocked her back and forth as Willow cried out. “I felt it. They
ripped it from him.” Grabbing onto Faith, she started saying quickly,
“But he had to hold onto some of it. I’m for sure. He can’t be gone,
can he? There is a chance that he was able to hold onto it. Please,
don’t let him be gone. I can’t kill him, Faith. I can’t.”

Buffy went into slayer mode. Picking up her bag, she announced, “I’m
going in.”

Both Riley and Angel yelled at the same time, “No.”

Faith looked up from her best friend, something burning in her eyes that
didn’t seem at home there. “I’m with you.”

Nodding, Buffy removed a stake from her bag and threw it to Faith, who
caught it mid-air.

Angel moved quickly and grabbed Buffy’s arm. “You can’t go. We need
time to think.”

Faith shook her head, “William was my friend, and if this is correct,
then they should pay for what happened. There is no time for planning.”

From the back of the room, Lindsey stated, “You shouldn’t go in there
without a plan. At least let us talk about how you can get to them.
Not only that, but you guys shouldn’t go in there alone.”

Willow from the other reality looked up from where she was sitting on the
floor. “He is right. William and Doyle wouldn’t want you to go in to
save them, only to be taken yourselves.” Wiping a tear away from her
face, she looked up at her counterpart. “You know the way he is.”

Willow nodded at herself. “Wills is right. We need to plan this out.”

Cordelia ran to some files and pulled out plans for the building. “When
Lindsey helped last year, I decided to keep these safe at my place, so
they missed being burned up in a fire.”

As she spread the paper out, Lindsey rushed up behind her, pointing out
certain rooms. “If this firm is the same as mine, then Doyle will be
here.”

“How do we get to him?” asked Faith.

Willow shook her head. “You don’t. Lindsey, Cordelia and I will take
care of that.”

“Like hell. I’m going with you,” stated Spike.

Lindsey shook his head as he and Angel both stated, “Vampire detectors.”

“What about me?” asked Cordy. “I want to help.”

Wills shook her head and laid her hand on Cordy’s shoulder, “We need to
stay behind. We are to close, and that could get in the way.”

Buffy nodded, “So what about us? Where would William be?”

Lindsey studied the floor plans. Pointing to a corner room above the
floor Doyle would be held on, he remarked, “I believe he will be held in
this area.”

Smiling at Faith, Buffy asked, “Are you ready?”

As Faith started to nod, Wills reached up to her. “Are you wearing it?”

Faith’s eyes deepened even more as she realized what Wills was asking.
They both knew what could happen there. Too bad there wasn’t time to
make one for Buffy. Taking the stone hanging at her neck from the inside
of her shirt, she showed it to Wills. Lightly touching it, Wills said a
small prayer in Latin and then smiled sadly. “I hope it won’t have to
come into play.”

Buffy watched on, confused, as Faith nodded and then placed it back under
her shirt. Looking at Buffy, she asked, “Are you ready?”

Buffy saw Cordelia, Willow and Lindsey grabbing for a few things.
Cordelia went to Angel and gave him a quick hug, while Willow went to
Spike. The vampire didn’t seem to want to let her go, but decided to
after giving her a deep kiss. Everyone else, seeming to be ready, Buffy
answered, “Let’s go get them back.”

As they started towards the door, Lindsey commented, “Actually, maybe
would should change. We don’t really look like lawyers.”

Buffy stopped and thought for a second. Sitting her bag down, she
nodded, “Fine, first we change, and then we go kick ass.”
 

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