Title: Promises Can Last Forever
Author: AllytheVamp
Email: Marie_214@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Joss owns Buffy and all the characters. The episode GRADUATION PART TWO wasn't written by me and I don't own it.
Spoilers: Grad. Part 2
Authors Notes: This is dedicated to my friend Allie who wanted a very romantic Cordy and Xander story. I hope I don't disappoint you. The song 'I Want You Back' is Ensync's [I have no clue how to spell the name, sorry!] and it applied to this story perfectly I think. Who else thinks that the writers were crazy for making the relationship end? I mean what was that?

Part Five


The mayor let out a howl that sent a shiver of fear down Cordy's spine. She sat glued to her seat next to Xander waiting for the acention to happen. Xander gripped her hand. The mayor smiled wickedly.

"It has begun. My destiny." he looked up into the sky and grinned wider. "It's a little sooner than I expected," he flipped through his cue cards. "I had this whole section on civic pride...but I guess we'll just skip to the big finish."

Richard Wilkins then began to convulse and change. Cordy's eyes widened. Nothing had ever terrified her the way this was. Xander and everyone in the seats then rose to their feet, watching with baited breath. The mayor grew and grew until the huge snake towered over them and let out a sickeningly loud roar. Cordy let out a gasp. Xander turned to her. "You ready." She nodded mutely.

Then Buffy shouted "NOW!"

Every student there flipped off their gowns, revealing crossbows, swords, bow and arrows and every other kind of weapon that existed. Cordy flipped out her cross bow and got it ready to fire. The flame throwers set an errie orange glow to everything.

"FIRST WAVE!" Xander shouted over the panic of the teachers. Everyone aimed. "FIRE!"

The weapons fired at the mayor who moved his enormous body out of the way although some hit home. They got ready to aim again and some students that Cordy didn't recognize tumbled down the stairs. "FIRE!" Cordy fired and heard Oz yell in a panicked voice, "XANDER!"

"BOWMEN!" Xander shouted turning towards Oz. Cordy whirled around. "FIRE!" Several students including Oz fired bows at the vampires who had come up suddenly. Most of them were dust. Cordy grabbed a stake and ran towards the vamps with resolve on her face as she saw Angel and his men coming. They started to battle and Cordy ran into the mob trying to find a safe place. Angel yelled at her to get away but she couldn't leave. She wanted in this fight.

Corelia pushed a vamp away from her roughly and heard someone yell "HAND TO HAND!" She turned and heard Xander yelling "Move! Let's go!" The vamps threaded away from her suddenly, then stopped dead. She grinned. Every student came down the steps wielding weapons of all kinds dusting vamps every which way. Cordy turned around and thrust out her stake taking one vamp down. She whirled around again and saw Xander at her side. He grabbed her hand. "Comon, we have to get away from the school." They raced through the ever growing battle pushing the might-as-well-be-dusted vamps out of their way. When they got far enough away she felt something grab her. She struggled and reached out with her stake. It clawed her hair with cold fingers. Cordy moaned in fear and hysterically lashed out with her stake behind her.Then there was dust on her. She screeched and wiped herself off disgustedly. She had lost Xander in the swarm of people and demons and lashed out, clawing at the first vamp she saw and staking it.

Suddenly several crashes errupted from the school. Cordy noticed dimly that the last of the vamps were retreating. Then orange fire burst from all sides and a thuderous sound stopped everyone in their haste. Cordy let out a shocked gasp and buried her head in the shoulder of Johnathon who was the closest person near her. When it was all over she looked up.

They had won.

Xander walked with Buffy slowly trying to absorb what had just happened. Buffy was silent, a tired sadness blatant in her eyes.

"We got off pretty cheap considering," he tried to start a conversation. Maybe if they talked she'd feel better. Or less drained.

"Yeah I guess we did." she smiled at him briefly and looked around squinting in earnest. Xander felt another lump in his throat. He couldn't imagine what she was going through, knowing Angel was going to leave her.

"He made it through the fight," he told her softly. She gazed up into his eyes, her own glazed with unshed tears. "I guess maybe he, uh, cut out afterwards." He smiled thinly at her and patted her shoulder. he told himself.

Xander strolled along towards Willow and Oz who were sitting on a bench looking dazed and triumphant. He survayed the wreckage that was once his school and smiled...school was out. And he had actually graduated! When he got to the bench he sat down on the grass suddenly realizing he was exausted. Willow smiled at him. Oz almost grinned...but didn't. He never did. At least not for Xander.

"Does anyone else feel lucky?" he asked.

"I think we all do." Willow replied leaning back into Oz.

"That's not what I mean," Xander grinned at them. "I mean how many people have wanted to blow up their high school after graduation? We did! I'd feel great if I didn't feel like falling on my face and sleeping for two months."

Willow rolled her eyes. Oz actually smiled. "You have a point."

Cordelia suddenly walked up looking dazed aswell. "Well, that was the most fun you can have, without having any fun."

Willow smiled wickedly. "What about when we kicked some demon ass? I didn't hate that."

"Hear, hear!" Xander agreed. Cordy smiled and rolled her eyes.

Buffy walked up, the sadness in her eyes masked by a small smile. "You guys want to take off? I think we've pretty much done everything we can."

"I'm for it." Cordelia replied looking around at all the people near the ambulances and police cars.

"Are you ok?" Willow asked gently. She paused and then nodded. "Yeah. I could use some sleep though." Willow smiled. "Yeah..."

"If someone could just wake me up when it's time to go to college that'd be great." she said sitting next to Willow.

"Hey guys," Oz spoke up. "Take a moment to deal with all of this. We survived."

Everyone fell silent, thinking it over. "It was a hell of a battle." Buffy said tiredly.

"Not the battle," Oz smiled. Curious looks flashed his way. "High school."

More silence. Xander thought over everything that had happened to him...the praying mantis teacher, the inca mummy girl, the arm in the box, Cordelia...he smiled.

"We're taking a moment," Oz broke through the silence. Everyone got up. "And we're done." He turned and put his arm around Willow as they started walking.

"Well school is out," Xander smiled at Cordy as they walked. "That is so cool."

Willow started to say something but Xander wasn't listening. Cordy wasn't either. Xander leaned over and whispered. "I promise."

"Me too." she replied. They smiled.

They knew it would last...some promises can.

FIN