It’s a dark night in LA, as I patrol the dark streets of my city that I share with Angel.
“Princess,” Doyle’s ghost greets, as he appears before me. “You have t’ help Sunnydale. T’ere’s a battle a brewin’. T’e Firs’. Your friends an’ loved ones are a losin’. T’ey need help.”
“Thanks, Doyle. I’ll be there asap.”
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Half an hour later, I arrive in Angel’s black convertible.
I hurry inside, and look around to see Anya get stabbed in the back by a vampire, with a long stick. I hurry over and stake him with a sword Angel always gives me to use. She falls to the ground, and I kneel on the ground and pull it out. I then patch up and clean her wound with the kit I had brought with me.
“Anya.”
I gently roll her onto her back.
“Cordelia, what are you doing here?”
“Doyle told me there was a battle, and I needed to help.”
“I remember him from when I was a Vengeance Demon,” she informs me.
“Let’s get you up,” I say, and gently get her to her feet. I then get her in the car in the backseat. “You need to relax. I’ll help the others.”
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I show up alongside Xander Lavelle Harris, and kill a couple behind him.
“Cordy?”
“Someone I knew before he died, told me about the battle. Doyle. I’m helping out.”
“Then welcome back, Cor.”
“Thanks.”
I smile inwardly at his old nickname for me.
Next, I see her on the ground a distance away, blood where her gut is. It looks like she was shot. Buffy. I care about her. I rush over, stake a vampire standing over her, and then kneel at her side. I clean and patch her wound. I then pull her gently into my arms.
“Buffy? Buffy, can you hear me?” Nothing. “Buff?” The nickname must’ve brought her back to consciousness, because she looks up at me. “Don’t ask. A guy named Doyle told me about the battle. I came to help.”
I help her to her feet, and we start slaying together.
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Soon, I have one Slayer to help another Slayer. Faith Lehane. I help her out with fighting the two vampires, by staking one. We then slay together.
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A few minutes later, the battle ends because of Willow’s magic. It kills all evil, and throws us a distance away.
We look to see Willow as Dark Willow. Her eyes and hair are suddenly black. I’m the first one to see that Tara is dead. I look at Willow again.
Xander grabs my arm, when I start forward.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping her,” I answer.
“Let me,” he says.
“No, Xan. I can do this.”
“Be careful,” he warns.
“I’ll try.”
He watches, as I slowly walk up to her.
“Willow, I know what you’re feeling. She’s gone. You feel broken, alone, upset, and lost without her.”
“How would you know?”
“I felt the same way when Doyle died that night.”
She glares at me with cold, black eyes. She attacks me with a bolt of Dark magic, making me fly a foot away. That gives me even more determination. I stand up a little painfully, wincing. I glare at her.
“Wills, you can’t stay like this.”
“Watch me.”
“You’re strong. Fight it. Would she want you to be like this? I don’t think so. Fight it. Be strong. Please. It’s not me you have to fight. It’s the rage.”
It doesn’t get through to her. She throws everything she has in rage from her death, throwing me against a wall.
They realize it’s getting dangerous for me, so Buffy tries, instead.
“Cordy,” Xander says, as he kneels at my side. “Are you okay?”
I lay on my side, wincing, taking the searing pain in silence.
“I’m fine,” I try to say through the pain, but can’t quite make it. It comes out softly.
“No. You’re not, Cor. What hurts?”
I smile weakly at the nickname, hand on my left side. The other reaches up and gently rests on the side of his face.
“It’s just my side. I’ll be okay,” I half whisper.
“Come on, Cor. I’ll get you out of here.”
He gently pulls me into his arms and picks me up, carrying me. I wrap my arms around his neck softly, and rest my head on his shoulder, eyes closed.
Buffy soon gets through to her. I can hear Willow crying, with Buffy comforting her.
A few minutes later, I hear Buffy ask Xander, “Is she okay?”
“What happened?” Wills asks.
“You used magic on her. She should be okay, though. It’s just her side that hurts her,” Xander informs them.
“I did that?” Willow asks, sounding apologetic.
“It wasn’t really you. You were just angry over Tara,” Xander tries to soothe her.
“Don’t try to make it better. It doesn’t matter what condition I was in. I did that to her,” Wills replies. “Let’s just get out of here. Okay?” she adds.
“Is everyone else okay?” Buffy asks.
I can picture her looking at everybody.
“Five by five,” Faith answers.
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A few minutes later, I feel him sit down, and I hear Anya’s voice.
“What happened? Is she okay?”
“She’ll be okay,” he answers.
“What happened?” she repeats.
He tells her the short version.
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I hear some doors open and close, which means we must have arrived at someone’s place.
I open my eyes when the light turns on.
“Bright much,” I comment. “Okay, Xander. Let me down. I should be okay now.”
He obeys me.
I find out that I’m right. My side doesn’t hurt anymore.
I sleep on the couch, and then head home the next day.
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