Ain't destiny's grand?: Chapter 36
by i_hate_mornings
Disclaimer: Do I still have to do these? Hasn't the message that I own nothing affiliated with the WB or Joss been put across loud and clear? Oh well...
Chapter 36
The now reunited Scooby gang sat once again around the coffee table in the lounge of Angel’s mansion. The topic of conversation was the mysterious Arya and what to do with her now. Buffy was all for giving her a good ass-kicking and then voting her off the island but Giles had frowned at her. They had to be more diplomatic apparently. She was currently drugged and tied up in Giles’ bathroom. Where Giles got the drugs from, Buffy didn’t ask.
Oz and Willow were curled up on the couch. The redhead had a book open on her lap, reading intently as Oz, momentarily raven-haired, stroked her hair softly and placed tiny kisses on her forehead periodically. It was way too cute.
Xander sat on the floor beside them, studiously avoiding eye contact. Buffy had a feeling it was because he wasn’t used to seeing his friends that way, not because of any romantic feeling he had towards her. Besides, Buffy had heard a rumor that there was a girl working at the donut place who seemed to have an interest in her Xander-shaped friend.
Buffy rested her head on Angel’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the comforting scent of her boyfriend. She had him safe in her arms and she had no intention of letting him go. Not now. Especially because she now knew who was behind everything. She was sure she was right. It all fit. The attack when she first came to Sunnydale, Slayerfest, her problems with Angel. It all stemmed from one person.
She glanced at her Watcher only to find him staring at her. As was everyone else. ‘What?’
‘Buffy, if you are not going to pay attention at least have the decency to show it,’ Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. ‘I asked you to tell us what happened when you went to pick up Xander and Angel.’
The wind, which had picked up in the last couple of hours, buffeted the windows, a gentle keening, eerie, ghostly sound whistled from the panes, fitting for the group who occupied the building.
‘Oh! Okay!’ Buffy sat up excitedly, willing to tell the story. ‘It was pretty cool actually. After I’d managed to get Superwoman to talk, I went to the Canning factory downtown where she said they were. The place was deserted. There was no security whatsoever. It was beyond creepy. Angel and Xander were locked in a cell together and I broke the lock and got them out. It was simple.’
‘Did you notice anything unusual?’ Giles asked seriously.
‘Did you not hear what I just said? The place was deserted. There was no one there. The place looked like it hadn’t been used it years, there was dust everywhere.’
Giles mulled over her words, a deep frown on his face.
‘Does it matter G-man?’ Xander spoke up. ‘We’re here and we’re fine. It’s all good.’
‘It is not all good, especially not if that was a trap set for Buffy. It seems unusual that the guards would just leave for no apparent reason. They wouldn’t have known that Arya was captured. It is disturbing.’
‘Aren’t we all? You’re bringing us down, Giles,’ Buffy quipped. ‘In other news,’ Buffy leant forward conspiratorially. ‘I know who the evil mastermind is. Well, not so much with the master,’ she paused, ‘or the mind, but plenty of evil.’
‘What?’ Xander stared blankly at her.
‘I know who the big boss is.’ Buffy smiled. ‘It was under our noses the whole time.’
Buffy noticed everyone was staring at her. ‘What?’
‘Buffy…’ Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose again. He was reaching the end of his tether.
‘It’s Cordelia,’ she said simply before getting up and leaving the room. Let them figure the rest out for themselves. She was done for the day.
*******************
Buffy smiled as she sank into the hot water. A bath was just what she needed. Her muscled groaned in protest as they were stretched further than they wanted to be. How could she have overlooked Cordelia? The seer had been nothing but trouble since they’d met. But how had she become so powerful?
They needed to call the Seer’s bluff. When the Scooby’s talked it over, they’d find a way to catch the fake blonde red-handed. When she finished her bath, she’d go see what Giles thought. Maybe they could trap her someway. Set her up and bust her.
She couldn’t be allowed to continue. The seer was destroying everything and everyone and it was time to end it. Buffy felt she was just the person to do it. After all, Cordy was out to destroy her.
She roused as someone knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Come in,’ she called, making sure she was carefully covered by bubbles. Angel poked his head through the door, looking anywhere but at the tub. Buffy smiled. He was still such a prude, even after two hundred and change years. ‘Hey.’
‘Hey,’ he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand, still avoiding looking at the tub where Buffy sat. She watched him amusedly. ‘Listen, about Cordy…’
‘We’ll get her, Angel. She won’t get away with it. I can’t believe I didn’t see it was her earlier. I’m going to enjoy kicking her plastic surgery enhanced ass.’
‘About that, Buffy… You’re wrong. It’s not Cordelia. I can’t believe that she would do such a thing. She would never set out to hurt anyone. She’s not like that,’ Buffy now understood why he wasn’t looking at her. They didn’t believe her.
‘What! You don’t believe me?’ she stood from the tub in outrage and Angel spun away, turning back with a towel in his outstretched hands. She snatched the towel from him and wrapped it around herself. ‘How can you not believe me? It’s all there right in front of you. God! She has you wrapped around her finger, but how?’
‘I talked to Cordy while I was in L.A and she seems to think you’re jealous of her. She’s never lied to me before, Buffy, why would she start now?’
‘Because she’s psychotic? Because she wants you to be hers? Because she’s a power hungry bitch? Pick one,’ Buffy advanced on Angel.
How could they not believe her? She was telling the truth damn it! Cordy was the Evil one. It all fit. It was right there in front of them. The C on the necklace that Arya wore was the same as the one Cordy always wore. Spike said they never found out who had hired them but they had been based in L.A. The demon when she’d first come to Sunnydale was designed to weaken her, kill her, even. Cordy was poisoning Angel’s mind each time he went to L.A. Not to mention the whole Xander thing. The bitch was pure evil. Couldn’t anyone else see that?
‘Buffy, calm down. Cordelia has done nothing wrong and you know it. You can’t just blame it on her because there is no one else.’
‘She kidnapped you so you would be out of the way when I was killed!’ Why wouldn’t he believe her? She stormed out of the bathroom and slammed open the doors of her wardrobe.
She dressed quickly and left the room, leaving a confused Angel behind. She found the others where she left them. ‘So, none of you believe me? None of you believe that Cordy is the driving force behind everything that has happened since I moved to Sunnydale?’
No one answered her. They just cast guarded looks amongst themselves. Buffy huffed. ‘Wow, thanks guys. Thank you for all your support. It’s nice to know that Cordelia, who you see once in a blue moon, is more trust deserving than me, who saves your lives on a nightly basis.’
She turned on her heel and exited the room, heading down the hall and out the front door instead of going back up to her room. It’s Cordelia. She knew it. They had to know it. It was so blatantly obvious. Her many near death experiences could all be traced back to the fake-chested seer. All the reasons kept running through her head. She knew without a doubt it was that skanky bitch. She had to make the rest of them see it too.
‘Buffy!’
Buffy ignored the voice, instead picking up the pace and walking a little faster. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.
‘Buffy! Wait, please,’ Xander called out desperately as he ran after her. She stopped, waiting impatiently for him to catch up. ‘I believe you,’ he puffed as he tried to catch his breath. She glanced back towards the mansion. They’d only gone a hundred and fifty feet at the most.
‘Why?’ she asked plainly. Maybe they’d sent him as a plant. Better she find out now rather than later.
‘Because it’s something I could totally see Cordy doing,’ he stated simply. Buffy nodded. ‘I know she apologized to me while she was here, but even then I knew she didn’t mean it. She only did it because Angel was there. I let it go. What did it matter?’
Buffy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. ‘She wants Angel for herself. That’s the reason she has for doing this. As long as I’m alive, she can’t get near him.’
‘Yeah, kinda figured that,’ Xander smiled sympathetically. ‘Poor her. Doesn’t she know you’re hard to kill? People have tried; all have failed.’
Buffy laughed; a shallow, dry laugh that didn’t make her feel any cheerier. ‘I don’t know what I’d do with out my Xander-shaped friend.’
‘Probably wallow in despair,’ Xander joked and Buffy smiled. Joke or not, he was probably right.
********************
Angel watched Buffy leave with sad eyes. His “kicked puppy” look as Buffy would call it. He watched her, feeling as though his entire being were leaving with her. He hated that she thought that way about Cordy. Cordy would never harm anyone.
He growled softly as he saw Xander chasing after her. He recognized the feeling for what it was and shoved it down, deeper inside of him. He was not jealous of a nineteen year old boy. Not jealous of the fact that the boy could spend all day with the love of his two hundred and fifty-six year life year old life. Not jealous that he was always able to make her laugh, always able to be there when she needed him. No, not jealous at all.
‘Angel?’ a timid voice called from the doorway.
‘Yes, Willow,’ he sighed, pushing himself off the window frame he was leaning against as he turned to face her.
‘Do you think there is some truth to what Buffy was saying?’ she asked nervously. Angel could see she was not comfortable with talking to him about this.
‘Honestly, Willow, as much as I love and trust Buffy, I can’t see Cordy doing the things she says she did. I cannot reconcile the Cordy Buffy painted with the one I know Cordy to be. It doesn’t fit.’
‘But, I can’t help thinking that Buffy may be right. When has she ever lied to us? When has she led us wrong?’ Willow appealed to him. ‘I believe her. If she says Cordelia is evil; Cordelia is evil,’ she walked slowly up to Angel who was deep in thought.
‘Even so...’ he began.
‘Has Buffy lied to you before, Angel? Has she told you something big, something she knows will impact you, that has turned out to be false or a lie?’
‘No,’ Angel hung his head. ‘She hasn’t. Not ever.’
‘So, why would this time be any different?’ Willow asked him. ‘We all know what Cordelia is like, we went to school with her after all- all of our schooling life- and you’ve known her, what, five minutes and you think you know her?’
Angel understood what Willow was trying to do, and he appreciated her efforts but it just wasn’t working for him. He had to talk to Cordy. She wasn’t here to defend herself.
‘I need to talk to Cordy,’ he turned towards the phone.
As he reached for the handset, he felt a wave of power hit him, overtaking him and pushing him to his knees. He tried to turn and found himself paralyzed. Willow’s feet walked into his view. ‘I’m sorry, Angel. But I have to do what’s best for Buffy. If that means keeping you out of the way, then so be it.’
She bent down and stuck her head level with his so she could see into his eyes. ‘I can’t let you contact Cordy. I know what Buffy’s going to do and Cordy can’t know about it. It’s better this way, trust me.’ Her head disappeared and he thought she had gone but she bobbed into view once more. ‘Umm, I’d appreciate it if you never told Giles about this. Technically, I’m not supposed to be this powerful yet. I don’t want to get into trouble.’
She disappeared, leaving Angel alone and on his knees. He couldn’t even work up any anger towards her. She was just protecting her friend.
****************
Buffy sneezed as the vampire in front of her dissolved into ash. Eww… Xander laughed at her misfortune. She scowled. She was beginning to see why she rarely took him on patrol anymore.
‘So… Willow?’ she asked him lightly, though they both knew the seriousness of the question. After all they'd been through, had Willow also betrayed her?
‘I don’t know, honestly. She may believe you, I’m not sure,’ he shrugged. ‘I’d say she’s more than likely firmly on Team Buffy. You’ve got nothing to worry about.’
‘Well, that’s not entirely true. Slayer,’ Spike stepped from behind the big oak, a smirk twisting his handsome features. ‘Lost your boyfriend, pet?’
‘No, not exactly, just misplaced him,’ she answered smartly. ‘Why? Looking to replace him? Sorry, you’re not my type.’
Spike laughed heartily and Buffy glanced at Xander. He was watching the blonde vampire with an angry look on his face. Buffy hoped he didn’t do anything stupid.
‘What do you want, Spike?’ she asked, getting to the point. She suspected she already knew, but it didn't hurt to keep him talking.
‘What I told you I wanted earlier, pet,’ he jeered. ‘You took the last of the Slayerfest team down. Now, it’s my turn.’
‘Uh, Buffy? Maybe we should get going,’ Xander suggested. ‘Its getting awfully late and I forgot to wear my don’t-want-to-get-bitten-tonight-and-die cologne.’
‘Oh, you’re not going anywhere, Slayer,’ Spike said with certainty. ‘Not again. It’s time. We finish this, tonight.’
Buffy weighed her options. If she fought Spike, Xander could run and get away safely. If she didn’t fight Spike, he’d kill Xander as a consequence. She fell expertly into battle stance.
‘Okay.’
First of all, i'm sorry for the many mistakes i know are still in this chap. I was really tired when i edited it and i haven't had time to go back over it, so, sorry guys...
Second, I may have confused a few people with an earlier comment. The end is coming up, yes, but i have much more to do, much more to finish before that eventuates. After all, there is still the wish, the ring, the dream...
All has it's purpose.
Umm.. There was something else... Oh, the reviews! I hope i managed to clear a few things up for you, if not, ask away.
Well, i'm out for now, don't forget to check out my HP crossover which i have posted on fanfiction.net... It's called Somebody's in trouble... Only if you are interested of course. Thanks to michebabyblue for already reading and reviewing it.
By the way, i know i have been lax in replying to reviews. Sorry. I have now done that but i haven't replied to all, just those who asked questions or made a particular comment.
Whoa, long comment... hee hee.
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