Till the End: Old Friends Return
by SlayerBuffster
As soon as they made it into the front door of the hotel, Spike and Illyria made their way to the lobby and set Gunn down on the round gray couch. They looked up as Connor, Buffy and Angel also made their way into the lobby. “You two alright?” Spike asked the ex-lovers when they were close enough. “It looked like you took quite a tumble from down there.”

“We’re fine for now.” Angel said walking up to his old friends. He saw they were doing some kind of research. “So what have you guys been doing the whole time we were out there?”

“We were trying to find a way to hold off the demon raid until we find a way to stop it all together.” Willow replied while still flipping threw the book in front of her.

“What about the sanctuary spell? That usually seems to work.” Gunn asked pushing himself up a little. “That way the demons can’t hit us, but we can hit them.”

“The what?” Xander asked with a puzzled look. He eyed Gunn and then faced Angel. “What’s a ‘sanctuary spell’? What is he talking about?

“The sanctuary spell is something a friend of ours cooked up for his club.” A voice said behind the group. “It prevents all demon violence.” Everyone turned around and looked back by the elevator doors. Illyria tilted her head and Angel just stared. They both recognized the voice right away. The figure walked out of the shadows and Wesley’s face stared back at them. “If we did use the spell, Angel, Spike and Illyria would be sitting ducks since they are demons.”

“Wesley?” Angel said a little unsure if it really was him or not. He looked around at his group and they looked as shocked to see Wesley as he did. “How? Illyria told us you were dead.”

“He was.” Illyria said not knowing what to make of this turn of events. “I felt him. He died in Fred’s arms. I don’t understand.”

“He died?” Giles asked the four as he looked at Wesley. It was almost hard for him to believe that his man used to be the goofy stick-in-the-mud watcher that he used to know. “He looks pretty alive to me.”

“It was weird. I remember seeing Fred. Talking to her and then everything going dark.” Wesley watched Illyria as he said this. He saw Fred’s face staring back at him. “Then, somehow, I woke up in the same place. Illyria was gone and Vail was on the ground with pieces of his head all over.”

“I finished the job for you.” Illyria told him. “I actually started to feel human grief. I think it’s the first real feeling I’ve had since I was made human.”

“I‘m glad you felt that way for me and I’m grateful for what you did.” Wesley assured her. Illyria nodded and Wesley continued. “I headed for the alley like Angel said, but when I got there I saw tons and tons of demons. When I did not see any of you, I got a feeling you felt over powered and took off. I rushed behind the group and came in the back. I have been waiting for the right time to show myself.”

“But who could have brought you back?” Gunn asked a little confused. “That part I don’t get.”

“I don’t either actually.” Wesley replied leaning against the wall. “There wasn’t anyone around to ask.”

“I do. I was told before being send back here.” Cordelia’s voice rang through the lobby. Everyone looked up and saw the brown-haired woman standing at the top of the stairs. “The Senior Partners brought Wesley back in order to be they’re inside spy so to speak. They wanted someone that you all would trust and not question. Since Wesley was the only one out of the group to die, they decided to use him.”

“Well Cordelia, how did you get back?” Wesley asked looking up the stairs. “You weren’t with us when we did this whole thing.”

“The Powers That Be got wind as to what was going on and what the Senior Partners were planning and they send me here to give the rest of you a heads up.” Cordelia explained to them. “Senior Partners are most likely going to depend on Wesley to give them the inside scoop on what is going on here, but if I know Wes as well as I think, he won’t do that, right?”

“I’ll never betray Angel or any of you ever again.” Wesley said staring at not only his group, but also Buffy and her group. “I learned my lesson and will never try that again, no matter what the Senior Partners try to do or get out of me.”

“Thanks, Wes. I appreciate it.” Angel said softly. “Its good to have the two of you back.”
“Its good to be back again.” Cordelia said coming down the stairs and meeting up with the others in the lobby.

“Likewise.” Wesley agreed coming closer to the group. “I think now we should put our heads together and figure out a way to take these out once and for all.” Everyone nodded in agreement and turned to hear what either Willow, Xander, Dawn or Giles came up with anything that might at least slow these things down if not destroy them yet.

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