Chapter Seven

"A police station?" Buffy scoffed, looking up at the building. "Excuse me, how are the cops going to help?"

Cordelia ignored her as she hopped up the steps. "I hope she's still here. It's been a few years."

"A few years?" Willow returned, hopping up after her.

"Kate Lockley, she and Angel used to have a thing, like eight years ago, everybody almost died, and Angel decided to break it off before things got too far. She's bitter. That's the nutshell version." She added, pushing open the doors, leaving Buffy and Willow to follow.

"A cop. Angel dated a cop." Buffy sighed, following Cordelia.

Cordelia wasted no time in walking up to the desk.

"Can I help you?" asked the officer in charge.

"Yeah. Hi. I'm looking for Detective Lockley, tall, blonde, short hair, she used to work here." Cordelia began to the officer, who was watching her impatiently.

"Cordelia Chase?" Cordelia turned, her brown hair swinging as she laid eyes on the familiar face.

"Kate." Eyes turned to see a beautiful blonde woman a few years older, come walking up to them, eyes only for Cordelia. The woman didn't touch, but a spark of familiarity was in Kate's eyes as she stopped a foot away.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, I've been... busy." Cordelia said quickly. "Are you still a cop?"

Kate rolled her eyes at Cordelia's behavior obviously quite used to it. "As always." She paused, looking behind her. "How's Angel?"

"He couldn't make it." Was all Cordelia would allow. Kate nodded at the bitten words, and nodded to the two girls.

"Who are they?"

"Old friends." Willow supplied.

"Hardly." Buffy muttered. Cordelia shot her a glare, before turning back to Kate.

"Kate, I need some help."

Kate regarded her carefully. "You need MY help." There was a mocking tone in Kate's voice, which Cordelia immediately attributed to the bitterness in her heart. Cordelia felt her heart sink. Kate wouldn't help them if she was angry.

Cordelia took a breath, swallowing down her pride. "Can I talk to you alone?"

Kate took another look at the group, gazed at Cordelia, and after a minute, nodded. The two woman walked quickly to the side of the room, elbows leaning on the stair rail, neither looking at each other.

There was silence as Buffy and Willow each stood side by side. Buffy eyes roved to her, immediately looking away when Willow turned, at that moment watching Cordelia and Kate's conversation.

"You two are awfully chummy." Buffy remarked.

Willow felt her heart thud just for a moment, and her throat closed before she swallowed and shrugged. "People change, Buffy. " Was all that she would allow.

"Change?" Buffy scoffed. "I don't see any change, Willow. She's still using every sentence to try and belittle us."

Willow closed her eyes, shaking her head. "You don't understand. About her. You still think she's the bitch."

"She's not?"

Willow allowed one tired smile when she answered honestly. "No, she's not. She's a friend."

"And what about me?" Buffy asked tightly, not looking at Willow. "Don't you think she should understand about me?"

Willow gave a cough. "I think that if she didn't understand ....." She trailed off.

Buffy swallowed, looking away, before casting unsure eyes at her. "Do YOU understand?"

Willow quiet for a moment, and then she responded firmly, "I'm sorry, Buffy. But I don't." Buffy's eyes widened.

"What?"

Willow turned, her face calm and serene, quite a contrast from her old unsure high school face. "Buffy you're hanging on to a thread. You and Angel were together for two years. They've been friends and lovers for TEN. Think about it. Cordelia and Angel broke up because you and Xander couldn't let go. The Cordelia I knew before wouldn't do that, and the Buffy I knew before would. Somehow, things got reversed Buffy,and now? I don't think  I even know you anymore."

For a moment Buffy could say nothing, the hurt in her eyes almost killed Willow, and she immediately turned away, but Buffy wouldn't allow it. She grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face her.

"There's something you're not telling me, Willow. Something you know. When did you get this major understanding? When did you and Cordelia hang out that all of sudden you know her SO well? What happened to you, Willow? Tell me."

The blatant accusation was clear in her blue eyes and Willow felt cornered, trapped, she couldn't hide it anymore, as much as she didn't want to hurt her best friend, strangely, she didn't even want to hide it anymore.

"Buffy, five years ago," She began speaking slowly, gently, wanting to make sure Buffy understood, not wanting to drag this out anymore than she had to. "When I came to LA..... I didn't understand. But that night... when they... I understood. She loves him, she really loves him... and he loves her." There was a pleading note resonating in Willow's voice, a desperateness throughout as if pleading for Buffy to understand, to get past the bitterness and hate and see what she had seen.

"She doesn't understand, Buffy. All she sees is Angel sick, she loves him." She finished softly.

But Buffy saw none of it, her only thought was clinging to the one spot of clarity that finally came to her.

Buffy eyes widened in horror, watering instantly as it dawned on her exactly what she was saying. "You were THERE?" she whispered. "When they... Willow, you knew?"

Willow's throat went dry, but she nodded. "I didn't understand Buffy, not then. But it didn't matter if I understood or not. It wasn't about us. It was about them."

Buffy's eyes filled with tears, and she moved back. "No. No, Willow. You can't say that."

Willow's eyes clouded, and she leaned forward. "Buffy, I'm sorry."

"Don't touch me, Willow." Buffy said softly, "Just... don't." The two woman stood, staring at each other, obvilous to anyone else.

The heartbreak was clear, and the chasm that was between them was almost tangible.

"You and Angel stopped asking for my help years ago, and it's kind of clear that I was never your biggest fan, so what's up, Cordy?" Kate asked.

Cordelia almost chuckled, the no nonsense approach was something Cordelia had always disliked about Kate, even when she and Angel were semi dating. No love lost, because Kate had never really liked her either.

"I need to know if you've been able to find anything on Druids running around LA."

"Druids?" Kate repeated. "Cordelia, I stopped digging into the paranormal years ago."

"Once you're in you never go back, Kate, I learned that the hard way." Cordelia rebutted. "Come on, I need to know."

Kate watched the younger woman silently. "Why?"

Cordelia took a breath, managing to keep her poise. "Angel's sick, Kate." she said quickly. "I need to find them, for him."

Kate's attention was caught fully now, and she gazed at Cordelia with a new awareness. "He's sick?" she repeated. Cordelia nodded, her throat full.

"Can you please, just tell me if you know anything?" Kate's face was unreadable as she looked at the big official seal on the wall, just under where they were standing. "I don't know about druids." She finally began, "But one of my snitches is pretty worried about something dark over in Olvera Street."

"The Latin festival?" Cordelia said immediately.

Kate nodded her eyes misty for half a second. "Something about witch doctors. Might be the guys you were looking for. Let me know if you need anything, I still have a gun."

Cordelia nodded, her hazel eyes shining brilliantly for a moment. "Thank you, Kate."

Kate nodded, her hands on her hips as Cordelia turned from her. "Cordelia." As she turned, Kate nodded to her hand. "There's no wedding band, yet."

Cordelia's eyes cast down to her hand, and she shrugged. Kate cocked her head. "Why not?"

Cordelia looked away for a moment.

"Things change, Kate."

Kate watched the woman who had always possessed Angel's heart, the one woman that Kate had always felt threatened by, and at that moment somehow revered, walk away from her. "Not really." she responded softly.

His hands were in his pockets, and he leaned against the doorway, his form not moving.

From his position in the living room, holding a scrambling Ruppy in his arms, Oz could see his back clearly.

He didn't have to see his face to know what Xander was feeling.

Harris was fighting very hard not to hate. For most of his life, almost every woman Xander had loved had preferred someone else. Had preferred the dark man who was responsible for so much heartache and pain.

Xander was helpless against it,and Oz guessed he understood. He could sympathize. He had spent his entire life wondering if Willow preferred Xander to him.

He knew now, that Willow hadn't, that Willow truly loved him, but Xander had no assurance. Cordelia was at that moment trying her hardest to save the demon in Angel from dying, and being the stoic man, Xander was helping, even if that certainly meant the loss of Cordy.

But then again he might have never really had her, not completely.

Oz closed his eyes for a minute, shifting Ruppy to his other knee as he picked up the phone, the piece of paper with the numbers etched in black ink.

He dialed slowly, waiting until a voice picked up. "Hey Giles." He said softly.

Xander felt a patting at his leg, and looked down. Priscilla, quite adorable with green eyes and red hair gazed at him from her elfin face.

"Watcha doin'?" She asked softly.

He smiled down at her. "Nothing, just thinking."

"Oh." She jumped when she heard the growl from the other room and pressed herself against his leg. In spite of himself, Xander felt himself grin against the contact.

"Is that a dog?"

"Pretty close."

"Why do they have the mean dog in there?"

"Because." He felt his throat grow dry, and looked to the closed door. "Everyone loves him." He rasped.

Prissy scrunched her nose. "I don't"

He grinned. "Yeah, well, you got more sense than most, kid."

"I love you, Xander." She said softly, smiling sweetly up at him. He gazed down at her, and suddenly grinned, picking her up and pulling her close.

"Thanks." He responded."You wanna be my girl?"

Priscilla gave him one adoring gaze. "Forever."

The moon was high in the sky when the three woman returned.

"Anything?" Oz asked, from the big book that lay open in front of him.

Cordelia nodded, throwing her jacket off and heading to the closed door.

Buffy's steps faltered when she saw Cordelia enter the room, and close the door behind her. She swallowed, and chose instead to sit down next to Xander.

Willow gave Oz a soft kiss, and took Ruppy, who was now sleeping soundly. "Cordelia thinks it's in Olvera Street, where ever this guy is hiding."

"Olvera Street?" Xander asked softly, careful not to wake the young child that was napping in his arms.

Buffy nodded, closing her eyes in a tired gesture. "Some Kate detective girl told Cordelia something about dark forces over there. Don't ask." She added when he knit his eyebrows in confusion.

"Aren't you going in to see him?"

"Not when she's in there." Was her short reply.

He shrugged, gazing at her intently. "How are you doin'?"

"Not good." Was her response. She gave him a frank gaze. "I'm sorry about snapping at you, before, Xander."

He chuckled sadly. "Trust me, I know exactly how you feel, why you did it. This sucks more than anything."

She nodded in commiseration. "Hey, It IS good to see you , Xander. I've missed you." He squeezed her hand and held it.

Buffy clung back tightly.

"Tacos." Doyle rushed in, his face livid. The four looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"Tacos. I smelled tacos."

He had sensed her immediately, and without looking had clung to her tighter than before, but Cordelia paid no attention to the bruising of her skin as he hung on to her for dear life. She merely held him close, his upper body in her lap as his arms clung to her, a cloth wiping away at his sweat.

"Woman are so easy." She whispered in his ear, hearing him stir at the movement. "All I had to do was mention your name and Kate just went to jello. Like always."

His eyes fluttered open, and he blinked pronouncedly, trying to keep her in focus.

She kissed his temple, leaning close to his ear. "Can you hear me, Angel?" She whispered softly, her breath fluttering against his ear. "I love you." His hand gripped her tighter, and he moaned. She pressed her forehead against his head, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry I left, I 'm sorry I thought I could live without you. I guess I was the baby this time, huh?"

He slid his hand to her cheek, and she chuckled through her tears, pressing her lips against his clammy hand. "God, Angel. Hold on, okay?"

There was a cough , and she looked up, seeing Buffy and Xander in the doorway. Both had unreadable features on their faces, but she said nothing, didn't let go her grip on her former lover, she merely gave them a passive stare.

"It's getting late, Cor." Buffy voice was forced, her throat raspy as she tried to control her emotion at seeing her this way.

Xander merely stuck his hands in his pockets, not having the strength to look away. Cordelia nodded, and kissed Angel's forehead one more time, before trying to let go. He held tighter, but when she whispered softly into his ear, he seemed to look at her, and his arms released their hold.

Her eyes were bright when she stood, not looking back as she went past Buffy and Xander and into the living room.

Xander felt his throat unusually tight, and he looked at Buffy, who's eyes were riveted on Angel.

"What are you thinking?" He asked slowly.

One tear trickled down her face as she answered. "I'm wondering how she can do that and I can't."

They returned to the living room, where Doyle was talking softly to Willow.

"Where's Cordelia?" Buffy asked, her voice hard.

Doyle nodded to the bedroom. "Putting on the Zeta-Jones number."

"The Zeta- Oh."

Cordelia emerged in a black catsuit, pulling her hair back in pony tail as she nodded to Buffy. "You ready?"

Buffy nodded back.

"It's definitely Olvera street." Doyle confirmed. "Tacos."

Cordelia felt an involuntary smile float across her face at the earnestness that Doyle said things with. Oh, God she had missed him so much.

"You want me to come with you?" He asked, taking out a pint and taking a small sip. "I feel like a little festive ass kicking."

Cordelia shook her head. "No, Buffy can handle things if they get too hot, but with the two kids?. Someone should stay here, with  them."

Doyle looked at the family that was seated around the coffee table, then to Xander who was watching them all with unreadable eyes.

"Sure thing." She smiled tightly, kissing him on the cheek before nodding to Buffy, who immediately headed to the door.

"Cordelia. Buffy." Both woman turned, Xander swallowed his hands in his pockets as he began slowly. "You have to hurry, I'm not sure how much longer he can last."

Buffy and Cordelia gave each other a quick glance, and nodded.

"Let's go."