All of the Scoobies were up and about. I could hear them walking around downstairs, opening books, talking back and forth, but I wouldn't go down there. Wasn't really sure of how much of a help I was sitting by the window, but it was what I needed just then. Someone knocked on the doorframe, quietly. "Red get out of here. I told you all that I know. I don't want to go through it again."
"It's not Red." I swirled around to the male's voice. Angel. How bloody fantastic. "Thought you would have noticed the lack of a heartbeat. Slipping in your old age are we?"
"Bugger off. Don't pay much attention to the hearts anymore. Can't make any use of them anyway. What did you want?"
"Figured you could use some company."
"Isn't that hospitable of you. Why are you really up here?"
"Actually, not feeling much like dealing with the togetherness of everyone right now. I'm not that great with the research either."
"Glad to know you care Peaches. Care for a drink?"
" Sure."
"You're going to have to get us some then."
Hours and bottles past, grandsire and I were still sitting in room 153. "And so she's trying to get me out of the house, and she tells me to go hit on Giles. Can you believe it? Hit on him. She meant hit up. You should have seen her face after she said it." I started to laugh a little too loudly for how funny it wasn't. I stopped suddenly, mid chuckle. "God I miss her."
Angel stumbled over to me, he was never really one who could hide that he'd been drinking, and tapped me on the back. "I do too. You at least got to see her, you know, before she…"
"She died, don't pussyfoot around the truth. Lucky me. Got to watch her fall when I was supposed to be protecting Dawn. It's my fault what happened. One hit and I'm down, and she had to jump into that thing to save the world."
"She killed me to save the world."
"Always have to top me don't you?"
"You're a wonderful demon to try to top."
"You always were so much bloody nicer when you were drunk." I looked at him, eyes a little bloodshot, hair disheveled, slight smell of liquor on his breath. He had bags under his eyes. He couldn't sleep either. "What are we doing here anyway?"
"Trading stories about a woman we loved."
He didn't say I, he knew that I loved her too. "No, love. A woman we love. You can never stop loving that girl."
He glanced up at me. "You're right. You're absolutely right. What do you want Cordy?" The girl was standing uncertainly at the door.
"Vision fun for me. It was Buffy, I saw the same thing that Spike described. By the way, I'm sorry you had to go through it too, especially since you love her and all."
"Still queen of the tact." I was looking at her, and realized she had changed from the last time I had seen her. She was an adult now.
"Would rather be queen in general, but alternate dimensions aren't meant for me." I was really drunk, I must have been, and she had stopped making any sense.
"Spike, don't worry about it. Long story." Angel was standing up, trying to sweep a bottle under the bed with his foot.
"Not that long, I was a queen in an alternate dimension. Besides the vision, Willow found something, and she's working on the spell now. Thought you'd like to be there if it worked. Oh, and don't try the tequila under the bed trick, we use to pull that in high school."
"Thanks Cordy." Angel headed towards the door. "You coming?"
"One sec." After his footsteps faded away, I bent to my knees. "Somebody up there protect her, and help us to get her back." I closed my eyes, and painfully tried to cross myself.
A flash erupted, and I could have sworn I combusted from attempting to draw a cross on my skin, but it didn't hurt like fire. I lifted my lashes. "Oh my God, Buffy."
