Part 1
Scene: Sunnydale High School.
“It’s our last day of school before summer starts and I should be happy,” Willow thought to herself as she got her books out of her locker. “But I’m not. I miss Buffy.”
“Hey Willow, we still going to patrol tonight?”
“I think so Xander, I just have to go ask Giles if he’s heard anything from Buffy yet.”
“Willow, I have a feeling that she’s gone for good.”
“Xander, don’t say that. I’m sure that Buffy will come back soon.” Willow then turned away to go to the library.
Scene: Library
Willow walked into the library and looked around for Giles. “Hmm, I wonder where he is. Giles, are you here?”
Giles walked out of his office with a strange look on his face.
“Hi Giles. Did you find out any new information about where Buffy is?”
“Uh, no Willow. I’ve had other things on my mind. I have some very important news that I need you to hear.”
“What is it Giles?”
“Well, I just got off the phone with the Council and they’ve told me that the next slayer is ummm, you.”
“What!!!!!”
“Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. Once Kendra died, you were called as the next slayer. That was the reason you healed so quickly from the injuries you received from the bookcase falling on you.”
“I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing, but I can’t listen to your lies anymore. I’m not a slayer!” Willow yelled at Giles, then ran out of the library.
Part 2
Willow ran as fast as she could to her home. “Why would Giles say that I’m a slayer? He must be going out of his mind to think a weakling like me could ever be strong enough to be a Slayer. Oh well, I’ll deal with it tomorrow, I need some sleep.”
“Willow, Willow.”
“Who’s calling my name?”
“Willow, it’s me Angel.”
“Angel? Where are you?”
“I need you Willow. Help me.”
“Okay Angel, I’ll help you if you tell me where you are.”
“I’m in Hell, Willow, please help me to get out of here.”
Willow then woke up in a cold sweat. “Did I just dream that or is Angel really in Hell? I need a phone.”
Willow flung her arm out to grab the phone off her nightstand and it broke in half.
“Oops, I must have hit it too hard. Wait a minute, there’s no way I could have broken my nightstand if I were a normal girl. Giles was telling the truth. What am I going to do?”
Part 3
Scene: Library
Willow walked silently into the library. “Giles?”
“Willow, thank God you came back. I was about to call you. I was worried that you may have been attacked by a vampire.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered if I was attacked. After all I am the next slayer,” Willow bitterly said to Giles.
“I know it is a lot to deal with, Willow, but I know you can handle it. You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“Thank you. I’ll try to make the best out of it that I can. I had a strange dream last night.”
"Do you think it was a prophecy?
"No, it was about Angel. I think he’s in hell."
"Angel....."
"Giles, I know he hurt you a lot, probably more than I could ever imagine. But, we need him back on our side. He was a great ally to us and since Buffy left, we need all the help we can get."
"Willow, if you can find some way to get him out of hell, I’ll help you as much as I can."
Willow hugged Giles. "Everything will be okay Giles, you’ll see."
Part 4
Scene: Library
“I called this meeting because I felt that everyone needed to hear this news. I know it will be quite a shock to everyone, but, in time, I believe we will be able to handle it.”
“God, Giles, will you get on with it already. Some people have better places to be than this musty library,” Cordelia said.
“Yes, well, to get to the matter at hand.....Willow is the new slayer.”
The library became filled with a storm of voices.
“This can’t be true. I will not lose my best friend to vampires,” Xander yelled.
“Willow, the next vampire slayer? Ok, and Giles is secretly Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Cordelia said to herself.
“That’s enough. I am the new slayer and I would be able to deal with this a lot better if I had everyone’s support,” Willow said, looking pointedly at Cordelia and Xander.
“Are you sure it’s true?” Xander asked.
Willow took a crossbow in her hands and bent it in half. “Does that answer your question, Xander?”
“Okay, do we have everything we need?” Willow asked Xander and Giles.
“Yes, we have stakes, holy water, crosses, everything that is a vampire’s worst enemy,” Xander said.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Scene: One of the many cemeteries in Sunnydale.
“We’ve been here for over an hour now. Looks like it’s going to be pretty dead tonight.”
“Great, now we have Willow making puns,” Xander said.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
As Xander and Willow were talking, a hand emerged from one of the graves and was soon followed by a body.
“Uh oh, looks like we have trouble, Willow.”
“What, Xander?”
“There’s a vampire right behind you.”
Willow jumped around and met the eyes of one of the biggest vampires she had ever seen.
“Wow, you’re really big,” Willow said to the newly risen vampire.
“Yes, and you’re about to be my first meal.”
“Well, come and get me, if you can.”
“Is she done yet?” Xander asked from behind Giles, where he had hidden once he caught sight of the huge vampire.
“Almost.”
“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” Willow said. “Xander, you can come out now. The big bad vampire is gone.”
“I was just protecting Giles’ back. You never know what kind of demon can sneak up behind you and attack you.”
“Whatever Xander. Giles, is it alright if we call it a night? I know I didn’t get many vampires, but it still is my first official night as a vampire slayer.”
“Yes, Willow. You and Xander go have some fun.”
“Cool, I’m out of here. Are you going to the Bronze, Willow?” Xander asked as he opened his car door.
“Probably not, Xander, I’m kind of tired. It’s been a long day.”
“Ok Willow, I’ll give you a call tomorrow to see how you’re doing.”
“Night Xander. I hope you have a good time.”
“Willow, you have done very well for not having much training,” Giles said.
“Well, I have been watching one of the best slayers in history for the past two years, you know. Speaking of Buffy, have you heard anything new about where she is?”
“No, I still don’t know where she could possibly be hiding. But, Willow, I don’t think you should worry about her. Buffy can take care of herself.”
“I know, but I wish she would come back. Doesn’t she know we need her?”
“I’m sure she does know that, Willow. But, if what you told me about Angel being in Hell is true, then she most likely feels very guilty about sending him there.”
“Yes, she probably does. But, I still wish she would come back.”
“We all wish that, Willow. If you need me for anything, I will be at the library to research a few things.”
“Goodnight Giles.”
Part 5
Scene: The Library
“I knew that I saw that spell around here somewhere,” Giles said to himself. “There’s not too many books with spells on how to get a person out of hell.”
“Oh there it is. Hmmm, to get a person out of hell, you need to have a person with a pure heart doing the spell and also a personal item that was very important to them. Well, we have the person with the pure heart, but where would we find an item that meant a lot to Angel?”
“Giles!!”
“Willow, what’s wrong?”
“When I got home, my mom was home for once and she wanted to know where I had been...”
“And?”
“Anyways, she grounded me for being out so late. But, that’s not the most important part. She gave me a envelope that just had my name on it and nothing else. Giles, the letter was from Buffy.”
“Buffy? Are you sure?”
“Yes, the letter said..Here, you read it.”
“Dear Willow, I know you guys are missing me, but I needed to deal with a lot of things. I sent Angel to hell with his soul and I don’t think I can ever forgive myself for that. I loved him so much and I sent him to hell. I’m slowly trying to get on with my life, but there was one thing that I needed to get rid of before I could do that. I’m giving you the Claddagh ring that Angel gave to me, because you, of all people, knew how much it meant to me. Tell Giles that I’m sorry and that I miss everyone. I’m sorry, love Buffy.”
“Poor Buffy,” Willow said.
“Yes, but she seems to realize that her relationship with Angel would never have worked. With time, maybe she’ll find some kind of happiness. What is that Claddagh ring Buffy mentioned in the letter?”
“It’s the ring that Angel gave to her the night of her birthday.”
“The night he was turned.”
“Yes, and he must have loved her a lot to give it to Buffy. I looked up the meaning of what it meant and, the book said that the ring was only given out as a sign of great love.”
“So, the ring would have been very important to Angel....”
“Yes, Giles. I just said that.”
“Willow, I didn’t tell you this before, but I found the spell on how to get a person out of hell.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and one of the most significant factors of the spell is that you need to have a personal item that meant a lot to the person.”
“The ring.”
“Yes.”
“Well, Giles, let’s get everything ready.”
Part 6
Scene: Library
“To get someone out of hell, you need four people to join in a circle and the person with the pure heart will be the one entering hell,” Giles read. “Willow, are you sure you still want to do this? You would be putting yourself in immense danger.”
“I know, Giles, but it’s worth it. If the situation were switched and one of us were in hell, I know, without a doubt, Angel would do everything in his power to get us out.”
“I realize that you’re right. It’s just hard sometimes to want to help someone who has caused me more pain than I ever thought possible. But, I know you are doing the honorable thing and, I’ll help you with whatever you need.”
Willow hugged Giles. “You’re wrong, I’m not doing the honorable thing, you are. I never imagined I would ever know someone as selfless as you, Giles. You are truly one of the best human beings I will ever meet in my life.”
As both Willow and Giles surreptitiously wiped tears from the eyes, a thought occurred to Willow, “You said the circle needed to have four people?”
“Yes.”
“It’s going to be hard to get Xander and Cordelia to help us.”
“We’re not going to tell them about this. We need people who have practiced witchcraft before to aid us. I have asked Ethan to help us and he agreed.”
“Ethan!! Are you sure that he won’t cause trouble instead of helping us?” Willow asked.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but when I need help from Ethan, he would do anything for me. Also, he told me he would bring a few people to assist us.”
“I trust you, Giles. I know you would never willingly cause anyone harm. If you believe Ethan will help us in getting Angel out of hell, then I will cooperate with him as much as I can.”
“As I have told Willow before, a circle must be formed with four people and, Willow will be the person going into hell. She plays the most important part of this spell. She will be the one facing the most danger in getting Angel out of hell. Do you know everything that you need to do, Willow?” Giles asked.
“Yes, I need to bring the ring with me and use it as a way to protect myself. The whole time I’m wearing the ring, I will be invisible.”
“Yes, hell cannot have two people with the same soul, and since the ring is a symbol of Angel’s soul, you will not be seen by anyone except Angel,” Giles said. “The rest of you are here as a way to protect Willow in case anything goes wrong. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, we have everything set up,” Ethan said. “We have already said the spell that will prevent demons from escaping."
“Good. Let’s start.”
As the group started chanting, a large portal formed near the place where the Hellmouth had opened the previous year.
“Wonderful. Now the library will need to be renovated again,” Giles thought to himself. “But, it will be worth it if we get Angel out of hell.”
The portal became larger and larger until a person could walk through it. Willow looked at it with wide eyes, “I’m suddenly very scared,” she thought. Willow glanced up at Giles who gave her an encouraging smile. “I can do this. If it means that I will be getting a wonderful man out of hell, then I will do it.” And, with that determined thought running constantly through her mind, Willow entered the opening to hell.
Part 7
“This is a place that I hoped I would never see,” Willow thought as she entered hell. It was not what she had expected at all. She had always heard that hell consisted of fire and an overbearing heat, but that was not what she had walked into. As soon as she had entered the opening to hell, she had felt a powerful coldness wash over her. Willow could feel the cold enter her and she wondered if she would ever be warm again.
As Willow walked further on, she realized that the coldness was more typical of what she had pictured hell to be, instead of the terrible heat that the majority of religious people believed in. After all, coldness gets inside people so much that all they can think about is survival. And, once survival is all a person thinks about, they turn into animals and, therefore, lose their humanity and, someone without their humanity, is the perfect tool to be used in hell. Coldness can also bring despair, which is another thing that hell is all about. The absence of any kind of hope is truly a hell of its own.
“Okay, enough thinking, I really think way too much,” Willow thought to herself. “Ugh, I’m doing it again. Oh, well. It’s kind of strange I haven’t come across anyone, although that probably is something that I should be glad about. Maybe, the beings that exist in hell are invisible to me as I am invisible to them. Oooh, a computer!!”
“A computer?? Why is there a computer in hell?” Willow wondered. Just then Willow felt someone brush by her. “Yikes! That was a close one. I don’t think it would be good if he had run into an invisible person. Well, there goes my theory of people being invisible to me, but that is definitely a plus. Getting Angel out of hell is going to be hard enough and not being able to see if people are near me would definitely make a bad situation a lot worse.”
As Willow watched, the person sat in front of the computer and started typing. Willow crept up behind him to see what he was doing and could not believe what she saw. There was a huge list of numbers with a name next to each number. “I cannot believe that there is a number assigned to each person and demon that enters hell. Hmmm, kind of funny how similar this is to the Social Security system,” Willow mused. “Angel hasn’t been here long, so he’s probably near the end of this list. Now, all I have to do is wait for this man to leave and then I can find out where Angel is.”
After what seemed like forever to Willow, the man finally got up and left. “Good, now I can finally get to work.” As Willow scrolled down the list, she reflected on how fortunate it was that she was invisible. If she had not been invisible, there was no way that she ever would have been able to help Angel escape from hell. Willow thought of the man that had made all this possible. If there was ever a person that deserved happiness in his life, it was Giles and, yet, that’s one of the few things that he’s experienced. Willow whispered a prayer that God would bring some joy to Giles’ life. “I hope that whoever is in charge of heaven heard my prayer because there’s no one else in all the world that deserves happiness more.”
Willow’s thoughts shifted from Giles to another man that had played an important part in her life. When she had first seen Angel, all Willow could think of how he was the most gorgeous man she had ever met. But, there was so much more to Angel than his looks. Even though he belonged to Buffy, Willow could not help thinking of how it would feel to have him love her. How could she not? Finding a man who could love someone the way he had loved Buffy was clearly a very special person. “I only wish......”
Willow quickly halted the path that her mind had been following. “I’ll think about the feelings I have for Angel once we get out of here.” Willow finally spotted the name she had been looking for. “I never knew his last name was Ciarán. Angelus Ciarán. What a beautiful name. It says here that Angel was placed in Section F. Nice to know that hell is a bureaucratic paradise. There should be a map around here somewhere....Ahh, there it is. Great, Section F. includes some of the worst criminals in the history of the world. It’s going to be really fun to know I’ll be surrounded by evil people. I hope I can get Angel out without any trouble. At least, Section F. isn’t far from where I am right now.”
Willow hastily memorized the location of Section F. and went off to find it. “Okay, I just passed Section E., so F. shouldn’t be too far off. Woohoo! There it is!” Willow opened the door and entered the place where Angel was being held.
Part 8
As Willow walked further into the place known as Section F., she was again astounded by the coldness. (This place is so much colder than the room I was in before. Fortunately, Angel is not affected by the cold. I wonder where he is). For the first time, Willow noticed how large Section F. was and also, that there were several doors at the other end of the room. Just then, two men came out of one of the doors. As they walked past her, she heard some of their conversation. “...can’t stand him. His soul is the only thing that preventing him from being a great leader.” (That can only be Angel they’re talking about. Now I know which room he is in).
Willow ran as fast as she could, “being a slayer definitely has its advantages,” she thought as she finally got to the room where she believed Angel to be. “Once I enter this room, I can’t turn back,” Willow said to herself as she placed her hand on the knob. “But, if I turn away, I’ll have to live in a world without Angel in it and I can’t bear the thought of that.” With the realization that living without Angel in her life meant that her life would be filled with sadness and loneliness, Willow turned the knob and opened the door......
**********
.....only to find Angel in a tub taking a bath. “What’s going on here? Willow asked herself. It was then that she noticed that Angel seemed to be asleep or unconscious. Willow glanced up from Angel and saw that there were several men sitting at a table a few feet from the tub. She walked up to listen to what they were saying.
“I just wish he would tell us how to get rid of his soul, but he refuses to do that.”
“Well, it’s not like we don’t have time. A few more centuries here and he’ll be begging us to help him lose his soul.”
“Not if I can help it,” Willow thought. “I wonder how long these men will stay in here.”
One of the men glanced over at Angel in the tub and asked, “Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”
“Well, that’s what being immersed in holy water does to a vampire. It causes them so much pain that the only escape they have is blacking out.”
“I, for one, wish he would wake up already; I’d like to get some sleep. You know what tiring work it is torturing people, demons, etc.
Laughter filled the room and Willow wondered how people could be so evil and cruel. At least Angel had the excuse of losing his soul as a reason for being evil; these men still have their souls and there is no excuse for them. (I’m glad Angel will no longer have to deal with these men once I get him out of here).
While Willow had been absorbed in her thinking, all of the men except for two had stood up and appeared to be leaving. (Good, I can handle those two if I have to).
“Let’s get him out of the bathtub before he wakes up, I really don’t want to listen to his screaming again.”
“Me either.”
“Once we chain him to the bed, we can leave.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Soon the men had Angel chained to the bed.
“Won’t he be able to break the chains?”
“I doubt it, he’s very weak, and he probably doesn’t have enough strength to get out of the chains. Even if he managed to escape from the chains, it wouldn’t make a difference. There’s no way he would be able to get out of Section F. without being stopped.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Alright, he’s chained enough. Let’s go.”
The men exited the room and Willow sat down next to Angel on the bed. (Poor Angel. I can’t even imagine all the pain that he has had to endure).
Suddenly, Angel opened his eyes. “Willow...?”
“Yes, Angel, it’s really me.”
“I must be dreaming again. You can’t possibly be real.”
“You’re not dreaming, Angel. I came to hell to help you escape.”
“Why would you risk yourself for me? You put yourself in a great amount of danger by coming here.”
“I know you would have done the same for me if the situations had been reversed and I felt I owed you for all the times you had saved my life before. You can just say we’re even now. Let’s get you out of these chains.” Willow easily broke the chains.
“Willow, how did you do that?”
“It’s a reallllllllly long story, Angel, and I don’t want to waste time by telling it. But I promise that once we get back to Sunnydale, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Okay.”
Willow helped Angel get to his feet and asked, “Ummm, Angel, do you have any clothes in here?”
“No, those were the first things to go once I got here. They were considered bothersome and nobody wanted to keep on undressing me when they got the urge to inflict pain on my body.”
“I see.” (I’ll just have to ignore his gorgeous body).
As Willow and Angel made their way carefully to the door, Angel wondered what had happened to Willow to make her strong enough to enter hell and rescue him. (She’s a totally different person than the one I knew in Sunnydale. The way she is now reminds me of Buffy. Buffy.... Why is Willow rescuing me instead of Buffy? I hope I can find out what happened to everyone since I was gone).
Willow looked up at Angel and wondered what he was thinking. (He has a really sad look on his face. I just know he’s thinking of Buffy). Willow reflected on what a tragedy that relationship had been. Everyone had suffered when Angel changed, not just Buffy. (I know Buffy had to have been terribly hurt when she sent the only man she had ever loved to hell, but what kind of person abandons everyone she cares about and leaves them to deal with a very dangerous situation? I hope she comes back soon because there are so many unresolved problems that everyone has with her. Things will never be the same, though. As a result of her leaving, all of us have had to become a lot stronger and, looking back on the time since Buffy left, we are all a lot closer. I am closer to Giles than my own parents and he is the father that I had always wished for. I love Xander, but in a different way than I had before, he’s my best friend and I love him for being around whenever I needed him. Hell, I even like Cordelia a lot more since Buffy left. And that is the biggest miracle of them all. When and if Buffy comes back, she is going to find things have changed a lot). Willow realized that she and Angel had reached the door, (Damn, once again, I’ve lost myself in thought and Angel is probably wondering what’s wrong with me).
Willow glanced up at Angel to see that he was staring at her. “Sorry,” Willow mumbled.
“For what?”
“For getting so lost in thought that I didn’t notice that we had gotten to the door.”
“It’s okay.” (She looks so cute when she’s embarrassed. Wait a minute, where are these thoughts coming from? Buffy’s the one I love, I shouldn’t be thinking about how pretty Buffy’s best friend is. Or how small and delicate her hands are. I’ve always been fascinated by a woman’s hands. Maybe I just like the image of them running all over my body...I have to stop this now. Uh oh, Willow’s staring at me, just like I had been staring at her a moment ago. I wonder what she’s thinking. Oops, she’s talking to me. I guess I better pay attention).
“....be invisible,” Willow was saying as Angel tuned back in.
“I’m sorry, but I’m kind of out of it. Can you repeat what you said, Willow?”
“Of course. I was saying that we’re invisible, so we don’t have to worry about being stopped by anyone.”
“Invisible??? How did you manage that?”
“Again, a very long story that would waste too much time to tell. Just hang onto me and no one will see you.”
“Okay.”
“There are two things I want you to remember before we leave this room. Always, and I repeat always, keep your arm around me. Once you let go of me, you will no longer be invisible and, needless to say, that would not be good. Also, do not talk when we’re trying to escape. I’m not sure if they can hear us or not, but I’d rather not chance it.”
“I’ll r
emember.” “Okay, let’s go. With that last statement, Willow opened the door.
Part 9
Scene: Section F
“Let me make sure that no one is around, then we can leave,” Willow said as she opened the door.
“Okay.”
Willow quickly looked around and saw that nobody was in the room. (Good, we can go now). As Willow turned to go back into the room, she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye.
“Angel, I’ll be right back. I just want to look at something closer.”
“Alright Willow.”
Willow walked towards the thing that had captured her attention and saw that it was indeed what she had thought it might be. She grabbed the pair of pants and hoped that they would fit Angel. (I don’t know if I could handle looking at him naked for much longer). Willow hurried back to the room Angel was in and handed him the pants.
“It’s all I could find, but I figured it would be better than nothing.”
Angel slipped on the pair of pants and Willow couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“They fit fine, Willow, let’s get going.”
Both Angel and Willow exited the room and Angel hoped that this would be the last time that he would ever see that room which had been a constant source of torture. Just then, one of the men who had been in Angel’s room earlier walked in. Willow and Angel looked at each other and both had the same thought simultaneously, “Oh, fuck.”
Scene: Library
“How much longer do you think she’ll be?” Ethan asked.
“I have no idea, but I hope she comes out soon. The longer she stays there, the more danger she’ll be putting herself in,” Giles answered.
“If I had known it would take this long, I would never have come.”
“Oh, Ethan be realistic. You and I both know you don’t mean that. However hard you try to deny it, you know you would help me do anything if I asked you to. It doesn’t matter whatever we have done to each other in the past, we shall always be connected in some way.”
“You always knew me much more than I ever wanted you to, Ripper.”
“If I didn’t say it before, I want to thank you for coming here to help me. The last few months have been difficult and I am glad I still can depend on you when I really need you. Consider all of our problems in the past forgotten.”
“You are welcome, Rupert. And I want to thank you for giving me another chance. I hope that we can be as close as we were in the past.”
“Just use your spells in other places than Sunnydale and, I am certain we will get along.”
The two men smiled at each other, both looking forward to a future that promised to be a little bit brighter. At that moment, Xander and Cordelia walked in and, Giles and Ethan both thought the same thing that Angel and Willow had thought a few minutes earlier.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Damn, what are we going to do now?” Willow asked herself. She and Angel waited to see what the man was doing before they moved. He appeared to be looking for something and Angel could hear him mumbling about something, but couldn’t make out any words. Just then he heard the man say “A ha. There it is. I wouldn’t last for long if I hadn’t found the key.” The man then walked over to the door and exited the room. Angel and Willow both heaved a sigh of relief that they had not been caught. Unfortunately, they both heard the unmistakable sound of a door being locked.
Willow sighed, (This is just not my lucky day. Oh, well. I’ve had to deal with more difficult things than this and I managed to get through them just fine. I can handle a little thing like a door being locked).
Willow pulled away from Angel and walked over to the door. (Now, I just need something which can open this lock). Willow pulled a barrette out of her hair and hoped it would do the job.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to open this lock. I’ve done it a couple times before, but never with a barrette. I only hope it will work.”
(Willow’s broken into places before? With every minute that passes by, I’m becoming more and more curious about her). “If I can help in any way, just tell me.”
“Sure, but this looks like it’s going to work.” Hoping Angel could not see what she was doing, Willow twisted the knob till it broke. “Okay, I unlocked it, let’s go.”
“Wow, you did that really fast.”
“Let’s just say that I’m becoming very efficient in practicing illegal activities.”
Angel slipped his arm around Willow and they exited Section F.
Scene: Library
“What’s going on in here? Why is Ethan here? And what the hell is that huge hole in the wall? Xander yelled.
“One question at a time, Xander.” Giles said.
“Alright. First, why is Ethan here?
“Ethan is here because I asked him to come. I needed his help.”
“I can kind of understand that, I know you and Ethan had a history. Though I am not sure why you would ever be friends with a psycho like him, Giles.”
“That’s enough, Xander. You don’t even know Ethan. I admit he may have caused trouble in the past, but, as I seem to remember, you have caused just as much trouble as Ethan has.”
“Wow, Giles really told you, Xander,” Cordelia snickered.
With a somewhat sheepish look on his face, Xander apologized. “I’m sorry, Giles. Sometimes I just open my mouth before I think.”
“You’re forgiven, Xander.”
“Now, can you tell me what that hole is and what are these other people doing here?”
“These people are here because I cast a spell that needed four people.”
“Ah, what is the spell?”
“To get someone out of hell.”
“What???????? Don’t tell me you’re getting Angel out of hell!”
“I’m not the one getting Angel out of hell. Willow is.”
“No way. How could you send Willow to hell to rescue that..that..well, I can’t think of a word bad enough to describe Angel, but you can be sure really bad words are going through my mind. Anyways, how could you let her go to hell? Especially for Angel. Don’t you remember how he tortured you, killed the woman you loved, and most likely caused Buffy to need a few years on a psychiatrist’s couch?”
“Xander, you will never know how much I wanted to prevent Willow from bringing Angel back. You have no idea how much pain he has caused me and, I hope, that you will never know the pain I have known. But, you, of all people, should know how Willow is when she gets an idea in her head. There’s no stopping her. So, I figured that she would be safer if I was helping her instead of letting her get involved with someone that wouldn’t care what happened to her.”
“Giles, I know how Willow is, but you still should have tried to talk her out of rescuing Angel.”
“Don’t you think I did? I tried everything I could think of, but she was dead-set on bringing him back. And there’s nothing we can do about it now. She and Angel will probably be back soon.”
“Xander, you know Giles is right. If he hadn’t helped her, you know she would have found some other way to get to hell,” Cordelia said.
Xander slipped his arm around Cordelia and whispered, “You’re right. I know you’re right, I also know how Willow is. I’m just terrified that something will happen to her. I’m sorry for being a pain, Giles.”
“I understand how you feel, Xander, but Willow is in very little danger. Once she entered hell, she became invisible to everyone but Angel.”
“That does help a little bit Giles. Thank you. I’m glad Willow has someone who cares about her as much as you do.”
“I care for all of you. I know I never said this before, but I think of you as a son, Xander. When we were attacked in the library a few months ago, I realized how close all of us came to dying. And, I knew that I had to tell everyone how much I care for them. That’s one of the reasons I asked Ethan to come back. Time goes by so fast and you shouldn’t let mistakes made in the past reflect on the future.”
“I care for you too, Giles,” Xander said.
“Since Giles is telling everybody how much he cares for them, I want to know how he feels about me,” a voice said from behind Xander and Cordelia.
“Buffy?”
