Captain Forehead receiving his fluffy reward?

[railroad_spike]

The fight was bloody everything that Angel had billed it to be and more so. Percy and Charlie boy had entered the fight already bloody wounded, yet they somehow bleeding managed to not end up pushing up the daisies

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[railroad_spike]

Thought for sure that Angel received the reward. Had always thought deep down, even though I liked to make Angel get a hair in the crack about it...that he would be the one to get the vampire with the soul reward, because, yeah, he'd been all soul-happy for more then a century longer then I have.

When he said that his heart wasn't beating, it left me a little on the side of bloody blinded, but maybe it really wasn't meant for him?

Bugger worrying about that at such a delectable time as this. Well...yeah, okay so not so delightful considering all of the loss but with the look on Angel's when he saw Cordelia, it made both me and Buffy look at things a little differently.

Then there's Buffy. I knew that my heart would soar almost to the point of beating when I saw her, but I didn't know that it would be around Angel when we first saw each other again.

Considering the goings-on before us tonight and those that had left us, I probably shouldn't be thinking this way but it's Buffy...What am I supposed to do? She's the most amazing woman that I've ever seen..,only I know that Angel probably feels the same way...albeit that Cordelia has always been quite fetching and she and Forehead did spend a lot of time together in the past years and if it wasn't for his pesky curse, I thought for sure that they'd be shagging.

Maybe Angel loves both of them? Maybe he'll get the shanshu bugaboo reward? Maybe it will be kick to Spike as always? Maybe I should pay attention to Buffy right now?

"Spike."

I paid attention only to her as the rain continued to pelt me with the bloody temarity of a politician giving a phony speech.

"How? W-what are you doing here? I thought you were dead."

I looked at Andrew in the distance, amazed that he hadn't told her. He hadn't told her that I was alive when she sent the girls to get the sack of hammers bint who had chopped my feelers off away from Angel and he hadn't told her about me or Angel looking for her in Rome when she was off doing God only knows what with the poncy Immortal.

I almost asked her about him, but her eyes looked into my soul as she asked me another question.

"And, you didn't tell me. You kept it a secret from me. Why?"

Sure, fine. Let Angel and Cordelia have their moment; it's now time for Buffy and I to have ours.

"I wanted to tell you, but I was just scared, Buffy. I couldn't possibly top the way that I left the world all heroic and brave. Though, I suppose that tonight could also qualify as heoric if it wasn't for the loss..."

I couldn't just bloody leave it at that. The words landed cold as if I didn't care if Willow, Xander and Giles, along with all of the girls were dead.

"Besides that, I was trapped with Angel's evil business for a couple of months after I popped mystically out of the amulet..."

I almost told her that Andrew knew, but I didn't bother getting the boy in trouble. He had only done what I had asked him to.

[cordeliaxxchase]

Being in Angel's arms again, was wonderful. It was safe. I felt comforted, missed and loved. There was some definite squeeze-age on both parts. We were in our own little world, when Buffy spoke. Or, at least I think she did. I wasn't really paying attention. I keep looking into Angel's eyes.

"Hi, Cordelia. I never thought I'd see you in a hospital gown. Let alone come out wearing one."

"Huh?" I turned my head to look at Buffy. She was looking at me and Angel...hard. I guess she didn't know I was in a coma for about a year. Anyway, how could she have known? She hasn't been in Angel's life for years. Just goes to show, they are living two different lives now. It's not like they're supposed to pick up where they left off. I don't think so, and I will not let that happen. Oh god, why am I always so insecure when it comes to Angel and Buffy. I know he's over her. Right? I know there's something between us. Of course, we've never been able to play it out, because yeah...coma girl. But, there still is something there, and I'm not letting that go. God, what am I talking about? Something bad happened here and all I can think about is me and Angel. I didn't keep my eyes on Buffy for long. I felt Angel squeeze my arm and I looked up at him.

"I...Cordy, how did it happen? Did you have a vision that woke you for real and led you here? Are you real again?"

My smile widened. "Yes, you big doofus, I'm real. I-I don't know what happened. All I know is...I woke up and I walked out of the hospital and came here. No vision. I just knew where you were. Weird, huh?" He looked at me. "There's another thing. I don't think I'm part demon. I think I'm human, again." If I was human again, did that mean I still had the visions? They couldn't take that away. It's how we help people. I should be getting a vision soon.

"Angel, what happened here?" My hands gestured around us. "And, what just happened to you? You said you were still a vampire. I get that, but what was the red flash in your eyes?" Concern was written all over my face. There was so much to get caught up on. The last time I saw him, I thought I would be gone for good. Now, I'm back, and I have so many questions. I just had to make sure Angel was ok.

In the distance, I saw Connor. "Connor." I whispered his name. "He was fighting along with you." I smiled and caressed his cheek. The last time I was here, Connor's memories of us were erased. It looks like Angel got it back for him. Father and son, again. Family. "Where is everyone else?"

[shanshu_angel]

Buffy and Spike seemed to get into a conversation and if Cordelia hadn't showed up, I would have made sure to talk to her, whether good or bad. She had ordered those slayers to take Dana away from me like little Miss Giles junior and I wanted to rip into her for that; for not trusting me even though the name Wolfram and Hart shouldn't really inspire confidence in someone who fights evil for a living...still, I likely wouldn't have been cruel. She was still Buffy and would always be special to me, especially tonight, when she had lost so many close to her because she knew to help me, to help us.

I wanted to talk to her, to comfort her, to keep her away from Spike, but all of that changed when Cordy came along. Cordy was here, and she was real. So much had happened, there was so much to digest, so much to talk about with everyone, with Buffy, but that was meaningless right now and the loss didn't seem as daunting with Cordy standing in front of me.

"Yes, you big doofus, I'm real. I-I don't know what happened. All I know is...I woke up and I walked out of the hospital and came here. No vision. I just knew where you were. Weird, huh?"

I didn't know what to make of that. My knee-jerk reaction even though I knew that Wolfram and Hart had probably been scrunched for some time was to think that something was amiss, because let's be real here, something is always amiss, but I am far too exhausted to do anything at this point except be grateful.

"There's another thing. I don't think I'm part demon. I think I'm human, again."

That made me curious, with a very large side of worried with it.

"If you can actually feel that the demon isn't within you, it must mean that you don't have the visions, Cordy, because if you do, then we have some things to worry about."

I remembered how the visions were killing her as a human and I also remembered what actually getting the half-demon to be able to handle the visions resulted in...

"Angel, what happened here?"

I was about to answer with a simple answer and would, but then she asked me about what she obviously saw too concerning me a minute ago.

"And, what just happened to you? You said you were still a vampire. I get that, but what was the red flash in your eyes?"

"You and the prophecy, I guess."

I shook my head, for a moment looked at the carnage and all of the deaths that were on my hands-those that weren't demons and then looked back at her.

"What happened here is a result of that strange visit from you when you weren't actually there. You showed me the path, I took it. The eye-flash thing has to be the prophecy, though I thought that the shanshu prophecy meant that I wouldn't be a demon anymore, and as you can see..." I morphed into my demon side..."I'm still a vampire and I still have a soul..."

I wanted to hug her again because it felt right and it would be even nicer with Mr. Radioactive and Buffy so cozy, but I didn't want to smother her.

"Connor."

She mumbled it but it was unmistakable and had to be a shock to her on some level. She knew that I had sent him away and had wiped the memory away. I had told her when she was there and not there in my offices several months ago, and obviously, she remembered all of it.

"He was fighting along with you."

I nodded. "It's a long story but he was kinda pulled back into the fray and wanted to be here. He's really changed for the better...

"Where is everyone else?"

I looked around again. "Wesley and Gunn are on their way to the hospital, but they survived. Lorne had an assignment and I think that he's gone for good, and not coming back, but he's doing okay...and Fred, well..."

I couldn't tell her about that. I couldn't tell her that I had sent Lorne to kill Lindsey. I couldn't appear to be the corporate monster that I had become out of necessity, though she already knew some of that.

[buffyxsummersx]

What was going on between Angel and Cordelia. I got the feeling this was more than friendship. I mean, I know they've been working together for years now, but they would never...he would never...I completely lost my train of thought. They were acting like we weren't here.

I looked at Spike. He seemed a little irritated by the way I was looking at Cordelia and Angel. There were so many questions I had to ask Spike. I felt a little betrayed. I mean, I tell him I love him before Sunnydale is destroyed and then he comes back to life and he didn't have the decency to tell me?

"I wanted to tell you, but I was just scared, Buffy. I couldn't possibly top the way that I left the world all heroic and brave. Though, I suppose that tonight could also qualify as heoric if it wasn't for the loss..."

My eyes welled up with tears. God, this was too much. Everything at this moment was in my face. My friends are dead, and here I am looking at Spike and Angel, wondering what's going to happen. Did I love Spike? I told him, and I think I really do love him. It's not like I didn't mean it. Spike has gone through things with me. Me and Angel had separate lives. Besides, he was CEO of an evil law firm. That lost him some respect points in my book.

I can't think about this right now. My love life is not on the top of my priority list at this moment. I'm just going to have to see how things flow from here.

"Besides that, I was trapped with Angel's evil business for a couple of months after I popped mystically out of the amulet..."

Popped out of the amulet? What the hell? I didn't need anymore explanations. "Spike. Enough. We'll talk about it once we get ourselves situated. I-I'm glad you're back. Utterly pissed that you didn't tell me, but I can understand why you didn't. I just wish you had enough trust and faith in me that you could tell me anything. After all we went through." Tears came down my face. He looked at me with that concerned look. I miss that look. His eyes penetrated through me. He could see the pain in my eyes. I don't know how he does it, but no one else could see through me like he did. I hugged him, then. I put my arms around his waist and put my head on his chest. Everything I tried to hold in came out. "I-I don't know what to do Spike. I lost them. I can't get them back. W-we can't leave their bodies on the street. We have to find them and take them somewhere and bury them. This whole thing might be over, but we lost so much." I looked up at him. "I've missed you." He moved his head down. Oh god, he's going to kiss me. I pulled back. "We should go."

I'll leave it to Spike to tell Angel we're leaving and going to get Willow, Xander and Giles bodies. The one time I try to talk to them and I was basically ignored. I'm not trying again. I'm too tired and numb.

[railroad_spike]

Heard all of her words, all painful and depressed, but what stuck out the most was that she missed me.

Of course, I didn't expect that she would hate me after all of this time but it was hard to know what kind of brain control or mojo that the poncy Immortal might try on her, and I knew bloody damned well that he and I were never going to go on a jaunt to a coffee shop.

Could have told her all sorts of things about my past to her, and he could have sealed the deal with a little hocus pocus.

Stopped to think of the way that my brain was working right now. Here was the woman that I love, still love with all of my body and soul and I'm worrying about Angel and her feelings for him and a wanker like the Immortal, all unimportant things when dealing with all of Buffy's mates being dead.

"Spike. Enough. We'll talk about it once we get ourselves situated. I-I'm glad you're back. Utterly pissed that you didn't tell me, but I can understand why you didn't. I just wish you had enough trust and faith in me that you could tell me anything. After all we went through."

Didn't have an answer for that. What would I say? I was a bloody coward? I didn't believe that I could top how I went out for her and for the world? I'd sound like a ponce if I said that, especially since I had wanted to see her every day after I had become coporeal and even before that.

"I-I don't know what to do Spike. I lost them. I can't get them back. W-we can't leave their bodies on the street. We have to find them and take them somewhere and bury them. This whole thing might be over, but we lost so much."

Looked to Angel. Didn't think we still had the resources to make this as classy as it bloody well deserved to be, but we'd damned well figure something out; for Willow and Monke...Xander and even Giles, who bloody hated me...we'd figure something out and steal if we needed to.

Angel was too immersed with Cordelia to think about anything else, anyway and when Buffy said that she missed me, again, as I said before, bloody all that I could handle to keep from kissing her.

"We should go."

She walked towards he bodies of those close to her, keeping Dawn close to her, understandably so. On these streets, it was hard to know if there were any big beasties stillw aiting to get killed and parts of me, though sore and tired, wished that there still was. Anything to let Buffy know that my commitment was still all to her and anything to show that I had become, I'd dare say, even more sodding formidable as a fighter after my wee battles with Illyria, God, or whoever reigns over former deities, rest her soul.

Told Angel that we had to make preparations to bury Giles, Willow and Xander. He didn't say much, though I suspect he plans to help make sure that Illyria was placed in her sarcophagus again, just for the memory of Fred.

I approached Buffy, the niblet and the punk of Angel's spunk.