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With a bored sigh, Buffy glanced once more at her watch, surprised that an hour and a half had gone by since she and her friends had started explaining things to Alex. So far, they had only covered the backgrounds of the people he called friends, as Alex kept throwing an endless stream of questions about this at them.
Finally, Buffy got tired of it and went to the phone to dial her apartment, leaving further explanations to Willow. She expected Angel to pick up after a few rings, but no answer. Buffy puzzled over this momentarily, then decided he must have taken Ivory out for a walk. With that thought, she returned to the living room, taking a seat next to Stefanie.
Alex took a deep breath. "Cordy's a vampire in this world?!" he asked in disbelief.
Willow nodded. "But she's one of the good ones," the redhead replied in a perky tone. "She helps us the way Darla helps you."
"Okay. I'll buy that," he replied after a brief moment. "Man, I cannot believe how different this world is."
Giles leaned forward at this, deeply curious. "Why don't you tell us about yours? For starters, how did you meet Cordelia?" he said.
Once more, Alex took a deep breath. "In college, like I said... I had just been discharged from the army after a year, where I had seen two of my friends die in combat. Willow was the only person I had left besides my family, although I was estranged from them. I asked her to marry me within two months of coming home.
"It wasn't long after we got engaged that Willow and I met Cordelia. Our first impression, or at least what we'd heard, was that she was a troublemaker. She was described as promiscuous, always sneaking out of the dorm at night. It wasn't until months later that I discovered why. And by then, it was too late."
Alex looked skyward a moment, suppressing tears. "One night, Willow and I were out walking through the campus when we heard the sounds of fighting. We went to see what was going on, and we found Cordelia. That was the night we learned the truth about her and about vampires... It was a lot to deal with.
"If Cordelia hadn't seen us watching, maybe Willow wouldn't have become what she did... But right after, we got dragged into Cordy's secret world, as she felt the need to explain to us." Alex paused a moment. "Afterwards, Willow and Cordy became good friends, always hanging out with each other. Maybe that's how Angelus knew of her existence, because he had seen them together.
"It wasn't long before Willow began acting strange, more distant and more secretive. So one night, I followed her and I found she'd been meeting Angelus in secret... He played the romantic without fault and did pretty well at seducing her. It took everything I had not to kill him right then... I probably would have if I'd known what he was.
"Then, finally one morning, Willow didn't come home. I went to Cordelia, asking if she'd seen her. And during the conversation, I brought up Angelus' name. I still get shudders remembering the way Cordy turned as white as a sheet. She told me the truth, and I felt like my heart was just being torn to shreds."
Alex wiped a stray tear from his face. "She took me with her to where Angelus and his gang were holed up, praying that it wasn't too late to save Willow," he continued, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Both of us had no problem holding our own against the rookies, and I even slayed two of them myself. Then, Willow arrived on the scene, and I knew we'd lost. Even in her vampire guise, I still recognized her.
"Angelus moved in while I was still in shock. Cordelia shouted a warning, but it was too late. The bastard had already given me a remembrance of that day," Alex said, rubbing gently at his scar. "Anyway, Cordelia fought him back and helped me escape. We've been in league ever since."
"Which is why you married her afterwards?" Willow asked, feeling weird about hearing what happened to her other self. *It isn't every day you find out you're a vampire,* she thought absurdly.
Alex nodded. "It was purely platonic at first," he said. "It wasn't until after we got married that Cordelia and I developed deeper feelings for each other. That's why my obsession with Angelus worried her so much. That's why she allowed Ethan to keep me in the dark about certain things... The latest one was, Angelus had moved Willow and the rest of his gang to Sunnydale. Cordelia and Ethan followed a few weeks later, courtesy of Darla, and Cordy told me explicitly to stay away, because she didn't want me getting hurt. But I didn't listen..."
"And thus you wound up here," Buffy finished.
Alex nodded. "But I don't know why, don't know who sent me here. If I had to guess, I'd say Angelus, but it could also easily be one of his followers."
"Why?" Buffy asked. "What would they have against you?" She paused. "Actually, that raises a better question. Who is working with him?"
Alex bit his lip, thinking. "Well, let's see... Besides Willow, there's a bad-tempered vamp by the name of Drusilla, who seems to be on neither Angelus' side nor ours, but still hangs with him. There's Spike, who, at times, doesn't seem to be all there. But he is a sort of clairvoyant... Oh, plus he and Dru can't stand each other; the only reason they live under the same roof is because of Angelus. And then, there's the many nameless vampires who just come and go."
"One big happy family," Buffy said, half joking. "So what do..." She cut off then, interrupted by a knock at the door. Willow started to get up, but Buffy stopped her. "I'll get it," she said, heading for the door and opening it without a thought, expecting who, she wasn't certain.
However, looking up into her fiance's dark brown eyes, Buffy had a sinking feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse. She shut the door slightly so Alex couldn't see, then whispered, "Angel, what are you doing here?!" Glancing down at his empty arms, she added, "Where's Ivory?"
"She's with Cordelia," Angel replied, also in whispers. "You were gone so long, I was getting worried. Have you found Xander yet?"
Buffy hesitated a moment. "In a manner of speaking, yes... Look, Angel, you can't..." Her warning came too late though, as he started to make his way inside. She tried to shove him back out, but it was too late. Alex had already seen him.
"You!" Alex yelled, getting to his feet, his face turning red. "What are you doing here?!"
Angel stared across the room at Alex, taking a step forward. "Just came to see how you and Willow were," he replied, failing to notice the scar.
Alex shook his head. "It just doesn't stop with you, does it?" he said, unconsciously moving to stand between Angel and Willow. "We were fine before you came into our lives! How dare you come here pretending everything will be alright!" With that, Alex crossed the distance between, catching Angel off guard with a strong right hook that sent the vampire toppling to the floor.
Alex was producing a stake from his jacket next, prepared to strike when Buffy grabbed him, wrestling to get him off Angel. "Stop it!" she screamed. "This isn't what you think!"
"Oh, no!" Alex snapped. "How can you defend him? He took the woman I loved and turned her into a monster!"
Angel looked up at the two of them, dazed. "I would hardly call her a monster," he said calmly, exchanging a glance with Buffy.
"You wouldn't!" Alex said hurtfully. "But the facts are the same. Willow is a vampire thanks to you!"
Angel blinked his eyes, staring at Alex at confusion, then looked at Buffy. "Did I miss something?" he asked, standing and rubbing at the back of his head.
Alex, too, was confused, figuring out now that something was off. "What the hell...?" he started.
Buffy smirked. "Say hello to Angel," she told Alex. "Who is my fiance and my sire."
"Your what?" Alex said in disbelief, watching as Stefanie took Angel aside, probably to explain things to him.
"You heard me," Buffy replied. "Try to remember that this isn't your world. Nothing is the same here!"
Alex considered this a moment. "So, basically, you're saying that Angel is on your side here?"
"That covers it," she confirmed. "He's not a bad guy once you get to know him."
Meanwhile, taking into account what Stefanie was telling him, Angel looked at everyone in the room in turn, trying to imagine a world where they were either evil or simply absent. Then, his gaze rested on Alex, and a wave of pity and remorse washed over him.
*How odd,* Angel thought, *that the demonic side of me still exists somewhere. If only there were a way to make up for it...* Out loud, he said, "It probably doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry for what happened to Willow in your world."
Alex sighed. "It's not your fault," he said wearily. "There was nothing you could have done, nothing any of you could have done, to prevent it." He returned to his seat, looking extremely tired. "It's just something I have to live with, and I will continue to do so as soon as we can figure out a way to send me back."
"Sounds good," Buffy said after a moment. "Giles? Any suggestions?"
Her Watcher leaned forward, addressing Alex. "The spellcaster... the person who did this would have to be found and forced to reverse the spell. Only then can things return to normal... I'm afraid, given what you told us, that it is solely up to Xander and your friends to do just that."
Willow stood, walking over to Alex with a strong sympathetic light in her eyes. "Until then, you're welcome to stay here," she said softly. "The most I can offer is a roof to stay under."
Alex looked up at her, smiling sadly. "I never expected to hear such kind words from you again... Thank you," he whispered, reaching for her hand. His heart ached to know that this wasn't real, that his Willow wasn't back to stay, but it would be good while it lasted...