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Cordelia shook her head in disbelief as Xander finished relating his story, amazed by all he had told her. "It's hard to picture a world like the one you describe," she said, taking a moment to stretch. "I never met the Buffy Summers in this world, but Ethan tells me she was quite... ambitious. She worked alone for the majority of her time, operating out of a shut down factory where she and her Watcher lived. All I know about her trainer was that he wasn't this Rupert Giles you mentioned."
"And Stefanie Marks?" Xander asked. "Do you know of her?"
Cordelia shook her head. "As far as I know, she never existed, at least not as a Slayer. Ethan gave me a list of all the different girls there were dating back to the 1920s... So I could study their methods and their techniques. And her name wasn't on it."
"So, in other words, no," Xander added when she remained silent, trying to imagine a world without his ever-so-wise friend. "Unbelievable..."
Cordelia sighed, checking her watch and surprised to see that half a day had gone by already. With a groan, she got to her feet, stretching to work out the kinks in her back. "Well, now that we've covered everything... Did you want me to fix you something before I head out?"
"Actually, I have one more question," Xander said, gesturing to his bandaged head. "Who did this?"
Cordelia smiled. "Darla, actually. She's read a lot of medical journals over the years, including an at-home emergency one. She'd make a great physician if she were human!" The brunette paused, then grew serious. "Well, I really need to be going. Ethan's expecting me."
"Okay," Xander said after a moment. "Well, you go ahead. I shouldn't have trouble finding anything when I raid the fridge."
Cordelia gave him a strange look, grabbing her bag of weapons from underneath the counter. "Just try not to eat me out of house and home," she said, grabbing the wallet from her purse and removing a fifty dollar bill. "And this is for if you get bored. Just don't go out after nightfall, whatever you do."
"Yes, mother," Xander joked, following her as she went for the front door.
Cordelia stopped. "Xander, I'm serious," she chided without turning to face him. "You go out, you risk getting yourself killed... I told you how obsessed Alex was with Angelus. Well, it works the other way too. If he or his followers see you and get their hands on you..."
Xander sighed. "I've been around Buffy, remember? I know the risks," he reminded her. "And if I run into any of the rookies, I'm sure I could handle it."
Cordelia sighed, seeing that nothing she said was going to make a difference. If Xander wanted to go out, she certainly couldn't stop him. All she could do was pray for his safety. "Either way, be careful," she told him on her way out.
Xander watched her go with a deep sigh, then turned and headed for the kitchen, ready to begin the raiding. He was startled to find a few blood packets shoved onto the second shelf, then determined that they were probably for Darla. "Why wouldn't she keep these at her own place though?" he questioned aloud. However, he only puzzled over it for a moment, then grabbed an orange and went to watch TV...
If there was one thing Angelus hated, it was to be disturbed while he slept. He was lounging in a giant padded wicker chair, with Willow curled up beside him, when he became aware someone was shaking him from his slumber. With a snarl, Angelus opened his eyes and struck out at the intruder.
However, Drusilla caught his arm before it connected with her face, growling at him in turn. Without bothering with an apology, she stated, "Must you always be so difficult to wake up?"
Angelus sat up slightly, issuing a soft moan from Willow as he moved. "What do you want, Dru?" he grumbled.
Drusilla grinned sardonically. "Oh, it's not what I want," she replied, moving aside to let him see the vampire behind her. "It's what your dimwitted visionary here wants... Well, go ahead, Spikey! Tell him what you told me."
Spike took a step forward. "The spell worked," he informed Angelus. "As of last night, Alex was sent away from here."
Angelus waited a moment to see if Spike would continue, then said, "That's it? That's what you woke me up for?!" He carefully stood so as to not disturb his redheaded paramour, facing his two allies in annoyance. "You're lucky you're prone to having those visions, Spike. Otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to do you in." To Drusilla, he added, "And you, fortunately, are valuable in the sense that you always bring food home to us, so I can't very well kill you either."
Drusilla combed her fingers through her long dark hair, her green chiffon mini-dress rustling softly. Crossing her arms, she said sarcastically, "What a prince you are! However, Spike has more to share." She reached over, wrapping her fingers in Spike's bleached blonde hair in a way that was sure to hurt him. However, it was the only tried and true way to get him to talk uninterrupted. "Come on, psychic boy! Spill it!" she said harshly.
Spike winced slightly. "There was a side effect we didn't count on," he said, a painful note in his voice. "Someone was sent here in Alex's place. His counterpart in another world, who knows of our existence and who has fought our kind before... He could very well be a threat to us."
Angelus raised an eyebrow, clearly interested. He threw a quick glance at his lovely Willow, then said, "What can you tell me about our new arrival, Spike?"
Spike paused. "He calls himself Xander, and he knows a Slayer as well where he's from... Plus, and this is very interesting, he happens to be married to the mortal counterpart of your girl here."
Angelus gave a chuckle at this, a devious plan beginning to take form in his mind. Without a word, he went and kneeled next to the chair, reaching over to stroke Willow's cheek. Then, to Spike and Drusilla, he added, "Leave us."
He waited until he heard them depart, then gently woke Willow, smiling as her brown eyes alighted on him. Angelus leaned over to give her a passionate kiss, then said, quite secretively, "How would you like to play a little game with a former boyfriend of yours, my love?"
A cruel smile came to Willow's face, her lips forming Alex's name. "No," Angelus told her. "Not Alex. But someone just as good." With that, he began to fill her in on the unexpected turn of events, thinking it was worth it to see how her eyes lit up with thoughts of malice...