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Part 3
After Angel's departure, Buffy took a few restless moments to decide what to do. Eventually, she decided to continue paging through the book of baby names she had bought to pass the time.
At last, she heard the front door open. Buffy set the book aside, leaning forward for a better look to the hallway. "Angel?" she called, crossing her arms over her stomach.
Cordelia entered instead, a pouty expression on her face. She walked over to the recliner, slumping down in it. Then, realizing Buffy was staring, she blurted out, "I want to be a slayer!"
Buffy stared at her with wide eyes, curious as to what had brought this on. "Didn't know you were into fighting monsters," she said with a laugh.
Cordelia sat up straight. "Not for that... Why is it you slayers get all the cute guys?"
Buffy was even more confused at this. "Cordy, are you going to keep me in suspense, or are you going to get to the point?" she asked.
Cordelia sighed. "Okay, here's the scoop. Very gorgeous guy comes into the Bronze tonight. I'm ready to make a move on him when he makes a beeline for Stefanie of all people. The next thing I know, the two of them are dancing," she said, recaling how something similar had happened when she first laid eyes on Angel.
Buffy's eyes lit up. "I didn't know Stefanie was seeing someone," she mused out loud.
Cordelia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Hello! Buffy, we're supposed to be talking about me!"
Buffy paused. "Look, Cordelia, what do you want me to do about it? I can't very well approach Stefanie and ask her to ditch this guy so you can date him... That's your style."
Cordelia nodded thoughtfully. "That's true," she said, a dreamy look in her eyes.
Rather than continue the conversation, Buffy stood and went for the kitchen to make a peanut butter and tomato sandwich for herself. As she was laying the tomato slices on the bread, she said to herself, "Why do your cravings get so weird when you're pregnant?"
Stefanie was the next to arrive at home, after a ten-minute wait. Both Buffy and Cordelia were on her abruptly, their words running together as they began talking at the same time.
Nevertheless, Stefanie was able to glean a few words, such as "introduce" from Cordy and "mystery guy" from Buffy, and it was enough to help her discern what had gotten them so riled.
"Boy, the gossip train runs pretty fast through Sunnydale," Stefanie said, heading towards the living room to sit down. Buffy and Cordelia trailed after her, eager to hear what she had to say.
Stefanie would have preferred to be alone with her memories, but soon found it was impossible the way her two friends were staring at her. With a sigh, she leaned forward and said, "His name's Rhys, okay!?!"
Buffy shook her head. "Not okay... Where did you meet this guy? How long have you known him? When did you plan on filling me in?" Her questions spilled out in a rush, barely giving Stefanie a moment to answer.
Finally, Buffy finished, and Stefanie opened her mouth to speak. Then, Cordelia cut in, saying, "I want to know everything about him, including where he lives, whether or not he has a twin brother..."
Buffy looked at Cordelia. "Don't overwhelm the girl. Let her talk," Buffy interrupted, looking back at Stefanie in expectation.
Stefanie gave an exasperated sigh, having a sinking feeling that this would be a very long discussion. But, she thought, the sooner I start, the sooner I can get some private time...
Giles had been all too eager to help his friend out, even though it took twenty minutes of arguing with Jenny before she'd let him go back to his library. Despite the amount of pain he'd been in earlier, the worst Giles suffered from was a fractured rib. As long as he didn't make any sudden movements, it was okay.
At the moment, he and Angel sat at the desk in the center of the room, poring over numerous volumes that might explain how Rhys had been able to return to the land of the living. The search seemed to go on forever, and they had yet to make a breakthrough.
Finally, Giles looked up from the book in front of him, rubbing at his exhausted eyes. He gently closed the volume and set it aside, reaching for the next one when Angel rushed over excitedly.
"I think I found something," the vampire said, setting his book down and pointing to a drawing that matched the design on his victim's face. "It's pretty vague though." Angel pulled up a chair, sitting next to Giles. "All this covers are the basics of a certain myth, telling how crows are rumored to guide the spirits of those who die to the afterlife," he said.
"And there was a crow nearby the day that this Rhys fellow originally died, you said," Giles murmured, deep in thought. "Does it say anything else?"
Angel shook his head. "There's nothing about the dead coming back, but it's obvious this crow has to be connected somehow... There's only one way to find out, and that's to meet up with Rhys again."
Giles paused. "I'm not sure that would be so wise, considering he has a vendetta against you..."
Angel interrupted, knowing that such a meeting was inevitable. "Sooner or later, he's going to figure out I'm still alive... And if he wants to find Darla and Thierry that badly, he's going to have to come through me to do so. No one else will be willing to offer their current whereabouts."
Giles sighed, looking at Angel in concern. "What about Buffy?" he asked. "Have you given any thought to how she'll react, especially if you don't survive this? She and the baby need you right now."
"If I don't pull through this," Angel said quietly, "I want you to promise that you'll take care of her... I can't spend the next few days worrying that Rhys will come after me. I have to get this resolved, one way or the other."
With that, Angel threw a quick glance at the clock, finding that it was a little after midnight; there was still plenty of time for a second encounter before sunrise. He stood, heading briskly for the doors before Giles could stop him.
Then, as an afterthought, Angel turned back and said, "Promise me, if anything happens, that you'll see her through it. And tell her how much I love her."
Angel waited for Giles' consent, which came after a long, tense moment. With that done, he moved to leave, determined to end this night on a positive note...