by Melissa Flores
 aka Mistiec

WINNER - The Scooby Awards
Best Characterization of Cordelia Chase
Best Completed Fic

Disclaimer-  Buffy the Vampire Slayer  and all it’s characters are owned by Joss Whedon. so there.

Notes- Small story, decided that I needed to pump out a C/X fic, since all this C/G stuff has been coming out lately. It’s a standard Xander-and-Cordelia-get-into-perilous-circumstances, extreme danger, all-ends-right-with-the-world sort of stuff.

To - All those great C/X writers out there. Joss IS a crackhead.

 His eyelids lifted open to the sounds of cries of helplessness. A pain was in his side, and for a moment, he didn’t dare move, afraid that maybe he was really hurt, and afraid that maybe, just maybe, he could die. He had certainly run out of tickets on avoiding it.  Eyes adjusted to the dark, and he strained to look around.  He felt dirty, dust covered his body, and it had turned grimy from the sweat that had accompanied it.  Holding a hand to his head, he attempted to sit up foggily and tried to remember exactly what had put him in these circumstances

 “Xander! Finally!”  His gaze swiveled and Xander Harris saw Cordelia crawling to him, her hazel eyes round and full of fear as she looked around at the small enclosure they were stuck in.  “Are you okay?”  Xander grimaced in pain. No he wasn’t, he could feel the blood seeping out of his stomach, and he knew that he required medical attention, but he didn’t want to worry her.  She looked scared enough, all her anger gone, her eyes bright as they were both aware that at the moment, the bitter  fight that had fated them together when the tragedy strook was forgotten. He nodded.

 “You?” She shrugged, the blood clogging  from a cut in her cheek and a bruise on her arm the only indications that she  she was hurt.

 “Are we the only ones in here?” She shook her head, motioning to two children that lay huddled in a corner, their arms wrapped around each other.

  “Xander...” Her lips trembled, and then she leaned in and whispered.  “They’re scared.  We’re stuck in here, and... I don’t know if anyone knows we’re even down here.”

 He felt his heart heave, as he looked at the scared children again. “Oh, man.” He whispered.

 Cordelia swallowed, looking up and around the trapped area. “I hope they find us.” She whispered.

 And that was when he finally remembered, in a fog of pain.  That had to have been one of the biggest earthquakes in the history of Sunnydale, and it had happened in the middle of one of their biggest arguments.

 He had seen her when he was walking through the mall, sitting in the Food court, a soda in one hand, a book in another, and Xander had stopped, watching her for a second.  Her hair was perfect, her body perfect, her clothes perfect. She was always so perfect, and he felt a rise of emotion in him. Why did she had to be so beautiful? Why did she have to be so... unattainable.  He blew his breath out, knowing that since the prom, they had come up with a sort of truce, but he didn’t really know how far to take it. Were they friends, sort of? Maybe? Hope filled him, and finally, he sighed, and taking a anxious breath, walked up to her.

“Top of the day to you, Cordelia.” He  remarked, walking up to her. She froze, looking nervous as she spotted him.

“Xander... hi.  What are you doing here?” He shrugged.

“Graduation present for Willow and Buffy.” He said casually, sitting down at the table.

Cordelia bit her lip. “Xander, now isn’t a good time to-”

“What are you reading?” he said, cutting  her off, glancing at the book.  Before she could snatch it away he grabbed it, looking at it playfully.

“Xander, don’t -”

He ignored her, feeling a little giddy today, and he opened the book.  “Love poems from Victorian times.”  He whistled. “Heavy, stuff, Cordy. I didn’t know you were into this mushy mumbo jumbo.”

She looked almost panicked as she reached for the book. “Xander, Dammit, don’t -”

He opened the jacket and noticed the black ink writing on the inside cover.  And he froze, as his eyes roved over the inscription.  It was from Wesley.  And in it, was  a message declaring his love for her. All about how ravishing she looked in that dress, about how beautiful she was, how much she meant.  Xander felt his stomach churning, as it eluded to the touch of Cordelia’s lips, the way her body felt-

He slammed the book shut, feeling his whole body trembling.  For a moment he couldn’t look at her, and then breathing for a minute to calm himself down, he finally looked up at her.  She was sitting  easily in her chair, her eyes unreadable as she leaned back, one eyebrow raised.

“Xander,  that was a private message.”

“It belonged in pent house that’s how private that message was.” He responded, his gaze hard.

Her eyebrow rose higher.  “What, so now YOU’RE angry?”

He bit his lip.  He had never gotten used to the way Wesley drooled over Cordelia.  But somehow, reading this... it filled him with rage. He should have been the one who had the magical night with her on prom night.  Not this jerk. He was the one who she had confided in. She was the one he had thanked. Not... Wesley.

“What, so you two are post smoochies now?” He asked.

She looked at him, her gaze icy. “Xander, I honestly don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“It is my business if it happened on prom night.” He bit, and then immediately shut his mouth. Damn. He thought. He hadn’t meant to say that.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She said, for a moment confused. After a minute, her eyes darkened as she realized what it implied. “Oh, so what, because you bought me the dress I was entitled to stay chaste and wait for you while you slow danced with Anya?” She snorted, her anger rising. “That is so pathetic, Xander.”

“Me?” He retorted, shoving the book back to her.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Xander.” She said, her tone icy as she leaned forward. “one dress does not equal reconciliation, okay?”

The implication in her tone hurt him beyond measure.  “I did not try and buy you  back, Cordelia.” he responded, in a furious half whisper.  His gesture had been one of love, of kindness, and the way Cordelia had just cheapened it filled him with anger.  “And anyone with half a heart would have known that.”

Her eyes flashed, and the argument started, growing more and more bitter, the barbs more and more personal, as they were so used to doing. And just when their voices started to rise in anger and frustration, the whole mall had began to shake. They’re voices faded away as they looked around, the panic in the mall just starting. People began to run, voices began to cry, and things began to fall. Without thinking, Xander stood, grabbing Cordelia’s hand and pulling her to the first doorway he saw. Pushing her against it, she didn’t so much as make a comment when the pair unconsciously wrapped their arms around each other as tightly as they could, bodies pressed together in an effort to stay safe. He held her close, as she held him tightly  around his waist, burying her head in his
neck  as they waited out the quake.

It seemed to last forever. And Xander’s heart beat was getting faster by the second.  His eyes roved around the mall, and when they landed on something that made him freeze, he pulled away.

“Stay here!” he cried,  squeezing her arms.

“Xander! What are you -” He took off, and Cordelia’s eyes followed him to two children who were crying.  The earthquake continued, and the children panicked and took off, Xander called after them to stand still.  Xander’s heart beat faster, trying to will the children to stay in one place before they got seriously injured. And then they did the worst possible thing.  The floor had begun to crack, and as they sprinted, the walls began to collapse, and they fell right through the floor. Xander slid to a stop to gaze into it, and then he felt the most excruciating pain that he had ever felt in his abdomen, and he had blanked out.

“You fell in.” Cordelia explained,  looking at the children as she spoke. “And me, like an idiot, jumped in here with you without thinking.  I guess the debris covered the hole.” She looked up, sighing. “We’re trapped.”   She looked once more to the kids.

“Are they okay?” Xander, asked, wincing.

“I don’t know. They won’t talk to me.”

Xander blew in his breath, steadying himself before he rose up to his elbows, giving the two children a shaky smile.

“Hey, there.” He said lightly.  “Looks like we’re gonna be here a while, so why don’t you two tell me your names?”

There was silence, and then a small voice said  trepidly.  “Stephie.”  Cordelia gave him a relieved glance. Xander smiled weakly at her and then turned to the young boy.

“And what about you?”

The young boy hid behind his older sister. “He’s Ryan. He’s shy.”

Xander swallowed, and nodded.  “And how old are you two?”

Stephie held up five fingers.

“Five, huh?” She nodded,  her cheek stained with tears as she gulped.  “And Ryan?”

One finger went down. “Four. You two brother and sister?”

Stephie nodded, hiccuping. “I want my mommy...” She whispered, tears coming out of her eyes.

“We’ll find her, don’t worry!” Xander said, sitting up and biting his lip to keep from crying out in pain, hoping Cordelia didn’t notice his very visible wince. Thankfully, she didn’t, she was simply watching the two children.

“I’m Xander.” he said, after a minute, a little weaker.

“Xander’s  a weird name.” Stephie said flatly.

“He’s a very weird person.” Cordelia supplied.

Xander ignored her.  “And she’s Cordelia.” He said, thumbing a finger in her direction.

After a moment, Stephie’s mouth creased into a small grin.  “Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Cordelia coughed and Xander grew slightly red. “Nope.” Xander said.  “I kind of messed up with her, but we used to be.”

“Why’d you guys break up?”  Stephie asked, suddenly curious.  Cordelia cocked an eyebrow and looked at Xander, waiting for his response.

“Yeah, Xander, why did we break up?”

He laughed nervously.  “Well... um...”

“Why don’t you guess?” Cordelia cut in, and Xander turned to see a gentle smile emerge from Cordelia’s face, her voice soothing as she noticed Ryan was still crying.

The little boy looked up, apparently fascinated with the May Queen, his little eyes round and wide as he took her in. He whispered something to his sister, who giggled.

“What is it?” Cordelia asked, crawling to the children, and immediately checking them for injuries as Stephie explained that the little boy thought she was the most beautiful lady he had ever seen.

Cordelia didn’t seem fazed by the compliment, she only gave the little boy a gracious smile, before saying. “You know, it’s all about finding the right foundation and the right applicator.  It’s really not that hard to-”

Xander tuned them out, thankful that the three other inhabitants of the cave in were now occupied, Cordelia with checking their bumps and bruises, Ryan with watching her with his mouth open, and Stephie, with paying particularly careful attention to Cordelia’s make up advice. He lay back on the floor, groaning slightly as he moved a hand to the area on his stomach that had caused him the most pain.  It came away sticky and red. Damn. He was really hurt. He wasn’t sure what had hit him, but it had definitely punctured the skin before going in deeper.  He massaged the area and winced.

“Xander!”

He jumped, and turned his head to see Cordelia staring at him, her eyes wide, and her face surprised.

“What’s wrong?” She demanded.

“Nothing, Cor.” He tried to manage a smile, but ended up groaning.

She jumped, and crawled back to him, grabbing his hand away from his stomach and looking down at him.

“Oh, Dammit, Xander.” Her eyes grew wide with fear and darkened in anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged sheepishly, wincing. “I didn’t want you to get worried.”

“Oh, you idiot.  You should have told  me!” She smacked him on the arm. “Now, you’ve only made it worse!”  She pulled off her  cardigan, leaving only her tank top as she rolled the sweater in a ball and then, gently lifted his head and placed it under it as a makeshift pillow. He swallowed, aware only of the tenderness in her touch.  “Lie still.” She commanded, looking him over, her teeth set in grim frustration as she slowly peeled his shirt up and off of him  and then looked at the wound.  Blowing in her breath, she swore.

“That bad, huh?”

“Idiot.” she muttered again, and grabbing his shirt, and his hand, put them over the wound.   “Hold it. Hold it! We have to stop the blood flow.” He did, and she distractedly gave him a pat on his arm before turning back to the children, who were watching the scene in growing fear.

“Is he going to die?” One of them asked. Cordelia swallowed, and shook her head, checking the cut on the boy’s head.

“No, he’s not.” she said softly.  “If he does I’m going to kick his ass.” She said a little louder, her glare at him an emphasis.

He almost chuckled at the anger in her voice. Only Cordelia would get pissed at him for getting hurt.

“Is that why you broke up?” Stephie asked suddenly.  “Cause he kept getting hurt?”

Xander suddenly laughed out loud, groaning when the spasm cause the pain to worsen.

“No, we broke up cause I kept getting hurt.” Cordelia muttered, turning back to him and checking him over once more.  Her heart began to beat a little faster when she saw how serious the wound was.  The cut was a large jagged one, and it was deep, running just over his abdomen and down his side. She thought for a minute, and checked her scar on her stomach, sighing with relief when she saw it was almost the same place. Maybe nothing serious was damaged. But he was bleeding all over the place.

“Anya hasn’t gotten her powers back, or anything, right?” Xander asked weakly, realizing what she was thinking.

“Not that I know of, the last time I talked to her she was taking my ex boyfriend to prom.” Cordelia shot back, wiping at the blood carefully.

 “Wasn’t like I had a good time, or anything.” He muttered, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.  “I just kept thinking about you.” She froze, and then continued her attentions.  “Kept wondering if you at least thought about me while you were with Wesley.”  She swallowed, before turning to check on the children.

Apparently the sight of Xander’s wound had made them lose the calm that they had on their faces, and a mask of fear had risen on both of their faces.

“He’s  bleeding.” Stephie said mechanically, and Cordelia sighed, pulling the little girl in her arms.

“He’s going to be fine, aren’t you Xander?” She asked pointedly.

Xander gave them a shaky thumbs up sign.

“See?”

“He’s lying.” Ryan said, tears coming into his eyes.

“He’s gonna die.” Stephie’s face crumpled.

“No, it’s okay!” Cordelia pulled the little girl closer to her, one hand distractedly running through her hair.  “Look, uh...I’ll you a story, okay?”:

Their eyes brightened, and she smiled grimly, looking at Xander with helpless eyes as she searched for a story that she actually knew by heart.  “Um... I’m going to tell you the story of .. of... um... Sleeping Beauty.”

Stephie gave her an adoring smile and Cordelia grinned nervously.

Xander had to smile, too. Cordelia had an uneasiness in her face that he had never seen from her, and it was downright amusing to see her so nervous.

“See, uh.. Once upon a time.. there was this girl, and she was really pretty, beautiful, the most beautiful in the kingdom, she had really rich parents, they were the king and the queen, and I guess, she was the princess.”

“And she was the richest in all the land.” Stephie supplied.

“Right!” Cordelia nodded.  “So anyways,  this wicked witch got jealous of all the little girl had, we’ll call her Willow.” She said coolly, noticing Xander’s startled face.  “And the wicked witch Willow told the girl’s parents that she was gonna cast a spell on the princess; on her eighteenth birthday she’d get impaled on a stick and fall into a deep sleep.”

Xander’s grin faded. This was hitting a little too close to home, and he tried to catch Cordelia’s eyes, but she only stared at the children.

“Well, her parents got all scared and sent her to live with the good fairy Giles.”

“Giles?!” Xander sputtered.

“Giles,” she continued, ignoring him.  “And they lived in immense poverty out in the boonies. We’re talking no cell phone, no car, this girl had nothing.”

“Not even TV?” Ryan asked, entranced.  Cordelia nodded.

“Not even TV, not even cable. So she grew up and the summer of her eighteenth birthday, before she was gonna go back to her rich parents, she met this incredible loser, who said he was a prince.”  Her eyes suddenly met Xander’s in an icy glare.

“Hey!  What if the princess was really stuck up, huh?” He reiterated, a tad defensively.

Stephie gave him a scolding face. “Not the princess. She was perfect.” Cordelia squeezed Stephie and gave Xander a triumphant grin.

“That’s right. So, against her better judgment, the princess fell for this “Prince Charming”, and note the sarcastic quotes.” She added to the children. They nodded.  “And she decided that she didn’t want to be a princess anymore, and so she gave up everything to be with him!”

Stephie gasped, her eyes shining. “She did that?”

Cordelia nodded. “Yes, she did.”

“Well, thank you  Hans Christian Anderson.” Xander muttered, wincing. The pain was coming to him in waves, but the urge to hear the rest of Cordelia’s rather biased version of the fairy tale won over his overwhelming desire to pass out.

“Shut up, Xander.” Cordelia said sweetly, before continuing. “Of course, what she didn’t know was, Prince Charming could  be a dick too.” She responded.  “He was really in love with the wicked Witch Willow, and when the princess went to tell him she cared about him, she -”

Stephie yawned, and Cordelia paused. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Tired.” The little girl mumbled.  Cordelia looked to Ryan, who had curled up beside her and had fallen asleep. “Keep telling the story.” Stephie said softly.

“Umm.. well okay.” Cordelia traced the hair away from the little girl’s forehead and continued, her voice softer.

“Well, she found them kissing, and was so horrified, she fell and impaled herself, and fell into a deep sleep.”

“This is gonna have a happy ending, right?” Stephie asked, yawning again.

“Hmm. I don’t know.” Cordelia said, avoiding Xander’s gaze.

“Well.” Xander called out. “The prince realized he was wrong, that he had really liked the princess all along and set out to try and save her.”

Cordelia gave him an even stare, and he shut his mouth. But Stephie smiled.  “Good.” She said, before her eyes closed, and mumbling words to Cordelia, who listened intently, Stephie began to nod off.

The fairy tale’s words ringing in his mind, Xander watched Cordelia with the two children, who had taken to her fiercely.  He had often wondered how Cordelia would act with children. When they were together, he had wondered if they would ever get married, and if they had, what kind of mother she would be. Now he had his answer. She would be a wonderful mother.  He stared, his pain like some sort or drug as he lay on his back, his head staring at the scene. Her hair was mussed, her face streaked with dirt, but she looked the very picture of heaven with the two children, each dark haired, nestled in her arms.  God, he loved her.  He still loved her so much, and he had thought that the dress had showed her.  But it hadn’t. He had still lost her. That fantasy, the picture of Cordelia with
his two children... was just that, a fantasy. It would never happen now.

An hour later, Stephie had fallen asleep, and Cordelia looked up to see Xander staring at her, and odd expression in his face.

“What?” She asked softly, the anger gone from her voice as she tried not to wake the children.

He grinned, his mind a fog.  “I was thinking. “ He whispered back.  “If we had children, what would we name them?”

She looked a little stunned by the question, and rolled her eyes. “Xander, that’s never gonna happen.”

“Can we just pretend, Cordy? Please?” She gazed at him, and her eyes floated down his body to the gooey bloody mess his shirt had turned into.

“Okay, Xander.” she said, her voice suddenly thick, her eyes suddenly bright.

He smiled his thanks, breathing in for a moment, the pain looming more brightly than before. He closed his eyes, regaining his senses before he turned back to her.

“How are you doing?” She asked softly.

“Okay.” He lied.  “What should we name our kids?”

“Well, if we have a boy?” She queried.

“Rupert.”

“Rupert?! No way.” Cordelia shook her head.  “Can you imagine the high school teasing?”

“We’ll call him Ripper for short, then the kids will think he’s cool.”   Xander said, smiling tenderly.

The peace in his face struck her, and Cordelia swallowed, and nodded.

“Okay, but if he ever asks who gave him the funky name, I’m pointing him to you.” He chuckled softly, stopping when the pain became too much.

“What about a girl?” He opened his mouth to speak, and Cordelia raised a hand. “If you say Buffy or Willow, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

He grinned, closing his eyes. “Okay... what do you want?”

She thought for a minute, and a look of longing passed her face before she whispered, “Diana.”

“Why, Diana?” Xander asked.

“Diana is my mother’s name. She was a good mother. Before she got sick.” He closed his eyes, nodding.

“Okay, Diana is a beautiful name.  Diana and Rupert Harris.” He breathed out for a minute, every nerve concentrating on trying to speak.   “Cordelia Harris.”

She froze for a minute,  her features unreadable as she looked at the hopefulness, the joy as he thought about it. He wasn’t acting like himself... and he looked awfully flushed.

“Xander-” She said suddenly, dread chasing the playfulness out of her heart. She moved away from the children, who wrapped their arms around each other in their sleep, and quickly moved to his side, putting a hand to his forehead.  She gasped.  He was very, very hot. Literally.

“You’re burning up, Xander.” But he only looked up at her, his eyes concentrating on her.

“You have such a soothing touch, you know.” He whispered, closing his eyes.

“Xander, no!” She shook him, suddenly afraid. He shouldn’t go to sleep, she knew that she shouldn’t let him. His eyes drifted open.

“Xander you have a fever.” She said quickly.  “You’re probably getting delirious, so don’t go to sleep, okay? We need to try and-”

“I’m don’t have a fever. I’m freezing.” He said quickly.  “I can’t get warm.”

Cordelia felt her throat close up, remembering the feeling when she was in his same position.  “Xander, it’s from the blood loss... I ..” She searched vainly for anything she could use to cover him up with and finally realized with a quickening of her heart that  there was nothing.  Biting her lip, she quickly began to pull off her shirt.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his eyes wide open now.

“I saw this in a movie.”  She said quickly, pulling off her skirt too. “Don’t get all perverted on me, okay?” He only closed his eyes, sweat beading on his forehead.  Immediately she lined her body up against his, careful to avoid his wound, and pulled herself against him, trying to cover as much of his body as she could with her own.  His body was scorching hot, and sweaty, but she only held him tighter.

“You’re so warm, Cordy.” He said, his arms sliding around her, his throat raspy.  “You’re so warm.”

“That’s the idea, moron.” she muttered, taking a quick glance at the children, hoping they wouldn’t wake up. Talk about Sex Ed 101. She pulled her shirt and skirt over him, covering what her body didn’t, and pressed her lips to his chest, laying her head against it, hearing his thumping heart beat.

They lay there, quiet until Xander’s body stopped shuddering, and he only held her close. Cordelia winced, feeling the blood start oozing on her own body, but didn’t move. He was only getting sweatier, and when she started to feel him zoning off, she quickly tried to find anything she could to distract him.

“I wasn’t thinking about Wesley, you know.” She suddenly burst.

His eyes opened, but his gaze was glassy eyed. “what?”

“At the prom.  I wasn’t thinking about him.”

“Oh.”

“I was thinking about you.”

“Oh.” His hand slid up her back, rubbing at her skin unconsciously.  Suddenly he chuckled, collapsing mid-chuckle in pain.

Relieved to get some sort of emotion out of him, she leaned her chin on his chest, squeezing him.  “What?”

“You’re practically naked.” He wheezed. “My biggest fantasy has come true, and I.. I can’t even enjoy it.”

Her smile faltered.

He continued, his voice fainter. “And I don’t think I ever will.”  The emptiness in his voice scared her.

“Yes, you will.”

He only chuckled.

“Dammit, Xander-”

“Cordy, look at me... I-”

She cut him off by putting a trembling finger to his lips.  “Xander.” she whispered, her voice shaky.  “I’ve been through it.  You’re gonna be fine. I promise.  We’re gonna get through it.”

He only sighed, pulling her closer.  “Can you just stay here with me, Cordy, please?”

She nodded,  a lump rising in her throat.  “I promise.”  It was the last thing either one of them said for a  long time.

When his body didn’t seem quite so hot, Cordelia finally pulled her clothes back on.  If they were rescued, when... she mentally corrected herself... when they were rescued, it wouldn’t look too good to see her in here with two children in nothing but a bra and underwear, she had seen enough Jerry Springer to realize that.

The children stirred, and she gave them a soft smile.  “Hi.”

Stephie blinked, rubbing at her stomach. “I’m hungry, Cordelia.” Cordelia’s heart froze. They didn’t have any food or water. Oh, God. She hadn’t even thought of that... they needed to get rescued soon.  Please, God, oh please. She prayed.  Some one save us, soon.

“We all are honey, we’ll eat soon, I promise.” Ryan began to cry softly, and Cordelia bit her lip, squeezing Xander’s clammy hand before crossing to Ryan and hugging him tightly.

“It’s gonna be okay.” she whispered.  Stephie gasped, and pointed to her shirt.

“You’ve got blood.” She said, her voice terrified.

“No!” Cordelia quickly raised her shirt to show the two terrified children her intact tummy.  “I’m fine, it’s Xander’s.”

They turned eyes back to Xander, who hadn’t moved all this time.

Cordelia swallowed, and gave them a pleading look. “Can I take care of him?”

Both children nodded, and Cordelia gave them a smile of thanks before moving back to her ex-boyfriend’s side.

His eyes fluttered open at the movement as she tore off a piece of her long skirt and replaced the blood soaked shirt with it.

“Cordelia.” He whispered gently.  “It’s no use.”

“Xander, you’re doing fine.” She said, lying through her teeth.  She felt as if she were grasping helplessly for control, and the pressure was beginning to get to her. If she looked at Xander’s wound one more time, she knew she would break down. She wasn’t a doctor, but she knew that lots of blood lost was a bad thing. A very bad thing.  And judging from her own personal experience, he was very close to seeing that light thing that every one was always talking about.

He chuckled grimly.  “You know, you got Prince Charming all wrong.” He muttered, and Cordelia put a hand to his head, gasping when she realized he still had a fever.

“Xander, lay still.” She said firmly.

He only gazed at her, his features softening as he  looked at her.

“How are you so beautiful?” He whispered.  She swallowed, looking at the children who were watching the scene with no comment.

“Xander.” She said firmly. “Don’t get all mushy on me. We’re gonna get out of here. Someone will save us. Just hold on.”

“Cordy, just listen to me.” He returned, his voice weaker.  “I have to tell you.. in case.”

“That’s not gonna happen-”

“Will you shut up and listen?” Her mouth clapped shut.

He took a breath, and looked at her, his dark eyes wracked with pain.  “I love you.” He whispered, one hand clasped to hers.  She gulped, carefully wiping a stray hair off of his face. “I’ve always loved you.”

“I love you, Xander.”  He smiled, and closed his eyes, in his sleep, his hand tightly closed in hers. Stephie and Ryan both looked frightened, cuddled on the other side of the room. Cordelia looked at them both.

“Come on.” She said finally, motioning with her free hand. They both immediately responded, each climbing into her lap, huddled against her warmth.  Oh, God.. what are we going to do? She thought to herself.  She was past fear now, the only emotion she felt was resignation, and worry for Xander.  It seemed like hours that they had been stuck in here, and she didn’t know how long it would take for them to get out.  Terrible exhaustion filled the cheerleader, and despite the knowledge that she would have to stay awake if they had any chance of getting out of here, Cordelia’s eyelids closed, and her mind grew blank.

The sound of voices calling caused her eyes to open.  She blinked, trying to get the light back in her eyes as she carefully disentangled herself from the two children who had both fallen asleep in her arms.

“Hello?” She called out trepidly.

“Anyone down there!”

Her heart skipped a beat and she stood.  “Yes!  Help us! Please!”

“Hold on! Hey Jake, we found some!” Cordelia almost cried with relief.  Turning to the two children, who were rubbing their eyes, she gave them a wide grin.

“They’re coming for us!” They both broke out into smiles. Steppe started crying. But Cordelia only patted the girl as she knelt by Xander’s pain wracked body.

“Xander.” She grabbed his hand, bring it up to her face, rubbing it against her cheek. “They’re coming, Xander! We’re safe.”

It took him a minute to open his eyes, and when he gazed up at her, Cordelia’s heart stopped.

“Xander....” She began, dread encompassing her heart.

“Cor... “ He closed his eyes, not quite being able to finish his sentence.

“Xander.” Her voice grew unsteady as she felt his hands. They had grown cold.  “No, Xander!  Hold on! Just.. please, hold on!!”

He swallowed, his eyes closing, and then opening with great pain.  “Cordy.” He dark eyes grew darker as he focused on her dirt streaked face.   “I love...”

“Xander.” She whispered, one hand caressing his features. He looked at her, his eyelids fluttering.

“You’re gonna tell me the end..” He whispered, and Cordelia’s eyes grew wide, and her whole body began to tremble when she realized his eyes had closed. Fear like she had never felt before filled her, and the realization that he had faded away made time freeze.  He couldn’t leave her. He couldn’t leave her.. she couldn’t not be with him... he had to live...

“Oh, God. Xander!” She cried, and slowly began to sob.
 

“So, he’s going to be okay?” Buffy asked, outside in the corridor of the hospital.  Cordelia nodded, glancing at Willow, who’s face was full of fear and concern.

“He lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said that he didn’t puncture any vital organs, or anything.”

Willow suddenly shivered. “Did you just get deja vu?” She whispered to Buffy, who nodded grimly.

“He’ll be in here for a while.” Cordelia said to Giles, ignoring them, “But they won’t let us see him.”

The group nodded, and Buffy, Willow, Oz and Giles all moved to the couches to wait out the night.  Wesley stayed behind, his dark eyes concerned as he gazed at Cordelia.

“Are you all right?” He asked.  She gazed at his adoring eyes, and nodded, smiling grimly, before taking a deep breath.

“Wesley, I think we need to talk.” She said softly.
 

He had been in the hospital for two days, every nerve hurting.   He could only slightly believe that he had ended up with a hole in his stomach.  The irony of this could only happen in a book.

The knock at the door made him turn his head, and his heart skipped a beat when Cordelia stood in the doorway, a large bouquet of flowers in her hand.

“Can I come in?” She whispered.  He could only stare at her.  “They wouldn’t let me see you before.” She explained, moving toward the bed and putting the flowers on the tray.  “I bought you flowers.”

If they recognized the scene before, neither of them mentioned it.

“How are you,” she breathed, settling down across from him.

He shrugged.  “I hurt.  A lot.” She bit her lip, genuine concern in her features.

“I’ve been there.” She said, but there was no animosity in her voice as she looked away again.

“Boy,” She said after a minute.  “You’re room is just as grody as mine was.” He gave her a soft smile.

“I’m glad you came.” he said honestly.

She looked a little shaken, but gave him a nervous smile.  “Yeah, well, I was here twenty four seven.   They finally got so tired of me they had to let me in. Willow and Buffy said they’d come after school.  Stephie and Ryan said hi. They’re parents finally found them. They want to thank you personally. Stephie also informed me she took the liberty of watching Sleeping Beauty, and says I really need to work on my story telling.”

He grinned.  “I didn’t want to be the one to say it.”

They fell silent, and then without thinking, he reached out with his hand and clasped hers, his thumb rubbing across her skin.   She said nothing, her legs crossed as she focused on their hands, her grip tight against his.

“I broke up with Wesley.” she suddenly announced. He went still for a minute, and then continued rubbing.

“I didn’t know you two were together.”

“Well, we weren’t, but ... you know.” She said.  He nodded.  More silence.  Questions raced through his mind. He didn’t know exactly what had happened between the two of them, but he knew that something had, something had rekindled in them, or maybe it had never gone out.  He knew he should say something, anything, but no words came to mind.

“You never did tell me the end.” He remarked finally, his grin teasing.

She shrugged, grinning slightly as she leaned back in the chair.  “Well, the prince almost died, he kissed the princess, she woke up, she pounded him for being an idiot, and that’s the end.”

“Umm.. no.” He said, one hand turning to cover hers. Her eyes floated down to their enclasped hands. “I don’t like that ending.”

Her eyes were still on their hands when she spoke.  “Xander... that’s the only ending I can give you.”

He swallowed. “Well how about I give you one?” She looked up at him, and eyes moist, she nodded.  “Prince Charming realized that he couldn’t live without her,” He began slowly, one finger running over her soft hand, lifting one delicate finger to his lips.  “And they managed to work things out, and they lived happily ever after.”

One trembling hand reached up and stroked her face, his throat full as he gazed at her.  She was still, and  tears began to slowly streak down her cheek as he tenderly caressed her.

“Fairy tales don’t end like that, Xander.” She whispered, trying to pull away.  He nodded insistently.

“They do in Sunnydale.” And he moved forward, drawing her close, and when she didn’t resist, leaned down and covered her lips with his. His kiss was soft, tender, full of love and full of feeling.  It made him weak, and he slid his arms around her waist and held her close half in emotion, half in support. God he had missed her. He had missed her touch, he had missed her love.  He had missed her so terribly.

“I love you, Cordy. I ..” His voice cracked as his hands cradled her tear ridden face.  “I just... I can’t not be with you.  It destroys me.”

Her lip began to tremble, and then her eyes searched his, and a sound emerged from her throat, something between a sob and a choked bit of laughter and she leaned forward and kissed him hungrily, but gently because of his injury.

“I love you, Xander.” She breathed back. “But this isn’t a fantasy fairy tale. I still remember. And I still hurt-”

“Yes it is.” He returned, his heart beating wildly.

“What?”

“It’s still a fairy tale. Cause only in a fantasy would I have ever gotten you.”  She looked at him, awestruck for a second, and then she smiled as his words.

“Whoever though you’d get so good at saying stuff, dork head.”  She teased softly.

“So... where does this... I mean...”

She sighed, looking at him, not quite being able to take her hands from his.  “I don’t know, Xander.” She said honestly.  “There’s a whole lot of crap ....”

His gaze grew more intense, and she colored softly.  “That we have to deal with...” But she still leaned forward and her lips caught his in a soft, tender, clinging kiss.  “I love you.” She breathed.

His gaze reciprocated her words, and she squeezed his hand.

“Hey.” He began, “How about telling me another story?”

She grinned back. “Oh, no. You look gross, Xander. Go to sleep.”

He nodded, sighing and closing his eyes.  Suddenly he opened them again. “Hey, how do I know you’ll still be here when I wake up?”

She chuckled. “I’ll be here, I promise.”

“Good.” He whispered, keeping his grip tight.

He felt his heart begin to pound, and with one breath he leaned back, wondering how on earth he was going to sleep when she was right there with him.  Time always seemed to pass too quickly when he was with her, and so slowly when he wasn’t.   His hand drifted to his stomach, and he winced, but he found the pain easy enough to ignore. Because she still loved him and she was still with him, the pressure on his hand assured him of that.  Oh, thank God.

He leaned back, his eyes closing, wondering briefly if this had all been some sort of dream. But no, he decided, as he drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t. She was really his again.

He grinned wickedly.  Because in his dream, if he had a naked Cordelia Chase in his arms, he would have done much more than hold her.  His grin widened.  Much, much more.

And that would have been his perfect fairy tale ending.  He sighed happily squeezing her hand. What a way it would have been to go.