"This is where I live."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Cordelia said sympathetically, her eyes roving around the place that most certainly wouldn't make it into In Style magazine.
"I like it, kind of reminds me of Joe's Apartment." Oz said, bringing up the rear. Xander almost grinned.
"Apparently me and you were the only ones who actually saw that." Oz looked up at Xander and half smiled.
"Yeah."
Willow and Cordelia paid them no mind as they reached the top of the stairs. While Willow fumbled for her keys, Xander accidentally tripped and reached forward, in an attempt to keep from falling backwards. His hand contacted with Cordelia's arm and he closed his fingers around it. Cordelia looked shocked, but seeing the situation, quickly pulled him up, letting him go just as quickly.
"You okay?" She asked. He smiled sheepishly.
"Thanks. Still got the Slayer thing going, don't you?"
"Still the walking dufus, aren't you?" She shot back. Xander just looked away. Cordelia had made no attempt to talk about their past. It was almost as if to her, they hadn't existed. Their entire conversation had existed of one biting remark after another. And three years ago, Xander would have been satisfied with that. But he still remembered her tender words to him the night before she had caught him with Willow. She had loved him then. And he still loved her. It had taken him only a few seconds after seeing her to make him realize it. And he had lost her to Oz. If he had doubted their relationship before, their tender embrace in the airport had confirmed it. Willow, who was oblivious to Xander's remorse, rolled her eyes and opened the door quickly, walking into the darkness.
"Okay, first things first, we have to talk about-mmph!" The trio still standing in the doorway looked up in alarm, and Cordelia, without wasting a second, ran inside.
"Hit the lights!" she called out behind her.
"Willow?!" Oz pushed past Xander and fumbled frantically on the side, his fingers finally hitting the button.
Light flooded the apartment, just in time for Xander and Oz to see Willow being held by a thug in a long black coat, and Cordelia being hit in the face by another.
"Cordelia!" Xander cried, and raced forward, Oz in his wake. Cordelia paid them both no attention, instinctively, she whirled around and gave the woman beater a bone cracking kick to his chin. He reeled, and Cordelia took the time to use him as a launch pad, jumping on and then off his chest to Willow's attacker, barreling into him with pure force. She pushed Willow away, and then ducked as the man swung at her. She kicked him in the stomach twice, and then glared at the trio behind her who stood watching with their jaws hanging open.
"Can someone please help- oomph - me?" The last comment was cut off by the man hitting her in the stomach. Xander, after he made sure Willow was okay, saw the action and filled with rage. Running over, he pulled the man to him and punched him repeatedly in the face. Oz and Willow went to work on the other one. Cordelia looked up and saw with horror as four more huge men ran in through the open door.
"Shit." She muttered. Grabbing a rather heavy one, she used his momentum to swing him around and send him flying through the window. "Let's go! Get out of here!" She cried to the rest of her companions. Willow looked up and nodded, pulling the two guys with her. Willow took a deep breath and jumped out of the now clear second story window, bracing herself for the fall.
Oz looked at Cordelia with concern. "You next."
Cordelia glared at him. "No time for chivalries, Oz." And with that she pushed him through, before ducking from the three men who had attacked her. "Xander!" She cried to her ex boyfriend, who was still occupied with the brawny one. He saw her and punched him again, before running to her. "Go!" she called to him.
"Not without you." He said, standing next to her as the five men bore down on them.
"Oh, great, NOW he's sensitive," she muttered. "Fine, on three, ready? One, two three!" They both launched themselves backwards, falling with a thud on Willow's grassy lawn.
Cordelia lay still on a second, groaning, and then got up, pulling her friends up with her. "Come on! Run!" Willow looked up when she saw the men were running down the stairs.
"Good idea." She pulled up the still dazed Oz and Xander and the four of them ran as fast as they could into the night.