For a full five seconds, she couldn’t move.  Utter horror filled her as she looked at the mangled body of her ex boyfriend, and then suddenly, she was running, her coat flying behind her like wings as she sprinted, finally sliding to a stop on the street.

 She stared at him, her heart beating wildly.  There was no way she could tell what was wrong with him.  His leg was bent crookedly, and his eyes were closed, bloody streaming from a huge cut that marred his face.

 “Oh, Giles.” She whispered thickly, tenderly stroking his bloody face.  The driver of the car had ran out, and was standing behind her.

 “I-he just came out of nowhere! I....”

 Cordelia said nothing.

 “What can I do?” He finally said.

 She didn’t even look at the driver. “Call 911.”  Pulling out her cell phone, she handed it to him, didn’t dare move Rupert as he lay motionless on the street.

 “Giles...”  Unaware of the crowd that had begun to form she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly.  “I love you, Giles. Please don’t leave me.  I don’t know what I’d do with out you.”

 And sirens filled the air, and the rest of the afternoon passed in a haze for Cordelia Chase.
 

 “What have they told you?” Cordelia rubbed at her forehead, feeling years older as she gratefully accepted the cup of coffee that Angel handed her before sitting down next to his fiancee.

 “He’s in a coma.  His legs is broken in two places, but other than that, he’s got severe head trauma.  If he doesn’t wake up soon, he may never wake up.”  Buffy bit her lip, her eyes flooding with tears as she thought of her Watcher that had become so important to her life.

 “Can we see him?”

 Cordelia nodded distractedly, running numb fingers through her hair as she stood, motioning the couple to follow her.

 Buffy’s heart stopped. Giles lay on the bed. The crown of his head was covered with bandages, and tubes came out of his mouth.  She had to look away, and wondered idly how Cordelia could stand to look at the man she loved in this state.   But Cordelia hardly seemed to notice it, as she gulped down the coffee, and throwing the Styrofoam cup away, sat next to the bed.

 Angel squeezed Buffy supportively, and the trio sat by the bed in silence.  Finally Buffy stood, and leaning over, kissed her Watcher on the forehead, before walking over to hug Cordelia.

 “I gotta go.  The Hellmouth waits for no man.” She joked feebly.   “I’ll be back when I can.”

 Cordelia nodded numbly. “I’ll be here.” Buffy nodded. When the nurse had tried to take Cordelia out, she had gotten so worked up that the doctor had decided to let her stay rather than risk anymore of her wrath.

 “I gotta tell me my mom, too... she’ll want to know.” Cordelia nodded.

“I called Xander at the base and left him a message. I didn’t know where to reach Willow and Oz.”

 Buffy swallowed. “I’ll get in touch.  Do you want me bring you anything?”

 “Clothes?” Buffy finally noticed that Cordelia’s pantsuit was covered in mud and blood.

 “Of course.”  Angel hugged Cordelia.

 “Hang in there, Cor.” She nodded.

 He turned to Giles, and the vampire’s tortured eyes grew dark.  “You too, Rupert.”
 

 Ripper is a bad boy,
 Ripper is a bad boy.....
 Giles eyes opened slowly, and as if in a  trance, saw Ethan staring down at him.
 “Ethan.”
 “Ripper.” He grinned at toothy grin.
 “Where am I?”
 “No where, everywhere.” He sighed.  “Just think, Rupert.  You’ve been through
everything anyone can imagine, and the one thing that takes you out is a damn car.”
 “Am I dead then?”
 “How the bloody hell should I know?” Ethan retorted.  “I’m only here because
you want me to be.”
 “That’s impossible, Ethan.”
 Ethan smiled. “You just love to torture yourself, don’t you , Ripper?  Anything
that ever goes wrong, you blame yourself.”
 Suddenly he felt airy, and he was whisked back into the library.
 “Hey, you sexy fuddy duddy.” His eyes opened, and he saw her.
 “Jenny.” he gasped.
 The computer teacher smiled at him.  “Rupert.”
 “You’re not dead?”
 She smiled, cocking her head. “I’m very dead, Rupert.  Extremely dead. Deader
than dead, even. You know that.”

 The officer walked into the corridor, feeling his heart beating rapidly.  He had come as soon as he could, and yet he knew it wasn’t soon enough.  Pulling off his hat, he walked quickly up to the desk.

 “Lt. Harris here to see Rupert Giles.” He said quickly.  The nurse, a young woman, cast him an appreciative glance, but Xander didn’t even bother to flirt back. All he cared about the room number.

 Now, walking to the room, he found he had to force himself to take a deep breath.  He hadn’t seen Giles or Cordelia since the reunion, even if he was based in San Diego, the knowledge that he still loved Cordelia Chase and that she loved someone else was a bitter pill to swallow.  It was better that he had not seen them.  He had to move on. Except now.  He knew that Cordelia must have been going through tremendous stress and pain.  And worry for his old mentor made his strides broader.  Taking a breath, he stopped at the room, and looked in.

 He stared at her sleeping form, one hand held tightly to the comatose Giles even as she slept.  An ache started to form in Xander’s throat as he looked down at the woman he loved, the one he knew had once loved him.  But he had lost her.  And he could do nothing else but try to be there for her in whatever way he could.  She stirred, her eyes opening immediately when he stepped back.

“Xander?” She breathed He smiled softly at her.

 “Hey, Cordy, how’s it goin?” she smiled, getting up and throwing herself into Xander’s arms.  He held her tightly, feeling her thin body tremble with emotion.

“Thank you so much for coming.”

 He gave her a tight smile. “How’s  he doing.”

 She stepped out of his embrace, and walked back to her lover’s side.  “He wont’ wake up, Xander. If he doesn’t wake up...”

 Xander looked down at Giles, and felt his stomach lurch slightly.

 “Come on, Giles.” He whispered, squeezing his arm.  “You’re a strong bastard.”

 He gazed at him for a moment, and then said, “He’s gonna wake up, Cor.”  She looked at him through haggard eyes.

 “How can you be so sure?”

 Xander gave her a grim smile. “Look what he gets if he wakes up.”

 Cordelia was silent for a minute, and then without speaking, wrapped her arms around him.

 He was still holding her in surprise and comfort when the door was rapped loudly.

 “Uh... I’m sorry to interrupt.” Cordelia looked at Joyce Sommers.

 “Hello, Joyce.”  And knowing that the moment was at the least awkward, she gave the older woman a hug.

 Joyce looked at Giles, her expression unreadable for a moment as she gazed at her ex boyfriend.  Then emotion filled her, and her lower lip trembled.

“Is he...”

 Cordelia slid an arm around her waist.  She was pretty adept at reading people, and at that moment, Cordelia realized something about Joyce.  She still cared very much for Giles.  She had known from Buffy that Joyce had a very hard time accepting her relationship with Giles, and at first, Cordelia thought it was the age difference.  But it wasn’t.  Joyce still had a thing for Giles.  And she had stayed away from Cordelia because of it.  For a moment,  Cordelia felt a moment of kinship with her best friend’s mother, aware that Joyce felt it too, as she returned Cordelia’s embrace.

 And as Xander sat, keeping vigil over his old mentor, the two woman sat down, and in their grief, finally began to talk.