The Wheel
Book Three: The Fool
by Cynamin

Cordelia was breathing heavily, leaning with one hand against the remains of a library wall. She was completely exhausted, but she was alive. There wasn’t a demon left in the building in one piece. “I made it,” she whispered. It was quiet; the world wasn’t coming to an end. “We made it.

Limping slightly, Cordelia began to try and take stock of everyone else. She saw Riley helping some of his friends from the Initiative. He met her eyes as he too looked around and nodded at her that he was all right. Just entering the old library, she saw Giles carrying rolls of bandages. They were sure to need them.

“Cordelia!”

Cordelia turned and couldn’t help but smile. “Wesley! You’re okay,” she said, pleased.

“A bit bruised, but I’ll be all right,” Wesley replied.

“What about everyone else?” Cordelia asked urgently.

Wesley smiled. “We made it, Cordelia. We were incredibly lucky. A couple of people might need to go to the hospital – cuts, broken bones, that sort of thing, but…everyone I’ve seen is pretty much all right.” His smile slipped slightly.

“Pretty much all right?” Cordelia asked warily. She frowned at him. There was something… “Where is Angel?”

Wesley bit his lip. “We got separated at the beginning of the battle,” he said reluctantly. “I haven’t seen him since.”

Cordelia forced down the beginnings of panic. “We have to find him,” she said urgently.

“Of course,” Wesley agreed. He went to help Cordelia as she went to limp around a fallen demon.

“I can get there myself,” Cordelia said angrily, shaking him off. He looked hurt. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”

“Worried,” Wesley said in understanding. “Cordelia…” he hesitated. “You know, if he didn’t make it, there wouldn’t be…”

“Stop it!” Cordelia snapped. “We’ll find him. We’ll find him right where there are the most dead demons. He would have been right where the battle was thickest.” She looked at Wesley pointedly. “Where was the ritual taking place?”

Wesley said nothing, but joined Cordelia in weaving around the bodies. Every time he kicked up some vampire dust he flinched. As they walked, the number of dead demons increased. Cordelia was right – if they were going to find Angel, that’s where he would be.

“There,” Cordelia said suddenly. She moved relatively agilely over to a pile of rubble that had been an altar place. She sighed in relief, seeing someone half hidden behind the table. “Angel…” she said gently.

Wesley hurried next to her. He whistled in sympathetic pain. “He’s hurt pretty bad,” he said. Wesley just touched Angel’s arm for a moment and couldn’t miss the feel of blood. “He needs to be bandaged up before we can get him out of here. I’ll call Giles…”

“Wesley…”

“Giles!” Wesley waved to get the bandage carrying Watcher’s attention.

“Wesley!” Cordelia cried in pain. Wesley turned just in time to see her begin to fall to her knees. Her eyes were closed and her face contorted with the pain of vision. He caught her before she hit the floor and landed on Angel.

After a moment she lost her pained look, opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. She was smiling. “Wesley…”

Giles made his way to them at that precise moment. “Are you all right, Cordelia?” he asked urgently, having seen her fall.

“It was a vision,” she explained, but she wasn’t looking at Giles. She was looking at Angel.

“I called you over for Angel,” Wesley explained briefly.

“Oh, good lord,” Giles said, looking at the extent of Angel’s wounds. No doubt about it – the vampire was a total mess.

“We need to get him bandaged up and back to the mansion,” Cordelia said urgently.

Wesley met her eyes at that. “What did you see?”

Cordelia looked at him intently. “He made a deal with the Powers That Be,” she said steadily. She raised her gaze to meet Giles’ confused look. “He got them to bring Buffy back.”

Giles gasped and looked at the unconscious vampire. “What…”

“That’s what I saw,” Cordelia tried to explain. “And here’s what I know – they’re using his own strength, his ‘possible years,’ to bring her back. So we need to get him bandaged up, get him to his room, and let him alone so that the PTBs can do as they promised.”

Giles just stood there for a moment, shocked. “Yes,” he said finally, shaking himself out of his daze. “Yes, of course.” Together, the three of them began to clean Angel up in silence.

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