Cander (Cordy/Xander)

Together We Depart, Together We Help

With that, the three of them left.

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Xander stood in front of Anya and held her hand, looking at her, his free hand behind his back.

"Anya, will you marry me?"

He knelt on his knee and held an open, small, black box in his hands, a diamond ring in it.

"Yes," Anya replied.

They kissed, the others watching in the Magik Box.

Cut to Halfrek and Anya sitting at a table in a restaurant sitting across from each other.

"I just want to make sure you know what you're doing. I don't want to see you get hurt," Halfrek said.

"I know what I'm doing. I assure you. You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay. If you're sure."

Cut to Spike on top of Buffy in the bathroom.

"Come on! Feel it!" he said.

"Stop it! Stop!" she screamed at him.

Cut to Buffy standing at the sink alone in the bathroom. Willow stood in the doorway.

"Buffy, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Will."

Cut to Dawn confronting Spike.

"How could you!? You tried to rape Buffy!"

"I wanted her to feel something. Anything."

Present Day, the wedding

Anya grabbed Xander's hand and cheerily said, "Okay then! Let's get married!"

She turned her back and started walking, holding his hand, but he didn't move.

"Anya."

She turned around and looked at him.

"I-I'm not ready," he said.

She looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and then left, not really caring that it was terrible weather outside.

Anya walked down the aisle.

Meanwhile, out in the snowstorm, Cordelia Chase lay in an alley, unconscious, half buried with snow, looking pale.

Buffy, Willow, Tara, Spike, and Dawn watched as Angel, Doyle, and Harmony walked in.

Angel surveyed the crowd.

"She's not here. That's bad," he commented.

"We'll find her," Doyle said.

"You don't know that. She could be anywhere," Harmony said.

"Someone's missing?" Willow asked.

"Who are you talking about?" Buffy asked.

Harmony looked at them in worry, pain in her eyes.

"Cordelia."

"It's probably my fault," Angel said.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know she would run off and do her own way of kicking your ass. I don't know her well, but I think she can take care of herself," Doyle assured him.

"She kicked your ass?" Buffy said, eyebrow raised.

"She did. She slapped him, gave him a lecture and something to think about, and left. Well, more like stormed out," Doyle replied.

"Wow," Dawn commented.

It was a cold, snowy night as Angel, Doyle, Harmony, Willow, Tara, Dawn, Buffy, Xander, Anya, and Spike walked the streets of Sunnydale in search of the former Queen C of Sunnydale High.

A few hours later, they found her. Xander was the first one there at her side. Doyle and Angel came next. The others followed slowly.

"Cordy!" he exclaimed when he saw her, rushing forward and kneeling down beside her, getting the snow off of her. He gently picked her up in his arms after putting his coat around her to try and warm her.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Xander and Anya's apartment. Xan layed her down on the bed gently and replaced his coat with some warm blankets. Since they figured she would be okay, everyone but Angel, Doyle, Xander, and Anya went home.

It wasn't long before she came to, Xan seated by her bedside in a chair, hand in hand, Angel and the others in the living room waiting as patiently as they could.

She turned her head to look at him, smiling.

He smiled back at her.

"Hey, Xan."

"Hey, Cor. You feeling better?"

"Yeah. Thanks. You guys must've saved me. You took full responsibility though, knowing you."

"Yeah."

"How'd the marriage go?"

"We didn't...I-I'm not ready. I don't want to. I'm afraid that I'll hurt her."

"I'm sorry. For both of you. I can't say you did the right thing, but sometimes you gotta be a real man to walk away from something you're not ready to face. You did good on your part. As for Anya, I hope she'll be able to forgive you," she said, a gentle hand on the side of his face, his hand on hers, as she held it there, looking at her ex.

She walked out of the bedroom with him at her side to see Anya, Angel, and Doyle there.

"You're okay," Angel said.

"Princess," Doyle greeted, smiling.

Anya just stood there looking at Xander and Cordy, noticing their closeness and good mood they were in with each other.

A few days later, Cordy and Xander got back together after Anya broke up with him, Cordy leaving Angel and Doyle to do Angel Investigations on their own. Anya didn't leave before saying a last good-bye, though. There was a fight between her and the Zeppo before she left, which was her throwing drama at him, yelling at him for choosing Cor in the end over her.

It was a dark night, as Xan and Cor made out in a closet in the apartment. In the end, they ended up on the bed, taking each other's clothes off, as they kissed. So everybody had their other halfs. Buffy and Spike, Tara and Willow, and Cordelia and Xander.