An ER/Buffy crossover that I really want to finish. Give me enough encouragement and I'll have a go.

Extract 6a

Xander sat sleepily on the end of the airport luggage trolley. Cordelia sat on the seat behind him, looking as tired as he felt. He watched as Wesley, Giles and Buffy lifted the numerous bags and brought them over to where he was sat. Oz was searching for a payphone to call Angel and Willow - as Angel couldn't fly, he was driving and Willow had offered to keep him company as Buffy was most likely going to be needed as soon as they arrived.

"Thank god that's over." Cordelia complained. "I hate flying in ecomony. If my father could see me now.. ." she inspected her face in a little mirror, and sighed. "Good enough, until we see a bathroom of course." She snapped it shut adn placed it in her back, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Xander remained quiet; to tired to even think of a response.

- - -

A few miles away, Willow hunted vigerously for the cell phone in the cramped car. Finding it she smiled triumphantly.

"Hey, Willow!"

"Oz! Where are you?"

"At the airport. How much longer will you be?"

"Angel? How much longer?"

She rolled her eyes as the argument between the driver and the backseat passenger began again in earnest.

"A couple more hours Oz. Why don't you go to the hotel, we'll meet you there. Listen, we've picked up some univited guests. . . Oz?" She only heard crackling.

- - -

"Willow?" Oz sighed as the dial tone bleeped in his ear. Well, never mind, the reception ahd been pretty bad for the past few phone calls.

"Hey guys."

"How're Willow and Angel?"

"Like you care." Xander muttered.

"I do care actually." Cordelia replied. "I don't want to spend anymore time in this airport than I have to."

Xander rolled his eyes.

"They're late." Oz told them, "she said we should just go straight to the hotel. Phone must have run out of batteries or something, 'cause she got cut off." Oz frowned, wondering why he still felt worried.

"Relax man, no biggie." Xander replied as the others pushed a second trolley up to where they were. Six people had a lot of luggage - though it seemd to be mainly Cordelia's bags on the second trolley.

- - -

"Hmm. Guess he ran out of change." Willow shrugged and tossed the phone back into the mess of papers, maps, empty food containers and various bits and pieces that littered the car. She was tidy by nature, but Angel clearly wasn't, and neither were their two passengers. When in Rome. . .

"How much longer?" Spike whinned like a child from the backseat

- - -

Extract 6b

The day was strangely quite in the ER at County Cook General. There was one patient on the board, assigned to Kerry Weaver, who had claimed superiority and escorted the man, who merely required a few stiches, to an exam room.

At the desk, Dave Malucci glanced at the clock for the fifth time in three minutes. He'd finished his chart reviews. He'd flirted and alienated every woman in a ten metre radius - a record even for him. He was now studying, or pretending to study, for his in-service exam.

The nurses and desk clerks gosspied in a tight, whispering huddle, broken only by the sounds of laughter and exclamation.

Elizabeth Corday was in the ER, and had drifted down the talk to Mark Greene, complaining about the lack of surgical patients which had brought Romano crashing around them like a bored child, picking on every little thing and ordering reports on the obscurest details.

Luka, Jing-Mei and Abby were off. Peter was too, apparently. Cleo had gone out for coffee half an hour ago and still wasn't back yet.

Carter was filling in various reports he had actually asked Weaver for. Malucci was astonished. Carter had probably been one of those kids at school who never settled for A when they could get an A+, the kind that asked for extra assignments just to fill up their spare time.

Malucci had been one of those who worked as little as possible. He played basketball for the school and got by on whatever he could. He was very much for instant gratification - and studying for an exam months away could not, no matter how you tried, be construde as 'instant gratification.' Hence, his complete and utter bordem.

All in all it was a strange sight to behold in the usually busy ER.

And a strange sight to greet the even stranger sight of the group of people who entered the ER at that moment in time.

- - -

Carter was bored. Bored, bored, bored. Still he appeared to work, having nothing better to do, and getting this done would defiantely help his case for Chief Resident.

But he was bored. Only three hours to go, he thought, glancing at the clock which said 5am. Three hours of complete boredem, unless a nicely timed, bloody, messy tramua came through the doors right now. . .

He didn't get a nicely timed, bloody, messy tramua. What he got was a badly timed, not-bloody, slightly rumpled surprise.

- - -

Weaver concerntrated on stiching up the man's hand, wondering how she could make it last longer, or if she could possible justify a CT or x-ray.

'Yes Dr.Romano. I just wanted to make sure the bread knife didn't slip and implant itself in his bones or head.'

She smiled, shaking her head as she finished up the stiches.

"Okay Mr. Jones, you . ." A sudden flash of dizziness passed over her, and her eyes filled with light. For a few moments, she could see nothing, then slowly her vision repaired itself.

"Dr Weaver? Doctor, are you okay?" Mr. Jones was leaning over here, suppoting her.

"Yes," she said weakly. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"You sure?" He asked, doubtfully.

"Yes." She lied, terror filling her veins like ice. "Yes, I'm fine."

- - -

"Willow?" Carter swept the slender redhead in a brotherly hug, that left her short of breath. "What are you doing in Chicago?" He asked finally drawing back.

Willow took the opportunity to look at her cousin. Since she'd last seen him John Carter had, somehow, grown even more handsome. It was a shame they hadn't stayed in touch more, but Willow's parents wre always away, and it was only through them that she saw her extended family.

"Are your parents here?"

Buffy snorted. "No." Willow responded. "I think they're on a conference in New York. Or possibly Washington." The red-head shrugged. "Who knows? It's good to see you though John."

He smiled graciously at her. "You too Will." He looked around the group. "So, where are you and your friends staying?"

Willow looked down. "Erm, I need to talk to you about that..."