Cordelia Chase walked through one of Sunnydale High School's hallways with a stride in her step.
Today was their Anniversary.
One year ago to the day, Xander and Cordelia shared their very first kiss in Buffy's basement. Who knew that being trapped in that basement would be a changing point in her life? Their relationship at first was based on lust but somehow after the Valentine's Day's short breakup incident, it became more solid. More secure and more real than Cordelia or Xander had ever experienced before.
'Who would have thought that I would end up with the school geek?' she thought to herself.
Cordelia went to her locker and opened it. She rummaged through her stuff, when Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg caught up with her.
"Hey Cordy. Have you seen Xander today?" Buffy inquired.
Cordelia turned around and looked at the two of them. "No, why? What's wrong?" she asked them.
Willow answered this time. "No there's nothing wrong. Why, did you lock him in a broom closet or something?".
Cordelia sighed as Buffy lightly punched Willow in the arm.
'Willow ought to grow up. When is she going to realise that she has a good thing going with Oz, and that she should leave Xander alone. He'll never love her that way. Even I don't have the heart to tell her. Well maybe just a little comment,' Cordelia thought to herself.
"Actually I don't lock him in broom closets. I just tie him to my bed," Cordelia lashed out with venom.
Willow was about to say something back, when Buffy put a hand over Willow's mouth to block an incoming insult.
Willow looked at Buffy with disapointment in her eyes, as Buffy spoke to Cordelia.
"We didn't see him this morning, and we wanted to know if he was going to the Bronze after school today."
Cordelia looked at the Slayer and said, "I haven't seen him today, but I doubt he'll be at the Bronze tonight. We have a date planned. It's our anniversary, you know."
"Has it been a year already?" Buffy joked with mock surprise and her eyes wide open.
"Yes, it's been a year already," Cordy mimicked back.
Buffy looked guilty for what she said and replied, "I'm sorry. It's just that we never expected you two to last this long. You fight all the time".
Buffy removed her hand from Willow's mouth, leaving a very silent Willow glaring at the blonde slayer in silence.
"We don't fight as much anymore Buffy; we've adapted to each other. And besides we don't fight because we hated each other. It's like a game we play or something. We don't mean what we say," Cordelia informed them.
Buffy nodded and dragged Willow away with her as she left, leaving Cordelia smiling to herself as she thought about Xander.
Willow and Buffy walked into the library, talking about nothing in particular, when Giles motioned for them to be quiet. The girls looked to where Giles was pointing and saw Xander Harris sleeping with his head on the table.
Giles pulled out a rather large, heavy book and advanced on Xander's sleeping form.
The girls looked on in shock as Giles slammed the heavy book down on the table just inches from Xander's face. Xander shot up from the table like a bullet from a gun, as Buffy and Willow laughed maniacally.
"Just resting my eyes. Just resting my eyes," Xander said in confusion as he took in his surroundings.
Giles stifled an evil grin as he picked up the heavy book and put it back on the shelf.
"I'm sorry, Xander. Did I happen to wake you?" he asked the male slayerette.
Xander looked at him with a look that could kill. "No, of course not," he replied sarcastically.
Giles gave him look and said, "Well if you want to sleep, save it for when you're at home. Not here in possible view of Principal Snyder." And with that, the Watcher walked into the library office to give the teenagers some time alone.
Buffy and Willow managed to stop laughing at Xander's expense long enough for Buffy to ask, "It's ten thirty AM Xander. Why are you tired?"
The male slayerette looked at her with weary eyes and said, "I spent all last night preparing for an anniversary date with Cordy. She doesn't know anything about this, so don't tell her. I want it to be a secret."
Both the girls swore that they'd keep whatever Xander was planning a secret.
Willow looked down at the ground in sadness as Buffy asked, "So, are you looking forward to the big date tonight? Cordy's pretty tight lipped about it. All she says is that it's a date."
Xander looked at her and smiled. "Good. Then she'll be really surprised tonight. Anniversaries only come once a year, you know."
Willow and Buffy said at the same time, "Duh!"
Willow left the library as Buffy walked over to Xander and said to him, "I've been told that you and Cordelia first kissed in MY basement. Is that ALL you two did in there or do I have to force my Mom to move me and herself to another house?"
An embarrassed look passed on his face, followed by a smug look. "A gentleman never tells, Buff. But I will tell you this. That scary worm guy that was after you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Weird, huh?"
Buffy smiled and patted him on the back. "I'm glad, Xand."
"You are?" Xander questioned.
Buffy looked at him oddly. 'Uh Oh,' she thought to herself. 'Here we go again.'
Buffy thought carefully before answering him. "Well, at first I had reservations about you and Cordy together. But it's kinda grown on me now. Like a rash." She smiled.
Xander's face took on a serious look. He thought wisely before asking his next question. "Did it take you awhile to warm up to the fact that Cordy and I are together because of a certain red head we both know?"
Buffy's mouth dropped open at Xander's question. "You knew about Willow's feelings for you? And you did nothing about it?"
Xander nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I knew about Willow's little crush on me for awhile now. I just hoped that it would go away, 'cuz I would hate to disappoint her by telling her that I don't feel the same way."
At Buffy's silence, Xander continued.
"I'm glad that Oz came by and swept her off her feet. I thought she was finally over me. But when she caught me and Cordelia kissing in the library.... It was pretty intense. She had no right to be mad at me. She acted as if I cheated on her or something, which I didn't since I wasn't seeing her. Thank God, Angel came by when he did and calmed her down."
Buffy nodded remembering that scene all too well as Angel later informed her of what happened.
"That was an awkward couple of days", Buffy agreed.
"Yeah, so I'm getting sick and tired of stepping on eggshells around her while she's free to flaunt her relationship in my face as if to make me jealous."
Buffy smiled thinly. "It's only natural, Xander. Remember the way you acted about Angel and me?"
"Yeah, but that was mostly because he's way older than you. Plus the fact that he's a ..." Xander didn't get time to finish his sentence as Buffy interrupted him.
"I forget that Angel is what he is because he's not like the others out there. He's never hurt any of us, and he never will. He may have done some horrible things in the past, but that was not his fault. Do you get me? I'm sick of tired on being judged on this by my mother, I don't need this from you too!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down ok?" Xander asked her.
Buffy relaxed from her outrage and just looked at her feet.
"Well, how would you feel if someone was talking bad about Cordelia?" Buffy asked him.
"Well, I'd probably bash his head in," Xander said with a smile.
Xander moved over to Buffy and patted her on the back. "You've got great restraint, Buff," he said still smiling.
"I wonder where Willow went," Buffy commented.
"I don't know. Maybe she's watching Oz and his band practice for the Bronze tomorrow night. I hear they're going to play songs we all know. Kind of an all-week deal at the Bronze or something. I'm not sure. I could be wrong," Xander said as he and Buffy walked out of the library.
A couple of minutes after Buffy and Xander left the library, Giles poked his head out of the office door and scanned the large room, looking for signs of teenage life.
"Hello?"
Cordelia waited patiently in her living room for Xander and for their night to begin. Suddenly, she heard her doorbell ring its melodic tune. She went to the door and opened it, revealing a snappily dressed Xander who was holding her favourite flowers - white daisies.
"Hey, I got you your favourites. Daisies, right?"
Cordelia looked at him as if the answer was obvious. "Of course, they are. I've told you countless times," she answered with a genuine smile.
Xander let out the breath he was unknowingly holding when he heard her answer. "Good. 'Cuz I worried I might have messed up and got you something that might be allergic for you, and then I would have the whole guilt thing raging overtime. Then you'd probably spend the whole night in hospital getting flu shots or something, and I'd have to explain to your Dad who I'm sure will take a real dislike to me and then..."
Cordelia silenced him with a kiss.
"Was I rambling?"
"Yep, you were rambling."
Cordelia kissed him again. "If it's any consolation to you, it was a very thoughtful rambling." She gave him another one.
Xander broke off the kiss and smiled at her. "Are we going to go on our anniversary date, or are we going to spend the night indoors?" he asked with a wink of his eye.
Cordelia laughed at that and playfully hit him in the arm. "Play your cards right," she told him jokingly.
Xander knew she was joking around. They seem to do that a lot lately, now that the constant bickering they originally had between them appeared to have disappeared for good.
'It's a great change,' he thought to himself. 'It was getting harder each day trading insults with her.'
Little did he know that she was thinking the same thing.
"The flowers weren't the only present I got you tonight," Xander grinned at her.
"Oh really?"
Xander pulled out a small box from out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his girlfriend.
"You got me a box?"
Xander laughed. "It's what's in the box, smartie."
Cordelia smirked at him. "I know that."
She opened the box to reveal a gold locket in the shape of a heart. This locket was different than the last one, not including the fact that this one was gold. The heart opened up, revealing a minituare picture of Xander and herself which was taken at one of Fondren High's many Carnivals that their neighbouring school sometimes took part in. The other side of the locket has engraved writing on it also. It says, 'X and C - Together Forever'.
"Oh, Xander, it's really beautiful."
"You're not going to break up with me again are you?"
Cordelia had an instant flashblack to their infamous Valentine's Day last year, when she had dumped him for her friends and 'popularity.' 'Boy was those couple of days harrowing,' she thought. 'All those girls after Xander and me. Ugh.'
She realised that she didn't give an answer to Xander's question and noticed that he was getting worried. "No, I don't want to break up with you. Ever. I hope you can live with that."
Xander kissed her and stood behind her to put the locket around her neck. "Just so you know, this is real gold. Not of the fake variety," he said as he put it on her.
"Wait a minute, how can you afford this?" Cordelia was worried now. 'I know I say otherwise, but he shouldn't have spent this much on me,' she thought to herself.
"Don't worry, hon. I got left a LOT of money in a will recently. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I wanted to surprise you with this more. Also, I wanted to make up for the other locket that's missing or destroyed or wherever it is right now."
Cordelia fondled the locket in her fingers and let it drop where it hung around her neck as a symbol of his love for her.
"And besides no matter how much the locket was, YOU are priceless to me. And you always will be. That's what the engraving means, together forever. But if I'm being too clingy or something, you're going to have to let me know. 'Cuz I can't tell most of the time."
Cordelia had tears in her eyes as she looked in the face of her true love. "I like clingy, but don't worry I'll let you know if you go too far. By the way, um... You should be surprised by my present for you."
Xander took the box that Cordelia gave to him, containing his present. He opened the box to reveal a similar gold locket in the shape of a heart. There was no picture of them in the locket, but there was an engraving on the back. It says, 'Love You Forever X - CC'
Xander started to laugh followed by Cordelia as they compared lockets.
"Well, who says we don't think alike," Xander said to her.
"Don't worry, I can take it back."
Xander shook his head. "No, don't do that. It's good this way. Now we can matching lockets, like a ring or something."
"I was worried that you'd find it a little 'girly.'"
Xander smiled at her again. "Not when I'm gonna wear it against my skin like you. I'll never take it off."
"Me neither."
Xander took her hand in his. "Are you ready to go, babe?"
"Yep, let's go," Cordelia said cheerfully. Their night had only just begun.
Xander and Cordelia drove to a restaurant outside of Sunnydale called Merronys, a new expensive restaurant in Fondren. Fondren is the town closest to Sunnydale, but with less headlines in the papers. That is quite understandable, since it is Sunnydale.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, they sat down at the table that Xander had reserved and started to look through the menus. "Well, everything here looks appetizing. Except for the frog's legs. Ugh."
Cordelia made a grimace. "Eww, that's disgusting. God, I thought that frog's legs in French restaurants was just an urban legend or something."
Xander chuckled at her. "Well, you don't have to have any of those if you don't want to. I know I won't."
"Well, I'm actually more interested in the entrees. Some of the things on here sound kinda icky as well. I mean 'Warm Ox Tongue with Pressed Potatoes and Peppercorns?' Or how about this one? 'Roast Pigs Trotters with Beetroot and Hardboiled Eggs.'"
Xander looked at his menu and saw what she was looking at with a grimace. "Well, I did manage to pick out what I wanted for dessert. Um, where is it? Oh, here it is. 'Orange Mousse with Passionfruit and Bananas.' That sounds cool," he said truthfully.
"Yeah? Okay, well out of the desserts, I'll pick the 'Blueberry Creme Brulee, Almond Tuile,'" Cordelia said with a smile.
"Maybe we should just skip the entree's anyway. In any case, none of them look that appealing. Besides we have a lot to choose from, either fish or meats," Xander said as he was still studying the menu.
"Well, I'm not going to totally pig out here. I am a cheerleader, you know. I have a reputation to uphold here," Cordelia told him.
"No one's asking you to pig out all the time, Cor. It's our anniversary and since it's a special occasion, couldn't you make a little exception? It'll give you another incentive to go to the gym tomorrow afternoon," he reasoned.
Cordelia decided on a compromise. "Well, I'll have either something from the fish or meats section."
Xander chuckled again. "That's what I meant, Cordy. That's what I'm doing too."
"Oh." Cordelia realised she may have said something embarrasing and blushed a furious red.
Xander smiled at her and looked back down to his Menu. "I think I'm gonna stick with the 'Duck Confit with Curried Borlotti Beans and Carrots.' That sounds nice."
Cordelia looked at her menu and asked him, "Where is it? Oh wait, here it is. Thirty two dollars, Xander? Are you sure about this?"
Xander nodded his head, trying to shake off his girlfriend's concern over his money issues.
"I have a lot of money due to my Grandmother. Don't worry about it, okay? Besides, it's not everyday that our anniversary pops up. And I want to give you a good time... Are you having a good time?" he asked her.
Cordelia kissed him on the lips for the fourth time of the night. Something neither of them could ever get tired of.
"Ahem," a voice to their right interrupted their latest kissing session. Both teenagers looked up to see a slightly impatient teenaged waiter who was holding a pad and pencil. They stifled their laughs as they once again looked over their menus.
"Good evening. My name is Scott Hope, and I will be your waiter for tonight. Are you ready for me to take your orders?" Scott asked them.
Cordelia was the first to order. "I'll have the 'Poached Veal Shank with Risotto Milanese,' and, for dessert, I'll have the 'Blueberry Creme Brulee, Almond Tuile.'"
Scott wrote down the order on his notepad and then looked expectedly at Xander. "And what would you like, sir?" the waiter asked him.
Xander looked at the menu and told him what he wanted. "I'll have the 'Duck Confit with Curried Borlotti Beans and Carrots,' and, for dessert, I'll have the 'Orange Mousse with Passionfruit and Bananas.'"
Scott noted this down on paper and walked away to give the orders to the chef.
"That would have to be the most serious waiter I've ever seen," Xander said with a smile.
"No kidding. Someone's gotta tell him that it's just a job," Cordelia said in her own special way. She then turned serious. "I want to pay for half of this dinner, okay?"
Xander shook his head at her. "You don't have to do that. I've got it handled, all right?"
She looked at him with her face set in a resolved look. "It's my anniversary too, Xander. And I'm not exactly poor either, or have you forgotten?"
Xander nodded and laughed. "Honestly Cordy, I've never thought about your money at all."
She was a bit surprised at that. "Are you serious?" she asked him.
Xander confirmed it by saying, "That's right. Despite what your friends might think. If you were suddenly poor tomorrow, I'd still love you."
Xander was surprised that he just said the 'L' word. Cordelia was also taken aback.
"You love me?"
Xander took her hand in his and said, "Yes I do. I love you, Cordelia."
Cordelia's eyes glistened as she let her feelings known as well. "I love you, too."
Scott came back with a different colored menu.
"Here is the wine list. Trust me, you'll like the 'Andresen Century Colheita.'" Scott suggested.
"Of course, you would. It's nine hundred and ninety nine dollars," Cordelia said in amazement.
"Well, I'm not surprised on that. It was made in 1845, hon. Hey, how about the 1953 Borderie Monbazillac for ninety nine dollars?" Xander said as they looked at the wine list.
"This is too much," Cordelia told him.
"It's our anniversary Cordy. I can afford it. We'll save the Andresen Century one for our future wedding." Xander grinned at her.
"We'll have the 1953 Borderie Monbazillac," Xander told Scott as he took back the wine lists.
"I'm going to have to ask for ID."
Xander gave Scott a hundred dollar bill. "No need for ID's, now is there?"
"Nope." Scott grinned as he walked quickly to the chef.
"Tonight is going great so far, isn't it?" Xander asked Cordelia.
"Better than I ever expected, Xan." Cordelia smiled at him.
They walked out of Merrony's hand in hand as they headed back to Xander's car. "I don't want to go back to Sunnydale just yet," Cordelia told him.
"That's good because our night isn't over yet," he promised her.
They drove a short distance until they reached a giant hill in Fondren. This hill would have to be the biggest one in town because it overlooked everything, including their hometown of Sunnydale. Xander parked the car on the hill, and they both got out of the car to look at the view.
"Wow, this is a great view from up here. How'd you know about this place?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander gave her a sly look and answered, "Well, I took some of my many previous girlfriends up here."
Cordelia threw him a look of smugness. "You've never had any previous girlfriends. Well, apart from that exchange student last year but that doesn't count."
Xander stared off into space at the memory of the person he called Ampata. He realised he'd gone all quiet all of a sudden and smiled at Cordelia. "Come here," he said patting the bonnet of the car. Cordelia sat on the car and rested her back on the car window as Xander soon did the same.
"You know, it's not like I was the only one to date an exchange student last year. Are we forgetting a certain blonde haired, swedish guy named Sven?"
"The stars are shining brightly tonight," Cordelia told him changing the subject, motioning him to look up at the night sky.
Xander held her hand in his and shook his head. "You and stars Cordy. What's up with that?"
"I just happen to think they're cool. Cool and romantic."
"Well, since you put it that way," he said as wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Cordelia smiled and sunk into his embrace as they watched the stars in the sky. A shooting star fell across their viewpoint.
"Ooh, a shooting star. Make a wish but don't tell me what it is, okay?" she asked him.
"Okay, Cordy, okay," Xander gave in to her as he closed his eyes and made a wish.
Xander pulled his car to a stop outside Cordelia's house as he, and Cordy got out of the car and walked to her front door.
"Well, tonight was really fun," Xander said sheepishly as Cordelia opened the door.
"No kidding, it was fun. I had a real blast out of tonight. I mean the present, the dinner and looking for shooting stars... It was the best night of my life," Cordelia said with a wide grin.
"Same with me, Cor," Xander responded with a smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow at school?"
Cordelia nodded. "Yep, I'll be there. Will you?" she asked him back.
Xander nodded this time and kissed her on the lips. "Happy Anniversary, honey."
"Happy Anniversary, Xander."
Cordelia watched him walk away to his car and saw him drive on his way home. "I love you," she whispered into the darkness.
Buffy was practicing with Giles, when Cordelia came into the library and stopped them.
"Hey, Buffy. Has Xander shown up yet?"
Buffy and Giles stopped their training session and looked over at Cordelia who just interrupted them.
"No, why?"
Giles, guessing their latest training session was over, got up and left the main room to go into his office.
"Well, Xander and I had our one year anniversary date last night, and he said he'd be here today," Cordelia explained.
Buffy was only half listening to her brunette friend. She was mainly focused on Cordelia's new gold locket which Buffy had never seen her wear before.
"Oh, you like the necklace? Xander gave me this for my anniversary present. Isn't it great?" Cordelia beamed at her blonde friend.
Buffy smiled at her and looked at the locket more closely. "My God, how could Xan afford something this expensive?"
Cordelia nodded and said, "I know. I asked him that myself. But he told me that he got a large amount of money in a will. I told him that he didn't have to buy me something like this, but he said that I was worth it. And I happen to think he's right." She finished with a big grin to show Buffy that she was kidding.
"Wow, Cordy, I'm almost green with envy. I mean, Angel and I never really had an anniversary, and we've been together for a year and a half now."
Cordelia gave her a smug look. "Well, looks like someone regrets rejecting a certain someone for the Spring Fling."
Buffy was shocked. "I wouldn't of thought that Xander would tell you that."
"He tells me everything. Your loss is my gain. We don't keep secrets from each other. Everything is uncovered."
"Everything uncovered, eh?"
Cordelia knew what Buffy was implying with that comment and shook her head. "We're not ready for that yet. We want it to be perfect, so we'll both remember it."
"Well, let me know all the details, if anything does happen, okay?"
"Sure, just don't tell Willow or anyone else."
"Don't worry, I won't," Buffy assured her.
"Won't what?" Giles asked as he came out of his office with some dusty, old books.
"Nothing," Buffy and Cordelia replied in unison.
Giles felt like he walked in on some private girl talk and quickly took off to the nearest bookshelf to shelve his books.
"So... What did you get him for your anniversary?" Buffy asked her.
Cordelia smiled when she thought back to last night. "Well, actually, I got him the same type of locket that he gave me. We're already thinking alike. It's kinda scary but in a good way."
"I can imagine." Buffy laughed at the thought of Xander wearing a gold locket in the shape of a heart.
"So where is Xander?" Cordelia asked for the second time today.
"He's probably in Ms. Calendar's Computer Studies class where Willow is."
"Could he be with Oz?"
Buffy shook her head. "Oz is with Devon and the others practising for the Bronze tomorrow night. Xander doesn't like that type of stuff, so I doubt he'd be there. Maybe he's at home sleeping it off?"
Cordelia smiled. "That's probably it. We did get home at a late time last night."
"So, where'd you two go last night?"
Cordelia told Buffy where they went with excitement. "Well, he picked me up in his car at my house. He gave me this locket which is engraved and has a picture of me and him in it and everything. I gave him his present, and we laughed about it. Then we went to this new restaurant called Merrony's."
"Is that it?" Buffy asked her.
Cordelia shook her head. "Afterwards, we parked at Lookout Mountain, and Xander and I watched the stars in the sky by lying on roof of his car. After that, we drove home, and he walked me to the door and kissed me goodnight. What made the night even better was that there were no unpleasant things anywhere. If you know what I mean." Cordelia finished with a grin.
"This confirms it. I am officially jealous!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Well, your loss is my gain," Cordelia said with a grin.
"Well, I have to get back to my training. See ya later," Buffy moved back to her original spot in the library.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'll wait here for Xander."
"He's already here," Xander said as he came into the library sporting a big bruise around his right eye.
"God, Xander, what happened?" Cordelia asked in concern.
"I guess my father didn't appreciate the late time that I came home at."
Cordelia rushed to her boyfriend's side and lightly caressed his face as Buffy and Giles who just came out of his office, went over to him also.
"I'm sorry, Xander. It was my fault. You know how I like looking at the stars. The time just flew by," Cordelia apologised. She was close to tears.
Xander smiled and shook his head. "You have nothing to apologise for, Cordy. I'm pretty sure my Dad just used the 'time' thing as an excuse to hit me. Don't blame yourself."
Buffy looked at him with worry so clearly evident in her eyes also. "He shouldn't be hitting you in the first place. I'm pretty sure it's a crime, and it makes me sick to think that people still do that to their kids."
"He should be reported to the police, Xander," Giles added.
"No!" Xander almost shouted it. "No, I won't do that. You can't do that either, okay?"
At that Xander turned and left the library, going past a shocked Willow and Oz who had heard everything that happened.
"I gotta go after him," Cordelia mentioned before she ran out of the library as well.
"What's going on here?" Willow asked Buffy and Giles as they turned to her with unreadable expressions on their faces.
"Apparently, Xander's father likes to hit him. Maybe we should call the police on him just the same?" Giles said more to himself than to the group.
"No, you can't. We told Xander we wouldn't, and we won't. But if his father does it again, he'll know what it's like to be beat up on," Buffy vowed as she began to beat up on the punching bag that Giles brought for the session.
Cordelia finally tracked Xander down in the crowded Sunnydale Highschool. He was delivering what looked to be a school assignment to his Biology teacher, Mr. Miller.
"I hope that this assignment will be a better improvement than the last one, Mr. Harris."
Xander put his hands in his pants pockets and looked down at the floor. "Um... I had some family problems at that time, sir. Sorry."
Mr. Miller looked at his student, noting the new blackeye on his pupil's face. "It looks like your family problems have been getting bad again, Alex."
Xander lifted his head up and looked at him when he heard his name being mentioned as 'Alex.' "It's Xander."
"Excuse me?"
"I prefer Xander. I hate being called Alex."
Mr. Miller nodded and put Xander's assignment with the other assignments that were creating a pile on his desk. "Okay, Xander. You should go put some ice on that eye. You don't want it to get worse."
Xander nodded slowly and walked out of the classroom, almost bumping into Cordelia who was waiting for him outside.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Yeah, it's a stupid assignment anyway."
"I meant about the whole 'don't call me Alex' thing."
Xander winced and looked at her. "My parents call me by that name, whenever it's time for another physical or emotional beating. I HATE that name, that's why I go by 'Xander.'"
Cordelia watched him carefully as she let him know what she was thinking right now. "Why does he hit you?"
Xander looked down at the floor for the second time today, and when he looked back up at the love of his life he had tears in his eyes. "He hates me, that's why. My mother is no better either. She blames me for my Dad hitting me and her. The fact that I got all that money in the will didn't help matters either. They were after that money for some time now. My Mom hates me just as much, too. I can't count how many times she's wished me dead or told me that she should have had an abortion years ago."
Cordelia started to cry when she heard this and hugged Xander to her in a warm embrace which caused Xander to break into sobs.
"Sometimes, I wish she got that abortion years ago, too."
Cordelia held him tighter and answered back. "Don't say that. Don't even think it. If your parents can't see the special person that you are, then they're not even worth a second thought."
Xander's sobs started to stop. He broke away from her and dried his eyes. "You know, every Christmas my parents get so tanked that I end up spending Christmas Eve out in my backyard in a sleeping bag. And that's a dangerous thing to do, especially in this town. You are the only good thing in my life right now. And it scares me 'cuz I think, 'what if our relationship is just an illusion?' my last step towards insanity. I'm just afraid that I'll lose you."
Cordelia kissed him on the lips and smiled at him "You'll never get rid of me, Xander. After all, our anniversary presents say, 'Together Forever,' right?"
"Right," Xander agreed with a small smile.
"So get those ugly thoughts out of your head, Harris."
"Yes, Ms. Chase."
They kissed each other again, oblivious to the students passing them who were on their way to their classes.
To the rest of the world, it was business as usual. But to Xander and Cordelia, time stopped still.
Xander, Willow, Oz and Buffy sat around a table in the town's local coffee shop called The Espresso Pump, talking about nothing in particular, when Xander spoke up.
"I doubt that this is an original idea, but why don't we go to the Bronze tonight?"
"You're right Xander. It isn't original," Buffy teased him, smiling.
"Well, if you'd all rather go to the library and do some boring research, go ahead. But me and Cordy plan on going tonight. And we're going to burn a hole through the dance floor." Xander finished with a grin.
Willow looked confused. "You're going to burn a hole in the dance floor? Why?"
Xander looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
Willow blushed in embarrassment. "Oh right, with the dancing and everything."
Xander shook his head laughing. "You know Will, you can be a little slow sometimes."
Oz wrapped his arm around Willow's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry babe, I like your slowness," Oz said as he kissed her again.
Buffy and Xander suddenly felt like fifth wheels as Willow and Oz went into their own little world. Buffy turned away from Willow and her green-haired boyfriend and faced Xander who smiled at his friend's happiness.
"So, where's Cordelia anyway?" Buffy asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.
"Cordy's at cheerleading practice with the other cheerleaders." Xander said, thinking about the brunette.
"On a Saturday?" Buffy asked him.
"Well, Cordy and the others ARE dedicated. I think it might have something to do with the Olympics, I'm not sure." Xander said as ate the last of his fries.
"I thought that you'd be there watching her jump up and down and wave those pom poms," Buffy said jokingly.
"Well, me and Cordy may be together but that doesn't mean that we're constantly with each other twenty four hours a day. If that were true we'd be at each others throats. And not in the good way," Xander told her.
"And besides," Xander added, "Cordy promised that one day she'll show me her cheerleading practice in private."
Buffy made a face. "Oh man, scary visual place."
Xander laughed knowing he made his friend uncomfortable. "I'm joking, of course, Buff. I wouldn't pass on privileged information like that. Just me and my better half," he said, smiling.
Buffy and Xander averted their eyes from Willow and Oz who started to make out right in front of everyone. Principal Snyder saw them and shook his head in disgust. He walked up to them quickly and pried them apart.
"You kids sicken me. You should know better than to go mate in MY presence. You want to get wild and icky, do it in a back of a car or something." Snyder gave all four of the teens a scowling look, but his scowl lingered more on Buffy before he stormed out of the cafe with his bag of donuts.
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Oz watched him leave with grins on their faces.
"That guy ought to get laid. It'll make him mellow," Oz said with a smirk.
"Oz!!!" Willow said in surprise as Buffy and Xander burst out laughing.
"Gee, look who's come out of his quiet shell," Xander said as Willow lightly hit Oz in the arm in embarrassment.
Principal Snyder stopped outside the café and looked back inside at the laughing teenagers. He shook his head in disgust at their antics and stormed away, leaving the students in peace.
"So, what was I talking about?" Xander asked as the laughter in their group faded away.
"Bronze night," Willow and Oz answered together.
"Jinx, buy me a Coke," Oz said grinning.
"You two are so cute it's starting to make me gag," Buffy said uneasily. Xander nodded and grinned. "Yeah, it's better when WE do it."
Xander turned to Buffy to get her attention.
"So, what do you say, wanna Bronze it tonight? C'mon Buff, you can bring Batman along."
Buffy made a face at him. "Batman? You mean Angel, right?"
Xander shrugged his shoulders in response. "Angel, Batman. What's the difference?"
Willow jumped to Buffy's defense.
"Well, Batman wears his underwear on the outside. Angel doesn't.... obviously." Willow commented as Xander shook his head.
"I hate to break it to you Will, but Superman is the one that wears his underwear on the outside. Not Batman. Batman wears tights and likes to slide down brass poles with a guy named Robin."
Buffy made another face at Xander's remark. "Where are the similarities?" she asked him.
"Well, both fight at night. Both wear the same color clothes. Both are connected, in a way, with bats. Need I go on?" Xander asked.
"There wasn't much to go on in the first place," Buffy retorted.
Xander smiled sarcastically as they drifted back into small talk.
Cordelia, Harmony and the other cheerleaders were in the locker room changing back into their normal clothes. Harmony turned and started staring at Cordelia.
"What? What is it?" Cordelia asked, her patience running out.
"Nothing. Don't worry." Harmony replied as she shut her locker door.
"It's not nothing. You've been giving me that look for days now. It's about me and Xander, isn't it?"
"Well... " Harmony shrugged her shoulders.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Xander is the best thing that's happened to me. He treats me with respect, he's not just after the one thing like most guys. I love him and he feels the same about me. If you can't accept that, then that's your problem. I thought I told you that on Valentines Day."
Harmony looked sheepish but let her feelings known. "It's just that he's a loser isn't he? I mean he's not on the football team or the swim team, except for a couple of tryouts last year. Plus the fact that he's always hanging out with the supergeek, Willow, and that creepy Buffy and the weird Librarian. I just thought that you could do better. For example, Chris Epps just broke up with Callie Anderson who goes to Kent Preparatory School, and he's single... " she finished, smiling hopefully.
Cordelia shook her head in frustration. "First off, Willow may be a fashion and social reject but that doesn't mean she doesn't have other qualities. And as for Buffy and Giles, they're not creepy and weird. Well, sometimes they are but it's the world that's creepy and weird. And I can't do any better than Xander because he is the BEST. Someone I can definitely see spending my future with. I wouldn't trade Xander in for anything. And if you're so interested in Chris Epps 'cause he's now with the Sunnydale Razorbacks, then you take him. And besides, are you forgetting that he and his friend tried to..."
Harmony grinned at her. "You know what? I might just do that."
"Do what? Date him?"
"Yeah, why not? I mean, you were with his brother Daryl before he died and I'm thinking maybe his brother has the same charm."
"Good, maybe then you'll get off my back."
Harmony just looked at her and shook her head. "I just don't get it. What does Xander have that Chris doesn't? Tell me because I want to know."
Cordelia just smiled to herself as she thought about her boyfriend. "Xander is caring, sharing and real funny. He's great to talk to and you haven't seen him wearing only a pair of Speedos. Let me tell you, my body temperature rose a LOT when I saw him in that."
Harmony smirked. "So he's a nice guy, huh?"
"Oh yeah." Cordelia said dreamily.
"I didn't think such a guy existed. Outside of a Brad Pitt movie at least," Harmony finished.
"Well, now you know better, don't you?"
Harmony shrugged. "What's with the black eye he's got?"
Cordelia's smile vanished as she thought about Xander's abusive parents and their treatment to their only son. "He got it in a fight with some guy in a club. This guy was making comments about me and Xander told him to shut up. The guy didn't, and he and Xander got into a fight. Xander won," she lied.
"Really? That's pretty cool."
"Fighting with another person isn't cool, Harmony. It's stupid and pointless."
"I meant it was cool because he stood up for you. Not many guys would do that," Harmony told her.
Cordelia winced hating the fact that she lied to one of her friends. 'Even though Harmony can be a complete brain dead zombie, she's still a friend of mine and plus the fact that I hate lying' she thought to herself.
"Well, I gotta get going. I'm going to snag Chris before anyone unworthy gets him first." Harmony then turned and left the locker room, leaving Cordelia alone with her thoughts.
Xander, Buffy, Willow and Oz came into the Library where Giles and Jenny Calendar were busy looking over information on the computer.
"Hey Giles, could we check up on Snyder's background to see if he's corrupt? So we could take him out or something?" Buffy asked him, only half joking.
Giles and Ms. Calendar looked up from the monitor to see the four teens.
"What did he do this time?" Jenny asked them.
"Just the usual. He stopped Willow and Oz's smoochies. So can we kill him?" Buffy asked again.
This time Giles cut into the conversation. "Well, ordinarily I'd probably agree with you. But we have more important issues to sort out first. For example, finding out what Drusilla and Spike are up to."
"Well, from what Angel told me it sounds like Spike is wheelchair bound for now. Which means he's a sitting duck for us," Buffy said.
"Good, good," Giles said, sounding relieved.
"Well, I'm out of here anyway. It's basically 3:00 and I have to go get ready for tonight." Xander told them as he left the library.
"We'll see you there." Willow called out to him as Buffy went over to the monitor where Giles and Ms. Calendar were sitting.
"What are you two looking at?" Buffy asked, curious.
"We're looking for any information on The Anointed One. It's odd that he's gone quiet for so long. I think there might be something being planned." Giles said as he looked at the screen and at the newspapers gathered around the desk.
"I kinda doubt that," Angel said, appearing from out of nowhere.
"Why do you say that?" Giles asked as Buffy smiled at her older boyfriend.
"I heard from a couple of lowlifes at Willie's that Spike dealt with him shortly after arriving here for the first time. I believe them because, if I know anything about Spike, it's that he doesn't like to share his territory." Angel shrugged.
"Well, it's one less problem we have to worry about," Oz said as he sat down.
Xander was in his room getting ready for his evening out. He looked in the mirror and winced as he saw his black eye. 'Why I was blessed with bastards for parents, I don't know,' he thought to himself as he softly touched the bruise with his fingers.
Xander went over to his television and turned it on to reveal a local news broadcast featuring Mayor Richard Wilkens being interviewed by the press about the terrorist attack on the Sunnydale Mall.
"Even though it's been over ten months already, we still haven't gotten any new leads on the rocket launcher attack. Several witnesses have stated that they saw a bunch of kids with the launcher but we have no proof yet of that. Normally, we would have been able to check the security cameras, but there was some sort of power surge which destroyed anything electrical. But I assure you, we WILL find who did this and prosecute them to the full extent of the law. These terrorists will pay for their crimes, I promise you that." The Mayor was still talking into the camera when Xander turned away and shook his head with a knowing smile.
"Somehow I doubt it, buddy. Terrorists. At least it's better than the old psychos on PCP theory." Xander laughed softly to himself as he fixed his clothes.
"And what about those reports of voodoo artifacts in your office?" The reporter asked him. The Mayor smiled. "Well, gee whiz. Do I look like the type of person who would believe in that mumbo jumbo?"
Deputy Mayor Allan Finch stepped forward and took his turn at the microphone. "Those allegations are completely unfounded. There are no such goings on in that area. We believe it's simply an attempt to get the Mayor out of office."
Xander faced the television and turned it off. All those politicians were starting to bore him. He was never into the politics anyway.
A knock at the front door interrupted the silence that filled the Harris house, causing Xander to jump in surprise. He made his way downstairs to the front door and looked through the peephole to see Cordelia standing outside. He opened the door and motioned for her to enter.
"My parents aren't home, that's why it's quiet," Xander explained.
Cordelia looked around the living room and noticed a couple of empty bottles of Jim Beam near an old looking lounge chair.
"Where are they?" Cordelia asked him gently.
"Who knows? Who cares. It's seven fifty at night so maybe they're getting off getting drunk at a bar or something," he answered bitterly.
Cordelia stroked the right side of his face sympathetically and then kissed him gently.
"Mmmm. Now that's what I've been missing," he said with a smile. "I've missed you today."
Cordelia nodded. "I've missed you too. Cheerleader tryouts were killer. Harmony was on my back for most of the day and I had that English test to study for, as well."
"It's okay. Besides we have all night." he said, leaning in to kiss her.
They left the house, Xander locking door behind them, and then walked to Cordelia's car.
"You're not going to drive like a maniac tonight are you? 'Cause I'm supposed to grow old with you. Not because of you," Xander teased.
"Watch it, Harris. Or you'll end up walking to the Bronze," Cordelia threw back at him.
Xander got into the passenger side while Cordelia got into the driver's seat. She started the car and headed towards the Bronze.
After parking the car, Cordelia and Xander started to walk to the Bronze. They could hear the song 'Another Brick In The Wall' being played from inside. Xander pulled open the door, letting Cordelia enter first, and the music got even louder.
We don't need no education We don't need no thought control The dark sarcasm in the classroom Teacher leave them kids alone.
Hey teacher, leave those kids alone All day long you're just another brick in the wall All day long you're just another brick in the wall
"You want a drink?" Xander shouted over the music.
"Yeah, a Diet Pepsi."
Cordelia found an empty booth and sat down to wait for Xander to return with their drinks. When he finally joined her, he had looked upset. He placed their drinks down onto the table and sat down next to her.
"Seven dollars and sixty cents for two drinks? The last thing we need in this town is another thing that will end up sucking us dry." Xander said sarcastically, making Cordelia laugh.
"Why Xander, my multi billionaire boyfriend, you're acting real cheap tonight." Cordy joked at his serious expression.
"Well, it didn't use to be seven dollars for two drinks. I think someone has been leaking information." Xander grinned as he looked at his soul mate.
"Don't look at me Harris, I didn't tell anyone that would blab about this. Only Buffy knows. And I suspect Willow knows, too." Cordelia said in her defense.
"It doesn't matter, Cor. Wanna dance with an alltime dag?" He asked her sweetly.
"Hey, I'm not one for passing up on helping the hopeless." She smiled at him, playing along.
They got up leaving the booth and the empty Diet Pepsi and a Dr. Pepper can to occupy the now vacant space. As they started to dance, Buffy and Willow entered the Bronze and sat down at a nearby booth.
"Where are they?" Willow asked Buffy.
"Over there" Buffy said, pointing to Cordelia and Xander dancing to the song 'The Perfect Drug'.
I got my head but my head is unravelling Cant keep control can't keep track of where it's travelling I got my heart but my heart's no good You're the only one that's understood
I come along but i dont know where you're taking me I shouldn't go but you're wrenching dragging shaking me Turn off the sun pull the stars from the sky The more i give to you the more i die And i want you
You are the perfect drug The perfect drug The perfect drug
"They seem real happy to me, Willow," Buffy said, smiling as she watched the happy couple dancing amongst the crowd.
"They look it now, but I just bet that Xander is only using her because he doesn't want to be the odd one out. The one without a partner," Willow said confidently.
Buffy watched her red haired friend with sympathy in her eyes. "Willow, I know you don't want to hear this but Xander and Cordelia are a perfect match. I think you need to accept the fact that Xander is real happy with Cordy. Stay with Oz, Willow. He's the one that truly loves you in that way. Don't risk your friendship with Xander and your relationship with Oz."
Willow looked at the dancing couple again, sadness entering her eyes. "I can't help but think that Xander would be a lot more happier with me than he is with her."
"What about Oz?" Buffy asked her.
Xander and Cordelia stopped dancing when the song ended. They went to the booth and met Buffy, Willow, and Angel, who showed up at the booth a few minutes before.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did we bore you guys?" Cordelia asked apologetically.
"No, you didn't. We were talking about stuff in school anyway." Buffy answered.
"Speak for yourself." Willow mumbled, which got a well deserved kick in the leg from Buffy.
"What happened to you?" Xander noticed that Buffy looked a bit beaten up.
"Well, remember Sheila? She had to help me with the banners on the night that Spike crashed the school? Well, she was turned that night and took off before I could get a chance to deal with her. She wasn't so lucky tonight though." Buffy grinned when Xander nodded.
"Where's Oz? He seems to be the only one missing here." Xander asked.
Willow stopped sipping her soda long enough to answer dreamily, "Oz has a gig in Los Angeles with the band. He won't be back till tomorrow afternoon."
"Los Angeles. Now there's a place I've always wanted to go see. Either that or Seattle. Mainly Seattle." Xander smiled at the thought.
"Why Seattle?" Buffy asked him out of curiosity.
"I like the rain. And I heard that it rains there ninety percent of the year," Xander explained.
"Don't get him started on Seattle and rain. He seems to like the bad weather more than he does the sunshine." Cordelia told the others with a smirk.
"Hey, I happen to like the sound the rain makes as it hits tin. I think it's sexy." Xander told his girlfriend with a grin.
"You think linoleum is sexy," she countered.
"No, I said linoleum makes me want to have sex" Xander corrected her then blushed as he and Cordelia realized that they were talking like that in front of their friends.
"Whoops!" Xander said, embarrassed.
"Yeah, sorry," Cordelia said with a small grin.
"You wanna...." Xander started to ask.
"Yeah, let's dance." Cordelia finished his thought as they left the booth, and their friends, to join the crowd.
Xander and Cordelia were sitting in Cordelia's bedroom listening to music from her CD collection. She was sitting on her bed while Xander was sitting in a big fluffy looking chair which had a couple of stuffed bears on it.
"I'm bored," Xander told her honestly.
"Well, I'm sorry that I'm not amusing enough for you," she said sarcastically.
Xander chuckled, got up and kissed Cordelia on the lips. "I didn't mean it like that honey. I meant that maybe we could be doing something else. Something a little more fun." He winked at her.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow at him. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you can forget it."
Xander smiled at her and shook his head. "Not that, babe. I was thinking about the beach."
"The beach? Since when do you like the beach?"
"Well, I know that you like the beach. And besides I'm curious to see you in a bikini."
"Okay, but on one condition. You have to wear that Speedo of yours. It's only fair." Cordelia grinned suggestively.
Xander nodded and blushed when he remembered the infamous Speedo incident. That whole swim team saga still got to him, but not as much as it used to. The very thought of Buffy and Willow seeing him wearing that Speedo made him feel very uncomfortable, but he didn't have that reaction with Cordelia. With Cordelia it was a normal thing. A boyfriend -girlfriend thing.
His thoughts were interrupted when Cordelia turned off her CD player and took out a CD of Hooverphonics called 'Blue Wonder Power Milk'.
"I thought you might be tired after all that dancing we did last night."
"I slept. But I'm back for more," Xander said chuckling.
"Okay, but I have to leave a note for my parents." Cordelia got up from her bed and moved over to her dresser where there was a pad of paper and a pen amid the clutter.
"Where are your parents?" he asked her.
Cordelia shrugged. "They don't usually come home on Sundays till about
They arrived at Sunnydale State Beach which was basically deserted, except for another couple farther down the beach. Xander carried a beach blanket and a cooler which held several cans of Coca Cola and Passion fruit drinks. Xander and Cordelia fulfilled their promises to each other. The only thing Xander was wearing except for his Anniversary necklace, was a black Aquablade-3 Speedo and Cordelia was wearing a halter-triangle top bikini with a basic French-cut bottom.
He watched with a smile as Cordelia ran down to the beach like some eager child on Christmas morning.
"Put the blanket down here." Cordelia indicated a patch of sand as soon as Xander walked onto the sandy beach.
"Okay, thanks for helping with this stuff." He grinned as he dropped the blanket and the cooler on to the sand.
"Oh, sorry," Cordelia said regretfully and smiled at him. She laid out the beach blanket and sat down on it, pulling Xander down with her, her gold necklace shining brightly.
"Is that better?" she asked him.
Xander shrugged and smirked at her "For now."
Cordelia and Xander started to kiss softly, gradually growing more and more intense as they gave in to their lust. After many steamy moments, Cordelia stopped kissing Xander and stood up panting wildly. Xander looked up at her and smiled as he saw her flushed face and knew that he was the one that did that to her.
"I think we should stop before we go too far here, Xander," Cordelia said to her boyfriend who simply smiled and nodded at her.
"You know what I think?" He quizzed her.
"What?"
"I think that we should cool off in the water, huh?" Xander pointed to the ocean.
"Last one in the water has to spend an entire day with Harmony." He raced to the water with Cordelia hot on his heels. They both ran into the water at the same time, the waves crashing over their heads. They started to make their own waves as they splashed water on each other in a playful, childish way.
"I give up. I give up!" Xander surrendered as Cordelia assaulted him with sea water, giggling.
After swimming around for a few minutes, Xander left the water. He sat down on the beach blanket, waiting for the sun to dry him off as he watched Cordelia still swimming around. He put his dark sunglasses on and laid down on the blanket, hoping to get a tan from the sun's rays.
Cordelia stood over Xander, smiling as she dripped water all over him. "I thought you were sleeping. You know I've never seen you sleep before?"
Xander sat up and took off his sunglasses. "You mean you actually pay attention in class?" Xander joked.
Cordelia sat down next to him and reaching for a bottle of sunscreen lotion. "Less talking and more rubbing. Lie on your stomach," Cordelia ordered.
Once Xander did as he was told, Cordelia smiled and then squeezed out some sunscreen lotion from the bottle into her hand. She started to rub it on his back slowly but firmly. Xander flinched when he felt the coldness of the lotion but began to smile when he felt Cordelia's hands rubbing it on him. "You like that?" she asked him.
"More than you'll ever know," Xander said grinning when Cordelia lightly slapped him on the back. Between the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and Cordelia's hands massaging his back, Xander thought that he was in heaven.
"This is real nice," Xander told her as Cordelia massaged the lotion into his shoulders, finishing him off.
"Okay, my turn." She positioned herself on her stomach next to him.
Xander sat up, picked up the sunscreen and squeezed out a lot of it into his hand. He slowly and gently began to rub the lotion onto Cordelia's back. He smiled at her reaction when he started to massage the lotion onto her tanned skin.
"You've done this before, haven't you?" She sighed, keeping her eyes closed.
"Only in my dreams, Delia. Only in my dreams." Xander listened to her laugh softly as he massaged her shoulder blades softly but firmly, letting the lotion sink into her skin.
When he was finished he lay down on his stomach next to Cordelia and listened to the waves crash against the shore. before long, he too fell asleep.
Cordelia was awakened by something that sounded like a little girl crying. She sat up and scanned the beach. Looking everywhere on the beach, she finally located the sound.
"Xander wake up!" Cordelia shook him from his sleep.
"What's going on? What's wrong?" he asked, still a bit sleepy.
She pointed to a little girl that appeared to be six or seven years old, wandering around the beach, crying.
"Can you see her parents anywhere?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander stood up and looked out over the beach. The couple that had been further down the beach when they'd arrived, were gone now.
Cordelia stood up and followed Xander's gaze. She then turned to look at the little girl who was staring out into the ocean and trying to wipe away her tears.
Cordelia walked over to the little girl, "Hi there." The girl looked up at her with an expression that said fear and loneliness.
"I can't talk to strangers," the little girl said as she slowly started to walk away from Cordelia and Xander who was heading towards them.
"Well, that's very smart. Especially in this town. I don't know if you'll believe us or not, but we're not going to hurt you. What's your name?" Cordelia asked her.
"Tiffany Anderson. But I like Jesse better. Jesse's my middle name, and I have everybody call me it." Jesse told them.
Xander stared off into space when he heard that name. It was the name of a friend he hadn't thought about in a long time. Was this little girl somehow a sign from Jesse himself? His thoughts were interrupted when Cordelia introduced themselves to the little girl with the identical name.
"My name is Cordelia, and this is Xander," she said pointing to Xander who crouched down next to her.
"Why are you crying? Where are your parents?" Xander asked the little girl, gently.
"I don't know. I was just burying a jellyfish in the sand and now I can't find them." Jesse started to cry.
"Hey, c'mon don't cry. Here, dry your eyes." Xander handed the little girl a handkerchief. "How old are you?" Xander asked her, wanting to change the subject.
"Seven" Jesse answered back as she dried her eyes. She offered the handkerchief back to him but Xander merely shook his head and told her she could keep it.
"Seven years old? Wow, you're almost to the big 1-0. Did you know that when you get to the age of ten, you start to look old? I mean really, really old. Look at me, I'm a regular old geezer," Xander said to her in a playful manner.
"You're not a geezer," Jesse said with a giggle.
Xander laughed, glad that he'd helped her forget her pain. "Yep, I'm afraid so. I'm a real geezer."
Jesse giggled and put away her new handkerchief. Cordelia watched the two of them and smiled happily as she realized that, someday, Xander would make a great father. The type of man that would never turn into a man like his own father, like he'd always feared. Xander didn't realize it now, but this scene was quickly putting him closer to Cordelia's heart than ever before.
"Jesse!!!!" A voice yelled from the top of the sandy hill that was next to the car park. Xander, Cordelia and Jesse looked up and saw a bewildered set of parents, with a little boy in tow, and a police officer, watching them from the hill. The parents raced down to their daughter as Jesse waved at them.
"There you are! My god, Jesse, I told you not to stray off too far. This place can be dangerous." The little girls' mother said as she checked her daughter over for possible injuries, relieved when she realized there weren't any.
"Thank you for watching over her." The little girls' father told Cordelia and Xander who just smiled and nodded at the family. "Can we go home now?" their son asked them.
"Yes, we are Joey," Mrs. Anderson told him.
Xander and Cordelia held hands as they watched Jesse leave with her family, the little girl perched on her father's shoulders as they walked up the small hill.
"When we get to the family stage, I'd like to have a child like that," Xander said. He then started to tickle Cordelia, causing her to break into a fit of giggles.
"Stop it, Xander, I'm warning you!" she told him, laughing.
"You'll what? What are you going to do if I don't, huh?" He challenged her.
Cordelia held both of his hands and tripped him. He fell on his back and watched as Cordelia jumped on him and pinned his hands down to the sand. She smiled as she straddled him, kissing him on the lips and enjoying the moment as the sun shone down on them from above.
Xander realized he was enjoying this a little too much. The sight of a bikini-clad Cordelia sitting on his lap kissing him on the lips started to get to him. He felt himself becoming aroused and was worried that Cordelia would be able to tell. But judging by the surprised look on her face, she did. Wincing in embarrassment he lifted her off him gently and rolled over onto his stomach.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Cordelia said.
"It is when I'm wearing a Speedo, Cor. I can't exactly hide it." Xander tried to will his excitement away. "You don't think I'm a sleaze?"
"A sleaze? Why? 'Cause you got an erection?" Cordelia looked at him, not sure if that was what he meant.
"Uh, yeah." Xander blushed slightly.
Cordelia laughed lightly, showing him that she wasn't laughing at him, but at the situation. "Do you know how many dates I've had in the past where something like this has happened?"
"No, and I'm not sure I want to know," Xander said. The last thing he wanted was to hear was her sexual history with her exe's.
"Well, I'll tell you anyway. Guys always get turned on like that, it's no big deal. At first, I was kinda offended, but then I realized it was nothing much to worry about. What I *did* have to worry about was the wandering hands. Two dates and then he expects something to happen? Puleeeez!"
"So this is nothing new for you?"
"Nope. But you are the first guy that has never pawed me, thinking that he's going to get lucky. You're also my first real boyfriend." Cordelia lay down on her back next to Xander.
Xander propped himself up on his elbows to look at Cordelia while they talked. "Well, you're my first actual girlfriend. Not that you didn't know that already. I mean, with Harmony and the old you, passing it around the school that I'm a loser and all." Xander reached over and tickled her stomach.
The tickling caused Cordelia to burst out laughing but she sobered up as his comments sunk in. "You're not a loser. You never were. It's just that when I was real shallow, I thought that the only things I really needed were to finish high school, move to L.A., marry Christian Slater and die. But all that's changed now. I can see that the only thing that goes on in Harmony's head is hairspray seepage and I'm not going to marry Christian after all. And I'm not even disappointed that things have changed."
Xander smiled at her and kissed her. "So, what you're saying is that you're a virgin?" At Cordelia's raised eyebrow, Xander explained why he mentioned it. "It's not a chauvinistic thing or anything. It's just that it's more special in a way. I'm a virgin and you're a virgin. When we eventually get to that point in our lives, to the point of making love, it'll be even more special. Because it will be a new experience for the both of us. You know what I mean?" Xander asked her.
Cordelia sat up and nodded. "I understand, yeah. And when we do get there, it WILL be special. I've never further than some kissing and stuff, so I don't know a lot. Apart from what Harmony claims she's done on dates. I just didn't realize you're such a romantic."
"I'm a man of many talents" Xander smiled at her.
"While we're on the subject of sex. What's your ultimate fantasy?" Cordelia asked him with intrigue.
"My fantasy? You want to know my fantasy? You sure?"
"Yeah, tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," Cordelia teased back.
Xander watched her lie back down next to him as he began to tell her his fantasy. "Well, it's night and there's a big storm outside. The sound of the pouring rain hitting the tin roof of the garage is in the background. We're naked in bed, lying on smooth satin sheets. And we're making love, the sound of the rain is hitting the tin roof." Xander finished and looked over to Cordelia who was watching him intently.
"That's it? Is that as far as your imagination goes?" She teased him, smiling.
"Well, that was one of many. I have other, dirtier fantasies but I don't want to rip my Speedos." Xander grinned and blushed at the same time. After awhile he continued.
"I have another one where we're shipwrecked and just you and I end up on a deserted island. Eventually, all of your fashion type clothes by Gucci and Gianni Versaci wear out and you end up having to walk around naked."
"Oh really?" Cordelia said with a big grin.
"Yep. We end up living in the long abandoned cabins left by Gilligan and his crew. And we never have to worry about the lack of food or water, because Gilligan would have left a mega-huge fridge and freezer full of unlimited food and drinks. And when we have kids, they can sleep in one of the many cabins we have on our island, and we'll be one happy family," Xander finished.
Cordelia laughed as she pictured that fantasy in her head. "I would never walk around naked on an island, mainly because of mosquitoes and the cold. And when our kids grow up, who are they going to mate with?"
"Well, when the time comes, we'll get some mail-order brides or husbands from the neighboring island." Xander hugged her and smiled.
Cordelia laughed again when she heard that last statement and reveled in the closeness that is Xander.
"Okay, I bared some of my secret fantasies, it's your turn now."
"I wouldn't want you to rip your Speedos," Cordelia said with a grin.
"I think I can control myself now, Cor," he reassured her.
"Well, okay. We're alone in the house and we're like totally naked and lying on this plastic sheet."
"Plastic sheet?" Xander cut in.
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm getting to that. I have this huge vat of vanilla cream and I cover you from head to toe in it. Then, I slowly lick it all off your naked body, inch by agonizing inch. After that, it's my turn and you take your time with me, licking off the cream slowly. Real slowly." Cordelia finished, licking her lips subconsciously.
"Are you sure you haven't done anything like this before?"
"It's not something I'd forget, Xander. Are your Speedos okay?"
"Yeah, they are, thanks. I'm just trying to picture baseball right now." He chuckled at himself.
After realizing what he meant, Cordelia joined him in the light laughter. "You still want to meet my parents next week?" Cordelia asked.
Xander remembered his promise the other night at the Bronze and decided he still wanted to do it. "Yeah, sure. But I'm kinda iffy about you meeting my parents though. It's just that they get real dysfunctional and... well, you've seen the results." He pointed to his black eye which was starting to fade away.
Cordelia nodded her head sadly and together they watched the waves crash against the shore once more.
"You think your parents will like me? Will your sister be there?" Xander changed the subject.
"My parents should like you, although sometimes they can be a bit overprotective of me. And Regan is coming to visit after her modeling gig in Italy, so she won't be able to make it in time."
"Okay, well, I'm going for another swim. You coming?" Xander didn't wait for an answer, just got up and ran towards the ocean.
Cordelia watched him dive into the ocean and thought to herself, 'They should like you, Xander'.
"So, when are you supposed to meet them?" Willow asked him.
"2:00, Will. In a half hours time, I'm going to be grilled alive by Cordy's father," Xander said. He came out of the bathroom wearing his best looking clothes that Cordelia had picked out previously for this occasion.
"I'm sure he won't be that bad. I mean, isn't that a stereotype? Oz's parents seemed nice to me," Willow said, trying to ease his fears.
"That's different. You're the girl meeting the guy's parents. I'm the guy meeting the girl's parents. It's a different standard. I've been deemed the stereotypical guy that will lead their innocent daughter down the dark road of sex, sex and some other wild things." Xander said as he drank the last of his Coke that had been sitting on his counter.
"Well they won't feel that way when you tell them you're rich." Willow told him honestly.
"No way that's going to happen Willow. I want them to like me for me and not how much I'm worth."
"You sure? Cuz from what I hear the Chase's are only interested in money and being rich," Willow told him.
Xander looked away from Willow and stared at the floor with disdain. Once again she was insulting Cordelia and right in front of him no less.
"Why don't you give her a break?" Xander asked her, his patience beginning to wear thin.
"Excuse me?" Willow said in curiosity.
"She's not the same person we grew up hating. Cordelia's changed for the better. Although I'd like to think that she's always been like that, it's just that no one's seen that side of her until I came along." Xander said to her.
Willow shook her head at him in denial. "You seem to have forgotten what kind of a person she is. Here's an example of what she's done."
Cordelia: Buffy!
Harmony: The new girl?
Boy: What's her deal?
Cordelia: Well, she's crazed.
Harmony: Did you hear about her old school?
Cordelia and the boy both shake their heads.
Harmony: Booted.
Cordelia: Well, I exhibit no surprise.
Boy: Why was she kicked out?
Cordelia: Uh, because she's a psycho loony!
Willow: (interjects) No, she's not.
Cordelia: What?
Willow: (turns to them) She's not a psycho. You don't even know her.
Cordelia: Excuse me? Who gave you permission to exist?
Willow turns away, eyes down.
Cordelia: Do I horn in on your private discussions? No. Why? Because you're boring.
Willow gets up and goes to get her printouts.
Harmony: Okay, I think the program's done.
Cordelia: Finally the nightmare ends! Okay, so how do we save it?
Willow: Deliver.
Cordelia: Deliver? Where's that? (searches the keyboard) Oh!
She hits the "Del" key, and her program disappears. She stares at the screen in wide-eyed, open-mouthed horror.
Xander listened and chuckled at Willow's little revenge on Cordelia as Willow finished telling him what happened.
"But Will, that seems like an eternity ago. Cordelia WAS like that back then. That was when Buffy first came here and I had that crush on her. The crush I thought I could never shake off." Xander finished making quotation marks with his fingers.
"But...."
"No 'buts' Willow. This isn't some 'Bold and the Beautiful' storyline, okay? I'm not Rick Forrester, you're not Kimberly and Cordelia is definately no Amber Moore. Let me tell you a side of Cordelia that you've never seen."
Xander bumps into Harmony as they round the corner to the stairs.
Harmony: Watch it!
Xander: Sorry.
Harmony: God! (looks him up and down) Y'know, I'm glad your mom stopped working at the drive-through long enough to dress you.
(To Cordelia) Oh, that reminds me.
(Xander starts away) Did you see Jennifer's backpack? It is *so* a crying...
Cordelia: (interrupts) Harmony, shut up.
(Xander looks back) Do you know what you are, Harmony? You're a sheep.
Harmony: I'm not a sheep.
Cordelia: You're a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does just so you can say you did it first. And here I am, scrambling for your approval, when I'm *way* cooler than you are 'cause I'm *not* a sheep. I do what I wanna do, and I wear what I wanna wear. And you know what?
(Xander smiles) I'll date whoever the hell I wanna date. No matter how lame he is.
Xander's smiles fades at that.
Cordelia leaves the group and goes over to him.
He smiles again.
When she reaches him she takes his arm and they start walking together along the colonnade.
Cordelia: (breathing hard with anxiety) Oh, God! Oh, God!
Xander: (pats her hand) You're gonna be okay. Just keep walkin'.
Cordelia: Oh, God, what have I done? They're never gonna speak to me again!
Xander: Oh, sure, they are. If it helps, whenever we're around them you and I can fight a lot.
Cordelia: You promise?
Xander: (takes her hand in his) You can pretty much count on it.
They both smile as they continue walking.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Willow asked him.
Xander shook his head in annoyance, he decided to give up trying to convince her. "What exactly are you here for anyway?"
"I wanted to see you and see what you're up to," Willow said with a sad longing look in her eyes.
"Well I had hoped we could talk and be friends still, but every time there's an opportunity, there you are calling my girlfriend a skanky 'ho," Xander said angrily.
Buffy: But I would do a lot better if you and Xander and I could do that 'sharing our misery' thing tonight.
Willow: Great. I'll give Xander a call. What's his number? Oh, yeah, 1- 800-I'm-Dating-A-Skanky-Ho. (rolls her eyes)
Buffy: (surprised) Meow!
Willow: (smiles) Really? Thanks. I've never gotten a 'meow' before.
After Willow's shocked look on her face Xander continued.
"That's right, Willow. Buffy told me what you said about Cordelia. In a way I'm surprised that you think she wouldn't tell me. Buffy is a friend of mine too or have you forgotten that?"
"I'm sorry, but I just can't accept you and Cordelia as a couple. Not when we could be a much better item," Willow said moving closer to Xander.
"What? Are you delusional? Do I have to remind you of the many reasons why this shouldn't and won't happen? There's Cordelia and Oz for instance. And another valid point is that I think of you as my sister, and the fact that you want more from the relationship just creeps me out something severe," Xander finished with a shiver.
"Cordelia can't make you as happy as I can Xander," Willow said right before she kissed him on the lips passionately. Xander overcame his shock just enough to push away from her and he walked over to the doorway.
"The front door is down those stairs, Willow," Xander said in a tone Willow had never heard from him before.
"But Xander..." Willow started.
"Just go!!" He yelled at her.
Slowly Willow walked out of Xander's bedroom and down the stairs. Xander then heard the front door close in the distance and realized that Willow had indeed gone. He walked over to the mirror and sighed, looking at his refle ction as he fixed his shirt and pants.
"I can't believe her," Xander muttered to himself about his red haired friend. But right now Willow Rosenberg was the least of Xander's problems. Right now he had to meet Cordelia's parents and that could be more of a problem than Willow could ever be.
"Is he coming or what?" Mr. Chase asked his wife impatiently.
"For god's sake Phillip, it's only 2:00 now. Give the kid some time to get here," Madolyn Chase said to her husband.
Phillip Chase gave Madolyn a stern look before replying. "I'm just saying that if he expects to be taken seriously, he should at least be here on time. This is not the way I'd run my business. Slackers like this would be fired first thing in the morning."
"Just ease up on him, okay? Cordelia seems pretty attached to him. And after what happened with Daryl and Kevin I think that she deserves some happiness. Even if it is someone that doesn't fit her usual status," Madolyn said as she looked up at the clock in the living room.
"Usual status?" Phillip questioned.
"You know, rich and popular" his wife reminded him. His thoughts were interrupted when they heard the doorbell chime it's familiar tune. Phillip went over to the front door and opened it, revealing Xander standing on the other side looking a little nervous.
"Good afternoon Sir," Xander said to the man who was looking at him.
"You must be Xander. Cordelia's told us alot about you, come on in" Phillip said, ushering him inside their big house. Xander had no intentions of telling him that he'd been inside their house before. The last thing he wanted her father to hear was that something sordid might be going on.
"Do you want a beer?" Phillip asked him as they walked into the Living room.
"Uh, no thanks Mr. Chase. I don't like alcohol, I've seen the effects of it first hand and it's something I don't want to experience again," Xander said with a small smile.
Phillip gave the teenager a look that was a mixture of praise and curiosity before he smiled and said, "Well I'm having one." Xander nodded absently as Cordelia's father went to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of beer, accompanied by Cordelia's mother.
"Hello, Xander. I'm Cordelia's mother, Madolyn and this is her father Phillip," she said as she introduced themselves.
"Nice to meet the both of you. You have a nice place here," Xander smiled shyly at them as he felt the nervousness creep over him again. He watched both of Cordelia's parents give him a once-over from the corner of his eye.
He turned back to face them and grinned. "So, how are things?" he asked them.
"Well, I just completed a major deal at my company at Chase Investors. Are you good with money?" Phillip asked him forwardly.
"Actually I'm real bad at math, so I'm not really that good in investing money and all that. I do know how to save though," Xander joked with them. Unfortunately he didn't really get a smile from Phillip's cool exterior.
"Indeed," Phillips replied. "Cordelia!!!!!" he yelled out towards Cordelia's bedroom, making Xander slightly jump.
"She'll be down in a minute. Women, they always have to look their best" Phillip confided in him just before Madolyn nudged him. An immediate awkward silence followed the statement. Xander silently thanked the heavens when Cordelia came down the stairs and met them in the Living room.
"How nice of you to finally join us Cordelia. We were making young Xander here a bit uncomfortable weren't we?" Phillip said looking at him.
Xander shook his head in denial. "I wouldn't say that, Mr Chase."
Cordelia took Xander's hand in hers and they sat down on the couch together as Phillip joined his wife in the kitchen.
"So what do you think of him?" Madolyn asked him when they were out of earshot.
"Well, he doesn't look like he plays any sports. He's not like the others that Cordelia has brought back here. And he's a bit on the quiet side." Phillip said.
"Oh you've noticed?" Madolyn joked.
"He doesn't seem to be on the rich side of life either. I'm worried that he might be using her." Phillip cautioned.
"It's a little soon to be judging him like that don't you think?" his wife asked him. She knew he always did this, but she and their daughters never really took him seriously.
"I'll be keeping my eye on him. I've heard about his parents, it's hard not to. They're real low-lives and I believe that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree," Phillip said softly to his wife, as they thought about that.
"I don't think your dad likes me," Xander said to Cordelia as they sat on the couch.
"Give him time. He'll warm up to you just like I did," Cordelia said with a smile. She watched Xander's expression turn to a darker look and she wondered to herself on what could have caused it.
"What's wrong?" she asked him out of curiosity.
"Something happened at my house today. Something I wish didn't happen," Xander said as he looked at his girlfriend.
"What is it? Did your father hit you again or something? Because the black eye you had is gone now, did you notice?" Cordelia asked him.
"Yeah I noticed this morning. It's not my parents though. I'll tell you later," Xander said as he kissed her hand. She pulled her hand away and looked at him.
"It's obvious that something's bothering you, so tell me." She gently demanded. Xander decided to give in and tell her.
"It's Willow. She pulled a total 'Sami Brady' on me. She was there with me at my house and I thought she was there to be supportive and everything and the next thing she's kissing me and telling me that she can give me more happiness with her than I could have with you. I told her to leave and that's it." Xander finished, sighing as Cordelia took in this information.
"I can't believe that bitch. Who the hell does she think she is?" Cordelia said in an incredulous voice.
"The reason why I told you this is because I don't want there to be any secrets between us. I'd prefer it if you didn't say anything to Willow. She's probably embarrased enough as it is," Xander said, sticking up for his friend.
"Xander, I know that she's your oldest friend and everything, but she can't keep going on with this obsession. She's trying to come between us, and she's unknowingly destroying her relationship with Oz in the process. Did you tell Oz about this?" Cordelia asked, looking at him.
"Are you saying I should tell her boyfriend that his girlfriend has been hitting on me?" Xander asked her for clarification.
"Pretty much yeah," she told him honestly.
Xander shook his head in disagreement. "If I tell Oz, then he might break up with Willow and I don't want to be responsible for that."
"Well, I'll talk with Willow and set things straight" Cordelia said with determination.
"I don't want you to fight over me" Xander smiled at her with a big grin.
"Don't get cocky, Xan. I'm just going to remind her of what she could lose. Hopefully that will get her over her obsession with you," Cordy said to him. Their conversation ended abruptly when Cordelia's parents came back into the Living room and sat down in chairs, opposite the teenage couple.
"So how long have you two been seeing each other?" Phillip asked the pair.
"We've been a couple since last year, Daddy" Cordelia answered him.
The questions kept on coming at the young teenagers, some awkward and some were subtle about Xander's family and social status. He took it all in stride though as he noticed Cordelia and Mrs. Chase both giving Phillip looks that could have turned him to stone. After a half hour of talking about nothing in particular, the couple was separated. Xander was invited outside to talk to Phillip, while Cordelia stayed inside with her mother.
"He seems like a nice boy, Cordelia," Madolyn told her.
"Xander's a nice guy, Mom. I was a bit worried that you wouldn't like him. He's not like the others," Cordelia said honestly.
"I noticed. He seems to be more caring. And besides at least you won't have to worry about all his time being devoted to watching sports on TV," Madolyn said with a grin.
Cordelia nodded in agreement. "Sports aren't an issue with us at all. I just hope that Dad doesn't give him the third degree."
"If he does, he'll be sleeping on the couch tonight" Cordelia's mother said to her, trying to cheer her up.
Phillip and Xander were walking in the Chase's backyard when they started to talk.
"Look, you seem to be a nice boy, but I think that my Cordelia needs someone who knows what they want to do in life. Someone that will be heading in the right direction. Do you understand?" Phillip said tactlessly.
"Yeah, I can understand that," Xander said in a small voice.
"Don't get me wrong, I like you but I want my daughter to have the best out of life and I'm pretty sure that you won't be able to give her that. I'm not stupid Xander, you think I don't know about your parents?"
"What does my parents have to do with it?" Xander asked him softly.
"I don't want Cordelia to end up in a relationship like your parents. And there's a pretty strong chance of that happening since you're their son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Phillip said coldly.
"So, what do you want me to do? Leave her alone?" Xander said in shock. He couldn't look her father in the eyes, full of embarrassment about his family. He had a feeling that Cordelia's father wouldn't like him much, but what he was telling Xander was beyond harsh. But for Cordelia's sake, Xander couldn't do anything. The last thing he wanted was to cause a rift between her and her family.
"Basically yes. How much is it going to take?" Phillip said as he pulled out his cheque book and stared boldly at him.
"Keep your money. I'll leave," Xander said as he walked away from Mr. Chase quickly and left Cordelia's house through the living room, avoiding Cordelia and Madolyn's surprised gazes.
"Xander?? Where are you going? What's wrong?" Cordelia called out to him, but Xander didn't hear her. He was too far down the driveway and before she made it to the street, Xander was already driving away.
"What did you say to him, Phillip?" Madolyn asked her husband as Cordelia just stared at the space where Xander's car was parked.
"I just told the truth. That people like him don't consort with people like us," Phillip said without a trace of guilt.
"How could you do that?" Cordelia told her father with tears in her eyes.
"Cordelia, I'm your father and it's my job to provide you with a great life and to weed out the undesirables," Phillip said honestly.
"You have no right to tell me who to date and who not to. Xander is a great guy and if you knew him you wouldn't be saying these horrible things about him," Cordy told her father in anger.
"Don't talk to me like that. I know the story about his parents. They're the worst kind of scum and if Xander comes from that background, I don't want you anywhere near him" Phillip said as he looked towards his wife for support. He didn't get any, all he got was another angry face.
"I cannot believe you did that Phillip. He seems like a nice person, nothing like his parents and it isn't fair for you to judge him based on that alone," Madolyn told him.
"But..."
"No buts, you've probably scared him away from Cordelia now, do you realize that?" his wife said, telling him off.
"I'm going to go find him" Cordelia said as she ran to her car and started the engine. Her father could only watch in shock and surprise as his youngest daughter drove away, looking for the man she loved.
Xander laid down some flowers on his friend's grave.
"Hi Jesse. I'm sorry I haven't been here lately. I don't know if Willow's been coming here or not, but if she isn't I'm sorry for that too. I wish you were here right now. I could use a good kick in the head," Xander said, chuckling lightly.
"I feel like I stabbed you in the back with the whole Cordelia thing. I knew you had that crush on her that was anything but cute. I promise that I didn't have these feelings for her then, but I can't apologise for my changed feelings now. Who'd have thought that she'd ever be with guys like us, huh?" Xander said as he brushed off the dead leaves that were resting on Jesse's headstone. "Her father hates me, Jess. But I can't break up with her, no matter how many cheques he writes out. It would kill me to break up with her."
"Xander?" A voice called out from behind him.
Xander turned around and spotted Cordelia walking toward him. He turned back to Jesse's grave as he listened to the sound of Cordelia's footsteps getting closer to him.
"You left without saying goodbye," Cordelia joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'm sorry Cor, but I couldn't be near your Dad any more than I already have been. He really doesn't like me," Xander said as he stared at the fresh flowers on Jesse's grave.
"It's only because he thinks you're just like your parents. Which isn't true," Cordelia said to him. She noticed who's grave she was standing next to and it made her feel guilty.
"I can't believe how cold I was to him," Cordelia said about Jesse.
Xander smiled and shook his head. "You were a different person back then. Seems like a hundred years ago."
"Any regrets?" Cordelia asked him.
"No regrets" Xander said as he fingered the necklace she gave him on their anniversary.
"I'm sorry about my father. He can be such a bastard sometimes," Cordelia said looking at him.
"I was tempted to just come out and tell him how 'well to do' I am, but I didn't. I didn't because I knew then that he'd only like me for how much I'm worth. And all those problems with my parents would go out the window," Xander said bluntly.
Cordelia looked at him in shock. "Did he mention your parents?"
"Yeah. I kinda knew he'd bring it up. 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,'" Xander said, mimicking what her father said to him.
"I'm so sorry he said those things," Cordelia said sadly.
"I've been thinking that maybe he might be right. Who knows? I could turn out like my father. I could be an exact clone of my Dad when I have kids. If it's in the genes, there's no escaping it," Xander said with a worried look on his face.
"You can't think like that. You won't turn out like your father, because you're your own man. And anybody that says differently has got to be a loser" Cordelia said, trying to cheer him up.
"I don't want to be like him," Xander told her, shaking his head.
Cordelia looked at him. "So what are you saying? You want to break up?"
Xander laughed and looked at her. "I'd rather be castrated before doing something that stupid, Cor."
"Sundown is coming along pretty fast. I think we better get going," Cordelia said smiling. Once again the realities of being in a Sunnydale Cemetery came crashing down around them. Xander and Cordelia left Jesse's grave and practically bumped into Amy Madison and her Goth friend, Michael.
"What are you guys doing here?" Michael asked them as he and Amy traded looks.
"Just visiting Jesse. You?" Xander asked the pair.
"My mom. My dad had a grave made for her, even though there's no body. For obvious reasons," Amy said with a grimace.
"What reasons are those?" Cordelia asked her.
"I'll tell you later, Cor," Xander promised his girlfriend.
"Well, I guess we'll see you at school then," Amy told them.
Amy and Michael held hands and walked towards a car that was parked in the cemetery's parking lot.
"They're dating? Since when?" Cordelia asked out of surprise.
"Oz told me they've been dating for a week and a half now. Devon tried to crack on Amy and Michael told him off. Oz said it was quite a scene," Xander said chuckling.
They made it to their cars and Cordelia kissed him.
"What made you want to visit Jesse anyway? I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just a bit on the weird side. Especially after what happened with my Dad," Cordelia finished with disgust.
"Well, do you remember that little girl that was lost on the beach last week?" Xander asked her. Cordelia nodded as she remembered.
"When I heard her name was Jesse, it kind of made me think of him. I shouldn't need to be reminded, I should know that he was a friend of mine and that he's dead now," Xander said with sadness.
"Are you going to be ok?" Cordelia asked him.
"Yeah, I'll be alright," Xander said as he kissed her and they said their goodbyes. They got into their cars and drove away from the cemetery, to their own homes.
Buffy and Willow were sitting outside on their lunch break talking when Willow decided to tell her about what happened Sunday.
"You did what???" Buffy asked with incredulity.
"I kissed him, okay? And it was amazing," Willow said dreamily.
Buffy simply stared at her friend as the blonde teenager realized the consequences of Willow's actions.
"What happened then?" She asked out of curiosity.
"Xander got mad and kicked me out of the house. But who knows? Maybe he took time to cool off and think about he and I as a couple," Willow said matter of factly.
"What about Oz? And Cordelia? Not to mention Xander doesn't have those feelings for you that Oz does. I can't believe that you'd jeopardise your relationship with Oz just on the off chance that Xander will like you. Which is remote, because we both know how tight Xander and Cordelia are." Buffy said, trying to drill some sense into her.
"I love Oz, I know I do. But Xander has always been there. He's special to me and guys like him come along only once in a lifetime. I'm not going to let him go without one hell of a fight," Willow said defiantly.
"My sentiments exactly," Cordelia said from behind them. She startled Buffy and Willow as they turned around to look at her.
"Well, look who's here," Willow said, a little annoyed at seeing the brunette.
"We need to talk Willow, now," Cordelia told her.
Buffy stood up. "Maybe I should leave you two alone."
Willow shook her head. "No Buffy don't leave. You should hear this too." Buffy sat down with a defeated look on her face as Willow stood up and faced Xander's girlfriend.
"I don't feel that I have to justify myself to you," Willow said to Cordelia.
Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Oh no? How about the whole 'making the moves on my boyfriend' thing? Lets get something straight here, Willow. Xander and I are a couple, you and Oz are a couple. Let's leave it at that shall we?"
"Now you listen to me, Cordelia," Willow said her name in distaste, "I have known Xander a hell of a lot longer than you, and I know what he needs. He needs ME more than he needs you."
Cordelia and Buffy looked shocked as Willow expressed her true feelings to the pair of them. Although Cordy wasn't as surprised as Buffy was in hearing them.
"I don't believe this. You are insane. You're willing to destroy the good thing that you have with Oz to be with someone that doesn't love you in that way? You need help," Cordelia told Willow straight.
"You're the one that needs help, Cor. When Xander realizes what he truly needs you'll be left out in the cold, and that will be truly sad." Willow told her.
"Willow, maybe you should stop talking," Buffy suggested.
Cordelia walked over to Willow and they stood face to face.
"I'd listen to your ONLY friend if I were you, Will," Cordelia advised her.
That's all it took for Willow to slap Cordelia hard in the face. Cordy held her burning cheek as she grinned at Willow. Willow didn't see the punch coming as Cordelia hit her in the face, just as hard sending her to the ground in a heap. Students that were walking back and forth saw the fight and stopped to watch as Cordelia and Willow started to pummel each other. The students watched and cheered them on. Jenny Calendar saw the fighting and ran towards the two teenaged girls and separated them.
"What the hell is going on here???" Miss Calendar yelled at the both of them.
"Cordelia is the one that started this whole thing. She doesn't realize that Xander secretly wants to be with me," Willow told the computer teacher.
"Willow!!!" Buffy said in absolute shock at her best friend.
The crowd started to break apart when Principal Snyder appeared and saw Buffy, Willow, Cordelia and Miss Calendar.
"I know you started this Summers," Snyder told the blonde teenager.
"She didn't do anything of the sort. It was these two," Jenny said as she pointed to Willow and Cordelia. Snyder shook his head in frustration.
"I'll catch you out someday, Summers. You can count on it," Snyder threatened her as he walked away. Buffy pulled a face as he walked back to his office in defeat.
"Willow, come with me. Cordelia, we'll talk later" Jenny said as she and Willow left the schoolyard and went inside the school. Cordelia looked at Buffy and shook her head. "Now you know what she's really like," Cordy said as she walked away from Buffy. She met up with Harmony, Chris Epps and her other friends Cordette, Aura, Aphrodesia, Kate. Ever since the trouble Chris had gotten into with his former friend Eric, he had come out of his shell.
"What the hell happened?" Chris asked her.
"Nothing really. Let's go," Cordelia said as she and the others headed for the school gymnasium.
"It didn't look like nothing. It looked like you finally gave that tweako a talking to," Aura said while the others agreed.
"It's my business. Just forget about it, ok?" Cordelia said to the group.
Oz and Devon walked to the rec room in the high school. They were about to put away the equipment they used for their band practice, when Larry stopped them from entering. Devon sidestepped him and walked into the rec room while Larry started to talk to Oz.
"Hey, guess what just happened," he said to the both of them.
"It depends. Do I know what happened?" Oz quizzed him back.
"Nothing really. Just a huge fight between Cordelia Chase and your girlfriend. It got pretty fierce. If I wasn't gay I would have gotten severely turned on from it. I'm a bit surprised that Buffy didn't break them up before Miss Calendar did." Larry told them. Oz was surprised at the fact that Willow would fight anyone, let alone Cordelia.
"Why? What happened?" Devon asked the jock.
"Not sure, but if you ask me, I think it has something to do with a certain Mr. Harris," Larry said to them as he walked away.
"Yeah, if I know Cordelia she gets pretty threatened if there's another girl involved in the relationship. Trust me," Devon told Oz as Oz stared off into space.
'Damn Xander, she's always thinking of him' Oz thought to himself as he walked away from a bewildered Devon.
Oz finally found Buffy in the library. She gave him a look of guilt as he walked up to her.
"Hey, Buffy. Have you seen Willow?" Oz asked her.
"Uhh, no not really," Buffy struggled to answer.
Oz stood still and stared at her. "I know about the fight. Larry told me."
Buffy looked at the floor. She knew that Willow will have a lot of explaining to do.
"Would you tell me what happened?"
"How do you know I was there?"
"Again, Larry."
"Oh"
"Well?"
Buffy looked up at Oz and decided to tell him what he needed to know. "Willow and Cordelia were fighting over Xander because Willow kissed him and..." Buffy didn't get to finish her sentence because Oz took off in search of Xander.
Xander walked towards his locker to get out his chemistry book when someone pushed him lightly into the lockers. He looked at the person and saw that it was Oz who had shoved him.
"Oz, what the hell are you doing?" Xander asked him.
"You must feel real good right now, don't you?" Oz said to him angrily.
Xander shook his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Willow. Cordelia isn't enough, you have to have Willow too!!" he yelled at him.
Finally it dawned on Xander that Oz must have found out about what Willow did on Sunday. He didn't get a chance to explain as Oz hit him, sending Xander crashing against the lockers. Xander moved away from the lockers and hit Oz hard sending them both sprawling to the floor in a violent rumble. A crowd similar to the one that watched Cordelia and Willow fight watched and cheered Xander and Oz on as well. Although instead of Ms. Calendar breaking up the fight, it was Devon who stopped them.
"Oz stop it!! You've already repeated a year, do you want to get expelled too?? No one is worth this, do you hear me?" Devon yelled at him, hoping to make Oz see sense.
"Hey Oz," Xander called out to him. Oz looked at Xander as he fixed his shirt before talking again.
"I let you hit me on Valentine's Day because at the time I believed I deserved it. But if you so much as touch me again, not even Devon would be able to stop me," Xander warned him as he turned and walked through the crowd of students.
Devon watched Xander walk away also and then turned back to his friend to see Oz straighten his clothes and stop the blood that oozed from his split lip. "Are you alright?" Devon asked him. Oz shook off his friend's hand and nodded.
"I'm fine. Let's go," Oz said as he and Devon walked away from the scene.
"Care to explain what possessed you to fight with Cordelia?" Ms. Calendar asked Willow as they sat down in the empty teacher's lounge.
"It's not like I'm the only one that threw a punch. Cordelia hit me too you know," Willow said in defence.
"Yes, but right now I'm talking to you. So tell me what this has to do with Xander," Jenny pressed.
"Cordelia found out that I made a move on Xander on Sunday and we got into a fight. Simple as that," Willow said with a shrug.
Jenny shook her head in incredulity.
"You know, you should be glad that Principal Snyder is so hard pressed to find something on Buffy or else you and Cordelia would most likely be suspended from school. Or worse. Something like this would show up on your permanent records, Willow," Ms. Calendar told her.
"You think I don't realize that? I had to do something. She thinks she's so good because she somehow managed to take Xander from me. Well, two can play at that game," Willow said angrily.
"Do you hear yourself? You sound like a madwoman. Maybe I should let your parents know about this, let them deal with this on their own," Jenny said as she reached for the phone. Willow stopped her.
"No, don't do that. Look, I promise that I won't let her get to me anymore, ok? I don't want my parents to get involved," Willow said with worry.
Jenny moved away from the phone and stared at Willow before giving her an answer.
"If I find out about anymore fights and trust me there are ways I can find out, I'll be forced to tell them. Do you understand?" Jenny said, trying to get the point across to Willow who meekly nodded. The school bell rang, signalling that lunchtime was over.
"Okay, you can go."
"Yes, Miss Calendar," Willow said as she stood up and left the teacher's lounge, just as Mrs. Jackson the History teacher, walked into the room.
"Hi Jenny," Mrs. Jackson greeted her.
"Hey Barbara."
Buffy and Xander were walking home talking about what happened today and Buffy felt guilty once more.
"I'm real sorry about Oz, Xander. I should have known that he'd punch you," Buffy said guiltily.
"Think nothing of it, Buff. I got more hits in than he did. And if Devon didn't stop us, I would have gotten in some more," Xander said in anger about what happened.
"What did Cordelia say when she found out?" she asked him.
Xander shrugged his shoulders and looked at her. "I don't know. I haven't seen her all day. In fact I haven't seen her since Sunday evening."
Buffy was surprised at that. "What? Did you two have a fight over Willow as well?"
Xander laughed at that comment.
"God no. I had a lot of work to catch up on yesterday and besides, after the altercation with Cordy's father, I figured I'd give her some breathing space."
"What happened with her father?" Buffy asked, now curious.
"Well apparently he doesn't like me. He thinks I'm a degenerate like my parents and if I continue to be with Cordy, I'll end up abusing her like my parents do to each other," Xander said sadly.
"What a nerve. I'm guessing he doesn't know that you're not financially challenged."
"You're guessing right," Xander said, nodding.
Buffy nodded in understanding. "So you're saying that if he knew that you're rich he would greet you with open arms?"
Xander nodded again.
"Well, that's unfortunate. What about her mom?"
"Cordy's mother is alright. She's a nice person. It's a shame Cordy's father doesn't have the same attitude," Xander said to his friend.
"I heard from Willow that Ms. Calendar only gave her a warning. If she does it again, she'll most likely be suspended. So I wouldn't count on a Round Two," Buffy told him.
"I'd prefer to forget today and that damn kiss. Willow has relationship issues and I'm the unfortunate person to get caught up in it. How can I be friends with her after what she's done?" Xander asked her.
Buffy shook her head as she couldn't think of an answer.
"I'm sure that Willow will sort out the problems on her own or with Oz. I still can't believe it got as bad as it did today. The things Willow said to Cordelia were pretty shocking. Let's just say that I've had my 'Melrose Place' fill," Buffy said with a small smile.
Xander shook his head as he tried to imagine the scene that had transpired between Cordelia and Willow.
"Well, I'll call Cordy tonight and find out what happened," Xander said as he and Buffy parted ways on the way to their homes.
"Cheerleading practice AND gymnastics in one day. I'm dead tired," Aphrodesia exclaimed as she sat down on the bench in the girl's change room.
Cordette agreed with a laugh. "I know. I thought Coach Foster was trying to kill us with all that training. Someone please explain to me why on earth are we training for the Sydney Olympics? It's not like we're going to get to go there"
"I think it's just an excuse for Foster to stare at us while we're doing the cartwheels. I hear that she's a lesbian," Kate told them, giggling.
Harmony cracked up. "Why? Because of the chest hair ick factor? I'm not too sure. I caught her practically drooling over Coach Marin. You know, the guy who was arrested for putting steroids in the steam room for the boy's swim team?"
"The same coach that was molested in the sewers?"
"That's the one," Harmony said with a smirk.
Cordelia came into the change room and the other girl's in the changing room suddenly stopped talking as they watched her get her normal clothes out of her locker.
"Don't stop talking on my account, guys," Cordelia said without looking at them as she got dressed.
"Are you going to give us the scoop about the whole fight with Rosenberg or what? I thought you told me that fighting is stupid and pointless," Harmony asked her.
"Look, as I said before I don't want to talk about it. So how are things with Chris?" Cordelia said, changing the subject.
"Chris is great. If only Callie would leave us alone. I'm a little worried about Chris though. He doesn't seem to be telling her to go jump. It's not a good sign," Harmony revealed to her friends.
"Well, Chris and Callie HAVE been together for a while now. It must be hard to separate after all their history," Aura spoke up.
"Hello??? Just whose friend are you?" Harmony asked her, heatedly.
"Chris and Callie have only been together for half a year now," Kate reminded Aura.
Aura nodded. "As I said, they have a lot of history."
Cordelia listened to them gossip and if she stuck around any longer, she would have listened to all the latest information on almost every student in their school. So as soon as she got changed she got up and left the changing room, on her way home to call Xander.
Cordelia walked into her house and met her mother who was watching television in the lounge room.
"Hey, honey. How was school?" her mother asked her.
Cordelia dropped her books into an empty lounge chair and shrugged. "School's school."
Madolyn looked away from the television and watched her youngest daughter carefully. "Did you get a chance to speak to Xander?"
"No. No I didn't. We've both been busy today and I guess it was impossible," Cordelia said as an excuse.
"Maybe he let what your father said get to him. I think you should call him and find out," Madolyn urged.
Cordelia picked up her school books and nodded. "That's what I plan to do. Right now."
Cordelia left the lounge room and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She closed her door and got changed into her more casual clothes. She stared at the phone for awhile before picking up the receiver and dialling Xander's phone number. The phone rang for a couple of minutes before Xander picked up the phone.
"Hello?" she heard him ask through the phone.
"Xander, it's me."
"Oh, hey Cordy. How's things?"
"Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No, not at all," Cordelia heard him say, just before she heard a toilet flush. She grinned to herself in embarrasment as Xander spoke next.
"So, did you get up to anything today?"
"What do you mean, Xan?"
"Oh, nothing really. Just thought I'd ask if you had any big fights lately. I heard that you bit off Willow's ear."
Cordelia laughed at hearing that. "Where did you hear that?"
"Well, you know rumors. They tend to get a little wild the longer they last," Xander said.
"Well, it was more like a slapfest if anything, and it's something I regret doing. God, I told Harmony that getting into 'punch ups' was a stupid thing and now here I am doing it."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I had a fight with Oz today as well."
"What?"
"I had a fight with Oz. He found out and automatically assumed that I was the one that started it. Anyway, Devon showed up and broke us up, but it drew the crowds. I didn't get caught though."
"That's a shame. Because I did. I bumped into Ms Calendar on my way home. She gave me a warning about damaging my school record and said if it happened again, she won't be there to protect me. Apparently she said the same thing to Willow," Cordelia said, sighing.
"How did everyone find out? I only told you."
"I overheard Willow telling Buffy about what happened on Saturday and I called her on it. I didn't mean to say anything Xander, I just got pissed off because she was sitting there with a cheery voice telling Buffy about how she scored."
"You're the only one for me, Cordelia. You should know that by now."
"I do know that. Hey, guess what I'm doing."
"Um, you're talking to me in a black negligee?"
"God, Xander. Is that all you can come up with?" Cordelia said, laughing.
"My parents are right downstairs and I don't want them to hear me say anything 'R rated'. If you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I can imagine. Have they done anything today?"
"No, nothing. But the day is still young." Cordelia heard plates smash and the yelling start. The sounds were muffled even more when she realized that Xander must have closed his bedroom door.
"Guess I spoke too soon, huh?" Cordelia said, sympathetically.
"Don't worry about it, babe."
"I can't help it. I just have to ask this, have you been avoiding me?"
Cordelia heard nothing but breathing on the other end of the phone, which told her more than any words can say.
"Yeah, I guess."
"It's not because of my father is it? Because he's wrong."
"It was partly about your dad. I just didn't want to be the wedge in the relationship you have with him. That and the thought of turning into my father, kinda makes me want to run screaming to the hills."
"You're nothing like your father. Anyone can see that. It hurts me to be apart from you."
"I know. I've been feeling the same."
"So why don't we do something about it?"
"Like?"
"Well, how about a movie? There's a new horror movie I just know you are dying to go see and there's also that 'American Werewolf' movie that I've been wanting to see," Cordelia said to him, smiling.
"Okay, what time?"
"Well, how about Saturday night?"
"Okay. That'd be great, Cor."
"I'll talk to you tomorrow?"
"Yeah of course. Oh guess what?"
"What?"
"Willow stopped by ten minutes ago."
"What did she want?" Cordelia asked, her voice caught in her throat.
"She told me that she can't see me anymore because she has things to work out with Oz. Apparently they must have had a huge fight too."
Cordelia was shocked at Willow's delusional attitude about Xander.
"I can't believe she said that to you."
"Well, believe it. Anyway, I don't think she'll be a problem anymore. Oz is keeping her on a tight leash."
"Good. It gets her out of our hair."
"Yeah. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yep. I love you, Xander."
"I love you too, hon. Bye."
Cordelia put the phone back into its cradle and stared out of her window. The mere fact that her father and Willow have been causing problems in their relationship gave her unwanted shivers. The problem with her father was a case of a misunderstanding on her father's part. She knew, along with her mother that Xander is nothing like his parents, but Phillip Chase wasn't too sure. It was only a matter of time before he too believed the truth. Willow had been a constant thorn in Xander's and her side. Always there and ready to catch any falling pieces of their relationship like a vulture swarming over a soon to be dead creature. She had a long wait. Xander and Cordelia had that everlasting love that was only read about in fairy tales. She knew in her heart that Willow could in no possible way, pose a threat.
Xander parked the car in the street outside Cordelia's house. He winced at the possibility of meeting her father again. The memory of the last time they met was still fresh on his mind. He swallowed his pride and concentrated on trying to give Cordelia a good time. Xander walked to the front door and pressed the doorbell, half wanting to jump into the car and drive away and the other half wanting to take his girlfriend out on a date. The other half won.
The door opened revealing Mr. Chase standing next to the open door. They both exchanged silent, nervous looks.
"Why don't you wait inside? It's pretty cold out there tonight" Phillip suggested. Xander nodded and stepped inside the house.
"Thanks" Xander said awkwardly as Cordelia's father closed the door.
"I want to apologise for what I said on Sunday. It wasn't fair for me to judge you for what type of people your parents are." Phillip told him.
"Thanks. I do my best to not follow in my father's footsteps. The last thing I want is to hurt your daughter. I love her." Xander declared.
"I know, son. What movies are you going to see tonight?" Mr. Chase asked him.
"Deep Rising and An American Werewolf in Paris" Xander answered.
"Yeah, Cordelia loves those horror movies. But violence in real life turns her stomach." Her father said, smiling.
"We both like horror movies. Cordelia's been dying to see the American Werewolf movie for some time now." Xander informed him.
Cordelia came down the stairs wearing a beautiful black dress. She never failed to dazzle Xander as she practically glided down the stairs with a grin.
"Are you ready?" Cordelia asked him as he nodded with a grin.
"You kids have fun tonight, okay? And try not to come home too late." Phillip asked his daughter as he was joined by Mrs. Chase.
"I'll try not to. Bye" Cordelia said, waving goodbye to them.
"Bye sweety" Madolyn called out as she and her husband walked back into their house and closed the door. Cordelia and Xander walked towards Xander's car, while holding hands.
"Your father's certainly changed his tune about me." Xander commented.
"I think it had something to do with the fact that my mother had him sleep on the couch, that night. That and that he finally took my word for it." Cordelia grinned at him.
Xander kissed her on the lips tenderly before he opened the passenger door for her.
"God, you're such a gentleman Xander" Cordelia exclaimed as she got in the car. "I'm always like this, Cor. So you're going to have to get used to it, princess." Xander kissed her one more time before he closed the car door and got in from the driver's side. Xander put on his seatbelt and started up his car, pulling away from Cordelia's house and on their way to the Movie Theatre.
They parked their car in the parking garage next to the Sunnydale Movie Theatre on State Street. As they were walking towards the theatre, they were stopped by someone they had hoped never to see again. Tackle, one of the College students from the fraternity, Delta Kappa Zappa that they went up against last year.
"Well, look who it is." Cordelia and Xander said at the same time. Tackle looked at them and squinted, as if to recognise them. He did.
"Well, if it isn't 'Pretty Boy'." Tackle said as he saw Xander.
"Pretty Boy?" Cordelia asked her boyfriend. Xander looked at the drunken, former college student and then turned to Cordelia.
"This numbskull and his moronic friends forced me to wear a blonde wig, skirt and a bra. Needless to say, I had huge fun smashing this dork's head in afterwards." Xander said angrily as he stared at the drunken jock.
"Yeah, you did look pretty sweet to me." Tackle said to him.
"So, what are you doing out of prison? Shouldn't you be with your loser buddies, Tom, Richard and Linebacker 'assuming the position' in the main shower room? I hear they like pretty boys like you four." Xander emphasised, sneering at him as Cordelia chuckled at the thought of the four of those former college students getting abused in that way in prison. After what they tried to do to Cordelia, Buffy and Callie, not to mention all the other people before them, it's the least they deserved. They should have been executed for what they did.
"What can I say? I got out on good behaviour. Well, that and my dad's a lawyer. And the shower thing is none of your business." Tackle said, teary eyed. As the once popular college student walked away he wore a sad, victimised expression on his chubby face.
"What a loser," Xander said mostly to himself as he and Cordelia watched Tackle walk away in the night. "I guess Crestwood College did NOTHING for you idiots!"
"Come on. Let's go inside or we'll miss the first movie. He's not worth ruining the night over." Cordelia told him as she linked her arm around his, and walked inside the theatre complex.
They walked up to the ticket counter and saw that the person behind the counter was someone they both knew from school. Theresa Klusmeyer.
"Hey, guys. I didn't think I'd bump into anyone I know on my first day." Theresa smiled at them. Cordelia grinned back at the blonde teenager as she looked at the times that the movies are on.
"Could we have two tickets for the 6:30 showing of "Deep Rising", please?" Cordelia asked her.
"Yeah sure." Theresa told them while she typed up the tickets for the movie. She handed the tickets over to Cordelia and Xander, and Xander gave her the money. "We'll be back in two hours for the next one." Xander warned her, smiling as he and Cordelia walked over to Room #4, where "Deep Rising" is playing the
"You go inside and save a seat for me. I'll get the drinks."
Xander was about to answer but Cordelia cut him off.
"Hey, we had a deal remember? You buy the tickets for one movie and I'll get the drinks. Then you'll buy the drinks for the next one and I'll buy the tickets for the second movie." Cordelia reminded him.
Xander smiled at her and walked to Room #4, where he met the teenager taking tickets for that movie, Mitch.
"Thanks. Enjoy the movie" Mitch finished coldly. Xander gave him an odd look and then went inside the little room and walked up the small flight of stairs.
"I'd like two large Coca Cola's please." Cordelia told the girl behind the counter. The girl looked up at Cordelia and grinned.
"Laura?" Cordelia recognised the girl who was making the drinks.
"Hey. Cordelia, long time no see." Laura said to her as she gave her the drinks. Cordelia gave her the money while she was still in surprise.
"Where've you been?" Cordy asked her.
"Well, since I was attacked in the school boiler room by that big, scary guy I moved over to Fondren High. It's good. I can finally smoke in peace." Laura smiled at her.
Cordelia nodded and took the drinks after she paid for them. "Well, I'll see you around. Bye." She told Laura before walking over to Room #4. She immediately recognised the boy who was collecting the tickets and who had been a bit cold to Xander a couple of minutes ago.
"Mitch. I didn't think you wanted to work here." Cordelia asked him.
"Well, I needed the money. My parents threatened to cut me off the trust fund if I didn't do something. You here with Harris?" Mitch asked, a little curious.
"Yes, I am. We have been together for over a year now." Cordelia said in defence.
"That's longer than us." Mitch said shyly.
"Let's not go there, okay? You were the one who was seeing Aura behind my back. It's your own damn fault I dumped your sorry ass." Cordelia said in anger.
"What's he got that I don't?" Mitch asked her.
"Class."
Xander saw Cordelia after she walked up the stairs, and stood up and waved her over to where he was sitting. He had picked a perfect spot at the back row, where they could see the movie without craning their necks in discomfort. Apart from them, the only other people in the theatre was an old couple who for some reason, wanted to see a horror movie about killer sea creatures.
"Any problems?" Xander asked as she sat down next to him.
"No not really. You know the guy at the door that you gave your ticket to?"
"Yeah. What about him?"
"That was Mitch. We used to go out. Remember, he was the guy that Marcie Ross attacked with a bat?" Cordelia reminded him.
Xander's eyes widened in recognition. "I thought I knew him. Geez, does everyone from our school work here? I guess it explains why he was a bit harsh to me when I gave him my ticket."
"He was harsh? What did he say?"
Xander shook his head. "It wasn't what he said, it was how he said it. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Did he say anything to you?"
"He asked me to get back with him."
"I thought he cheated on you with Aura? I hope you set him straight." Xander smiled at her, knowingly.
"You bet I did."
Their conversation was halted when the movie screen started showing previews for the other movies either coming out soon or were already showing. The first one was one of the newest horror movies, "Phantoms". They watched as the trailer showed the onscreen characters scream and run as an unseen force has taken over a town and possessed some government people in CDC uniforms. The trailer finished with a 'Now Showing' on the screen before fading away.
"That sounds like a good one." Cordelia remarked to him.
Xander shrugged his shoulders. "It was done by the same director that did Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Hellraiser: Bloodline. I'm not sure it's going to be good, but who am I to judge?"
The next trailer was for "Desperate Measures", the new Michael Keaton and Andy Garcia thriller. The trailer showed clips from the movie, such as Michael Keaton's character running loose in a hospital and Andy Garcia's character as a cop who is hunting him down for the safety of his sick boy. Just like before the trailer morphed into the 'Now Showing' notice before disappearing. The last trailer was for the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, "The Man In The Iron Mask" which had both Xander and Cordelia rolling their eyes in a way that spoke of boredom.
"He always does these types of roles. I mean I saw "Titanic" once, but I don't get why people flock to see the damn movie hundreds of times. What's so special about it?" Xander asked his girlfriend as he put his arm around her.
"Beats me. Does it look like I'm a DiCraprio fan?" Cordelia asked back with her wit, but also smiling to let him know that it wasn't a personal attack on Xander. Fortunately for the both of them, the trailer ended and the curtains parted even more as the "Deep Rising" movie began.
Xander and Cordelia sat with their eyes transfixed to the screen as they watched the movie.
Mulligan: Wh- Wh- Wh- Wh What are you saying that they aren't going to even start looking for this ship for another day or two?
Trillian: Yeah, a bit late by then folks
Pantucci: And we got creepy crawlies swarming all over the place killing us off, left and right. It puts us into a tight jam, don't you think?
Mulligan: I say we stay right here
Trillian: Are you insane?
Pantucci: No. No maybe he's right. There's plenty of food here. We can hold out until they rescue us.
Canton: They're right. This is the galley for the crew. It was supposed to be almost entirely airtight in case of fire. With these hatches closed, there's no way those things can get in here.
Hanover: You want to wind up in jail, Mulligan?
Mulligan: Better than up in the belly of one of those things.
Finnegan: I don't care what you do, but I'm gonna keep on going. It's our only chance
Mulligan: Back off. They're wiping us out one at a time. I say we make a stand. Right here, right now.
Pantucci: The whole damn ships infested, Finnegan. We're not going to make it back to the boat anyway.
Finnegan: I'm not staying down here and that's a fact. Now back off that hatch.
Mulligan: I'll do it. I'll do it. I swear to god, I'll kill you. I'm not mucking about here.
Pantucci: Woah, woah don't get hasty man.
Hanover: We're not staying here, Mulligan.
Mulligan: I say we are.
(pulls guns on each other)
Mulligan: Last stand, eh? We'll kick ass in ten names.
Hanover: You back off right now soldier before I put you down.
Finnegan: I once saw a guy put a fish in a bottle. And then he corked it and sealed it tight and threw it to a baby octopus. Now the octopus, he felt his way all around that bottle, and in less than two minutes he got the cork off and slid inside and ate the fish.
Pantucci: And the moral of this story is?
Trillian: We're the fish
Cordelia and Xander walked out of the movie after it was over, throwing the empty containers which once held Coca Cola, into the bin.
"I'm going to the ladies room. How about you?" Cordelia asked him.
"No, I'd rather not go to the ladies room if it's okay with you," Xander said, joking.
Cordelia grinned and hit him in the arm softly.
"I'm okay. I'm like a camel." Xander reassured her.
"Okay. Here's the money for the next movie. I'll be back."
"I'll get the tickets for the next one." Xander called out as she nodded to him before she went into the bathroom.
Xander walked over to the ticket counter and waited for Theresa to come to the desk. She showed up after a few seconds with a shy smile.
"Hey, Xander. Did you two like the movie?"
"Yeah, it was pretty good. Although they shouldn't push their luck with a sequel." Xander said, smiling. He looked at the times on the board and saw the earliest one for their next movie.
"Can I have two tickets for the 8:20 'An American Werewolf In Paris' please?" Xander asked her. Theresa typed up the details on the computer and she handed the tickets to Xander who gave her the money.
"I've seen this one already. You should like it. There's a scene where..." Theresa started, but was cut off by Xander.
"Don't ruin it for me. I like to go in fresh." Xander said, panicking slightly with a smile.
"Oh, okay. You two should like it though." Theresa said as she saw Cordelia come up to them.
"Thanks. We'll see you in school then?" Xander asked as Theresa nodded. Xander gave Cordelia her ticket as she headed to Cinema Room #8, where the movie was showing. Xander went to the Snack Bar, where Laura was still on shift.
"Two large cokes, please?" Xander asked her.
Xander walked up the stairs and found Cordelia who was sitting in the middle row. He gave her one of the drinks as he put his one in a cup holder near his chair.
"Theresa said this movie is pretty good." Xander said as he sat down next to her.
"I doubt it will be better than the first one." Cordelia said before the movie started.
Andy: Keep the change.
Waiter On Train: There is no change.
Andy: Uh, yeah well, keep it anyway.
Andy: Paris.
Chris: Beware.
Brad: Hey, hey watch it man. Allright, I have the score for Spain. Our leader with 125 daredevil points, yours truly. In second place with 95, Chris.
Chris: Woah, Woah, Woah hold on a sec. What about the sex points?
Brad: No, those are separate.
Chris: Since when? You can't keep on changing the rules.
Andy: Who said anything about sex points? Read your shirt, it says Daredevil Tour.
Chris: See that? She smiled at me.
Andy: In your dreams. She's not interested in douchebags like us. European babes are charming and sophisticated. Especially the French.
Brad: haha yeah, hence the hairy pits.
Andy: See what I mean?
Chris: I'll give you 20 sex points if you get as so much as her phone number.
Andy: She's not my type.
Brad: Oh, come on! You, you haven't made a move this entire trip, Andy.
Andy: I'm choosy.
Chris: When was the last time you had sex?
Brad: With another person?
Andy: There's sex and there's love. That's what differentiates humans from animals.
Chris: okay, fine then. When was the last time you were in love?
Andy: When were you ever in love?
Chris: That's something else, slick.
Brad: Give him a break Chris. You can't let him fall too far back.
Andy: I won't need your charity once we get to Paris. I'll show you guys a stunt you'll never top.
Xander took a sip of his Coke as they watched Andy, Chris and Brad climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. He then put his arm around Cordelia's shoulders, making her smile.
Chris: You're on, prince.
Serafine: Hello?
Andy: Serafine? Hi, uh, it's the guy who, um... I've got your shoe.
Andy: Hi I'm Andy. We met on the tower? This is Chris and Brad. And uh... Listen, this uh you uh would want this. It's not my size. haha.
Serafine: You're very kind. Now go please, you must not stay here.
Chris: Charming.
Brad: And sophisticated. Forget about it. Let's go, Andy.
Andy: Wait. Did you see what I saw?
Brad: What?
Andy: She had blood on her hands she's trying it again.
Brad: What? Just so we're on the same page, who's crazier here?
Serafine: Please go. Or there will be trouble.
Andy: Uh.
Andy: No Wait, wait. What did you do to your hand? Have you got blood on your hand? You're bleeding.
Serafine: No. Uh... just paint. I'm redecorating the cellar.
Andy: Oh. I thought uh...
Serafine: Please go now.
Andy: Wait, listen, hold it. We can help. We can have that done in no time. Right guys?
Serafine: No thanks. Thankyou.
Andy: Uh, Please look, I just want to talk.
Serafine: I don't think it's a good idea.
Andy: Please just once. If you let me in, I will never bother you again.
Serafine: Okay, how... tomorrow? 4 o'clock? In front of the Counsil hall?
Andy: You mean it?
Serafine: I promise. Now go please?
Brad: Excellent.
Andy: I did it.
Chris: You mean you almost blew it.
Brad: Take some advice from the experts. You got to play it cool Daddy-O.
Cordelia kissed Xander on the cheek as the movie played, making him smile. He leaned in closer to her as they watched Chris and Brad coach Andy on how to win over a French woman. Cordelia laughed when Chris stuffed a bunch of condoms into Andy's shirt pocket.
Amy: Hey you forgot your pants, Romeo. Amy, what have you gotten yourself into? I always meet the headcases. Who do I have to sleep with to get some decent guy into bed?
(ANDY slowly changes shape into a WEREWOLF, making the water splash around him)
(DETECTIVE BEN BLOU and his DOG are walking around the cemetary, looking for ANDY)
Amy: Maybe someone who'll notice my hair? Is that too much to ask? Huh?
Amy: Andy?
(AMY walks to the big fountain and screams as the WEREWOLF jumps out of the water and lands onto the ground, shaking the water out of its fur.)
Xander jumped as the werewolf jumped out of the fountain, causing Cordelia to raise her eyebrows in surprise.
"It's the speakers. The loud noise startled me." He tried to reason with her. They saw Amy run away from the werewolf as it started to chase after her. It ran to a mausoleum and...
The WEREWOLF smashes open the doors to the mausoleum and falls to it's paws. It sniffs around for AMY.
"Good special effects." Xander commented as the werewolf chased after Amy again. "I like the first one's effects. I hate CGI." Cordelia answered back.
Andy: Hey what's going on?
Inspector Leduc: McDermott, you're under arrest.
Andy: What for?
(lifts up flattened dead dog)
Inspector Leduc: The possibilities are limitless.
(CUTS to MORGUE)
Andy: Oh my god.
Inspector Leduc: That's not all. (nods to the coroner and he lifts the sheet on another victim)
Inspector Leduc: Detective Ben Bou. I had him follow you.
Andy: Is this some kind of sick joke?
(There's a knock on the door)
Inspector Leduc: Wait here a moment.
Phantom Amy: Thanks for a lovely evening, douchebag. You really know how to show a girl a good time, don't you?
Andy: No, no, no, no. You're dead.
Phantom Amy: No, I aint so lucky. I'm undead. And as your rotting sidekick, I am cursed to be a restless spirit until you die.
Phantom Brad: Not so fast.
(ANDY screams)
Phantom Brad: If you want my buddy dead scuzzball, you're going to have to wait. I need him first. He's no use to me as a corpse.
Phantom Amy: I spent four years on a stairmaster to get a package like this, you ripped through it like a lambchop.
Phantom Brad: Don't blame me Andy, I warned you.
Phantom Amy: Wait. You mean you knew this all along?
(punches ANDY and fist passes through his head)
Phantom Amy: oh!
Phantom Guy: Hey, keep it down out there. A guy can't rest in pieces around here.
(ANDY bangs head against wall)
Andy: I'm losing my fucking skull.
Phantom Brad: You got to put yourself together Andy. You've got to get out of here. The cops want to put you away for life.
"This is pretty good." Xander said as Cordelia shrugged. She was too into the movie to notice what Xander said. He simply smiled and drank some more Coke as the movie continued.
Andy: I didn't choose to become a werewolf. I can't face eating people the rest of my life.
Phantom Brad: You better get used to it.
Andy: Isn't there any way I can become human again?
Phantom Brad: Yeah, there is. But you're not gonna like it.
Andy: Tell me, how?
Phantom Brad: First, find the werewolf that bit you, then kill it, then eat out its heart.
Andy: What? But then that means... Serafine? huh, no way.
Cordelia and Xander walked out of the Cinema room, hand in hand. They were going to go home, when Laura stopped them.
"Did you hear what happened?" Laura asked them.
"No. We just saw a movie. Why? What's wrong?" Cordelia asked her.
"One of those college guys from Delta Kappa Zappa escaped from prison. It was the fat one." Laura said to them.
"I thought he got out because his father's a lawyer." Cordelia told her.
"Apparently not, I came back from my smoke break and saw three cops put him into the back of their cop car." Laura said breathlessly.
Xander shook his head, smiling. "Well, I guess Tackle didn't really like those group showers after all."
Laura and Cordelia laughed at Xander's comment. What those college students got up to, were now very well known amongst the townspeople of Sunnydale. They waved their goodbyes to Laura and then left the complex.
"Thanks for a lovely evening, Xander." Cordelia said as they got up to her front door.
"No problem. I had a great time too." Xander said to her.
"The girls in those movies were pretty hot, eh?" Cordelia asked, testing him.
"Oh yeah. Especially Famke Janssen. Whew" Xander said teasingly. He saw Cordelia squint her eyes at his comment and it made him laugh.
"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you weren't checking out Phil Buckman, every time he was onscreen." Xander smiled.
"So that type of thing is okay with you?"
"Yeah, course it is. It's just a harmless fantasy. Thing is, you're the reality and I'm definately not disappointed." Xander said as he kissed her gently, his hands lightly stroking her face. He let her go as he watched her open her front door.
"See you tomorrow." Xander told her before leaving.
Cordelia waved goodbye to him, as she went inside.
"Do you two kids want me to drop you off at school?" Joyce Summers asked her daughter and Xander as they looked up at her.
"Uh, no thanks Mom. It's kinda embarrassing when you get driven to school by one of your parental units," Buffy said as Joyce put a plate of toast on the kitchen table.
"Okay then. Have fun at school then, sweetie. Bye Xander."
"Bye, Mrs. Summers," Xander said, waving goodbye as Joyce left the house for work.
Xander looked at Buffy as he took back the tickets for the Ice Skating Rink. "If I wanted Cordelia's advice on whether she likes this or not, it won't be a surprise now will it? I came to you for advice because we're friends. And besides, it was either you or Willow and I don't fancy the looks she could give me."
"What looks?"
"The look of a very obsessed, love-struck woman."
"Well, it IS Valentine's Day soon. Shouldn't you be used to that by now?" Buffy joked with him.
"I don't know why I bothered coming here," Xander said getting up out of the chair.
Buffy looked at him and took a piece of toast her mother left on the table. "Why DID you come here so early in the day anyway? I could have told you this, a little later on."
Xander shook his head and looked at her. "Because I needed to know right now. I can't go through the whole day with this thing hanging over my head, I'll get stressed."
"Unlike now?"
Xander looked at the tickets and then back at Buffy. "So, you think she'll like them?"
"Yes, for the fifteenth time this morning, I think she'll be ecstatic about it," Buffy exclaimed, pushing him out the door before her.
Xander shook his head. "What's your idea of romance?"
"Open-shirted guys, pink roses and ice cream," Buffy told him as they headed towards Xander's car.
Buffy and Xander got out of Xander's car when he parked in one of the free spaces at Sunnydale High School. Xander looked at the old Volkswagen Beetle that was parked next to his car.
"Who in their right mind would drive around in something like that?" Xander asked Buffy.
"Miss Calendar. That's who," Buffy answered him. They were staring at the car when Blayne Mall walked by them.
"You lucky bastard," Blayne sneered, jealousy in his voice.
"Excuse me?" Xander asked him as he turned around to face Blayne. Buffy was at a loss for words as she wondered what brought this on.
"Well, you're dating Cordelia and sneaking around with Buffy. Smooth, very smooth," Blayne said as he looked Buffy up and down.
"Just because I drive Buffy to school sometimes, doesn't mean that there's anything going on. Did it ever occur to you that we are just friends?" Xander said, incredulously.
"Yeah, right," Blayne said, unbelievably.
"He's right, Blayne. He's not cheating on Cordelia. Not that it's any of your business, anyhow," Buffy said, defending her best friend. Blayne simply walked away to the main office, leaving Xander and Buffy to walk to a spare lunch table.
"Thanks for sticking up for me," Xander said as he sat down.
"No problem. Has Blayne always been sex-crazed?"
"Do you remember Miss French?" Xander asked her.
Buffy nodded at the memory of 'Miss French' the substitute teacher. She then remembered that Blayne was the other student that had been in the basement with Xander.
"So, Cordelia tells me that you two saw that werewolf sequel in December." Buffy said, changing the subject. Xander smiled at the thought of Cordelia and Buffy actually getting along without him being there.
"I can't believe it's taken you this long to mention that. That was ten months ago. Where've you been?" Xander asked her smiling.
"I do have a life of my own you know. I think that Oz and Willow are going to see 'An American Werewolf in Paris' as well," Buffy said, in a matter of fact tone.
"Oh, okay. Are those two back together? Or are they still arguing?" Xander asked her. Ever since Willow made a move on Xander and the subsequent punching match between her and Cordelia, Oz and Willow had been having problems. Even though it has been ten months since the incident, they were still going through the paces.
"They're kind of still arguing. I took Willow out on a girls only night thing last night. Actually we had to go with an adult, so Ms. Calendar came along. Willow got drunk somehow," Buffy said, sadly.
"Willow drunk? What the hell is wrong with her lately?" Xander asked, incredulously.
"It's your fault," Buffy accused him. Xander looked at her shocked. "My fault? How is it my fault?"
"Well, you're just so damn handsome. That's why Willow's so hung up on you. You stud, you," Buffy said, teasingly.
"Ha ha," Xander replied sarcastically.
Cordelia appeared from behind Xander, shushing Buffy to her presence. She snuck up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands.
"Guess who?" she asked him.
"Amy Yip?" Xander asked, knowing who it really was. He decided to play along.
"Guess again," Cordelia said in a throaty voice.
"Willow. I told you before, that I'm not interested. No matter how many times you flash me," Xander said with a teasing grin. Cordelia removed her hands from his eyes and looked accusingly at him. Xander laughed and turned around to face her.
"Oh c'mon Cordy. I knew it was you," Xander reassured her, smiling.
"Is that right?" Cordelia asked him back. Buffy snickered and felt like she was intruding on a private moment.
"Yep. I HAVE memorized your hands, you know," Xander told her as Cordelia sat down next to him.
"A fixation on insignificant detail is a definite crush sign," Buffy told the both of them.
"I think we're a little past the crush phase now, Buffy," Cordelia told their friend.
"We were talking about 'An American Werewolf In Paris' and 'Deep Rising' before you came along," Xander said to his girlfriend.
Cordelia remembered the movies they saw and also remembered who they bumped into that night.
"Guess who we bumped into that night anyway?" Cordelia asked Buffy. Xander looked towards the students playing football, while Cordelia told Buffy what happened with Tackle.
Buffy was surprised that he managed to get out of prison. "I can't believe he managed to escape. I thought they had tight security?"
"Obviously they didn't notice a fat guy jumping the fence," Cordelia said. Xander burst out laughing as he couldn't help but picture that scene in his head. "I thought it weird that they let him out," Xander said as looked away from the footballers. Xander looked at Cordelia and kissed her softly, Buffy looked away from them as embarrassment crept in. Xander felt Cordelia's lips mingle with his as they kissed.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Xander told her as he looked into her eyes.
"It's Valentine's Day? Wow, I forgot completely about it," Cordelia said jokingly.
"Well, okay it isn't Valentine's Day til Sunday, but I have a surprise that can't wait, hon," Xander said as he kissed her nose.
Buffy looked at the both of them and shook her head.
"Hey, hey. Me... Here, remember?" Buffy said. She was feeling like a third wheel. They separated and smiled guiltily back at Buffy. They both remembered that Buffy had been there the whole time, making them go red in the face.
"What are you doing for Valentine's Day?" Cordelia asked Buffy as she leant back on Xander. Buffy shrugged her shoulders as she thought it over.
"I don't know. Maybe Angel and I will have another nightly stroll through a cemetery or something," Buffy told the brunette.
"Wow, that sounds like such a blast. Was it you or him that came up with that idea?" Xander asked Buffy.
"What do you mean by that?" Buffy said, looking at him.
Xander shook his head and looked back at her. "I'm just saying that he doesn't really give you a good time does he? I mean, it's all angst and depression with you two. Where's the fun? The good times?"
"Well I guess it's all part of being a v..." Buffy cut herself off as she saw Principal Snyder appear from behind a tree near them with a smirk on his face.
"Well, well, well. Miss Summers spends her nights in a cemetery. My, won't your mother be pleased to hear about that," Snyder sneered at her as Cordelia and Xander looked at each other and then back at Buffy with sympathetic faces.
"I don't see how it's any of your business," Buffy retorted.
"Principal Flutie may have showed compassion for you kids, but I don't. That's what led to his death and I intend on retiring from this cesspool in a number of years," Snyder said as he looked from one student to the other. He then focused back on Buffy. "If I were you, I'd expect to greet a very angry mother when you get home."
He walked away from them, heading for the main building. Buffy hit the table out of anger, making Cordelia and Xander flinch.
"Woah. What did the table do to you?" Xander joked, trying to calm his friend down. It failed.
"I'm going to go see Giles in the library. See you in class in a couple of minutes?" Buffy asked, looking at Xander.
Xander nodded to her. "Yeah, okay. See ya." They were in their first class together.
Buffy left for the library, leaving Cordelia and Xander alone at the table. Cordy kissed him with passion, leaving Xander stunned.
"What was that for?" he asked, bewildered.
"I don't need a reason to kiss my hunk, do I?" Cordelia asked him.
"No. No you don't," Xander told her as he kissed her back. Cordelia pulled back and looked at him. "Where's my Valentine's Day present?"
Xander laughed softly and grinned at her. "I knew it was something."
"No, it's not that. I just remembered what you said about the surprise, that's all."
Xander pulled out the two tickets and gave them to her. He watched her expression change to that of surprise as she saw what she was holding in her hand.
"I had this planned months ago. I asked your parents permission to take you to New York. If you want to go, the plane takes off at 4:30 Sunday afternoon," Xander said with a grin. Cordelia screamed for joy and hugged Xander tightly.
"I'm guessing you like Ice Skating?" Xander asked her, smiling. Cordelia nodded. She was at a loss for words. He took advantage of her speechlessness by kissing her again.
"Okay class. Yesterday I assigned you homework. It is so nice to see that only a third of you has handed them in," Mr. Beech said, with mock surprise. Jack Mayhew, who was the class clown for their class stuck his hand up.
"Yes Mr. Mayhew, what is it now? Dog ate your homework? Your mother used it to line the floor of the kitty litter tray? Astound me with your imagination," Mr. Beech asked him flatly, while the class snickered.
"Well, Sir it's like this. I was doing my homework when this beautiful woman came to my house and wanted my help to fix her car. So, suffice to say I didn't get a chance to do it because I had my hands full, so to speak," Jack said smiling as his friends clapped him on the back in support. Xander looked at him and then to Buffy and smiled. They couldn't believe what a moron that guy was.
"I wouldn't worry about losing out for 'Class Clown' this year, Mr. Mayhew. You seem to be the only contender." Mr. Beech replied before sitting down at his desk. The students in the class applauded Mr. Beech's comeback as Jack nodded sarcastically, before shutting up.
Mr. Beech looked at the class after the laughing had slowly dropped, before continuing. "Miss Doyle. I assume you've done it."
Nancy Doyle looked up at him and nodded. "It's on your desk. I even did borders around it. I'm pretty sure no one else did borders," Nancy said, looking around competitively. Mr. Beech simply nodded and got out of his chair and went to the blackboard. He began to write on the board as Xander opened his Geography book and sighed. This was one of his worst subjects. Right next to Math and Chemistry. He looked over at Buffy and saw her staring out the window in boredom.
'At least I'm not alone in this' Xander thought to himself.
"Mr. Harris, what is the capital of China?" Mr. Beech asked him, interrupting his thoughts. Xander looked up in surprise at being caught out. He thought for a moment before answering.
"Peking?"
Mr. Beech sighed and shook his head in amazement. "Lucky guess."
Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Oz and Buffy walked into their English class with the other students and sat down. Buffy, Willow and Oz sat together while Xander and Cordelia sat at the back row, away from Willow and Oz. Xander and Cordelia were writing down what their English teacher Ms. Miller was writing on the blackboard. Today they were continuing their lessons by a play of William Shakespeare. A subject Cordelia knew a lot about.
"Okay people. Can someone describe the character of King Lear?" Ms. Miller asked her students. Hardly anyone put their hands up. Apart from Willow and Cordelia, no one else knew the answer to this question.
"Cordelia. Why don't you tell us," Ms. Miller said as the two teens put their hands down. Cordelia smiled at the teacher before answering.
"King Lear was basically an old man whose pride cost him everything in his life. The tragedy that happens in the play kills him. But even though his pride caused most of his problems, he had more working against him than he deserved," Cordelia told Ms. Miller informatively. Willow shook her head in her typical way as Oz and Buffy sighed at Willow's actions.
Ms. Miller was impressed by the answer, but she was also curious. "You didn't get the answers off of the Internet did you?"
Cordy shook her head and smiled. "My parents are huge King Lear fans. They actually named me and my sister Regan after King Lear's daughters. I was brought up on that play."
Ms. Miller looked surprised but Xander merely smiled. Cordelia had told him about her 'King Lear' heritage a while ago when he once discussed the origins of her name. The rest of the class seemed bored, apart from Buffy who didn't know this about her friend. Every other student however wanted Cordelia and Ms. Miller to continue talking about King Lear, so they didn't have to answer questions they didn't know the answers to.
"Wow. I can't believe it. I didn't even see the connection. Well, I guess you'll pass this part of the English exam with flying colors, Cordelia," Ms. Miller told her student before looking back at her notes.
"Thanks, Miss," Cordelia said, as Xander patted her shoulder for support. Ms. Miller looked at her notes on King Lear and saw a question she wanted to ask someone in the class, beside Cordelia.
"Can anyone tell me, besides Ms. Chase, who the Earl Of Gloucester is?" Ms. Miller asked her class. Willow was the only one who stuck her hand up, making the class look at her expectantly.
"Okay, Willow. Tell the class who the Earl Of Gloucester is." Ms. Miller quizzed the red head. Willow put her hand down and smiled.
"The Earl Of Gloucester is part of a parallel plot in the novel. He suffers a fate similar to that of King Lear and he also acts as irresponsible. He has two sons, Edgar and the bastard Edmund," Willow told the class. The students cracked up laughing when they heard Edmund being referred to as a bastard. Except for Cordelia, Oz and Willow who knew why Edmund is called that. Xander laughed because he had never read the play and was genuinely shocked to hear Willow describe a character like that in the class with the teacher present.
"People, people, people. Edmund is called a bastard because he was born out of wedlock," Ms. Miller told the class.
"Which explains our bud, Wendell over here," Jack O'Toole said as he kicked Wendell's seat. "Stop kicking my chair, moron," Wendell said, telling off the class bully. Jack raised his eyebrow and stood up out of his chair and walked over to him.
"What are you going to do? Sic your spiders onto me?" Jack dared him.
"Jack, sit down," Ms. Miller told the problem student. Jack merely looked at her and then went back to staring a hole into the side of Wendell's head. Buffy chose this time to intervene on the situation. "You heard her, Jack. Sit down."
Jack O'Toole turned around to face his opponent. When he realized it was Buffy Summers, he walked back to his seat and sat down. He gave Buffy a once over and went back to carving a jagged edge into his table with a pocket knife, with a scowl on his face. Xander chuckled softly as he, along with the rest of the class watched the scene unfold.
"What's that smell? Smells like something's dead," Devon commented, making Jack look up from his desk.
"It's not me," Jack said in defense with a worried look on his face.
"Nobody said it was you," Ms. Miller told the troubled student. Jack simply stood up and left the classroom without saying anything, leaving the students and teacher to shake their heads at his actions. It didn't take too long till they continued talking about the King Lear play, when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Ms. Miller called out. The door opened and the other English teacher, Ms. Murray walked in.
"Can I see you outside for a moment? It's about the roster." Ms. Murray asked their teacher. Ms. Miller nodded and motioned for Willow to take over the class while she is out of the classroom.
Xander stroked Cordelia's hand now that Ms. Miller was out of the classroom, making Cordelia smile from the caressing touches.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Xander told her as he fiddled with his necklace with his other hand. Cordelia kissed him on the cheek as she leant back in her chair.
"You told me that already," Cordy smiled. Xander nodded as she reminded him. "I know. I just like saying it."
"How long till the bell?" Cordelia asked him. Xander was about to say, when the bell rang, signaling the end of the class. The students picked up their books and started to leave when Ms. Miller rushed in and told them to read Chapter Five in their books. When Xander and Cordelia walked outside the classroom, they avoided Willow and Oz who had walked out behind them.
"Hey, guys," Buffy greeted Xander and Cordelia as she walked up behind them.
"Hey, Buffy," Cordelia said as they made it to their lockers. Cordelia put her English book inside and pulled out her Chemistry book for the next class. Xander came back with his Chemistry book as well and smiled at Buffy.
"You two still not talking to Willow and Oz?" Buffy asked them. Xander and Cordelia shook their heads negatively. "We don't want to add to their problems," Xander told her. Buffy nodded as she understood.
"Do you guys have Chemistry now?" Buffy asked them.
Xander held Cordelia in his arms and smiled. "We always have chemistry, Buff."
Cordelia giggled and swatted him in the arm playfully. "Don't be cheeky."
Buffy smiled, embarrassed. Cordelia noticed this almost immediately. "Yeah, Chemistry with Mrs. Taggart. You?" Cordy asked her.
Buffy groaned as she realized what she has next. "Oh boy. I've got P.E. now. I've got to get to the gym. See ya later," Buffy said before she ran off leaving Xander and Cordelia to walk to their Chemistry class.
Cordelia and Xander sat down in the classroom with the other students in the class, including Larry, Chris Epps and Blayne. Mrs. Taggart walked in and immediately started to write some Chemistry revisions on the blackboard as the rest of the class sat down. Blayne gave Xander a look of jealousy before facing the front of the class. Cordelia saw the exchange.
"What was that about?" Cordy asked him.
"Just Blayne being his stupid self. He thinks Buffy and I are having this affair because I drive her to school sometimes." Xander said, shaking his head in an unbelievable way. Cordelia smiled as she realized that it was Blayne just being Blayne.
"I hope that you have done your assignments. They're due in next week you know." Mrs. Taggart reminded them, making half the class groan.
"Larry!!!" a voice called out from outside the classroom window. Everyone got out of their chairs and ran to the window to see whom it was. Larry approached the window, slowly as he realized that it was his boyfriend Freddy Iverson. Freddy was the magazine editor for their school magazine, 'The Sunnydale Sentinel'. Xander and Cordelia grinned as they looked out the window and saw Freddy outside with a rose in his teeth, and a sign in his hands that read, 'Happy Valentine's Day Larry, Love Freddy.'
"Alright Larry," Some of the guys in the class said, clapping him on the back as Larry smiled, embarrassed.
"I love you Freddy!!!" Larry yelled out of the window as Freddy grinned and threw the sign to the ground, took the rose out of his mouth and ran up to the window. Larry leaned forward and kissed him. The teens in the class cheered them on as they watched Freddy and Larry kiss. Mrs. Taggart had to separate them, because they were disrupting the class and the classes around them.
"Class, get back into your seats right now!" Mrs. Taggart yelled out. She looked at Freddy and before she closed the window she told him that he should see Larry after class. Freddy waved goodbye to Larry, but before he left he threw the rose to him.
"See ya tonight, Lar," Freddy said as he walked away to his car in the parking lot.
"Okay, class. Put your eyes back on the board now. You can see him later, Larry," Mrs. Taggart told him as Larry nodded.
"I can't wait til Sunday. Can you?" Xander asked Cordelia. Cordelia nodded and smiled. "Nope."
"A private plane???" Cordelia asked Xander incredulously.
Xander nodded. "Yep. A private plane just for us. We'll save first class on a normal airplane for something else."
Cordelia grinned and hugged him, kissing him. "How did you like your present?" She asked him. This time it was Xander's turn to grin.
"I didn't think a DVD player was that cool. The sound and picture quality is great. Of course all those speakers did wonders too. I'll have to show you some movies on it sometime." Xander said as he held her hand in his and together, they walked towards the private plane. They climbed in and waited for the pilot to start the plane.
"I can't believe this. I'm seeing New York for the first time." Xander exclaimed. He only now realized that fact.
"I'm seeing it for the first time too, you know. We'll see it together." Cordelia told him. They kissed as soon as the plane started it's journey to the Big Apple.
Cordelia listened to the radio as she drove Xander and herself to Castle Park, one of the best amusement parks in California. Cordelia had been to Castle Park once before so she knew how good it was. But Xander hadn't, so she decided to drive him up there so they could spend the day there. Xander stared out the window as they drove to their destination. She smiled and turned the car radio volume higher, so that they could hear the song, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2, up close and personal.
I have climbed highest mountain I have run through the fields Only to be with you Only to be with you
I have run I have crawled I have scaled these city walls These city walls Only to be with you
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
I have kissed honey lips Felt the healing in her fingertips It burned like fire This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongue of angels I have held the hand of a devil It was warm in the night I was cold as a stone
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
I believe in the kingdom come Then all the colors will bleed into one Bleed into one Well yes I'm still running
You broke the bonds and you Loosed the chains Carried the cross Of my shame Of my shame You know I believed it
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for But I still haven't found what I'm looking for But I still haven't found what I'm looking for But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...
Xander put his hand on Cordelia's knee as they reached their destination. He smiled at her as they drove up to the parking lot area and gave the ticket man five dollars. The man pressed a button, making the gate open so they could drive through.
"See if you can find a spot," Cordelia asked him as Xander looked out through the car window.
"There's one," he said, pointing to a vacant space at the end of the row. Cordelia drove up to the space and parked the car. When they got out of the car, Cordelia put her car alarm on and they walked to the entrance of the park.
"Don't we have to pay?" Xander asked her as they walked into the ride park section. Cordy shook her head. "Only when we want to go on any rides. My parents used to take me and Regan here when we were little."
"Yeah, I know. You've told me that already hon," Xander said, smiling at her excitement. Nostalgia was a powerful thing. Overhead, screaming could be heard as a roller coaster went past them carrying teenagers and other people of different ages.
"Look who it is," Xander told Cordelia, pointing to a small boy.
She shook her head. "Who is it?"
"It's Billy Palmer. He's the kid that got put in the hospital because his coach beat him up. Remember?" Xander said, trying to jog her memory. Even though Cordelia wasn't there when that all happened, Buffy had told her about it. Cordelia nodded in recognition as Billy, another young boy his age and an old woman walked up to them.
"Hi Xander," Billy greeted him.
"Hey Billy. How's Baseball coming about? You got a better coach right?" Xander asked the boy.
"Yeah. She takes us all out for ice cream, even if we lose." Billy smiled. He pointed to his friend and introduced him as his cousin James.
"Hi," James nodded at the teenagers. Ever since that weird brunette lady started to talk to him in the park that night, James didn't talk to strangers.
"And this is Grandma French," Billy pointed to the old woman.
"Grandma French? Your first name wouldn't be Natalie would it?" Cordelia said jokingly as Xander chuckled.
"Why yes, it is. I can't believe that kids your age have heard about me. I stopped teaching over thirty years ago." Miss French told them. Xander was stunned at the revelation of a Miss French being around, still it was better than the alternative. Billy waved goodbye as he, James and their grandmother walked towards the bumper cars.
"I don't believe it. How freaky is that? I'll have to tell Buffy about this later," Xander said to Cordelia as they watched Billy and James run to a spare bumper car, while their grandmother stood outside in the shade and watched them.
"You want a drink? I'm buying." Cordelia offered. He nodded and they walked over to the Plaza Cafe. Cordelia bought a Diet Pepsi for herself and a Coca Cola for Xander. They went to an empty table in the park and sat down, letting the umbrella on the table stop the sunshine from falling on their heads. They sat there, drinking their drinks as they looked around at the flock of people walking the grounds.
"What do you want to do first?" Xander asked her as he finished his drink. Cordelia looked out into the crowd and at the different rides and other assortments that she could see, and shook her head.
"I'm not sure. Why don't we just look around? Maybe we'll find something." Cordelia told him, as she threw her empty can of drink into the nearest garbage bin, along with Xander's.
They walked down the pathway, passing through the crowd of people lining up for one of the main attractions and decided to see what it was about. They stood in the queue, as they saw a bunch of people walk out from the Exit area. Xander recognized the boy who walked out with the crowd. It was Ryan, one of the kids who got struck down with that life- threatening flu bug that went around last year.
"Hey, Ryan!" Xander called out, getting the kid's attention. Ryan walked over to them, sopping wet.
"Oh, hey. I didn't expect to see you here. Is Buffy here too?" Ryan asked as he shook the water off his Chicago Bulls cap.
"No, she's in Sunnydale. What's the ride like?" Xander asked him.
Ryan smiled at him as he heard his friends calling him back. "The ride's awesome. You should try it."
Xander nodded as Ryan took off to rejoin his friends as they left to go to another ride. Xander looked at Cordelia and shrugged.
"I guess this one sounds alright. Good thing you're not wearing a white shirt," Xander told her.
"Huh?" A confused Cordelia asked.
"Well, it might get a little wet up there, judging from Ryan's appearance," Xander hinted as he tapped her arm playfully. Cordelia groaned lightly and hit him back. "I'm wearing a bra, you dork," she said smiling and shaking her head.
Xander nodded an okay as they moved up in the queue. They realized they were a part of the next group to go on the ride. Xander saw the name of the ride on the sign nearest him. It said, "The Log Ride". He looked at a grinning Cordelia who simply pushed him forward as they got into an empty seat each. Because there was only room for one person to a seat, Cordelia sat in the seat in front of him.
"You'll love it, I swear," Cordelia promised him as they, and the other customers got inside the log car and waited for it to start. Xander grinned as the car started on it's way.
You gave me this You made me give Your silver grin Still sticking it in
You have soul machine Soul of machine
Xander and Cordelia came out of the exit to the "Log Ride", wet and laughing.
The longest kiss Feeling furniture days Drift madly to you Pollute my heart drain
You have stolen at me Broken me All your mental armor drags me down Nothing hurts like your mouth mouth mouth
They walked down the long pathway hand in hand, eager to find other rides.
Your loaded smiles Pretty just desserts Wish it all for you So much it never hurts
Cordelia bought ice cream for herself and for Xander. He let her take a bite out of his ice cream, and she did the same to his.
You have soul machine Stolen me All your mental armor drags me down We can't breathe when you come around All your mental armor drags me down Nothing hurts like your mouth mouth mouth Your mouth mouth mouth Your mouth mouth mouth
Xander cheered as he hit the correct amount of balloons and chose the large teddy bear as a prize for Cordelia, who watched him, grinning.
We've been missing long before Never found our way home We've been missing long before Where we'll find our way
Cordelia and Xander drove around in the bumper cars, smashing each other into the rails and other drivers. They laughed as they each tried to race the other around the track.
You gave me this Made me give You have soul machine Broken free All your mental armor drags me down We can't breathe when you come around All your mental armor drags me down Nothing hurts like your mouth mouth mouth
Cordelia and Xander continued on to different rides. Each one different from the last.
Your mouth mouth mouth Your mouth mouth mouth All your mental armor All your mental armor And your mouth Mouth
Cordelia bought herself a cup of soup. She had offered to buy one for Xander too, but he wasn't hungry. Instead he looked out at the people walking around with their kids in tow, as they sat down at one of the park's many park benches. Finally bored, he wondered what type of soup she bought.
"What type of soup is it?" Xander finally asked her.
Cordelia looked at him, after sipping some of the contents before answering him. "It's Split Pea Soup."
"Split Pea? Did you know that's the stuff they used for the vomit scenes in 'The Exorcist'?" Xander asked her without thinking.
Cordelia put her cup of soup down. The images of the vomit scenes in that movie had put her off her meal.
"Thank you very much for that," she told him slowly, for dramatic effect. Xander gave her an apologetic look, before smiling shyly.
"Sorry."
"Well, today was great," Xander told Cordelia after he kissed her.
"I told you, you'd like this place," she told him, smiling. Xander nodded as they walked past a group of horses in a stable. Cordelia stopped to look at them. Xander took a better look at the horses and then back at Cordelia.
"This horse looks alot like Keanu," Cordelia told him as she stared at the black horse in the stable.
"Keanu?" Xander questioned her.
"Keanu is my Palomino, that lives on my Dad's ranch outside of town," Cordelia told him, as he nodded. He didn't know Cordelia owned a horse, let alone know how to ride one.
"I didn't know you like horses," Xander told her.
"I don't really. Keanu is kind of like a race horse. A very valuable racehorse," Cordy turned to him, smiling.
"Of course. I should have known," Xander teased.
"You ready to go home?" Cordelia asked him, as Xander stroked a nearby horse's mane. Xander nodded as he let the horse go. Together they left the stable and walked out of Castlepark, on the way to Cordelia's car.
"Where are you going to put this?" Xander asked her, pointing to the large teddy bear Xander won for her at the arcade section.
"There's space in my room," Cordelia told him, chuckling.
They got in her car and in a couple of minutes, they were on their way back to Sunnydale. While she was driving, Xander looked at her and asked, "You want me to come over to your place tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Cordelia grinned as she kept her eyes on the road. Xander smiled and looked out the car window, as Cordelia turned the car radio over to a song from Jewel, "You Were Meant For Me".
I hear the clock, it's 6am I feel so far away from where I've been Got my eggs, and my pancakes too Got my maple syrup, everything but you I break the yolks and make a smiley face I kinda like it in my brand new place I wipe the spots off of the mirror Don't leave the keys in the door Never put wet towels on the floor anymore 'cause
Dreams last so long Even after you're gone I know, that you love me And soon you will see You were meant for me And I was meant for you
Called my momma, she was out for a walk Consoled a cup of coffee but it didn't wanna talk Picked up a paper, it was more bad news More hearts being broken or people being used Put on my coat in the pouring rain Saw a movie it just wasn't the same 'Cause it was happy and I was sad It made me miss you oh so bad
Dreams last so long Even after you're gone I know, that you love me And soon you will see You were meant for me And I was meant for you
Go about my business, I'm doing fine Besides, what would I say if I had you on the line Same old story, not much to say Hearts are broken every day
Brush my teeth and put the cap back on I know you hate it when I leave the light on I pick up a book, Turn the sheets down Take a deep breath and a good look around Put on my pj's and hop into bed I'm half alive but I feel mostly dead I try and tell myself it'll be all right I just shouldn't think anymore tonight
Dreams last so long Even after you're gone I know, that you love me And soon you will see You were meant for me And I was meant for you
Cordelia was asleep in her bed when the sounds of the doorbell ringing, woke her up. She focused her eyes on the large brown teddy bear that Xander had won for her yesterday at Castle Park. Smiling, she quickly got dressed, hoping that whoever it was didn't leave by the time she got down there. She then thought that it might be Xander, but why would he show up now? He's usually still asleep at this time on a Sunday, or so he says.
"Xander, you shouldn't have come over this early..." Cordelia stopped talking midway, when she realized it wasn't Xander waiting outside. Instead it was her sister, Regan and a well-built man that she hadn't seen before.
"Are you going to stop gawking, and let us in?" Regan asked her. Cordelia opened the front door wider and motioned for the two of them to come in.
"When did you get back in town, let alone in America?" Cordelia questioned her older sister. Regan sighed and dropped her bags onto the floor.
"My modeling shoot in Sicily went longer than expected. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to see Dad grill your latest boyfriend," Regan said, as she sat down in the lounge chair with the man that was with her.
"Oh, by the way. This is Vincent Barbagallo. He's my fiance," Regan said, introducing the two of them.
"Hello," Vincent greeted her.
Cordelia froze to the spot in shock. "Fiance?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? That reminds me, where's Mom and Dad? I want to tell them too," Regan said, looking around for her parents.
"Mom and Dad won't be back till 10:30 in the morning. It's Sunday, remember?" Cordelia reminded her.
"Right. So, what's been happening? What did Dad do to your boyfriend?" Regan asked her young sister. Cordelia rolled her eyes at the thought of her father's over-reaction.
"It was rough, but Mom made him sleep on the couch again. So now he likes him," Cordelia said as she looked around the room. She smiled at Vincent and Regan and told them that she was going to go upstairs to get properly dressed.
Cordelia walked downstairs again, this time properly dressed for the day. She noticed that her sister and her fiance, Vincent were watching television, mainly the morning news on Channel 14. Vincent felt someone watching him, so he turned around and noted that Cordelia had returned.
"Your sister's back, Regan," Vincent said, poking her lightly with his elbow. Regan looked away from the television set and got up and walked over to her younger sister, leaving Vincent to watch the morning news on his own for the time being.
"So, who were you expecting this morning?" Regan asked her.
"What do you mean?" Cordelia asked her, as she poured out some coffee. Regan rolled her eyes and watched her reaction. "Gee, I don't know. Someone named Xander perhaps? Is he your latest hunk or something? So, what is he? A jock? A soccer player? Hockey player? What?" Regan bombarded her with questions.
"He's none of the above." Cordelia answered simply.
Regan was confused. "What do you mean 'none of the above'? Did you start scraping potentials out of the 'Dungeons And Dragons' crowd?"
"Xander is not a geek. He's not a jock either. He's a real nice guy." Cordelia told her, defending her boyfriend to her older sister.
"And you said Dad's okay with this?" Regan checked with her sister.
"Yep. He finally came around about ten months ago." Cordelia said as she finished making coffee, and gave one cup to her sister.
"Ten months? Wow, I'm amazed," Regan said proudly.
"We've been together for longer than that. About a year and a half now," Cordelia said as she moved Vincent's cup of coffee in her sister's direction.
"A year and a half huh? So... how far have you gone?" Regan asked as she watched Cordelia grin.
"I don't think it's any of your business."
"C'mon, I tell you all of my conquests. The least you can do is give me the same courtesy," Regan smiled sweetly at her.
Cordelia gave in. "Well, we haven't gone all the way yet. But we've done everything else there is, without the actual 'having sex.'"
"Really? Even going..." Regan was interrupted by Cordelia's nodding of her head. Cordy knew what her sister meant when she pointed downwards. Regan raised her eyebrows. "Well, well. One more big step and you'll be a real woman."
"We're not in a rush," Cordelia told her as Vincent walked in to the kitchen.
"Sorry, but I was getting bored in there. What's going on?" Vincent asked the two girls.
"Nothing but girl talk. Don't worry about it," Regan reassured him.
"Is it about me?" Vincent checked with his soon-to-be bride. He smiled when he asked her.
"No! It isn't. Now take your coffee and go back in the living room. I want to know what the weather's like in Mexico this week," Regan told him, smiling. Vincent took his cup out of her hands and walked back into the living room slowly, so as not to spill a drop of the hot liquid. Regan shook her head smiling after Vincent.
"You're planning to go to Mexico this week? Before or after dropping that huge 'fiance-going to get married' bomb on Mom and Dad?" Cordelia asked, sarcastically.
Regan shook her head. "Don't start with me Delia. I've been wanting to go to Mexico for months. I finally get vacation time that's long overdue. Modeling's brutal."
"I'm just saying..."
"No. Stop acting like you're older than me. I am five years older than you."
"Well, when you start to act like a twenty-three year-old let me know," Cordelia said as she sat down on a chair in the kitchen.
"What does that mean?" Regan asked her.
"It means that you should be more responsible. You shouldn't just tell Mom and Dad about you getting married to some guy they don't know and then take off to Mexico. Stick around, ride out the waves. God knows I have to whenever I make a mistake," Cordelia said before she sipped some of her own coffee.
"You think I'm making a mistake?" Regan asked her with her hands on her hips.
"I don't know. He seems like a nice guy." Cordelia said fairly.
"He is. And if this Xander person is as nice as you say he is, than you can relate." Regan said before she left the kitchen with her coffee, leaving Cordelia on her own in the kitchen to think things through.
The doorbell rang for the second time that morning in the Chase residence. This time however it was Regan who answered it. She opened the door, revealing it to be Xander. Regan didn't know who it was, but Xander recognized her from the pictures that Cordelia showed him one time.
"Regan?" Xander checked, just in case he was mistaken.
Regan sighed inwardly. "Let me guess. You're a fan, huh? Okay, let me get a pen and I'll give you an autograph, but it's only an autograph, ya got me stud?"
Xander squinted, confused. Then he realized that she didn't recognize him.
"I'm Xander Harris, Cordelia's boyfriend. I don't want an autograph, but thanks for the offer," Xander said as he greeted her.
"Ah, so you're Xander. Cordelia's been telling me about you. Well, as much as I can get out of her," Regan said, inviting him inside.
"Xander? I'm in here," Cordelia called from the living room. Xander walked into the living room as Regan closed the front door. He found Cordelia talking with a well-built Italian guy that could put Angel to shame. Xander felt a pang of jealousy flow through him, but he fought it off as he realized it was silly to be jealous of this man. He obviously had to be with Cordelia's sister.
"Xander Harris, this is Vincent Barbagallo. Vincent is Regan's fiance," Cordelia said, introducing the two men to each other. Xander nodded and sighed to himself in relief as he shook the older man's hand.
"It's okay, I'm new to the family too. Well, in a way," Xander said, smiling at Vincent.
"Good. Then I'm not the only one." Vincent replied.
"Is that an Italian accent?" Xander asked when he heard Vincent's voice. The older man nodded. "We just came from Italy. Regan was modeling there."
"Yeah, I know. Cordy gets postcards from her occasionally," Xander told him as Cordelia kissed Xander. Regan watched the scene and smiled.
"Well, tell us about yourself Xander. From what Cordelia has told me of you, I don't think that you're the usual crop of idiots she goes out with. Which one of your boyfriends was it, that hit on me?" Regan asked Cordelia after talking to Xander.
Cordelia sighed. "It was Devon."
"Devon. That's it. Devon. Boy, he was a sleazy one," Regan chuckled to herself as Vincent gave her a concerned look.
"He was a drummer wasn't he?" Regan checked with her sister.
"No. He's the singer in the band. A friend of ours does the guitar stuff," Cordelia informed the older brunette.
"Oh, okay," Regan said, having got the feeling that the conversation was over. Xander and Cordelia sat down together in a lounge chair for two, letting Regan sit down with Vincent. A short silence fell between the four of them, when Xander decided to try to make some conversation.
"So, you and Cordelia are five years apart?" Xander asked Cordy's sister.
"Yeah, you can hardly tell huh?" Regan asked him, smiling.
"I just don't remember hearing about you at Sunnydale High school," Xander told her.
Regan nodded and smiled. "That's because I didn't go there. I was sent to 'Miss Porter's Private School' on the outskirts of Sunnydale. It was a very strict place. Such a shame Cordelia didn't get sent there. She could use some discipline," Regan finished, smiling sarcastically. Cordelia simply said nothing, but answered her back by rolling her eyes.
The grandfather clock in the hallway rang it's bell tune, signaling that it's ten o'clock. Regan and Vincent started to look a bit nervous and anxious, Regan especially. Xander realized that it had to be Cordelia's parents they were dreading. Apparently from the looks of things, their parents didn't know their eldest daughter was going to get married.
"Xander can you help me in the kitchen?" Cordelia asked him as he nodded. They walked into the kitchen, leaving Regan and Vincent in peace. Cordelia kissed Xander on the mouth deeply, eager to taste him again.
"Wow. What was that for?" Xander asked, bewildered. Bewildered, but happy.
"I've been wanting to do that to you all morning. You going to stick around?" Cordelia asked him as they held each other.
"You think I'm going to leave and miss the 'fireworks'? You've got to be kidding. How do you think they'll react about the wedding?" Xander asked her.
"I'm not sure. My mom might be pleased, but I'm pretty sure my father's going to hit the roof," Cordelia grinned at the thought of Regan on the receiving end of their father's rants for a change. Their kisses were interrupted when they heard cars pull up and park in the driveway.
"I guess this is it," Xander stated to his girlfriend as they walked into the living room to join her sister and her fiance.
"Let me tell them alright?" Regan asked Cordelia who nodded. They listened as they heard talking and the key slide into the lock on the front door. The door opened and Phillip and Madolyn Chase walked into their home.
"Cordelia!! We're back!" Phillip called up the stairs, hoping that his daughter heard him.
"I'm in here!" Cordelia called out from the living room. Regan, Vincent, Cordelia and Xander watched as Mr. and Mrs. Chase walked into the living room and observed the quartet of people in their house.
"Regan? When did you get back? You could have called. We would have picked you up," Madolyn told her eldest daughter as she pulled her into a hug. Phillip merely stood in the same spot and smiled. His smile disappeared as he noticed that there was a strange man in his house that he had never seen before.
"Mom, you know I like my independence," Regan told her mother, before pulling away from the hug.
"And you are...?" Phillip asked Vincent. Vincent walked over to Regan's father and shook his hand.
"Hello Sir. My name is Vincent Barbagallo."
"Well that's good, son. But what are you doing in my home?" Phillip asked him as the handshake ended. Xander and Cordelia watched the scene play out before them. Regan decided to step in and save her fiance from her father.
"Mom, Dad. There's something I have to tell you," Regan told them as Mr. and Mrs. Chase sat down in the spare seats.
"What is it? You're not pregnant are you?" Madolyn asked her eldest daughter. When Phillip heard this, he groaned aloud at the mere thought of it.
"What?? No, I'm not pregnant. Not at all. It's nothing like that. Vincent and I are getting married." Regan told them happily as Vincent held her hand. Xander watched as Cordelia's parents' facial expressions turned to shock.
"I think it would have been better if you were pregnant instead," Phillip told Regan. Regan shook her head in a disbelieving way.
"Dad, I am twenty-three years old..." Regan started but was cut off by her father.
"Exactly! You are twenty-three years old. Far too young to be thinking of getting married. Let alone to somebody your mother and I don't even know." Phillip told her.
"Don't talk about Vincent as if he isn't in the room. He's standing right here next to me," Regan reminded him.
"Regan, honey. How long have you and Vincent been a couple?" Madolyn asked, trying to stop the argument between her husband and daughter from escalating. Phillip shook his head disappointedly and stared out the window as the conversation continued.
"We've been together for about seven months now. But we feel we can make it work. And I am old enough to make my own decisions," Regan said, trying to convince her mother about the upcoming wedding.
Madolyn looked at Vincent, who smiled back at her. "And what type of work are you in?"
"I'm a lawyer. I'm the lawyer of one of Regan's friends. That's how we met," Vincent revealed.
"Wow, a lawyer. That's as good as a doctor," Cordelia said, putting her two cents in. But after a quick death stare from her father, Cordelia instantly regretted butting in. Xander grinned and held her hand as he noticed the look on Phillip's face lighten considerably, when he heard that Vincent was a lawyer. He stood up and walked over to Regan.
"I don't know about this. I realize that you're at an age where I can't stop you from doing crazy things like this. I still believe that you are way too young to be getting married and settling down, but if you want it you got it," Phillip told his daughter. Regan screamed for joy and hugged her father and Madolyn grinned, relieved that her husband had let this one go.
"I don't have to be happy about this, but I can accept it," Phillip continued as he and his daughter pulled away from their hug.
"Thank you Daddy," Regan smiled, teary eyed. Cordelia walked to her sister and congratulated her. Xander did the same with Vincent, which was extremely odd since the two men had just met.
Phillip spotted Xander and got curious. "And what are you doing here anyway?"
Xander grinned at him. "I just came around to see Cordelia."
"You two aren't getting married too, are you?" Phillip asked, half joking.
"God no. It's way, way, way too soon for that," Cordelia cut in as Xander chuckled.
Hearing that made Phillip and Madolyn Chase relieved. "Well, Vincent, do you want a beer?"
"I wouldn't say no. Thanks Mr. Chase," Vincent smiled nervously.
"You're marrying my daughter. You can call me Dad. Or Phillip," Phillip told his future son-in-law.
"Okay, Dad," Vincent grinned as he and Phillip walked to the fridge in the kitchen.
Xander watched them leave before muttering to Cordelia, "When do you think I can call him 'Dad'?"
"Not for a long time, Xan," Cordelia muttered back through a smile as Regan and Madolyn chatted away about the wedding plans.
For an hour and a half, conversations were passed around the room. From Regan's modeling to Vincent's law firm to Xander and Cordelia's school work. Occasionally Phillip and Xander talked, much to the joy of Cordelia and Madolyn, but eventually the fun had to end. At least for Xander.
"Damn, I have to go. I told Buffy I'd be at her house at noon. And it's eleven fifty-seven now. I'll call you later?" Xander asked Cordelia as she kissed him.
"Yeah, sure. Don't get her mad. You know she can kick your ass," Cordelia smiled at him, as Phillip was confused.
"You let a girl beat you up in a fight?"
"Buffy is... well she's different. Besides it's not like I hit girls or anything," Xander spat out in a worried way. The last thing he wanted Cordelia's father to think, was that Xander Harris was a girl basher. His father might be that way, but Xander wasn't.
"Of course not," Phillip smiled at him.
Xander grinned and waved goodbye to Cordelia's parents, Regan and Vincent. Cordelia walked him to the front door as talking in the living room continued behind them.
"You can call me later," Cordelia told him as she kissed him on the lips.
"I love you," Xander said, letting her know.
"I love you too," Cordelia said as Xander kissed her, and slowly walked to his car in the street. He waved goodbye to her as he turned the corner behind some overgrown hedges.
Xander drove to 1630 Revello Drive, which was Buffy's home address. He had made it to Buffy's house as promised. He was twenty-three minutes late, but he made it. Besides it's not like he was supposed to be on the dot. He knocked on the front door and stood there for awhile until Joyce opened the door and invited him in.
"Buffy is in her room. Just walk on up," Joyce said, pointing to the stairs.
"Okay, thanks Mrs. Summers."
Xander walked up the stairs and stopped outside Buffy's room. Her door was closed, so he knocked twice on the door.
"Come in!" Buffy called out from her room. Xander opened the door and walked inside. He found Buffy lying on her bed watching a taped copy of MTV.
"Hey Xander. Took your time getting over here didn't you?" Buffy joked with him.
"Gee Buff, I didn't know I had to punch a clock," Xander joked back. He looked around the room and saw most of Buffy's possessions on her shelf. Mr. Gordo, some Ice Skating pictures, a photo of Angel and at the end of the shelf was Sid the Puppet.
"When did you get Sid? I thought dummy's gave you the wig?" Xander asked incredulously.
"Dummy's don't freak me out anymore. Anyway, I felt bad that Sid was just gathering dust in the school basement. So since I couldn't afford a proper funeral for him, I thought that I'd let him rest in peace here, on my shelf. He looks happy. See, he's smiling," Buffy tried to convince Xander, as he looked at Sid the Puppet's facial expression. Surely enough he seemed to be happy.
"Okay then. It's a bit sick, considering the history, but okay." Xander said as he turned away from Buffy's shelf and faced Buffy herself.
"So, what made you want to see me?" Xander asked her.
Buffy turned off her MTV tape and faced him. "Well, lately I hardly ever see you. And Cordelia too, I guess. Did you end up going to that Castle Park place?"
"Yeah, it was cool."
"Okay. What I mean is, we've hardly had any time together as friends. I mean, Giles, Willow, Oz, Angel and I have gotten up to a lot of stuff lately that would make your head spin. You and Cordelia are always off in your little world, and I've basically been stuck with Willow. Not that it sucks hanging around with her, but there's only so much angst and whining, one person can take. I'm surprised that Oz is still sticking with her," Buffy rambled.
"What do you want me to do about that? Willow, Oz and I are barely speaking as it is. Ever since that kiss months ago, things haven't been the same since," Xander explained.
"This isn't about Willow or Oz. It's about you, me and Cordelia and I've figured out a way to try and change that. What do you say about a double date?" Buffy asked him.
"A double date? Me, Cordelia and you and Angel?" He asked her, trying to clarify what he already knew deep down.
"Yeah, why not?"
"I don't know. Angel and I hardly have anything in common. We may have had something in common a couple of years ago with you, but I've grown past that. What are we supposed to talk about?" Xander said, panicking.
Buffy sighed, before climbing off her bed and walking out her bedroom door. "You'll think of something. You always do."
"So, this is what you called me down here for? A double date? For when?" Xander asked her.
"I don't know when we'll have it. Maybe tomorrow night. I haven't told Angel yet," Buffy told him.
"Well, I'm sure he's just gonna love it," Xander said, sarcastically.
"You going to stick around and watch the MTV thing my Mom taped or what?" Buffy asked him. Xander shrugged and climbed onto the bed as the two of them began to watch the latest hit songs on television.
"I'll have to tell Cordy about this tonight when I call her."
"Good, you do that." Buffy answered mindlessly as she was already interested in the television program.
"How the hell did 'Hanson' manage to get screen time in the first place?" Xander asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
Buffy shook her head. "I have no idea."
Xander looked around and found a pair of 'yummy sushi pajamas' on her table. "You actually wear that stuff?"
"Hey, leave my butterfly pajamas alone," Buffy said with mock defense. "They're nice."
Cordelia drove herself, Xander and Buffy to the restaurant that she and Xander went to on their anniversary date. Merrony's. Angel had told Buffy that he would meet them there, and since Buffy doesn't have a driver's license, Cordelia had to give her a lift along with Xander who decided to leave his car at home for tonight.
"Well, tonight should be a barrel of laughs." Xander mentioned as Cordelia smiled.
"Don't blame me. I didn't suggest it."
"Oh, c'mon guys. Tonight will be fun if you'll let it." Buffy tried to convince them. Xander shrugged and looked out the window as Buffy leaned over and turned the radio on.
They finally made it to the French restaurant in Fondren. Cordelia found a space outside the restaurant and parked the car. Xander, Cordelia and Buffy got out of the car and looked around.
"So, who's with Giles right now if you're here?" Xander asked his blonde friend.
"Kendra's in town. Did I forget to mention that?" Buffy asked him.
Xander and Cordelia looked at her in surprise. Buffy smiled at the pair before nodding. "I told you that you two missed out on a lot of stuff, Xander."
"Well, we've been busy. Going out on dates, making out. It's not easy," Xander said, joking as Cordelia slapped him lightly on the arm.
They walked to the front door of Merrony's and waited in the cold night air for Angel.
"I can see now why you like this place so much," Buffy told Cordelia as she peered inside the restaurant. Xander rubbed his arms, trying to get some more heat going through his system.
"Where does Angel live anyway?" Cordelia asked the two of them.
"He lives near the Bronze. So he shouldn't be long," Buffy told them. Xander and Cordelia nodded as they waited.
"This is ridiculous. Can't we wait inside?" Xander half pleaded the two of them. Right before Buffy and Cordelia could answer, Angel appeared from behind them.
"Sorry I'm late," Angel said in apology.
"Batmobile broke down?" Xander teased the older man.
"Xander," Buffy warned as Cordelia nudged him lightly again. Xander simply shrugged again, as the four of them walked into the restaurant. They walked up to the Maitre 'D and Xander spoke with him.
"Reservation for four. It's under Harris," Xander told the Maitre 'D.
"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to be specific. The surname Harris is very popular, especially here in America," the Maitre 'D with the nametag of Jacques advised.
"Okay Jacques. Xander Harris?" Xander clarified.
Jacques looked at the reservation list and smiled. He grinned at the four of them and took them to a spare table for four.
"A waiter will be with you shortly," Jacques told them before leaving for the main door again.
Xander, Cordelia, Buffy and Angel sat down at the table. Xander and Angel were both feeling extremely awkward with the other in the same room, while Cordelia and Buffy looked on in amazement. They were about to start a conversation, when their waiter arrived to take their orders. Buffy, Cordelia and Xander recognized the waiter immediately. It was Jonathan Levinson.
"Hi, my name is Jonathan. How may I take your order?" Jonathan asked without looking up. When he did look up, he realized he was talking to people that he went to school with. Well, at least three of the four he went to school with. The other one seemed a bit older.
"Jonathan. I didn't know you work here too," Cordelia asked the short waiter.
"What do you mean 'too'?" Jonathan questioned.
"Well, Scott Hope was here when we were last here," Xander answered for his girlfriend.
"Oh. Well, I think I took his job. There was a vacancy here, and so far I haven't seen Scott and I've been working here for eight months," Jonathan told them as he handed out four menus for the food and another four menus for the drinks and desserts.
"I'll be back when you're ready to decide." Jonathan informed them before walking off to help another set of customers.
"Who was that?" Angel asked Buffy. Buffy told him that he's someone that they go to school with. He nodded.
Xander and Cordelia looked over the food menu and tried to choose what to eat.
"Remember I'm paying for the both of us today. I'm still paying you back for that trip to New York," Cordelia told him.
"Cor, that was a Valentine's Day present, and you don't have to pay me back for it. You're making me feel cheap," Xander said with a smile.
"Well, if you keep paying for me you'll make ME feel cheap. I'll tell you what, I'll pay for us tonight and then the next time you can pay for us. How about that?" Cordelia threw back at him.
"Can I hold you to that?" Xander asked her.
"It's a promise. Now can we get back to the menus?" Cordelia grinned back at him as they resumed looking over the menus.
Buffy looked at Angel and shook her head. "See? I told you these two are sickeningly cute."
"I can see that...now," Angel said with a smirk on his face.
Xander and Cordelia were too busy looking through their menus to notice that Buffy and Angel were talking about them. Xander scanned down the list of foods and saw something that he would like.
"I think I might get the 'Rack of Lamb with Roast Potatoes and Mushrooms', since I got the 'Duck Confit' thing last time," Xander spoke aloud.
"What did I get before? That's right. I had the 'Poached Veal Shank' thing. Okay, well I think I'll get the 'Roast Chicken with Snow Peas, Asparagus and Crisp Bacon.' One thing's for sure though, I'm going to have to be on my mother's Stairmaster for a long time after this," Cordelia said, chuckling.
"These things are a bit expensive," Buffy said in worry.
"Don't worry about it. I'll pay," Angel said, making Buffy sigh in relief.
Xander bit his lip in guilt. "I'm sorry Buffy, I didn't think this place was so expensive."
"It's okay. I mean, I did suggest the restaurant after all. Cordelia told me about this place," Buffy told her male friend.
"Have you decided what you want, hon?" Angel asked Buffy. Buffy looked at the menu she was holding and picked out one from the fish section.
"I'll get the 'Hapuka with Braised Lettuce, Witlof and Crisp Bacon' whatever that is. It sounds better than the other stuff on here," Buffy told her boyfriend.
"I wouldn't yell that out in restaurants, Buffy. They tend to do stuff to the food if they're offended. Aphrodesia learned that the hard way," Cordelia told Buffy while grimacing in disgust.
"What happened? No, wait. I don't want to know. Save it until after we leave here," Buffy said with a sick expression on her face.
Jonathan walked back over to the table and asked them if they were ready to order.
"I'll have the 'Steak Tartare with Melba Toast' and Buffy will have the 'Hapuka with Braised Lettuce, Witlof and Crisp Bacon,'" Angel told Jonathan, who wrote down the orders on his notepad. When he was finished writing, he turned to face Cordelia and Xander who told him what they had chosen.
"And for dessert?" Jonathan asked the group.
"Well, I'll have the 'Chocolate Mousse with Coconut Maroon,'" Xander told the waiter.
"I'll have the 'Orange Mousse with Passion fruit and Bananas,'" Cordelia said to Jonathan who then asked Angel and Buffy what they wanted. She saw Xander looking at her with a surprised expression on his face and she smiled. "Well, you told me that you liked it a lot. I just had to try it for myself."
Jonathan walked back to the Chef area, presumably after he had gotten the dessert orders from Buffy and Angel.
"The orders sometimes take a while so I'm going to the bathroom," Cordelia told the group as she got up from the table.
"I'll join you," Buffy said as she left the table with Cordelia, leaving Xander and Angel alone.
"You think they're going to get along?" Cordelia asked Buffy as they snuck a peek out of the bathroom door at Xander and Angel who were simply sitting there not talking to each other.
"I don't know. I hope so, because I am sick of all the animosity. Between Xander and Angel, Xander and Oz and you and Willow, it's aggravating," Buffy sighed.
Cordelia stepped away from the door and walked to the other side of the bathroom, leaning against the wall.
"Willow and Oz are a completely different situation," Cordelia informed her blonde friend.
"How do you figure that?"
"Well for one... no. No, I'm not getting into this with you," Cordelia said, changing her mind.
"Why not? I thought we were friends here," Buffy asked.
"We are. But you're also Willow's friend. I don't know why, but you are and what I tell you, you'll tell her," Cordelia honestly told Buffy.
"Is that what you think?"
"I'm just being careful."
Buffy sighed again. "Why don't you and Willow just call a truce? Same with Oz and Xander. Maybe you can try this week?"
Cordelia shook her head. "I don't know. Whenever I see Willow, I'm strongly tempted to strangle her. And I think Xander thinks the same about Oz."
"It wouldn't hurt to try would it?" Buffy asked, seeing a chance for reconciliation.
"Why are you doing this? Did Willow ask for this? I'm not in the wrong here. Willow started this whole mess. It's not my fault that we're not on speaking terms. And it's definitely not my fault that Oz and Willow are having problems." Cordelia told Buffy with her hands on her hips.
"I didn't say it was your fault. I know it was Willow's fault. She stuffed up and made a huge mistake. But as I said, there's no harm in trying right?" Buffy said in a convincing way.
Cordelia gave in. "All right. Fine. I'll try with Willow. And I'll see if Xander will do the same with Oz, okay?"
"That's more than okay. It's great. Who knows, maybe we'll be a group of friends again," Buffy grinned.
"How's Xander and Angel doing now?" Cordelia asked as they walked back to the door and peeked out again at their boyfriends.
"What's keeping Buffy?" Angel asked Xander, finally trying to make conversation.
Xander chuckled and shook his head disappointingly. "You know something? I'm surprised at you. In all your years of experience with women, you still don't know why they do this?"
"Do what?" Angel asked tiredly.
Xander sighed. "Buffy and Cordelia left so that we can talk. Although I don't know why. There's nothing at ALL that I can POSSIBLY say to you."
"That's one thing we can agree on," Angel muttered.
"The one thing that I dreaded tonight was being in the same room with you," Xander told him, truthfully.
"Well, let me help you with that one. I'll leave," Angel got up out of his seat and started to walk away when Xander called out to him.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? You can't just up and leave," Xander told him as he watched Angel sit back down with a brooding look on his face.
"Then make up your mind, boy," Angel told him quietly.
"How many times do I have to tell you, I am not a boy and this is not about me, you jerk. It's about Buffy. You remember her? Buffy wanted us all here tonight, and I'm sure as hell not going to let one of my friends down," Xander told him.
"I'm sure."
"If I remember correctly, I seem to recall forcing you down into the tunnels one time for Buffy's sake. Remember that?" Xander reminded his friend's boyfriend.
"Your point being?" Angel asked.
"She still thinks you're a real nice guy with hardly any faults. She doesn't know that I had to get you down there against your will. Remember that," Xander told him as he looked around the restaurant.
Angel looked at him. "You still love her?"
"I did then. Now it's a brother-sister type of thing," Xander said, after thinking about his relationship with Buffy Summers.
Angel looked at the teenager before starting up the next conversation.
"Well I guess now that we're talking, there IS something that I want to say. I want to thank you for saving Buffy's life that time in the tunnels. As you know, I couldn't perform CPR. She wouldn't have made it if it weren't for you. So... thanks," Angel said, thanking him.
Hearing this cooled most of Xander's animosity, and he nodded and shrugged his appreciation. They didn't have to say anything more, as Cordelia and Buffy walked out of the ladies room and back towards the table.
"Hey guys. What have you two been talking about?" Buffy asked the pair as she sat down in her seat and kissed Angel. Cordelia did the same to Xander as she sat down next to her boyfriend.
"Nothing. Just guy talk," Angel told the two girls, making Xander smile. Cordelia caught her boyfriend's smile and it made her smile on the inside.
'Finally. Some sort of peace has been declared' she thought to herself giddily.
"Wow! I can't believe Spike was able to pull that off," Xander said as Cordelia sat, speechless after hearing Buffy bring them up to date on the things they had missed.
Buffy nodded. "Believe it. Luckily, Kendra and I managed to put a stop to it. Last I heard both Spike and Drusilla had left town."
They stopped talking again and continued eating their food for a couple of minutes.
"Weren't you and Drusilla dating once?" Cordelia asked Angel. Buffy dropped her fork as Xander simply looked up from his plate.
"I wouldn't exactly call it dating. I was different back then. Things were different," Angel said cryptically.
"Are we going to be talking about ex's now?" Buffy asked Cordelia nervously.
"Why Buff? Got something to hide?" Xander joked.
"Not at all. Do you?" Buffy challenged him.
Xander shook his head. "Nope. Ask away."
"Alright. I know this is going to be a pretty short list, but here goes. Name your ex's," Buffy said, quizzing her friend as Angel and Cordelia looked on with interest.
Xander thought it through before answering. "Well, there was Miss French, but that wasn't really ex worthy. Uh, Ampata as well. She was nice, until I found out what she really was, you know?"
Xander watched as Buffy and Cordelia nodded.
"Then it was Drusilla. She tried to make out with me but it was only for like two seconds. It was on Valentine's Day last year," Xander continued. Buffy and Angel had shocked looks on their faces.
"I'll tell you later," Cordelia whispered to Buffy who nodded back. Angel nudged his girlfriend, letting her know that he wanted to know what that was about also.
Xander continued never seeing the exchange. "Actually, I only had one real girlfriend before Cordy, and that was Willow."
Cordelia spat out the drink in surprise at hearing Willow's name being mentioned as one of Xander's exes. Angel was also surprised while Buffy was simply confused until she remembered what Willow had once told her.
"Since when did you two ever date? How come I didn't know?" Cordelia questioned him out of curiosity. She thought he was only kidding. Xander shrugged out an answer.
"We were five years old, that's why," Xander told her, laughing.
Cordelia visibly relaxed but was still a bit wary. "Why did you two break up?"
"I can't remember. I think it was something about a Barbie doll or something. It was a long time ago," Xander said, trying to exercise his memory for the answer.
Buffy decided to chime in. "You two broke up because you stole Willow's Barbie doll."
Xander looked at his friend. "That's right it was. Did Willow tell you? When?"
"It was on my first visit to the Bronze when I moved here. We just started talking," Buffy said in between chewing her food. Xander nodded.
"I still don't remember you and Willow ever being a couple." Cordelia said, shaking her head in surprise.
"Oh, we were hot and heavy. Well, as hot and heavy as two innocent five year olds can be. We even had our own fan club. The 'We Hate Cordelia' fan club. I was the treasurer," Xander said, laughing lightly at the memories.
"A 'We Hate Cordelia' fan club? Wow, it's nice to know that I created such hatred that there was a club devoted to me for it," Cordelia grumbled.
Xander chuckled. "C'mon Cordy, it was a long time ago. You were a different person then. You're better now."
"Join the club," Angel grinned.
"Okay, Buffy I told you my ex's. Now it's your turn. So go on. Spill," Xander said as he ate some more.
"Well, my first crush was with Billy Fordham," Buffy told them. She saw that the name went unrecognized with Xander and Angel was confused. Then she remembered. "Ford?" She reminded them. Buffy smiled as they nodded in recognition.
"Any others?" Cordelia pressed.
"Well, there was my first official guy, Tyler. Again from Hemery High School. The school that I was in before coming here. Anyway I caught him kissing my now ex best friend and I was going to get him to crawl on his hands and knees for forgiveness, but I was suddenly pre-occupied with something else," Buffy told the group as Angel nodded. He remembered watching her outside her school from inside the car. He knew what happened that day.
"Then there was Owen Thurman. He was real nice, remember? Until he wanted to live dangerously, and I had to dump him," Buffy said disappointingly as Angel nodded sadly.
"After Owen, my next ex in a sort of way was Tom Warner. That Delta Zelta Kappa guy. He was alright, until he tried to do that thing that he and his friends had planned," Buffy said in annoyance at being tricked like that.
"Who were you with from that group?" Xander asked Cordelia.
"Richard. Richard Anderson," Cordelia told him as she remembered that college student, now prison cellmate.
"Right. That's the freak's name, Richard. Well, I guess old Rich, Tom, Tackle and their buddies are having a grand ole time in prison," Xander said, laughing. He lifted his glass of wine they had ordered twenty minutes before and everyone on the table clinked their glasses together. Even Angel smiled at the thought of Tom Warner getting into trouble in prison. He hated it when Buffy got in danger like that.
"That's all my ex's and kind of ex's. What about you?" Buffy asked Angel.
"You want to know my ex's?" he asked, a little wary.
"Yeah, sure."
"Well, I can't remember all of them. But I did spend a long time with Darla, but that was when I was unenlightened. Since then, there's been no one but you," Angel replied, kissing Buffy on the lips.
"Okay, my turn," Cordelia told everyone at their table.
Xander stopped eating and turned to face her. "Yes, I'm a bit interested to hear about your ex's."
"You are?" Cordelia asked him.
"Yeah. So I can break their legs," Xander chuckled as Cordelia shot him a grin.
"Well, okay then tough guy. There are only four ex's that really count or matter. Mitch, Daryl Epps, Devon and Kevin."
"Mitch? Wasn't he the same Mitch that got beat up by Marcie Ross?" Buffy asked the cheerleader.
"Yep. And he works at the movie theater now. At least he was there when we went to the movies a while back," Xander cut into the conversation.
"Oh, okay. I know Daryl Epps now. And I know Devon. But who is Kevin?" Xander asked his girlfriend.
"Kevin was my first serious boyfriend. Willow and I found him in the rec room at school with his friends watching television, and he..." Cordelia was cut off by Buffy who told her it was okay. She knew what happened because Willow had told her about that time and judging by Cordelia and Buffy's tone of voices, it was a kind of conversation Xander knew he should just drop.
"But at least Daryl had the chance to tell me that I was always good to him. That I always noticed him. That admission alone almost made up for his little reappearance last year," Cordelia told the group.
They went back to eating their food as the people around them in the restaurant continued talking to their friends and families.
"So, what happened with your sister?" Buffy asked Cordelia as she finished eating her dinner.
"Well, somehow Regan managed to convince my mother and father to give their approval for her upcoming wedding. Now my Dad's looking forward to giving her away. He's still a bit suspicious of Vincent though. Vincent is Regan's fiance," Cordelia explained to Buffy and Angel.
"So, your Dad can accept Vincent because he's a successful lawyer, but he still has trouble with me because of my family background?" Xander asked, feeling bitter about the whole situation.
"C'mon Xander you know how my father is," Cordelia told him in a way that felt like pity.
"Yeah, I know what he's like," Xander muttered as he went back to eating.
Cordelia watched him sadly for a while before starting another conversation with Buffy. While Angel simply watched Xander. Somehow he felt like he now had something in common with the teenager.
Cordelia had already dropped off Buffy and Angel and had now driven to Xander's house. Xander looked out at his house and sighed in relief. There were no lights on in his house, which meant that his parents weren't home yet. It felt odd too because his house was the only one on the street without any lights on this early at night. But it was a comfort to him.
"Well, here we are," Xander told Cordy as he looked away from his house.
"Tonight was fun wasn't it?" Cordelia asked him, looking to him for a response.
Xander nodded. "Yeah it was. I wasn't looking forward to being in the same room with Angel, but I guess it turned out alright."
"Well while you and Angel were on your own, Buffy and I were talking about something."
"Yeah, I forgot to thank you for that," Xander said sarcastically.
Cordelia smiled back sarcastically and then continued. "Buffy has somehow in her infinite wisdom, convinced me to try and work things out with Willow. Are you interested in trying to work things out with Oz?"
Xander was quiet as he thought about that possibility, then he shook his head in a negative.
"I'd rather move in with Angel," Xander told her.
Cordelia sighed. "C'mon Xander, please? Buffy's right, this has gone on for far too long."
"Well, what about Willow? I thought you two hated each other. She has this obsession with me and it's not going to disappear when I'm that much closer to her is it?" Xander explained.
"Has Willow made any contact with you at all?" Cordelia asked him.
"Well..."
"Has she?" She pressed.
"No, she hasn't. Not since the day we both got into those fights at school," Xander let out.
"So you see? I'm pretty sure that she's realized she was wrong. So what do you say?" Cordelia asked him again, hoping that he'll change his mind.
Xander finally gave in. "All right. I'll go see Oz tomorrow. I'll waste my entire one day vacation, trying to be pals with Oz. Is that okay, my Queen?"
"It's perfect. Maybe we can get some kind of a peace treaty or something. Or at the very least, a purple heart. God knows we're going to need it, walking into that war zone of emotions," Cordelia told Xander as he got out of her car and shut the door behind him.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow," Xander said as he blew her a kiss.
"Geez, you can be such a dork sometimes," Cordelia smiled as she waved goodnight to him and drove away, leaving Xander to watch her car disappear into the night.
Shaking his head smiling, Xander walked into his empty house.
Knocking sounds on the front door had woken Maureen up. She went to the door and opened it, seeing Xander standing on the other side.
"Yes?" Maureen asked the teenager standing at her front door.
"Is Oz here?" Xander asked the middle-aged woman. He watched Maureen nod her head.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked him tiredly.
"Who the hell is it?" A deep male voice from the kitchen called out. Maureen faced the kitchen and called out, "It's one of Oz's friend, Ken."
Maureen opened the door and invited Xander inside their home. He saw a little boy who looked like he was nine years old, playing with a toy truck while watching the morning cartoons.
"Oz will be down in a couple of minutes, if you don't mind waiting here that is." Maureen said as she walked back to the kitchen.
Xander walked into the living room and stood near the little boy who was watching cartoons.
"Jordy, did you take my..." Oz stopped when he saw who was standing in his living room. He breathed inwards as he tried to think of why Xander would want to be near him, let alone inside his house.
"Did I take your what?" Jordy asked with some attitude.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Oz said, not taking his eyes off of Xander.
"Your mom let me in." Xander told him.
"My mother's out of town right now. My Aunt Maureen and Uncle Ken live here with me until my parents come back from their trip. That's my cousin Jordy." Oz said, pointing to the little boy.
"The same Jordy that bit you?" Xander asked him. Oz nodded and Xander moved away from Jordy considerably.
"Good thing he didn't bite me, huh?" Xander said jokingly.
"Yeah, good thing." Oz replied coolly.
Xander and Oz suddenly had nothing to say to each other as they stood around the living room. Finally Xander made the first move.
"I'm tired of this fighting that's going on between us. What happened wasn't my fault, it was Willow's." Xander told him.
"Don't you go blaming Willow for your mistakes in judgement." Oz warned him.
"Mistakes? What mistakes? Willow kissed ME, not the other way around. And YOU hit me first. So if anyone is going to be apologizing here it should be you two." Xander told him blatantly.
Oz thought this through and realized that Xander was right. Which was probably the reason why he was at odds with Willow lately.
Oz decided to swallow his pride. "I'm sorry that I hit you and for what Willow did. I just love Willow so much, it hurts when I see her look at you in that way."
Xander nodded. "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm not interested in Willow at all. Cordelia and I are going strong. Stronger than before, I like to think."
"So, is that it? Is that why you came here?" Oz asked him.
"No, not really. Cordelia and I decided last night that we're going to spend our school holiday, hanging around with you guys." Xander said, grinning.
Oz looked up at him in surprise. "You mean, Cordelia is going to Willow's?"
"Yeah. Let's hope that they have as much luck at reconciliation as we do." Xander told him.
"Okay, if you're going to hang with me let's go." Oz said as he got his keys to the van.
"Where are we going?" Xander asked.
"I'm picking up the guys. We have a gig down at the Shelter Club again. You want to come?" Oz asked, inviting him.
Xander nodded and they walked out of the house after Oz told his aunt and uncle that he's leaving. Xander and Oz got into Oz's van and Xander looked out the window at his car.
"Don't worry about your car. It's a good neighborhood. Apart from a scummy next door neighbor who keeps moving my family's garbage bins. But there's nothing to worry about." Oz said in reassurance. At Xander's nod of acceptance, Oz started up the van and they drove off to pick up the rest of his band members.
Cordelia parked her car outside Willow's house and sighed.
'What am I thinking? How the hell did Buffy get me to go along with this?' She thought to herself. She debated about just starting up her car and driving away, but she knew that Buffy would ask Willow how it went and that it would eventually get back to her.
'And besides. Xander is doing the same thing with Oz, so why can't I?' Cordelia thought to herself.
She gathered up her courage and got out of her car. Cordelia walked up the pathway to Willow's house and knocked on the door anxiously. She noticed someone peeking at her from the window next to the door and realized it was Willow. It didn't take that long until Willow opened the door and faced her.
"What are you doing here?" Willow asked out of suspicion.
"I'm here because we need to talk." Cordelia said to her.
"I have nothing to say to you." Willow said as she closed the door. The door almost shut completely, but Cordelia jammed her foot in the doorway, stopping the door from closing.
"Would you get your foot out of the way, please?" Willow asked, through clenched teeth.
Cordelia shook her head. She wasn't going to walk away without making peace with Willow.
"Not until we learn to get along."
Willow tried to close the door again but stopped when she heard what Cordelia just said.
"Did I hear what I think I just heard?" Willow asked unsure if she heard right. Willow stopped trying to close the door and Cordelia removed her foot. Cordelia looked at Xander's oldest friend and sighed.
"Yeah, you did. It's time that we finished this." Cordelia told her.
"You've met all the band now. Oh yeah, there's Devon too." Oz said, pointing to the band's singer. Xander and Devon nodded their hello's. Devon walked over to the two of them.
"So, what? You two are friends again or something?" Devon asked the both of them.
"We're trying to." Oz told him as Devon shrugged and walked back to the stage. They had gotten to the Shelter Club, which was near Miss Porter's Private School on the edge of town.
"It's pretty empty in here isn't it? I mean, for a place like the Bronze." Xander mentioned to Oz and the others. Oz shrugged back a reply and told him the Bronze is a lot like that too. Xander nodded and took a look around, taking in the big stage and the fancy looking tables.
"It's a nice place, but I'm loyal. I'll think I'll stick with the Bronze." Xander said with a grin as he watched over Oz and Devon hook up the guitars and microphone to the speakers and amplifier they brought with them.
"Look, about Willow." Oz started to talk but Devon cut him off.
"If you two are going to get into another fight, have it away from the five hundred dollar speakers, okay?" Devon pleaded with the two boys.
"We're not going to start fighting again. Are we?" Xander asked, checking with his friend's boyfriend. Oz shook his head and it made Devon sigh in relief as he continued to set up the speakers and put the microphone on the stand.
"I just hate seeing Willow in pain. And the fact that you two aren't speaking to each other since that little incident, is probably hurting her more." Oz told him.
"What am I supposed to do? She's got this weird hangup on me, thinking that I'm suddenly going to get interested in her. Did Buffy tell you of the time Willow got drunk on the all girls night?" Xander asked the red haired teen who nodded back solemnly.
"So if I talk to her, it'll probably start up her obsession again. I figure that if I stay away from her, it will cool her off me and we can all get back to a semi-normal existence." Xander said to Oz. He finally told Oz what he had wanted to tell him for several months and it was like lifting a huge burden off of his back. He felt good.
Oz looked like he was silently agreeing with what Xander just said. "I get now why you haven't spoken to her. I thought you were just punishing her because of the fight we had."
"I'm not that petty," said Xander.
"Would you like more coffee? Willow doesn't like coffee." Sheila Rosenberg said about her daughter as she offered Cordelia some more coffee. Cordelia thought she was in an episode of 'Twin Peaks' with all the coffee offerings but didn't tell them that. Instead she politely declined the offer. Sheila sat down in her seat with her cup and smiled at Cordelia.
"I was beginning to think that Xander and Bunny were Willow's only friends here." Sheila told the brunette teenager as Willow groaned in embarrasment.
"Mom, it's Buffy. Buffy. Not Bunny." Willow said, blushing. She looked at Cordelia and shrugged. "She gets confused with her name."
"Well it's a weird name. What WAS her mother thinking?" Sheila said to herself as Cordelia laughed. Willow gave her a scolding look, but Cordy simply shrugged. "It's a reasonable question."
Sheila put down her cup and asked Cordelia what she was doing here in a polite way.
"I just thought that Willow and I could hang out. Do girly stuff." Cordelia told Willow's mother, but she was also telling Willow too.
"Well have fun. I have to go to work. It's not easy being a sociologist." Willow's mother got up and waved goodbye to her daughter and Cordelia before she left the house. The two girls heard the car start up in the driveway, before it left for it's destination.
Willow turned to look at her best friend's girlfriend and gave her a once over.
"Girly stuff? What exactly did you have in mind?"
"Well, we can do whatever you want to do. Whatever you normally do." Cordelia told the red haired girl.
"Well, I have to go to Giles' house to drop off some books. If you want to come with me, you can." Willow said as she got up to go to her room. Cordelia sat where she was and breathed a sigh of relief.
'Well at least it's better than getting my foot broke in the door.' Cordy thought to herself as Willow quickly returned to the living room, carrying four books that looked like Giles' favorites.
Cordelia had a look around the living room and noticed that there were a lot of religious artifacts on the shelves. Willow saw what she was looking at and nodded.
"Yeah. My dad's very religious among the Jewish community." Willow told her.
The brunette nodded. "I didn't know you were Jewish."
Willow stared at her. "I thought it would have been obvious. My last name, the fact that I don't celebrate Christmas."
"I just thought you were a Jehovah's Witness." Cordelia answered.
"Okay, let's go." Willow said as they left the house on the way to Giles' apartment.
"So where do you guys usually do your gigs?" Xander asked, striking up a new conversation as he ate a bag of potato chips.
"Well, sometimes we have gigs at UC Sunnydale. That's alright, considering we'll most likely be going there next year." Devon said as he thought about his future college years. The other guys nodded.
"Can you imagine the chicks there or what? I know what I'll be studying next year." Devon said, drooling in anticipation at the mere prospect of college girls giving him the time of day.
"Well, I'm spoken for." Oz told his friend.
"Me too." Xander replied.
Devon shook his head. "You two won't know what you're missing. My brother took me out there one night. There's this one girl, who can slide her tongue around a..."
"Are you kids ready yet or what? You know how I hate leaving my other business to check up on you teenagers." Willy said as he walked onto the stage. Xander looked up shocked.
"Willy? What the hell are you doing here?"
Willy saw Xander and faulted for a minute. Then he got the nerve to answer him. "Oh, the Harris kid. I run two businesses. I'm a double income man. Don't tell your blonde friend."
"Okay, whatever."
Willy nodded gratefully and checked out how things were going before he ran back to his bar.
"You knew Willy ran this place and you never told any of us?" Xander asked Oz who just shrugged.
"I didn't think it was important. It's a legitimate business here. Apparently Willy's trying to go straight." Oz said in defence.
"Go straight? Have you seen the types that inhabit his bar?" Xander shot back.
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand No promises, no demands Love Is A Battlefield We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong Searchin' our hearts for so long, both of us knowing Love Is A Battlefield
You're beggin' me to go, you're makin' me stay Why do you hurt me so bad? It would help me to know Do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you've had? Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand No promises, no demands Love Is A Battlefield
We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong Searchin' our hearts for so long, both of us knowing Love Is A Battlefield
We're losing control Will you turn me away or touch me deep inside? And before this gets old, will it still feel the same? There's no way this will die But if we get much closer, I could lose control And if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand No promises, no demands Love Is A Battlefield
We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong Searchin' our hearts for so long, both of us knowing Love Is A Battlefield
We are young, heartache to heartache we stand No promises, no demands Love Is A Battlefield
We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong Searchin' our hearts for so long, both of us knowing Love Is A Battlefield
Giles opened the door to his apartment in his robe, only to see Cordelia and Willow standing outside holding his books.
"Oh, uh, um, you're here now?" Giles stuttered lightly at the visit.
Willow nodded. "Yeah. Is it a bad time? What's that music playing?"
"Rupert? We're out of whipped cream. Why don't you go to the store for more. I went the last time." Jenny Calendar yelled out. She walked up to him.
"Did you hear me?" Jenny asked him, but stopped as she saw Willow and Cordelia gawking at the two adults. Jenny looked down and realized she was wearing one of Giles' shirts and not much of anything else.
"Oh, uh, what are you two doing here?" Jenny asked the two girls.
Willow was blushing a furious red, while Cordelia simply smiled out of embarrasment and handed Giles the books that Willow was hanging onto for dear life.
"We just dropped by to give you these back. Willow tells me that you guys needed them badly last week." Cordelia said, trying to get away from the obvious situation.
"Uh yes we did. It was a good thing that you and Xander weren't around when it happened." Giles said to her as Cordelia nodded and shrugged. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
"Well, we'll be seeing you." Cordelia said as she left with Willow. As Giles went to close the door behind them, Willow turned back to face Giles.
"By the way, I can kinda see you there." Willow said pointing to his lap. Giles looked down and covered himself up quickly, his cheeks blushing a scarlet red in embarrasment as he quickly shut the door.
Willow walked to the car with Cordelia trailing behind her. Cordelia shook her head at Willow's comment and laughed.
"I think you could have spared Giles some embarrasment by not telling him that." Cordelia laughed.
"Didn't you see it?" Willow said in embarrasment.
"No, I wasn't looking at his penis." Cordelia stated and then blushed as she realized that Willow had caught her out. She sighed as she started her car and then together they drove away.
"I really regret not seeing you today. I guess Oz and I just got caught up in the 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' band thing. How did things go after the Giles thing?" Xander said, laughing over the phone.
Cordelia laughed at the memory as she replied, "Well, Willow and I went to a movie afterwards."
"What was it called?"
"Uh, we saw 'Jawbreaker'. That new Rose McGowan movie." Cordelia told him.
"Oh yeah, that's that black comedy one isn't it?"
"Yeah. It wasn't that funny though."
"I thought it might have been funny. I saw the trailer on TV last night when I got home." Xander said to his girlfriend.
"Well, they killed off the most innocent person in the movie at the beginning. So it's not like it's 'Heathers'. With 'Heathers', you wanted them bumped off." Cordelia sighed into the phone.
"My girlfriend, the movie critic." Xander laughed softly.
"Well, how did you and Oz go?" Cordelia asked him.
"We went fine. Did you know that Willy runs the Shelter Club?"
"Willy? The same Willy that Buffy beats up?"
"Yep. The same guy."
"How is that possible?"
"Oz says that he's trying to go straight by owning it."
"Going straight? Did Oz see the types that inhabit his bar?"
Xander laughed. "That's exactly what I told Oz. It's scary that we think alike."
"It's not that scary is it?"
"Nah, not really. I think it's cool."
Cordelia paused, and Xander could hear that she was talking to her mother. It was a couple of minutes until Cordelia next spoke to him again.
"Xander, I'm sorry but I have to go. We're having dinner with Regan and Vincent before they leave for Mexico."
"Okay, Cor. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, definately. I love you."
"I love you too, hon." Xander smiled into the phone.
"Bye."
"Bye."
"So, how did things go yesterday?" Buffy asked as she got in Xander's car. Xander turned away from her house and drove towards Sunnydale High.
"It went alright. Better than what I had thought it would be, actually." Xander said honestly.
"See? I told you it wouldn't be so difficult." Buffy said, hitting him lightly in the arm. Xander held his sore arm and winced.
"You don't know your own strength, Buffy. And let's just get this out right now. What happened between me, Cordy, Oz and Willow was not my fault. It wasn't Cordelia's fault either. And I may have cleared things up with Oz, it doesn't mean that I'm going to be comfortable around Willow. Now that I know how obsessed she is, or was, with me, it's going to be hell." Xander said with a deep sigh.
"Well, I'll be there to keep her in line. I'll punch her in the arm or something if she says something out of line, okay?" Buffy asked him.
"Good." Xander said, smiling as they made it to school. They parked the car and got out. As they did they saw a car they had never seen before, parked near the library. Buffy simply shrugged and the two teens walked into the school to meet Cordelia who was talking to Harmony. Harmony saw Buffy and Xander walk up to her and Cordelia, and she snorted.
"I guess I'll see you later." Harmony told her friend as she walked away, leaving Cordelia with Buffy and Xander.
"Did we do something?" Xander asked his girlfriend as they watched Harmony disappear into the sea of students.
"No, nothing. Harmony's just being her usual snobby self. I think she's having problems with Chris still." Cordelia told them.
Buffy was confused. "Chris?"
"Chris Epps. He was the one that tried to severely hurt Cordelia with his pal, Eric. The whole Daryl thing?" Xander reminded his blonde friend who nodded in recognition.
"Ugh, why is she wasting her time with him. I know that he came clean at the end and helped us, but what he did before that was pretty creepy, not to mention really gross." Buffy said as she made a face.
"Yeah, there was a big ick-factor," Xander said at the thought of what Chris and Eric got up to.
Cordelia shrugged at the memory. "Well, Harmony dates whoever she wants to date. I am not interfering in her love life again. I remember doing that a couple of years ago, and she wouldn't shut up about it."
Xander and Cordelia watched as Willow and Oz walked towards the trio. Cordelia and Xander held their breaths in a vain hope that nothing bad will happen from it. Nothing did.
"So, uh, what's going on?" Willow asked, nervously. It was pretty awkward for everyone except Buffy who told her about the car that was parked near the library.
"What new car?" Cordelia asked her.
"It's a car. I cannot believe that we're talking about this. Can our lives get anymore boring?" Buffy groaned aloud.
Ms. Calendar overheard Buffy's last comment and decided to intervene. "I don't know about that. But you two have Computer Classes now," Jenny told Xander and Willow who both nodded.
"Hi Miss Calendar. I like your shirt. It's better than the last one." Willow said with a giggle, as Cordelia chuckled. The memory of the scene they witnessed was still fresh in the young girl's minds.
"I'm glad you two are finally getting along. Even if it IS at my expense. Willow, Xander, get to my classroom right now please." Jenny told them as she walked to the Computer Studies class.
Xander kissed Cordelia at the same time Oz and Willow kissed. "Well, I guess I'll see you later. Meet you in the library afterwards?" Xander asked his girlfriend, as she nodded a yes.
They waved goodbyes to Buffy and their partners and Willow and Xander walked off to class. Oz watched his girlfriend leave before he too disappeared to his destination.
"Guess it's Home Economics now, huh?" Cordelia asked Buffy.
"Yep. I still can't make those pizza's properly." Buffy said as they walked off to their class.
"I'll show you how it's done."
"Class, get out your books. Because of yesterday's class disruption, courtesy of Jack Mayhew, we will be reading from our text books today." Miss Calendar told the class as the students groaned.
Roy who was sitting behind Jack, leaned over and smacked him in the back of the head. "Thanks a lot, moron."
"Roy!" Miss Calendar warned him with a stern voice as Roy leant back in his seat and threw her an innocent look.
"Oh well, at least Roy's not bullying Michael anymore," Amy Madigan told Xander and Willow. She always sat next to Xander during Computer Studies and now so does Willow. After Willow and Cordelia reconciled yesterday, things were slowly getting back to normal. But things were still a bit weird for Xander. He knows now that Willow has feelings for him. And he doesn't know what to do about that. Xander turned to face Amy and nodded. Roy has stopped bullying Michael because of the Goth stuff. But it hasn't stopped him from bullying Jack Mayhew.
"I thought Jack O'Toole was the main school bully." Xander said, shaking his head.
Amy shrugged. "Jack's been missing from school alot lately. I guess Roy's taken over."
"Bunch of idiots." Xander said, shaking his head at their stupidity.
As Miss Calendar went to the blackboard and wrote up some paragraphs to be copied down, Willow took the opportunity to talk to Xander.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Willow asked him.
Xander sighed. "I'm a bit busy copying the stuff off the board, Willow. Can't we do this later?"
"Okay. No. No it's not okay. I want to talk about this now." Willow demanded.
"Alright. Go on." Xander said as he put down his blue pen.
Willow sighed inwardly. "Cordelia and I are friends now. Sort of. So, you don't have to worry about me getting in the way."
Xander rubbed his face tiredly. "You know it's not about you getting in the way. It's the fact that you're carrying some kind of a torch for me when you shouldn't."
"Xander..."
Xander cut her off from continuing. "No. I listened to what you had to say, now you're going to listen to what I have to say."
Willow nodded and let Xander continue.
"I do love you. But in a sister kind of way. God, Will, we've been best friends since we were too young to count. That's just too valuable and rare for us to mess up, by going any further. And it's not because of Cordelia and Oz. It's because it's the wrong thing to do." Xander said to her gently, hoping that she'll see his point of view.
"I didn't realize you felt that way about our friendship." Willow said in a stunned voice.
Xander nodded. "Well I do. And for a long time I was worried that our friendship was messed up because of what happened that Saturday morning. But I couldn't do anything about it, because I was keeping my distance from you, hoping that you'll get over it."
"I kind of did. I mean, Oz and I are closer than we were before. I've realized what I want. Who I truly need. And it's Oz." Willow said. The revelation made Xander smile. The love triangle might just be finally over.
"That's good, 'sis'." Xander said with a grin.
Willow punched him in the arm lightly as she smiled at him. "Goof."
"There. See how I did that?" Cordelia asked Buffy as they stood around a kitchen bench in Home Economics class. Ms. Barton had paired the class off in twos as they set to work on making pizza's for their assignments. Everyone seemed to be getting the hang of it except for Buffy who was struggling to see past the dough part of the exercise.
"Not really. This is real hard." Buffy complained as Ms. Barton came around to the table.
"Is there a problem here?" Ms. Barton asked the girls politely.
"I can't make this thing. Everyone else seems to know how to do it. I feel like an idiot." Buffy told the teacher.
Ms. Barton shook her head. "You're not an idiot. When I was starting out, I didn't know how to do it either."
While Ms. Barton was teaching Buffy the steps on how to make a pizza, Cordelia walked over to Lishanne who was two benches away.
"Hey Lishanne. How's it going?" Cordelia asked the blonde teenager. Lishanne turned around and put down her rolling pin. "I'm doing okay. I've been thinking of getting into the cheerleading thing again." Lishanne told her.
"I thought you gave that up after that incident in Chemistry class." Cordelia asked her.
"Well it's been two years now. Nothing's happened since then, so I'm going to go for it." Lishanne said with confidence.
Cordelia nodded. "Hey, you weren't the only one that suffered that day. I couldn't see anything for a couple of days. I did happen to scare the hell out of Mr. Pole the driving instructor, so it wasn't all bad."
Lishanne laughed at the thought of Mr. Pole in a situation like that. Cordelia chuckled at the memory and looked out of the classroom window. She saw Giles, a strange woman and two strange men walk into the library. Cordelia thought it was a bit weird, but didn't say anything to Lishanne.
"Well, I gotta head back. See ya later?" Cordelia asked Lishanne who nodded at the question.
Ms. Barton walked away from the bench and from Buffy, after teaching her how to do it.
"Thanks, Miss!" Buffy called out as Cordelia approached the table.
Cordelia opened the oven door and retrieved her pizza with her kitchen gloves. She placed it on the bench to let it cool.
"I think I've got the hang of it now." Buffy smiled at the brunette cheerleader.
"That's good." Cordelia smiled back. She was too busy thinking about who those people that were with Giles were all about. Her curiosity would have to be starved until recess. In the meantime, Cordelia helped Buffy out with her pizza.
Buffy and Cordelia walked into the library to meet Giles, when they noticed that he wasn't alone. Two men and a woman were also in the same room, and by the looks of them they were obviously from England.
"Hey Giles. Who's this?" Buffy asked the middle-aged librarian.
The older stranger introduced himself and the others before Giles could open his mouth. "My name is Quentin Travers."
Quentin pointed to the woman on his right and then to the man on his left. "This is Gwendolyn Post and Wesley Wyndham Price. And these two men are Hobson and Blair. They're my assistants." Quentin said as the two men appeared in the library.
"Hello." Wesley greeted the two girls. Although his eyes never left Cordelia. Cordelia didn't notice though. She was too busy looking for books that she needed for her Chemistry test next week.
"They're from the Council." Giles told Buffy as Gwendolyn spoke up. "We're just here to see if things are running smoothly as reported."
"Well they are, so you can go now." Buffy said, showing them the door.
Quentin shook his head. "It's not that simple. The Council is a bit concerned about your little relationship with Angel."
"I don't see how it's any business of yours." Buffy snapped at them.
"It is our business when we know of his background. Of his history." Wesley told her, relieving Quentin the opportunity to answer.
Buffy shrugged. "Now you people REALLY get to leave now."
Quentin smiled at Buffy in a way that made her want to hit him. "I'm leaving. That is, me, my assistants and Miss Post. But Mr. Price however will stay on here, to keep on eye out on the both of you. We cannot allow anything indecent to happen."
"Who are you, my father?!?" Buffy raged at him.
Giles decided to cut in on the conversation before someone got hurt. "I think you two should leave now. You don't want to make her mad."
Quentin shrugged smugly as he and Gwendolyn left the library with his assistants trailing behind them. Buffy watched them leave and felt her rage subside somewhat. Although now she had to carry around a stuffy British man.
"What happened?" Cordelia asked as she came down the stairs with three books in her hands.
"This you're not going to believe. The Council has sent one of their finest to watch me and Angel. Apparently the relationship I have with him is a tad taboo." Buffy said incredulously.
"Well, now that you mention it..." Cordelia started but Buffy cut her off.
"Don't start."
Cordelia chuckled at Buffy's quick response and it made Buffy smile at the realization that she got caught in Cordelia's little trap.
"I believe we have things to discuss." Wesley implied to Buffy as he finally tore himself away from gazing at Cordelia.
"Yeah, whatever." Buffy shrugged as she walked off with Wesley and Giles. Cordelia watched the three of them leave and sighed.
'Poor Buffy. She can't catch a break.' She thought to herself. Cordelia went over to the table and put the books down. She sat down at the table and began looking through the books to find what she was looking for for the big test next week.
"So, do you often frequent this place?" Wesley asked her as he appeared at the other side of the table watching Cordelia.
"Only when I need to study. Or when my friends need help." Cordelia politely told him. Wesley smiled and nodded.
"I'm Wesley Wyndham Price. And you are?" Wesley asked her.
"Cordelia Chase." She said nicely.
"Cordelia. That's from King Lear if I'm not mistaken." Wesley said with a grin.
"Yeah. You like Shakespeare? That figures, since you're British." Cordelia said shaking her head.
Wesley recited a passage from King Lear. "'To thee and thine hereditary ever. Remain this ample third of our fair kingdom. No less in space, validity and pleasure, than that conferr'd on Goneril. Now, our joy. Although the last; not least; to whose young love. The vines of France and milk of Burgundy. Strive to be interess'd; what can you say to draw. A third more opulent than your sisters? Speak.'"
Cordelia sat there stunned. "I can't believe that you know that off by heart. What, did you do the play in college or something?"
"Something like that. I read some Shakespeare when I have free time." Wesley said as he flirted with her. All Cordelia knew was that he was just being friendly like Giles.
"Mr. Price? If you're done chatting up Cordelia, could we get back to Buffy over there?" Giles asked him, pointing to an angry looking Buffy.
"Perhaps we can continue this conversation some other time?" Wesley asked her. Cordelia shrugged an okay at him. Wesley smiled and walked over to Giles and Buffy who was shaking her head pitifully.
"I thought you were supposed to be watching ME?" Buffy retorted.
"Yes, quite. Cordelia is eighteen years old and you're almost old enough to be her father. I don't think the Council would like this sort of scandal. Do you?" Giles advised Wesley sternly.
"All I did was talk to her. She's a nice girl, who happens to like something that I like. It's nothing to beat me up over." Wesley said in defense.
"It's not us beating you up that you have to worry about." Buffy cautioned the younger British man.
"Huh?" Wesley asked dumbfoundedly.
"All I'm saying is, Wendell shouldn't have brought his spiders to school in the first place. The idiot should have known they'd escape." Xander told Willow as they walked into the library.
Cordelia looked up from her books at Willow and Xander. "What happened?" She asked them.
Willow spoke up. "Wendell brought some spiders in a small empty aquarium type thing in his bag. Thing is, they escaped and went everywhere. One walked up the teacher's arm and into his shirt. He was screaming like a banshee."
"Yeah, that WAS pretty funny." Xander said laughing.
"Where's Buffy?" Willow asked Cordelia. She pointed to Giles' office and Willow walked over to the closed door and opened it. Xander went over to Cordelia and they kissed tenderly. A kiss that didn't go unseen by Wesley who suspiciously watched Xander. Wesley felt the jealousy rise within him, but supressed it when he realized that a teenage girl just walked into the room.
"Who are you?" Wesley asked the young Wiccan.
"Willow. I'm a friend of Buffy's." Willow introduced herself to him.
Wesley looked out the open door, directly at Xander and asked, "And who is he?"
"The person that could beat you up." Buffy told him. Willow was confused at that comment, but as Wesley watched Xander and Cordelia still kissing he assumed that they were a couple. Sadly he looked away from the pair and focused on Giles, Buffy and Willow.
"And is Kendra appearing sometime today?" Wesley asked Giles.
Giles shook his head. "Kendra sleeps at this time of the day so that she can be focused at night. She's real dedicated that way."
"Well that's good." Wesley said with pride.
"Now, how the hell do you expect to monitor me and Angel?" Buffy asked curiously.
"Okay, now this is what's going to happen." Wesley said in a brave voice as he faced the blonde teenager.
"What the hell is going on in there?" Xander asked his girlfriend as they heard yelling come from Giles' office.
"Maybe Wesley's getting chewed out on his first day." Cordelia snickered.
"Wesley? Who's Wesley?" Xander asked her confused.
Cordelia looked at him and realized that Xander didn't meet him. "Wesley is a new recruit from the Council who's been sent to spy on Buffy and Angel."
"Ouch." Xander winced as he imagined Buffy being pretty upset about that news.
"Ouch is right. I haven't seen Buffy this bitchy since she came back from her father's in Los Angeles that time." Cordelia remembered.
Buffy came walking out of the office with Willow in tow. They walked over to Xander and Cordelia and pointed to the library's doors. "We've got class in a couple of minutes. We might as well go now before 'Weasel' pushes me over the edge."
"Wesley." Wesley corrected Buffy.
"'Weasel' makes more sense. You coming?" Buffy asked the couple. Cordelia grabbed her books and left with Xander, Willow and Buffy.
"I want those books returned in reasonable condition, okay?!?" Giles yelled out after Cordelia.
"I will!!" She called out to him as she disappeared down the hallway with her boyfriend and friends.
"Teenagers." Giles muttered before turning back to his office.
"Some are more supple than others." Wesley said as he stared at the spot where Cordelia left the library.
"Excuse me?" Giles said. He didn't quite hear him.
"Nothing."
Oz, Cordelia and Xander sat in class with the other students and impatiently waited for the bell to ring, signaling that the school day was over.
Ms. Tishler walked back to her desk and sat down. "So tomorrow, when your teacher comes back from her sick leave, you'll all be caught up on your studies. Are there any questions?"
None of the students put up their hands. Ms. Tishler smiled. "Good." The bell rang, telling the students that school was over for the day. Everyone got out of their seats and left the classroom.
"Well, I'm going to drive Willow home." Oz said as he left Cordelia and Xander alone.
"Today was quite a day wasn't it?" Xander asked his girlfriend as he snaked one arm around her waist, and they walked towards the parking lot.
Cordelia nodded happily. "Yeah. We officially made peace with Willow and Oz. It's a shame about Buffy though. That whole 'babysitter' business is going to be hard."
"Yeah, it's going to be rough. I don't know if I could be separated from you." Xander said as he compared the two of them to Buffy and Angel.
Cordelia kissed him and they walked towards Cordelia's car. "Are you going to call me tonight?"
"You bet I will." Xander promised her as Cordelia got into her car. He looked away from Cordelia and noticed Wesley watching them. Xander got the feeling that Wesley was checking out Cordelia, so he turned to Cordelia.
"What's the deal with Wesley?" Xander asked her.
"What do you mean? He's here to watch Buffy and Angel." Cordelia explained to him.
Xander shook his head. "It's got to be pretty hard to watch those two, when his eyes seem to be on you."
Cordelia looked in her rear view mirror and saw Wesley watching her for a minute, before turning away and looking at his books. She then watched him walk to his car.
"That was weird." Cordelia noted.
"Weird? I think he's lusting for you." Xander said in disgust.
"Lusting for me?? Now you're being ridiculous." Cordelia giggled at him.
"Yeah, maybe. What does it matter anyway? I'll call you tonight okay, pookie?" Xander said to her softly as he leant down and kissed her.
"Bye, pookie." Cordelia mocked him with a grin as she started up her car and drove out of the parking lot, waving goodbye to him as she left the school grounds.
"Pookie?" Buffy asked from behind Xander. He turned around and faced a grinning Buffy who enacted a vomit scene.
"What's wrong with Pookie?" Xander asked her as they walked towards his car.
"What's right with it?" Buffy threw back at him.
Xander shrugged. "You can't tell me that you and Angel don't have pet names."
"No, not really." Buffy told him as she thought about it.
Xander looked at her as they got into his car. "Really?"
"Yeah really. And with Weasel hanging around, I don't think there'll be any pet names for awhile." Buffy laughed.
"I get a weird feeling about that Wesley guy." Xander told her.
"What do you mean?"
"I get the feeling that he's interested in Cordelia. The thought of someone his age hitting on someone Cordy's age makes me sick." Xander spat with disgust.
"Hello?? I'm dating someone way older than me. Have you forgotten that?" Buffy asked him in surprise.
Xander shrugged. "At least Angel looks twenty six. And you can protect yourself. If Wesley makes one false move..."
He didn't finish his sentence and Buffy didn't need to hear the rest to know what Xander would do if something like that happened. 'God knows what he would do if he found out that Wesley was hitting on her in the library. It didn't seem that Cordelia knew what was going on, which was surprising.' Buffy thought to herself as they drove out of the parking lot and towards Buffy's house.
"Well, this is my stop." Buffy announced as they parked outside her house.
"Yep. Here we are." Xander said with a plastered smile. His thoughts were elsewhere.
"You shouldn't be too worried about Wesley. He's a bit of an idiot." Buffy comforted him.
Xander looked at her. "Buffy, I AM a bit of an idiot."
"Not like you used to be. Being with Cordelia has done you some good. Even Angel doesn't have any jealousy towards you anymore either." Buffy told him.
"He was jealous of me?" Xander asked in shock.
"Yeah. It's a long story. The point is, you've evolved and Cordelia's evolved. Wesley shouldn't be that much of a problem." Buffy said convincingly.
Xander nodded. "Yeah, it does sound a bit ridiculous. Wesley's type is more like a Harmony Kendall clone."
"You want to come inside for a drink?" Buffy asked him as she got out of his car. Xander nodded and parked the car. He got out and walked with Buffy to the front door. She opened the door with her keys and they walked inside. They met Joyce in the kitchen, talking with her friend.
"Mom, I'm home." Buffy said as Joyce turned to face her.
"Hi honey. How was school?" Joyce asked her.
"School's school." Buffy shrugged.
Joyce introduced her friend to Buffy and Xander. "Buffy, Xander, this is Pat. Pat is in my book club. We're reading 'Angela's Ashes' now."
"Hi kids. I remember the days when I was in highschool. Those years were pretty radical." Pat said as Xander and Buffy threw her confused looks.
"They don't say 'radical' anymore?" Pat asked them.
Joyce shook her head. "No, I think the word now is 'cool'."
Buffy groaned and the situation made Xander smile. He checked his watch and decided it was too late to get a drink anyway.
"I'm going to have to get a raincheck on that drink, Buff. I gotta go home and fix up the house." Xander said as he waved goodbye to his friend and her mother.
"Bye!!" Buffy yelled out towards him. Xander yelled it back as he got into his car and drove off towards his house.
Xander parked his car in the street next to his house. The driveway was occupied with his father's car, which meant that it wasn't good. When his father came home this early, it was never good. Xander entered the house cautiously, hoping to not alert anyone to his presence. Unfortunately he stepped on a loose floorboard and it creaked, telling his father that his son was home.
"Alexander!! Get in here now!" Anthony Harris yelled out from the living room.
Xander sighed and walked into the room. His father was sitting down on the couch, drinking a beer and watching a videotape of the football that was on the other night.
"You know what I got in the mail today?" Anthony asked his son.
"No Dad. I don't."
Anthony turned to look at him. "A letter from a Principal Snyder about you. Apparently your homework has been practically non-existant lately. Could it be that you're more concerned with banging that rich slut you're hanging around with?"
"Say what you want about me, but don't ever talk about my girlfriend like that." Xander warned him.
Anthony shot him a look and turned off the tape and left the television on a loud volume. Xander knew where this was heading. Anthony stood up and crushed his empty beer can. He tossed it to the floor and faced his teenage son.
"Are you developing a backbone, boy? Is that it? My faggoty son has actually grown a set? You have got some balls on you, Alexander." Anthony told him, saying his son's name with disgust.
Xander backed away a little as his father shoved him into the wall, knocking a painting off the wall with his strength.
"Look what you just did." Anthony said as he shook his head. "It figures that my mother-in-law gave you the money. The old bitch was senile you know. If she knew how much of a loser you actually were, I would have gotten the money and your face would be on the side of a milk carton."
Xander cowered as Anthony started to beat him ruthlessly and relentlessly, the loud television drowning out most of the screams of pain.
Anthony finally stopped hitting his only son, letting Xander get up and run off to his bedroom where he slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.
"You're nothing but a miserable, good for nothing loser. The biggest goddamn mistake of my life was knocking your mother up." Anthony yelled out to Xander's closed door. His father gave up and went back to the living room, where he pressed play on the remote and watched the rest of the taped football game.
Xander limped towards the mirror and winced as he looked at his reflection. His face was covered in bruises and blood, so much so that he could feel nothing but pain whenever he touched his face. Xander fell to the floor and began to cry as he held onto a picture frame of a smiling Cordelia.
Xander managed to drive to Giles's place with his injuries. He sat in the car and thought about his situation. He couldn't stay in the same house as his parents tonight. His mother had practically thrown him out when she got back. Xander didn't want to go to Cordelia's house, because it would feel awkward. Especially for her parents. And he didn't need her father's 'I told you' look on his face. Willow's was out of the question. He couldn't quite trust her yet with her emotions. Buffy would just make the matter worse. So that left Giles.
Xander got out of his car and limped slowly towards Giles' apartment door and sat down to relieve the pain off his leg. He decided not to knock on his door.
'The last thing Giles needs is putting up with me anymore than he has to.' Xander thought to himself as he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. He rested his head on the wall near Giles' door and shivered against the cold night air. He only had enough time to close his eyes for several minutes, when the door opened to Giles' apartment.
"Xander? Is that you?" Giles asked confused. The older man switched on the porch light and was shocked when he saw the state Xander was in. He saw the young man with his eyes closed, holding onto his sore leg.
"Oh my god. C'mon inside. What were you doing out there? You should have knocked. I would have let you in." Giles asked the teenager as he walked Xander inside his apartment.
"I didn't want to trouble you. Besides, I might have walked in on something with Ms. Calendar." Xander told him with a wince as the pain on his leg got a little intense. He sat down on the couch, relieving the pain off his leg.
Giles looked him over and grimaced. "What happened?"
Xander threw a glance towards Giles and shrugged. "It was my fault. I got careless."
Giles was confused. "Careless? Were you out with Buffy tonight?"
"No, I was home." Xander said meekly.
"Well if you were home, how did you get..." Giles cut off his question as he figured out what happened. It was now obvious to the librarian that Xander's father must have done this. How could a father do that to his son?
"That son of a bitch." Giles muttered to himself in shock.
Xander shook his head. "It wasn't his fault. I pushed him. I had bad grades and he spoke to me about it and I pushed him over the edge. It's my fault."
Giles was shocked at Xander's response. He walked over towards his phone.
"Who are you calling?" Xander asked him.
"The police."
"The police? No!! You can't!!" Xander yelled out as he shot out of the couch and hopped over to Giles, who simply put the phone back down into it's cradle.
"Xander, I let it slide the last time it happened because I assumed it was a one off thing. This has got to stop. He has no right to hit you like this. I don't care how much you may have provoked him. He's your father." Giles told him straight.
"Exactly. He's my father. I can't turn him in to the cops. I can't choose who my parents are. I know I got the short end of the stick in that area, but they're my family." Xander said with reason.
Giles just scratched his head in disbelief.
"Your mother and father beat you up on a regular basis, and you don't think there's anything wrong with it???"
Xander shrugged his answer.
"Do you want a drink?" Giles asked, trying to calm Xander down by changing the subject. Xander nodded as he limped back to the couch.
"I have a couple of soda's from when Buffy had that little party here before." Giles said as he put a can of Pepsi on the table in front of Xander. The teenage boy also noticed that Giles had a copy of the Sunnydale Press newspaper on the coffee table, apparently he got it delivered.
He picked up the remote control and turned on the television. The channel was broadcasting Opera's and it had Aldo Gianfranco on screen, singing Madame Butterfly. Giles and Xander quickly got bored by watching this, so Giles turned the channel over to watch Jeopardy. After staring at the weapons that Giles had in his open weapons chest, Xander turned back to the television and watched the gameshow.
He remembered explaining those weapons to Buffy, Willow and Cordelia that one time Giles disappeared for a while. 'His everyday weapons, the ones he breaks out at parties.'
"You like Jeopardy?" Xander asked him, getting his mind off the past after taking a sip of his Pepsi.
Giles nodded. "It's the only smart gameshow on television."
"Right." Xander said as he cradled his sore leg. Giles looked over at Xander and shook his head.
"You should be at the hospital getting checked up at least." Giles insisted.
Xander shook his head. "I'm fine, okay? I just need a place to stay for tonight so that my father has time to calm down. Is it okay if I stay here?"
Giles nodded. "Of course it is. The last thing you need is to go back to that hell right now. You're tired. Go upstairs and rest."
Xander took his advice and slowly walked up the stairs to the bedroom, where he layed down on top of the big bed. It didn't take him long until he drifted off to sleep.
"Xander? Are you awake?" Giles asked the boy gently. Xander stirred and eventually opened his eyes to find Giles and a man he had never seen before standing in Giles' bedroom.
Giles saw where Xander was staring and sighed. "Xander, this is Detective Winslow."
"You told the police? I asked you not to." Xander told him with a slight hint of betrayal in his voice.
"More like you ordered me not to call them. But I had to. This abuse has got to stop before it gets completely out of control." Giles said as he stepped out of Detective Winslow's way.
The Detective walked over to Xander, who sat up and scratched his head.
"Can you tell me what happened, Mr. Harris?" Detective Winslow asked him.
Xander sighed as he climbed off the bed, swinging his sore leg off the bed and stood up. "It was my fault. I pushed him too far and he reacted. No big deal."
"From the looks of things, it IS a big deal. You got off lucky tonight, but the next time your father reacts like this he could kill you." Detective Winslow told Xander who stared at the carpeted floor.
"I came home after dropping off a friend. I walked in and my Dad was drunk. He accused my girlfriend of being a slut and I warned him to push me. He then started to hit me and kick me when I was on the floor. He got like that because of a letter from school." Xander confessed to the police woman.
Detective Winslow wrote all that down on her notepad and nodded afterwards. "It would be best if you stayed here for the night, until you find a place more permanent. It won't be wise to go back home under those conditions. Going to the hospital to get checked over by a doctor would also be a good idea."
Giles nodded in agreement and Xander nodded in acceptance, sighing deeply.
"I'll be back tomorrow to get further details. Right now I have to pay a visit to your parents." The detective told him.
"Are you going to arrest him?" Giles asked.
"Most likely. We don't accept domestic abuse in this community." Detective Winslow told the both of them as they all walked out of the bedroom together.
Giles walked the detective to the front door as Xander sat down on the couch.
"Keep an eye on him. People that have been abused for a long period of time will get used to it. They start to see it as something normal, and end up blaming themselves for the actions of others." Detective Winslow told him.
Giles nodded. "That explains why Xander didn't want me to call the police."
"Yeah. Just watch over him if you can. The next few weeks are going to be rough." The detective told him as she walked outside, heading towards her car. Giles turned back into his apartment and closed the door. He walked over to the counter and got his car keys.
"Okay let's go." Giles told him.
"The hospital? Do we have to?" Xander asked him.
"Yes. We have to get those injuries checked out." Giles said. He waited until Xander stood up and walked over to the older man. They left the apartment after locking the house, and went to Giles' car.
Cordelia ran down the hall of the hospital toward Giles who was sitting down in a chair outside the small room where Xander was being seen to by a doctor.
"Giles! Where is he? Is he alright?" Cordelia asked him out of concern. Giles motioned for her to be quiet. "This is a hospital, remember?"
Cordelia relaxed somewhat and sat down in a spare seat. Giles told her that Xander is being checked by a doctor right now, and that no one could be in there except those two. He also told her about what happened between Xander and his father.
"That bastard. How the hell could he do something like that?" Cordelia asked in stunned anger.
Giles scratched the back of his head. "I have no idea. But apparently, Xander seems to be protecting his mother and father."
"They're his parents. His only parents. It's a bloody miracle he turned out so beautiful. To be raised up in that kind of hell..." Cordelia didn't need to finish her sentence. Giles was already thinking the same thing.
Cordelia turned to him. "Did you tell Buffy or anyone else about this?"
"No, just you. Xander asked for you. And besides, from what Buffy said the last time, I don't want her to know. The last thing she needs is a criminal record, especially after that whole Ted controversy last year." Giles said with bitterness.
They sat in their seats and waited for Xander to come out of the hospital room. It didn't take long for him to come out of the room with a small limp.
"Xander! Are you okay? I rushed over as soon as I heard." Cordelia said as she rushed to his side. Giles felt a little uncomfortable, intruding in this moment between the two young lovers.
"I'm fine. The doctor said I'm going to be okay." Xander told Cordelia and Giles.
Dr. Powell came out of the room that Xander had just exited and faced the trio. He turned to Xander and smiled. "Do you have somewhere to stay tonight? I don't suggest you go back home for the time being."
"He's staying with me." Giles cut in.
Dr. Powell turned to him and nodded. "Are you family?"
"In a way." Giles said cryptically.
Dr. Powell walked back into his office after telling Xander to get some rest and to not put much strain on his leg. Cordelia held hands with Xander as the three of them walked down the corridor to the exit. The trio walked towards the parking lot and stopped when they got to Giles' car.
"Where's your car?" Xander asked Cordelia.
"It's just over there." Cordelia said, pointing to her car a couple of rows in front of them. Xander spotted her car and nodded.
"Are you okay?" Cordelia asked again.
"I can't believe this is happening." Xander said weakly.
Cordelia held him close to her and kissed his cheek. "Whatever happened tonight wasn't your fault. Your parents have some serious issues with anger and they take it out on you. It's not your fault, but you don't deserve to stay there and take it either."
"Where am I supposed to live? I can't stay with Giles forever and I can't move in with you. Your Dad will hit the roof." Xander said with a small smile at that image.
"So we'll go apartment hunting. We'll find something, okay? I just don't want you in that living hell anymore. You don't deserve it. No one deserves it." Cordelia said in comfort.
Xander nodded weakly as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. "It's late, so I guess I have to go. I'm not sure if I'll be at school tomorrow, okay? I have to talk to the police and there's going to be a court date and everything. There's a lot of stuff to do."
"I know. It's okay. Whatever happens, I'll be there for you. We'll get through this." Cordelia said as they enveloped each other in their arms and hugged. After a couple of minutes, they broke apart and smiled. Cordelia watched Xander get into the passenger seat of Giles' small car. She waved goodbye to them before walking off to her own car.
It had taken a while for Xander to fall asleep but he finally did. Giles took this opportunity to pay a little visit to Xander's father. Giles had parked his car outside Xander's house and walked up the pathway to the teenage boy's house. Giles knocked on the door and waited for some yelling to start. It didn't take long. The door opened to reveal an angry looking Anthony Harris, who stared curiously at the tweed-wearing man standing on his front porch.
"What the hell do you want?!?" Anthony aggressively asked him.
"You must be Anthony Harris. Xander's father?" Giles asked, checking to see if he was talking to the right person.
Anthony nodded. "Yeah that's right. Did that little rat bastard turn you in to the cops for something too?"
Giles stepped forward and grinned. He punched Anthony hard in the face, causing Xander's father to fall back into his house. Giles stepped inside and pinned Anthony against the living room wall.
"What's going on? Who the hell are you?" Jessica Harris asked. Giles looked at Xander's mother and shook his head. He turned back to the angry face of Anthony Harris and flashed him an angry stare.
"It's easy to beat up on a teenager isn't it? It's not much fun picking a fight with someone your own age. Someone that can actually hit back." Giles told him with a wicked grin.
Anthony shook his head in surprise and fear, while Jessica simply stood there and watched, a quirky smile slowly starting to appear on her face.
"What does it matter to you?" Anthony asked him, a little touch of fear showing in his voice.
"The boy happens to be one of my students. And if I find out that he's been troubled by you or your wife ever again, you'll deal with me. You got that?" Giles said as he slammed Anthony's head against the wall, making him see stars. Anthony slumped to the ground as Giles brushed off his clothes and simply left the Harris household, closing the door behind him.
It has been exactly one month since it had happened. The court case was smaller than Xander had expected. It was more of a hearing, where he and his lawyer spoke to a Judge and discussed the problems Xander had been having at home. Since Xander just turned eighteen a couple of weeks ago, it was perfectly legal for him to leave home. He was going to leave home in a couple of months anyway for college.
Xander and Cordelia walked into his new apartment and took a look around. Most of his belongings were already in the house, he just had to wait for the truckdriver to deliver a freezer that Xander had bought. Both teens plopped down on the couch and Cordelia turned the big screen television on with the remote.
"This place is pretty good. Aren't you glad I found this?" Cordelia gloated.
"Yeah, this is heaps better than staying at my parent's house." Xander agreed.
"Well, at least you don't have those two in your life anymore. You can rest now." Cordelia said with relief. Her boyfriend's parents were nothing but lowlives. She was glad that Xander was finally away from them.
"Yeah, it's weird here without the screaming and the fighting and the smashing of plates. It feels odd. But at least I have my BIG bed in a house that I live ALONE in." Xander said with a lusty grin.
Cordelia hit him in the arm with a smile. "You horny little..."
Xander laughed and tickled her in the places that he knew would make her laugh. They thrashed about on the couch with laughter, Cordelia's legs kicking wildly as Xander tickled her relentlessly.
"Alright! I give up!" Cordelia surrendered.
"If you surrender, that means that you are my prisoner."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow and smiled. "We're not getting under the sheets yet, lover boy."
"That's alright. But if you want to stay overnight or something, you can take my bed. I'll stay on the couch and be a good boy. I swear." Xander said while crossing his heart.
"We'll see." She said coyly.
Xander sat back on the couch next to Cordelia and watched an episode of "The Nanny".
"See, that's the bad thing about cable. They put nothing but crap on." Xander said as he turned away from the latest stunt that Fran Fine had gotten herself into.
"Don't you like this show?" Cordelia asked him.
"I used to watch it. Until they plugged an advertisement for one of the episodes so many times that I got sick of the whole thing and stopped watching it entirely." Xander grimaced.
"My mother watches this. She says it's funny. I think she likes a character called Grandma Yetta?" Cordelia asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, but I call her Grandma Yeti." Xander said with a laugh.
"What's wrong with it?"
"In every episode, Maxwell gives Fran something to do and she messes it up ALL the time. Yet he continues to trust her with those things in every episode. Also, the butler always insults CC Babcock and she insults him, it's enough to make you want to yell, 'Get a room!'. Fran's mother always drops by to eat and eat and eat other people's food. The woman's a pig. Maxwell's kids are a worry. His eldest daughter is a closet nympho, his younger daughter has psychiatric problems and his son is a real nerd. Fran's friend is a real dumbass, it's amazing she ever graduated highschool, unless she dropped out after Elementary school. Also, Fran has this REAL annoying voice that makes you want to jump through the television and just strangle her. Not to mention that the show is what we call, a 'dead end' show. The whole purpose for this show's existence is to get Max and Fran together. Once they do get together the show is over. That's why they tried to hang on to it by having Maxwell take back the 'I love you' he said to Fran and that's why they had an entire season devoted to the two of them having a baby. It's asinine as hell and even though it's now dead, they still flog the repeats until we're all braindead zombies with an unhealthy fixation toward Grandma Yetta's obsession with screwing guys in the Sheffield's house. And every episode has a convenient political joke or a joke about something that's just happened around that time." Xander explained with a fiery passion.
Cordelia laughed. "You REALLY don't like this show do you?"
"It really pisses me off. But thank god for other channels on cable." Xander said as he turned the channel over to see an episode of "M*A*S*H". They watched as Trapper tried to convince Hawkeye to not drive away with a latrine tied to a jeep.
"I like this show. They're such a riot." Xander said. He laughed when Hawkeye drove away with the latrine tied to the back of the jeep with the General stuck inside the portable toilet.
"I don't know. I don't really like war shows." Cordelia said.
"MASH isn't really a war show. Well, it's kind of like that. But it's mostly about the doctors and nurses in the 4077th. Out of Colonel Blake and Colonel Potter, I like Colonel Blake the best. They got away with a hell of a lot of funny stuff with Colonel Blake. Potter was real strict, but he was alright." Xander said as the show's credits came up on the screen.
"Why does that guy wear a dress?" Cordelia asked.
"Who? Klinger? Klinger wears dresses in order to convince the authorities that he's crazy, so they would send him home. He and Frank Burns are a crackup." Xander said, chuckling.
Cordelia shook her head and grabbed the remote away from Xander. She flicked through the channels until it came onto something she was interested in, "Providence".
"Oh, 'Providence'. This show is good." Cordelia informed her boyfriend.
"You like 'Providence'? Next thing I know you're going to say you like 'Felicity' as well." Xander moaned.
"'Felicity'? That's good. Okay television critic, what don't you like about 'Providence' and 'Felicity'?" Cordelia grinned.
Xander took a deep breath before answering. "Well, first of all I'll start with 'Providence'. Almost all of the characters are annoying as hell. Except for the veterinarian father, but that's only because I remember him as BJ in MASH. His daughter Sidney, is a weirdo. She keeps dreaming of her dead mother all the time, yet she never consults anyone about it. She's a doctor for god's sake. She should at least be concerned. The other daughter Joanie is a real worry. She has a kid with a real numbskull, not to mention that she's immature at times. I feel sorry for her baby. Robbie is a complete loser. I can't count on my fingers, how many times that moron has disappointed his family by wasting his money on gambling and drugs. Does he do drugs? Well, there's always next season. Joanie's choice of man is a guy that barks and acts like a dog. 'Twin Peaks' was good with this type of humor, but 'Providence' is a lame imitation."
"And 'Felicity'?" Cordelia asked him, trying to stop herself from laughing.
"'Felicity' is about an obsessed stalker who follows a guy to a far away college, simply because he smiled at her at the highschool graduation. She's seriously disturbed. Her fixation on Ben gives me the creeps, it reminds me of Willow's obsession with me. Noel is a complete twit. I did watch one episode for the hell of it once. Felicity gave her virginity to someone she just met while she was seeing Noel, and Noel was thisclose to sleeping with his ex but he didn't want to hurt Felicity any longer, so he didn't. Do you know who the bad guy became? Noel. Felicity's friend calls Noel a dog, because he almost cheated on her, yet Felicity went all the way with someone else and didn't really suffer. That just pissed me off further and I shut the damn TV off."
"It's not that bad. But I guess I can see why you would think that." Cordelia told him.
Xander shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bagging your shows."
"I don't watch 'The Nanny'. So it's only 'Providence' and 'Felicity'." Cordelia smiled at him.
"Sorry." Xander apologised.
"Don't worry about it. Besides, there are shows of yours that I don't like." Cordelia told him honestly.
Xander turned to her. "Like what? Which ones? 'Friends'? 'South Park'?"
"Yeah, those two for starters. I don't get what's so funny about a talking piece of crap? The cartoon looks real cheap. It's like that 'Family Guy' show. It's funny for the first several episodes, but then you realise that the jokes are always the same. It gets boring and I just stop watching. And 'Friends'? There's not a good looking guy among them." Cordelia said.
"You don't like Joey, Chandler or Ross? I would have thought that you'd have this big crush on Joey." Xander said with a chuckle.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you've been known to date guys like that in your past." Xander grinned.
Cordelia shrugged. "I don't think so. And I don't like their humor either. And the 'smelly cat' song was real dumb."
"So I guess we can't agree on television shows." Xander said softly, as he wrapped his arm around Cordelia.
Cordelia shook her head. "I don't know about that. 'Twin Peaks' is a cool show. Remember when you showed me those episodes on tape?"
"How could I forget? You kept bugging me to tell you who killed Laura Palmer. That was a great show. I like the last episode where Agent Cooper was in the Black Lodge. That was really surreal." Xander said, thinking back to that television show.
"My favourite in that show would have to be Sherilyn Fenn. I like her attitude. Especially when she scared off those Icelander's in the beginning of the show." Cordelia said with a smile.
Xander nodded in agreement. "They don't make shows like that anymore."
"Yeah, they tend to cancel shows that are actually good. And shows like 'Beverly Hills 90210' can last forever." Cordelia said with a grimace.
"That's true. 'Earth 2', 'Nightmare Cafe', 'Dark Skies', 'American Gothic' and 'Millennium' got cancelled too early." Xander thought aloud.
Cordelia changed the channel. "'Millennium' last for three seasons didn't it? It hardly got cancelled early."
"Fox cancelled the show before the actual millennium has happened. It kind of defeats the purpose the show entirely. And killing of Catherine was a mistake. All the Lucy Butler scenes and the Legion episodes were real cool." Xander told her.
"That show was too dark and rainy."
"Of course it was. It was set in Seattle. Well, the first two seasons were of course. Then they cancelled it and replaced it with 'Harsh Realm'." Xander informed her. He watched the show on screen. It was an old episode of 'Becker'.
Cordelia got up and pulled out a can of coke from the cooler they had until Xander's new freezer arrived. She took a sip of it, before passing it to Xander who sipped from it's contents also.
"I like 'The X Files'." Cordelia admitted.
Xander nodded. "I had an X Files t-shirt until it wore out on me. The stitching gave way, and that was the end of that. The show is good though. Although this season has been pretty slack. There's been far too many 'funny' episodes."
"Yeah, it lost the darkness when they started filming it in Los Angeles instead of Vancouver." Cordelia agreed, taking the coke away from Xander and drinking some more from it. She threw the empty can into the cooler and was about to say something when someone knocked on the door.
Xander got up off the couch and walked over to his front door and opened it to reveal two removalists, with a freezer on a trolley. Xander signed the order form and the men brought the fridge into the apartment and set it down off the trolley in the kitchen. Cordelia watched from the couch, as Xander handed them the money and they left.
"Well, you can put the cans in the fridge now if you want." Xander told her as he plugged in the new fridge and checked to see if it was working correctly.
Xander closed the fridge door, satisfied when the fridge was working. Cordelia got up and brought the cooler over to the fridge where she unloaded the two cans of coke into the icebox.
"The first things to go into this. What a historic occasion." Xander joked with her.
Cordelia closed the fridge door and they ran back to the couch and turned the channel on the remote to the 'Baywatch' show. They watched the opening credits and Cordelia groaned in distaste.
"What? You don't like this show?" Xander asked, tearing himself away from the television screen.
"No. Look at them. There's not a fat, ugly one among them. There's more plastic there than there is on a Barbie doll." Cordelia complained.
Xander smiled. "I don't watch the show for the 'babe appeal'. I like watching the ocean scenes."
"Yeah, right." Cordelia said disbelievingly.
Xander changed the channel. "I can't believe that you're jealous of women like Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra. You're a much better catch." Xander kissed her, making her smile.
"You're too sweet." She commented before she kissed him back.
They kissed heavily for a couple of minutes before they pulled back, panting deeply.
"That was a crappy show anyway." Cordelia told him.
"You haven't seen 'Baywatch Nights'. That was REAL stupid." Xander said with a laugh.
Cordelia switched channels to an episode of 'The Ricki Lake Show'. Xander winced at this show. "You don't like this show do you?" He asked her.
"Kind of. You don't?"
"I saw a couple of them, but they're all the same. It's either about gay people, DNA tests or cheaters. And it's white people acting like black people that think they're real cool with the latest lingo. Ricki is nothing but an exploitationist anyway. She gets these people up on stage, exposes their dirty little secrets to the world, lets them argue it out for a couple of minutes and then when the show's over, nothing's been resolved. This show will end up like the 'Jenny Jones', you wait and see." Xander advised her.
"Well, the only talk show I really like is 'The David Letterman Show'. The things they do on that is real funny and out there." Cordelia told him.
Xander nodded. "I like when they go out on the streets and do their skits on the New Yorker's. That's pretty funny. It's heaps better than 'The Martin Short Show'. He's a funny actor but his talk show sucks. I still can't believe that Mary Scheer left Mad TV for that!"
"What other shows can't you stand?" Cordelia asked in curiousity and boredom. Talking about television shows was beginning to bore her.
"Just 'Cybill', 'Dilbert' and 'Jesse'. Those shows are really annoying. 'Cybill' is alright, except when she starts singing. Is it just me or can't she sing? 'Jesse' is a boring show. Christina Applegate was funnier in 'Married With Children'." Xander revealed.
Cordelia nodded silently. She didn't want to talk about Xander's parents and she could only assume that Xander didn't want to either. Which explained their conversations on their favourite television shows. She knew that Xander would talk to her about it when he felt ready, so Cordelia decided to play along.
"I like 'Dawson's Creek'. That's a good one. And that new 'Roswell' show sounds good too." Cordelia said aloud.
Xander nodded in agreement. "'Dawson's Creek' is a cool show. So far, all of Kevin Williamson's stuff is a success. The Joey and Dawson situation sometimes reminds me of the one I have with Willow. It's a little freaky. I like Pacey."
"Pacey's cool. Also, 'Party Of Five' is another good show." Cordelia told him.
"What's your favourite episode?" Xander asked with curiousity.
Cordelia thought about it and then answered. "The one where Bailey had that family intervention when he was an alcoholic. That was real powerful for a one hour show."
"Yeah, that was pretty good." Xander said, thinking back to that episode.
"I have to admit I watch some of 'Futurama' and 'The Simpsons' now too." Cordelia admitted to her boyfriend.
Xander shrugged. "They're okay. 'Futurama' is pretty funny. I like Dr. Zoidberg the best. And every time Hermes gets one of those brain slugs on his head. It cracks me up all the time."
Cordelia laughed. "Yeah, and those episodes with Zap Brannigan. He's a real character."
"Do you remember the old show, 'Alien Nation'?" Xander asked her.
"Kind of. Not really sure." Cordelia honestly told him as they watched the tv.
"I used to go over to Jesse's place and watch it with him on his big screen tv. 'Alien Nation' was pretty cool. My favourite episode would have to be when the alien cop George gave birth to his child." Xander told her.
Cordelia was confused. "George? A guy?"
"Yeah. Male aliens are the ones that get pregnant." Xander informed his girlfriend.
Cordelia chuckled. "It's a shame that it's not like that with humans."
"Yeah, you wish." Xander smiled at her.
Xander switched the channel over to an episode of 'Just Shoot Me'. Apparently, 'The Nanny' had to have finished.
"This is much funnier than 'The Nanny'. The humor is kind of like 'Seinfeld'." Xander mentioned.
Cordelia watched the screen before she got up to get another drink from the fridge.
"One show I liked was 'Tales From The Crypt'. That was good. At least it was until they went British. Now I don't watch it. I don't know if they cancelled it or not." Xander called out.
Cordelia came back to the couch and sat down. "'Tales From The Crypt'? That's with the Cryptkeeper isn't it? I like that one. That and 'Freddy's Nightmares'."
"You liked 'Freddy's Nightmares'?? You??" Xander asked incredulous.
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. Why is it such a shock?"
"Because that was the last show I expected you to like. I mean it's mainly for fanboys of 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'. You don't seem like a Freddy fan to me." Xander pointed out.
Cordelia shook her head. "I'll have you know that I have secretly seen all seven 'Nightmare On Elm Street' movies, and I'll be waiting in line for 'Freddy Vs Jason' whenever it comes out. Just don't tell anyone. Especially Harmony. She'll never let me hear the end of it."
"Nah I won't. And to think that I know you." Xander said with a smile.
"Well, that was a good show. I like the weird episodes, where they keep waking up from their dreams and you can hardly tell if it's reality or not. They're my favourites." Cordelia told him.
Xander looked at her. "What about 'Stargate SG-1' and 'Charmed'. Do you watch those?"
"I watch 'Charmed' sometimes. But I've never seen 'Stargate'." Cordelia said to him before drinking from the can of soda.
Xander nodded. "'Stargate' is a good show. It's like 'Sliders', but a little bit more action packed."
Cordelia looked at her watch and sighed. "I can't believe how late it is. I've got to go. Are you going to be okay here on your own?"
"Well, at least I'll be better off here than with my parents." Xander said.
Cordelia nodded. "I've got to go. Are you going to call me?"
"Yeah, I will." Xander said as he turned off the television. They got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen. Cordelia picked her empty cooler and sighed.
"Don't worry about the cans of soda. You can leave them here." Xander told her.
"It's not that. I just worry about leaving you on your own." Cordelia said sadly.
Xander chuckled and grinned at her. "Well, you can always stay over."
Cordelia grinned and kissed him. "Thanks, but I'll have to think about that one."
Xander walked Cordelia over to the front door and opened it. They stepped outside the apartment as they saw children run past in the street, throwing a football around to their friends.
"I'll call you." Xander told her as he kissed her for the last time that day. She smiled at him and kissed him back. She fingered her gold necklace and they said their goodbyes. Xander watched Cordelia walk down the stairs and over to her car, which was parked right outside his apartment. Xander waved goodbye to Cordelia as she started her car and drove away.
A knock on the door had dragged Xander from out of the kitchen where he was making a quick sandwich. He opened the door to see an upset Phillip Chase standing outside.
"Mr Chase? What are you doing here? Is Cordelia alright?" Xander asked him in a panic.
"Cordelia's alright. She doesn't know I'm here. I just wanted to tell you this in person." Phillip told him.
Xander was instantly confused. He never expected Cordelia's father to show up at his house.
"Tell me what?" Xander asked him as he invited Phillip inside.
Phillip walked into the living room and watched as Xander closed the front door.
"You must take me for a complete idiot, don't you son?" Phillip asked him.
"I don't...I don't know what's going on, and..." Xander stammered but was cut off by the middle aged man.
"Did you really think you'd be able to keep your financial life a secret? For god's sake, I run a franchise of successful banks. For months I was under the impression that you were a normal kid. Someone my daughter had set her sights lower on. But now I find out that her boyfriend isn't poor, he's a multi billionaire." Phillip spoke to him harshly.
Xander shuffled his feet, trying to think of something to say to reassure him. But nothing came to mind. Instead, Xander said the one thing that he felt was the right thing to say.
"I didn't want to tell you about that, because I wanted you to like me for me. Not for how much money I have. Would it have made any difference?" Xander asked him.
Phillip shook his head. "It would have made a difference. I don't know. I... I don't know, okay? But the fact remains is that you lied to me. To my face."
"I never told you of my financial matters. You just assumed that I was poor because of my parents. Although I can't blame you for jumping to that conclusion." Xander tried to reason with the man.
"I don't know if I can trust you anymore. And I certainly don't know if my daughter should be around you." Phillip said as he walked towards the front door. He stepped outside and Xander followed him.
Xander thought about calling out to his girlfriend's father, hoping that he could straighten this whole mess out, but it looked hopeless right now. Maybe later. But for now, Xander just stood there and watched as Phillip started his car and sped off down the street in the direction of his house. Xander closed the door when he got back inside his apartment and leaned against the door, trying to keep his rage intact.
Xander remembered that he had a sandwich to make, so he walked back into the kitchen and prepared his light dinner.
Cordelia came out of the gymnasium with Harmony, Kate and Aura by her side. Aphrodesia was sick that day, so there was a person missing in their little clique.
"So, what about that party at my house? Are you coming or what?" Harmony asked Cordelia.
Cordy shrugged an answer. "I'll go if you invite Xander and his friends."
"But..."
"If they don't go, I don't go. I'm sorry." Cordelia told her straight. Harmony thought it over for a couple of minutes and realised that she'd have to make this little sacrifice in order to have her friend at her party.
"Alright, they can come. But if they do something geeky, I'm going to barf." Harmony cringed.
Cordelia sighed as they walked to the change rooms. After showering and changing into their casual clothes, Cordelia asked about Chris.
"So, what's been going on with you and Chris lately?" Cordelia asked Harmony.
The blonde teenager shrugged. "It's okay. Last night we... you know. In my car."
"Wow." Cordelia said in surprise.
"Yeah. Except I keep getting the feeling he's still obsessed with Callie." Harmony confided.
Cordelia stared at her. "What makes you think that?"
"The fact that he called out her name when we finished?" Harmony said with disgust.
"Sorry," Cordelia said sympathetically.
Harmony shrugged. "It's okay. I don't think it's going to work out anyway."
"But you just slept with him. Doesn't that mean you're serious?" Cordelia asked in confusion.
Harmony laughed. "C'mon. How sappy do you think I am?"
Cordy sighed in defeat and packed her cheerleader outfit in her bag. The party tonight was going to be fun. Harmony thought of something and decided to ask Cordelia. "You wouldn't mind if you picked up Chris tonight for the party would you? It's just that he doesn't have a car yet."
"What about you?" Cordelia asked her.
"I can't. I have to make sure the party's ready to go."
Cordelia nodded. "Well, it's out of my way. But not with Xander. Why don't you ask him if he could do it?"
Harmony thought about it and shook her head. "I don't think so. Why don't you ask?"
"Chris is YOUR boyfriend. Ask Xander. He's not going to bite your head off. No matter how many times you've made his life hell." Cordelia said in defence.
The blonde cheerleader sighed. "Okay, fine. But I won't like it."
"Yeah, I'm sure he won't like it either." Cordelia whispered under her breath.
Xander was in class with Willow, Oz and Buffy when Harmony sat next to him. Xander instantly felt uneasy and his friends were feeling a bit uncomfortable when they realised that Harmony chose to sit next to Xander.
"Would you and your friends come to a party I'm having tonight? Cordelia won't show up without you people." Harmony asked Xander. His friends overheard the request.
"I'll go. I don't know about the others though." Xander said to her as he pointed to Willow, Oz and Buffy. Harmony leaned over and asked the three of them if they wanted to go. They nodded a yes.
Harmony nodded in relief. She knew now that Cordelia would be there. She thought of her next question and decided to just get it over with.
"And one more thing. Could you pick up Chris Epps from his house this afternoon for the party? He doesn't have a car." Harmony asked Xander.
"Yeah, okay. I know where he lives." Xander said in acceptance. Harmony nodded and quickly left the spare seat to sit back with her friends at the front of the class.
Willow turned to face Xander. "Well, look at you. You're getting all popular now. I hope you're not going to ditch us for your new friends."
Xander gave her a mock laugh and opened his Biology book to draw pictures on the last page of his book. He did this whenever he was bored. And nothing was more boring than Biology.
Mr. Whitmore wrote some paragraphs from a text book on the chalkboard and the class copied it down in their books. Buffy nudged Xander softly, interrupting his drawing. He looked up and saw that Mr. Whitmore was writing on the blackboard and sighed. Xander turned to the front of his book and began to copy it down with the rest of the class.
"I hope that you people are going to do your homework. Your assignment results were less than stellar." Mr. Whitmore told the class.
Xander wasn't listening to the teacher. He was busy thinking about his girlfriend. He secretly wondered what it would be like to see her naked. Of course he had seen her partially naked before, but never a total full frontal thing. Xander felt guilty about thinking of her like that, but he suppressed those feelings. They have been a couple for close to two years now and they love each other. Xander knew that he does deserve the right to think of her like that. He was sure that Cordelia had such thoughts of hm in that way too. All Xander knew was that he was extremely grateful for the desk he was sitting at right now.
He then thought back to yesterday afternoon when Cordelia's father showed up at his house and told him that he knew that he was rich. Apparently Cordelia didn't know what happened yesterday, and Xander didn't want to tell her. What would be the point?
The bell rang which meant that class was over. Everyone rushed out of class as Mr. Whitmore sat down in his seat and sighed.
Cordelia met up with Xander and Buffy outside near the football field. Willow and Oz left for Oz's band practice, leaving Buffy and Xander alone.
"So, did Harmony talk to you yet?" Cordelia asked her boyfriend.
Xander nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to pick up her boyfriend on my way there. How many people are going?"
"A lot of people. Harmony tends to host mega huge parties." Cordelia sighed as she sat down on the bench next to Xander. Buffy looked out over the parking lot and chuckled.
"Oh my god. Is that who I think it is?" Buffy asked the pair as they turned around to look. They spotted Owen Thurman and his girlfriend Lysette in the parking lot. Owen had changed severely since the last time Buffy and the others had seen him. Buffy had rejected him because she didn't want him to be subjected to the dangerous side of life. Apparently it didn't stop him, as they watched the heavily pierced and leather jacket wearing Owen, kiss Lysette over his new Mustang.
"Where the hell did he get the money for a Mustang?" Xander asked Buffy.
Buffy shook her head in confusion. "I shudder to think. He probably robbed a convenience store or something. I thought when I dumped him, I was saving him from the dangerous life. Guess it didn't work. I heard he's got some tattoo's as well."
"Tatoo's? Piercings? Mustang? Is this the same Owen Thurman that we were fighting over two years ago?" Cordelia asked in surprise. The Owen she saw now hardly looked anything like the nice, sweet boy she knew before.
Xander nodded. "I guess he likes to live life in the fast lane. Lysette is a major car freak. I overheard one of Oz's friends talking about her that time I helped out."
Buffy chuckled as the trio watched Owen and Lysette walk into the school under the suspicious gaze of Principal Snyder.
"Would you look at that?" Xander asked as Buffy and Cordelia looked at where Xander was staring. They saw Kyle, Tor, Heidi and Rhonda getting bullied by Lance. Lance was someone that those former bullies picked on a while ago. Until they all went on that excursion to the zoo and got lost in the Hyena section. Not to mention the Principal Flutie incident.
"Did you guys get me my money or what?" Lance asked them impatiently.
"Here. Here it's all we've got right now." Kyle said as he handed over thirty dollars.
Lance looked the money over. "You people owe me thirty seven more dollars."
Tor, Heidi and Rhonda nodded. "We'll get you the money. It'll just take a while." They told him in unison.
Lance nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now get out of here."
Cordelia, Xander and Buffy watched as the former bullies retreated, leaving Lance alone to count his money before he put it in his wallet and walked away.
"Wow. Funny how the tables turn isn't it?" Xander commented with a smile.
Cordelia laughed. "Well, it's life I guess."
Buffy looked away and focused on Xander and Cordelia. "I can't believe you two. You guys have not had an argument in months. You don't bicker like normal. It's making me bicker with Angel now."
"You and Angel are fighting? What for?" Cordelia asked.
"Is this a time that I should leave?" Xander asked, ready to leave the table.
Buffy shook her head and Xander relaxed in his seat. She turned to Cordelia's direction and shrugged.
"Oh, it's just the normal fighting thing every couple goes through."
Xander smiled. "Well, Cordy and I have had enough of those to last ten lifetimes. It's time we spent the rest of our lives relaxing."
"Yeah, you two can afford that with your money." Buffy threw back at them. Xander gave her a stern look and Buffy delivered an apologetic look.
"So, how's life on your own?" Buffy asked Xander, trying to change the subject. She knew that Xander didn't really want to be referred to as rich. He was probably the only down to earth billionaire that she knows. In fact, he was the ONLY billionaire she knew.
Xander smiled. "It's okay. But it gets awful quiet at night. I miss the sounds of smashing plates and screaming voices." Xander said half serious.
"You'll get used to it. And it IS a good apartment complex." Cordelia said to Xander and Buffy.
"That's true." Xander agreed.
Cordelia got up along with Buffy. "We have to go to our next class. Meet you at the party? I'm going to drive Buffy home today."
"Yeah, okay. Bye." Xander said as he waved goodbye to the two girls.
Cordelia walked with Buffy to class. "Why did you ask Harmony to invite us to her party tonight?"
"Because I wanted Xander out of that apartment. He's all alone in there, you know." Cordelia told her friend.
Buffy nodded. "He only moved in there yesterday. Isn't your panicking a bit premature?"
"No, not really. At least I don't think so. It does get pretty quiet in his house. When you visit him you'll notice." Cordelia told her.
"You could always stay the night over there. I'm pretty sure Xander wouldn't mind." Buffy giggled at the thought of her best friends in that situation.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Xander asked me that yesterday as a joke. I've been thinking about it though. I'm not sure yet."
Xander parked his car outside of Chris's house and walked up to the house. He knocked on the door and waited for a couple of minutes until a woman in her forties answered the door.
"I'm here to pick up Chris?" Xander asked her as she invited him. He walked into the house and watched as the woman sat down in her lounge chair and watched an old Sunnydale High football game on tape. Buffy had told him about Chris's mother watching old videos of her dead son Daryl, so Xander assumed that this was Chris's mother.
"Do you like football?" She asked him. Xander shook his head and she nodded in disapointment. Mrs. Epps turned back to the television and watched Daryl score another goal.
Chris came down the stairs and stopped when he saw Xander standing in the living room watching the video of Daryl.
"I'm ready. We can go now." Chris told him as they left the house.
Xander chose not to bring up anything about his mother and they silently rode their way to Harmony's house with Chris's directions. They made it to her house to see that the driveway and the street was littered with cars. Music blared from inside the big house as teenagers danced inside. Xander and Chris got out of the car. Chris spotted Callie getting out of her car and he smiled.
"I'll be in there in a minute." Chris told Xander as he walked over to the brunette.
"Hey. I just got back into town as soon as I finished school. I was hoping to find you here." Callie said to him as he caressed her face.
Xander watched that scene play out and he walked into Harmony's house, shaking his head. Even though he wasn't friends with Cordelia's friend, he felt sorry for her. It must be rough to be cheated on and she didn't even know it.
He found Buffy over at the drink counter and walked right over. "Hey."
She turned around and smiled. "Hey."
"Where's Willow and Oz?" Xander asked his friend.
Buffy rolled her eyes as she thought of her other two friends. "They don't really like Harmony. And Oz's band has a gig tonight, so Willow's tagging along. She doesn't want any groupies hanging around what's hers. Those are her exact words, I believe."
"Well, she IS a very controlling person." Xander agreed as he thought of his childhood friend. Someone at the party put on a CD. A song started to play, called "Don't Speak" from the band "No Doubt".
You and me We used to be together Every day together always
I really feel I'm losing my best friend I can't believe This could be the end
It looks as though you're letting go And if it's real, Well I don't want to know
Don't speak I know just what you're saying So please stop explaining Don't tell me 'cause it hurts Don't speak I know what you're thinking I don't need your reasons Don't tell me 'cause it hurts
Our memories They can be inviting But some are altogether Mighty frightening
As we die, both you and I With my head in my hands I sit and cry
Don't speak I know just what you're saying So please stop explaining Don't tell me 'cause it hurts Don't speak I know what you're thinking I don't need your reasons Don't tell me 'cause it hurts
It's all ending I gotta stop pretending who we are... You and me I can see us dying ... are we?
Don't speak I know just what you're saying So please stop explaining Don't tell me 'cause it hurts Don't speak I know what you're thinking I don't need your reasons Don't tell me 'cause it hurts
"You want to dance?" Cordelia asked Xander as she snuck up behind him. Xander waved goodbye to Buffy as he walked into the middle of the room with Cordelia and danced with the other couples.
"I had our song put on. It took a lot to convince them that it was a good one." Cordelia said to Xander as they began to slowly dance to their song by U2, 'With Or Without You'.
See the stone set in your eyes See the thorn twist in your side I wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate On a bed of nails she makes me wait And I wait without you
With or without you With or without you
Through the storm we reach the shore You give it all but I want more And I'm waiting for you
With or without you With or without you I can't live With or without you
And you give yourself away And you give yourself away And you give And you give And you give yourself away
My hands are tied My body bruised, she's got me with Nothing to win and Nothing left to lose
And you give yourself away And you give yourself away And you give And you give And you give yourself away
With or without you With or without you I can't live With or without you
With or without you With or without you I can't live With or without you With or without you
Their song ended and they went back to meet Angel, Buffy and Wesley. Wesley was here because he had to keep an eye on Buffy and Angel. But it didn't stop him from the occasional looks in Cordelia's direction. Xander caught him out a couple of times and he shook his head in disgust.
Harmony came running into her house looking really distressed and angry.
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked Xander. She had no idea what happened.
Xander smiled sadly. "I think she just caught Chris cheating with Callie."
"Oh god." Cordelia breathed as she saw an upset Harmony talking to a short, brunette girl who introduced herself as Anya.
Harmony looked at the girl oddly as she asked certain questions about life. "What do you want from me?" She asked the girl.
Anya smiled sweetly. "If you could wish for one thing. One little revenge on the guy that just cheated on you, what would it be?"
"Alright. I wish that he..." Harmony was cut off by Cordelia who pulled her away from Anya with an apologetic look in her eyes, directed to the brunette girl that looked a bit upset.
Cordelia took Harmony over to an empty spot in the house and gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry about Chris."
"That's okay. I should have realised that it was going to happen. Maybe I did and pretended it wasn't happening." Harmony explained.
Cordelia nodded in understanding. "What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. Probably date a real geek like you. I wonder if Jonathan's single." Harmony asked as she pointed to Jonathan Levinson who was standing in the corner watching two of the Sunnydale Razorbacks footballers, Percy West and Hogan Martin chug down a half gallon of beer along with Larry, while Freddy cheered him on.
"Alright!!!" Percy roared out as he finished before Hogan.
"You cheated!" Hogan complained, causing Percy to laugh in his face.
Cordelia looked at Harmony who was still looking at Jonathan. "You know, maybe you should wait till you're not on the rebound or something."
"To hell with that. Geek is the way to go." Harmony said as she walked over to Jonathan and asked him to dance. Jonathan looked as if all his christmases had come at once as he and Harmony started to dance with the other couples. Cordelia watched them from where she was standing, as did Xander and Buffy who were on the other side of the room.
By now more teenagers had shown up for the party. Some people showed up that no one even knew who they were. But the party raged on as the music blared from the speakers.
Cordelia spotted the Swedish Exchange student Sven, who was dancing with Aura. He mumbled something to Aura who giggled in return. Cordy shrugged in response to that scene and faced Xander who was simply looking into the crowd at Buffy who was talking to Eric with Chris and Callie. Eric was the former friend of Chris's during the whole Daryl stint and it still made Cordelia's flesh crawl at the thought of Eric.
"C'mon man, I just need your help. I can't handle the experiment on my own. She's a real babe." Eric tried to convince him.
Buffy had had enough of this. "That's it. You get to leave now."
Eric winced as Buffy dragged him out of the house and began to beat him up outside when he tried to hit her. Xander shook his head at Eric's stupidity as he watched from the window. Cordelia gave Xander a drink from the counter. He smiled and kissed her, ignoring the look of jealousy on Wesley's face. Angel also noticed Wesley and sighed with a shake of his head.
"I'm getting the feeling that Wesley isn't too popular with the gang." Xander told her.
Cordelia looked up at him and then hugged him. "I don't know. He's alright."
"You haven't noticed that he's been looking at your breasts all afternoon?" Xander asked her. Cordelia gave him a shocked look.
"He has NOT been staring at my breasts all day." She told him.
Xander chuckled at her blindness of the issue. "No of course not. Because when you turned around he was staring at your ass."
"Could we not argue about this? I haven't noticed anything like that. Only that afternoon in the school parking lot where I saw him looking in our direction in the rear view mirror. We just told Buffy today that we haven't argued for ages. Let's not wreck a good track record." Cordelia said as they held each other.
The partygoers danced to the music but some of them were sitting around and drinking. Scott Hope was sitting on the couch with his two friends, Pete and Debbie as they talked and messed around. Pete noticed someone looking at his girlfriend and threw him a death stare.
John Lee danced with Holly Charleston, who had won the Homecoming Queen title with her competitor Michelle Blake. Michelle was drinking a can of beer with her friends as Percy fell to the floor in a drunken stupor, sending the drink counter crashing to the floor, spilling drinks everywhere.
"Look what you morons did!" Harmony screamed out loud at Percy who staggered away from the counter as his friends cheered him on. She stopped dancing with Jonathan and stared at the mess on the carpet.
"That's what happens when jocks drink." John Lee said to Holly as they watched Percy slump to the ground with a silly grin on his face. Jack Mayhew was juggling three cans of beer at a time as supporters coaxed him on. Blayne Mall was talking with Mitch as he sat with Lishanne on the spare seat.
"Nice party, Harm." Kate teased her as Harmony danced with Jonathan, who had a smile on his face.
"Go away. I'm busy." An annoyed Harmony threw back as Kate went back to Cordette and giggled. They saw fellow cheerleader Joy kissing Ben who was in their Algebra class.
Buffy walked over to Cordelia and Xander and smiled at them. "It's a real nice party. It's not everyday we see jocks stumble over themselves."
"Ha ha." Cordelia mocked. They glanced over at Joy and Ben kissing and Buffy smiled.
"That guy once asked me out when Angel and I were fighting. It's good that he's moved on." Buffy said to the pair.
Xander and Cordelia caught Wesley looking at Cordelia and she nodded in agreement to Xander's last comment about Wesley when Xander saw her reaction. "See? What did I tell you?" Xander told her.
"Sorry, I didn't realise." Cordelia told him apologetically.
Diego and Chantarelle came into the house and started dancing together. Buffy almost didn't recognise them without their dark makeup and silly costumes on. Buffy walked up to them and smiled.
"Hey, I haven't seen you two around for awhile." Buffy told the pair.
"Well, Marvin and I decided to leave all that stuff we did before in the past." Chantarelle told her.
"Marvin? I thought your name was Diego?"
Marvin shrugged. "I made Diego up. I didn't like the name Marvin. Besides, 'Diego' reminds me of what happened at the Sunset Club."
Buffy nodded as she remembered that whole ordeal and continued to talk to them over the music as Cordelia and Xander kissed in their one spot. Everything around them disappeared as they lost themselves in each other.
"Cordelia? Wake up, honey." Madolyn urged her daughter as she shook her gently.
"What time is it?" Cordelia asked tiredly.
Madolyn checked her watch. "It's ten twenty seven in the morning. You slept in. How long did Harmony's party go to?"
"Um, I can't remember. Two in the morning I think." Cordelia answered groggily.
"Two in the morning?! You stayed until it ended?!" Her mother was surprised.
Cordelia nodded as she sat up in her big bed. "Yeah. It was pretty wild. Some jocks got drunk and turned Harmony's living room into their own personal toilet. Xander and I stayed behind with some others and helped Harmony clean the place up."
"Oh okay. Just don't tell your father how late you came back home last night. He'll have Xander's head on a stick." Madolyn smiled.
Cordelia nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."
Cordelia's mother got up off the bed and left her daughter's room, giving Cordelia the chance to change. She walked over to her closet and opened the doors. She pulled out what looked like the new fashion from Gucci and decided to wear it.
"What the hell could be taking her so long?" Phillip asked his wife when they realised that Cordelia hadn't come downstairs yet.
"She's a teenage girl. It comes with the territory." Madolyn told him as they sat and waited for their daughter to arrive.
They didn't have to wait for long. Cordelia came down the stairs and greeted the both of them before getting something to drink from the fridge. She noticed that her father was giving her a look and decided to find out what it was about.
"What? What did I do?" Cordelia asked them.
Phillip looked at her. "You lied to me and you lied to your mother for one thing."
"I didn't know the party was going to be that long, okay? It wasn't like I planned it." Cordelia told them.
Phillip shook his head. "This isn't about some stupid party. You lied to us about Xander."
Cordelia was confused. 'What's wrong now?' She thought to herself.
"What did I lie about?" She asked them.
"Phillip, this isn't really important is it?" Madolyn asked her husband. Phillip simply held his hand up, signalling that it was something he wanted to get off his chest.
"When were you planning on telling us that he's rich? That he's not some kid living in the slums?" Phillip asked her.
Cordelia was shocked at the question but not surprised that her father figured it out. It was only a matter of time and he does run a chain of banks.
"How did you find out?"
"Never mind how I found out. Well? What have you got to say for yourself?" Phillip asked her.
Cordelia shook her head incredulously. "It's none of your concern. It's not like he did time in prison or anything. What does his money have to do with anything? It doesn't concern me and it certainly shouldn't concern you."
"Don't talk back to me, young lady. If I had have known how well off he is, I would have..."
"Would have what? Made him feel welcome? Treated him like a son now that you know he's wealthy? I can't believe you." Cordelia said as she put down her drink and walked to the front door.
"Where are you going?" Madolyn asked her.
"I'm going to see Xander. I'll be back later." Cordelia told them both before heading out of her house and toward her car.
Xander came out of his bedroom and greeted Cordelia in the living room with a camcorder.
"Where'd you get that thing?" She asked him.
Xander smiled as he focused the video camera on his girlfriend, her face showing on the mini monitor. "I bought it at that hi-fi store out of town, a couple of weeks ago."
"How come I didn't know?"
Xander smiled as he continued to film her. "I don't tell you everything I do. It adds mystery."
"Mystery huh?" Cordelia asked with a smile. Then she thought of what happened with her father and her smile dropped.
"What's wrong?" Xander asked as he still filmed her.
"My father found out that you've got money." Cordelia told him. Xander nodded and smiled sadly. "I know. He showed up here after you left on Thursday afternoon."
Cordelia looked up at him in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to upset you." Xander said as he put the camera down on the table and sat down next to Cordelia. He put an arm around her and pointed towards the camcorder.
"Say hi to the camera." Xander told her.
"Hi to the camera." Cordelia joked and they burst out in giggles, letting the video camera record everything.
Xander got up and picked the video camera up and pointed it at her again. "What do you want to do after highschool?"
"Well, I want to be an actress, but I think I stink at it so I'm going to have to get lessons. So, I guess I'd better get used to cameras in my face, eh?" Cordelia said into the camera. Xander nodded and spoke from behind the camera. "C'mon, let's go."
"Where?"
"To see Buffy and the others. They're at the library." Xander said as Cordelia got off the couch and walked over to him.
"The library? On a Sunday? I can't think of anything in that that isn't geeky." Cordelia said with a smirk.
Xander chuckled. "You know they don't go to the library to read books. Just like my Uncle Rory and his taxidermist occupation. He doesn't always have taxidermist discussions going on in there."
"What else goes on in there?" Cordelia asked him out of curiousity.
Xander smiled. "Usually? Hookers. Hookers as far as the eye can see. Ole Uncle Rory is a real pimp on his days off."
"Did you sample his products?" Cordelia smiled at him.
Xander shook his head. "Of course not, babe. I'm saving myself for you, you know that."
"Good. Just checking." Cordelia told him as they walked out of Xander's apartment. They walked to their cars and their smiles faded.
"What car do we take?" Xander asked her.
"Mine. Save you some gas." Cordelia told him with a grin as they headed to her car. Xander continued filming as Cordelia started the car and they headed to Sunnydale High.
Cordelia and Xander found Giles in the library, talking to George the Janitor. They sat down at the table as they heard the last of their conversation.
"I wasn't charged because they couldn't find the gun. There was no gun because I didn't shoot her. Ms. Frank must have fell off the balcony. I couldn't remember what happened exactly." George told the librarian.
Giles nodded. "It's okay. It was an accident. A horrible accident but an accident none the less. There's really no need to apologise."
George nodded and left the library, as Giles rubbed his tired face and realised that Cordelia and Xander were now in the library.
"How much of that did you hear?" Giles asked them. Xander and Cordelia shook their head as they told him they didn't hear much of anything.
"Where's the others?" Xander asked him.
"Buffy, Kendra, Willow and Oz are investigating a sighting near Willy's bar. Wesley has gone with them." Giles told them.
"Wesley's gone with them? Poor Buffy." Xander noted as Cordelia hit him lightly.
Giles was about to say something when Jenny Calendar walked into the library with a strange looking man, her expression was anything but happy.
"Rupert. There's something I have to tell you. This is Enyos Kalderash, my Uncle." Jenny told him.
Cordelia and Xander looked at each other and then back at Giles who had a shocked look on his face. Enyos approached Giles and gave him a concerned look. "There's something we have to tell you. It's about Angel."
"You two have to go now." Giles told Xander and Cordelia. They nodded in agreement and left Giles in the library with Jenny and her Uncle.
"I thought her last name was Calendar. Where did Kalderash come from?" Xander asked his girlfriend.
Cordelia shrugged. "Well, maybe it's her mother's maiden name."
"Maybe. But Angel's involved somehow. I can just tell that Buffy will be thrilled. First Wesley and now this." Xander said as he moved the camera onto Cordelia again.
Cordy looked at him. "Did you have that camera on Giles when we were in the library just then."
Xander nodded and Cordelia swatted him in the arm. "Xander! I can't believe you did that. Did you even ask him to be immortalised on film?"
"I didn't think I needed to." Xander told her as he trained the camera on her.
"You can be such a dorkhead sometimes." Cordelia told him right before they kissed. She walked in front of him, giving Xander the perfect opportunity to slap her butt softly but firmly, making her jump in surprise.
"You cheeky bastard." Cordelia said as she chased him out of the school. She caught up to him and hit him in the ass in return.
"You didn't think you'd get away from me did you?" Cordelia asked him as he turned around with a grin.
"No," he replied. "But I thought it would be nice to have you chase ME for a change."
"Smartass." Cordelia muttered with a grin as they walked to her car.
They got into her car and just sat there for awhile before Xander turned on the car radio.
All our times have come Here but now they're gone Seasons don't fear the reaper Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain… we can be like they are Come on baby… don't fear the reaper Baby take my hand… don't fear the reaper We'll be able to fly… don't fear the reaper Baby I'm your man...
Valentine is done Here but now they're gone Romeo and Juliet Are together in eternity… Romeo and Juliet 40,000 men and women everyday… Like Romeo and Juliet 40,000 men and women everyday… Redefine happiness Another 40,000 coming everyday… We can be like they are Come on baby… don't fear the reaper Baby take my hand… don't fear the reaper We'll be able to fly… don't fear the reaper Baby I'm your man...
Love of two is one Here but now they're gone Came the last night of sadness And it was clear she couldn't go on Then the door was open and the wind appeared The candles blew then disappeared The curtains flew then he appeared… saying don't be afraid Come on baby… and she had no fear And she ran to him… then they started to fly They looked backward and said good bye… she had become like they are She had taken his hand… she had become like they are Come on baby… don't fear the reaper
"Now that is freaky. I was just thinking of that song before I turned the radio on." Xander exclaimed.
Cordelia nodded. "I have that same feeling when I watch gameshows. I get the answer in my head when I don't even know it. It's called instinct."
"Smartass." Xander threw back at her. Cordelia started up the car and they drove off back to Xander's house.
Cordelia cast a glance to Xander and looked at the camcorder he was still using. "Hey, Xan?"
"Yeah, Cor?"
"Can I borrow that camcorder of yours for a week? I want to see if I can get a handle on using it." Cordelia told him.
Xander shrugged. "Yeah sure. But I have to tell you, actors don't need to use the camera. They just stand in front of the camera and act."
"I know that dummy. I was just thinking that if I can't cut it as an actress, I could always try my hand at directing." Cordelia told him.
Xander nodded and patted her knee where his hand stayed. She noticed this and smiled.
"It's getting harder to say goodbye to you, hon." Xander told her as they made it to his apartment.
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah I know. I think we're getting real close to the inevitable."
"Does it scare you?" Xander asked her.
"Kind of. Doesn't it scare you?" Cordy asked him.
Xander shook his head. "Not really. Not anymore anyway. I know you more than I do anybody. More than Willow. And if we do have sex, it will be even better now than it would have been a year ago."
"Yeah, I guess it would." Cordelia said with a smile. She thought of the possibility of going all the way with Xander and the thought wasn't scary anymore. She got the feeling that she and Xander would be finding out together very soon.
They said their goodbyes with a kiss and Cordelia drove to her house, where she just knew that her father was waiting. Waiting to tear even more strips off her.
Cordelia opened the front door and walked inside with Xander's camcorder in her hands. She found her mother sitting in the living room, watching an old Elvis Presley movie, and decided to face the music.
"Mom?"
Madolyn turned away from the television and watched her daughter as she moved into the living room slowly and sat down on a spare couch.
"Are you okay?" Madolyn asked her.
"Yeah I'm fine. Is Dad okay?" Cordelia asked her in return.
Madolyn shrugged an answer. "You know your father. When he isn't in the know with things, he gets angry."
"It's really none of his business that Xander's rich. I tend to forget he's financially strapped at times, because he never really acts like it. He's down to earth. Probably because he spent all those years with those bastard parents of his." Cordelia said to her.
Madolyn nodded. "His parents are pretty much animals aren't they?"
"I've never met them. Xander wouldn't let them near me. I can understand why." Cordelia said sadly. She wished that Xander had normal parents, so that he had a good childhood.
"Your father told me that Xander's a multi billionaire. That can't be right." Madolyn checked with her daughter.
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah it's true. Just don't make a case out of it whenever Xander comes over, okay? He doesn't like being regarded as being rich. Which is why he never told you or Dad about it. Hardly any of his friends know about it either. It's just the kind of person that he is."
"He is a nice guy. Cordelia, I'm sorry but I have to ask this. Are you sleeping with him?" Madolyn asked her.
"What?? No." Cordelia said quickly. She couldn't dodge her mother's eyes though as she scrutinized her youngest daughter.
"Well, when you do I want you to be safe." Cordelia's mother told her as she gave Cordelia a pack of Trojan condoms.
"Oh god." Cordelia said in embarrasment as she took the packet from her mother.
"Better safe than pregnant." Madolyn told her.
"I think the saying is 'Better safe than sorry'." Cordelia corrected her. Mrs Chase shrugged. "My way is better."
Cordelia smiled, feeling uncomfortable. "Well, thanks for the pack, I guess."
"Do you know how to use them?" Madolyn asked her.
"I'm not the one that has to wear them, remember?" Cordelia said in surprise.
Madolyn looked up at her. "What I mean is, do you know the basics?"
"Yeah, we were taught all this in school. Relax." Cordelia said as she walked up the stairs to her room.
Madolyn watched her leave. "No such thing for a mother of a teenage girl."
Cordelia watched Buffy come back down the stairs. The blonde teenager met Cordelia in the living room.
"You didn't have to come over here to my place, you know. We could have met in the library." Buffy told her as she sat down in a spare seat.
Cordelia gave her a look. "Buffy, this is our day off. I'm not going to spend it in school if I don't have to."
"You have a point there. Now, what is this all about?" Buffy asked as she thumbed through the TV guide.
Cordelia cast a quick glance towards Buffy before telling her. "I've decided that I'm going to sleep with Xander," she said tactlessly.
Buffy dropped the magazine in surprise at Cordelia's confession. She looked over at her former enemy and smiled.
"Did I hear you right? Did you just say that you plan to..."
"Do the mattress mambo? Yeah, you heard right." Cordelia said defensively.
Buffy was stunned. "Wow. Does Xander know?"
"No, not yet." Cordelia told her.
Buffy looked at her. "Well, when do you plan on doing this?"
"Today."
"Today!?! Don't you want some time to think about it?" Buffy asked in shock.
Cordelia shook her head. "I've been thinking about it for over a year now. I'm done with thinking about it. I love him and he loves me. I know it's the real thing. And it feels right to do it now."
Buffy smiled. "Well, what are you doing here? Go to Xander's. Go, go."
"Woah, hang on. I just came here to see you. Besides, it's only eight thirty in the morning. There's a lot of hours left in the day. So, what's been happening? Did you hear about Miss Calendar's uncle?" Cordelia asked her.
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I heard. And I'm not pleased. Let's just say that it has something to do with gypsies."
"Oh great." Cordelia said sadly for her friend.
"Exactly what I said. Apparently, Miss Calendar was sent here to spy on Angel also. To make sure that Angel and I don't have sex." Buffy said angrily.
"What?!?" Cordelia asked disbelievingly.
Buffy sighed. "It's a long story. If he experiences happiness, he will go back to what he once was. And we can't have that."
"Definately not. So, what are you going to do now?" Cordelia asked her.
"Die a virgin?" Buffy asked with a weak smile.
Cordelia smiled back sadly. "It's better that than the alternative. Unless you're planning on dumping him in order to have sex?"
"Of course not. It's not that important to me. Besides, I can't miss what I never had." Buffy told herself.
Cordelia nodded and then looked at her watch. "Well, I guess I better go see Xander."
"Going to tell him the good news are you?" Buffy grinned at her.
Cordelia laughed. "One thing's for sure. He won't see it coming."
"Well, keep me informed on what happens." Buffy told the brunette as Cordelia left Buffy's house.
"Lucky bitch." Buffy muttered to herself as she watched Cordelia drive away down the street.
Xander woke up in his bed due to the knocking on his front door that awoke him. He sighed, frustrated that he was interrupted from sleeping in.
"Whoever it is had better have a damn good explanation for waking me up!" Xander yelled as he approached the door and opened it quick, revealing Cordelia on the other side.
"What are you doing up at this time on a day off?" Xander asked her as he invited her in. Cordelia looked at him and Xander noticed that he was wearing only his boxer shorts. Xander grinned awkwardly and looked back at her. "I'll be back in a minute. I'll get dressed."
"Pity." Cordelia told him with a smile as Xander grinned back. He disappeared into his bedroom for a couple of minutes, leaving Cordelia to sit down in the living room and glance over the open TV guide.
Xander came out of his room wearing his favourite color shirt and normal tracksuit pants. He sat down next to Cordelia after he poured two drinks for the both of them.
"Here you go then." Xander said as he gave her a glass of orange juice.
"Thanks." Cordelia thanked him as she took the glass and drank the orange juice down. Xander drank his orange juice too and put the empty glass down on the coaster which rested on the coffee table.
"So, what brings you here to my bachelor pad?" Xander joked, making Cordelia roll her eyes.
"Well, I've been thinking."
"Thinking about what?" Xander asked her.
Cordelia thought about it carefully before answering. "About us taking the next step. You know...going all the way."
Xander looked surprised for a couple of minutes before he thought of what to say. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm ready for all that." Cordelia said with a sure look in her eyes.
Xander nodded as he was secretly scared. "When do we, uh, you know. When do we do this?"
Cordelia kissed him before she answered. "How about tonight? We should make it as romantic as possible."
"I know what we might need. What about protection? I've got to get some at the chemist." Xander said to her as he thought of what they needed.
Cordelia pulled out the pack of Trojan Ultra Pleasure Condoms from her overcoat that her mother gave her yesterday. "We don't have to worry about that. My mom gave these to me the other day. It's what got me thinking about it."
Xander took the packet out of Cordelia's hand and stared at it. "Pack of thirty six???"
"Yeah."
"You're sure it's enough?" Xander joked as they burst out laughing.
Cordelia looked the packet over and shrugged. "I guess it was the last one on the shelf that my mother could find. Either that or she thinks I'm a slut, which would more or less prove Willow right."
"You are not a slut. You're a bautiful, young woman. Willow's just being jealous. When did she say this anyway?" Xander asked her sweetly.
Cordelia shrugged. "I overheard Willow tell Oz a couple of days ago."
"I don't believe this. She's supposed to be over that obsession of hers." Xander said in exasperation. Cordelia shrugged.
"Who cares what Willow does. She can't hurt us. Never can and never will. She'll only end up hurting herself if she continues like this." Cordelia said after thinking about the situation.
Xander nodded. "Yeah. She'll lose in the long run. So, what are you going to tell your parents?"
"What about?" She asked him.
"About spending the night here. You had to have lied to them, especially with your dad. So, what did you say?" Xander asked her with a grin.
Xander watched Cordelia shift in her seat. "I told them that I was spending the night with Aura. Aura and I have this understanding. When she wants to do something that her parents would most likely object to, I cover for her. She does the same for me."
"That's okay. I just hope your father doesn't come over here for another serve." Xander said with a small smile. Cordelia looked at him and smiled sadly.
"Sorry about that." She told him.
"You know, I expected him to probably jump over the moon when he found out I'm not a poor kid from the street. His reaction was the last thing I expected." Xander told her honestly.
Cordelia nodded. "Well, he's a proud person. He doesn't like not being in control of things."
Xander and Cordelia kissed. Their kisses elevated from simple pecks to a long makeout session. They got lost within themselves, until they both fell off the couch, narrowly missing the coffee table. They fell apart in a panting heap, catching their breaths as they stared at each other.
"I don't know if I can wait till tonight." Xander said half serious.
"We don't really have to, you know. We could always do it now." Cordelia suggested lustily.
Xander shook his head. "No, no, no. There's some things I have to get. It has to be real special. Tonight will be fantastic."
"No kidding." Cordelia breathed as she watched Xander get up off the floor, her eyes watching his tracksuit pants- covered butt walk away to the kitchen to get more drinks.
Despite the fact that he didn't want to see him or talk to him, Xander had to see Angel. Xander had no choice but to go to him with this favor. It didn't take long for him to find Angel's small apartment which was located near the Bronze, and before he knew it he was standing in front of the closed front door. Xander swallowed his pride and knocked on the door, shaking his head with the fact that he was going through with this.
The door opened slightly and Angel was standing on the other side, looking at him oddly.
"What are you doing here?" He asked him. Xander shook his head and stared at the older man.
"Believe it or not, I need you to do something for me." Xander told him. Angel watched him carefully, as he knew that this was very unusual. He looked around Xander trying to find some other people with him, but there wasn't any.
"I'm here on my own." Xander told him.
"Okay, what do you want?" Angel asked him out of curiousity.
Xander gave him a piece of paper with an address written on it. Angel looked it over and then back at Xander who told him it was the address for Hank's Jr Mart, a liquor store in Sunnydale.
"I thought you didn't drink. Buffy told me..." Angel started but stopped when Xander raised his hand to silence him.
"This is different. It's a special occasion and I can't get this on my own because I'm underage. And I'm pretty sure Giles won't get it for me. And since we don't get along, I figure that there be no harm in asking. So will you get it for me?" Xander asked.
"Get what?"
"It's called, 'Chateau Da Silva'. It's a two hundred and ninety nine dollar bottle of champagne." Xander told him.
Angel nodded and was about to close the door when Xander stopped him. "Wait. Don't you want the money? How are you going to pay for it?"
"I've got money. Don't worry. Be at the Bronze at 8:30 tonight. I'll have it by then." Angel said as he closed the door.
Xander stared at the closed door and then put the money he had in his hand back in his coat pocket. He walked away from Angel's apartment and headed to the store to buy some other things.
Xander waited outside the Bronze, ignoring the looks that Harmony and her friends gave him as they entered the teen nightclub. Even Willow and Oz were curious as to why he was standing outside in the cold night air instead of coming inside. Xander simply told them he was meeting someone out here and that he wasn't staying. They nodded and walked inside the nightclub.
After standing around for what seemed like ages, Angel appeared with a champagne bottle in his hand. Xander had his back to him, so he didn't see him walk down the alleyway directly toward him.
Xander heard a small noise and turned around slightly. He jumped slightly when he realised that Angel was right behind him.
"Jesus!" Xander said after being startled.
Angel held onto a smirk. "You know, I just go by Angel now."
"Funny, very funny. You got the champagne?" Xander asked him with sarcasm.
Angel nodded. "Yeah, here it is." He handed Xander a brown paper bag with the champagne bottle inside. Xander took it out of his hands and offered him the money.
"No, don't worry about." Angel said with a shake of his head.
Xander was stunned. "No way, take the money. I couldn't handle the guilt."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want that." Angel replied when he took the money that Xander gave him for the champagne.
Xander smirked a response as he walked to his car. He was finally on his way home. To Cordelia.
Cordelia had the spare change of clothes for tomorrow morning ready in her Louis Vuitton suitcase that she bought in California a while back. She was ready to leave when she saw her parents sitting in the kitchen. Her father was drinking coffee, but stopped when he saw his daughter come down the stairs with the suitcase.
"Where are you off to?" Phillip asked her.
"Aura's. I told Mom that I was going to spend the night over at her place." Cordelia told him as she set her suitcase down on the floor.
"Tonight's a school night." Phillip told her.
Cordelia shrugged. "It's alright. She goes to the same school that I go to, remember?"
"Why didn't anybody tell me?" Phillip asked as he looked back and forth from his wife to his daughter. Madolyn set her cup of coffee down on the table and shook her head. "Because it wouldn't be something you'll be interested in."
Phillip shrugged and waved goodbye to his daughter as Cordelia picked up her leather suitcase and left the house. When she got to her car, she let out the breath she was holding onto with a huge sigh.
'For a second, I thought I was busted there.' She thought to herself as she got into her car and drove off towards Xander's apartment.
It didn't take her long to get there. The neighbourhood in Xander's street was quiet and seemed empty. It usually was at this time of night. The smart ones stayed inside. Cordelia parked her car and walked up to Xander's house. She knocked on the door and waited for it to open.
Xander opened the door and invited her in with a smile. Cordelia looked around his apartment and was surprised. The interior was decorated with lit candles, which shone in the darkness of his house.
"Having a power shortage?" Cordelia joked.
"Nope." Xander said. "I just thought that this might be more romantic."
"You're too sweet for words." Cordelia told him with tears in her eyes. Xander noticed this and got worried. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm happy." Cordy assured him with a straight face. They walked into the main part of the living room after Xander shut and locked the door.
"That was to prevent intruders. Not to keep you here." Xander said with a laugh.
"Oh I know." Cordelia told him with a grin.
"Look what I bought for tonight." Xander said as he pulled out the bottle of champagne. Cordelia put her suitcase full of clothes on the couch and then had a closer look at the bottle Xander was holding.
"I thought you didn't drink?" Cordelia asked him but then thought about it. "Only on special occasions right?"
"Exactly. And it doesn't get more special than this." Xander said as he put the champagne bottle in a small bucket filled with ice. He pulled out two champagne glasses and placed them near the bottle.
"You don't need to get me drunk." Cordy assured him with a wide smile. Xander laughed. "I know. This is for after."
Cordelia nodded. Xander looked at her and figured he should ask her what he was thinking of.
"If you don't want to do this, it's okay. Don't worry about all this stuff." Xander said as he waved at all the candles and the champagne. "Forget about all this. If you're not ready, you're not ready."
Xander would have said more, but Cordelia silenced him with a kiss. He stroked her face gently as the both of them walked slowly to his bedroom, Xander carried the bucket with the champagne in it with one hand and the empty glasses in the other. Both of them were scared, but knew in their hearts that this was the perfect time to express their love.
You'll be given love You'll be taken care of You'll be given love You have to trust it
Xander and Cordelia kissed passionately as they fell back onto the large bed. They never stopped kissing, their kisses filled with love and need.
Maybe not from the sources You have poured yours Maybe not from the directions You are staring at
Xander pulled off his shirt and Cordelia ran her hands up and down his smooth, shaved chest. She began to unbutton her blouse, when Xander stopped her, wanting to do it himself. Cordelia laid back and watched him.
Twist your head around It's all around you All is full of love All around you
All is full of love You just aint receiving
Cordelia and Xander caressed each other's naked bodies as their clothes now lay strewn on the floor.
All is full of love Your phone is off the hook
Xander reached over for a condom from the pack and Cordelia watched him as he put it on.
All is full of love Your doors are all shut
Cordelia reached out for him as Xander leant over her and gently climbed on top of her. Their kisses continued as Xander's hands caressed her breasts, his thumbs gliding over her hardened nipples.
All is full of love!
The two young lovers groaned in ecstacy as they made love for the first time in their lives. They explored each other as slowly and as gently as possible. They had all night to enjoy themselves.
All is full of love, all is full of love All is full of love, all is full of love All is full of love, all is full of love All is full of love, all is full of love All is full of love, all is full of love All is full of love, all is full of love
The phone rang on the nightstand, it's ringing waking Cordelia up. For the first few minutes, she had no idea where she was. But when she turned on her side and saw a nude, sleeping Xander, she smiled. The ringing phone started to stir Xander out of his sleep, so Cordelia picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Cordelia asked into the phone.
"Cordelia? It's Buffy."
Cordelia looked back from the phone to Xander's sleeping form and grinned. She knew that Buffy would be pressing for details but right now?
"It's a bit early in the day to be pressing me for details don't you think?" Cordelia asked her into the phone.
"Yeah, of course. I was just calling because Xander usually drives me to school in the mornings. I just want to know if he's going to be doing it today. Unless of course he's too tired to drive." Buffy said with a grin that Cordelia felt over the phone.
She looked over at the alarm clock and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god. We're late for school."
"I guess I'll hang up and let you two speed along then." Buffy said with a grin as she hung up. Cordelia hung up Xander's phone quickly and woke Xander up harshly.
"I'm awake, I'm awake. Stop shoving me." Xander replied grumpily.
"We're late for school, we have to hurry." Cordelia told him.
Xander wiped the sleep from his eyes and eventually opened his eyes to see her. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Can't we skip school for today and stay in? We have thirty three left." Xander said as he nodded toward the open pack of condoms on the nightstand. Cordelia shook her head with a grin. "No we can't. We have tests coming up soon. We graduate soon, or have you forgotten?"
"I haven't forgotten." Xander said as he got up out of bed. Cordelia stared at his butt as he walked around his room, picked up the pack of condoms and headed for the bathroom. She immediately followed him.
Xander turned on the shower and the water rushed out of the showerhead. He watched with a smile as Cordelia came into the bathroom and started to brush her teeth in front of the big mirror.
"You are aware that you're naked aren't you?" Xander asked her with a smile.
Cordelia looked at Xander in the mirror and shook her head. "After what we did last night, you haven't gone all shy have you?"
"Of course not." Xander told her.
"Good. Oh by the way, you're naked too or have you forgotten?" Cordelia asked him as she stared at him in the mirror as she resumed brushing her teeth with the toothbrush she brought with her. Xander put the packet of condoms on the small seat near the shower, stepped inside the cubicle and closed the screendoor behind him. He suddenly got an idea and smiled at the thought.
Xander opened the shower door again and poked his head out. "Instead of waiting for me to finish my shower, why don't we just save time and shower together?"
Cordelia flashed him a grin and spat out the toothpaste into the sink. She joined him in the shower and Xander closed the screen door behind her before he took out another condom from the pack.
They held each other tenderly in the shower as the water from the shower spray fell on them. Cordelia and Xander kissed with a fiery passion until they broke apart. Xander showed the condom to Cordelia who nodded in agreement.
"School can wait for ten more minutes." She told him before kissing her way down his chest.
Xander and Cordelia came out of his apartment together and locked the front door. They walked down the stairs and stopped when they got to their cars.
"I'll meet you at school, okay? Just in case Buffy's still waiting there for me." Xander said to Cordelia as he thought things over.
"Okay. Aren't we going to talk about what we did last night? Not to mention the shower incident?" Cordelia asked him curiously.
Xander nodded. "We'll talk about it, okay? We have a free period today at school. We'll talk in the library. In the spare room."
"Alright. I love you." Cordelia told him.
Xander walked up to her and kissed her softly. "I love you too. I don't regret what happened last night. Do you?"
"Of course I don't regret it. I wanted you to be my first." Cordy said with a grin.
Xander smiled and kissed her once more, before he let her go to her car and waved as she drove off towards Sunnydale High. Xander sighed as he thought of the events of last night.
'I don't regret it at all, baby.' Xander thought to himself as he got into his car and started the engine. He listened to the music on the radio as he drove toward Buffy's house. Xander half expected Buffy to be standing on her front lawn with her hands on her hips and an angry scowl on her face at being stood up. But she wasn't there.
'Maybe she's waiting inside.' He thought as he parked his car in the street. Xander stepped out of his car and closed the door. He walked up to Buffy's house and knocked on the door. Xander waited for a couple of minutes until Joyce opened the front door and spotted him.
"Xander? I'm sorry, but I already dropped Buffy off at school. She said she couldn't wait." Joyce said, apologetically.
Xander nodded. "Was she mad?"
"No, not really. She seemed to have some idea why you were slow in coming here this morning, but she wouldn't say."
Xander felt a blush come on as he realised that Cordelia must have went to Buffy for advice. He never expected his Cordy to do the girltalk thing with one of his friends. But he was relieved that she went to Buffy instead of Willow.
"Is there anything else you need? I'm sorry, but I'm running late for my art gallery." Joyce asked him as she stepped outside and closed the front door. Xander followed her to her car.
"That's right, you own that art gallery downtown, don't you?" Xander asked her.
Joyce nodded. "Yeah, it's amazing how many people in this town like art."
Xander suddenly had a good idea. He decided to try his luck. "Mrs. Summers? I was wondering if I could do some work experience at your art gallery. We have work experience coming up at school, and we all have to find something. Cordelia's going to be doing it in a clothes store. What do you say?"
"I wouldn't mind. Just make sure you have it perfectly arranged with your teacher first." Joyce told him as she got into her car. Xander nodded and waved goodbye as he also walked to his car and got in. He turned on the radio and listened to it for the short brief time until he made it to Sunnydale High.
Xander made it to school just in time for the bell to go off as he ran inside the building to his first class. He ran to the gymnasium and groaned as he looked into the big room. Coach Herrold was there today, which meant there was a very good chance that they would be playing Dodgeball. Xander sighed and walked into the gym, ignoring the looks the students gave him as he joined the class.
"And where were you?" Coach Herrold asked him as Buffy, Willow and Oz looked on.
"I had to take care of something. Sorry." Xander apologised as he sat down next to Buffy.
Coach Herrold sighed as he watched Xander sitting next to Buffy. He knew that Buffy burned down the gym at her old school, and he was damned sure that he wasn't going to let her do the same thing here.
"Alright everyone, today we'll be doing something different." Coach Herrold told the class.
"No, not Dodgeball. I'm sick of Dodgeball." Lisa whined out loud.
Coach Herrold turned to the blonde student. "Look missy. Dodgeball may not be as exciting as playing the tuba, but it is still fun and very important."
The class groaned but Coach Herrold held up his hand to silence them. "Anyway it's not Dodgeball. It's indoor Volleyball today. We're having it indoors because of the rain outside."
The students sighed in relief at the different sport and they started to get ready for the game by putting up the net and getting the volleyballs. Buffy walked over to Xander who was standing around doing nothing.
"I bet you can think of somewhere better to be right now, huh?" Buffy teased.
Xander smiled at her knowingly. "Cordy told you didn't she?"
"How'd you know?"
"I stopped by your house this morning to pick you up and I bumped into your mom. She told me that you knew I'd be a little late this morning." Xander said with a shake of his head.
Buffy nodded. "So, how did it go?"
"I'm not telling you." Xander said to her.
"Why not?" Buffy said with disappointment. She didn't know why Xander wouldn't tell her the unimportant parts of what happened.
"Because," Xander started, "It's different for men. If we talk about stuff like that to their friends, it's deemed as piggish. But if women talk about it, it's okay. So if Cordelia wants to tell you, she will."
Buffy was amazed at how wise Xander was about the situation. "Xander LaVelle Harris. I had no idea how mature you are now."
"Buffy Anne Summers, I'll have you know that I'm real mature. But I'll resort to name calling if you mention my middle name again." Xander said with a grin.
Buffy nodded. "Fair enough. But apart from the sex stuff. Was it romantic?"
"You know, this is very awkward. I'm not use to talking like this to anyone." Xander explained.
"Okay, I'll let you off. For now." Buffy said as they were split apart into two groups for indoor Volleyball.
Cordelia sat in the library as her free period started. Apart from Giles and Wesley, the library was empty as usual. Cordelia sat in the video room of the library and waited for Xander to arrive. She failed to notice the occasional looks that Wesley threw her way when she walked into the video room.
She tapped her her knees subconsciously as she waited for Xander. She didn't have to wait long. Xander opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
"What took you so long?" Cordelia asked him.
"I went to get you this." Xander told her as he handed her a bouquet of white daisies. Cordelia saw them and smiled.
"You're too sweet for words, Xander." She told him as she kissed him. Xander handed her the flowers and he looked around the small empty room. Empty except for Cordelia and himself. And the amount of chairs with a television and a VCR.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait to see you." Cordelia admitted.
Xander nodded. "Me too. If it weren't for Giles, I wouldn't have known you were even in here. Why didn't you tell me you were going to meet me in the video room?"
Cordelia shrugged and patted the spare chair next to her, inviting him to sit down. Xander moved over to her and sat down on the school chair. They kissed lovingly for a few minutes until they broke apart.
"I don't think Giles would appreciate the steamy windows." Xander joked to her.
"No kidding. Like what I'm wearing?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander looked at her dress and thought it was familiar but he couldn't place it. Then he remembered.
"That's the dress I said made you look like a hooker." Xander said as he remembered. Cordelia nodded with a grin.
"Yeah."
"You do know that I was kidding when I said that. It's just that you said something bad to me and I had to say something bad back. And that was the first thing that came to mind." Xander explained to her.
Cordy nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"Last night was unbelievable. Unbelievable in a good way." Xander smiled.
"No kidding. It's something I'll remember for a long time."
Xander nodded. "Everyone remembers their first time."
The pair heard Giles calling them from outside, so they got out of their seats and walked out of the video room. They found Giles at the main desk with a bunch of books.
"What were you two doing in there?" Giles asked them suspiciously.
"Nothing much. Just talking." Xander said as the two of them sat down, Cordelia putting her flowers down on the table.
"Giles, remember what I said last year about visiting Decaf Land?" Cordelia hinted at him. She then frowned as she remembered something.
"I have to go see Aphrodesia about something. I completely forgot about it." Cordelia said aloud as she stood up. Xander watched her about to leave and then called out.
"Cordelia!!" Xander yelled out.
She turned around and saw Xander holding the bouquet of flowers. Cordy smiled, walked back and took the flowers from him. "Sorry." She told him as she kissed him goodbye and left the library.
Giles turned to see Xander watching the space that Cordelia was just standing. He sighed as he realised that he would have to give him a talk.
"Xander, I know this isn't my business or anything." Giles started.
"It's alright. What is it?" Xander asked him.
"It's about... it's uh... it's about sex." Giles managed to blurt out. Xander threw him a surprised look. He didn't see that one coming.
"You don't have to give me the birds and the bees talk. Mr. Whitmore gave us that lecture in class. He had us carry those dumb eggs around all day last year, remember?" Xander explained.
"Oh I see, that's right. It's just that I've seen the way you and Cordelia look at each other, and I just wanted to make sure that you're being careful. One of the things that ruins a young person's future is a teenage pregnancy. And since your parents won't be giving you that talk, I thought that I would be the one to give it to you." Giles told him honestly.
Xander nodded. "I know. And thanks. If my parents were like you, I wouldn't have had to have left home." Xander said to him, causing Giles to get embarrased slightly.
"Well, thanks. That means a lot to me." Giles said with a half smile.
Buffy found Cordelia talking to one of her superficial friends and decided to wait until she was done before walking up to her. She only had to wait a couple of minutes before she saw Aphrodesia walk away from Cordelia before she decided to walk up to her best friend's girlfriend.
"Buffy. How long have you been standing there?" Cordelia asked in surprise.
"Not long." Buffy told her. "I wanted to find out about what happened last night."
"Oh right. You said you wanted the details didn't you?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Besides, Xander wouldn't tell me a thing."
"Really?" Cordelia asked.
"Yeah. He's a regular S.N.A.G."
"S.N.A.G.?" The cheerleader asked in confusion.
"Sensitive New Age Guy." Buffy explained. "We used to use that expression alot in Hemery."
"Oh, okay. Well, what do you want to know?" Cordelia asked as she and Buffy walked out of the hall and into an empty classroom where Buffy closed the classroom door.
"Well, was it romantic?"
"The sex?"
"No, the evening."
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. I went to Xander's place and found it filled with lit candles and romance music playing in the background. He even got one of the most expensive champagnes available in Sunnydale and Los Angeles combined."
"Wow. And I thought this claddagh ring was the ultimate gift." Buffy said as she stared at the ring on her finger.
Cordelia shrugged. "Well, things got steamy after that. Let's just say that we didn't leave the bedroom at all last night."
"All night?" Buffy asked in shock.
"No, not all night. Just three times. And once more in the morning shower." Cordelia said as she remembered.
Buffy was stunned. "Four times? You tramp." She said in a joking manner, so as not to offend Cordelia. But inside, Buffy was feeling jealous.
"Hey, we're in love. It's alright when we're in love." Cordelia defended herself.
Buffy nodded in agreement. "So, how was it?"
"It was incredible." Cordelia said, dreamily.
Buffy was in awe. "Did it hurt? Because I've heard it hurts."
"At first it does a little bit. But it passes. Then it gets better. A LOT better." Cordelia explained with fond memories.
"Well, that's more than I got out of Xander. A lot more." Buffy said as she let all the information sink in to her brain.
"Just don't tell Willow. She's the last person I want to go up against right now in my happy mood." Cordelia breathed.
Buffy was confused. "Why? I thought you two made up. You promised me that you would make up with her."
"I did and I have. But I get the feeling that she's still holding on. Only now, she's smarter to know to not confide in you about all things Xander." Cordelia said bitterly.
"I'm sure Willow is over that." Buffy said in defiance.
"As I said once before, it's the little things. Everything she does is subtle. So subtle that you have to know where to look if you're to find something." Cordelia explained.
"Were you two playing it safe?" Buffy asked her friend.
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. We're definately too young to be having kids. That's something you should be aware of should you and Angel do it."
"That's not going to be a problem for two reasons. One, the Gypsy thing. Two, Angel's sterile. It's a part of being a..."
Cordelia nodded and apologised. She had forgotten what Buffy had told her the other day. But the sterility thing was new.
Xander saw Cordelia and Buffy in the empty classroom and opened the door. Both girls turned around and sighed when they realised it was Xander and not Willow that had found them.
"What are you two doing in here? And where's your flowers?" Xander asked his girlfriend.
"Girltalk, Xander. And the flowers are in my locker right now. I didn't want to get them wrecked."
"Flowers? What flowers?" Buffy asked her.
"Xander got me flowers today. Isn't he a sweetie?" Cordelia told Buffy, who nodded in agreement. Buffy was starting to regret dumping him that time he had asked her out. But she realised it was too late now.
"Oh by the way. I've found a place for work experience." Xander announced.
"I knew you'd find something." Cordelia said proudly.
Buffy was confused. "Wait a minute. Why are you doing this? None of you have to worry about work at all."
"I still want to do SOMETHING, Buffy. I can't just sit on my butt all day." Xander said as Cordelia nodded in agreement.
"Okay. Where is it?" Buffy asked.
"It's at your mother's art gallery. I asked her if I could do it there." Xander told them.
"When did you ask her? She didn't tell me anything." Buffy said as she thought about it.
Xander shrugged his shoulders. "I asked this morning when I went to pick you up. At any rate, art gallery is way better than being a prison guard like it said on my career aptitude test last year."
Buffy nodded. The three teenagers stopped talking when the conversation died. Cordelia sneezed and Xander handed her a tissue from the teacher's desk.
"Thanks."
"No problem, hon." Xander said as he smiled at her with love.
Buffy walked towards the door. "Well, I've got to go find Willow, we've got a driving test coming up today. I'll see you two later."
"Bye," they called out to her as she waved goodbye and disappeared from their vision. Xander turned towards Cordelia and thought things over.
"What are you thinking about?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander shrugged. "Just wondering if you're going to stay over again tonight."
"I would, but my father would get suspicious. He's bound to figure something out." Cordelia said as she thought things over. The last thing they needed was her semi-over protective father looming over them.
"Okay. But I'll be thinking about you tonight." Xander said as he winked at her suggestively.
"Keep it in your pants, stud." Cordelia teased him with a wicked grin.
Mr Pole walked out of the school with his driving students for the day. Willow and Buffy were waiting for their turn behind the wheel, along with Annie Vega and her boyfriend Dino. Cordelia and Xander were watching from the balcony as the students piled into the car.
"Alright, students. Today, we're going to start with Miss Summers. So Buffy, when you're ready." Mr Pole said as he waited for her to start the car.
"Oh great." Dino said as he and Annie quickly put their seatbelts on and held on for their lives as they realised that Buffy was going to drive.
Cordelia and Xander watched as the car started up and then took off fast and then stopped. Then it started and stopped again. It went on for a couple of minutes, making the two teens shake their head in amazement.
"Mr Pole sure does have a death wish doing this." Xander remarked.
Cordelia nodded. "This is almost as bad as the lessons I used to have with him. It was that time I was temporarily blinded. Good thing I took the test at the actual DMV or else I would have ended up taking the bus to College. Although there WAS a close call I had with that girl on a bike I hit with my car. I hurt her leg."
Xander remembered that incident as he watched the car that Buffy was driving, started going around it's designated road very slowly.
"What do we have next?" Xander asked her as he was referring to their next class.
Cordelia looked at her timetable. "American Literature with Miss Beakman."
Xander groaned. "That is SO boring."
"Yeah. But oh well, it's not like it's a double period or something." Cordelia offered.
"You always look on the bright side of things don't you?" Xander grinned.
Cordelia nodded as they continued to watch the Driver's Ed car careen it's way around the small course.
Cordelia, Xander, Buffy and Willow were in class for Miss Beakman's American Literature class. All they were waiting for was Miss Beakman herself. Students in the class were talking back and forth.
"So, I'm doing the work experience thing at the Sunnydale Movie Theatre down at State Street." Buffy announced to her friends.
Willow nodded. "I've got mine at the Sunnydale Zoo. Oz is doing it there too. I wanted to do mine at the florist, since I've always wanted to be a florist, but the Zoo is better. And Oz being there is an added bonus. I'll be working with the animals."
Xander looked over at her. "Nowhere near the Hyena section, right?"
"I'm staying the hell away from there. Don't want THAT to happen again." Willow said with a laugh.
Buffy nodded in agreement as Cordelia simply smiled. She thanked the heavens she missed that incident.
"Where are you doing your work experience?" Willow asked Cordelia and Xander.
Cordelia looked at her before answering. "I'll be at April Fools' clothes store. And Xander's going to be working for Buffy's mom at her art gallery."
"I just asked her today." Xander told his oldest friend.
"Isn't that cutting it a bit short?" Willow asked him.
Xander shrugged. "Yeah. I had other important things to do around that time."
Cordelia and Buffy smiled knowingly. Willow didn't know that Xander and Cordelia had recently slept together. Knowing that would probably send her over the edge.
"April Fools. Do they sell Halloween costumes? Is THAT the place where you got that cat costume that time?" Buffy asked Cordelia.
Cordy shook her head. "No. I got it from Partytown. I told you guys that night on Halloween."
"Wesley still interfering with you two?" Willow asked as she turned to Xander with a smile. Xander turned to Buffy and threw her a look.
"Sorry, it just came up." Buffy said guiltily with a shrug.
Cordelia and Xander nodded disbelievingly before Xander turned back to a grinning Willow. "Wesley was never interfering. He's a dirty old man who has simply got a semi-illegal crush on Cordelia."
"I didn't know he had those feelings for me." Cordelia told him.
Willow looked at her and chuckled. "Yeah right."
Xander and Cordelia simply turned their desks back to face the front of the classroom as Willow's remark put them both off of conversation. Buffy hit Willow in the arm and shook her head at her in a disbelieving way. Willow shrugged and looked back to her textbook.
Cordelia watched Tucker Wells, the student sitting in front of her, ask Blue out. Blue was one of Aphrodesia's friends, so that meant that she sometimes hung out with the 'in crowd'.
"So, will you go with me to the prom?" Tucker asked.
"I don't think so." Blue told him before turning back in her seat to talk to her friends. Tucker shook his head and angrily opened his text book. His friend, David Metz, looked at him and he shook his head. "Don't worry man. I'm sure you'll find someone till then."
Cordelia looked over at Xander and he shrugged.
Miss Beakman walked into the classroom. "Okay, class. Open your textbooks to chapter fifteen. You're going to be doing an essay out of this and you had better get it right."
The class groaned when they heard what they had to do.
"Have you given anymore thought about staying over again tonight? You know we never got to sleep in." Xander whispered to Cordelia.
She smiled. "I wish I could, but there are two things that are going to stop that. One, my parents would get extremely suspicious if they think I'm sleeping over at Aura's place for two nights in a row. And second, we have work experience tomorrow? I'm supposed to be at the clothes store at eight thirty. They open at nine, but they want to show me the ropes."
Xander nodded in disappointment. "Oh well. Another time?"
"Definately. I definately want a second round" She grinned as she kissed him.
Miss Beakman threw the young couple a death stare that made them stop kissing.
"Looks like I'm really going to miss school tomorrow." Xander said sarcastically.
Cordelia nodded. "Anything has to be better than this."
Cordelia waited outside the April Fools Day store, looking for any sign of her temporary employer. She had to wait for Mrs Finkel to open the store, so that she could be shown around and see how things worked there. Shopping there was one thing. Being behind the counter was another.
Fortunately the brunette teenager didn't have to wait too long. Cordelia spotted Mrs Finkel walking up to her from across the road. She nodded to the cheerleader as she got up to the front door.
"I hope you haven't been waiting around too long. It's a bit chilly right now." Mrs Finkel advised.
Cordelia shook her head. "No, no. I just got here."
The older woman nodded and opened the front door after turning off the security alarm. She ushered Cordelia inside as she stepped in after her and closed the door behind them. Cordelia took a look around her as Mrs Finkel turned on the lights to make the inside of the store more visible to them.
"It's much easier in the mornings. But I hope you didn't pick this place just to bludge. I have plenty of things for you to do today." Mrs Finkel told her as Cordy nodded.
"Great. Today is gonna be just great." Cordelia breathed.
"This is one blessed statue." Xander said as he stared at the fertility statue before him. Joyce noticed where his attention was and shook her head.
"It's not as offensive as it seems. Even though I wouldn't let Buffy see this. She almost saw it when I was unpacking some statues a couple of years ago." Joyce admitted.
Xander nodded in understanding. "What does this mean anyway?"
"This is one I'm still trying to figure out. But these I know of." Joyce said as she pointed to the female fertility statues next to the one that Xander was looking at. "This is called Mueleka. Basically she's placed in the bedroom of a woman who has been lacking children for many years. Seeing Mueleka all the time would mean that she would get children again."
Xander chuckled. "You don't seriously believe that, do you?"
"After everything I've been told happens here in town? Yeah, I think I do kinda believe it."
"Well, don't stare at it too long. I'm not too sure Buffy wants a brother or sister." Xander said with a grin.
Two men walked up to Joyce and Xander and smiled. "Mrs Summers?"
"Yes?" She asked.
"Hello. I'm Professor Lester Wirth from UC Sunnydale. And this is Lou Tabor from the Washington Institute," Professor Wirth said as he introduced themselves to Joyce.
"What can I do for you?" Joyce asked them.
Lou decided to speak up. "We're interested in the earthquake that occured in 1812. The one that caused the burial of the Sunnydale Mission. We believe that there may be artifacts there that might have been dragged up to the surface and given to your gallery."
"I would know of something like that happening." Joyce said as she tried to remember something about it that would jog her memory.
Professor Wirth shook his head. "Would it be possible that we could take a look at your books? We would be able to tell when or if such items from the mission were sent here."
Joyce nodded. "I don't see any harm in that. You don't mind watching the place while I'm in the office, do you Xander?"
Xander shook his head. "It's alright. I've got it."
Joyce smiled and left with the two professors on their way to her office. Xander turned back towards the fertility statue and shook his head. "Some guys get all the luck."
Cordelia walked towards her first customers and realised it was two girls she knew from school.
"Lisa, Suzy. What are you two doing here?" Cordelia asked them with a grin.
Suzy Peterson smiled at Cordelia and shrugged. "We're doing some early shopping for prom dresses."
"Prom dresses? I still haven't picked mine out yet." Cordelia told them.
Lisa Ryan nodded. She was a friend of Joy's, but she still talked to Cordelia on occasion. "Me neither, but I thought I might check this place out. What are you doing here?"
"I'm doing work experience. Why aren't you two doing it?"
Lisa and Suzy looked at each other before facing Cordelia again. "We flaked out. We told Snyder some sob story and he bought it. I still can't believe he bought that."
"You're still dating Xander aren't you?" Suzy asked Cordelia who nodded.
"Why?"
"Nothing really. That guy's an enigma. One minute he's acting real dorky and the next he's sniffing me at the Bronze like some animal in heat." Suzy giggled.
Cordelia was confused until she realised what she must have been talking about. "Oh that. Well, that was because... Never mind."
Mrs Finkel walked up to the trio of talking girls and realised that Cordelia was talking to them.
"Is there a problem, Ms Chase?" Mrs Finkel asked her snidely.
Cordelia turned around and faced her as she realised she was caught talking to friends instead of doing her job.
"I'm sorry, but I was just helping them pick out a prom dress. Right, guys?" Cordelia asked the two girls as she begged them to go along with her lie with her eyes.
"Yeah." Lisa and Suzy said in unison.
Mrs Finkel still didn't believe them, but she had no proof. "Well, when you're done here, I need you to fix up the change room on the left."
Cordelia nodded and waved goodbye to her friends and left for the change room. She was starting to get a little irritated by Mrs Finkel. 'So much for a good time.' Cordelia thought to herself.
Wendy approached Cordelia at the change room. Wendy also worked at the April Fool's store, but was dating Mitch before he dumped her.
"Cordelia Chase. Fancy meeting you here with the commoners." Wendy said with a sneer.
Cordy turned around and faced Mitch's ex. "Wendy. What are you doing here?"
"I work here. That's what the poor people do, Cor. They work." Wendy said with bitterness.
"I'm sorry about the things that I said to you before. But that was when I was dating Mitch. It's not my fault things turned out the way they did." Cordelia told her.
Wendy chuckled. "Oh no, of course not. It's not your fault that he dumped me and started chasing after you."
"That's not how it happened." Cordelia said in defence.
"Who are you trying to kid here?" Wendy said as she stalked off toward the cash register to assist Suzy and Lisa.
Xander returned from the Krispy Kreme donut store in town and walked back into the art gallery with the box of donuts in his hands. He walked up to Joyce who was talking to a man who was programming a new computer for her.
"I'm back. With donuts." Xander announced as he put the box of donuts onto the desk next to the computer.
"That's great, Xander. But I'm on a diet. Neal, you want any?" Joyce offered the computer programmer.
Neal looked up from the monitor and grinned as he took a jelly donut from the box. "I wouldn't say no."
"I might save a jelly donut for Buffy though. She likes those." Joyce said as she took another out of the box and stored it in an empty tupperware container.
Xander nodded. "Yeah I know. Giles likes those too. Give me chocolate any day."
"Well, it looks like this is done and ready to go. All you have to do is store your art gallery information and you're all set. Is there anything else that needs fixing?" Neal asked as he stood up away from the desk.
Joyce shook her head and smiled. "No, that's fine. Could I talk to you outside for a minute?"
Neal nodded and the two left, leaving Xander to watch over the gallery once more. He stared at a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, called 'Starry Night'. Xander read the written print on the plaque underneath the painting and read that Vincent Van Gogh was a famous postimpressionist artist that later cut off his own earlobe in an attack of dementia.
Xander walked away from the painting and decided to find Buffy's mom when he found her in the hallway with Neal. To his shock, they were kissing. He backed away from them and stepped back into the main room and sighed.
"Oh boy." Xander said to himself. "Won't Buffy be pleased."
Cordelia stood at the counter and watched the potential customers walk by the April Fools Day Store. She realised that it might be a little bit boring, but she had no idea how much until today. Not to mention the fact that Wendy and Mrs Finkel were bossing her around all the time like nobody's business.
"Someone help me!" Cordelia muttered to herself as she prayed to the heavens. At that exact moment the phone rang. She silently mouthed a thankyou and picked up the phone to answer it.
"April Fools Day Clothing, how may I help you?" Cordelia asked into the phone.
"I think you can help me. I'm looking for something in a brunette. Preferably female. Likes it when I nibble her earlobes..."
"Xander Harris. You have no idea how great it is to hear your voice right now."
"Why, what's wrong?"
"Nothing really. Just Mrs Finkel treating me like a slave. It's not like I get paid to do this. That would be a different story."
"Would you get into trouble if she found out this is a personal call?"
"Maybe."
"Well, when she walks by you just pretend that you're talking to a customer."
"I can't do that forever."
"We'll be talking forever?"
"I can listen to you talk for eternity."
"Same with me, Cor. And you know that HAS to be love."
Cordelia laughed and she wished she was with him right now, just so that she could smack him in the arm for that comment alone.
"Guess what?" Xander asked her over the phone.
"What?"
"I found Buffy's mom making out with one of Ted's co-workers today. Apparently they got some thing going on that nobody knows about."
"Ted? As in..."
"The one and only. Anyway, don't tell Buffy. I wasn't even going to tell you but I changed my mind."
"Why did you change your mind?"
"Because I love you. And I don't keep secrets from you."
"I love you too. So, are you going to come by here at lunchtime?"
"Sure if I can make it. The art gallery lifestyle is pretty hectic."
"I can imagine."
Wendy walked up to Cordelia and motioned for her to hang up the phone. Cordelia gave her a killer look and then turned back towards the phone. "Look Xander, I have to go. Yeah. I love you too. I can't wait. Bye."
Wendy smirked as she watched Cordelia put the phone in its cradle. "You know damn well that this phone is for business calls. Not personal calls. If Mrs Finkel found out..."
"But she won't find out. Will she?" Cordelia asked her icily.
The red haired teenage girl walked up to the counter and grinned. "If you're looking for a reference for your resume' here, you can forget it. I'll make sure that the rest of your day here will be a living hell."
Cordelia watched her walk away and shook her head in wonder. "Why is it that all redheads are demented?"
"So is she doing alright?" Joyce asked from the doorway. Xander whirled around in surprise at hearing her voice.
"How much of that did you hear?" Xander asked with a worried expression on his face.
"Almost all of it. Xander, I know that what you saw with me and Neal is..."
"None of my business." Xander improvised.
Joyce shrugged. "Well, yeah, but that's not it. I just don't want Buffy to know yet. I'm not ready to tell her. And with what happened with Ted, she's going to be upset."
"Don't you think that by telling her now, it will spare her some future pain?" Xander asked her.
Joyce shook her head. "I doubt it. Just don't say anything to Buffy. And remind Cordelia to do the same."
Xander watched Joyce leave the room and breathed a sigh of relief. He waited for awhile until he left the room also. He found a group of people walking into the museum and saw Mrs Summers talking to them and showing them around.
He recognised someone he knew from school and decided to go say hello. "Hey Aaron."
Aaron turned around and nodded a hello. "What are you doing here?"
"I work here for the day. Work experience. What about you?" Xander asked him.
Aaron shrugged. "Well, my cousin works here and I came to say hello before I leave."
"Leave? Where are you going?" Xander asked him.
"Los Angeles. I can't take the hell I cop from my parents anymore. I've had it."
Xander shook his head. "I had the same problem, but I didn't leave town over it."
"I've got some friends over there and we decided to share the apartment. Either that or I'm out on the street." Aaron said with a sad look on his face.
"Hey, I'm sorry."
"I don't need your pity alright? I am dealing with this fine enough." Aaron said as he walked off to the catering section.
Cordelia was putting some new clothes on the mannequin, when two teenagers walked into the store. She recognised the both of them immediately. The girl was her friend, Dawn. And the boy was Mitch's friend, Bud.
"What are you two doing here?" Cordelia asked them with a grin.
"Well I don't know about HIM, but I'm here to look for dresses. A potential birthday present for a friend of mine." Dawn told her as they watched Bud walk over to Wendy who he kissed when he got over to her.
Cordelia was stunned. "THEY'RE dating? From the way Wendy's been acting today, I thought she was after Mitch. Oh and my birthday is in January."
"So instead, she dates his best friend. Go figure. And this isn't for you." Dawn said with a grin. She walked over to the new dresses and smiled.
"When did these come in?" Dawn asked her.
"They were here when I started. I guess they came in yesterday." Cordelia assumed with a shrug.
Dawn started up a conversation once Mrs Finkel left for the backroom. She noted that Wendy and Bud were off in the other aisle and decided to talk to her friend.
"So, where is Xander working?" Dawn asked her.
"He's actually at the museum today. Apparently he's having more fun than I am. He's going to have to make up for it to me tonight though." Cordelia said with a knowing grin.
Dawn grinned. "You're staying over at his place tonight?"
"Nope. He's staying over at MY place. My parents have this week-long vacation and they trust me enough to keep control of the house."
"So your parents don't know that you've had..."
"God no! I think my mom suspects though. Especially after that condom pack she gave me." Cordelia confided to her as they saw Bud's friend, Jack enter the store because he saw his friend.
"Hey, Bud! Mitch is waiting. Let's go." Jack called out to his friend as Xander walked around him as he entered the store too.
Jack smiled at Xander. "You and Cordelia are still dating huh? Sure she won't dump you again?"
"Very sure." Xander told him.
Jack shrugged. "Well if she DOES dump you again, I'll be there to clap you on the back with another 'Way to get dumped'. Okay?"
Xander smiled sarcastically. "This never fails to be not funny."
Bud walked past Xander as the two jocks left the store and got into the car with Mitch. He started up the car and left on their way. Cordelia walked over to Xander with a grin on her face.
"This is a nice surprise. What are you doing here?" She asked him.
Xander checked his watch. "I don't know if anyone has told you this yet, but it's lunch. And at lunchtime, there is a half hour break."
"Right. Let me just go and tell Mrs Finkel that, shall I?" Cordelia said with sarcasm.
Xander grinned and waited until she finally gave in and went to tell her temporary boss.
"So believe me when I tell you, you do NOT want to buy the hotdogs from the movie theatre." Buffy warned Willow and Oz as Cordelia and Xander walked into The Espresso Pump.
Buffy grinned as she saw her two other friends. Oz nodded a hello to them while Willow grinned at Xander but refused to look in Cordelia's direction. The couple sat down in the spare seats.
"So, you managed to get her out of the store long enough, huh?" Buffy joked.
Xander nodded. "Yeah. It didn't take much prodding though."
"I hate that place now. Mrs Finkel is a real tyrant. I should be paid for what I have to put up with today." Cordelia said with a grimace.
"Poor baby." Willow muttered to herself.
"What was that?" Cordelia asked her. She didn't quite hear what Willow had just said, but she knew it was something bad. It usually was when it came to her.
Willow shrugged as she realised that all her friends were staring at her, waiting for a reply. So she gave one.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
Cordelia grinned inwardly and saw Lysette Hardy, the waitress approach them. "Can I take your order?"
Cordelia shrugged with a grin. "I'll just have a coffee. Black with two sugars. I'm going to need it with my boss. I didn't know you were working here."
Lysette grinned. "Well, it's the work experience thing. I was a bit late in finding anything good, so it was either this or washing the hair of that four hundred pound wino for a couple of bucks."
"That's the same guy that wanted to wash MY hair. Remember?" Xander asked Buffy who nodded as she remembered.
When it came time to Xander to order, he ordered a glass of orange juice. Cordelia watched as her friend walked away back to the counter.
"Who was that?" Buffy asked Cordelia.
"That's Lysette. She's a friend of mine."
Xander remembered something. "The same Lysette that wanted her nose to be like Gwyneth Paltrow's but ended up like Mr. Potato Head?"
"That's her." Cordelia grinned.
Buffy shrugged. "She looks okay now."
"Sure she looks alright now. Lysette had it fixed as soon as the doctors botched it. I don't think she wanted to be a laughing stock among the Sunnydale High crowd." Cordelia emphasised.
Mr. Sanderson came into the store and went straight to the counter. He ordered a coffee and waited. While he waited, he turned around and saw Xander.
"Hello Xander. How are you?" Mr. Sanderson asked him. Xander looked up at him and smiled hesitantly. "I'm alright, I guess. How about you?"
"I'm fine." Mr. Sanderson said with a grin. Lysette gave him his coffee and he gave her the money it cost for it. She then walked over to Cordelia's table and gave Xander his orange juice and Cordelia, her coffee.
"Well, I guess I'll be going." Mr. Sanderson waved goodbye and left the store on his way back to the bank.
Buffy was confused. "Who was that? I didn't know you had older friends."
"I don't. He just works at the Sunnydale Securities Bank here in town. You figure it out." Xander said as he drank the orange juice. Xander and Cordelia each paid for their drinks and Lysette went over to help some new customers.
Jennifer and Cheryl were sitting in the booth next to Xander and the others and were talking heatedly.
"I did NOT sleep with Blayne, allright?!? I don't care what he says. The guy's a delusional idiot. And it's about time you changed that damn backpack." Cheryl exclaimed.
Jennifer shrugged. "Would you lay off? I just asked a simple question. No need to bite my head off."
"I just don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"Alright." Jennifer assured her.
Xander shook his head as the group had slightly eavesdropped on the two girls. "Guess Blayne is up to his old tricks."
"To have a rumor like that spread around school must be really embarrasing." Buffy said.
They all nodded with agreement. Xander smiled. "What was the most embarrasing thing that has ever happened to you?"
Buffy shrugged. "I'm not telling. What about you? Since you brought it up and everything."
Xander thought about it for a moment or two before he came up with something embarrasing. "Well... there was this clown at my birthday party. I was six years old and the clown was pretty scary. Anyway, when the clown chased me, I got so scared that I ended up wetting myself in front of everyone."
The group laughed, especially Willow who was there when it happened. "That WAS pretty funny. Although it wasn't funny when he came back two years ago at school."
"No kidding. But I overcame that fear two years ago, so it was a good thing." Xander admitted.
"What about you, Will? Something embarrasing you want to share?" Oz coached her.
Willow shrugged. "Okay, if Xander can say his, I can say mine. When I was a child, I threw up on 'Woodstock' backstage when I went to see 'Snoopy On Ice' with my parents. I also have frog fear, nightmares about being nude in public and academic failure. I've also got a fear of ponies and horses. It started at a birthday party I had when I was four years old. It chased me."
"You have a frog fear, yet you have a stuffed frog?" Oz asked in wonder.
Willow shrugged. "Stuffed frogs aren't slimy and slippery and alive."
"That's pretty sad. If you have anymore fears, you'll probably end up in a plastic bubble." Cordelia joked.
Willow smiled with sarcasm. "I guess the most embarrasing thing would be when Xander, Buffy and I did that Oedipus Rex play at the Talent Show."
"God that was humiliating." Buffy cut in with a shudder. "Principal Snyder didn't stop gloating for weeks."
Willow nodded. "It was scary. But not as scary as Malcolm Black."
"Who's Malcolm Black?" Oz asked her in wonder.
Buffy shrugged. "Just someone that Willow met on the internet one time. It's a real long story, Oz. And I don't think we have any time left to tell it."
They all looked at their watches and sighed as they realised that their lunchbreak is just about over. Xander and Cordelia said their goodbyes and left the group.
"Damn. Just when we were getting to Cordelia's turn." Willow muttered with disappointment.
Cordelia assisted a young woman named Sandy with a wedding dress. She was with her cousin Nancy as they held onto the dress.
"We don't really sell wedding dresses. So if you're here for a refund, I can't help you." Cordelia told the two girls.
Nancy shook her head. "No, no, no. We got this at the bridal shop down the street. Thing is this. My cousin is getting married and she asked us to pick up the dress and see if it's the right size. And we're not the right size for this. But you are. So..."
"You want me to try it on?" Cordelia finished.
Sandy nodded. "Yeah. So, could you?"
"Yeah sure. It's almost quitting time and I've got nothing to do. Let's do it." Cordelia said with a grin as the three girls took off to the change rooms.
Xander had finished his one day of work experience with Mrs Summers and had driven over to April Fool's Day to see Cordelia. He opened the door and heard the bell chime. Xander looked around for Cordelia but didn't see her.
He waited a couple more minutes until he saw Sandy and Nancy emerge from the changeroom area with Cordelia behind them. Xander was startled to see her in a white wedding dress. He immediately felt a bit uneasy at the prospect of getting married, but quickly tuned it out.
"Xander! What are you doing here?" She asked him in surprise.
"Uh, I don't remember. No, wait a minute. Yeah, I was... I am here to pick you up." Xander stammered, panicked to find a perfect answer.
Cordelia grinned. "Relax, Xander. I don't want to get married for a long time yet. And I have my own car here."
Xander nodded reassuringly. "That's uh...that's a... it's good to know."
"Just give me a few minutes to get out of this and we'll get out of here." Cordelia said as she walked back towards the changerooms, dodging past Mrs Finkel and Wendy.
"I'll wait outside!" Xander called out as he waved goodbye to Nancy and Sandy and left the store. He made it to the bench outside where he could breathe properly. He noticed the French teacher from his school, Mr. DeJean, walk past him.
"Sunnydale's a small town." Xander said as he thought about a lot of people he has bumped into recently and sighed.
Cordelia came out of the store a couple of minutes later in her normal clothes. She walked over to him with a smile.
"I hope you didn't freak out too much from that."
Xander shook his head. "No, no. Well, maybe a little. But it's okay. I'm aware that there's bound to be a wedding in our future. It's just that..."
"Just what?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Xander said with a wave of his hand.
Cordelia nodded in acceptance. She decided to let that conversation go. For now. "We all set for our scuba diving trip this weekend?"
Xander nodded. "We've been training for quite awhile now, Cordy. I think we're ready to do the real thing. I tried to look for equipment at Meyer Sport And Tackle, but I couldn't find anything scuba gear worthy."
"So, we're going back to my place?" Cordelia asked. She wanted to be certain that Xander was still interested.
Xander nodded. "Are you sure your parents won't be back?"
"They're gone all week. Won't be back till Sunday at their usual time of ten thirty in the morning." Cordelia grinned at him.
Xander chuckled. "Well what are wasting time for? Let's go."
They walked quickly to their cars and drove off towards Cordelia's house. Xander had no need to drive to his house to pick up clothes, he had packed earlier and had the clothes in a suitcase in his car.
Sandy and Nancy walked out of the April Fool's Day store with grins on their faces. They were relieved that Cordelia was the same size as Nancy's cousin.
Xander walked back into Cordelia's bedroom and placed a glass of orange juice down on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep, her nose twitching slightly while she dreamed.
The alarm clock on the nightstand started buzzing, stirring Cordelia from her sleep. She woke up and found Xander staring at her.
"How long have you been watching me?" Cordelia asked him as she rubbed her eyes.
Xander shrugged. "For a couple of minutes now. I got you a drink."
Cordelia found the glass of orange juice waiting for her on the counter and smiled. "I don't know what you find so fascinating about me in the mornings. I'm a mess."
"You're beautiful." Xander said as he made her blush.
She sat up in bed and Xander joined her from the other side. They listened to the silence of the house, and relaxed. Xander put his arm around her as they sighed in contentment.
"I hate to ruin this moment, but if we want to go scuba diving, we're going to have to leave pretty soon." Xander said as Cordelia nodded in agreement.
She grinned. "Well, I'm going to have to have a shower. You want to join me?"
"I would, but I already had a shower. I was so excited I woke up earlier than usual. And if I did join you, we'd get up to a lot more than soap." Xander said with a chuckle.
Cordelia nodded and got out of bed. "Well, feel free to check out what's on tv downstairs."
"You know, if you DO need me in the shower, I could always do your front." Xander said with a wicked grin.
Cordelia laughed. "You do your own front. I'll be downstairs and ready to go in awhile."
"Here is Dr. Dale Leggett who is a doctor at the California Institute of Neurosurgery, Cancer Ward. Doctor Leggett was the doctor who treated Mrs Patricia Lawnsdale, a resident from Los Angeles."
The camera focused in on the doctor and his patient. "We did what any other hospital would have done. We are relieved, not to mention surprised of the outcome."
"And how are you feeling right now, Mrs Lawnsdale?" The reporter asked her.
"I feel great. I don't have the headaches or dizzy spells anymore." Mrs Lawnsdale replied.
Xander turned off the television and waited for Cordelia. He couldn't be bothered to figure out why that segment was on the news, since brain cancers weren't a rare condition.
Cordelia came down the stairs shortly, wearing casual clothes which were easy to put a swimsuit over with. Xander got up and went over to her. He hugged her and sighed.
"How do you think this scuba diving thing is going to turn out?" Xander asked her.
Cordelia shrugged as she hugged him back. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"
Xander nodded as they walked to the front door and opened it. They left Cordelia's house and headed for her car.
Cordelia and Xander made it to Catalina Island in California without a hitch. Although traffic got pretty fierce at times for some reason, they managed to get there in time.
Cordelia parked the car in downtown Avalon and the two teenagers got out of the car and had a look around. There were several parked cars, which the owners were probably going scuba diving also.
"The directions I got off the internet yesterday says that we have to walk this way." Xander told her.
The young couple walked toward the boat landing and stopped when they reached the basketball court.
"Now where?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander shook his head. "Hang on, I'm thinking. 'Walk towards the basketball court' and... and... 'cross the street to your right and you can see a bright yellow building'."
They crossed the road after waiting for several cars to pass by them, the sun was over their heads on the bright, sunny day. They found a bright yellow building next to a Brown's Bike Rental. The sign on the yellow building says, 'Snorkeling Catalina'. Cordelia noted the Mercedes outside in the parking lot.
"This is the place." Xander remarked.
"Duh." Cordelia teased with a grin as the two of them walked into the building and went straight to the counter.
"Hi, how can I help you?" The teenager at the counter greeted them.
Xander looked at the young man's name on his shirt. "Well...'Mike', we're here for the snorkeling session."
Mike nodded. "The first snorkeling session of the day is at eleven fifteen in the morning. Then there is two more sessions. One at one fifteen and the other at three fifteen. I assume you want the eleven fifteen session?"
"You assume correctly." Xander said as he rolled his eyes at Cordelia, making her smile.
"Do you have reservations? It's not necessary, but it IS recommended. You'd be surprised how many people want to do this." Mike told them.
Xander nodded and told him their names. Mike checked the computer and found their names on the monitor screen.
"I also have this. It said on the internet that all I had to do was print this out and hand it in and there'll be a ten percent off on certain stuff?" Xander asked as he gave a sheet of printed paper to the desk clerk.
Mike nodded and glanced up at the two. "You can either have ten percent off any snorkeling trip, fish food or a Kodak Water Camera. Or you can have a two for one rental on any snorkeling gear. I'll give you a couple of minutes to decide."
Cordelia pulled Xander over to the side out of earshot from everyone else in the room.
"Why are we haggling over discounts? We can both afford everything here." Cordelia told him in confusion.
"You know me Cor, I'm very tight with money. I don't like to flash it around." Xander told her honestly.
Dave Peck opened the door to the Snorkeling Catalina building and walked straight toward the counter to talk to his friend, Mike.
"Hey man. I saw your Mercedes out front. Is it wise to park it around here?" Dave asked him.
"It's safe man. Where did you put your Thunderbird?" Mike asked him back.
"I parked it next to your Mercedes." Dave threw back as the two of them started talking.
Xander and Cordelia were still deciding what to choose on their ten percent off deal. They decided to leave off the ten percent deal and to just splurge on today and have a good time.
"Hey Mike. We've come to a decision. We don't want any ten percent deal." Xander told him.
Mike was surprised and Dave stepped back to let them talk. "Are you sure? I mean, this could get pretty expensive."
"It's okay. We're just going to splurge today." Xander told the clerk.
"Allright," Mike gave in. "Okay now there's two other options for you. There is a two hour snorkeling trip. Basically you explore Catalina's underwater gardens and the hidden coves while aboard a high speed pontoon boat. There's no experience necessary and there is only six passengers per trip. If you decide to take this one, you'd better hurry and sign up right now. Because we only need three more people for it. And there is also a four hour snorkeling and dolphin trip."
"That sounds good." Cordelia cut in on the conversation. Xander nodded in agreement.
Mike started up again. "Basically, when you leave Avalon on the pontoon boat, you two will travel west to the village of Two Harbors. The captain will explain the history of the island and the inhabitants on the way. You would be exploring and snorkeling coves such as Willow Cove, Rippers Cove, Blue Caverns and Emerald Bay. On the return trip you will head offshore in search of dolphins. They travel in large pods and can be quite playful, so I've been told. If you take this option, I suggest you take a camera with you. You'll also be able to walk on the ocean floor. They won't be taking you out too far."
"I like that one. What do you think?" Cordelia asked her boyfriend. Xander nodded yes in agreement.
Mike grinned. "Okay. Well, the price of this trip is ninety dollars for each of you. The trip includes Masks, Fins, Snorkel, Wet Suit, Inflatable Vest, View Boogie Board, Deli Lunch, Refreshments and Instructions. There's no experience necessary for this one either."
"We'll take it." Xander said as they pulled out ninety dollars each and handed it over to Mike.
"Great choice. There was actually two places left on that trip. The boat leaves the dock at eleven fifteen, and they'll supply all the things you need on the trip. Except for the cameras. You'll have to buy those here. It's in the section over there." Mike said as he pointed to the shelf near the door with cameras placed on the shelves along with other equipment.
"The four hour one sounds better, don't you think?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander nodded as he glanced at the cameras on the shelf. "Sounds like fate to me. 'Willow Cove', 'Rippers Cove'?"
"Ripper? What? Oh yeah, that's Giles." Cordelia said. She couldn't remember what that meant for a second.
"I'll go pay for the digital camera. Wait for me outside?" Xander asked her. Cordelia nodded and left the store as Xander walked to the counter and paid for the camera.
"Don't you want some blank tapes to go with it?" Mike asked him. Xander nodded dumbly. "Right, I forgot. Hang on."
Xander ran back to the shelf and picked up two three hour tapes designed specifically for the digital camera. He paid for the underwater video camera and the two tapes and left Mike to talk to his friend in peace.
He left the store and found Cordelia talking to someone they knew from school.
"Hey Elliot. How's it going?" Xander asked him as he caught up to his girlfriend.
"Alright. I'm going on this scuba diving trip soon. The two hour one that is." Elliot told the pair as they looked out at the two pontoon boats at the dock.
Barrett Williams rushed past Cordelia, Xander and Elliot as she ran towards her car. They watched as her boyfriend, Owen Stadeel ran after her and stopped her from leaving. Brittany Podell appeared from the direction that Barrett and Owen came from, with a guilty look on her face.
"Looks like Owen and Brittany finally got caught out." Cordelia muttered to Xander.
Xander didn't reply back. He just watched as Barrett punched Owen in the face and got in her car. She drove away, narrowly missing Brittany by inches as she sped off.
"What are you staring at Harris?" Owen asked him angrily as he passed by them, on his way to Brittany.
"Not much, Owen. Not much at all." Xander called out to him.
Elliot shook his head wearily. "Well, that's just great."
"What?" Cordelia asked him.
"I'm on the same boat that those two are on. They're going to be fighting all day now." Elliot said disappointedly.
Xander shrugged. "Either that or they'll be busy making out. Hey Cor, how did you know about those two?"
"I heard from Aphrodesia that Brittany and Owen had sex in that old vacant boarding house in Sunnydale. 'The Sunnydale Arms'." Cordelia answered.
"The old boarding house? I would have thought that they would have some class. Whatever happened to doing it in that old looking mansion on Crawford Street? The one I showed Buffy that time. Remember? Angel spent some time there?"
The brunette cheerleader shrugged as she put on her sunglasses. "I don't know. I guess they weren't thinking. What does it matter anyway?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm just bored out of my skull. We've got a couple of hours to kill before our scuba dive. What are we going to do?" Xander asked her seriously as Elliot walked back into the store.
Cordelia shrugged. "I don't know. We can always kill some time by looking out at the ocean from the pier."
Cordelia and Xander got onto the twenty two foot deck pontoon boat along with Amber Grove and her Cheerleading coach, Benson. Amber went to Sunnydale High until her hands got burnt during cheerleading tryouts. Her coach told her that he didn't like the atmosphere of the school, so she transferred to Fondren High and has been there ever since. It was no secret that Amber was dating her older coach, and it looked like they were still dating.
It wasn't long until the other customers got on board. Cordelia noticed a few others from Sunnydale, including Bobby and Mashad, classmates from their school. They were classed as being popular because of their involvement in the school's basketball team.
When the instructor got on board, it wasn't long until they drove off. Cordelia and Xander looked out onto the ocean surface as the wind swept through their hair.
Fiona said something nice to me Green velvet jacket sets you free Lenny Beige is performing spinning wheel Club Montepulciano is what you need
Cordelia and Xander swam in the water with their scuba gear on, along with the others. For the first time, they fully experienced what it would be like to live underwater.
Blue Hawaii,Piccadilly whore A cocktail is what I'm longing for Blue Hawaii,Piccadilly whore Roger fell asleep you know
Cordelia tapped Xander on the arm and pointed him towards a small school of fish that swam above their heads. Xander smiled in awe at the sight and they held hands as they swam to the ocean floor.
Fiona said something nice to me Green,blue jacket suit sets you free Lenny Beige is performing spinning wheel Club Montepulciano is what you need
After exploring Willow and Ripper Cove, Xander and Cordelia made it to the ocean surface. To their surprise, they found some dolphins nearby and they watched as some people in their tour took rides with them through the water.
Blue Hawaii,Piccadilly whore A cocktail is what I'm longing for Blue Hawaii,Piccadilly whore Roger fell asleep you know
Cordelia watched as a dolphin swam up to her. She held onto the dolphin's fin and held on for life as the dolphin swam out to join the others. Xander swam over to a nearby dolphin who was jumping in and out of the water.
Cordelia and Xander had their Fanta's while they looked out on Catalina Island aboard the big boat.
"This place is amazing." Cordelia commented.
Xander nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Those dolphins were pretty cool."
Cordelia grinned as she saw a couple of dolphins nearby the moving boat. "They're pretty friendly aren't they?"
Xander wrapped one arm around her as they continued to look out at the deep blue ocean and the various coves around them.
I don't care for all the wealth In the whole wide world Or be a king with a kingdom Crowned with gold and jewels No I don't want fame or fortune People trembling at my name To command the oceans and the moon The thunder and the rain
l'll tell you what it is I need To turn this spark into a fire Come close and hold me tight It's still that you're my one desire
I don't need a magic power To live forever through all time Or be a genius more creative Than all of history's greatest minds I don't dream of all the pleasures Heaven holds for me With a halo up above my head As out of fire and soft white gleam
l'll tell you what it is I need To turn this spark into a fire Come close and hold me tight It's you my one desire
Xander and Cordelia sat at the table in the library as he heard Cordelia's suggestion.
"You got to be kidding. I don't know if I can do that." Xander told her nervously.
Cordelia gave him a look. "It's just singing. No biggie."
"No biggie?" Xander asked her. "I don't know how to sing. And I'm not going to be up there by myself."
The teenage girl sighed. "You won't be the only one going up there."
Xander looked at her. "Oh, are you going to do it too, huh?"
"Not just me." Cordelia told him with a smile. "But I managed to convince Buffy and Oz also. And Buffy has won Giles over on joining also."
"Giles? How the hell did that happen? Wouldn't he want to be with Miss Calendar or something instead of being with a bunch of kids?" Xander asked her with confusion.
Cordelia shrugged. "Miss Calendar has something else going on. Something about homework marking. Any more questions?"
"Yeah." Xander answered. "If Oz is going, there's a hundred percent chance that Willow will be coming too. Are you sure about that?"
The brunette woman shrugged again. "I can handle one bad thing over all the good things."
Xander sighed. "What about Sunnydale? Someone's got to be here..."
"Got that covered. Kendra and Wesley are going to watch over the town." Cordelia told him.
Xander sat at the table and watched Giles talk with Kendra and her Watcher, Sam Zabuto.
"I can't believe how busy this town is. So it's just you and Buffy...?" Sam started but Giles cut him off.
Giles shook his head. "No, Wesley Wyndam Price is here also."
Xander scoffed aloud and it caused the three to turn to him. Kendra stared at him before turning to Giles.
"Who is that?" Sam asked him.
"That's Xander. One of Buffy's closest friends. One that knows her secret." Giles hinted at the older man.
Sam nodded as the trio walked back into Giles' office and closed the door. Xander waited for Cordelia to return from the bathroom and found Buffy walking in to the library instead.
"What are you doing out of class?" Buffy asked him.
Xander shrugged. "I'm having a sickie."
"Did Cordy tell you about the..." Buffy started but Xander cut her off.
"You mean the whole Kareoke thing? Yeah, she told me." Xander told her with worry.
Buffy gave him a look as she sat down at the table. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Xander told her. "I just don't sing well."
The blonde girl stared at him. "You're telling me? I sound like a cat in heat."
Xander laughed at the audio image. "So why did we agree to it?"
"Because we're dumb. And she's your girlfriend." Buffy answered for him.
The dark-haired teen nodded. "Have you seen Kendra yet? She's back in town you know."
"No, I didn't. Where is she?" Buffy asked him and Xander pointed to Giles' office.
Buffy got up and walked over to the closed door. She opened it and walked inside as Cordelia returned to the library.
"Picked a song yet?" Cordelia asked him with a grin.
Xander moaned. "Do I have to pick it now?"
"No," Cordelia told him. "But it'll be easier to pick something now than to leave it at the last minute."
Xander shook his head as he looked at her. "You love torturing me, don't you?"
"Definately." Cordelia said as she kissed him.
Xander kissed her back and smiled. "Well, I'll remember that."
Cordelia thought about it. "I always imagined you singing something from the Billy Ray Cyrus era."
"Billy Ray Cyrus?" Xander asked with amusement. "I don't look like a hick do I?"
The brunette shook her head. "I don't know. Do you?"
Xander grinned at her. "Don't think you're not going to pay for that comment."
"We'll see at the club tonight," Cordelia told him.
"Well, we're here, but where's the others?" Xander asked as he and Cordelia stood outside the Kareoke club in Los Angeles and waited.
They heard a loud banging sound as the large doors opened suddenly with two guards throwing a teenage girl out of the club.
"You guys can't take a joke," Faith said with a shake of her head. She checked the tattoo on her arm as she ran a hand through her brown hair.
Whistler walked up to the club and stopped when he found Faith checking her tattoo. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. We need to talk."
"Oh no, not you again," Faith said reluctantly as she walked away, Xander and Cordelia watching the scene unfold.
Faith turned around and spotted the teen couple. "What the hell are you two staring at?"
"Nothing," Cordelia told her as she and Xander moved away from the bickering pair.
"That was sure weird," Xander commented as Faith and Whistler walked away into the city.
Buffy and Giles got out of Giles' Citreon as they looked around the big city.
"Maybe you should have parked the car a little closer to the club," Buffy suggested as they crossed the road.
The middle-aged man shook his head. "Maybe if you didn't want to look at all those cursed clothing stores, we could have. I could be getting drunk at the Fish Tank back at Sunnydale, instead of getting my ears blasted by buffoonish singing."
"Oh c'mon," Buffy said as they neared a homeless person. "When was the last time you went to a Kareoke bar?"
The homeless person shook his head as Buffy and Giles walked by. "I'm no one. I'm no one."
Giles turned around to stare at the homeless person with curiosity as the homeless person continued saying the same thing over and over.
"That's weird," Buffy said as they watched the homeless man walk away into the night.
They walked towards the nightclub and found Xander and Cordelia standing outside as they spotted them.
"Have you picked a song out yet?" Xander asked Buffy.
"No," Buffy told him. "I think I'll wing it."
"Wing it?" Xander asked her. "Why don't you just pick out something bitchy?"
"Because I'm never bitchy," Buffy told him seriously.
Cordelia laughed out loud. "Oh, please. What about when you teased Xander with that dance at the Bronze that one time? That wasn't bitchy?"
Xander shook his head. "Thanks for bringing that up, Cor."
"Well, I've matured from that," Buffy told them. "After all, I'm the oldest in the group."
Xander stared at his friend. "I'm older than you, Buffy."
"You may not be a natural blonde, but you sure do act like it," Cordelia said with a smirk.
Giles sighed with tiredness. "Where's Angel? He's not coming to this night of nights?"
Buffy shook her head. "He said he's going to hang around Miller's Woods in Sunnydale."
"That's good," Giles replied. "Because I distinctly remember Wesley and Kendra checking out Breakers Woods for trouble."
Cordelia stared at him. "That's at least a forty-five minute drive from our high school. How'd they get there?"
"Miss Calendar lent Wesley her car," Giles said with another sigh. "Hopefully the twit won't wrap it around a tree. Jenny couldn't go with them because her Uncle is in town."
Buffy looked at him. "That Enjos Kalderash guy? God, he's creepy."
"Well, I'm not a fan either, but he is her relative," Giles said as they stood impatiently outside the Kareoke bar. "Maybe we should go in and Willow and Oz will catch up with us."
Xander stared at the bracelet around Cordelia's wrist. "What type of bracelet is that?"
"It's a power beads bracelet. They're supposed to attract money," Cordelia told them as they headed towards the door.
Buffy nodded with a grin. "Like you have problems with that area."
The four walked into the club and got out of the cold.
"That new computer I got is amazing. It definately handles better than that laptop I had," Willow said as she and Oz drove towards the Kareoke bar.
Oz nodded. "I didn't think you'd ever get a desktop computer."
"It still has a flat-screen monitor," Willow said as they turned a corner in Los Angeles.
The teen musician found a parking spot and parked the van. They looked out at the large club and noticed the others weren't waiting outside. Across the street from them, Ken was handing out leaflets to a couple of runaway teenagers.
"They must have gone in," Oz told her.
Willow rolled her eyes. "Or maybe they just didn't care."
"You know that isn't true," Oz said to her. "There's just some tension left over with Xander and Cordelia. Believe me."
Willow and Oz got out of the van and looked at the car next to their vehicle. "That's Giles' car."
"How do you know?" Oz asked her. "There's more than one Citreons out in the world."
Willow shook her head. "2GPU947. That's his license plate number."
Oz looked at her funny as they walked up to the large Kareoke bar, knocking on the front door.
"Did I tell you that Dingoes Ate My Baby is playing at a Lowell House party next week?" Oz asked her.
Willow grinned. "Good, good. That'll give me the excuse to go check out the UC Sunnydale campus."
The young couple watched as the door opened, inviting them inside as they looked around the large room. They found their friends sitting against the far wall watching Doug, Les and Cody Weinberg singing on stage to a song by Queen.
"I don't think I can see the Sunnydale Razorbacks the same way ever again," Xander commented as the high school students got off stage.
Giles shook his head, a disturbed look on his face. "I studied history at Oxford University. I trained to be a Watcher with the finest and most qualified of people in England. And now I'm here, stuck in a Kareoke bar in Los Angeles listening to teenagers wreck perfectly good Queen songs."
"That's the guy Harmony was once interested in?" Xander asked Cordelia as he watched Cody sitting at the desk. "She's better off with Jonathan."
Willow and Oz walked over towards the group and sat down as they watched Tom and Katie, two more classmates from their high school get up on stage.
"You can do it, toots," the sleazy customer, Mitch said out loud.
'Only You' played out over the speakers as the teenage couple read the lines from off of the monitors.
Willow shook her head. "I don't think I can do this. There's a lot of people here."
Oz shrugged. "It looks like the same amount of people that show up at the Bronze. You always wanted to be a part of the band, this is your chance more or less."
Cordelia and the others watched the bad singing of 'Only You' being done by Katie and Tom.
"I hope our singing is a lot better than that," Cordelia commented to an anxious Xander.
Giles shook his head. "Unless your singing has improved from the 'The Greatest Love Of All' butchery on that blasted talent show at high school, I should say not."
The brunette scoffed. "I kept people in their seats. And I'd like to see you try it."
"Alright," Giles said as Tom and Katie got off the stage after finishing their song. "I'll do it now."
The group of teens watched as Giles walked up to the stage and picked out a song.
Xander grinned. "This should be interesting. I once found a photo of Giles playing the guitar years ago in a rock band, so I doubt he's new to all this."
"What type of guitar?" Oz asked him.
"I think it was bass," Xander replied as Giles got up on stage.
Giles picked up a guitar that was resting against the wall and pulled a chair over towards the centre of the stage. He sat down and began to sing 'Behind Blue Eyes' from the band 'The Who'.
No one knows what it's like To be the bad man To be the sad man Behind blue eyes
No one knows what it's like To be hated To be fated To telling only lies
But my dreams They aren't as empty As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely My love is vengeance That's never free
No one knows what it's like To feel these feelings Like i do And i blame you
No one bites back as hard On their anger None of my pain and woe Can show through
But my dreams
Giles finished singing and put back the chair and the guitar, walking off the stage as the customers cheered and clapped. The librarian walked back to the group of teenagers and sat back down with a smirk on his face.
"Not bad," Oz said as he congratulated him.
Cordelia and Xander nodded in agreement as Buffy and Willow were stunned at what just happened.
"That's no fair," Buffy whined. "How are we going to improve on that?"
Xander grinned as he got up from out of the booth, to Cordelia's surprise. "I'm going up there. I thought of a song."
"I thought we were going to do one together?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander shrugged. "Maybe the next one, sweetie."
Buffy and the others watched as Xander got up to the large stage and chose a song from the collection. He chose the song and held the microphone in his hand.
"This should be good," Cordelia said with a grin.
Buffy nodded. "Knowing Xander, it'll be something funny."
As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain I take a look at my wife and realize she's very plain But that's just perfect for an Amish like me You know I shun fancy things like electricity At 4:30 in the morning I'm milkin' cows Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows... fool And I've been milkin' and plowin' so long that Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone I'm a man of the land, I'm into discipline Got a Bible in my hand and a beard on my chin But if I finish all of my chores and you finish thine Then tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699
We been spending most our lives Living in an Amish paradise I've churned butter once or twice Living in an Amish paradise It's hard work and sacrifice Living in an Amish paradise We sell quilts at a discount price Living in an Amish paradise
A local boy kicked me in the butt last week I just smiled at him and I turned the other cheek I really don't care, in fact I wish him well 'Cause I'll be laughing my head off when he's burning in Hell But I ain't never punched a tourist even if he deserved it An Amish with a 'tude? You know that's unheard of I never wear buttons but I got a cool hat And my homies agree I really look good in black... fool If you come to visit, you'll be bored to tears
We haven't even paid the phone bill in 300 years But we ain't really quaint, so please don't point and stare We're just technologically impaired There's no phone, no lights, no motorcar Not a single luxury Like Robinson Caruso It's as primitive as can be
We been spending most our lives Living in an Amish Paradise We're just plain and simple guys Living in an Amish Paradise There's no time for sin and vice Living in an Amish Paradise We don't fight, we all play nice Living in an Amish Paradise
Hitchin' up the buggy, churnin' lots of butter Raised a barn on Monday, soon I'll raise anutter Think you're really righteous? Think you're pure in heart? Well, I know I'm a million time as humble as thou art I'm the pious guy the little Amlettes wanna be like On my knees day and night scorin' points for the afterlife So don't be vain and don't be whiny Or else, my brother, I might have to get medieval on your heinie
We been spending most our lives Living in an Amish Paradise We're all crazy Mennonites Living in an Amish Paradise There's no cops or traffic lights Living in an Amish Paradise But you'd probably think it bites Living in an Amish Paradise
Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-yecch!
Xander finished his Weird Al Yankovic song, grinning at the laughing in the large Kareoke bar. He chuckled as he walked back to the booth and sat back down, drinking some of the Pepsi that had been delivered to the booth while he was up on stage.
"That was funny," Cordelia said with a laugh. "When did you come up with the idea to do that song?"
Xander shrugged as people continued to clap. "I just thought of it. I wanted to do another one of his songs, but it wasn't on the list. 'Amish Paradise' was the next best thing."
"So, who's up next?" Buffy asked as she looked at Willow and Oz.
The young couple shook their heads. "We're still coming up with a song."
Buffy sighed. "I don't want to go up there by myself."
Cordelia grinned. "'Buffy the Wimp' doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?"
The blonde teenager got up from the booth with determination on her face. "Okay, fine. I'll go. But I'm not paying for the next round of drinks."
"Uh oh," Xander said with sarcasm.
Buffy chose a song and held the microphone anxiously as she stared at the lyrics on the monitor and began to sing.
I thought I saw a man brought to life He was warm He came around like he was dignified He showed me what it was to cry Well you couldn't be that man I adored You don't seem to know Seem to care what your heart is for But I don't know him anymore There's nothing where he used to lie My conversation has run dry That's what's going on Nothing's fine I'm torn
I'm all out of faith This is how I feel I'm cold and I am shamed Lying naked on the floor Illusion never changed Into something real I'm wide awake And I can see The perfect sky is torn You're a little late I'm already torn
So I guess the fortune teller's right Should have seen just what was there And not some holy light Which crawled beneath my veins And now I don't care I had no luck I don't miss it all that much There's just so many things That I can touch I'm torn
I'm all out of faith This is how I feel I'm cold and I am shamed Lying naked on the floor Illusion never changed Into something real I'm wide awake And I can see The perfect sky is torn You're a little late I'm already torn Torn
There's nothing where he used to lie My inspiration has run dry That's what's going on Nothing's right I'm torn
I'm all out of faith This is how I feel I'm cold and I am shamed Lying naked on the floor Illusion never changed Into something real I'm wide awake And I can see The perfect sky is torn
I'm all out of faith This is how I feel I'm cold and I'm ashamed Bound and broken on the floor You're a little late I'm already torn Torn..
Buffy walked off the stage with her cheeks flushed, she couldn't believe she just did that as she rejoined her friends at the table.
Willow and Oz whispered to each other as they moved out of the booth and walked towards the stage, hand in hand.
"What are they doing?" Buffy asked them.
Cordelia pointed towards the stage. "It looks like they're going to do a duet."
Oz checked the songs on the list and picked the song 'Endless Love' by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross. He pointed to the title to Willow, who nodded as she picked up another microphone.
Oz: My love, there's only you in my life The only thing that's right
Willow: My first love,
Oz: Yeah
Willow: You're every breath that I take. You're every step I make
Willow: And I
Oz: And I
BOTH: I want to share All my love with you
Oz: No one else will do...
Willow: Hummm
Oz: You know it
Willow: And your eyes
Oz: Your eyes, your eyes
BOTH: They tell me how much you care Ooh yes, you will always be my endless love
BOTH: Two hearts, two hearts that beat as one Our lives have just begun
Willow: and forever
Oz: Forever
BOTH: I'll hold you close in my arms I can't resist your charms
Willow: No no no no no
Oz: No no no no no
Willow: And love
Oz: and love
BOTH: I'll be a fool For you, I'm sure
Willow: You know I don't mind
Oz: Oh, you know I don't mind
BOTH: 'Coz baby
Oz: baby, baby, baby babe
BOTH: You mean the world to me
Willow: Oh I know
Oz: I know
BOTH: I've found in you My endless love
(instrumental interlude)
BOTH: yeah yeah, do do do
BOTH: Oooh, and love
Oz: Love, love love love
BOTH: I'll be that fool For you, I'm sure
Willow: That you know I don't mind
Oz: You know I, you know I -
BOTH: I don't mind
BOTH: And, YES You'll be the only one, coz NO one can deny
This love I have inside And I'll give it all to you
Willow: My love
Oz: My love
Willow: My love, my love
BOTH: My endless love
The audience clapped as the teenage couple walked off the stage and headed back towards their friends as another couple got on stage.
Xander watched television in his apartment as Cordelia got dressed in his bedroom. He watched on screen as the Sunnydale Mayor's secretary, Carol, spoke on screen.
'Mayor Wilkens couldn't be reached today, but he sent me here to thank the Public Works Committee on their good job well done,' Carol said as she shook one of the chairperson's, Dave's hand.
Dave walked towards the microphone after the clapping died down. He spoke into it with a grin. 'We have successfully repaired the warehouse on Devereau Street and it should be up and running in no time. And thanks to Mayor Wilkens, there are now plans to open a miniature golf course here in Sunnydale.'
"A miniature golf course?" Xander asked aloud. "That sounds like a cool idea."
"What was that?!?" Cordelia called out from his bedroom.
Xander looked away from the television screen as he turned to look at his closed bedroom door. "There's a miniature golf course opening here soon!!"
"Oh, okay!!" Cordelia's voice yelled back.
Xander turned back to watch Channel 14, watching the news unfold as Dave continued talking.
"What do you want to do today?!?" Xander called out as he changed channels.
"I don't know," Cordelia said behind him, making Xander jump a little.
Xander shook his head with a grin. "You didn't have to scare me like that."
"I couldn't resist," Cordelia teased with a grin. "Remember when we came out of the closet?"
"Huh?" Xander asked her before realizing what she meant. "Oh, you mean when we were caught kissing by Willow."
"Yeah," Cordelia answered. "That's the one."
"What about it? It's not like it's the anniversary of it or anything," Xander reminded her. "That happened in January."
Cordelia nodded. "I know, but..."
A knock on Xander's front door interrupted what Cordelia was going to say as the teenager walked over to his door and opened it. He watched as Adam and Bobby stood at his front door, holding out boxes of Boost Bars.
"If it isn't the Wretched Refuse fan," Xander said as he greeted Adam.
Adam grinned at his highschool friend. "Hey, Xander. We're selling Boost Bars. Do you want to buy any?"
"I don't know," Xander told him. "I hear they taste like cardboard."
"It's for a good cause," Bobby said as he spoke up. "The money goes to charity."
Cordelia walked towards the door and nodded. "C'mon Xander. It's charity."
Xander sighed as he pulled out a wallet. "You guys going to be at school tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Bobby told him. "Why?"
"Because," Xander said as he paid Adam for a couple of Boost Bars. "If they taste like cardboard, I'll be able to let you know."
Adam grinned as he put the money in the bag they had with them. "See you at school then."
Xander watched them leave before closing the front door and giving Cordelia one of the bars.
"What were you saying before?" Xander asked her as he walked into the kitchen.
Cordelia ate her Boost bar before walking after her boyfriend. "I was thinking, maybe we can go away somewhere today. I know of a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. It's peaceful with a lake and everything."
"It's not at Crystal Lake is it?" Xander joked.
Cordelia swatted his arm lightly. "I'm serious. We can make a day of it. We can go fishing. I have a recipe for brownies that my mother's housekeeper gave me."
"You've improved on making those, haven't you?" Xander joked as she gave him a look.
Cordelia heard cars driving around in the street real fast as they sped around corners before disappearing out of sight.
"What was that?" Cordelia asked him. "Street racers?"
"Maybe," Xander told her as he looked out the window. "It was probably the Jackals. They've done this before around here apparently."
Cordelia shook her head. "Jackals? As in the actual gang?"
"Yeah," Xander said with a nod. "I'm surprised they're still around this town actually. It's not exactly the safest place to be. Especially at night."
Cordelia shrugged. "It's not like they sleep in the street. They stay at those motels in town. Either the Downtowner Apartments or the Sunnydale Motor Inn."
"How would you know that?" Xander asked her.
The brunette sighed. "Everyone knows that. Cops raid those places a lot trying to catch them."
Xander nodded. "I think we should head out to the cabin as soon as possible. Before someone else tries to sell us something."
Cordelia and Xander walked to his front door and left his apartment. Xander shook his head as he remembered something.
"What is it?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander looked at her. "I left the damn fishing rods at the school library with Giles. I forgot to pick them up."
"He won't be there today," Cordelia told him. "It's Sunday."
Xander shook his head. "Giles will be there."
"How do you know?" Cordelia asked.
The dark-haired teen shrugged. "His whole life is in that library."
Xander and Cordelia got out of his car and looked around the empty parking lot.
"Guess you were right," Cordelia said as she pointed towards Giles' car. "He really does need a life."
The teenagers looked around the parking lot and found Mrs. Davis, a resident of Sunnydale catching a bus.
"Do you know her?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander shrugged. "That's the one that Buffy told us always hands out toothbrushes to kids on Halloween."
Cordelia chuckled. "Oh yeah. She's the one that always gets her windows soaped and her house egged because of that."
The two teenagers headed into the empty high school on their way to the library, wary of running into Principal Snyder.
Xander opened the door to the library and walked inside along with his girlfriend, stopping in their tracks when they found Giles talking to an insane-looking man and Ethan Rayne.
"What's going on?" Xander asked as Giles and the other two men looked at them.
Giles shook his head. "What are you doing here Xander? It's not a school day."
"I know," Xander told him. "I left behind the fishing rods."
"Right," Giles said with a nod. "They're in my office."
Xander looked over at the insane-looking man and Giles noticed his questioning gaze.
"This is Dr. Ferris Carlyle," Giles introduced him. "He's a friend from way back."
"That doesn't explain Ethan," Cordelia shot back.
Ethan folded his arms and stared at the two teens. "This is of an adult matter. Something the 'Scooby Gang' doesn't need to worry their pretty little heads about."
"Giles," Xander said as he turned to him. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Giles said with a nod. "I'm fine. This isn't important, so Buffy doesn't need to know, okay?"
Xander nodded as he went to get his fishing rods. "Okay, fine."
Dr. Carlyle looked over at Cordelia and nodded. "Cats like mice."
"Right," Cordelia said as she looked away from the crazy man. "Xander, did you find them?"
"Yeah," Xander said as he came out of Giles' office with a pair of fishing r ods. "Got 'em."
Ethan stared at the two teens, suggestively. "Have fun. Try not to catch anything."
If you don't know me by now You will never, never, never know me
All the things, that we've been through You should understand me, like I understand you Now girl I know the difference Between right and wrong I ain't gonna do nothing to break up your happy home Don't get so excited when I come home a little late at night Cose we only act like children when we argue fuss and fight
If you don't know me by now You will never, never, never know me
We' ve all got, our funny moods I' ve got mine, woman you' ve got yours too Just trust in me like I trust in you As long as we' ve been together It should be so easy to do Just get yourself together or we might as well say goodbye What good is a love affair when you can't see eye to eye
If you don't know me by now You will never, never, never know me If you don't know me by now You will never, never, never know me
Xander and Cordelia drove towards the cabin on the long stretch of road which took them out of Sunnydale.
Cordelia changed the radio station and found a song that she had liked for several years. "Wow, I don't believe this."
You fight the good fight You fight the good war You fight to be right You fight to restore
Why should I believe a word that you say It was just a game that you don't wanna play And I say
It's wearing me down, I realize It's all in my head now, now, and I realize It's not what you've done As much as what you've said
As what you've said As what you've said As what you've said
The song ended before Xander turned off the car radio, parking outside a large wooden cabin. He got out of his car and grabbed the two fishing rods from out of the trunk as Cordelia got out of the car.
"See? I told you this place is lovely," Cordelia remarked as they looked at the large cabin.
Xander nodded as he propped the two fishing rods up against the cabin wall. "Yeah, it is. I thought about you while I drove here."
Cordelia grinned. "Really? How well did you think about me?"
Xander shrugged casually. "I thought about you a lot. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to drive with an erection?"
Xander looked Cordelia up and down as he quickly realized what he had just said.
"Of course you don't. Well it's hard," Xander told her, before quickly correcting himself. "The driving!!"
Cordelia nodded. "Whatever you say."
The dark-haired teen walked over towards the lake as Cordelia opened the door to the cabin. Xander looked out at the lake and walked back to the cabin.
"Well, the weather seems alright for fishing," Xander told her. "I was worried that it might rain today and scare away all the fish."
Cordelia shook her head. "Since when do you know how to fish?"
"I know how to fish," Xander said with mock hurt. "You put bait on a hook, reel it out into the water and wait for a fish to take the bait. How hard can it be?"
Cordelia thought about it. "Now while we're talking about bait, what exactly are we going to be using? Because I'll be damned if I'm going to touch a leech or impale a worm on a hook."
"There won't be any need for that," Xander replied. "I saw a bait shop nearby that sells bread dough. We can use that to catch fish."
"That works?" Cordelia asked with surprise.
Xander nodded. "Of course it works. We'll catch some fish and we can eat them."
"You're gutting them though," Cordelia said quickly.
Xander rolled his eyes sarcastically. "As if there were any doubt about who would be doing that."
Cordelia grabbed the car keys and headed towards Xander's car. "I'll go get the bait. You're going to wait here?"
"Yeah," Xander said as he waved her goodbye.
"We've been out here for almost an hour now," Cordelia said with irritation. "Where are the fish today?"
Xander shrugged. "Fishing is a patient sport. We might not even end up catching a fish today."
Cordelia swatted a fly as it buzzed around her. "Damn insects are annoying around here."
"If there's one insect that is the most annoying, it's flies," Xander said as he swatted another fly.
Cordelia's fishing rod almost jerked out of her hands as a fish took the bait she had on her hook.
"I got one!" Cordelia yelled as she pulled the fishing rod back.
"Reel it in, quick!" Xander yelled back as he put down his fishing rod.
Cordelia quickly reeled in the line on her fishing rod, feeling the fish struggling to escape from the hook as she reeled it in.
"Wow, that's a big one," Xander said as he looked at the large fish on Cordelia's hook.
"Xander!" Cordelia yelled out to him as she pointed behind him.
"What?" Xander asked, before turning around and found his fishing rod disappearing into the lake. "Dammit!"
Cordelia laughed as Xander tried to get back his fishing rod from the fish that took off with it.
Xander shook his head as he gave up on his fishing rod. "Oh well."
"Think you're pretty clever for catching that fish, aren't you?" Xander asked as he stoked the fire in the fireplace.
"Well, the first couple of fish I caught was amazing," Cordelia said from the bedroom. "But by the third fish, it got kind of boring."
Xander walked back to the wooden table and picked up his pen, continuing to finish off the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. "Nobody likes a smartass."
"You like a smartass," Cordelia called out to him.
Xander nodded as he put his pen in his mouth. "I'm probably the only one."
Cordelia walked into the main room of the cabin and Xander saw her in her night clothes. The drooping pen in his mouth then slowly raised up in his mouth suggestively.
"That's new," Xander said with a raised eyebrow.
Cordelia shrugged. "I got it to surprise you for tonight. You like it?"
"You'll look much better with it off," Xander said with a grin as he dropped his pen and moved towards her.
Cordelia grinned as Xander walked into their bedroom and stopped suddenly.
Xander stopped and turned around. "You don't want to fool around?"
"I do," Cordelia said with a nod. "But maybe we could do this in front of the fire?"
The dark-haired teen smiled. "I like the way you think."
Xander dropped Cordelia off at her house as he got out of his car as well. They walked up to her front door and were glad that her parents had already left for work.
"Good thing your parents aren't here," Xander said with a sigh of relief.
Cordelia shook her head. "My mom already knows we're sleeping together."
"What?" Xander asked with surprise. "How did she find out? Did you tell her?"
"She found out by herself," Cordelia said with a shrug. "She's perceptive at times. What can I say?"
Xander shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I'm not used to concerned parents."
Cordelia leaned towards him and kissed her boyfriend. "Try not to think ugly thoughts."
"Yeah," Xander said with a nod. "No ugly thoughts."
Cordelia nodded. "I'll see you at school today?"
"Yeah," Xander told her. "I'll have to hurry to get changed though."
"See you then," Cordelia told him as Xander walked down the path towards his car.
Cordelia watched her boyfriend walk to his car, her eyes widened in horror as she couldn't do anything but watch as Xander was struck by a speeding car.
"Xander!!" Cordelia screamed as she ran towards her fallen boyfriend.
The brunette quickly caught up to Xander who lay wounded on the road. A passing car pulled to a stop when the driver saw what had happened.
Mrs. Franklin who was a teacher at Sunnydale High, got out of her car and ran up to Cordelia and Xander.
"Oh my God," Mrs. Franklin said in shock.
"Call an ambulance!" Cordelia told her urgently. "Hurry!"
Mr. Cox looked at his handout for a while before eventually giving his students a copy of what he was holding.
Buffy, Willow and Oz sat in their chairs with a bored expression as they whispered to each other whenever their most boring teacher wasn't watching.
"So, the head recruiter called me again the other night," Willow said to Buffy. "The one from Microsoft, remember?"
"The one based in Seattle?" Buffy asked her.
Willow nodded. "That's the one. Seems like they still want to talk to Oz and I after we graduate. We might be in for a chance."
"That's great news," Buffy said with a grin. "But I thought you wanted to go to college first."
Willow nodded as she thought about it. "I know, I know. That's why I have to think about it."
Oz decided to step in. "That's why we'll BOTH have to think about it. But it does bear some thought."
Buffy looked over to the empty chairs which should have occupied Xander and Cordelia. "I wonder where they are."
"Maybe they decided to take a day off?" Oz suggested. "They did go out to that cabin. Maybe they lost track of time?"
Buffy turned back in her seat and watched Mr. Chomsky, another History teacher, walk into the classroom and whisper something to Mr. Cox.
Buffy, Willow and Oz watched carefully as Mr. Chomsky looked over to the two empty seats near the Scooby Gang as he spoke to their teacher.
"Oh my God," Buffy said with dread as she jumped out of her chair and left the classroom with Willow and Oz close behind, ignoring Mr. Cox's calls for them to come back.
The trio ran straight into Giles who was talking to Ms. Jackson, the Algebra teacher.
"Giles!" Buffy called out to him.
Giles turned to them as Ms. Jackson walked back to the main office. "I know, I just heard. I'm heading out to the hospital."
"What happened?" Oz asked him out of concern.
The librarian shook his head. "Xander was hit by a hit and run driver. I was told that he's in serious condition at Sunnydale Memorial."
"No," Willow said simply in shock.
"We're coming with you," Buffy told him as the trio followed Giles out of the school.
Did you ever think of me As your best friend Did I ever think of you I'm not complaining
I never tried to feel I never tried to feel This vibration I never tried to reach I never tried to reach Your eden
Did I ever think of you as my enemy Did you ever think of me I'm not complaining
I never tried to feel I never tried to feel This vibration I never tried to reach I never tried to reach Your eden
Buffy, Willow, Oz and Giles rushed through the hospital and found two medical doctors talking to each other.
"Excuse me," Giles said as he approached them. "Can you tell us where to find Xander Harris, he's a patient here?"
Dr. Gold and Dr. Wilkinson stopped talking and turned to him. "When was he admitted?"
Giles shook his head. "Sometime this morning. It was a hit and run incident."
Dr. Wilkinson looked at the librarian and nodded her head. "I believe he's Dr. Pal's patient. He's down that corridor and it's the fourth door on the left."
"Thanks," Giles said as he and the teens headed off towards Xander.
"Look," Dr. Pal said to Detective Stein and the two FBI agents. "I know you three would like to question Mr. Harris, but the fact remains that he is still unconscious."
Agent Doyle nodded. "When he comes to..."
"He hasn't regained consciousness so far," Dr. Pal told him sternly. "It's a miracle he actually survived the accident."
Agent Manetti shook his head. "I don't believe that you understand how serious this is. The man that struck Mr. Harris is a wanted felon."
"Wanted not just by the FBI, but by the Sunnydale PD," Detective Stein said as he stepped in.
A knock on the door startled the four people in Dr. Pal's office. The doctor turned to the doorway and found Giles standing there.
"Are you the doctor taking care of Xander Harris?" Giles asked him as the FBI agents traded looks.
Buffy looked into the room and stared at the two agents. "Weren't you two the same guys that took Marcie Ross away?"
"We can't confirm nor deny that," Agent Doyle calmly told her as Detective Stein walked out of the office and headed back towards Xander's hospital room.
Dr. Pal looked at the librarian and the teenagers. "Are you relatives?"
"Yes," Giles lied as he got information from the doctor.
Buffy stood in the hallway and looked around the hospital. "I hate hospitals. Ever since my cousin Celia died in one."
"Guys?" Cordelia called out as she stood in the doorway of a hospital room.
Buffy and the others quickly rushed over towards her as they moved into the room, finding Xander in a hospital bed unconscious.
"What happened?" Willow asked with a pained expression.
Cordelia shook her head. "It happened so quickly I almost didn't see it. Some drunk driver hit Xander with his car and kept on driving."
"It wasn't a drunk driver," Detective Stein said as he stood in the doorway. "The driver was an escaped convict named Lucas Bennett, who is wanted for several murders. He was driving through Sunnydale on his way to Fairvale."
Willow sighed angrily. "And you people let him get away?"
"No," Agent Doyle said as he appeared in the doorway. "We just got word that Lucas Bennett crashed his vehicle into a parked car."
Detective Stein looked at him. "So we got him."
"He died on impact," Agent Manetti said as the two FBI agents walked away from Xander's hospital room.
Oz and the others watched as Detective Stein left the hospital room, heading off in the same direction as the two agents.
Cordelia shook her head as she sat down next to Xander's hospital bed, pointing at the children's books.
"The only things to read around here are those kid's books," Cordelia pointed out. "Those children's rhymes should have their own ratings system."
Dr. Pal walked into the hospital room and found everyone standing around Xander's hospital bed. "Sorry, I was late."
"So, what's wrong with him?" Cordelia asked flat-out, not wanting to mince words.
Dr. Pal shook his head. "Mr. Harris was lucky today. That guy could very well have killed him with that car today. His left leg is broken, he has some minor cuts and scrapes and he had a minor concussion. Right now, he's unconscious."
"So, he's not in a coma?" Willow asked with surprise.
Xander's doctor shook his head. "No, no. Your friend will be fine. But you should let him get some rest."
Giles nodded as he and Oz walked out of the room, eventually followed by Buffy and Willow.
Buffy watched Cordelia as Dr. Pal left the room to check on his other patients. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"No," Cordelia told her. "I'm going to stay with him for when he wakes up."
Buffy nodded as she understood. "I'll tell the teachers that you're sick."
Cordelia watched Buffy and the others leave, before turning back to her unconscious boyfriend and holding his hand.
On the floating, shipless oceans I did all my best to smile
til your singing eyes and fingers drew me loving into your eyes.
And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me; Let me enfold you." Here I am, here I am waiting to hold you.
Did I dream you dreamed about me? Were you here when I was full sail? Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken lovelorn on your rocks. For you sang, "Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow."
Oh my heart, oh my heart shies from the sorrow. I'm as puzzled as a newborn child. I'm as riddled as the tide.
Should I stand amid the breakers? Or shall I lie with death my bride? Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you." "Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you."
Xander slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness, blinking his eyes slowly as he grew accustomed to the light.
"Xander?" Cordelia called to him as she watched him look around. "Are you okay?"
"What happened?" Xander mumbled as he flinched in pain from his broken leg.
Cordelia reached over and pressed the button, which called for the nurse.
"You were hit by a car outside my house," Cordelia reminded him. "Do you remember?"
Xander nodded slowly as he looked around the hospital room. "I thought I was dead. I could see Jesse..."
"Hey," Cordelia told him soothingly as a nurse entered the room. "Don't worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting better."
The brunette teenager stepped back and let the nurse help Xander as Dr. Pal entered the room as well.
"You are a very lucky man," Dr. Pal told him. "Considering what could have happened."
Patrice scanned the video shelves at Blockbuster as the policewoman searched for a video in the horror section.
Xander and Cordelia walked into the video store, Cordelia holding the door open as Xander entered with his crutches.
The teen couple walked over to the new releases section and looked over at all the new movies that had just come out to video.
"Oh, look at this one," Xander said with a grin as he picked up 'Time Means Nothing'. "This is a good one."
"It's a war movie," Cordelia told him with a shrug.
Xander shook his head. "It's not just a war movie. It's a story of humanity. It's about a soldier from the war, who returns home to his family and friends a different person and it details his slow rehabilitation into becoming a human being again."
"Where does the title fit in?" The brunette asked him.
Xander shrugged as he put his weight on the crutches. "It's what was said on the watch his girlfriend gave him. She's one of those stunning lookers."
"Should I be jealous?" Cordelia asked with a teasing grin.
"No," Xander said as he sighed, realizing that all copies of 'Time Means Nothing' was hired out. "Guess I'll go looking through the Weeklys."
Xander looked through the Action and Horror section and looked through the movie titles. He stopped as he looked at the Die Hard movies on the shelves.
Cordelia was also looking through the Weekly section, and found a copy of the movie 'Willow'. She picked it up and walked over towards her boyfriend.
"Hey," Cordy told him. "Look at this. Willow has a movie named after her."
Xander nodded with a chuckle. "If you think that's weird, look at this."
Cordelia looked at the DVD cover she was given. "'Buffy the...?"
"Yeah," Xander said with a surprised nod. "It's about a teen cheerleader in Los Angeles, named Buffy Summers. She even has a Watcher that trains her to fight."
The brunette shook her head with amazement. "That's just too weird for words. I want to see that."
"I'm sure Buffy will get a kick out of it," Xander said as he looked around for some more movies.
Xander and Cordelia walked back over to the New Releases and looked at all the titles.
"How many are we getting?" Xander asked her.
Cordelia shrugged. "At least three. Maybe we should just get new movies?"
Xander nodded and looked around, spotting 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls', picking it up. "I thought this movie would be in the Weekly section by now. This should be good for a few laughs though."
"Jim Carrey's movies are always a bit strange for me," Cordelia said half-heartedly. "But I guess I can watch it."
Xander looked at her. "Why don't you pick one?"
Cordelia looked around and picked up 'Lost Highway' as Xander looked at the cover.
"That's the new David Lynch movie?" Xander asked her.
Cordelia nodded as she added it with the other movie. "They're always good."
"I DID like that last one he did," Xander admitted. "That 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me' prequel."
The cheerleader looked at over movies as Xander looked around as well, spotting something that he liked.
Xander grinned as he picked up a copy of 'American Pie' as he added it to the list. "I think that's it."
"'American Pie'?" Cordelia asked with surprise. "I didn't think you were going to see that one?"
Xander shrugged as Cordelia took the movies from out of his hands. "I figured we'd need another comedy to balance out that David Lynch movie."
"You think we should see that one first?" Cordelia asked him as she thought about it.
Xander nodded as he used his crutches to follow her to the counter. "Yeah. We can then cheer everyone up with the comedies. Who doesn't love a good comedy?"
The teen couple found two other Sunnydale High classmates, Daryl Sancton and Leafe Small, at the counter chatting up the teenage girl at the cash register.
"That's Shanisse," Cordelia told Xander. "I almost didn't recognize her with her own actual hair style."
Daryl and Leafe paid for their movies and left the Blockbuster store as Xander and Cordelia paid for their own DVDs.
Xander watched as Cordelia opened the door for him as he stepped outside, looking around the street as the sun started to slowly set. He looked over at Bob's Magic Cabinet store and then at Decker Hardware as Cordelia walked out of the video store.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
Xander nodded. "Let's get out of here before it gets too dark."
The two teens walked over to Cordelia's car as she got into the driver's seat. Xander opened the passenger door and climbed in, putting his crutches in the backseat. He closed the door and nodded.
"They're probably already at my apartment," Xander told her.
Cordelia nodded. "Well, this is something they wanted to do to celebrate you getting out of the hospital. I'd assume they'd already be there."
"Yeah," Xander said with a smile. "Okay, lets hope they like Jim Carrey movies."
Cordelia started up her car and they pulled out of the parking space, driving back towards Xander's apartment.
Cordelia parked her car outside of Xander's apartment as she got out, slowly followed by Xander as he grabbed his crutches.
They walked up towards his apartment and found Buffy, Willow and Oz waiting near Xander's front door.
"Kendra didn't really feel this was her thing," Buffy said with a shrug. "So, she's with Angel and Wesley doing the rounds."
Cordelia nodded as Xander grabbed his keys. "We got three DVDs."
"Which ones are they?" Willow asked them.
Xander opened the door and they all walked inside before he closed it behind him. "Two comedies and a David Lynch movie."
"I know what we're watching first," Oz said as he picked up the 'Lost Highway' DVD.
Xander nodded and chuckled. "It's always the quiet ones."
MYSTERY MAN: We've met before, haven't we?
FRED: I don't think so. Where was it that you think we've met?
MYSTERY MAN: At your house. Don't you remember?
FRED (surprised): No, no I don't. Are you sure?
MYSTERY MAN: Of course. In fact, I'm there right now.
FRED (incredulous): What do you mean? You're <u>where</u> right now?
MYSTERY MAN: At your house.
FRED: You're fucking crazy, man.
The Mystery Man reaches into his coat pocket, takes out a cellular phone and holds it out to Fred.
MYSTERY MAN: Call me.
Fred snickers, like this is a bad joke. The Mystery Man puts the phone into Fred's hand.
MYSTERY MAN (CON-T): Dial your number.
Fred hesitates, puzzled.
MYSTERY MAN (CON-T): Go ahead.
Fred shrugs, laughs, dials his number. We HEAR a pick up as we stay on FRED'S FACE.
PHONE VOICE OF MYSTERY MAN: I told you I was here.
Fred, still holding the phone, stares at the man standing in front of him.
FRED: How did you do that?
The Mystery Man points to the phone.
MYSTERY MAN: Ask me.
Fred, mirthful at first, as if it is a party trick of some kind, suddenly turns serious - it's obvious he's thinking now of the videotapes. He speaks into the phone.
FRED (angrily): How did you get into my house?
PHONE VOICE OF MYSTERY MAN: You invited me. It's not my habit to go where I'm not wanted.
Fred looks at the man in front of him, but speaks again into the phone.
FRED: Who are you?
The man laughs - identical laughs - both over the phone and in person.
PHONE VOICE OF MYSTERY MAN: Give me my phone back.
The man in front of Fred reaches out his hand for the phone. Fred hears the line go dead, and he slowly passes the phone back to the Mystery Man who takes it, folds it, and puts it in his pocket.
MYSTERY MAN: It's been a pleasure talking to you.
The man walks away from Fred. Renee appears and comes up to Fred.
RENEE: I thought you were getting me a drink?
FRED: Just a minute.
He takes Renee by the arm and goes over to the host of the party, Andy. He grabs Andy and points across the room toward the Mystery Man, who is engaged in conversation with OTHER GUESTS.
FRED: Andy, who is that guy?
ANDY (looking at the Mystery Man): I don't know his name. He's a friend of Dick Laurent's, I think.
FRED: Dick Laurent?
ANDY: Yes, I believe so.
FRED (remembering something): But Dick Laurent is dead, isn't he?
ANDY: He is? I didn't think you knew Dick. How do you know he's dead?
Andy and Renee exchange a worried look, which Fred does not notice.
FRED: I don't. I don't know him.
ANDY (angrily): Dick can't be dead. Who told you he was dead?
RENEE: Honey, who?... Who's dead?
Fred takes Renee by the arm away from Andy.
FRED: Let's go home.
RENEE: But...
FRED: Now! We're leaving now! I didn't want to come here in the first place.
Fred drags the reluctant Renee out of Andy's house.
CUT TO:
INT. CAR - NIGHT
Fred is driving fast and recklessly. Renee is drunk and is smiling at him.
FRED: How'd you meet that asshole, Andy, anyway?
Renee stares out the front window - thinks back.
RENEE: It was a long time ago... I met him at this place called Moke's... We... became friends... He told me about a job...
FRED: What job?
RENEE: I don't remember... Anyway, Andy's okay...
FRED: He's got some fucked up friends.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE MADISON HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NIGHT
Fred and Renee's car pulls up in front of their house. Fred jumps out of the car.
FRED: Stay in the car!
Fred enters the house, careful to turn off the alarm first.
CUT TO:
INT. THE MADISON HOUSE - NIGHT
There are only a couple of dim lights on, the house is mostly dark. Fred moves slowly and carefully through his house - searching each room for a possible intruder.
Fred's POV - moving creepily room by room through the dark house - past the telephone - down the hall to the bedroom.
There is NO ONE there.
He goes back outside for Renee.
CUT TO: . THE MADISON HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NIGHT
Renee is standing next to the car, shivering.
FRED: I told you to stay in the car!
RENEE: Why? what is it? Why did you make me wait out here?
FRED: I thought there might be somebody inside.
RENEE: Was there?
FRED: No... of course not.
They enter the house.
The teens drank some Coke as the 'American Pie' DVD played on Xander's widescreen television.
"That 'Lost Highway' was a weird movie," Xander said as he watched the next one. "But it was good in an odd way."
"Yeah," Oz said with a nod.
Finch ran towards the bathroom. Stifler is down the hall, holding open the bathroom door like a pleasant doorman.
STIFLER: This way, sit.
Finch darts into the bathroom. Stifler LAUGHS hysterically.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM - DAY
Finch leaps into a stall and slams the door behind him.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM STALL - DAY
Finch has stopped. He's staring down at the toilet. It looks entirely uninviting. But he's straining, struggling, starting to dance around, moaning as he cramps up. He grabs a length of toilet paper and lines the seat with it. Then another, and another. Sweat drips off his forehead.
FINCH: Come on come on come on...
He's got the seat lined with at least three layers of toilet paper. Notices a spot where there's still bare toilet seat. He tears off one square of toilet paper, placing it on the spot. He steps back and looks it over, still wriggling to contain his bowels.
FINCH: Okay. You can do this.
He unbuckles his pants. Sits down -- just as we hear someone enter the bathroom. Finch, still restraining, listens for a moment...only to hear the CLICK-CLICK-CLICK of heels.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - MAIN HALL - DAY
The bathroom door swings closed to reveal the universal symbol for "Women." Stifler is there, LAUGHING even harder.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM STALL - DAY
Finch is terrified. Through the crack between the stall door and the frame, Finch catches glimpses of bright colored skirts and dresses. He grits his teeth, straining. And a GURGLE comes from Finch's stomach. His eyes bulge.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM - DAY
A GROUP OF GIRLS is at the mirror, including the Girl Holding Out for Finch, fixing their hair.
GIRL HOLDING OUT FOR FINCH: You know it's just gonna be some crappy band and stupid decorations.
GIRL #2: You're just saying that cause prom's a week away and you don't have a date.
GIRL HOLDING OUT FOR FINCH: No, I don't want a date... (increasingly dreamy) Finch is going stag...and so am I...the guy is like so...debonair.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM STALL - DAY
Finch is in hell. Desperately trying not to shit. Holding it in for all he's worth.
INT. BATHROOM - DAY
GIRL #2: Do you think that "older woman" thing is true?
GIRL #3: Of course, it was Stifler's mom.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM STALL - DAY
Pure agony. Finch is sweating badly. Every muscle in his body is tensed. Tears stream from his fiercely shut eyes. A gastric RUMBLING. Finch's eyes flash open in terror.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM - DAY
We hear another, deeper RUMBLING. Girl #2 turns to her friend in surprise.
GIRL #2: Joanie, was that you?
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM STALL - DAY
Finch is struggling. Rocking back and forth. But it's no use. He's at his limit.
FINCH: Aaaaaaarrrgghhhh!
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM - DAY
The girls at the mirror freeze -- and we hear what can only be the SOUND OF DIARRHEA exploding into a toilet bowl. The girls run out SCREAMING and LAUGHING.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - BATHROOM - DAY - MOMENTS LATER
Finch exits the stall with trepidation, pulling up his pants. Slowly, slinking, he approaches the door. Grabs the handle. Composes himself. And like nothing ever happened, he opens it.
INT. EAST GREAT FALLS HIGH - MAIN HALL - DAY
Finch comes out of the bathroom. Stops. His eyes register complete disbelief. A SEMI-CIRCLE OF GIRLS, including the ones we have seen gossiping about him, has crowded around the door. All staring at him with complete repugnance, open-mouthed.
Willow took out the 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls' DVD from the DVD player. She put the disc back in it's case as the others finished off the last of the Coca Cola.
"Well, it's been fun, but I'd better be going," Oz said as he reluctantly got up off of the couch.
Xander nodded. "Your birthday is on Sunday, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Oz said with a nod. "It's going to be a shindig with a lot of people turning up. Should be cool."
"Well, we'll bring some food along," Cordelia told him and Willow as they headed towards the front door with Buffy.
Willow smiled and nodded. "Tonight was fun. We should do this more often. Especially since highschool graduation is coming up."
"Yeah," Buffy said in agreement. "But preferably without one of us in mortal danger."
Xander chuckled. "I'll look both ways before I cross the road from now on. Trust me."
"Bye," Buffy, Willow and Oz said as they left Xander's apartment.
Cordelia watched as the trio got into Oz's van as they eventually drove off back to their homes.
"Well, I guess I'm heading off as well," Cordelia told him regrettably.
Xander raised an eyebrow. "You're not staying?"
"I can't sleep over all the time," Cordelia said with a grin. "What would my parents think?"
Xander shrugged. "They'll think that you're seeing one hell of a stud."
"Yeah, right," Cordelia said sarcastically as she stepped outside.
The dark-haired teen watched as his girlfriend kissed him goodbye, before heading towards her car. He waved her goodbye as she headed off on her way home.
Xander chuckled to himself as he closed his front door, locking it for the night.
"So, I hear there's a party being planned," Wesley said as he chatted to Cordelia with Willow in the background. "Are you taking Xander?"
Cordelia nodded awkwardly as she stood up from the desk. "Xander and I have been dating for quite a while now, Wesley. Why did you even have to ask?"
"No reason," Wesley said with a worried look. "I just thought that teen romances don't usually last long, that's all."
Giles and Kendra walked into the main part of the library as Kendra walked towards the younger Watcher.
"Cordelia?" Giles asked her. "Could you go back to class please? I'm sure your teacher would want to know where you are."
The dark-haired girl nodded and quickly left the library, glad that Giles had overheard the conversation and made up a convincing lie.
Wesley watched her leave as he bit his bottom lip. "Damn."
Willow shook her head as she looked at him. "Give it up, Wesley. You're never gonna get between those two. Believe me, I know."
Wesley sighed as he looked away. "It couldn't hurt to try."
"Isn't that what you've been doing for the past months?" Willow asked him gently. "I think it's time to give it up. Take it from someone who's been there. Moving on is much better than staying in that angsty place you've been in since you got here."
Wesley nodded as he started to help train Kendra in the back part of the library.
Giles walked over toward the red-haired teen and cleaned his glasses. "That was a good thing you said there."
"Yeah," Willow said with a nod. "Especially coming from me."
Giles nodded. "I wasn't going to say that part, but now that you mention it..."
Willow shrugged. "What I had with Xander was a crush. What I have with Oz is real. And today is my boyfriend's birthday."
"I'm glad to hear it," Giles said as he put his glasses back on.
Xander stood against the wall and watched as Billy Crandal chained himself to the snack machine again. He watched as Mr. Baird, a History teacher and Principal Snyder argued with Billy.
Cordelia found her boyfriend watching the scene unfold as she walked towards him. "What's going on?"
"Billy chained himself to the snack machine again," Xander told her as he pointed to the student.
Billy looked over at Principal Snyder and shook his head. "No more fat foods!"
"Go get the bolt cutters," Snyder told Mr. Baird, who ran off towards the Janitor's Office.
Cordelia and Xander walked away slowly, as her boyfriend was still using his crutches to move.
"I hate these crutches," Xander said with irritation. "I can't wait till I get my cast off."
The brunette nodded. "If you stop thinking about it, it'll happen sooner than you think. Are you ready for Oz's party tonight?"
"Yeah," Xander said with a grin. "It should be good."
"A lot of people are going to be there," Cordelia told him. "Harmony and Jonathan are going. I still can't believe those two are still together."
Xander chuckled. "Didn't you hear? Geeks are 'in' this season."
Cordelia laughed. "Well, there's only at least ten minutes left to go. You want to leave?"
"What are we going to do until Oz's party?" Xander asked her as they moved towards the exit of the high school.
Cordelia shrugged. "Oh, I think we can think of something."
I hate the world today You're so good to me I know but I can't change Tried to tell you but you looked at me Like maybe I'm an angel underneath Innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried You must have been relieved to see the softer side I can understand how you'd be so confused I don't envy you I'm a little bit of everything All rolled into one
I'm a bitch I'm a lover I'm a child I'm a mother I'm a sinner I'm a saint I do not feel ashamed I'm your hell I'm you dream I'm nothing in between You know you wouldn't want it any other way
So take me as I am This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous And I'm going to extremes Tomorrow I will change And today won't mean a thing
I'm a bitch I'm a lover I'm a child I'm a mother I'm a sinner I'm a saint I do not feel ashamed I'm your hell I'm you dream I'm nothing in between You know you wouldn't want it any other way
Just when you think you got me figured out The season's already changin' I think it's cool you do whatcha do And don't try to save me
I'm a bitch I'm a lover I'm a child I'm a mother I'm a sinner I'm a saint I do not feel ashamed I'm your hell I'm you dream I'm nothing in between You know you wouldn't want it any other way
I'm a bitch I'm a tease I'm a goddess on my knees When you're hurt When you suffer I'm your angel undercover I've been numb I'm revived Can't say I'm not alive You know I wouldn't want it any other way
"Cool party, man," Jeff Orkin said as he greeted Oz, handing him a present.
Oz nodded as he carefully placed the present with the others on a large desk. "Thanks. My house is pretty packed."
"Yeah," Jeff agreed as he looked at his friend. "Why aren't the Dingos up on stage?"
Oz looked at him funny. "Play at my own birthday party? That's a bit on the loopy side, don't you think?"
"Oh yeah," Jeff said with a nod. "I forgot. I see you guys playing at almost every function, I just figured it would happen here. Where's Willow?"
"She's with Buffy here somewhere," Oz said as he looked around. "There's a sea of people here. Do you know some of them?"
Jeff shook his head. "Not really. Just those four, right now."
Oz looked and found Harmony and Jonathan dancing along with a few other couples. He looked over towards the couch and found Ted Chervin and Ginger making out on the couch as the music blared from the speakers next to them.
"Well, at least everyone's having a good time," Oz commented dryly.
Buffy and Willow stood against the wall as the music stopped temporarily.
"Did I tell you about what happened with Wesley?" Willow asked her friend.
Buffy shook her head. "No, what happened?"
"He tried to ask Cordelia out again," Willow explained to her. "I ended up helping Wesley see sense."
The blonde teen was surprised. "That's amazing coming from you."
"Yeah," Willow said with a nod. "I know."
"I mean, it wasn't that long ago you were trying to make trouble between Xander and Cordy," Buffy said as she reminded her. "It's good that you've moved on completely."
Willow nodded. "It's not like I traded down or something. It's Oz."
"I'm glad, Will," Buffy told her. "Really. It's good for you and Oz."
Music blared up again as a new song started playing through the speakers. Buffy watched as Willow walked over towards Oz and kissed him.
The blonde teen turned around and watched Harmony and Jonathan kiss and walk off to a quiet part of Oz's house.
Xander slowly got out of his girlfriend's car, balancing on his crutches as he closed the passenger side door. He walked up to Oz's house with Cordelia as the loud music thundered from within.
"Sounds like the party's already started," Xander told her.
Cordelia held the presents in her hand as they walked towards the front door. "We'll just say we had to get the presents wrapped or something."
"Yeah," Xander nodded. "No word on the sex-fest we got carried away with."
Cordelia looked at him worriedly. "Don't tell them that."
"Like I would," Xander said as he kissed her, calming her nerves.
Xander knocked on the door and Oz opened it, letting them inside as Cordelia handed over the two birthday presents.
I know what you want I know what you need Better than you do I know why you came I promise you
I know where you go I know what you do Better than you do When nothing remains I come to you
Sometimes she shines, and I know Beauty has her way With her hooks and her grace Beauty has her way Lights down, we drown, and I know Beauty has her way This plain day Beauty has her way
The trembling lengths The conquering touch Everything to you And into your flame I'll follow you
Where all wishes twist And bitter they kiss Everything to you In doorways and dreams I run to you
Sometimes she shines, and I know Beauty has her way With her hooks in your face Beauty has her way Lights down, we drown, and I know Beauty has her way This plain day Beauty has her way
I know what you want I know what you need I know where you go I know what you do
Sometimes she shines, and I know Beauty has her way This plain day Beauty has her way
I know what you want I know what you need Better than you do I know why you came I promise you
"This place is packed," Xander called out over the loud music. "How do you know all these people?"
"I don't!" Oz yelled out over the noise.
Xander and Cordelia found Buffy and the others as they walked over towards them, as Oz moved towards the DJ and handed him a CD to play.
The velocity of time turns her voice into sugar water
I'm on a concrete way The wind is blowing to the north-northwest It smells like sands of the southern island
When a black cat crosses my path A woman in the moon is singing to the earth A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
La La La . . .
I'm riding on a camel that has big eyes The buildings are changing into coconut trees Little by little
When a black cat crosses my path A woman in the moon is singing to the earth A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
La La La . . .
We are taking sugar water shower
"That song brought back some bad memories," Xander commented as he drank some soft drink.
Willow shrugged. "Oz is a huge Cibo Matto fan. He has a poster of them in his room, along with other stuff of theirs."
Oz walked over towards Cordelia and the others as music from Widespread Panic now played over the speakers.
"I'm glad this party turned out alright without any problems," Xander told him as Oz nodded.
"Yeah, I'm glad too," Oz said in agreement.
Willow looked at her boyfriend before kissing him. "So how does it feel to be one year older?"
"One step closer to the grave," Oz joked as left their friends to dance.
Xander sifted through his boxed up belongings in his garage, looking for a few items from his past. He had no more need for the crutches as his cast had been removed from his leg.
"Where is it?" Xander asked himself as he looked around for his missing belongings.
"Dammit," Xander said to himself as he looked around the garage.
The young teen sighed and gave up, leaving the garage and heading back into his apartment.
Xander sat down on his couch, staring blankly at his big screen tv which had been turned off.
The dark-haired teenager thought about where he had last seen his belongings, and he remembered with a grimace.
"I left it at my parent's house," Xander said to himself with a pained expression.
Xander ran a hand through his hair as he got off the couch, looking out the living room window at the bright sunny day outside.
"Great," Xander said to himself. "Should I get those photos? Hell with my parents, I want those photographs."
He always knew that he would have to confront them again, sooner or later. And Xander decided that today would be the day.
Xander opened the door to his apartment and closed it behind him as he headed towards his car. He got in and started the engine as he drove away from his apartment and towards his parent's house.
Xander stood outside his parent's home, looking at the house with dread as he contemplated seeing his parents again.
The teenager sighed as he walked towards the front door and knocked on it, waiting to hear a response.
Sounds of bottles falling to the ground were followed by footsteps as the front door opened, revealing Anthony Harris on the other side.
"What the hell do you want?" Anthony asked his son as he stared at him.
Xander nodded. "Nice to see you too. I came to get the rest of my stuff."
"You took everything of yours," Anthony slurred as he tried to close the door again.
Xander put his weight against the door and pushed it open, stepping inside and walking past his father. "This won't take long."
"Check out the 'nads on you, boy." Anthony said angrily. "I don't remember you being this tough before."
The young man walked towards his old room, ignoring his father's insults as he opened his old bedroom door.
Xander's eyes widened as he looked around at his former bedroom, seeing it filled with old boxes and rusted car parts.
"How long?" Xander asked his father. "How long did it take for you to fill your only son's room up with your crap?"
Anthony shook his head. "You don't talk to your father like that. I don't care how many friends you have, I'll beat your ass into the next world, do you hear me?"
"I hear you," Xander said, unafraid. "I'm just not afraid of you anymore."
"Is that a fact?" Anthony said with a sick grin.
Xander nodded. "It took awhile for me to realize, that I am not you. I will never be like you. And that fact pleases me to no end."
Anthony threw his hand up in the air and walked away, leaving Xander standing in his old bedroom alone.
The teenager looked around and headed towards a rickety-looking floorboard where his bed used to be.
i hope life's been good to you since you've been gone im doin fine now-i've finally moved on its not that bad- im not that sad
im not not surprised just how i survied im over the worst, and i feel so alive i can't complain, im free again
Xander kneeled down and gently pried off the loose floorboard with his fingers, looking down into his old hiding spot. He brushed the cobwebs apart and reached inside, his hand finding a large packet.
and it only hurts when im breathing my heart only breaks when its beating my dreams only die when im dreaming so i hold my breath-to forget
don't think im lyin' 'round cryin at night there's no need to worry im really alright i've never looked back-- as a matter of fact
The dark-haired teen pulled out the large packet and opened it, staring at the old photographs.
it only hurts when i breath
mmm no i've never looked back-as a matter of fact
Xander looked down at the pictures of himself, Jesse and Willow, before Buffy ever moved to Sunnydale and before his life changed. He stared at the pictures of his dead friend, before getting up and brushing off his pants.
hurts when im breathing breaks when its beating die when im dreaming it only hurts when i breath
He reached down and put the floorboard back into place, pocketing the large packet with the photographs inside.
Xander walked out of his bedroom and found his father watching sports in the living room.
"You must be living quite a cushy little life," Anthony slurred with hate. "Lots of money, a plushy apartment, a young girl with no sagging anywhere. You must feel real proud of yourself, aren't you? Leaving us here with nothing."
Xander shook his head angrily. "You did this to yourself. You and Mom. The both of you are as bad as each other. The two of you constantly wish you didn't have me. Well, I constantly wish I was adopted. Nice knowing you."
Anthony watched as Xander left the house, closing the front door behind him. Xander's father threw an empty beer bottle at the closed door, shattering the glass bottle with the impact.
Xander walked back towards his car, feeling a weight being lifted off of his shoulders as he got into the driver's seat. He placed the large packet onto the empty passenger seat before driving away.
Buffy shook her head as she looked at the photographs Xander had at the cafeteria. "Why did you go there alone?"
"Because they can't get to me anymore," Xander told her. "No matter what they say or do, nothing they do bothers me like it used to."
The blonde sighed. "Why don't they get divorced? My parents got divorced in 1996 because they didn't get along, now they're okay."
"My parents will never be 'okay'," Xander said with a shrug. "That's okay though. When I'm a parent, I'll be sure to not repeat anything they did to me."
Buffy shrugged. "People have a habit of changing. I remember when I was at Hemery High, I used to be Prom Queen and Fiesta Queen. And now I'm here as Outcast Queen."
"It's hard to do what you do and still be popular," Xander replied with a shrug.
Cordelia walked over towards them and sat down next to her boyfriend as he showed her the old photographs.
"Where did you get these?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander shrugged. "I was looking for them all through my apartment, then I remembered I left them behind at my parent's house."
"You went back to get them?" Cordelia asked with surprise. "Did you go alone?"
"Yeah," Xander said with a shrug. "It's okay."
Cordelia shook her head. "After what they did to you, I'm surprised you would even want to see either of them again."
"I didn't want to see them again," Xander told her. "I just wanted the photographs."
"Well, how did it go?" Cordelia asked. "Seeing them again?"
Xander sighed. "You should have seen what they did to my room."
"What did they do?" Buffy asked him.
Xander shook his head. "It was filled with boxes and used car parts. If the photograph's weren't there under the flooboard, nobody would think I was ever there."
"I'm sorry," Cordelia told him sadly.
Xander sighed. "To hell with them. Hell with both of them."
Cordelia nodded, smiling as she got up to get a drink with Buffy.
Xander sat at the table by himself when he saw Willow walk up to him and sat down at the table.
"Hey," Willow greeted him. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Xander said as he put the photographs down on the table.
"Where do you think Oz and I should go for a couple weeks after graduation?" Willow asked him.
Xander shrugged. "Well how about the beach house that Cordelia and I recently bought?"
Willow looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure? You two won't use it during the holidays?"
Xander nodded. "Yeah, of course I'm sure. Cordy and I could always do something else. Have a good time."
Willow grinned and nodded. "Okay, but the thing is it's Oz's time of the month. You know?"
"That's alright. There's a cage and chains and stuff in the basement," Xander said with a shrug.
Willow gave him an odd look after hearing Xander's response.
"Don't ask." Xander answered quickly.
Willow nodded. "Don't worry."
Buffy and Cordelia walked back towards the table, sitting down as they heard yelling in the nearby hallway.
"Hey!" Brad Konig yelled. "That's my ear!"
"You should have thought about that before starting that fight in the gymnasium," Principal Snyder told him as he pulled him to the Principal's Office.
Oz came walking into the school cafeteria, almost bumping into Ms. Moran as she headed out.
"Try and be careful next time," Ms. Moran told him as she left the cafeteria.
Oz walked over towards the others as he sat down next to Willow. "Okay, that wasn't embarrasing."
"Don't worry about it," Xander assured his friend. "There's only three more days and all of our high school troubles will be over."
Cordelia nodded. "And all our college troubles will begin."
Buffy and Xander sat at the table in the school library, looking at the Sunnydale Times website on Willow's laptop computer as students walked past the closed library doors.
"What are you two looking at?" Giles asked as he walked out of his office.
Buffy shrugged. "We're just looking at UC Sunnydale's classes and what they have."
"I thought you had other choices," Giles said with confusion.
The blonde teen nodded. "I was accepted to UC Sunnydale and North Western University. I figure it'd be best if I go to UC Sunnydale, because it has what I'm interested in, and it's in town."
"I bet Angel'd like that," Xander said dryly.
Buffy shrugged. "I guess so."
"Willow was accepted to heaps of colleges," Xander told the British man. "Oxford, M.I.T., heaps of them. I don't want her to end up at UC Sunnydale, because that's where we all will most likely end up at."
Giles nodded. "What about Cordelia?"
"She got into USC, Colorado State, Duke and Columbia," Xander said with a nod.
Giles looked at him. "What college are you going to go to?"
"I'm not sure if I want to go to college," Xander admitted to them. "I haven't even chosen which one I want to go to."
Buffy shook her head. "It's a little late in the game for those types of decisions, Xander."
"I know," Xander agreed. "Financially, I don't need to work. Going to college would be a luxury to me right now. Maybe if I want to improve my learning a little more, I might go to college sometime later. Maybe take a nighttime course or something. But right now? I don't think I want to."
Giles nodded. "You could always train to be a Watcher, if you want. I could help you with that."
"No thanks," Xander said with a smile. "I don't think that's something I'd like to do."
Giles shrugged. "I'm a third generation Watcher. My father and grandmother were Watchers. I'd be more than qualified to train you if you change your mind."
Xander nodded. "I'll let you know if I do."
"I could have been a fighter pilot or a grocer," Giles said as he walked back towards his office. "A lot of things might have been different if that were to have happened."
Buffy looked at her friend. "You're going to follow Cordelia aren't you? To whatever college she chooses to go to?"
"Yeah," Xander said with a nod. "We don't want to split apart because of high school ending and because I'm not planning on going to college, it would be an easy decision."
Giles walked back into the main part of the library, sitting down at the table near the two teenagers.
Buffy looked at her Watcher. "What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" Giles asked her.
Buffy shrugged. "We're all figuring out which college to go to, but we never realized that you're facing the same problems. You're my Watcher, but I won't be here in this school anymore."
Giles nodded. "I've decided that a couple of months ago. I've decided to stay here as librarian. Jenny will still be here, and somebody needs to stay here to keep an eye on things. God knows Principal Snyder won't."
"That's a fact," Xander replied with a nod.
Mr. Platt, the school counsellor closed his office door and walked back to his desk, sitting down in his chair as he faced Xander.
"Mr. Harris, I called you in today to talk about your college options," Mr. Platt said as he looked at Xander's file record.
Xander nodded. "I thought you might."
"I can see from your file, that you haven't chosen a college or sent any applications out to any colleges," Mr. Platt said as he looked at the teen student. "Can I ask why?"
The dark-haired teenager shrugged. "I don't see college in my immediate future."
"I understand," Mr. Platt said with a nod. "College isn't for everyone. Have you ever thought of joining the army? Colonel Newsome runs the 33rd Division which is located right here in town. I believe he'll even be at the graduation ceremony recruiting possible graduates."
Xander shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't see myself being in the army. I've seen enough death here in Sunnydale to make me want to see more than necessary."
Mr. Platt watched as Xander got out of his chair and walked towards the office door. "I appreciate your trying to help, but I'll be okay."
Xander opened the door and left Mr. Platt alone in his office.
Cordelia found Xander staring at the broom closet fondly as he remembered.
"What are you doing?" Cordelia asked him curiously.
Xander turned to her. "Just taking a trip down memory lane. We spent quite a few time outs in this closet."
"I know," Cordelia said with a nod. "There's a lot here I'm going to miss. A lot of people I'm going to miss."
Xander looked at her. "Have you decided which college you want to go to?"
"Yeah," Cordelia told him. "Colorado State."
"Sounds good," Xander told her calmly. "I'm going with you."
Cordelia nodded with a grin. "I thought you might. So, you're not going to college?"
"Not right now," Xander replied. "Maybe in the future sometime, I might if I wanted to. But right now, I don't see how it's necessary."
Cordelia looked at him. "What about Willow and Buffy? Won't you miss them?"
"There's always phone calls, emails." Xander told her. "Friends eventually part ways."
The brunette nodded. "That's true. So much for our beach house."
Xander shrugged. "We could always rent it out to Oz or someone else. It won't be a total loss."
"What do you want to do in our holidays?" Cordelia asked him as they walked away from the broom closet. "Before we head off to Colorado?"
Xander shook his head. "Anything we want to. Except I told Willow that she and Oz can use our beach house."
"Okay," Cordelia said simply. "We'll think of something else."
The dark-haired teen nodded as he stopped walking, holding Cordelia in place.
Cordelia realized that Xander had stopped her in front of Principal Snyder's office and made sure that he was watching as he kissed Cordelia on the lips.
"Hey!" Snyder yelled out as he got up from his desk. "Come back here!"
Xander and Cordelia ran off down the hall, laughing as Principal Snyder came running out of his office, looking for the two teens.
"Stupid kids," Snyder said with disgust as he walked back into his office.
The school bells rang, signaling the end of the last official day of highschool.
Students ran down the hallways cheering and banging lockers as they ran out of the school.
Harmony and Jonathan walked out of the broom closet, adjusting their clothes as they carefully looked around to see if they were spotted.
Xander and Cordelia walked out of the school and joined their friends in the parking lot.
"That's it," Buffy said with applause. "No more teachers, no more books, no more Snyder's dirty looks."
Xander shrugged. "Unless he transfers to UC Sunnydale just to spite you."
"What? What have you heard?" Buffy asked with paranoia.
Cordelia shook her head. "He's just joking."
"That's not something to joke about, Xan," Willow commented as she and Oz kissed.
Xander sighed with a shrug. "I thought it was funny."
Cordelia gave him a sympathetic look. "Poor baby."
"So, what are we going to do now?" Oz asked as he and Willow separated.
The brunette looked at them all and smiled. "We could celebrate at my house. There's a pool and everything."
"Sounds like a plan," Buffy said with a nod as they headed towards their vehicles.
Willow and Oz got into Oz's van and drove away from the school, heading towards Cordelia's house.
Buffy got into Xander's car as he drove them to Cordelia's house, with his girlfriend driving directly behind him.
Close your eyes Give me your hand, darlin' Do you feel my heart beating Do you understand Do you feel the same Am I only dreaming Is this burning an eternal flame.
I believe It's meant to be, darlin' I watch you when you are sleeping You belong with me Do you feel the same Am I only dreaming Or is this burning (burning) an eternal flame.
Say my name Sun shines through the rain A whole life so lonely And then you come and ease the pain I don't want to lose this feeling, oh.
Say my name Sun shines through the rain A whole life so lonely And then you come and ease the pain I don't want to lose this feeling, oh.
Close your eyes Give me your hand Do you feel my heart beating Do you understand Do you feel the same Am I only dreaming Or is this burning an eternal flame.
Close your eyes Give me your hand, darlin' Do you feel my heart beating Do you understand Do you feel the same Am I only dreaming Is this burning an eternal flame.
Close your eyes Give me your hand, darlin' Do you feel my heart beating Do you understand Do you feel the same Am I only dreaming Aaaaahh, an eternal flame.
Close your eyes Give me your hand, darlin' Do you feel my heart beating Do you understand Do you feel the same Am I only dreaming Is this burning an eternal flame.
"Jason Thomas," Dr. Clark, the science teacher called out as the highschool graduate walked up onto the stage in the school gymnasium. Jason accepted his award and left the stage, joining his friends.
"Paul Craig," Dr. Clark called out as another student walked up onto the stage and recieved his award, before walking off the stage.
"Mike Moffett," the teacher called out as Mike walked up onto the stage, grabbed his award and bowed to the cheering audience as his girlfriend clapped from his parked Mustang.
"Steven Clark," Dr. Clark announced into the microphone as Steven ran up onto the stage and was handed his award, walking off stage to join Jason and the others.
Giles moved carefully into the crowd and sat down next to Jenny, Joyce Summers and her sister, Buffy's Aunt Arlene. "Am I late?"
"No," Jenny whispered to him. "Where were you?"
"My blasted car refused to start," Giles told her. "I could have hotwired the damn thing. God knows I have the experience to do so."
Dr. Clark's voice boomed through the speakers. "Warren Meers."
Warren walked onto the stage and was handed his award, listening to the clapping that came from his girlfriend Katrina, before walking off the stage.
"Andrew Wells," Dr. Clark announced. "Andrew will also be accepting the award that was to be given to his brother, Tucker."
Andrew walked onto the stage and received both awards from his former science teacher. "Thank you."
"Brett Somers," Dr. Clark called out as Brett walked onto the stage. "Mr. Somers will also be playing with his band after the graduation ceremony."
"Buffy Summers."
Joyce, Arlene, Jenny and Giles watched as Buffy walked out onto the stage and was handed her award as Joyce videotaped the entire thing.
"Xander Harris."
Joyce continued to film as Xander walked the stage and recieved his award.
"Willow Rosenberg."
Willow walked onto the stage and looked out into the crowd, finding her mother and her father, Ira Rosenberg also video taping the scene as she got her award.
"Daniel Osborne."
Oz moved onto the stage and it caused several teens in the crowd to hoot and holler, causing the graduating teen to wave momentarily before accepting his award and walking off the stage.
"Cordelia Chase."
Xander watched as his girlfriend walked out onto the stage and was given her award, before heading towards him, Harmony and the others as they were dressed in their graduate gowns.
"And that is it," Dr. Clark announced into the microphone. "The graduating class of 1999."
The audience cheered and clapped, making some of the graduating students to grab their graduate caps and throw them up into the air.
"We did it," Xander told Cordelia as he kissed her.
"We did, didn't we?" Cordelia asked as she looked around at all the celebrations, before kissing him back.
Xander nodded as he pulled away. "Have you thought about what we could do in the holidays?"
"We could always go to St. Croix," Cordelia suggested. "I haven't been, but I hear it's nice."
Angel congratulated his girlfriend inside the gymnasium, which was filled with parents and students.
"Are you going to be at the Bronze tonight?" Buffy asked him.
Angel nodded. "I'll be there. Always."
Hank Summers walked towards his daughter as Angel left the two alone.
"Dad?" Buffy asked with surprise. "When did you get here?"
"I was here from the beginning of the ceremony," Hank told her as he held his video camera. "I couldn't miss this."
Buffy nodded as she found her mother and Aunt Arlene watching nearby. "I'm glad you're here."
Hank smiled and walked with his daughter towards Joyce and her sister.
"Aunt Arlene," Buffy said as she greeted her. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you graduate instead of hearing about it from Joyce when she visited for Thanksgiving," Arlene told her.
"What are you going to be doing for the holidays?" Hank asked her. "You could always spend it with me again."
"Yeah," Buffy said with a nod. "That sounds like a plan."
Giles and Jenny watched the graduated teenagers with pride as they turned to each other. "The kids grow up fast, don't they?"
"Yes," Giles said with a nod. "Fortunately the two of us will still be here to watch over things."
Jenny nodded. "But not during the school break. I was thinking that maybe we could go to the Burning Man festival at Black Rock. You missed it the last time."
"Sure," Giles said, grinning. "I wouldn't miss it the second time around."
Willow and Oz looked around at all their friends and classmates as they continued talking to each other.
Miss Beakman, the American Literature teacher, walked up to the couple and interrupted them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. McCarthy from Microsoft would like to talk to the two of you."
Mr. McCarthy, the recruiter for Microsoft, walked towards the two teens with a grin. "On behalf of our Microsoft division in Seattle, we'd like to congratulate you both on graduating. Have either of you given any more thought to joining our company?"
Buffy walked towards Willy and gave him an odd look. "What are you doing here?"
"This is a big day, Summers," Willy told her. "All my clientele were talking about this. About how you're leaving town for greener pastures."
Buffy shook her head. "Tell them to get disappointed. I'm not leaving Sunnydale. And neither is Kendra."
Gib Cain walked back towards Willy after getting a drink, finding Buffy looking at him in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked him anxiously. "Out hunting?"
"No," Gib told her plainly.
"If I find you are, I'll be coming for you myself," Buffy warned him before leaving the two men alone.
Xander and Cordelia looked around at the celebrations, noticing that Harmony and Jonathan were introducing each other to the other's parents. Xander looked around and found Colonel Newsome talking to a few teens at a small booth.
"See that army guy over there?" Xander asked as he pointed towards Colonel Newsome.
"What about him?" Cordelia asked him.
"Mr. Platt tried to get me to sign up with him. To join the army," Xander informed her as they walked away.
Cordelia nodded. "And that's not something you want to do?"
"I have the experience for it," Xander said with a shrug. "But I'd rather be with you instead."
Principal Snyder stood against the wall, watching the graduating teens with Sunnydale Police Chief Bob.
"They're nothing but locusts," Snyder said with disgust. "Graduating locusts."
Bob turned to Snyder and sighed. "I got word from Mayor Wilkins. He wants you transferred to Hemery High."
"Why?" Snyder asked with surprise. "Didn't I do a good job?"
"I don't know anything about that," Bob told him. "I'm just the messenger. He couldn't make it here in person, and he told me to tell you personally."
Principal Snyder sighed angrily as he left the gymnasium in disgust.
Xander sat at the booth in In-N-Out, a fast food burger restaurant in Sunnydale, looking out the window as he waited for his order to arrive.
Cordelia walked into the fast food restaurant and sat down next to her boyfriend. "I just said goodbye to my sister and her fiance."
"When are they getting married?" Xander asked her again.
"Sometime very soon," Cordelia told him. "I think they moved up the wedding date."
Xander nodded. "I'm going to miss this town when we go."
"Yeah," Cordelia agreed. "Me too. So maybe we should make the most of it while we can."
Xander grinned and nodded as the waitress arrived with his order. "You can order something too if you want."
"Sure," Cordelia shrugged. "Why not?"
"I love you," Xander said as he eyed the necklace he had given Cordelia as a present.
"I love you too," Cordelia told him.
"Remember what I told you before on our anniversary?" Xander asked her with a grin.
"That we'll be together forever?" Cordelia asked him.
Xander nodded. "Together forever."
Cordelia Chase
Xander Harris
Buffy Summers
Willow Rosenberg
Daniel Osborne / Oz
Rupert Giles
Scott Hope
Mr. Miller
Principal Snyder
Harmony Kendall
Jenny Calendar
Angel
Mayor Richard Wilkens
Deputy Mayor Allan Finch
Tiffany (Jesse) Anderson
Mrs. Anderson
Mr. Anderson
Joey Anderson
Phillip Chase
Madolyn Chase
Michael
Amy Madison
Chris Epps
Aura
Larry
Devon
Mrs. Jackson
Aphrodesia
Cordette
Kate
Tackle
Theresa Klusmeyer
Mitch
Laura
Joyce Summers
Blayne Mall
Mr. Beech
Jack Mayhew
Nancy Doyle
Ms. Miller
Jack O'Toole
Wendell
Ms. Murray
Mrs. Taggart
Freddy Iverson
Billy Palmer
James
Elderly Miss. Natalie French
Ryan
Regan Chase
Vincent Barbagallo
Sid the Puppet
Jacques
Jonathan Levinson
Maureen Osborne
Ken Osborne
Jordy Osborne
Sheila Rosenberg
Willy
Roy
Ms. Barton
Lishanne
Quentin Travers
Gwendolyn Post
Wesley Wyndham Price
Hobson
Blair
Ms. Tishler
Pat
Anthony Harris
Aldo Gianfranco
Detective Winslow
Dr. Powell
Jessica Harris
Mr. Whitmore
Owen Thurman
Lysette
Kyle
Tor
Heidi
Rhonda
Lance
Mrs. Epps
Callie Anderson
Anya
Percy West
Hogan Martin
Sven
Eric
Pete
Debbie
John Lee
Holly Charleston
Michelle Blake
Joy
Ben
Marvin / Diego
Chantarelle
George
Enjos Kalderash
Coach Herrold
Lisa
Mr Pole
Annie Vega
Dino
Tucker Wells
Blue
David Metz
Miss Beakman
Mrs Finkel
Professor Lester Wirth
Lou Tabor
Lisa Ryan
Suzy Peterson
Wendy
Neal
Aaron
Dawn
Bud
Jack
Lysette Hardy
Mr. Sanderson
Jennifer
Cheryl
Sandy
Nancy
Mr. DeJean
Dr. Dale Leggett
Mrs. Patricia Lawnsdale
Mike
Dave Peck
Elliot
Barrett Williams
Owen Stadeel
Brittany Podell
Amber Grove
Benson
Bobby
Mashad
Sam Zabuto
Kendra
Faith
Whistler
Ken
Doug
Les
Cody Weinberg
Mitch
Tom
Katie
Carol
Dave
Adam
Bobby
Mrs. Davis
Dr. Ferris Carlyle
Ethan Rayne
Lucas Bennett
Mrs. Franklin
Mr. Cox
Mr. Chomsky
Ms. Jackson
Dr. Gold
Dr. Wilkinson
Dr. Pal
Detective Stein
Agent Doyle
Agent Manetti
Patrice
Daryl Sancton
Leafe Small
Shanisse
Billy Crandal
Mr. Baird
Jeff Orkin
Ted Chervin
Ginger
Brad Konig
Ms. Moran
Mr. Platt
Jason Thomas
Dr. Clark
Paul Clark
Mike Moffett
Steven Clark
Aunt Arlene
Warren Meers
Andrew Wells
Brett Somers
Ira Rosenberg
Hank Summers
Ms. Beakman
Mr. McCarthy
Gib Cain
Colonel Newsome
Sunnydale Police Chief Bob
Norman Pfister, the Worm Assassin
Grandmother Harris
Ampata Gutierrez
Daryl Epps
Brad Pitt
Drusilla
Spike
The Annointed One
The Judge
Sheila
Jesse
Christian Slater
Gucci
Gianni Versaci
Mr. Osbourne
Mrs. Osbourne
Kevin
Catherine Madison
Mr. Madison
Coach Carl Marin
Richard Anderson
Tom Warner
Linebacker
Scary Guy
Marcie Ross
Michael Keaton
Andy Garcia
Leonardo DiCaprio
Natalie French
Amy Yip
Principal Flutie
Coach
Keanu
Billy Fordham
Tyler
Darla
Rose McGowan
Ted Buchanan
Sherilyn Fenn
Pamela Anderson
Carmen Electra
Ricki Lake
Martin Short
Mary Scheer
Christina Applegate
Kevin Williamson
Uncle Rory
Ms. Frank
Elvis Presley
Four Hundred Pound Wino That Loves To Wash People's Hair
Evil Clown
Woodstock
Malcolm Black
Billy Ray Cyrus
Celia
Jim Carrey
BTVS episode "What's My Line Part 2" (Season 2, episode 10)
BTVS episode "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered" (Season 2, episode 16)
BTVS episode "Innocence" (Season 2, episode 14)
BTVS episode "Inca Mummy Girl" (Season 2, episode 4)
BTVS episode "Prophecy Girl" (Season 1, episode 12)
Batman owned by DC Comics (1939)
Superman owned by DC Comics (1938)
BTVS episode "Some Assembly Required" (Season 2, episode 2)
BTVS episode "Go Fish" (Season 2, episode 20)
BTVS episode "Band Candy" (Season 3, episode 6)
"Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" played by Class Of '99 (1998)
"The Perfect Drug" played by Nine Inch Nails (1997)
BTVS episode "School Hard" (Season 2, episode 3)
"Blue Wonder Power Milk" played by Hooverphonics (1998)
Gilligan's Island distributed by CBS (1964-1967)
BTVS episode "The Harvest" (Season 1, episode 2)
The Bold And The Beautiful distributed by CBS (1987)
BTVS episode "Phases" (Season 2, episode 15)
Days Of Our Lives distributed by NBC (1965)
Melrose Place distributed by FOX (1992-1999)
BTVS episode "Reptile Boy" (Season 2, episode 5)
BTVS episode "Nightmares" (Season 1, episode 10)
BTVS episode "Invisible Girl" (Season 1, episode 11)
Phantoms distributed by Dimension Films (1998)
Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers distributed by Dimension Films (1995)
Hellraiser: Bloodline distributed by Dimension Films (1996)
Desperate Measures distributed by Columbia Tri Star Pictures (1998)
The Man In The Iron Mask distributed by MGM (1998)
Titanic distributed by Twentieth Century Fox (1998)
Deep Rising distributed by Universal Pictures (1998)
An American Werewolf In Paris distributed by Hollywood Pictures (1997)
BTVS episode "Teacher's Pet" (Season 1, episode 4)
King Lear written by William Shakespeare (1623)
BTVS episode "The Zeppo" (Season 3, episode 13)
Castle Park Amusement Park (Est. 1985) go to http://www.castlepark.com/
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" played by U2 (1986)
BTVS episode "Killed By Death" (Season 2, episode 18)
Chicago Bulls Owned by the NBA (1966)
"Mouth" performed by BUSH (1997)
The Exorcist distributed by Warner Bros (1973)
"You Were Meant For Me" performed by Jewel (1995)
Dungeons And Dragons created by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax (1973)
MTV (music show) distributed by MTV
BTVS episode "The Puppet Show" (Season 1, episode 9)
"Hanson" performers Zak, Isaac and Taylor Hanson (1992)
Barbie created by Ruth Handler (1959)
BTVS episode "Welcome To The Hellmouth" (Season 1, episode 1)
BTVS episode "Lie To Me" (Season 2, episode 7)
BTVS episode "Becoming, Part 1" (Season 2, episode 21)
BTVS episode "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date" (Season 1, episode 5)
Twin Peaks distributed by ABC (1989-1991)
"Love Is A Battlefield" performed by Pat Benatar (1983)
Jawbreaker distributed by Columbia Tri Star Pictures (1999)
Heathers distributed by New World Pictures (1989)
BTVS episode "Gingerbread" (Season 3, episode 11)
BTVS episode "The Witch" (Season 1, episode 3)
Angela's Ashes written by Frank McCourt (1935)
Jeopardy distributed by Columbia Tri Star Television (1983)
BTVS episode "Passion" (Season 2, episode 17)
BTVS episode "Ted" (Season 2, episode 11)
The Nanny distributed by Columbia Tri Star Television (1993-1999)
M*A*S*H distributed by FOX (1972-1983)
Providence distributed by NBC (1999-2003)
Felicity distributed by WB (1998-2002)
Friends distributed by NBC (1994-2004)
South Park distributed by Comedy Central (1997)
Family Guy distributed by FOX (1999-2002)
Beverly Hills 90210 distributed by FOX (1990-2000)
Earth 2 distributed by NBC (1994-1995)
Nightmare Cafe distributed by NBC (1992-1992)
Dark Skies distributed by NBC (1996-1997)
American Gothic distributed by CBS (1995-1996)
Millennium distributed by FOX (1996-1999)
Harsh Realm distributed by FOX (1999-1999)
Becker distributed by CBS (1998)
The X Files distributed by FOX (1993-2002)
Baywatch distributed by NBC (1989-2001)
Baywatch Nights distributed by NBC (1995-1997)
The Ricki Lake Show distributed by Columbia Tri Star Television (1993)
Jenny Jones distributed by Warner Bros (1994)
The Late Show With David Letterman distributed by CBS (1993)
The Martin Short Show distributed by CBS (1999-2000)
Mad TV distributed by FOX (1997)
Cybill distributed by CBS (1995-1998)
Dilbert distributed by UPN (1999-2000)
Jesse distributed by NBC (1998-2000)
Married With Children distributed by FOX (1987-1997)
Dawson's Creek distributed by WB (1998-2003)
Roswell distributed by WB/UPN (1999-2002)
Party Of Five distributed by Columbia Tri Star Television (1994-2000)
Futurama distributed by FOX (1999-2003)
The Simpsons distributed by FOX (1989)
Alien Nation distributed by FOX (1989-1990)
Just Shoot Me distributed by NBC (1997-2003)
Seinfeld distributed by NBC (1990-1998)
Tales From The Crypt distributed by HBO Pictures (1989-1996)
Freddy's Nightmares distributed by ABC (1988-1990)
A Nightmare On Elm Street distributed by New Line Cinema (1984)
Freddy Vs Jason distributed by New Line Cinema (2003)
Stargate SG-1 distributed by MGM (1997)
Charmed distributed by WB (1998)
BTVS episode "The Pack" (Season 1, episode 6)
"Don't Speak" performed by No Doubt (1996)
"With Or Without You" performed by U2 (1986)
BTVS episode "Beauty And The Beasts" (Season 3, episode 4)
BTVS episode "Homecoming" (Season 3, episode 5)
BTVS episode "I Only Have Eyes For You" (Season 2, episode 19)
"Don't Fear The Reaper" performed by Blue Oyster Cult (1976)
Trojan Ultra Pleasure Condoms distributed by Trojan at http://www.condomsexpress.comexpresscondoms/t95250.html
"All Is Full Of Love" performed by Bjork (1997)
BTVS episode "Angel" (Season 1, episode 7)
BTVS episode "The Dark Age" (Season 2, episode 8)
BTVS episode "Bad Eggs" (Season 2, episode 12)
BTVS episode "What's My Line Part One" (Season 2, episode 9)
BTVS episode "Halloween" (Season 2, episode 6)
"Starry Night" painted by Vincent Van Gogh (1889)
Snoopy On Ice
BTVS episode "I Robot, You Jane" (Season 1, episode 8)
VHVX1000 Digital Marine Video Camera designed by Amphibico (1996)
BTVS episode "Becoming Part 2" (Season 2, episode 22)
"Club Montepulciano" performed by Hooverphonic (1997)
"My One Desire (Vampyre's Lullaby)" performed by Willy DeVille (1995)
BTVS episode "When She Was Bad" (Season 2, episode 1)
"Only You" performed by Lonestar (1994)
"Behind Blue Eyes" performed by The Who (1971)
"Amish Paradise" performed by Weird Al Yankovic (1995)
"Torn" performed by Natalie Imbruglia (1998)
"Endless Love" performed by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross (1982)
BTVS episode "Surprise" (Season 2, episode 13)
Friday the 13th distributed by Paramount Pictures (1980)
"If You Don't Know Me By Now" performed by Simply Red (1988)
"Wearing Me Down" performed by Burning Out The Inside (1996)
"Eden" performed by Hooverphonics (1998)
"Song To The Siren" performed by This Mortal Coil (1997)
BTVS Fanfic "Time Means Nothing" written by Nicollette Marquis McFadgen
Die Hard distributed by FOX (1988)
Die Hard 2: Die Harder distributed by FOX (1990)
Die Hard With A Vengeance distributed by FOX (1995)
Willow distributed by Columbia Pictures (1988)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer distributed by FOX (1992)
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls distributed by Roadshow (1995)
Lost Highway distributed by Columbia (1997)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me distributed by Roadshow (1992)
"Bitch" performed by Meredith Brooks (1997)
"Beauty Has Her Way" performed by Mummy Calls (1987)
"Sugar Water" performed by Cibo Matto (1998)
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" performed by Shania Twain (2003)
"Eternal Flame" performed by The Bangles (1988)