FIC: Human Layers (Chapters 7-9)

The gang sat in on the bleachers in the gym, all dressed in the appropriate attire along with the rest of the class. Which was the same red T-shirt with 'Sunnydale' in yellow lettering on the front, and gray shorts or sweatpants. It allowed the teachers and administration to believe that students had school spirit. Cordelia and Willow were sitting on either side of Buffy, and Oz and Xander sat the row behind the girls. They were listening to the coach ramble on about self-defense.

"Sunnydale is becoming more dangerous all the time. And a full moon like tonight tends to bring out the crazies, but with some simple basics of self-defense, each of you can learnhow to protect yourself."

"Here's a suggestion - move away from the Hellmouth." Buffy said quietly.

Willow watched as theslayer fingered the gold, id bracelet she'd been wearing for the past two weeks, and smiled. She said it had been a birthday present from Cordelia, and after they had disposed of the Judge, the brunette had given it to her. It was engraved on the back, but the redhead had no idea what it meant, and her friend hadn't told her yet.

'9/7/97 - Thank You'

"What you wanna do isgain advantage of the situation as quickly as possible." The coach continued.

Oz reached forward and put the tag inside his girlfriend's collar; it was sticking out. They were officially a couple now. She had a musician boyfriend. Ecstatic didn't even begin to cover how happy she was. She turned to him questioningly.

"Tag." He patted her back, and she smiled at Buffy and Cordelia.

"Your attacker may have the benefit of surprise, but if you plot ahead, then you can turn that advantage to yourself. By being prepared, you have the power. Okay, everyone get into your assigned groups."

Buffy got up, smilingat the cheerleader, and the coach looked at her.

"You'll have to take that off, Miss Summers." The woman gestured to the bracelet. "I'm sure you don'twant to risk it getting broken."

She shook her head. "Nope, don't want that."

Buffy didn't want to remove it either, but she'd rather not upset a woman with chest hair.

"I'll take it." Willow offered. "I've got pockets." She was wearing a sweat-jacket overtop of her shirt.

"Thanks, Will." Buffy removed it from her wrist carefully, handed it over, and then walked onto the mats.

The hacker looked at it, trying to figure out the date. Cordelia whispered to her, smiling.

"First time she kissed me." She moved to where she was assigned, and waited for Xander. He was going tobe the attacker, and she was going to get to hurt him.

Finally, a class she could enjoy.

Willow's mouth formedan 'O,' as recognition set in, and her face brightened. That was uncharacteristically sweet. She put the bracelet in a pocket while going to wait for Oz, who was her partner for the exercise. She and Cordelia had put the 'yelling incident' behind them. Willow thought she had gotten off easy, and planned to use the forgiveness as fuelto establish a friendship with her. Aside from being a cheerleader, Cordelia was one of the outcasts now. The brunette was handling it well, but Willow still wanted her to feel as accepted as possible.

The men were over at the table, along with Larry, the school's head jock.

"What happened?" Xander asked, his eyes drifting to a bandage on Larry's arm.

"Oh, last week some huge dog jumped out of the bushes and bit me. Thirty-nine stitches. They oughta shoot those strays."

"I've been there, man." Oz held up his finger. "My cousin Jordy just got his grownup teeth in? Does not like to be tickled."

"So Harris, that thing going around about Buffy taking our best meat off the market, is it true? Cause that's a damn shame. Chase was Grade A of the highest quality. And here I always thought you just couldn't close the deal."

If he had about fiftyor sixty more pounds of muscle, Xander would've decked him. But he didn't, so he kept his cool.

"You wanna know, Lar?Ask her." Larry glanced at Buffy, somewhat frightened. "Or not."

Separating, Oz and Xander exchanged smirks and headed over to where they were supposed to be. Larry came up to a girl who was doing stretching exercises.

"Theresa!" She straightened. "Be still my shorts. We're in the same group." He chuckled. "I may have to attack you."

"No, a-a-actually, I think, uh, in our group there are a few of us." Theresa informed him.

Buffy joined them. "And I'm one of the few. Was there something you wanted to ask me?" She had overheard everything. "It's not my opinion on the O-Zone, is it? Cause you don't wanna get me started." He just stood there. "Come on, you have a burning desire to learn. I can tell these things. So ask away."

Willow dragged her away from him then. "Don't forget, you're supposed to be a meek little girlie-girl like the rest of us."

The slayer watched the redhead go back to her spot, pouting slightly. "Spoil my fun."

A few minutes later the coach had explained what they were going to do, and Larry had his arm around Buffy's neck. For some reason he felt more powerful now.She was pretending to attempt to flip him over, adding in a few false grunts for good measure. Everyone else had been doing the same exercise, but was now stopping to look in their direction.

"Why doesn't she just-?" Cordelia began to ask Xander, and then saw Larry grab her girlfriend's backside. She gasped. "If she doesn't, I will."

Within a second, Larry was groaning on his back. He might not have gotten the answer he'd been lookingfor, but he sure got a message.

"Meat's bad for you, didn't you know?" Buffy told him. "Vegetables are a lot healthier. See what they've done for me?"

"I love it when she does that." Xander smiled.

"Yeah, but the pain'll wear off. Do you wanna know what I would've done?"

Xander backed away from her. He didn't really need, or want, a demonstration.

"All I'm saying is, it would've been more permanent. Especially if you did it. And a hell of a lotmore satisfying." Cordelia was telling Buffy as they walked into the library with the rest of their friends.

"Four words - Snyder.My life. Unbearable." Buffy responded. "This is the longest I've stayed below his radar; a few more weeks and I'm up for a medal. At least that's what the janitor told me."

"Hey, I've got no love for Larry, but I wouldn't wish *that* on any registered male in the gender." Xander said with a cringe. "Except maybe Angel." Buffy glared. "You're with me on this, right Oz?"

"It's off-limits." The guitarist agreed.

Willow couldn't contribute. She was blushing too much.

"See how much I don'tcare?" Cordelia asked. "Weaknesses are meant to be exploited."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. Cordelia was apparently unforgiving to people who hurt or upset her, and the slayer made a mental note of that; she'd avoid causing her pain at all costs. She loved her and enjoyed her company. Why would she want to throw that away?

"I'm glad you're on my side." She gave her a quick kiss.

"Do they sell cups to non-athletes?" Xander wondered. The glint in the brunette's eye worried him.

"I-I...I need a book.Any book." Willow announced. "Ooh! See Spot Run! Or...The Cat in the Hat!"

They were looking at her strangely, but this was making her feel better. Memories of innocent, harmless, childhood books with no talk of...boy stuff. Or girl stuff.

"Remember? His hat was real long and big and there was lots of stuff insi..." The redhead trailed off, her eyes widening. When did her mind get so corrupted? She had to focus on something else...the table. There was something on the table. "Look! A globe!" She pointed, and then proceeded to bite her fingernails.

Buffy gulped. "A globe?" The slayer backed up towards the doors, and Xander was following her lead. She reached for Cordelia's hand, glancing around. They had to get out. "Are there diagrams?"

"The day's still young." Xander commented. "Give it time."

They continued reversing, but bumped right into Giles, who had come in.

"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed, whirling around. "We were just, uh...hoping we'd run into you. Weren't we, guys?" Cordelia and Xander nodded with her. "You know, this being the library and all..." She gave her watcher a weak smile. "But literally running into you was -"

"An unexpected bonus." Xander interrupted with a nervous laugh. "Have I told you lately how much I think librarian is a fantastic career choice?"

He eyed the two children. "I found something in the paper this morning. It might simply be coincidence, but I have a theory you'll all want to hear. And I should accompany you on patrol tonight, Buffy. I suspect you'll need the aid."

The slayer embraced her girlfriend. "Save me."

Angel's apartment looked like it had been ransacked.

Books were scattered all over, his table was smashed to bits, his pictures and paintings were torn, and their frames were broken. The statue that he kept locked in its own glass case was in pieces. His fridge was lying open on the floor, and the packets inside had all been drained. There was blood splattered everywhere. His desk, chair, and armoire were shoved up against the door, and the cord for his phone hadbeen ripped from the wall.

In the bedroom, he sat with the covers around him, his back against the wall and shivering. His face was ashen. In a couple days his cheekbones would be visible beneath his skin. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fed, and though he wanted to, he knew he couldn't. He had destroyed his home, and barricaded himself inside of it. He didn't understand why, but the curse had somehow lost the grip it had once had, and it was no longer keeping his demon at bay.

He had to fight alone. Fight for control of his own body. It wanted to kill again. And do far worse things than that. Angel was using every ounce of strength he possessed to prevent that from happening. He had spoiled his blood supply and starved himself to weaken the demon, as well as weakening himself in the process. They were both occupying his body, after all. But he had no choice.

"You gave this up when you asked her to let me in, Soul Boy. It doesn't belong to you anymore." Angelus said.

* I'm not afraid. Show me. Show me your world.*

"This was clever in theory, but it backfired. We both know you don't have the energy to keep this up, and when the sun goes down, you'll let go, and I'm gonna bleed the first girl Isee. What do you think the odds are she'll be a blonde? I've developed a taste for one."

"I won't let you touch her." He swore.

"You haven't seen herin weeks, she hasn't come by to check on you...I thought she was supposed to care? She forgot you, and you'd still die to protect her. Do us a favor and open your eyes already."

"She's living her life. She's got more important things...to worry about."

"Oh yeah. She's the Slayer. Saves the world so it has to revolve around her. They're all the same, but you fell for her act. She's probably too wrapped up in her new toy to see anyone else. Or give a damn about you. What a bitch, huh?"

Angel ignored it. He knew what it was trying to do. He would never hate Buffy; he knew what kind of person she was. If she had been happy and with Cordelia these past couple weeks, good. She should take advantage of the time she had.

"If you go out there," He told his demon, "he'll hunt us down."

"Who? Spike? Now I'm scared." He said sarcastically. "He'll be spinning his wheels for awhile, and if he sends his recruits...fine. They're all a joke. I bet he hasn't even stopped mourning yet. He picks the wrong ones to get attached to. Like you. I mean,Dru and I had our games -"

"I'm nothing like Spike."

He laughed. "I knew when she chose him he was gonna be a problem. Too much..." It wasn't going to say the 'L word.' "He's too much like a human. He killed when he had to, or he killed to impress her, but he never had a passion for it. The railroad spikes were my idea. I gave him his reputation, and how'd he show his gratitude? By using every chance he got to give me a reason to tear his throat out."

Demons didn't feel anything.

"After a century you still don't get it? I guess I shouldn't be surprised; you are the human half. You're like them; you think you do, but you don't. When we worked together you seemed smarter. Oh well; I've got time for a lesson.

"People leave behind more than they think when we take over. Demons. We twist and play with whatever's left, but what we get to work with depends on who they were. Dru wasn't evil, just someone with a gift. And I wanted it."

"She was a young girlwho was frightened of what she had, and you took advantage of her." Angel said angrily.

"It sounds so wrong when you put it like that." His mouth curved into a twisted smile. "To make her the best vampire she could be, I had to drive her nuts before I turned her. Well that, and I was in the mood. But even after she woke up, she loved her family. And me."

"She hated you too."

"Her mind was funny that way." He smirked. "When I got here," Angel's hand touched his chest, "you didn't care about anything. Spike cared too much, but you...you were full of rage.I had fun with that." His face shifted to vampiric form, and he licked his lips. "Mm. I can't wait to pick up where I left off."

Tears of blood ran down his cheeks. Not again.

"I think it should goleft twice, right three times, and then finish with a V." Kelli said, demonstrating with her pom-poms.

Cordelia was co-captain of the squad this year, alongside Joy. They were having a night practice in the gym, and she had been very let down by the lack of talent and creativity. Cheerleading did require skill, though some people refused to believe that,and the girls who tried out had none. But they had to go with them, because if they didn't, Sunnydale wouldn't have a cheering section.

And scanning the group, she saw the looks they were giving her. Some were disgusted, others were scared, but she was generally being looked down upon. A few of them were part of her once flock. They thought they were better than her? That was a laugh. No, Larry hadn't been the first to bring up her "change." In the beginning it was uncomfortable, now she was just getting annoyed.

It was sad when she'drather be hunting werewolves in the dark with a librarian and her girlfriend, but it'd be more enjoyable than this.

"What do you think?" Joy was asking her.

"We need a new routine, but the game's tomorrow, and..." Kelli glared at her, and she could hear muffled giggling. "That's it. I've had enough. It's time to deal with this."

"You've all heard the rumors, right? Well, they're all true. There. It's out in the open." She waited for the gasps to subside. "Yep, Buffy Summers and Cordelia Chase are a thing. We've kissed, we've dated a couple times, and who knows? We might even have sex."

And the second wave came. "Eew."

"Ashley? Your mouth? Close it." The brunette ordered. "I'm sure you have your own issues with that, but I don't give a damn. I'm happy with my life, and if you decide not to acknowledge me anymore, I hope you don't expect me to think it'll be a huge loss. Causeit won't be. I've got friends. Actual friends."

All the girls looked around at each other. She had them there.

"I'm still a captain of this squad. I've earned it. And if I don't like something, live with it. Out there you can choose to act like I don't exist, but in here, I call the shots. Maybe I'm not who I was..." She thought about that. "No, I know I'm not, but if you think you can mess with me and get away with it, think again. And yeah, that is a threat."

"What are you gonna do to us?" Kimberly asked timidly.

She was in control, and she loved it. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna molest you in the showers or check out your ass, cause yuck, but if I hear anybody saying anything about me and Buffy, and I mean *anything*, I will shove my foot in it. Besides, you all owe herbig time, and you know it. Do what I say, and you'll be safe. But I'm not gonnaput up with this crap. Are we clear now?"

"Uh huh...yeah...totally..." Came the replies.

"So you're finished?"Joy smirked.

"Cheer on." Cordelia said with a nod.

She was pleased with her work. They feared her again.

"This is all so weird. I mean, how are we supposed to act when we see him?" Xander was asking Buffy as they walked into the lounge two days later.

Oz had turned out to be the werewolf, but thankfully, he hadn't hurt anyone. Willow ended up shooting him, and it was no secret that they had a lot to discuss. Buffy hoped for her friend's sake that they could work through it. They seemed perfect for one another, and she didn't want the redhead to lose that.

But Xander wasn't talking about the guitarist. He had interrogated Larry about his dog bite, and cameaway from the experience knowing things he hadn't wanted to find out. Also, wrong impressions were given.

"Well, it's gotta be weird for him, too. Now that we know so much." The slayer said in response.

"All I know is I'll never be able to look at him the same again."

"He's still a human being. Most of the time."

They stopped at the vending machine, and Xander realized that they weren't quite on the same page.

"Who are we talking about?"

"Oz. Who are you talking about?"

His eyes found Larry and friends by the stairs, and one of them knocked books out of a girl's hands. While they laughed, Larry picked up the books and gave them back to her. Buffy watched the scene with surprise, and stayed calm as he came over.

"Hey! Xander, look, about what you did. I-I owe you."

"What'd you do?" She wondered.

"It's really nothing we should be talking about." Xander said to Buffy, and then turned to Larry. "Ever."

"I know, I know. It'sjust, well," The football jock smiled gratefully and patted him on the back, "thanks."

"That was weird." Buffy commented as he left.

She and Xander went and sat at a table.

"What? It's not okay for one guy to like another guy just because he happened to be in the locker room with him when absolutely nothing happened...and I thought I told you not to push." Willow's babble habit was catchy.

"All I meant is that he didn't try to look up my skirt."

Xander fidgeted nervously with his hands and smiled. "Oh, oh, yeah, that's-that's the weirdness."

"Weirdness abounds lately. Maybe it's the moon. Does stuff to people."

She smiled as she saw Cordelia enter the lounge. The brunette joined them, kissing her girlfriendand pulling up a chair.

"Like that?" He questioned, blushing.

"What's with the public display?" Buffy asked Cordelia. "Not that I mind, cause I don't, but I thought -?"

"I'm the Queen, Buffy. They may not like it, but my subjects obey me." The cheerleader grinned. "Oh, guess what? Larry apologized to me after second period. Which in itself was bizarre, but then he said he was gay and that he'd always be 'available to talk.' Just like that. Are we supposed to share a secret bond now?"

"He's gay? Where'd that come from?"

"He's...? My God. Really? Man. You know, you see a guy every day -" Xander started ranting and was interrupted.

"He thinks you helpedhim." Cordelia said suspiciously. "Why would he think that?"

"Something you wanna tell us, Xand?" Buffy smirked. Larry's gratitude was suddenly making sense.

He sighed. "There were mixed signals, okay? It's girls all the way for me. The image of you two naked and covered in chocolate, and the hope that at some point in the near future I'll get to witness it, is what gets me up in the morning." He saw their angry faces. "I see I've proved my point."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, blocking out Xander's, hormonal, wet dream comments. Though the girls did get their own enjoyment out of picturing the image. But they weren't going to admit that to him. Where would they get that much chocolate?

Cordelia frowned as she saw people placing flowers by a girl's locker. "So a vampire killed Theresa? For sure?" She asked in a whisper.

"That's what bite marks on the neck usually mean." The slayer said sadly. "The one who did it is stillout there."

Cordelia had a strongurge to hold her, but that was one line Snyder wouldn't let any couple cross. She could see how hard this was on her. Every victim stuck, and to make it worse, Buffy had talked to Theresa in class only days ago, saving her from one beast, but not able to save her from another.

The brunette settled for holding her hand. "Must be a relief for Oz, though. And for Willow."

"But think about it."Xander chimed in. "I mean, what life could they possibly have together? We're talking obedience school, paper training, Oz is always in backyard burying their things, and that kind of breed can turn on its owner."

"I don't know." Buffy disagreed. "I kinda see Oz as the loyal type."

"All I'm saying is she's not safe with him. If it were up to me -"

"Xander...it's not upto you." She told him. It was Willow's choice.

"Get Angel to ask around. About Theresa. He could find out who did it." Cordelia realized. It had just occurred to her while she'd been ignoring Xander. "I don't feel threatened anymore; I've got my jealousy under control. I swear."

Buffy smiled. "I could. Maybe. I haven't seen him in awhile...I figured he needed time to himself."

"To deal with the fact that Cordy won?" Xander asked with a grin. "I applaud that decision, by the way."

She narrowed her eyes. "But he should've warned me about some big danger by now."

"He's a grown vampire; he can take care of himself." Her friend said. "Damn it, Buff! You're a slayer, not a babysitter!" Blank stares were the worst. "Star Trek. Classic TV."

"One day I'll understand you." Buffy remarked, shaking her head.

"Not me." Cordelia smiled. "Why waste my brain cells? I'd only end up dumbing myself down to your low, *low* level and killing my IQ." She thought. "Yeah, I'm more than happy to stay ignorant of your layers. If they exist."

"Ho, ho, that was full of hilarity." Xander said sarcastically.

"What? No comeback? That was just my warm up."

"Don't you see her glare?"

Buffy was indeed glaring. Their bickering got on her nerves.

"If I stayed ignorantof *your* layers, we wouldn't be here." She reminded her girlfriend.

"Shush." She kissed her to halt the protest. "Play nice."

Though Cordelia did have a good idea. She couldn't let that vampire live.

Spike heard his men enter the warehouse, trying to be slow and quiet. There were only four of them now; he was losing people fast. In his wheelchair, he sat, facing a wall, biting back the tears and turning weak emotion into rage. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day;he would be reminded of Druscilla often then, and the pain would come back, just when he thought he could function without her. He reminisced, remembering how they used to seek out happy couples in the middle of a romantic, midnight stroll. The hunt was a Valentine's Day tradition.

The sight of people in love pleased Druscilla; she had a childlike fascination with the silent communication couples shared, while being blind to the world around them. The eyes revealed so much to her, so many stories, and they were always easy prey. Though she was sickened by the goodness out of which the love was born, the blood was sweeter. It wasn't like her and her Spike. Their love was dark, and painfully erotic. It was eternal. At least, her lover and childe had thought that.

She would make the victims deaths special, as was fitting for tradition. The neck didn't get punctured, oh no. The area of the chest, the flesh that shielded the heart, she drained the life from there, sinking her teeth in and moaning all the while. She insisted that she had sucked the love right out of their hearts, and that she could feel the sensations wash over her. The purity of the feelings made her cry out, but soon her demon blood warped the emotions, and she made that love hers.

When she and Spike retired for the night, they would pleasure each other almost until noon, because she was so high from the energy.

Druscilla was dead, those nights lost, and he could look forward to several lifetimes of loneliness. If the Slayer and his Grandsire didn't put a stake in him first. Angel. That was where he placed the blame. He'd sent out vampires night after night to killhim, and fewer and fewer came back each time. The ones who escaped said Angel was ruthless, brutal; they weren't prepared for that. Then Spike dusted them, angry and frustrated. He'd take the matter into his own, usually capable hands, but he was unable to at the moment. And that was the Slayer's doing.

She came up with the plan, Angel executed it. They'd die for Dru; that was a promise.

"How successful were we tonight?" He asked in an even tone, still staring at the wall.

"Is that right?" Spike wheeled around. "There's only three of you. Where's Lenny?"

"Lenny took off, man.He said he quit."

"That was kinda rude,don't you think? I would've expected at least two weeks notice." He pushed himself over to the speaker, and onto a foot. The vampire winced, and Spike crookedhis finger. "What's your name, mate?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember. The 'Power-walker Kill.' You do nice work."

"T-thanks." Rick tried to maintain his composure as Spike yanked him by his shirt.

"Which is why I'm notgonna hold this slip up against you. Angel didn't make it two centuries by being an idiot. He was also no fun, but the point is, he's not an easy target. And rather than waste more resources on the poof, I'm giving you a new job. You can't destroy the instrument, you destroy the brains behind it.

He paused, letting his blood boil. "The Slayer. Put the bleedin' bitch in the ground!" Spike growled. "This is an opportunity very few vampires get...*Rick*. The publicity alone should motivate you, cause if you don't do it, you better hope she does you beforeI hear about it. The sooner the better. Do we have an understanding?"

"S-sure. You b-bet."

The bleached vampire rolled off the foot, and Angel/Angelus left the scene from his vantage point outside. Buffy was his, and he had to decide what to do about Spike. The demon didn't want its coming out party spoiled.

The following morning, the bell rang, signaling the end of American Literature for Buffy, Willow, and Xander. The romantic holiday was upon the three friends, two of which had dates, while the other one didn't. And being a sensitive guy, Xander was slightly depressed about that. Willow and Oz, Buffy and Cordelia...Xander and The Air. He sighed, having faith that a solution to his dilemma would reveal itself, and as he got up from his seat like the rest of the class, the teacher, Ms. Beakman, spoke.

"Papers on my desk. Anybody tries to leave without giving me a paper is looking at a failing grade."

Assignment in hand, and bag on his shoulder, he walked down the aisle behind his friends. "Ha, ha, ha. This time I'm ready for you. No 'F' for Xander today. No, this baby's my ticket to a sweet D-minus."

Willow saw Amy, and stopped beside her. "Hey, Amy."

"Hey." The girl responded, adjusting the strap on her backpack. "Are you guys going to the Valentine'sDay dance at the Bronze? I think it's gonna be a lot of fun."

The redhead turned tothe slayer with a huge smile.

"Go ahead. You know you wanna say it." Buffy gave her permission, amused.

When she faced Amy again, she was grinning.

"My boyfriend's in the band!"

Her childhood friend laughed. "Cool."

Willow looked back at Buffy.

"I think you've now told everybody."

"Only in this hemisphere." The hacker pulled on her backpack

"What about you?" Amyasked Buffy.

"Oh, Valentine's Day is just a cheap gimmick to sell cards and chocolate." She came off sounding nonchalant, then walked up to the teacher's desk with the girls, and handed her paper in.

"Thank you." Beakman said.

Buffy headed out, andwas followed soon by Willow, who gave her paper and received a 'thank you' as well.

Xander was still behind Amy, and he watched as she and the teacher seemingly got into a staring contest.A few seconds passed, and then the older woman made a gesture like she was accepting a paper. She smiled, gave Amy an automatic 'thank you' just like she had done for everyone else, and waited on him. Amy left as if nothing happened. He stood in shock for a moment, and then relinquished his paper, in a hurryto catch up with Buffy and Willow.

They were currently making their way downstairs with Amy, and spotted Cordelia standing at the bottom.

"She poo poo's it, but she's spoiling her rotten." Willow whispered to Amy, attempting to glance at the brunette discreetly, who was quickly joined by a happy Buffy.

Amy smiled at the pair when they stepped onto the first floor, and then went into the lounge.

"I never said it was a *bad* gimmick. I just said it was cheap." Buffy defended herself, smirking at her friend's, 'How did you hear that?' look.

"And you better not be." Cordelia interjected, putting an arm around her girlfriend's neck.

Buffy just smiled sweetly. There were plans, all right. She looked away as Xander arrived. He had finally reached them through the mass. The mass that continued to give the occasional glare her and Cordelia's way, but that was about it.

"Did you guys see that?" He questioned, pointing at Amy.

"See what?" Buffy asked back.

"In class. I think Amy just worked some magick on Ms. Beakman."

"You mean like witchcraft?"

"You know, her mom's a witch." Willow reminded the group.

"And an amateur psycho. Amy's the last person that should be messing with that stuff."

"What'd you do to hermom, anyway?" Cordelia wondered.

"Heck if I know." Buffy shrugged. "She zapped herself, then presto, no more Evil Mom."

"You won. End of story, if you ask me." The redhead contributed.

"Willow's right. You have other, more important things to focus on today." The cheerleader told the slayer. "Me, for instance."

"Maybe I should go talk to her." Xander said, an idea springing to mind.

The happiness was toomuch for him to handle. He ran up to Amy without another word, and pulled her aside, away from the crowd in the lounge.

"What are you doing?"She asked, somewhat mad.

"Amy. Long time no see."

"We just saw each other two minutes ago." Had he gone insane?

"Yeah, well, that's...true." He took a quick look around. "And you're a

She smiled nervously."No, I'm not. That-that was my mom, remember?"

"I'm thinking it runsin the family. I saw you working that mojo on Ms. Beakman." He started to look behind himself. "Maybe I should go tell somebody about -"

"That's not even..." She glared. "That is so mean!"

Xander returned the favor. "Blackmail is such an ugly word."

"I didn't say blackmail."

"Yeah, but I'm about to blackmail you, so I thought I'd bring it up."

She crossed her arms, defeated. She didn't hate him enough to turn him into something.

"What do I want?" He rubbed his hands together. "Of all the questions, you had to pick that one, huh? Heh. Sorry, wasn't a good choice, Amy. In fact, it was very, very wrong. Becausenow you're under my control. So much power, so many options...let's see. What to choose, what to choose..." His confident _expression_ faded, and became suddenly shy. "Go out with me?"

At the Bronze, Dingoes Ate My Baby was playing on stage. Willow was sitting behind the people on the dance floor, at a table with Xander and Amy. She didn't understand why the two were there together, but she was too engrossed in her guitarist boyfriend to care. She moved her head to the beat of the music, a big smile plastered on her face.

"Oz has his cool hair today." She announced. "I think I'm a groupie!"

Xander looked at his date. "You can go mingle, ya know. You've suffered enough, and I thank you for it."

"I didn't have to come at all, Xander. I could have easily removed your tongue or given you never-ending athlete's foot." Amy told him truthfully.

"I've gotta do more prep work before I threaten." He gulped.

"I'm glad you didn't."

"Am I still here?" She smiled, and he slowly smiled back.

A short distance away, Buffy and Cordelia were standing behind a couch, drinking cups of soda. They had been dancing during the last song, but decided to sit the current one out. The brunette rolled her eyes at Willow's enthusiasm, but was very interested in what she was seeing develop between Xander and Amy. It made her wonder where he got the guts to face possible rejection, because she always thought if he asked a girl out his head would explode. She kind of wanted to see if Amy would do it, too.

"They've got potential, huh?" Buffy asked, observing the same thing her girlfriend had been.

"I've seen worse." Cordelia admitted. "If he keeps her away from cauldrons and black cats, they have a shot." She grinned. "Oh wait. That was *just* her mother."

The slayer shook her head, the sarcastic tone not lost on her, and gave the cheerleader a light thwap on the arm. She then checked her watch, causing her eyes to widen when she sawthe time. They were on a schedule, and she had nearly forgotten. She snatched Cordelia's drink right from her hand, found a place for trash, and dumped both cups.

Cordelia was left alone briefly, trying to figure out what was going on, when she saw Harmony enterthe club with her entourage. In that instant, Buffy reappeared and began dragging her to the doors. She nearly tripped.

"Hey! Girl wearing heels here! Someone should've stuck to Diet."

"Sorry, but you'll thank me later."

As they were going, the ditsy blonde glared, so the brunette made it a point to show her a certain finger. Harmony huffed and hurriedly dragged everyone to the bathroom to complain. The sheep were unaware that they had just brushed past a vampire,who watched as another followed the couple outside, leaving from the back to alert others. He quickly and stealthily made an exit, trailing his competition.

They were a block from her house when Buffy stopped walking. Every muscle in her body tensed; she'd felt like she was being tracked even in the Bronze, but she ignored it, being too distracted by what could go wrong with the evening. It figured that since she was finally in a serious relationship, something would want to interrupt the first important date on the couple calendar. She didn't have time to mess around with a newborn trying to make a name for himself, she really didn't.

Cordelia knew what that look was on Buffy's face, and she also knew she should've brought her car. Walking might've been romantic, but driving equaled vampire protection. Her girlfriend wordlessly motioned her to stay close, and then the slayer leapt into action, whirling around to deliver a kick to the vampire that had come up behind them. Her foot hit stomach, and the vampire hunched over. As it straightened, Buffy grimaced.

"Have you ever heard of 'hello'?" The brunette asked him. "It's a pretty well-known word. Learn it. Unless you like having your insides rearranged..."

"Not really." Angel said, his arm in front of his stomach protectively.

"Cause hey, if you do, that's your choice."

"What're you doing here?" Buffy asked, warily.

Something didn't feelright. Was his face...different? Harder or...and that didn't matter, because three vampires appeared out of the shadows, circling the trio. Buffy got into a fighting stance. It was a good thing she didn't decide to wear a dress, or there would've been a stake carrying issue. Getting one out of the pocket of her pants, she stood back to back with Angel, and Cordelia was next to her.

"I followed them from Willy's to the Bronze. They've been watching you."

"I need to get you inthe house. We can make a break for it if Angel holds them off." She told her girlfriend, surveying the situation. "I'm not taking any chances. Once you're inside, I'll deal with this."

"But -" Cordelia started.

"No." She interrupted forcefully. "No one's gonna spoil tonight for me."

From the second they had been discovered by Buffy, Angel had been battling with his demon for control, and he wasn't going to take any chances either. He had allowed it to feed on too many people already; fighting back was becoming increasingly more difficult. But it wasn't going to get her. Or Cordelia. He wouldn't let it. Using all he had, Angel pushed it down, ignoring the inner growl of protest.

"She's right. Help me." He said, a touch of desperation in his voice. "Help me split them up, then run. I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" The blonde questioned, concerned.

"Wouldn't be the first time."

With that, Buffy round-housed the one in front of her and Cordelia, while Angel took the oneon the left. Seeing the hole, they booked it for the house, but not before she tossed him her stake. As the girls went off and distanced themselves from the scene, Angelus broke free, showing its anger through vampiric eyes.

"You always get in myway." It snarled.

"Get used it. You're stuck with me." Angel replied.

The two fallen attackers were standing again, joining the third. It was him they wanted, anyway. William the Bloody was a damn cripple; his orders and threats didn't mean a damn thing. Watching Angel talk to himself caused a slight hesitation, but they were quickly doing their best to beat him down. Unfortunately for them however, demon and man had just decided, at least for the time being, to cooperate with one another.

Even though a part ofAngel wanted to die, he couldn't ignore his survival instinct. He knew that everytime he gave into the demon, let it have its fun, in whatever form that took, a piece of him slipped away. But it was too strong an instinct, and with the two halves working together, no prey could survive.

"Where'd Buffy and Cordelia go?" Amy wondered, still at the table with Xander.

"Oh, she has this big, romantic dinner thing planned at her place. Cordy didn't know." He answeredher. "I would've done something like that too, but..."

This was kind of new.

"Relax. There's always next year." She grinned, standing up.

"And here comes the pressure."

Next year? He'd be lucky if she could still stand him next week.

"There isn't. Really." She assured him. "Dance?"

"I'll give it the old college try." He cracked his knuckles, and then they walked out to the floor, where Willow and Oz were already dancing. The band was taking a break between sets; a DJ was picking the music. "And if there's toe crushing, don't worry; I've got the hospital bill covered. They accept Monopoly money, right?"

After some awkwardness, they settled in nicely to slow-paced song. His arms around Amy's neck, and hers around his waist, Xander found Willow in the crowd. The friends shared a smile. The redhead wasn't the only one who'd had a crush on him.

In the Summers' home finally, Cordelia removed her shoes. They were no longer salvageable. Placing them by the door, she was now barefoot, and trailed Buffy into the living room. The slayer switched on a lamp, and then proceeded to look out the large window. The brunette had noticed that the Jeep wasn't in the driveway, and as she sat on the couch thinking about that, it raised suspicions.

"Yeah, she met this guy, came into the Gallery...they went somewhere..." Buffy answered, still distracted by the view outside the window.

"So it *is* a guy? Not a robot with a human facelift?"

"I had Willow check. Medical records, police record...he's got all the right organs and one speeding ticket. >>From when he was twenty, but I still made mom promise to drive." She paused. "Should I...?"

Cordelia shook her head. "He wants to be macho? Let him. Besides, he was stalking you."

"What?" Buffy turned to her with an alarmed _expression_.

"When doesn't he stalk you? That's all he has to look forward to at night."

The cheerleader received a mock glare. "It's just...I asked him about Theresa a couple weeks ago like you said, and -"

"And his place lookedlike a tornado blew through it." Cordelia finished. "Yeah, you told me."

"He didn't know anything about who got her, but he said the reason the apartment was a mess was cause Spike's guys were trying to get payback for Druscilla. Now they're after me, because they couldn't take out Angel."

"Then it's a good thing you're here, and they're...someplace that's else, having their pale asses kicked. I know I'm happy about it."

"But he shouldn't have to protect -"

"Buffy? Shut up." The girlfriends kissed then, and that kissing transformed into the more advanced form, that involved tongue exploration. They finished off with some light hand roaming, as they broke contact to enjoy the oxygen that the air had to offer. "Making out on a couch." Cordelia managed to sigh. "How cliché can you get?"

"You started it." Theblonde wasn't ready to stop, either. She placed kisses down Cordelia's neck, and worked her way back up to the mouth. She felt a finger tap her on the back. "Hmm?"She mumbled.

"Why's there a huge, white bear on the chair?"

Buffy giggled, makingher take a break and look. "Did somebody read a lot of Dr. Seuss as a kid?"

"Green Eggs and Ham? Ick." The brunette made a face to go along with her word of disapproval. "I'm serious. There's a bear, and he's holding a box of...are they chocolates?"

"Valentines Day, chocolates...I've heard that they go together or something. Oh, that's cliché, isn't it?"

"Clichés? Who caresabout clichés? I don't even know what they are." Cordelia became excited.

This resulted in a grin from the slayer. "And since I'm the only one who knows about the 'Cordelia Chase Secret Teddy Bear Collection'..."

Cordelia pointed. "He's my bear?"

"He needs a good home. With his own species. Pigs aren't his thing." Cordelia had gone over to the chair, and Buffy followed. "You two bond while I get dinner ready."

"I'm gonna try to, yeah." She sat her head on Cordelia's shoulder from behind. "If I fail miserably, you'll still love me for making the attempt, right?"

"Don't be stupid. Of course I will." The brunette smiled. "Just less."

Angelus had considered going back across town to the Bronze, maybe to kill one of the members of the unsuspecting group, but the desire for violence had been placated. Until the next sundown. The threesome attack squad was surprising. They hadn't died easily; put up quite a fight. That only made impaling them all the more satisfying, but it was a good effort. It left him thirsty.

He'd have to head in the direction of the club to get home, and he knew he could easily drain one of Buffy's friends, but the area around the club was crowded now; love in the air, and probably several people screwing their brains out in the alleyways. No dark corner would be quiet enough, and there was always the risk that one of them would see and escape to break the news.

The kill had to be anonymous; he wanted to send the pieces to Buffy with a nice card. That's how she'd find out.

Walking past the high school, he spotted a woman in the parking lot, cell phone in hand, heading towards her car. A teacher working late? Didn't they know better? She looked familiar, though. Like...oh yeah. Angelus smiled. He didn't just recognize her face; he recognized the scent of her blood. Deep lineage. This was someone special, someone perfect. Better than the children. This was what he'd dreamed for.

She would be the way to reveal everything, but more importantly, she was revenge.

Willow, Amy, and Xander were on stage as Oz and the band were packing away the instruments. After two sets, all the songs began sounding the same. But that didn't slow up the dance and all its related activities, any. Full gear or not, the two couples were going to call it a night. Sadly, party animals they weren't. Oz had his van, thankfully, so they could ride in relative safety.

Xander had enjoyed himself more than he'd expected to. The main motive behind asking Amy out had been a simple one. So he wouldn't look like a loser standing alone in a corner. Not that he hadn't noticed her attractiveness before, but she had only been a friend he saw once and a while. He was figuring out that he liked her though, and she seemed to like him. A lot. He wouldn't object to seeing her in a place that wasn't school for a second time, possibly even a third. Assuming that she'd agree to a...what was that word?

Date? It sounded so foreign.

The drum set was currently being carried off in its separate pieces, and he couldn't help but eye the base drum with a raised brow. Gone was the band name and logo - it had been replaced by a phrase. He knew what it meant; yet it struck him as funny. 'Happy VD' was written, with a heart in the middle. It was in the spirit of things, true, but it was also open to his unique brand of interpretation.

"Happy Venereal Disease?" He questioned, smirking. "Actually, that's sort of appropriate. It's you guys saying, 'We know how your night's going to end, and we plan to celebrate it. We're a progressive, non-shunning, groove machine. Go crabs!'"

The hacker and the witch grimaced.

"Room became an issue." Oz said.

"Ah. So Devon never learned how to stay between the lines." The singer shot him a look. "Love those vocals! Major improvement! I can almost understand every other word now."

"If there was ever a cue to leave, that's it." Amy said.

The girls pulled him outside, each holding onto an arm. He got the impression that that didn't swing the odds of there being another outing, in his favor.

"No, really. Where'd you get it?" Cordelia asked, walking into the kitchen, recognizing the aroma.

"It's a present." Buffy turned, gripping the wooden spoon she was using to stir the mixture of sauce, garlic, basil, olive oil, white wine, and clams. "You don't ask that about a present, and why are you wearing my sweatpants? And my sweater?"

"Um, cause of the comfort factor? They're a little small on me, but they're better than that damn dress. It ripped! I knew it wasn't worth the retail." The cheerleader was angry.

"Whoa, whoa. Where'd it rip, how come I wasn't shown, and could you look any cuter? You're all snug and homey."

"That's a bad thing, Buffy. It's like I'm the 'little woman,' when you clearly have that role locked up. I mean, you have the apron, the recipes...you just need a potholder to finishoff the look."

The slayer's eyes were mad, and her lips were pursed. "I was gonna let you taste the sauce, but now you'll just have to wait."

"Fine." There was eye rolling.

"Go change, too. I want a romantic setting. Candles are involved, and with candles, mood is created. Sweats aren't part of the mood."

"So it'll be casually romantic." Her girlfriend shrugged. "Besides, you said I looked cute."

"Technically I said, '*could* you look any cuter.' You're almost there, but not quite." Cordeliaput her hands on her hips in disbelief. "Plus, *you* said I was the 'little woman.' Aren't you supposed to keep me happy?"

"First, I'm not the man. Second, as a woman, I have equal rights. Heard of those? You can't boss me around and expect me to do your bidding."

"Damn feminist." She grumbled.

"Third, 'little woman'? Height."

"You can't make up new definitions every five seconds! It means 'wife.' You know it, I know it, and the eighty-year-olds who still think it's current slang, know it." She punctuated each point with a flick of the spoon.

"Are we married? Don't think so. You can't blame me cause you're a midget; I'm taller, I'm in charge."

"I changed my mind." Buffy held out the spoon. "Cordy, taste this."

"What if I don't wanna?"

"Taste." She wasn't going to tolerate a negative response. The brunette stepped up to the wooden object,and gave it one, long, sensual lick. Buffy wanted to be in charge? That'd happen. Right. The blonde's throat was feeling dry. "Well?"

"Mm...good." The slayer kissed her without warning, and they both could taste the seasoned, clam-filled sauce, which added a whole new level for them to experiment with further. "Better."

The buzzer went off for the Chicken Parmesan.

"Sit!" Buffy commanded, somehow resuming her task with relative ease. "I'll be out in a few, and we'll eat. Stay like that. What do I care?"

"I love it when I getmy way."

"He's coming." Jenny Calendar told her uncle as she paced in his apartment.

The gypsy had recently moved to Sunnydale to keep a closer eye on things. They didn't trust her to stay impartial.

"I suppose you were looking forward to an evening with this man." Enyos said, sitting in his chair.

That had been the original plan. She realized how she'd been acting, and they'd made amends. Tonight was going to be a reconnection of sorts. In other words, she was all set to send the tweed flying right off of him. Unfortunately, her duty to her people took precedence over her personal life. Though Jenny never thought she'd have todeal with the problem that had arisen; she knew the clause, and there had been no catalyst for activating it.

"Angelus is my first priority."

"Good." The older man nodded. "Can your friend be trusted with the knowledge of our cause?"

She had called him asshe left the school, and just hoped that he didn't hate her after they told himthe story. How do you tell the man that you love, that you were sent to the town where he lived, to watch a vampire that your gypsy clan had cursed with a soul for vengeance purposes? That same vampire who had helped them all over the past two years? And that it was also your job to make sure a moment of true happiness wasn't achieved - the only thing that could make him revert back to his evil ways? Or so they had believed.

"Understand Janna, that I do realize that your life has been saved by this creature. However, its soul is no longer dominating the flesh it inhabits. The monster that slaughtered our beloved daughter has broken free, and is winning the inner struggle. Soon, the humanity will be completely destroyed. Steps must be taken."

"I know...but why didthis happen? That's what I don't understand. His habits haven't changed. Nothing changed."

"I'm afraid I do not know the reason, either. But 'why' is unimportant to us. The solution is our focus. The Elder Woman has written a new incantation, which will restore what needs to be restored. It is stronger...permanent."

The techno-pagan raised her eyes. "Permanent?"

"Yes, if it is successful, he won't have to fear the loss of his soul ever again. Some have argued that with an eternity to live, it is possible that he could obtain happiness, and then his suffering would end. If his pain is not going to be infinite, manysay he should die...yet she will not hear the protests." Enyos sighed. "The Elder Woman may have grown soft with age, but we still must respect her wishes. It has always been that way, and so it shall continue."

"So why doesn't she just perform the spell now? Why wait?"

"Because she is weak,and the strength to perform such magick has left her. The distance is also too great. Her parchment will arrive at your home as fast as possible. The task falls upon your shoulders, child. She has felt great power around you."

"Me? I don't have that kind of strength, Uncle."

There was a knock at the door.

"Then perhaps he does."

She went to answer the door, preparing herself. When she opened it, an unexpected surprise was waiting for her. The small shriek came out before she could stop it. Rupert was here, but he was unconscious, Angelus gripping him by the throat. She should've warned him. God, she should've warned him. Relax; she had to relax. Angelus couldn't come in. This was a private home. How'd he know where to find her, though? And then she paled.

He knew what she was.

"Hiya, Jenny. Guess who I ran into on the way up?" The demon smiled. "Looks like it's turning out to be my night after all."

Her uncle came and joined her speaking sternly. "You are not welcome here. Be gone."

"You know, that's a really good point." Angelus shook his head. "Geez. I should've thought this through. I mean, you probably don't care about my buddy Giles," He looked down at the watcher, "even though she does, right?"

"Her affairs are of no concern to me."

Jenny hated her relative at that moment. Life was expendable - just as long as that life didn't contain Kalderash blood.

"You want to get rid of me at any cost. Wow. *That's* dedication. Let's see. You're not giving me muchto work with here, so what choice do I have? Oh wait..." His embarrassment quickly turned into a dark confidence. "Now I remember."

In his other hand, Angelus held a knife. Yet within an instant, it flew out of his hand, and the sharpened end of the blade was sticking out the other side of Enyos' neck. Blood escaped down his bottom lip as the Romanian fell to the floor, his nearly dead eyeswide with shock. Jenny brought her hands to her mouth; her brain was having trouble registering anything. When the vampire looked at her again, it was with histrue face.

He ran his hand alongthe weakening barrier preventing his entry into the apartment.

"I'd say you've got about two seconds, Teacher. Then you and Rupert can be together. No one should be alone today; it's just not right."

She began backing up, looking around for some sort of weapon.

"So since I'm doing you a favor," He crossed the threshold, "at least try to make this fun for me."

Xander hopped out of the passenger seat of the van, and slid open the side door when they stopped atthe sidewalk in front of Amy's house. Once the blonde had said her good-byes, she headed to her porch. Willow shut the large door from inside, as she pushed her friend to walk his date up. She felt a small pang of jealousy, but she had Oz now, and she'd be happy for him if he and Amy went somewhere couple-wise.

The two people stood awkwardly on the porch.

"Thanks for blackmailing me. It was...fun." The witch smirked.

"Thanks for not running away." Xander responded. "I gave you plenty of opportunities to, so either you found my wily antics amusing, or you're just looking forward to mocking me endlessly tomorrow morning."

"I haven't decided yet. But I'll let ya know."

"I appreciate that." He smiled. "Hey, if your vote happens to swing toward the, 'I like that guy' area, would you, I don't know...wanna do something remotely similar to tonight...again? But with the possibility of a movie and fast food being involved? Feel free to shoot me down."

She laughed. "It's not classiest offer I've ever had...but I can't see why I'd say no. Maybe I'm drawn to you."

"Drawn? To me? That's great!" He cleared his throat. "I'm masculine. Yeah." She was still smirking. "This is me leaving before your brain comes back and you stop being temporarily insane."

"With compliments like that, it's hard to understand why girls aren't falling all over you."

He was embarrassed. "Oh, they fall. They fall so hard that there's usually casts and restraining orders shortly afterwards."

She kissed him on thecheek. "Good night, Xander."

It had been a good Venereal...err...Valentines Day, after all.

Jenny was struggling to get out to the fire escape through the window, while trying to ignore her newly broken leg, but it wasn't working. If she lived through this with only that, and the numerous bruises she'd received, she'd be happy. Some of the floor's other residents must have gotten nosy, because she could hear and see the sirens coming closer. Thank God for people who couldn't mind their own business. She and Giles just had to hold on a little longer; Angelus wouldn't risk being surrounded by cops. He'd be removing the bullets from his body for a month.

The Englishman had come around two minutes ago, finding himself lying next to a dead man. Jenny had given him directions to her uncle's building, and the last thing he remembered was getting out of his car. Then blackness. When he saw what the vampire was doing to his girlfriend, all questions left his mind. Pure rage coursed through him as he got to his feet, and he had just sucker punched Angelus, which surprised the demon. But he quickly turned, putting his back to the watcher.

"You're just wasting my time; I don't want you. It would've been less painful if you'd only stayed down, but..." He was facing Giles in a split second, and delivering a direct uppercut to his chin. His victim went reeling. "If this is the way you want it, that's fine with me."

"Angel, help us!" Jenny pleaded. He was supposed to be in there, wasn't he?

Bad word. She was growled at, and then the vampire went to her uncle's body and yanked the knife free.

"Sorry, he already saved someone tonight, and he's kinda tired. Ssh...don't wake him up." Angelus brought a finger to his lips, and after a moment, slid it down the blood-covered blade, gathering some on the tip. He tasted it, grimacing. "I think it's gone stale. Always been fond of the younger generations, anyway. Like your ancestor. She was the sweetest I ever had."

He grabbed her with the same hand he was using to grasp the knife, pulled her over to Giles, and proceeded to lift his head.

"Still there, Rupert? Wouldn't want you to miss the show." The demon asked the hurting watcher, who groaned in response. "You've gotta help me choose. Do I drink her or carve her first?" Giles spit the blood that had been sitting in his mouth in Angelus' face, and looked horrified as it licked its lips. "You're right. You should watch me cut her."

Jenny looked at Angelus with tears in her eyes, as he dragged the knife in a circle on her shirt. "They'll be here any minute."

"I'll be quick." He was ready to do it, and then she watched anger flashed across his features as they became human. Angel's eyes were as frightened as hers were. "Oh God..."

He pushed her aside, and scrambled out the window. Jumping off the fire escape and into the alley, he fell hard to his hands and knees. They both knew things were going to get complicated now, and unbeknownst to them, in a factory across town, Spike rose from his wheelchair.

"What's the verdict?"Buffy asked hesitantly.

Cordelia was taking her last bite of the home-cooked meal. She was very impressed; her girlfriend obviously wanted to make the night a pleasant one, and as far as she was concerned, it had been. Slowly chewing, she decided to torture the slayer for a few seconds. Eventually she put her fork down, and wiped her mouth the napkin that was beside her plate.

"Did I like it, you mean?" The brunette asked in return. "Well...the food was eatable, it passed that test...and the box of wine was a nice touch." She sighed in mock disgust.

The blonde chucked her napkin at her guest. "It was the only thing in the house, okay? And when mymom finds out that I invaded her supply, I'm dead." She paused, shaking her head in confusion. "Why did I risk the rest of my adolescence for you? Tell me. Please, cause I haven't got a clue."

"Maybe you love me." The brunette smiled at her from the other side of the dining room table.

Buffy smiled back. "Could be."

"Maybe I'm like a goddess to you, and you want me to be happy so you don't have to face my wrath." She considered that. "And as long as we're on the subject, I think the next step should be building a shrine. That has a wall devoted to pictures of me. Except...if it gets too big, then we enter Psychoville, and that's not whatI'm going for. Simple, but elegant. Is that asking too much?"

"Let's not get carried away here, Cordy." The slayer eyed her, and saw through the act. "Damn, you're good at that."

The cheerleader grinned, caught. "What can I say? It's like a switch. On, off...whenever. Julia Roberts? Give me a break." Her grin became a smile. "It was great, Buffy. So great that I feel guilty."

"Guilty? How come?" The blonde looked up in the direction of the ceiling, remembering something. "Uh...can you close your eyes and hold that thought?" She made a beeline for her room, and came back down with something in her hand. "Are they closed?"

"I can't see anything, so...I'm gonna go with 'yeah'."

Buffy walked behind Cordelia's chair, gently brushed her hair aside, and slipped the necklace she had bought, around her neck. "Okay, open 'em."

The gold chain had three objects on it - a 'B,' a 'C,' and a heart that was just somewhat larger than the letters surrounding it, because it was meant to be a locket. Inside the heart was a picture of them Willow had taken several weeks ago, outside of the school. The redhead had brought a camera in the hopes that she could take candid shots, and then give them to the yearbook. She had wanted to branch out into other areas of Nerd-dom. Especially because Eric, the young Dr. Frankenstein who usually took them, had been expelled.

The couple was caughtoff guard, and by the time the picture was taken, it was too late to object. It wasn't a complicated or mushy photo; Cordelia's head was turned towards Buffy's, and they were just talking, smiles on their faces. It was chosen because one, they hadn't really built up a large enough collection of pictures to pick from; two, there was something unguarded and natural about it; and three, she thought it captured one of the main parts of their relationship. Conversation. Openness. They talked constantly, even before they were official.

Everything and anything was covered; it felt appropriate.

"You shouldn't have." Cordelia whispered, lifting it to get a better look. "This is...thank you."

"You're welcome." Buffy smiled.

The doorbell rang, and she went to see who would show up now, leaving the brunette to stare at her other gift. Surely Jehovah's Witnesses had to sleep?

Cordelia blushed as the slayer re-entered the dining room a couple minutes later, carrying a dozen red roses. "They're late. And I didn't think I'd be here. I figured you'd be just getting off work. Didn't see the point in having one of those little cards, either. I'm not Hallmark."

"I thought I told youthat you didn't have to do anything? I just got you *and* a bracelet for my birthday. That was plenty. I woulda been set for at least six months."

"It's Valentine's Day. I had to. Besides, if I'd known you were gonna get me chocolates, Sir Sno-Paw, and make me dinner, I would've done a lot more."

"Exactly why I kept it a secret. You feel guilty because of that?"

Cordelia nodded. "I have all this money, but when I can finally spend it on someone else and have it actually mean something, I'm not allowed to."

"Says the girl who splurged."

"You call this splurging? I just wanted to give you a little surprise. I could've gone for broke and gotten you the twenty other things I saw that I thought you'd like, but I didn't...and now I feel guilty."

"If I can't, than neither can you. Agreed?"

"Agreed." There was a smirk.

"I don't need my fabulously wealthy girlfriend to spoil me just because she can. Gifts are nice and all, but I've already got the best one there is." Buffy grimaced. "God that was sappy."

The cheerleader reddened some more. "You like the roses though, right?"

"They're beautiful." She smelled the twelve flowers as Cordelia got up from her seat. "Sir Sno-Paw? How long have you been waiting to use that?"

No one had ever done anything like this for her. Silently, she walked over to Buffy and hugged her. "Thanks. I mean it." Cordelia kissed her lightly when they separated. "Love you."

"Love you too." The blonde said with a smile. "I should put these in some water."

It was still hard to believe sometimes, but here they were. Best feeling in the world.

"What'll you tell your mom if she asks where you got them from?"

"That since there wasno card, I must have a secret admirer." She grinned.

"Am I not obvious enough?" Cordelia didn't get an answer. "Then I guess I'll have to try harder."

"Sure, ya know, if you have to. But *after* I put the dishes in the sink and deal with the roses."

"I can wait." The brunette went and stretched out on the living room couch, while Buffy started cleaning up. She grabbed the remote off of the coffee table, and flipped through the channels for several, long minutes. "There's crap on TV."

"Good crap or bad crap?" The slayer questioned, coming to join her girlfriend on the sofa and managing to fit just right, allowing them to both lay down.

Cordelia draped her arm around the blonde. "There's no such thing as good crap. It's...that word we learned in English. An oxymoron."

"Uh huh, and it doesn't matter that you're Buffy Summers, the Chronically Absent Delinquent." Came the saracastic jibe.

"And it doesn't matter that you're Cordelia Chase, the Hollow-Brained, School Spirit Slut." The delinquent in question had been prepared.

The cheerleader was tracing her nails in slow circles around the outside of her girlfriend's ear. "It's nice to know that we're comfortable with our flaws, isn't it?"

"Hmm mm." As they watched the various commercials, one caught Buffy's eye. It was reminding women to get breast cancer checkups. "Whoever came up with 'mammogram,' anyway? Every time I hear it, I think I'm supposed to put my breast in an envelope and mail it to someone."

"Probably the same lonely pervert who named Lake Titticaca and the Woodcock." Buffy snickered, and Cordelia bit her lip, thinking quietly to herself for a while. "Have you...?"

Why did being a teenager mean you were turned on by everything? It was only supposed to be a guy thing. Yet here she was, only making a tiny, semi-suggestive joke, and doing some innocent, non-suggestive cuddling, which was causing the heat level to rise. Plus, with her mouth right next to the back of the slayer's neck...it wasn't easy to remain composed.

Buffy wanted to pry, but the phone rang. Good. The cordless was on the table, and she was able to reach it without having to sacrifice her position.

"It was nothing." Cordelia said as the blonde clicked the 'Power' button. She was relieved and disappointed all at once.

"Hello?...This is her...What happened?" Buffy sat up as the person on the other end continued to talk, her face turning white. "I know...Yeah...Sunnydale General?...No, I'll be there soon. Thanks...Bye." She hung up, stunned.

"What's going on?" Cordelia sat up, too.

"Giles and Miss Calendar...they were hurt or...I don't know. I was a contact person; I gotta..."

"I'll run home and get my car. Call Willow and Xander, leave a note, then we'll pick them up and go to the hospital. Be back in five, ten minutes."

"Vampires, remember?"

"Don't argue; just give me some holywater. I'll be fine."

The brunette's survival techniques were apparently top notch, because a short time later, they were on their way, vowing from then on to drive everywhere.