()()()()()()
A week and a half later.
"Cordy...." Spike groaned as he struggled down the stairs with six pieces of luggage draped over his body. His girlfriend skipped down in front of him, clearly ecstatic about their leaving for Paris that night.
"What? Spike, come on, Willow's waiting in the car." Cordelia replied, picking up her make-up case and carryon at the door and walking outside into the night where the rest of the group waited in the limosine Willow'd reserved for the special night.
The vampire sighed and banged his head up against the doorjamb. "God, I hope she's not like this in bloody Paris," he mumbled.
"I HEARD that!" Cordy shouted from the car, one leg in, affording Spike a marvelous view of her back end.
Her line was cut off as Xander yanked her inside, sprawling her across the laps of Buffy, Faith, and Giles. The former society girl made quite a picture with her long skirt hiked up and Faith trailing a hand along the expanse of exposed flesh.
"Cordeliaaaaaa......"
"FAITH!" Buffy smacked her girlfriend's hand and pulled her into a steamy kiss that made the other occupants hem and haw.
"Um, Slayers?" Spike said, getting in and settling Cordelia on his lap, shutting the door. "Three words. Get a room." The vampire accentuated his words, glaring at the mucho happy couple.
"STOP!" Willow shouted at them, holding her hands to the sides of her head. She was just about ready to ditch this whole rotten excursion, except for the what appeared to be a many hundred dollar dress that had arrived three days ago, addressed to her.
Cordelia had been jealous, of course, and had to go out and buy every respectable store in a fifty mile radius of Sunnydale out of all the 'nice' clothes.
She sighed at the look they'd all given her, Giles and Olivia included. "I'm sorry, gang. It's just been a really stressful week, is all. I know that is this has never happened to any of us before, let alone me. I mean, some strange, poetry loving guy is writing me letters, sending me clothes, and to top it all off calling me his sparkling diamond?" The redhead shook her head to clear it. "But I am glad you are all going. I couldn't do it without you."
"Hey," Buffy said, reaching over and placing her free hand on Willow's knee. "Where's there's a will, there's a way, right? And we've already got our Wills right here. We wouldn't've let you go alone."
The best friends exchanged a grin, then a huge group hug, Willow ending up in the middle, everyone else crushed around her.
The hacker burst into tears, holding up her hand and waving it at the driver. "ONWARD JAMES!" and giggling, she fell against the seat, tears pouring from her eyes as she shared a childhood joke with Buffy, Cordelia, and Xander.
(*(*(*(*)
An hour or so later, the group was boarding the plane at LAX. Buffy, Faith, Xander, Anya, Cordelia, Spike, Giles, Olivia, and Willow were all headed to the glorious City of Lights. Paris. The adventure of Moulin Rouge was just beginning.
**************
Paris, France 2 am Club Moulin Rouge
)()()()()()(
The dark haired vampire was interrupted in his pacing as his right hand man, you could say, walked into the main tower bedroom, where he had retired after the meeting as to whether or not they would re-open the club the next weekend.
"Angel?"
"Yes," the poet sighed, sitting down in the large black leather chair and reading the latest news from his fellow in Sunnydale. His sparkling diamond had left precisely on time, sunset east coast time.
His plan was moving along exactly as he wished. Exactly. And no one would get in it's way. Not even his recalcitrant childe.
TBC.....................
