"What?! I can't believe you! You can't do this to me!"

Doyle cringed holding the phone away from his ear.

"Cordy, I'm sory. I-"

There was an audible click and then a dial tone.

Doyle hung up his cordless phone and tossed it to his nightstand. He moaned and pulled his covers over his head. "I give her five minutes. Ten if there's traffic."

Just as he figured five minutes later his bedroom door was flung open.

"What do you think you are doing?! You can't call in sick! Those kids need you! I can't take care of thirty-two kids by myself!"

"Thirty-one." Doyle said weakly. "Maggie is out with the flu." Doyle kept his face hidden. He could imagine what Cordelia was doing though. He invisioned her arms crossed and foot tapping away.

Cordelia tapped her foot in agitation. "Teaching aside there is a psycho demon out to eat our students and you are sending your best friend into the battle alone to save them."

Doyle groaned sickly. "You're right. I'm getting up. Grab me some clothes." He shoved the blanket off of his head.

Cordelia gasped seeing how miserable he looked.

"You're sick." She pushed him back down against the pillow. "You are pale...well, paler. You look like Angel."

Doyle groaned. "I look dead. Great."

"You are not going to school today. I'll handle it myself." She placed her hand against his forehead.

"Aw, you poor thing." She ran to the bathroom and grabbed the thermometer to take his temperature. "Poor baby." She brushed his hair off his forehead. After a few more minutes, in which she brought him something to read and a glass of water, she took the thermometer from his mouth. "You have a fever." she observed.

"I don't need you to take care of me." he grumbled miserably.

Cordelia leaned over him, her face near his. "The person I admire most in this world once told me that people need people. I need you and you need me. I need you to help kill this demon. You need me to help you get better so that you can do so without getting yourself killed."

Doyle looked into her eyes. "Are you sure that's all you need me for? There's no other reasons for you being so good to me all of the time?"

Cordelia's breath caught in her throat looking into his soft blue eyes. Her lips were so close to his she could- She jumped away. "You know I need you." she said uncertain as to what he wanted from her. She grabbed her purse. "I have to get to class but call me if you need anything."

"What if I just need to talk?"

Cordelia smiled. "I'll call you on my lunch break."

Doyle half smiled. "Then today was worth living through."

Cordelia walked out the door with a wave. Did he really mean that or was he just playing with her? She hoped he was for real...She shook trying to change her thoughts. What was she thinking? This was Doyle. She shrugged her earlier daydreamer off as the sex excuse.

She had to think about it and he was right there. That's all it was...SERIOUSLY!

* * *

Cordelia stood in front of a sad looking class.

"Yes, Mr. Doyle is absent today. He's sick." Little Maggie, who was back in school, raised her hand. "Miss Chase? Can we make feel better cards for Mister Doyle at play time?"

Cordelia's mouth curved into a smile. "How about we skip math today and make them now?"

The class cheered.

Cordelia laughed and held up a hand. "but we won't tell Mr. Jones about this right class?"

The kids bobbed their head thrilled to be guarding a secret.

Cordelia shook her head and her pig tailed braids bounced. "I'll get the construction paper." She sat down at the table and passed out paper and crayons.

She grabbed her own piece of construction paper. It was a soft blue that matched Doyle's eyes. She grabbed a dark blue marker. She idely colored a big, blue heart in the center of the page. She took a pen and began to write the message like a regular note only that she wrote around the heart.

Abby leaned over to look at her paper. "Cordelia?" she asked as if she were discussing a romance movie.

"Do you love Mr. Doyle?"

Cordelia almost said no but stopped, looking at the heart on her card.

"Mr. Doyle loves you. He told Molly."

Cordelia bit her lip. " You think he does?...Well, do you think that I should go out on a date with Doyle?"

Abby nodded vigorously.

"So you like Mr. Doyle?"

Abby continued to nod. "Mr. Doyle is the bestest teacher in the wole wide world. You too Miss Chase. That's why I want you to get married. My two bestest teachers ever."

Cordelia turned to Abby with a grin. "Thank you, Abby. I'm glad you like me. When I first came here I thought all the kids wouldn't like me."

Abby gasped. "You was scared?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"But you had Mr. Doyle to protect you though, right?"

Cordelia smiled warmly at the girl. "Right. That's Doyle. Always there for me." She continued her note with thoughts she never even dreamed of acting on before. Now they seemed not so unbelievable.

* * *

Cordelia waved to Charlie as she climbed onto her bus.

Charlie was the last one.

Cordelia would now drive over to Doyle's and give him his cards. She grabbed her purse and took her keys out. Whistling while she walked to the car she felt care free. Today had been fun. She'd run the class by herself. She had gotten to think a bit about what

Doyle was to her now, just a friend. She had acomplished many things.

Her happiness came to an abrupt halt seeing a shadow in the dark corners of the parking lot. Her breath sped up as did her walk. Not now. Not when she was alone. She looked back at the shadow with a weary glance. What she saw made her shiver. It was a demon.

One she knew that was strong. One she knew was evil. One she knew was violent. She opened her mouth and one word came out. "Spike."

* * *

Doyle sat up in his bed as Cordelia rushed in.

"Doyle! I saw the demon! It's Spike. He was at the school and he was watching me. He had on game face and everything."

Doyle motioned for her to sit down. "Spike as in

Spike that tortured Angel? Spike as in he feels no remorse? The arm in the box guy?"

Cordleia plopped down next to him and nodded. "That Spike. I think he's the one that killed those nine children...here we made you get well cards."

Doyle took the large pile of cards she handed him and placed them on his bed. "Thanks...I knew he was the kind of trouble that would show up again."

Cordelia looked at him for guidance. "What are we going to do?"

Doyle eyes hardened at the thought of Spike killing those children, trying to kill his students. "We'll do the logical thing. We are going to find him and kill him." he said darkly. "That vamp is going to regret ever setting foot in L.A. again. I guarantee it."

Part 4
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