Cordelia walked purposefully down the hallway.

"Alright. Maybe I'm just paranoid but we have to take special care of the students today. Never let them out of our sight." She punched her palm for emphasis.

"That is the kind of dedication I want from my teachers!" Mr. Jones cried.

Cordelia jumped with a yelp.

Doyle turned to Mr. Jones. "Good morning."

Mr. Jones chuckled. "Not for you."

Cordelia nodded. "Exactly...huh?"

Mr. Jones folded his hands. "Trent Peters called off this morning. I need someone to watch his fifth graders and since you are the only class with two teachers and it's too late to call in a sub...have fun." He walked off down the hallway leaving them staring after him.

Cordelia turned to Doyle her eyes wide. "Hello, impending disaster! How can we keep our class safe and take on the fifth grade?"

Doyle looked overwhelmed. "I'd say we have a problem on our hands."

* * *

Cordelia ushered the last student onto the bus.

"Hurry up, Maggie." she said tickling the little girl. Maggie giggled and hopped onto the bus.

Cordelia followed her and went to her seat next to Doyle. She froze seeing a fifth grader sitting next to him. She raised an eyebrow.

The girl jumped up. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Doyle! I finally understand these equations. You are such a better teacher than Mr. Peters." She batted her eyelashes and skipped back to her giggling friends.

Cordelia sat down next to Doyle and possessively grabbed his arm.

He looked at her questioningly. "What's wrong? Is there evil afoot?"

Cordelia nodded. "There sure is. That fifth grader was flirting with you! She likes you!"

Doyle didn't look worried. "Students have been known to have crushes on teachers. Don't tell me you never liked a teacherish figure in high school."

Cordelia thought back to her embarrassing kiss with

Wesley in the high school library. She cringed.

"That's besides the point. We're not talking about me. We're talking about that girl. She was all over you!"

"Her name is Courtney and why is it bothering you so badly?" Realization dawned on him. "You're jealous!"

Cordelia gasped. "No I'm not!"

Doyle leaned over nuzzling her neck and leaving a soft kiss. "Come on, Cord. I'm sorry but you're the only girl for me."

Cordelia pouted. "I just don't like other girls, even if they are only in fifth grade, looking at you like that. You're mine."

Doyle left another kiss in the hollow of her throat. "I am yours. Totally."

Cordelia smiled. "Really?"

Matt leaned up from behind them. "No making out on the bus."

Cordelia gasped and turned around. "Matt!"

Abby glared at him. "Shut up, Mathew. They're in love."

Matt shrugged. "They'll get yelled at. Bus rules."

He pointed to the list of rules on the emergency exit.

Sure enough number twelve read. 'No Kissing or punishment will be delivered'.

Cordelia broke into a smile. "Thank you, Matt. I am glad you're concerned about us."

He raised an eyebrow and brought his game boy back to his face.

Cordelia turned back to Doyle. Quietly she asked.

"Do you really like me as much as you claim to?" Her eyes twinkled happilly.

He opened his mouth to respond when he was hit by a vision. He grabbed his head and howled in pain.

Matt looked at him over the gameboy. "He's being punished."

Abby glared at him once again. "Nuh-uh. He's having a vision."

Doyle regained control of himself.

"Well," Cordelia said feining annoyment. "You had better not think this is going to fall in the cute catagory while during our relationship I ask you to take out the trash or drive the kids to school and you force a vision to get out of it."

Doyle sent her an odd look.

"Sheesh. I was kidding. What did you see?"

"A room." he started, running a hand over his forehead. "It had these secret passages behind it's walls."

"Did you recognize it?" she asked worried.

Doyle shook his head. "No. I don't understand what I'm supposed to do if I don't know where it is."

Cordelia soothingly patted his hand. "We'll just have to be on the look out. Stay on our toes."

* * *

Cordelia yelped and almost toppled over as an elephant squealed in her ear.

Doyle neatly steadied her. "On our toes, eh?"

Cordelia slapped him. "Don't. Do you want me to start on your reaction to the Flamingos?"

Doyle shuddered. "Sorry, it's just all that pink and the beaks and that whole standing on one leg thing..."

Cordelia pursed her lips. "Uh-huh!"

Doyle went to defend himself when a zoo keeper walked up.

"Hi, I'm Joe. I'll be taking your students for awhile."

Cordelia stepped protectively in front of them. "Excuse me?"

Joe held a hand out. "The zoo gives the students a special tour. I'll be taking them off of your hands.

You can come back here in an hour to pick them up."

Cordelia shook his hand and glanced worriedly at Doyle. "Can't we go?"

Joe shook his head. "The zoo only pays for students. It gives the teachers a little break. You two can go have lunch, whatever."

Cordelia bit her lip. "If we payed our own fare would we be able to stay with them?"

Joe shook his head. "Sorry, it's too late. Don't worry though. I'll have them back safe and sound.

They'll be yelling in your ears before you realize they were gone."

Cordelia nodded slowly. "Okay, but you take GOOD care of them. Don't let any of them out of your sight."

He nodded. "They'll be fine."

Cordelia and Doyle watched as their students were taken away.

Doyle turned to her. "We might as well make the best of it. How about I take the most beautiful girl in the world out to lunch."

"And what am I going to do with my time while you do that?"

Doyle tickled her playfully. "You know I meant you."

Cordelia smiled. "I guess I'll go out to lunch with an icky demon then."

He tickled her relentlessly. "Hey!"

She broke away with a giggle. "Take me out already!"

* * *

Cordelia adjusted her sunglasses and looked at her watch. "They should be here any-"

"Miss Chase!"

Cordelia looked up as Charlie ran up and hugged her legs. "We saw a hippo!"

Cordelia smiled. "That sounds really fun."

Doyle took out the attendance sheet and began doing a head count. After a moment he froze. "Uh, Cord. We're missing one."

Cordelia spun to him. "What?!"

Doyle did a frantic recount. "We're one short." He skimmed down the list. "Rebecca. Rebecca Smith is missing. She's a fifth grader."

Cordelia looked at the students. "Has anyone seen Rebecca Smith?...We are missing a student and it's not even ours." she cried distressed. She spun at Joe.

"You lost one?! How could you lose a child! I told you to be careful!" She fanned a hand in front of her face. "What are we going to do?"

"I knew it." a dark voice said from the shadows behind her.

She spun with a gasp.

Xander stood behind her. "I knew something would happen to Rebecca. My family has bad luck with zoos."

"You were right. And I thought it was just because you were a hyena." Spike said walking out from the shadows. He held a giant umbrella over his head to block the sunlight.

Xander glared. "My baby cousin is lost and someone's gonna pay for this."

Spike growled. "Zoos. So incompitant."

Doyle stared Xander in the eye. "She was our responsiblity. We are going to find her. I promise you."

Xander shook his hand. "I'm with you."

Part 3 Back to Star Crossed