MUSIC: Title comes from the Kim Richey CD. The lyrics are off of the Louie Says CD..specifically the song “She” which was also used in Reptile Boy.
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to the god known as Joss. No sue-age for I am not a god and merely a poor college kid. Deal with the poorness.
DEDICATION: To Sash. Thanks for the wakey.
She pressed her back up against the hard granite of the wall behind her and allowed her gaze to sweep across the courtyard. She could see him standing by the fountain, leaning casually forward, a large smile crossing his face. He laughed. She frowned.
It'd been almost two weeks since the raven haired second slayer Faith had shown up in Sunnydale. She had very quickly made friends with the rest of the Scooby Gang and had even forged an uneasy alliance with Buffy. And now it looked like she was moving in on Xander.
Cordelia Chase shook her head. She wasn't the jealous type. She never had been. She'd actually never had reason to be. Well aside from the initial appearance of Buffy back during sophomore year but even that had faded away quickly when Buffy had made an outcast of herself within the first three days.
And there was of course the whole Xander thinking he was madly in love with Buffy thing. That had been a problem for a good long while until she had realized just how utterly gone the little blonde Slayer was on Angel. Buffy had no interest in Xander. No fight there.
Faith was an entirely different problem altogether.
The tall dark-haired Slayer leaned forward and gently slapped Xander against the chest, laughing at some stupid joke of his. And he of course beamed with pride and went straight into his next old and decrepit punch line. What did he see in Slayers anyways? They were going to die. How was that a turn-on?
"You okay, Cordy?" A soft voice said from beside her. Involuntarily, she jerked. Her face flushed with embarrassment, she turned and looked at the small form of Buffy Summers who was watching her with concerned blue eyes.
She smiled weakly," Fine. Just getting some air." Her eyes switched back to watching Xander and Faith. They were laughing again, looking near tears.
"He's not interested in her. Not really." Buffy said, pushing herself up on the wall and sitting on the overhang.
"You could fool me," Cordelia muttered.
"It's just Xander being Xander." Buffy replied, her eyes also tracking over to where Faith and Xander were. Faith was leaning forward again, her body language almost suggestive and yet Buffy suspected that that was more habit than actual interest. Faith seemed to be quite the flirt.
"Ya well..it gets old," Cordelia said, sighing loudly. Then she shook her head. "Oh this is stupid. Look at me..like she can compare. Whatever." She pushed herself away from the wall and began to move towards the fountain, her strides long and tense. Wonderful.
Buffy made a grunting noise and then followed after the tall cheerleader. Cordelia wasn't the type to get violent but that made very little difference. A conflict was a conflict and everyone's nerves were already pulled about as tight as they could get without ripping. Especially her own.
Her mind flashed on an image of Angel. Lying on the floor of the mansion, shaking in the seemingly unbreakable hold of his nightmares. She shook her head. That was a problem she wasn't quite ready to deal with it. Running her hand through her hair, she made the conscious choice to push it back until it was hidden in the darkness of her soul. Hidden where only she could make it reappear. In theory.
"Xander," Cordelia said, striding up to him and wrapping a hand around his arm. He blinked in surprise and then leaned across and kissed her.
"Cor, what's up? Big trouble or just hair problems?" Xander grinned. Faith chuckled.
"So not funny." She glanced over at Faith and then looked away, slipping back into her absentee bitch mode.
"Okay. What can I do ya for?" Xander asked, taking her hand. He looked up when he saw Buffy approach and flashed her a smile. "Buffster, hey! It's a regular party."
"It's not," Buffy said, smiling weakly. "Faith and I..we..uh..we need to do something."
"We do?" Faith asked, looking slightly suspicious.
Buffy nodded. "We do. Um, patrol."
"It's four in the afternoon. The sun doesn't set for another two hours." Faith reminded her, settling her hands on her hips and cocking her head to one side.
Buffy chuckled uneasily and rushed for a back-up reply,"Uh ya..but Giles think we should take a look during the day..just..because.."
"Because some of the demons might have forgotten that the sun makes them the equivalent of duraflame logs?" Faith queried, seeming almost amused as she made Buffy squirm.
"Exactly," Buffy replied. Then she sombered up and reached for Faith's arm. "Let's go." She nodded to the others. "See you guys at the Bronze later tonight, right?"
Xander nodded,"Ayup. Cake's playing."
"Great. Lates." Buffy smiled again and then pulled Faith after her.
Xander watched for a moment and then turned to Cordelia, "Well that was odd. Then again, it's Buffy.."
"Right," Cordelia murmured. "It's Buffy." Then she looked up at him. "Or it's Faith. What's that all about?"
"So you gonna tell me what that was all about, B?" Faith asked, disentangling herself from Buffy's grasp as soon as they entered the main hall of the school building and were walking towards the Library.
"Xand has a girlfriend, Faith." Buffy replied, not meeting the taller Slayers' eyes.
"And your point?"
"Just..just don't encourage it, okay?"
Faith lifted an eyebrow, half-amused and half-annoyed. "You really are wound too tight. I'm not moving in on Xander."
"Well it kinda looked that way," Buffy said, stopping to look at Faith, her eyes still darting away. For some reason, ever since she'd started hiding Angel. she'd been loathe to make eye contact, certain that the others would be able to see the truth lurking behind her blues.
"Well I wasn't. He was funny. I was laughing. No big." Faith replied, leaning against the wall. "Besides, he's sorta not my type."
"He's a good guy," Buffy said softly.
"Didn't say he wasn't. Just not the kinda guy I want to get naked with." She paused. "What about you? Or is it just studly dead guys for you?"
Buffy's eyes flashed upwards, glittering dangerously. She bit back on her first retort and instead ground out," Don't talk about Angel."
Faith shrugged, seemingly painfully nonchalant about the whole thing. "Hey, no skin off my back. Just trying to figure out why you're so tense all of the sudden."
"All of the sudden?" Buffy queried, taking an involuntary step away.
"Yeah. A couple of days ago, you seemed calmer and more party hardy..you've been wound like a yo-yo since that night you replaced me on wolfie-watch."
"Good recall," Buffy murmured.
"What?"
"Hm. Oh, nothing. Just stuff. Nothing big." Then she shook her head. "Point is, nothing is wrong."
"Okay," Faith said with a nod, reaching into her pocket and fingering a pack of cigarettes. Buffy eyed them warily."So we should go patrol."
"It's daylight still."
"See..*I* know this." Faith said with a grin.
Buffy rolled her eyes,"Come on. We’ll check in and then go get something to eat before it gets dark." She flipped a hand casually in the air as they entered the Library. She smiled when she saw Giles and Willow sitting at the table, heatedly discussing some dusty volume sitting in front of them.
“Hey,” Buffy said, smiling slightly as she saw her Watcher run a hand through his hair in obvious frustration. The next sign, his removing of his glasses came a moment later. “Problems?”
“Hm. Oh..Buffy, Faith, hello. Problems? No, of course not.”
Faith lifted an eyebrow, “Okay and I thought you were corked, B.”
“What’s up, Giles?” Buffy asked, concern creasing her brow.
Willow stood up beside Giles,”Well..it would seem that someone has been making a lot of fledgling vamps around town..”
“Yes..” Giles sighed. “And they seemed to have gathered..nested persay.. near the Bronze.”
Buffy rolled her eyes and slumped into one of the seats. Faith followed her lead by settling onto the top of the table. “Go on,” Buffy murmured dryly. “Ruin my night.” And yet even as she tried to focus on the words her Watcher was saying, all she could think about were the two friends she’d left out in the courtyard.
Xander paced a few feet and then turned back to gaze at his girlfriend who was sitting on the bench surrounding the fountain. "Are you serious? I was making with the funny. That wasn't flirting."
"It looked like it to me. Why are you obsessed with Slayers? Am I not good enough for you?" She ran a slightly shaking hand through her dark hair.
"Of course you are. Where is this coming from?"
She shook her head in disbelief, "You really don't get it do you? Do you have any idea what you look like when you're talking to Faith?"
"No. Enlighten me." Xander snapped back, his voice taking on a defensive edge.
"Like a little boy in a candy shop. It was the same way with Buffy last year."
"So I'm friendly."
"So you're drooling," she hissed in reply. "I'm not stupid, Xander. I know you have a thing for exciting chicks like Buffy and Faith."
"Yeah..they're fun to hang with. But I'm with you aren't I?"
Cordelia gazed up at him, her eyes suddenly making her appear very young and vulnerable. "But am I who you want to be with."
"Of course," he replied instantly, dismissively.
"Don't," she said, speaking between tightly clenched teeth.
"Don't?" he repeated.
"Don't blow it off like I'm asking you if you're gonna go to class. This is serious. If Buffy said today that she'd be your girlfriend, would we still be going out?"
"She wouldn't say that. She's still in love with Angel." Xander replied, evasively.
Cordelia shook her head in disgust, "Great, thanks." She got to her feet and started to walk away but was stopped by his hand locking around her forearm.
"Hey! What is your problem?" Xander gazed back at her with concern but all she saw was confusion. And that just made her angrier.
She pushed his arm away, "You don't get it, do you? I ask you a simple question and you go around it! All I wanted to know was if you'd be with me if Buffy said she wanted you. But you can't even answer that, can you?"
"You didn't give me time.."
"You need time?" Cordelia asked, looking suddenly like she was about to dissolve into tears. "It's pretty much a yes or no question." She shook her head. "And you know what? I don't really wanna hear the answer." Pushing him away from her, she stalked away, looking every bit the angry woman she seemed to be.
Xander watched her for a long moment, her face contorted in confusion,"What the hell was that all about?"
The music was already winding its' way through the Bronze by the time Buffy and Faith entered. The smaller blonde slayer was rubbing her shoulder and looking more than a little pained. She glanced around quickly and caught sight of Willow and Oz sitting at a table, gazing at each other with puppy-dog eyes. Buffy shivered involuntarily and then began to weave towards them.
"Hey guys,”Buffy asked, falling into one of the chairs. Just moments after her butt had hit the seat, Willow was upon her, lifting the sleeve of her shirt so that she could inspect the wound.
“Are you okay?” Willow asked, using her hairclip to pin the sleeve away from the torn flesh. “Did you two find the fledgling nest?”
Faith nodded, still standing but carefully watching as Willow tended to Buffy’s wound. “We did. A couple got away but we partied.”
Buffy nodded, “We did. So hey, where’s the Mismatched Twosome?”
"They're fighting," Willow murmured, reaching across the table to pick up a white napkin. She dipped it into the water in front of Oz and then biting her tongue in concentration went to work wiping the dried blood away from the gash on Buffy's shoulder.
"Fighting?" Buffy said uneasily. "About?"
"Same ol', same ol'," Oz muttered, handing Willow a dry napkin.
Willow glanced up at Buffy, frowning slightly when she noticed the blonde skirt her eyes. "Cordelia's upset because Xander won't stop looking around and Xander..well..you know him."
"Lemme guess..he hasn't a clue."
Willow smiled, somewhat sadly. "That's why we love him."
"So, she's upset because she saw me and him talking?" Faith asked, eyebrow lifted. She glanced casually over at Buffy's shoulder and then looked back at Willow who was now gently probing the wound to ensure that nothing foreign had gotten stuck in it.
"No..well yes..no. It's more than that." Willow sighed dramatically. She and Buffy exchanged knowing looks. "Xander tends to roam. He's not very good at seeing what he already has.."
"Sounds like a typical guy," Faith said with a shrug.
"But he's not. He means well.." Willow protested, feeling like she should come to the defense of her oldest friend.
Buffy nodded,"He does. They both do. I'll go talk to him..her..see if I can help."
"I'll go with," Willow said, finishing the probing and then taking a step back so that she could inspect the wound in the light.
Buffy shook her head,"Nah. You're partying. I'll do it. Faith..you should probably stay here."
The tall slayer shrugged," Sure. I'm starved."
Buffy nodded thoughtfully and then raised a hand to push her sleeve down. She saw Willow frown. "It's fine."
"I know but I'd like to look at it again later...just to make sure. And you might wanna put some.."
"It's fine, Will. But I'll drop by later so you can play nurse again, ok?"
Willow smiled shyly and then nodded. Buffy turned and started walking away from the table but stopped when Will grabbed her arm. "Good luck."
She was laying on his bed when he came out of the bathroom. Lifting an eye in amusement, he looked down at her. "This is new."
She sat up and frowned at him," Hey Xand-man. Your..uh..your mom let me in...she couldn't quite recall where your room was."
"Good ol' mom," Xander grinned. "Gotta love the units. Good for a laugh everyday. So what brings you to my room. To my bed."
"Cordelia.”
“I believe the word for that is threesome..only in french.”
Buffy rolled her eyes, “I hear you guys had a fight."
He sighed deeply and turned away," I guess so. She's mad at me..I haven’t a clue why."
"Yeah, you do." Buffy said, nodding once. "Think about it."
"Don't you think I have?"
"No. I think you've tried but not really. Come on, Xand.."
He shook his head,"What do you want from me?"
"What I want is irrelevant. You and Cordy have issues and you hiding from each other ain't exactly the best way to solve them. Trust me.." she swallowed hard. "I know."
He studied her for a long moment and the nodded. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine. This is about Cordy. Don't change the subject."
"Fine. It's about Cordy. She thinks I'm obsessed with you. And with Faith."
"Are you?"
"No!"
"Okay. Then it's that easy. What's the problem?"
"I stalled."
"Why?" Buffy asked softly, absently rubbing her shoulder as it began to ache. She waved him off when he took a step towards her. "Why?"
"I don't know.."
"Yeah you do."
"What the fuck are you getting at?" Xander snapped suddenly, eyes glowing.
"Hey!" she replied sharply. "Don't get pissed off at me. I'm already the Queen of fucking up relationships but this one ain't my bad. Now you're always yelling at me to stop running..face your own music, Xan."
He shook his head and began to pace circles around his room, head down and deep in thought. He didn't even notice when Buffy lifted herself from the bed and wrapped her arms around him. "Do you love her?"
"What if I do?"
"Then there's something all of it's own that you have to face. But make sure..don't hurt her. She doesn't deserve that." Buffy said, resting her head on his shoulder.
He closed his eyes,"What do I do?"
"Come to my house in about an hour. Mom's staying in Los Angeles for the night. I'll get the gang over there..Cordy too..you guys can talk. Okay?"
He nodded slowly,"Okay."
"Good," she smiled. She took a step away from him and started towards the door.
"Hey Buff?"
"Ya?" she asked, turning.
She blinked," Sure. Ya. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I've just been worried..ever since Scott..well you know....you've seemed a little distracted."
She smiled faintly. They were catching on too quickly. "Just tired, Xand. That's all. See ya in an hour." And then turning on her heels, she made a quick departure before she was asked anymore questions.
She was leaning forward, eyes locked on the screen in front of her when she heard the front door open and someone call out a tentative hello. She lifted one hand to wave Cordelia into the house and then went back to focusing on the Nintendo game playing on her television.
"Hey Cordy," Willow chirped, patting the couch next to her.
"What are they doing?" Cordelia asked, gesturing towards the floor where Buffy and Oz were seated.
"Mortal Kombat. They've been locked in a grudge-match for almost an hour now." Willow replied, clapping as Oz scored a punch to Buffy's character.
"Fascinating." Cordelia murmured, taking a seat. "So uh..where is he?"
"Over here." Xander said softly, leaning against the swinging door to the kitchen. "Can we uh..talk?" His eyebrow lifted in worried confusion, seeming almost scared that she'd refuse.
She nodded.
Standing up, she crossed over to him and followed him into the kitchen. Buffy looked away from the screen momentarily so that she could exchange a glance with Willow and then hissed when Oz took advantage of her shift in focus and knocked her character down. "Cheater."
Oz grinned,"When I need to."
"So.." Xander began, obviously uneasy.
"So.." she repeated.
"Are you..uh..are you okay?" he licked his lips and shifted slightly, his very posture relaying how uncomfortable he was.
"Oh this is stupid," she muttered. "We've been going out for months..we can't even have a simple conversation.."
"Yeah we can.."
"Okay..then let's."
"We are."
"Are we?"
"Yes..I wanna say no."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"No..if Buffy asked me to date her today..I would say no. I'm with you."
There was a moment of silence and then she said softly,"Do you mean that?"
He nodded,"Yeah. God help me, Cor..I do."
She stared at him thoughtfully and then whispered,"So why are you just standing there? Why aren't you kissing me?"
His face exploded into a consuming smile. "I'm a damn fool." He took a step towards her and wrapped her into his arms.
"Yes, you are." She replied, kissing him soundly. "But it's cute."
"I know," he grinned, deepening the kiss and pulling her closer.
Buffy and Oz were still battling feverishly when Cordelia and Xander exited the kitchen, hand-in-hand. Buffy looked up, managing to throw a glare at Oz before she did. "So? All good?"
"Yep. He's accepted that I'm perfect," Cordelia grinned.
"Perfectly Cordy," Xander amended. "But it's why we all love her."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Uh huh." Shaking her head, she dropped her attention back to the game and let it sweep her thoughts away.
