5
“Keep your kilt on, Wes, we got him,” Faith said into her hand-phone, walking briskly down the pavement. The sun had set barely a half hour ago and on the other end of the line, Wesley was voicing his annoyance at being informed of the result so late after the event.
“Kilt? Bloody hell Faith, I’m English.”
“Yeah well, either way.” Faith shrugged. “Nobody wants to see that.”
She grinned when she heard Wes take a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll see you girls at the office tomorrow. We need to discuss how we’re going to go about this. If he’s a team player now he might be able to give us easy access to files and information.”
“Sure.” Faith said, smiling when she saw the apartment block she was looking for. “Just get Cordelia to ask him.”
“Why’s that?”
“Buff and I think he has a thing for her.”
“Right.” Wesley cleared his throat. “Well, what she does on her own time – ”
“She didn’t think it was very professional.” Faith shrugged. “Either that or she wasn’t interested.”
“Wasn’t she seeing that banker a few weeks ago?” Wesley seemed to be contemplating. “One needs a scorecard to keep track with you girls.”
“Speaking of …” Faith said, checking the palm of her hand for the flat number she’d written down. “I gotta go. I have to see a hot fireman about a hose…”
“What?” Wesley sounded appalled. “But – ”
“Gotta go Wes.” Faith snapped the phone shut, glancing up at the building. She made a clicking sound with her tongue. “Mind blowing sex, here I come.”
***
The music blaring through the bar was a little too loud for Cordelia’s taste. This was supposed to be a classy joint for goodness sake. There were barely any left in Los Angeles that weren’t ridiculously expensive.
Not that she couldn’t afford it. But she enjoyed company. And apparently, company had different taste altogether.
Speaking of which –
“Come on, Chase. You got your guy, what are you wearing creases into your forehead for?”
Cordelia turned her head and glared at her companion. Riley Finn shot her a shit-eating grin, tipping his beer bottle in her direction. Ass. He was supposed to be her best friend, which meant he was supposed to know that you NEVER mentioned or even implied ‘wrinkles’ around Cordelia Chase.
Knowingly, Riley brought the bottle to his lips, taking a swig before he spoke again. “Seriously Cor, what’s your trauma?”
“Oh, don’t even – ” Cordy raised her hand and shoved it in his face, shaking her head indignantly. “Do NOT use my lingo against me.”
Riley laughed. “Alright, my bad. But what’s got you so riled?”
Cory sighed, sipping her cosmopolitan. “I just – I don’t know for certain that this guy trusts us. And I’m definitely not sure we can trust him.”
“He’s a vampire.” Riley said, “Of course he can’t be trusted.”
“It’s not all black and white Ri, he has a soul.”
Riley frowned. “So?”
“So, he was a perfectly nice guy. *Really* nice actually.” Cordy said, remembering the way Angel had smiled and apologized for yelling.
Riley’s eyebrows shot up and he crossed his arms, smirking. “Really?”
Cordelia glanced at him. “Don’t start with me.”
“Hey, I’m just sayin’,” Riley chuckled, a glint in his eye, “That’s all it really took for you to fall for my charms.”
Yes, she had been involved with Riley briefly. Years ago – they’d dated for a while, had fun and found friendship instead. They were better off this way and neither could be happier. And oddly enough, Cordelia had discovered that, despite what society assumed, there were occasions when it wasn’t that difficult to remain close friends with someone who’d seen you naked (and vice versa).
“Yes, but now I find you repulsive and sexless.” Her smile took the bite out of her words and Riley grinned, covering his heart with his hand.
“Ouch.”
Cordy hid her own grin behind her glass as she sipped her drink, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
“So, what are you gonna do?” Riley asked, slouching in his seat.
“About what?”
Riley rolled his eyes. “About the vamp with the girly name?”
Cordy laughed. “Oh. I don’t know. Just go with the flow I guess. See where the situation takes us.”
“Sure.” Riley shrugged. “That’s what I would have said.”
A disbelieving smirk curled Cordelia’s lips but she let the comment slide. “After all, there’s nothing the girls and I can’t handle.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Riley clinked her glass with his bottle. “You want another one?”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I gotta head home.”
“Suit yourself gorgeous.” Riley stood, grabbing his wallet. “I’m gonna hang around. There’s a sweet little redhead at the bar who’s been eyeing me for the past five minutes.”
Cordy swivelled in her seat, searching for the girl. Her eyes landed on a barely-clad redhead in the centre of the bar, leaning against the counter, her large breasts pushed out in an inviting gesture. Her eyes caught Cordelia’s and she quickly looked away.
Cordy turned around. “You’re a pig.”
“You can take the boy off the farm… etc, etc,” Riley laughed and leaned closer, a definite sparkle in his eyes. “Besides, you know I’m only into animals of the two-legged, high-heeled and gorgeous variety.”
Cordy’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, especially in front of the girl. “Sharing your barnyard fantasies with me isn’t going to win you any points with your bosom pal at the bar.” Riley walked around the table and pressed a kiss to Cordy’s forehead, then swiftly walked past her towards the bar. “You must be losing your touch!” She threw over her shoulder.
Riley didn’t turn around. “Call me in the morning and find out!”
***
Cordelia stepped out of the bar, nodding her head to the bouncer as she wrapped her coat around her. She was so beautiful, so elegant and sophisticated in the way she spoke, the way she moved. She glanced over her shoulder almost suspiciously, and for a moment he panicked, stepping back from the ledge. Could she sense him?
But just as quickly, she faced forward again, walking towards the end of the street.
Watching silently from the rooftops above, Angel followed.
***
Buffy stood at the DVD counter, tapping her fingers while she waited for the clerk. The sound from the TV above the counter blared over the noisy voices in the store. It was clearly a talk show of some sort. An attractive middle-aged woman with blonde hair and a camel coloured suit was giving her views on relationships.
“I truly believe that without love, life is miserable. Love is the true essence of character. Certainly one may try and go about their daily duties, but a lack of love can easily affect one’s thoughts, moods and actions. School, home, work – one can become unwittingly distracted and unfocused on what they’re doing. Love is the key to undoing that, and a happy and motivated lifestyle.”
Buffy frowned in dismay, then mentally chastised herself for listening to such psychobabble. She snorted, rolling her eyes. The clerk appeared behind the counter and she handed him the DVDs, dismissing the talk show’s theory.
***
Cordelia frowned, looking over her shoulder for the third time since leaving the bar.
Nothing.
What the hell? The back of her neck was tingling, as though someone was watching her. She’d been all set to throw her fists up but she couldn’t see anyone or anything. And there was the fact that the presence itself didn’t feel dangerous – it felt oddly comforting. Like some sort of guardian angel…
Cordy snorted. “You’re going crazy, Cor.”
She drew the coat tighter around her, feeling for the small knife and stake she was carrying in her right pocket. Maybe she really was going crazy. But she could have sworn –
There it was again. The tingling at the back of her neck. And it was getting worse. If no one was following her, then – oh God, maybe something terrible had happened to Buffy, or Faith, or Wes – or Riley. What if that skanky redhead had really been a demon? Those breasts certainly looked evil…
A few feet behind her, something glided swiftly through the air, landing with a barely audible tap on the ground. Cordy turned swiftly, her weapons drawn. It took a few seconds for her eyes to make out the figure in the darkness – it was nearly camouflaged in its black ensemble.
She sprinted forward, abruptly slamming into the creature before it had a chance to react. It yelped in surprise and she threw her fist at it, catching it in the nose. It stumbled slightly and she lunged at it again, only to have it move around and grab her from the back.
Cordy blinked. She barely even saw it move.
The creature put one arm around her waist and one around her shoulders, pushing her back into a hard, muscular chest. Its anatomy seemed human – male. Vampire, Cordy thought, struggling against his hold as he gripped her tight.
“Calm down!” His lips brushed her ear and she was disconcerted to realize that she vaguely recognised the voice. More disturbing was the shiver that went through her at the contact.
“Screw that!” Cordy kicked her right leg all the way up and above her shoulder, catching him in the nose. He released her and she pivoted on her heel, reaching blindly for his collar and shoving him against the wall, her stake held high. The moon emerged from behind a cloud, shining light on the scene.
That was when she knew why she’d recognized the voice.
“Angel?”
***
Angel raised his hands in the air, eyeing Cordelia’s stake nervously. Well, this wasn’t going well. He inwardly smacked himself for not being more stealthy. He certainly hadn’t meant to startle her. Or get caught like a complete novice, for that matter.
And now she was looking at him as though she wanted to drive a stake through his heart. Or as though he was completely mad. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t too far off the mark. The woman had breezed into his office and, through absolutely no conscious thought of her own, managed to turn him into an untrained, undisciplined pup. It was embarrassing enough that he had to think it to himself. Then he’d gone and let himself get caught acting like a hormonal imbecile.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cordelia asked, her voice angry as she lowered her stake. “I nearly skewered you!”
“I’m sorry!” Angel said, and he genuinely meant it. For startling her, not for watching and following her, though he was smart enough not to bring that up –
“Were you following me?”
And now he’d have to fumble his way through an explanation that he wasn’t sure he’d believe himself. Was there no end to the mortification?
Cordelia narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Well?”
“Of course not,” Angel said, shaking his head. “I was just…I was in the neighbourhood and – ”
Cordelia let out a disbelieving snort and Angel wanted the ground to swallow him up. Why the hell did he always have to act like such a moron around her?
“Right…” She said, hands on her hips. “I don’t believe you, Angel. Not only that, I nearly staked you, which by the way? Would have turned out a LOT worse for me than for you!”
Angel’s jaw dropped in confusion. “Wh…what? How?”
Cordelia took a step closer to him. Still glaring, she padded him down with her hands. She was checking for weapons, he realized. He could feel the warmth of her hands as they pressed against him, over his shoulders, his upper biceps, his wrists, his chest, his waist –
Angel closed his eyes, stifling a moan. She had no idea what she was doing to him. This felt way too good for a weapons check. If she didn’t stop –
He grabbed both her wrists and quickly set her from him. Cordelia’s brows knitted together in question, but she drew her hands away, crossing her arms. Angel opened his eyes then, feeling relieved and disappointed all at once. He quickly abandoned the thought of throwing her up against the wall.
“Because,” Cordelia answered, “I have a job to do. I have to help you and protect you and set you back on track. Killing you doesn’t quite fit the criteria.”
“You have to protect me?” Angel felt strangely warm.
“Sure I do. You may be a big, badass vampire but everyone needs someone to look after them once in a while.” She didn’t notice the way his eyes softened, or the way his lips curled up just slightly at the edges. “And what thanks do I get?” The smile disappeared instantly when she poked him in the chest with her finger. “You nearly made me lose my job!”
When Angel’s brow creased in confusion, Cordelia cleared her throat. “Well, maybe the Powers can’t fire me, but they can sure as hell do something bad!”
Though the theory was ridiculous, Angel had the courtesy to look sheepish. “I’m sorry.”
Cordelia glared at him for a few seconds, but then seemed to relent. She sighed, rolling her eyes. “What were you doing following me, anyway?”
Angel shrugged, playing with his fingers. “I just…wanted to make sure you got home safely.”
There was a silence and when he looked up she seemed to be fighting a smile. But she couldn’t hide the softness in her eyes. “That’s sweet. I’m a big girl though. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can.” He looked her directly in the eye, allowing a smile to curl his lips. “But everyone needs someone to look after them once in a while.”
Cordelia opened her mouth, then closed it again, biting her lip as the smile she’d been fighting escaped. A pretty blush coloured her cheeks and her neck and Angel had the sudden urge to kiss her there.
He took a step forward but she looked away, breaking their gaze. He sighed disappointedly, watching her as she took a step back, and then another. But when she looked up, she was smiling.
“Who knew the stoic vampire had a sense of humour?” She whispered, her smile widening when he grinned. She raised a finger, taking another step back. “I’m going home now. And there shall be no more following.”
When he didn’t respond, she raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”
He shrugged half-heartedly. “Sure.”
“Good.” She stopped in her tracks, cocking her head. “Goodnight Angel.”
“Goodnight Miss Chase.”
“Cordelia. Or Cordy. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“Goodnight Cordy.”
She grinned, shaking her head. Then she turned and walked away.
Angel smiled, blending into the shadows as he watched her retreating form.
He followed her of course.
***
Buffy held the bucket of ice cream in one hand as she strolled towards her car, her latest DVD rentals in the other. It was slightly chilly out and the street was lit by dim streetlights, giving it an almost eerie glow. Buffy placed the ice cream on the ground for a moment, zipping up her brown leather jacket.
She bent to retrieve the ice cream, pausing as her senses tingled. Something didn’t feel right. Slowly, she turned around. She barely had a second to widen her eyes in shock before –
“Ouch!” Buffy went flying a few feet, landing hard on her ass. The DVDs flew away from her, clattering noisily to the ground. She groaned, pushing herself up on her elbows, glaring at her opponent.
The demon was large, the horns on its head giving it an extra foot of height at least. Its talons were sharp, like its teeth and it snarled at her, crouching as though ready to pounce. Its skin was a deep burgundy colour, and appeared to be creased with wrinkles. Its face was covered in ugly, crater like gashes.
Buffy sprang up, dusting herself off and realizing with dismay that she didn’t have a weapon on her. “Dammit!
The demon charged forward, lashing out with its talons. Buffy ducked, swiftly punching up against its jaw. She felt something crack and the demon stumbled backwards.
“Guess I’ll just have to settle for breaking your neck.”
Buffy performed a spin kick, knocking the distracted demon off its feet. It landed on the pavement and Buffy kicked it again in the side, sending it flying against a lamppost. The glass overhead detached from the frame and dropped, crashing over the demon’s head.
Buffy stalked forward, her hands stretched out to grab the demon’s head. She reached out, yelping when the demon grabbed her wrists, shoving her backward. She threw a fist in its face, raising a leg to kick out but the demon caught her leg, spinning her around twice before throwing her against a wall.
Buffy felt the world spin, saw the ground move rapidly beneath her before she slammed sideways against the wall, falling down onto the closed lid of a large dumpster. She moaned, closing her eyes against the dizziness, only to find that that made it worse.
When the demon began walking towards her, she quickly sat up, wincing. The demon reached out and Buffy bent both legs, pushing them out suddenly into its chest. It growled, falling back and she jumped off the dumpster, clutching her injured side.
She couldn’t break its neck. She had to get to her car – there were weapons inside.
She moved around the demon as fast as she could, searching her pockets wildly for her car keys.
“Come on, come on!”
Finally, she got her hands on them, a few feet away from the car. She reached for the door handle –
She was grabbed by the hair and pulled back. The demon threw her to the ground with unrivalled force and Buffy felt her lip split open. Before she could recover, she was grabbed again and hurled through the air once more. She landed against the sharp edge of the pavement, a whimper escaping her.
The demon bellowed, uncurling its fist to reveal three long talons, sharp like knives and just as deadly. It stopped in front of her, stepping down on her foot so she couldn’t escape.
Xander flashed through her mind, with his cheeky grin and boyish charm. Her mother and sister, with their unconditional affection. Cordelia, with her sharp tongue and beautiful heart. Faith, with her brazen manner and quiet kindness. Wes, with his stiff upper lip and genuine good nature –
The demon reared its arm back for the killing blow.
Buffy screamed.
***
Faith whistled to herself, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she walked away from the block of apartments.
The block of apartments where she’d just had mind-blowing sex.
She grinned to herself, stretching her arms up and letting out a satisfied moan. Apartment 1221 to be exact. The guy – what was the name of the guy, again? Ah well, he was damn good.
Something tingled at the back of her neck and she turned, checking to see if he was watching her from his bedroom window. Nope, no sign of the guy. Then what…?
Something was wrong.
Close by, someone screamed.
Faith sighed. “That would be it.”
She rounded the corner and broke into a sprint.
***
Buffy brought her fists up, preparing to grab his hands – or at least attempt to – before those talons touched her. She felt tiny droplets of blood on her face and she blinked several times, trying to establish where she’d been hurt.
But all she could feel were the bruises on her back and side – and those weren’t bleeding.
The demon howled, stepping off her foot and Buffy pulled her legs against her, staring at it. An arrow protruded from its chest, a thick sheen of the demon’s blood covering the end of it.
Buffy blinked in confusion. “What…?”
“Hey Pock-face!” She vaguely recognized the voice. “Pick on someone your own size!”
Buffy raised her head to see Faith, her fists raised, the crossbow she had just used at her feet.
“Well, not that I’m that much taller than B, but whatever.”
Buffy grabbed the back of her head, raising herself onto her palms. Faith punched the demon in the face, jumping on one foot and kicking high with the other, knocking its head back. The demon growled, attempting to grab her as she ducked, moving around it. She grabbed the arrow from the back and pulled it out sharply, making the demon cry out in pain.
Buffy watched the scene. What the hell had happened? She’d had control of the situation one moment, the next she was three talons away from death’s doorstep. Her head swirled and she pressed her palm to her forehead, disappointed with herself.
Faith kicked up a garbage can, sending it flying towards the demon. It caught it square in the face, knocking it backwards. Faith loaded the crossbow again, aiming at the demon. She pulled the trigger and the arrow went racing through the air, slicing through the demon’s lower shoulder. The creature yowled, spinning around.
Faith wasted no time. Pulling out a small knife from her jacket pocket, she threw it through the air. It spun rapidly across the short distance between them, solidly imbedding itself between the demon’s eyebrows. The demon released a deep groan before its eyes rolled back in its head. It fell forward into its knees, then flat on its face, dead.
“And THAT’S kicking your ass!”
Faith put the crossbow down with a grin and jogged towards Buffy, helping her up. Buffy stood, rubbing her forehead and staring at the dead demon. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Faith let her go. “You alright?”
“Yeah, just a little woozy. Good thing you showed up.” Buffy glanced at her companion curiously. “Speaking of which, what are you doing here, anyway?”
“Aside from saving your ass?” Faith asked, quickly continuing before Buffy had the chance to retort. “Was just in the neighbourhood, I guess.”
Buffy looked suspicious. “Why? Your house is miles from here.”
“Yeah, but the guy I just screwed lives around the block.” Faith said shrugging. She knelt beside the dead demon, retrieving her knife and arrows with a sickening squelch.
“Oh.” Buffy was surprised at the sudden feeling of bitterness that went through her. That was odd. She knew all about Faith’s unabashed love life. She’d never resented it before.
“Anyway,” Faith said, standing and collecting her bag. “I gotta get going. You sure you’re okay, honey?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Buffy nodded, managing a smile. “Thanks Faith.”
Faith winked at her, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
“Great. Night.”
“Night.” Buffy watched as Faith disappeared behind the corner, releasing a heavy sigh. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d felt fine earlier, and now she was angry, disgruntled and more than a little tired. She’d nearly been killed tonight, and while that was a common risk in her line of work, tonight felt different. She felt as though she needed to wake up and smell something but she wasn’t sure what.
She recalled her thoughts when the demon had launched what she thought was its final attack. She’d thought of her friends, her family – and yet she’d felt as though something was missing, someone…
“I truly believe that without love, life is miserable. Love is the true essence of character. Certainly one may try and go about their daily duties, but a lack of love can easily affect one’s thoughts, moods and actions. School, home, work – one could become unwittingly distracted and unfocused on what they’re doing. Love is the key to undoing that, and a happy and motivated lifestyle.”
She heard the woman on the talk show’s voice in her head, scrunching up her face in confusion. Was she letting a lack of love in her life affect her work? Was she being distracted without knowing it? Was she living some sort of unfulfilled existence?
Buffy shook her head, tempted to laugh at herself. She was allowing some melodramatic psychobabble to upset her. The idea itself was ridiculous.
She retrieved her fallen car keys off the ground and began walking towards her car. After all, Faith and Cordelia hadn’t found love yet and they were perfectly fine.
Buffy stopped in her tracks. Faith didn’t really seem to want love; she had plenty of lust to fuel her. As for Cordelia, she seemed to have a new prospect. And even before that, she’d never craved love or companionship the way Buffy had. They’d all turned down their fair share of ‘below their league’ men, but Cordelia by far held the highest tally.
Buffy sighed, opening the door and slumping into the driver’s seat of her car. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, pressing 1 on her speed dial. The phone rang several times before it was picked up, and a sleepy voice yawned into the receiver.
“Riley, if you mention the words redhead, boobs, pigs or rolling, I’ll kill you dead.”
“It’s Buffy.” Buffy clarified, raising an eyebrow. “Though wouldn’t that make an interesting conversation…”
She heard a shuffle. “Buff?” Cordelia suddenly sounded worried, if not a little disorientated. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just – ” She was interrupted by a loud yawn. “Were you sleeping?”
“Were being the operative word.”
Buffy glanced at her watch in confusion. “What are you doing in bed at 11:30? I thought you were LA’s party girl.”
“Mental exhaustion.” Cordy said matter-of-factly. “I had drinks with Riley.”
“Aah.” Buffy smiled in understanding. “What’s all that about anyway?”
“You woke me up and now you wanna discuss my best friend’s sex life? That would be a big fat NO from my end.” Cordelia sounded a little peeved and Buffy had to laugh. “Now what’s really going on?”
“Well, I kindof wanted to discuss someone’s sex life – ”
“No Buffy! Faith’s interest in it is disturbing enough – ”
“Not yours!” Buffy said, exasperated. “Mine!”
“Oh.” Cordy sounded a little more awake now. “What about it?”
“Well, it doesn’t really exist. It’s odd, I’ve had so many bad experiences when it comes to love and yet,” Buffy sighed, fiddling with her fingers, “I still really want it. With the right guy, I mean.”
She could almost see Cordelia rolling her eyes. “Don’t we all…”
“Not as much as I do!” Buffy said, wincing when she realized she sounded like a little girl. “Faith has her casual sex, you have your fair share of boyfriends – ”
“So do you.”
“But it’s all over too soon and I’ve never really that all encompassing feeling of…ya know?” Buffy didn’t really know how to describe it, but she hoped Cordelia understood. She found herself babbling, a little hysterical after the night’s events.
“Maybe it’s to do with the fact that I never really had a close relationship with my father and I’ve always wanted that intimacy with a man. Obviously not in an incestuous way, but you know what I mean…”
When there was no response, Buffy frowned. “Do you know what I mean?”
Again, silence. Then – “Have you been watching Oprah again?”
“Do you know when the last time I had sex was?” Buffy burst out, aggravated that Cordelia wasn’t understanding her.
Cordy grimaced. “No, and I don’t want to.”
Buffy ignored her. “I don’t remember! That’s how long ago it was!”
“Buffy, I think you’re overreacting.”
“I’m not, Cordy.” Buffy said softly, throwing her hands up in defeat. “I didn’t really think about it before now, but it all makes sense. A demon attacked me tonight and I just fell apart. Thank God Faith showed up – ”
“Are you okay?” Cordy immediately sounded concerned.
“I guess.” Buffy shrugged. “Not really though. I think this whole not being in love thing might be affecting my work.”
“Okay, generally, being in love tends to affect your work.”
“Not according to the psychologist I watched on TV – ”
“A-ha! I KNEW you’d been listening to psychobabble! I can’t believe you let it get to you.”
“It made sense!” Buffy protested, irritated. “We *need* love!”
“Pfft!”
“Ya know what? Never mind.” Buffy growled. “I should have called my mom.”
Cordelia snorted. “You were gonna to talk to your mom about your sex life?”
Buffy paused, contemplating that. She shrugged. “Touché.”
“Look Buffy,” Cordelia suddenly sounded serious, and more importantly, sincere. “You are a smart, strong, beautiful woman. Every other woman in this city is looking for exactly the same thing you are. And eventually, they may even find it. But you don’t need a man – you want one. And when the right one comes along, you’ll know it. ” Buffy picked up a hint of amusement in her voice. “Hell, I think he’s already under your nose.”
“But you can’t stop living your life. Quit worrying that you haven’t found him yet, or that it’s somehow affecting your work or your personality. You are perfect as you are, and the right guy is gonna love you for just that.”
Buffy blinked, touched. “Wow. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d been watching talk shows. Either that or you had a better night than I did.”
“You could say that.” Cordy murmured, and there was something in her voice Buffy couldn’t decipher. “But now that I’ve given you my expert opinion and a pep talk, which I usually charge for by the way, I ask that you leave me in peace.”
“Yeah, yeah, get back to bed.” Buffy chuckled. Her tone quickly turned serious. “Thank you, Cordelia.”
“What am I here for?” Cordy asked. “Though I am gonna be a moody bitch in the morning.”
“I can live with that.” Buffy said with a smile, pulling the seatbelt across her chest and strapping herself in. “Night.”
“Night. Hey Buff?” There was that hint of amusement again. “Has it really been *that* long?”
Buffy’s jaw dropped. She opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by Cordelia hanging up the phone. She stared at her mobile, the engaged tone still ringing in her ear. Snapping it shut, she pocketed it, turning the on the ignition in her car with an annoyed jerk.
“Damn them, with their decent sex lives.”
