Part 8<\/b><\/p>\n
Buffy Summers glanced one way down the hall and then the other noting with a sense of satisfaction that it was empty. Everyone was in their classes and the hall monitor was not in sight. Stealthily, she made her way to the library.<\/p>\n
Giles had been late arriving at school this morning. A tardy Giles was a sign of a forthcoming apocalypse to be certain, but he had not been there this morning when Buffy stopped in to talk to him about what she saw last night.<\/p>\n
Not that she planned to give her Watcher all of the shocking details, but just enough to let him know that Cordelia was back in town. No doubt she brought trouble with her. Angel had wasted no time falling under her spell.<\/p>\n
It hurt to think about it. Really hurt. After all of the love and care she had given Angel upon his return and despite his determination to be just friends, the fact that he was making love to Cordelia within five minutes of seeing her again was like a stake through the heart\u2014 her own crumbling broken one.<\/p>\n
Entering the library, she realized that Giles had to be in his office. Calling out to him, she sighed in relief as he appeared. God, she had to get this off her chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiles\u2014,\u201d she began only to notice that, \u201cyou look like hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her Watcher looked rumpled and sleepy-eyed, holding his glasses in his hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose. \u201cThank you for pointing out the obvious, Buffy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d She approached him cautiously hoping that this was not the result of another set-back in mourning Jenny Calendar. Though it had been over a year, Giles occasionally fell back into periods of depression. Buffy knew that Angel\u2019s return had set off the latest bout although she thought that had subsided.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most damnable thing,\u201d Giles began, his puzzled expression revealing this was not a Jenny-related issue. \u201cI\u2019ve been awake half of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cResearching?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Answering crank calls,\u201d he admitted with a shrug. \u201cEvery time I got back to sleep the telephone would ring and it would be some giggling idiot saying the most insane things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy was curious. School librarians weren\u2019t normally the targets of prank callers. Mr. Snyder the school principle\u2014 definitely, but not Giles. \u201cWhat kind of things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThings that are not worth repeating they are in such bad taste,\u201d Giles popped his glasses back on. As the room and Buffy came back into focus, he realized, \u201cShouldn\u2019t you be in class?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm. Is that the place you go when the bell rings and a teacher tries to force you to learn things you\u2019ll never need to know again?\u201d Buffy paused at his irritated look although that might simply be left over from his sleepless night. \u201cYeah, but I have a hall pass to the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich you used to sneak in here,\u201d Giles nodded his understanding even if it did not meet with his approval.<\/p>\n
Nodding, Buffy admitted it. \u201cWe need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt couldn\u2019t wait until lunchtime?\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles didn\u2019t stop long enough to wait for her response. He turned and went back into his office with Buffy following behind. \u201cThere\u2019s stuff I have to tell you. It\u2019s about\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Giles! Are you in here?\u201d The overly loud sound of Principle Snyder\u2019s voice echoed from the doorway.<\/p>\n
Buffy didn\u2019t want to be caught outside class even if she did have a hall pass. She waved Giles out of the office and crouched under his desk. Though the action seemed a little like overkill to the librarian, Giles stepped out to the main section of the library to greet his odiously irksome boss. The man once told Buffy that he was judge, jury and executioner as far as she was concerned. No doubt Snyder would pull out all the stops to give Buffy detention or suspension if he found her out of class.<\/p>\n
Trying to sound chipper, Giles greeted the man. \u201cGood morning, Principle Snyder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWipe the grin off your face,\u201d Snyder returned with a tight-lipped expression. \u201cI have received three very disturbing calls from concerned parents this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh?\u201d Surprised, Giles wondered if any of the demonology books had slipped out of the library when he wasn\u2019t looking. Parents tended to be a bit off-put about them. Normally, they remained in the school purely for reference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can you tell me about your relationship with Cordelia Chase?\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles blinked, reminding the principle, \u201cCordelia went missing nearly a year ago. It was rumored that her parents took her out of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
What was Giles supposed to say? That Cordy was a vampire whose sire had nearly killed him and sucked the world into hell?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat tells me nothing. I asked about your relationship to her while she was a student here at Sunnydale High,\u201d Snyder gave Giles the full in-your-face intimidation mode despite his smaller stature. There was just something about the man that reminded him of a Nazi commandant with trollish tendencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia was a student who rarely checked out a book.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI meant your personal relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles was getting wary. He was suddenly connecting this interrogation with the crank calls he received last night. Someone was out there spreading rumors about him and\u2014 Cordelia Chase. \u201cThat is a ridiculous notion! C-Cordelia Chase? She was the girlfriend of one of my\u2014 uh, research assistants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know all about your after school activities,\u201d Snyder told him. \u201cLate nights here in the library with your little Crime Club. I should put an end to that. It\u2019s not an official school club and its members seem to have dwindled over the past year. Down to two, if I\u2019m not mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles wondered, did the man have eyes in the back of his knobby little head? He had to admit, \u201cYes, just Buffy and Willow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSummers and Rosenberg.\u201d The principle actually bared his teeth with a semblance of a snarl. \u201cThe trouble-maker and her eager sidekick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles was going to protest that description when Snyder added with another sneer, \u201cBoth young impressionable girls like Cordelia Chase.\u201d<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t exactly how Giles would describe any of them, but Snyder was obviously on a tear. \u201cJust hold on one minute, Mr. Snyder. I get the feeling that you are accusing me of something terrible. Tell me what it is so I can get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe calls I received indicated that you were involved with Ms Chase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInvolved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSexually involved,\u201d the principle lifted an eyebrow. Then he added, \u201cWith a minor. A student.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles was flabbergasted. As he stumbled around for an answer, Snyder heard a sound coming from the office. He started to move around the librarian to check it out, but Giles backpedaled into the small room and sat down in his chair. Buffy leaned back as far as she could get seeing Giles lower legs swivel the chair around so that his body blocked her from the principle\u2019s view.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can assure you, Mr. Snyder,\u201d Giles tossed his glasses down on his desk and was back at rubbing away the tension gathered between his eyes, \u201cthat I have never touched any student that way. Certainly not Cordelia Chase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Snyder continued to poke about the office looking at the books and piles of notes atop the desk. His gaze moved to the floor which was equally covered in piles of books. Then he noticed a brightly colored piece of laminated paper recognizable as a hall pass caught under the wheels of the librarian\u2019s desk chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what she had to say,\u201d Snyder revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Cordelia is in town?\u201d Surprise sounded in his voice, but it only made Snyder more suspicious. As he leaned down to take the hall pass\u2014 which the librarian should not have\u2014 he added, \u201cSeveral students saw her at the Bronze last night. She is apparently here to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Letting out a long sigh, Giles told the principle, \u201cI received several crank calls last night which could be related. I\u2019m thinking that someone\u2019s bad prank has developed into a bad situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an indeterminate grunt, Snyder thought about the possibilities. There were quite a few bad apples he could think of that might be capable of pulling this off. If it was only a prank, he would track down the jokester and have the kid out on his ear. He\u2019d just bypass suspension altogether and go straight for expulsion. Maybe there would even be more than one. Snyder was almost smiling at the thought as he bent down to pick up the hall pass.<\/p>\n
Catching sight of soft blonde hair in the shadows under the desk, Snyder recognized the girl it was attached to. Then he was smiling with the grim knowledge that he had been right all along. There was add apple involved, just not how Rupert Giles had suggested. \u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, well, well,\u201d Snyder sounded almost smug, \u201cif it isn\u2019t Miss Summers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy,\u201d Giles gasped aloud having almost forgotten her presence due to the shock he had just received. Now he knew why she was so anxious to see him. No doubt she had gotten the news that Cordelia was back in town.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is an interesting position you\u2019re in, Missy,\u201d Snyder commented then looked up at Giles with disgust. \u201cWhat is that you were saying about never touching students?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no! You have it all wrong,\u201d Giles was turning red and looking guilty at the same time, which wasn\u2019t helping his case.<\/p>\n
Buffy crawled out from under the desk instantly taking on a defensive stance in front of her Watcher. \u201cGiles would never do that. He\u2019s a good man, not some letch that preys on high school girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you\u2019d deny it, Summers,\u201d Synder pointed out. \u201cIf this is so innocent, tell me why you are under the desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHa!\u201d<\/p>\n
Grabbing the laminated card from his hand, Buffy waved it in his face, \u201cI had a hall pass. I was skipping class and then ran in here to hide from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet back to class, Summers,\u201d ordered Snyder not believing a word of it. \u201cWe will talk later. As for you, Mr. Giles, I think it\u2019s time we took this discussion to my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Giles is in major trouble,\u201d Buffy told Willow at lunchtime.<\/p>\n
Willow sipped at her chocolate milk. \u201cWhy do you say that? Has the Council complained about his training techniques again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It\u2019s nothing to do with them,\u201d Buffy pushed the food around on her plate having not taken a single bite. \u201cPrinciple Snyder dragged him to his office this morning after some ridiculous accusations of sleeping with students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow choked on a bite of her food and managed to cough out, \u201cWhat?!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I\u2019m one of them,\u201d the Slayer wondered how she was going to get out of this one without her mother finding out. Though it was probable that her mom would believe her, if Snyder got hold of her first there was no telling what she would do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s stupid,\u201d Willow set her milk carton down on the table. \u201cI mean you do spend a lot of time alone with Giles, but he\u2019s not the type to take advantage or anything. Who put that idea into Snyder\u2019s head?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have my suspicions,\u201d Buffy grumbled. \u201cSnyder kept mentioning Cordelia as the prime victim.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy?\u201d That came as a shock to Willow. Just going on rumors and innuendo, she\u2019d have to believe that Giles and Buffy would be doing it long before Cordelia ever got into the picture. Not that she believed it. As Buffy\u2019s Watcher, Giles had a uniquely special relationship with the Slayer and Willow knew that he was just not Cordelia\u2019s type.<\/p>\n
No, Willow knew exactly what type Cordelia Chase preferred and it was currently tall, dark, handsome and brooding.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did that rumor get started?\u201d Willow asked tentatively. She wasn\u2019t really certain that she wanted the blame placed in the direction it was likely to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia is back in Sunnydale. Vamp Superbitch showed up at the Bronze last night not long after you left,\u201d an angry flush crept over Buffy\u2019s cheeks.<\/p>\n
Willow gasped at the reference. \u201cI know, but it\u2019s not very nice to say that about Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy stared at her friend like she had suddenly grown two heads. \u201cCordelia murdered Xander and tried to kill me. Why the hell would I want to be nice to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went after her, Buffy,\u201d countered Willow as though it was obvious. \u201cBesides, you told me that Cordy was only defending herself against Xander. That he had a crossbow. It was Xander\u2019s fault that he got killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grabbing up Willow\u2019s half-empty milk carton, Buffy asked, \u201cWhat drug have you been drinking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChocolate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLay off the stuff,\u201d suggested Buffy. \u201cIt\u2019s giving me the wiggins hearing you talk about Queen Slut that way. You should have seen her last night with Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did see them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy doubted they were talking about the same thing. There was no indication of a blush on Willow\u2019s ivory skin. Even now, Buffy felt herself getting angry. Not only at the two vampires, but at herself for getting aroused by the sight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was that?\u201d Buffy had gotten out of the alley as soon as her brain freeze ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night at the mansion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitting up straight, Buffy was agape at the news that Willow had gone over there without her. Then the implication hit. \u201cCordelia was at Angel\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow shrugged, \u201cWhere else would she be? I don\u2019t think Community Property Laws apply to vampires, but it\u2019s sort of her house too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Angel trying to lose his soul?\u201d From what she saw in the alley, Buffy figured Angel didn\u2019t really care. If Cordelia was at the mansion, she doubted that it was to borrow the couch. \u201cSo why were you at my ex\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy asked me to help her set up her computer network,\u201d Willow explained as she scoffed down the last of her lunch. The bell was about to ring and she had a test the next period.<\/p>\n
Buffy let out a laugh. \u201cCordelia owns a computer? Do you think she remembers how to turn it on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, she won\u2019t be using it,\u201d Willow told her standing and picking up her tray. \u201cJude told me that was his job. He\u2019s really smart, but networking apparently isn\u2019t his thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s Jude?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy was following Willow back to the tray disposal area of the cafeteria. \u201cHmm? Jude is one of Cordy\u2019s minions. She has five\u2014 all hunks of course. Cordelia always had good taste in men. Well\u2014 vamps in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n
As her full lunch tray dropped to the ground covering her shoes in macaroni and cheese, Buffy stared at the redhead. \u201cCordelia has minions?\u201d<\/p>\n
The bell sounded ending the lunch period. Willow glanced down at Buffy\u2019s shoes. \u201cSorry Buffy, but I have to run.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll see you after school, okay?\u201d Buffy bent down to pick up the spilled food. \u201cWe can talk to Giles about all this and see what Snyder told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow shook her head. \u201cUh. I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Giles we\u2019re talking about,\u201d Buffy ignored the food and her shoes and stood up to face Willow who kept looking over her shoulder like she wanted to escape. \u201cWe can\u2019t let Cordelia sweep into town and steal Angel or ruin Giles\u2019 reputation without getting back at her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c…\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWillow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTest. Now. Going now.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
It was mid-afternoon when Cordelia opened her eyes. She was lying sideways on the couch half on top of Angel, both of them stretched out naked. After what must have been her fifth orgasm time last night they had fallen asleep in each other\u2019s arms too exhausted to climb the stairs.<\/p>\n
Angel was already awake and watching her, she sensed his attention directed upon her. Was he brooding about what happened or as delighted to have her back as she was to have him in her arms? It could go either way with that pesky soul in place. Why hadn\u2019t the stupid curse kicked in? There was definite bliss going on if the look on that roguishly handsome face had anything to say about it.<\/p>\n
Try and try again, an inward giggle sounded in her head. Oh, yeah. She could definitely handle that. Cordelia looked up to see a sparkle in his warm chocolate gaze that actually surprised her. She would have bet on the brooding. Her mate greeted her with a soft kiss on her forehead, \u201cHello, tigress.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, my Angel,\u201d Cordelia smiled taking a line from Dru\u2019s book. That was how the other vampiress liked to refer to their sire. My Angel. It sounded right. Good thing Dru was a thousand miles away right now. Throwing her leg over his, Cordy curled her arm around his chest and lowered her face back into the comfortable crook of his shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we going to get up anytime soon?\u201d Angel asked her as he ran a hand along the arm that held him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Cordy refused to be rushed away from this as she snuggled closer into his chest.<\/p>\n
They lay together in silence for a while until Cordelia suddenly started to laugh. It started out with only a hint of a giggle and then rolled into an endless stream of amusement. She lifted her head again and Angel caught the megawatt grin that always jolted him from his solar plexus to his groin. Warily, he asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething you said to me last night,\u201d Cordelia leaned over to nibble on his earlobe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were we doing when I said this?\u201d His frown deepened. \u201cHopefully not having sex, because that would just be too much on my fragile ego.\u201d<\/p>\n
Snort! \u201cYou\u2019ve never had a fragile ego, Angel. Alter-ego or otherwise. Besides, the way you make me cum\u2014 you\u2019ve got nothing to worry about in that department.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGlad you admit it,\u201d he smirked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDumbass.\u201d Swinging herself on top of Angel so that she was sitting back on his upper thighs with his stirring loins in front of her, Cordelia traced her fingers over his sculpted torso. Then she reminded him before they got sidetracked, \u201cBack to the funny. We were arguing about Willow last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel vaguely remembered the conversation. He was too busy thinking about the feel of Cordelia\u2019s hands on him again and the direction those wandering fingers were taking. \u201cI said something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh huh.\u201d Cordelia leaned her body down across his letting out a sigh at the sensation of her breasts pressing down against his hard chest. It combined with the upward thrust of his rapidly growing erection beneath the soft curve of her belly. \u201cYou told me my place was in your bed\u2014 with you. That neither one of us would be sleeping on this couch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow was I to know the couch had such good possibilities?\u201d Angel grinned back at her. \u201cWe\u2019ll try out the bed later.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cMom!\u201d Buffy called out after opening the studio door with more strength than it called for. The door banged loudly against the back panel shaking the shatterproof glass in the frame.<\/p>\n
Startled by the noise and the sound of her daughter\u2019s distressed voice, Joyce Summers held a hand to her chest and met the equally surprised faces of the two clients she was with. Offering them a smile of apology, she asked, \u201cWould you excuse me for just a moment?\u201d<\/p>\n
The two looked rather irritated that their discussion had been interrupted, but did they really have a choice in the matter? The female rolled her eyes, \u201cTeenagers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy, what is going on? School isn\u2019t over for the day. Are you okay?\u201d Joyce took hold of Buffy\u2019s shoulders and gave her the once over. It was a little early in the day for Slayer problems. No signs of bruises or other nasty wounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m not okay. I need to talk to someone,\u201d Buffy\u2019s eyes were pleading.<\/p>\n
Joyce felt her throat tighten up. \u201cYou\u2019re coming to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
A flash of guilt racked Buffy at the sound of her mother\u2019s astonishment. So the two of them had never been much for sharing. In fact, Buffy had gone out of her way to keep secrets from her mother until she no longer had a choice in the matter. With both Giles and Willow not only out of the picture this afternoon, but part of the problem, her mom was the only one left to confide in. Telling her that she was the last option was so not the thing to do right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, Mom. Do you have time?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI always have time for you, Buffy,\u201d Joyce told her hoping that her daughter realized it was the truth.<\/p>\n
Turning to her clients, Joyce told them that there was an emergency and she needed to close the studio for the rest of the afternoon. \u201cIf you come back tomorrow, I\u2019m certain that I can evaluate the artifact then.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man gazed down at the box in his hands, \u201cMaybe I should leave it here so you can look at it later tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Joyce told him. \u201cThe studio can\u2019t take on that liability without signed documents and I\u2019m afraid that I don\u2019t have time for that at the moment. Please come back tomorrow. My partner is also going to be here then, so if I can\u2019t help you he will be happy to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The clients exchanged a look that was missed by Joyce, but her daughter stared at them suspiciously. Her Slayer instincts were tingling. Then again, she had the wiggins all day long, so it could have been overkill. Meeting her gaze, the two made a quick exit out the front door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were creepy,\u201d Buffy commented glad they were gone.<\/p>\n
Joyce sighed as she watched the two disappear out the door. \u201cJust a couple of foreign art dealers\u2014 from Mexico, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave they been around before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Joyce told her. Refocusing her thoughts, she closed and locked the door flipping over the sign that indicated the studio was no longer open for business. Asking Buffy to tell her what was troubling her, Joyce took her back to the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cI-I don\u2019t know where to start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy let it all spill out in one long confusing sentence, \u201cCordy is back, Angel is all over her, Giles\u2019 job is down the toilet, Willow is weird and now I\u2019m gonna have to stake her minions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWillow has minions?\u201d Joyce asked catching on to the last thing Buffy had said. \u201cWhat exactly are minions?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grmph! \u201cCordelia\u2019s minions not Willow\u2019s,\u201d she clarified. \u201cCordelia is back in Sunnydale and brought her fledgling vampires with her. They\u2019re the minions\u2014 her formerly human now undead followers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d Joyce let that sink in a moment. Yes, she had forgotten for a moment that Cordelia Chase was now a vampire. There were just some things Joyce tried really hard to forget. \u201cWhat does that have to do with Willow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can\u2019t stop jabbering about Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
That didn\u2019t seem unusual. \u201cWillow tends to jabber.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in a nice way about the evil vampire who killed her lifelong friend,\u201d Buffy pointed out. \u201cShe\u2019s going over to the mansion to help Cordelia with her computer thingy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce was still somewhat confused about the whole Slayer\/Vampire reality. \u201cThat seems odd, unless Cordelia has turned over a new leaf. Maybe she is like Angel and has a soul now.\u201d<\/p>\n
How long had Buffy spent trying to convince her mother that Angel was a good vampire even though he took her virginity and was evil for a time? Joyce knew that Angelus had been the one stalking Buffy and killing her friends. She had never liked the tall handsome man\u2014 vampire. Sometimes a mother\u2019s instincts were on-target. Recently, after nearly a year, Angel had returned to Sunnydale with his soul intact and was back in Buffy\u2019s good graces. That left knots in her stomach.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! Cordelia doesn\u2019t have a soul,\u201d Buffy assured her, \u201cshe\u2019s just evil. And Angel won\u2019t have one much longer if the bastard keeps it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Literally, she added with a silent scowl.<\/p>\n
Thinking back to what little information Buffy had explained to her at the time, Joyce knew that her daughter\u2019s former boyfriend had become evil again once his soul left his body. He had killed Cordelia Chase and turned her into a vampire like himself. The pair left a bloody trail of victims across Sunnydale including one of Buffy\u2019s teachers and Xander Harris. One night, Buffy had returned home both triumphant and somewhat sad while revealing that she had defeated the vampiress. Misery followed soon after when Angel disappeared from Buffy\u2019s life. It was a subject that Buffy would not talk about and Joyce had decided to respect her daughter\u2019s wish thinking that the vampire had left town.<\/p>\n
Now both vampires were back in Sunnydale causing her daughter anguish. Joyce felt the anger rise up in her at the thought that Buffy had to be mixed up in this dark, dangerous underworld.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo are you suggesting that Cordelia came back for Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?! No.\u201d Buffy stopped suddenly. \u201cHow would she know he was back?\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce looked startled. \u201cYou\u2019re asking me? I know nothing about the creatures other than seeing Interview with a Vampire. Maybe they have some psychic mental connection or powers like Dracula.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet real, Mom.\u201d Buffy rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. \u201cThis is just Sunnydale, not a movie theater. Dracula doesn\u2019t exist and while Tom and Brad make very hot vampires, I haven\u2019t seen much of their kind around these parts\u2014 except Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt always comes back to him, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d Joyce covered her daughter\u2019s hand giving it a gentle squeeze. First love was supposed to be sweet, tender and memorable not twisted and wrong and evil. She would never forgive Angel for that no matter that he had a soul.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all I\u2019ve done to help him, Angel ran off last night with Cordelia. She had the nerve to come to the Bronze. Can you believe it?\u201d Buffy looked incensed at the idea.<\/p>\n
Joyce had no opinion on the vampiress appearing at the club, although she supposed that Buffy considered that her territory. She did have words to say about Angel, though Joyce figured she had better keep her opinion to herself on being thrilled at the idea that there was someone else to distract the vampire away from her daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe Angel and Cordelia are supposed to be together,\u201d Joyce dared to suggest. \u201cThey are both vampires, after all. When he didn\u2019t have his soul, weren\u2019t they together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is Angelus\u2019 childe,\u201d Buffy ground her teeth together. \u201cHis creation. His mate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, that actually sounded promising. Joyce couldn\u2019t find fault with that. \u201cSo Angel is just back with his\u2014 wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVampires don\u2019t marry,\u201d Buffy pointed out. \u201cThey mate through blood rituals. They claim each other for as long as the dominant vampire wants to keep the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens when it\u2019s over?\u201d Joyce was suddenly curious. Her daughter learned so much about these creatures. Most of it was downright scary and straight out of a horror film, but her personal interest in ancient art and cultures found a few tidbits fascinating.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the vamps\u2014 usually the female\u2014 is given to the lower ranking members of the clan, kicked out of the lair or staked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce sat there with a strange look on her face. \u201cAnd I thought divorcing your father was horrible, but that would be hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Snorting, Buffy knew that her mother didn\u2019t know half of it. \u201cVamp Cordy is evil and she deserves what she gets for her part in Xander\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Angel\u2019s part?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was Angelus!\u201d Buffy snapped then lowered her voice as she remembered it was her mom that she was yelling at. \u201cAngel has a soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHumans with souls do evil things everyday,\u201d Joyce pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
No, apparently Buffy thought he ran around town with wings and a halo. Joyce decided that it was time to ask her daughter, \u201cWhat are you so concerned about, Buffy? That you will have to face Cordelia again and bring an end her existence for good? Or that Angel wants to be with his mate instead of you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Launching herself out of the chair, Buffy never noticed as it hit the floor behind her. The stinging sound of her mother\u2019s words kept ringing in her ears. Without responding, Buffy ran out of the office and struggled with the locked door. Throwing it open, she dashed out into the street and kept running.<\/p>\n
Back in the studio office, Joyce Summers let out a long sigh and then realized there was one subject they had not gotten around to discussing. What was it that Buffy had said about Rupert Giles? Something about his job being in jeopardy? While Mr. Giles was not particularly on her list of favorite people as he constantly kept pushing Buffy into danger, he did his best to keep her safe as well. Not to mention the fact that Buffy treated him like a father-figure in the absence of her own.<\/p>\n
She was about to pick up the phone and call Mr. Giles when it rang beneath her hand. It gave her a start causing Joyce to lurch dangerously in her chair. \u201cHaven\u2019t I had enough torment today?\u201d<\/p>\n
Answering the telephone with the usual opening greeting for the studio, she added, \u201cThis is Joyce Summers. How may I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, Mrs. Summers,\u201d the voice was instantly recognizable as the principle of Sunnydale High School.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Snyder.\u201d Her stomach clenched into knots in reaction to his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something we need to discuss right away concerning your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was probably the fact that Buffy had skipped out on her afternoon classes. Still, Joyce wasn\u2019t going to give away the fact that she had seen her. Snyder would give his eyeteeth to catch Buffy in doing something wrong. Joyce tried to sound clueless, \u201cHer history grades?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChemistry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the kind of chemistry a teenager should be learning from one of her teachers, Mrs. Summers,\u201d Snyder added with a sneer in his voice. \u201cI think you should come down to the school right away. I know that it is still during your business hours, but this is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, I have already closed up shop for the afternoon.\u201d Joyce told him. \u201cI\u2019ll be at the school in about twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. I\u2019ll be waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n