Buffy, Willow and Xander trailed back into the school after finishing up their patrol of the eastside cemeteries. Overall, it had been a boring night. The town\u2019s vampire population was only down by two by their count, but they had made a considerable job of emptying out their bag of snacks.<\/p>\n
When Buffy opened the door, she saw Giles examining something gross spread across a cloth on their research table. Faith stood next to him. \u201cI\u2019m out of here for the night,\u201d she said, \u201cnow that the job\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh crud. It looked like Faith found the relic. Nah, it was probably Giles.<\/p>\n
That thought perked her up a little until her eyes slid across to the library steps to see Cordelia sitting next to Angel. Buffy\u2019s jaw dropped at the sight of the other girl, who was smudged from head to toe with dirt, grass and blood. Her head was resting on Angel\u2019s shoulder, eyes closed in exhaustion.<\/p>\n
Angel was just sitting there watching her sleep. Finally, he reached up to touch her face, gently sounding out her name to rouse her. It soothed Buffy\u2019s ruffled feathers a bit when Cordelia sounded miffed, \u201cHey, you let me sleep. What\u2019d I miss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe others are here,\u201d Angel told her making Buffy realize that he was already aware of her presence even if he hadn\u2019t looked her way. \u201cFaith says she\u2019s going to go. Maybe you should head home, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia looked like she was about to argue, but then found herself yawning. With a nod, she agreed. Standing up, she walked up to Faith. \u201cI need someone to walk me home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that have to do with me?\u201d asked Faith as she ran a hand through her dark hair. \u201cI\u2019m ready to party for a couple of hours. You need a hot shower and someone to tuck you into bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo argument,\u201d Cordelia shrugged. \u201cYou\u2019re elected. I have dealt with enough vamps tonight. I don\u2019t want to run into any more without backup.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Xander started to make an offer, Buffy stepped on his toe. He was easily distracted after that. By the time he recovered, there was already another offer on the table.<\/p>\n
Giles suggested Cordelia stick around for an hour or two while he examined the relic. After that, he would be happy to offer her a ride home. Then it occurred to him, \u201cWhere is your car, Cordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yeah, Buffy wanted to know that, too. She should be driving herself home, not ordering other people to keep her company. Cordelia stared at Giles as if she did not know how to answer the question.<\/p>\n
Faith finally stepped in to say, \u201cIt\u2019s at the shop. Car trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Was there anything Faith did not know about Cordelia these days? Buffy had obviously underestimated Cordelia\u2019s skills at ingratiating herself into someone\u2019s life. Not even Faith was immune.<\/p>\n
Cordelia actually looked surprised at Faith\u2019s comment, but the hint of anger faded when the slayer said, \u201cLet\u2019s go. I\u2019ll get you home before I scope out the Bronze. Unless Angel wants to take you,\u201d she added while letting her eyes linger on his handsome face.<\/p>\n
Standing up, Angel looked back and forth between Faith, Cordelia and Buffy. He was trapped, Buffy thought irritably. Now he would have to do the polite thing and walk her home. Glowering at Faith, Buffy was about to come up with an excuse to make him stay when Cordelia commented, \u201cI think Angel has put up with enough of me tonight. Besides, he and Buffy have been out of lip-locking range for a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that it\u2019s any of your business,\u201d Buffy reminded her as she walked over to stand next to Angel. Taking a closer look at her appearance, she asked Cordelia, \u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing I couldn\u2019t handle,\u201d Cordelia struck a confident pose causing Buffy to wonder just what it was she was handling. There were a lot of ways to get grass and dirt stains on your clothes. If Cor had been patrolling with anyone other than Angel, she might be suspicious. That and the fact that Cordelia looked worse for wear suggested she had just had a bad night and was trying to hide it.<\/p>\n
Buffy tried to sound sympathetic. \u201cToo bad you got all dirty and have nothing to show for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pointing toward the table and the relic made of flesh and bone, Cordelia told her, \u201cThat\u2019s too gross to be nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found it?\u201d Buffy\u2019s voice sounded almost as high-pitched as Willow\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuh! Do you think Angel & I were rolling in the dirt for the fun of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
A warm flush rising to her cheeks caused Buffy to turn away under the pretense of staring at the relic. \u201cYou\u2019re right. It\u2019s pretty gross.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rolled her eyes and said goodnight to Angel & the others before walking out the door. Following, Faith paused long enough to say, \u201cCatch you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy was so glad to see the door swing shut behind them. She wanted to talk to Angel about his patrol with Cordelia. Fortunately, Xander was already preoccupied by the cool grossness of the evil relic. Willow followed him to the table, but seemed more interested in Giles\u2019 assessment. He seemed more than happy to provide her with his preliminary findings.<\/p>\n
Because she had Angel to herself for a moment or two, Buffy hinted for details. \u201cLooks like the night was eventful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prompting him for more information, Buffy finally had to be specific. \u201cWhat about Cor?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer for the longest time. Okay, it was only a few seconds, but Buffy was impatient to discover how she handled patrol. Especially if it meant she was planning to quit.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia is\u2026,\u201d Angel started to speak and then trailed off again for a moment to gather his thoughts, \u201ccompletely untrained,\u201d Buffy nodded, \u201cundisciplined\u2026,\u201d to say the least, \u201cunpredictable\u2014 and noisy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel revealed that Cordelia had seemed more interested in the wear and tear on her designer clothes than dressing for protection. That was a point Buffy could not say much about. She actually understood it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Cordelia follows her instincts,\u201d Angel added with a measure of respect, \u201cand she\u2019s not afraid of getting involved in the action.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m surprised,\u201d admitted Buffy with a frown. \u201cMy night was a yawner and it\u2019s Cordelia Chase who gets all the action. Vampire action,\u201d she corrected swiftly only to find that the words still sounded wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not like you and Faith,\u201d he reminded. \u201cThere are things a girl like Cordelia just isn\u2019t built for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staring up at him, curiosity mixed in with a little feministic ire, Buffy wanted clarification on that one. \u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is\u2026\u201d Angel held his hands up in the air as if seconds away from outlining her shape. Buffy\u2019s glare obviously made him reconsider it. Shoving his hands back into his coat pockets, Angel tried to come up with an explanation that would not get him staked. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t born to slay vampires.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left it at that and seemed unwilling to explain further. Buffy tried to put it into the context that he was agreeing with her that Cordelia did not belong on patrol. It did not matter that neither Willow nor Xander were born into the slaying business, either. That certainly would not help her make her point.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo is she going to quit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Angel answered with surety. There was a spark of admiration in his brown eyes, a flicker of amusement and a hint of something else that made her squirm uncomfortably before his gaze turned toward the door. \u201cFrom what I can see, Cordelia\u2019s not a quitter.\u201d<\/p>\n