Saturday Morning<\/b><\/p>\n
Even though she\u2019d had a late night, Willow entered the library early the next day, eager to discover whether her ghost had been active during the rest of the night. It only made sense that a ghost might know they\u2019d been staking out the library and purposefully stayed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh hah!\u201d She was grinning like mad upon seeing the notes she had so carefully laid out on the table spread all over the floor. That wasn\u2019t the only thing looking messy. A jar of pencils on the countertop was knocked over and some books were on the floor near the shelves. \u201cGotcha!\u201d<\/p>\n
Heading into Giles\u2019 office, Willow grabbed the VCR tape out of the wireless recorder, the spy cam device she\u2019d borrowed from her Uncle Hershel. Designed specifically for home security, the system included a motion sensitive camera with a wireless VCR relay device.<\/p>\n
Willow had set up the VCR and transceiver prior to them leaving last night figuring to catch their ghost in the act.<\/p>\n
The others couldn\u2019t deny the truth if they saw it all on film.<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t set up a video monitor here in the office and the A\/V room was currently locked up tight. So Willow planned to head home and watch it there. Since the small camera was motion-sensitive, she wasn\u2019t quite certain what it would pick up, but hoped that the evidence of her poltergeist would be on the tape.<\/p>\n
Walking home, a perky hop in her step, Willow ran into Buffy and Xander. \u201cOur ghost struck again last night. Got it all on tape. Uncle Hersh let me borrow a wireless video system. Wanna watch?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d Buffy pouted, then revealing, \u201cMore training.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain?\u201d Even Willow looked a little surprised. Giles hadn\u2019t let up on the Slayer for a week now. Day after day he was focusing on some new technique she needed to learn.<\/p>\n
The blonde nodded woefully, \u201cYup! I\u2019d much rather watch movies with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d Xander volunteered. The thought of going to the library and helping Buffy with her training session was always inviting, but it also made him think of food. As far as he knew, there wasn\u2019t any stashed away in Giles\u2019 office, but the Rosenberg refrigerator was always full.<\/p>\n
Walking past Xander\u2019s house on the way, he noticed a familiar car in the driveway. \u201cWalk faster. Uncle Rory\u2019s visiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
They hadn\u2019t gone five feet before his mother appeared on the porch. \u201cXander Lavelle Harris, I thought I told you to stick around today. Your uncle is here and you know he likes to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander shared a look with Willow that suggested it was not his idea of fun. That was why he\u2019d escaped before anyone noticed and headed over to Buffy\u2019s house. With a sympathetic smile, Willow told him, \u201cSorry, Xander. I\u2019ll watch the tape and let you know if there\u2019s anything interesting on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we trade uncles one of these days?\u201d Xander asked not for the first time. \u201cYours gives out computer games and gizmos for your birthday. Last year, Uncle Rory gave me a stuffed squirrel he ran over with his car.\u201d<\/p>\n
A large-eyed stare of sympathy followed. The taxidermist apparently liked his gifts to be personal. \u201cThink of it this way. When you get your first apartment, you won\u2019t have any problem decorating. You\u2019ll have your very own Wild Kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was giggling now, unable to hide her amusement at the idea of a giant moose head hanging over Xander\u2019s bed. \u201cThanks for that, Will. Go home now before Uncle Rory hears you and gets any ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaching her house just a block away, Willow realized immediately that her parents had already gone out for the day. They\u2019d said something about shopping and wanted to get to the mall before it got crowded.<\/p>\n
Kinda hard to explain why she was watching a video tape of the school library without going into details. While Uncle Hershel had given her the VCR command pack without question, even he would find her reasons a little odd.<\/p>\n
Deciding to get comfortable before getting started, Willow popped some popcorn in lieu of having breakfast. Popcorn was better for movies, anyway, and this was kind of a movie. She grabbed a soda from the fridge and headed back into the living room to watch the video.<\/p>\n
Setting down on the couch, Willow turned the television on and pressed the play button. The camera, designed to pick up movement immediately focused on their group as everyone gathered their belongings in preparation for leaving the library.<\/p>\n
Expecting this, Willow sat back and waited for everyone to leave. Once the doors were closed, she knew that the camera would shut off and then only pick up again at the first movement her ghostly intruder made.<\/p>\n
The scene flashed as the camera swept to the library doors. Willow didn\u2019t expect her ghost would come in that way, but maybe it had been hanging out in the principle\u2019s office or something. It sounded like a good place for a high school poltergeist to cause trouble.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia?\u201d Disappointment sounded in Willow\u2019s voice as the brunette walked back into the library. She was obviously trying to find something. \u201cForget your car keys?\u201d<\/p>\n
The camera caught a movement from the shadows behind Cordelia. It was Angel, she realized, who had apparently never left. \u201cLooking for me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Puzzled, Willow munched on the popcorn and watched the screen, thinking all the while that she wished they\u2019d get out of there so her ghost would show up. And why would Cordelia come back looking for Angel? It\u2019s not like he ever took her up on the offer of a ride home.<\/p>\n
Almost as soon as he posed the question, Angel\u2019s arms encircled Cordelia from behind and his lips tenderly kissed her temple.<\/p>\n
Willow\u2019s mouth fell open, popcorn dropping to her lap as her eyes fixated on the screen. \u201cWha\u2014huh?\u201d What the whosiwhatsis is going on here?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cTonight is the last time, Cordelia,\u201d the vampire\u2019s words suggested this wasn\u2019t the first time they\u2019d met like this. Though he wasn\u2019t too happy about it, apparently, \u201cWe have to stop this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Cordelia\u2019s answering cry was almost desperate as she whirled around in Angel\u2019s arms, her own looping around his neck. Then their mouths came together in the hottest on-screen kiss Willow had ever seen.<\/p>\n
Leaping off the couch, Willow pressed the pause button on the remote, staring at the television as if the action might cause the evidence before her to vanish from the screen. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026this is\u2026 so not what they\u2026I mean\u2026gosh! Eep! That\u2019s Angel. Angel is kissing Cordelia. Cordelia is kissing Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pacing in front of the television, Willow threw her hands over her head, then grabbed onto the ends of her short red hair and tugged just to see if she\u2019d wake up from this strange dream. No such luck. Peeking back at the TV, she saw that the scene had not changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink, Willow, think!\u201d The frantic pacing led her straight to the telephone. It was in her hand and Giles\u2019 office number dialed before she actually did some of the thinking she was trying to focus on.<\/p>\n
Giles\u2019 voice came on the other end after the first three rings, \u201cRupert Giles, here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hyperventilating just a little, Willow was gaspy as she tried to talk. \u201cGiles. Hi. Buffy. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy can\u2019t come to the phone right now, Willow,\u201d Giles told her, sounding a little distracted himself. Then his voice came from a distance, as if he was holding the phone away from his mouth and actually addressing Buffy. \u201cDo try that spin kick again. You wouldn\u2019t surprise a two-year old with that move.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow knew that Giles didn\u2019t like their training sessions interrupted. Since this wasn\u2019t exactly a subject Buffy would want her Watcher involved with, Willow wasn\u2019t about to leave him a detailed message. He\u2019d never liked the fact that Angel was Buffy\u2019s boyfriend in the first place, much less after the vampire turned evil and tortured him while trying to suck the world into hell.<\/p>\n
Only because Buffy had argued his case upon Angel\u2019s return did Giles reluctantly accept him back into their sphere.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiles? Giles, are you there?\u201d Willow called out trying not to whimper into the phone. \u201cI-I need to talk to Buffy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater, Willow. Not until she gets this right,\u201d Giles was adamant. \u201cWhat\u2019s the rush?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hemming and hawing a little, Willow finally told him, \u201cOh, I\u2019m just reviewing the video I made of the library last night. She wanted to watch it with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
A disinterested hum sounded from the Englishman. He was clearly keeping an eye on the Slayer as she went through her moves in the middle of the library while talking to Willow at the same time. \u201cAny exciting discoveries? Was it a poltergeist or just the janitor\u2019s cat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cat? They hadn\u2019t even thought of that one. \u201cUmm. Discoveries?\u201d her voice reached a high peak squeaking in response. \u201cOne or two maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood, that\u2019s good,\u201d Giles was clearly not listening now.<\/p>\n
Giving up, Willow simply told Giles to have Buffy call her during her first break. That might be hours, she knew. Hanging up the phone, Willow nibbled at her lower lip, sucking it into her mouth and staring at the image frozen on the television screen.<\/p>\n
There was always the possibility that Cordelia and Angel would leave in a minute and she\u2019d still find evidence of her ghostly perpetrator. Okay, so maybe she wasn\u2019t dumb enough to believe that one. Angel himself had indicated this wasn\u2019t the first time that they had been there.<\/p>\n
Curiosity burned in the pit of Willow\u2019s stomach. What were Angel and Cordelia doing at the library\u2026together\u2026and kissing? She had no idea, none at all that they had ever gotten that close. Wondering if there might be some other clue as to this shocking development\u2019s origins, Willow lifted the remote and pointed it in the direction of the VCR.<\/p>\n
Her shaky finger pressed the play button.<\/p>\n
The passionate clinch lasted several more seconds and Willow could feel fire shooting up to her cheeks. Even her ears burned with a combination of embarrassment and\u2026 something else that couldn\u2019t possibly be excitement. That wouldn\u2019t be right. Not at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, geez, I\u2019ve wanted to kiss you for hours,\u201d Cordelia admitted, smoothing her hands over the lapels of Angel\u2019s leather jacket and then slipping beneath to rub along the contour of muscles covered only by his soft black sweater.<\/p>\n
Watching, Willow\u2019s whole body shivered at the way the vampire was looking down at Cordelia, like he wanted to gobble her up with kisses, his arousal obvious even to one inexperienced in taking note of the signs. Angel\u2019s voice dropped an octave lower than normal, \u201cJust to kiss me? I\u2019ve been thinking about other things, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther things?\u201d Willow found herself asking the question even as the words came out of Cordelia\u2019s mouth. She dropped the remote onto the couch beside her and slowly reached for the bowl of popcorn, setting it on her lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking love to you,\u201d Angel\u2019s mouth curled up into a sensual smile, his hand tracing Cordelia\u2019s face as he said it.<\/p>\n
Gaping at the screen again, Willow was on the edge of her seat waiting to hear what he was going to say next.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucky thing you were on the other side of the room all evening,\u201d he added with a self-derisive tone, \u201cotherwise it would have been impossible to keep my hands off of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s hands were doing a little wandering right now as she asked, \u201cEven with the others around?\u201d<\/p>\n
Scoffing at the thought, \u201cI barely noticed they were there. All I could think about was you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frowning at the vampire\u2019s admission, Willow didn\u2019t know what to think about it. Even though he was no longer Buffy\u2019s boyfriend\u2026 officially, there had to be an unwritten rule that friends kept their hands off other friend\u2019s boyfriends.<\/p>\n
Just as soon as the idea came to her, Willow thought about kissing Xander and getting caught in the act by Cordelia and Oz.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m not one to talk,\u201d Willow pouted. She was so busy grousing about the fact that she almost missed what came next.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does this happen, Angel? Whenever we\u2019re here, I can\u2019t get you out of my head. I want you so much,\u201d Cordelia tried to step away, but his hand captured hers, his thumb circling the back of her hand.<\/p>\n
Shaking his head, Angel reluctantly admitted, \u201cI don\u2019t know the reason.\u201d Then setting her at arms length, \u201cYou should try to go home. Get out while you can. Before we\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to leave,\u201d Cordelia pleaded for understanding, \u201cbut I couldn\u2019t. Not without seeing you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame here.\u201d<\/p>\n
They couldn\u2019t leave? Willow made a little face at the television. From the look of those smoochies, she was almost certain she\u2019d find it hard to go away without them too. Couldn\u2019t blame Cordelia for racing back to get them.<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s voice dipped low, determination sounding in every syllable, \u201cShall we try for the door again? You know what will happen if we stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clueless, Willow grabbed a handful of popcorn and started tossing one kernel at a time into her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome is better. When we want. How we want,\u201d Cordelia nodded her consent to the idea. \u201cLet\u2019s go. Now. Before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow barely had time to ask herself, Too late for what?<\/i> With a burst of speed and strength, Angel swept Cordelia into his arms and shot out of camera range, his movements too fast for the motion-sensitive device to keep up. After a moment, it zoomed back toward the library doors where the vampire had stopped, and holding Cordelia, was now kissing her again as if it was the only thing on his mind.<\/p>\n
This was weird, Willow concluded, her curiosity growing by leaps and bounds. It was no longer just a reaction to the fact that Angel and Cordelia were locking lips, but the notion that there was something else going on. Watching the tape seemed to be the logical way to discover the reason behind it.<\/p>\n
Still munching on her popcorn, Willow considered the fact that Buffy had broken up with Angel about the same time as Cordelia had ended her relationship with Xander. \u201cRebound City,\u201d she quipped with sudden understanding that they\u2019d been in the same boat.<\/p>\n
Willow didn\u2019t think she\u2019d ever seen Angel so much as touch Cordelia before now. Not unless he was saving her life at the time. Except when he was Angelus and pinned Cordelia to the ground in the cemetery. Evil Angel had certainly made an effort to touch the cheerleader, though he had been planning to kill her at the time, so that might not count.<\/p>\n
The camera she had so conveniently placed in the upper level bookshelves had a bird\u2019s eye view of the whole lower level. As Angel carried Cordelia back into the middle of the room, the camera followed their movements. In the back of her mind, Willow figured she needed to tell her Uncle Hershel that the security device worked perfectly. Though this was hardly what she imagined picking up on the recorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like we\u2019re doing this here after all,\u201d Angel set her down on her feet in front of the main counter.<\/p>\n
Squirming in her seat, Willow whispered to herself, \u201cDoing what?\u201d Though she had a strong feeling that she knew that answer and was just too comfortable wading knee-deep in denial to admit it to herself.<\/p>\n
Pulling his jacket off, he handed it over to Cordelia who tossed it onto the countertop behind her, knocking over the jar of pencils in the process. Then a frenzy of eager movements followed as their hands reached out to unbutton, unzip and unwrap each other so that their clothes dropped to the floor piece by piece.<\/p>\n
The remote went flying from Willow\u2019s hand, landing somewhere in the plush couch cushions. \u201cNo,no,no. Eep! No nakedness. Stop that! Aack! Cordelia parts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shutting her eyes, Willow felt around in the couch cushions for the remote, but it remained elusive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you so much, Cordy.\u201d The way he said her name caught Willow\u2019s attention. It was a softer sound than Cordelia or just Cor as they often called her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I see, Big Guy,\u201d Cordelia\u2019s husky response had Willow opening her eyes, turning back toward the television.<\/p>\n
Willow practically fell off the couch, her green eyes wide pools. The scientist inside her wrestled with the curious minx, exclaiming, \u201cWow! Are all vampires that well hung?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hearing her own voice, Willow slapped a hand over her mouth. Though the little voice in her head pointed out that it was her mouth she covered and not her eyes. Naughty Willow. It isn\u2019t nice to stare.<\/i><\/p>\n
Willow didn\u2019t even have Oz to compare him to having never seen her boyfriend naked. Well, except for peeking at him in the cage before he\u2019d gone all werewolf. Playing doctor with Xander when they were eight didn\u2019t count. Besides, all three guys were such different body types that it was hardly fair to do so.<\/p>\n
She liked Oz the way he was, but gosh, wow and golly, Angel sure was impressive standing there all big and bulky and broad-shouldered and beautiful.<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t seem to tear her eyes away from the screen. Cordelia was the perfect foil for Angel\u2019s male perfection. Willow felt another wave of heat swirl around her belly as she switched her focus from him to her. Angel\u2019s pale hands curved around her lush golden breasts, the dark nipples peaking hard and ripe, apparently too much of a temptation for his mouth to resist.<\/p>\n
Cordelia moaned in wanton response and Willow echoed the little sound feeling her own unbidden reaction to the erotic sight. Sinking back into the couch cushions, she found it impossible to stop watching.<\/p>\n
The camera followed their every move as they stumbled their way across the library in a tangle of arms and legs. Too caught up in their intimate caresses, they missed the table and collided with the bookcases behind it.<\/p>\n
A growl of complaint sounded from deep inside Angel\u2019s chest, welling up like a soft rumble. He lifted Cordelia with ease, settling her legs around his waist, continuing to capture her mouth with hungry kisses. Then he turned, carrying her over to the surface of the table where he set her down on the edge long enough to sweep aside the books and papers covering its surface. They tumbled to the floor with a crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo much for the poltergeist theory,\u201d murmured Willow with a little pout.<\/p>\n
Realizing that she really shouldn\u2019t be watching this and that she was intruding on an intimate moment, Willow made a legitimate attempt at searching for the remote again. She stood up and started pulling the cushions up until she found the device. With one last look at the screen, she pressed the pause button again.<\/p>\n
Gulping, Willow set the remote down on the coffee table and walked away. Waving a hand in front of her face, she tried to cool off a little. Other than the shocking fact that Angel and Cordelia were obviously lovers, something bothered her about all of this. She didn\u2019t know what it was, but Willow had a weird feeling about it.<\/p>\n
Pacing the floor, fidgeting and tugging at the ends of her sweater, she reviewed the facts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no ghost,\u201d she shrugged. Obviously Angel and Cordelia had been the ones to wreck havoc on the library. \u201cKinda strange they didn\u2019t wait to clean up the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow figured if it was her, she would have put everything back in its proper place. If they\u2019d done that there would have been nothing to set off her curiosity to begin with. She would never have come up with her poltergeist theory or borrowed the security system from Uncle Hersh. So it was all their fault she caught them on film.<\/p>\n
\u201cYup! Their fault,\u201d Willow convinced herself of the fact and was smiling as a result of it. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be doing those things in public places anyway. Giles would have a fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she was giggling like mad. \u201cAt least they didn\u2019t use the desk in his office.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing bothered her though, Willow realized, getting over the embarrassment factor and focusing on the events she\u2019d witnessed. Cordelia and Angel both seemed reluctant to be there. Sex in public places was possibly a turn on, but Willow didn\u2019t really see either one of them as the type to go at it in the library of all places.<\/p>\n
When Buffy and Angel were together, they\u2019d kissed in public and held hands, but that was the extent that Willow had been privy to seeing. Cordelia\u2026was a little bit different. She handled guys and their wandering hands with practiced ease.<\/p>\n
Though her reputation as head cheerleader leant itself to rife rumor, and Willow herself had referred to Cordelia as a skanky ho, the reality was far different. Willow witnessed her relationship with Xander and knew that Cordelia Chase was far from being easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why the library?\u201d Willow asked herself. \u201cNot exactly your romantic getaway spot. They said they couldn\u2019t leave without seeing each other. That it would be the last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
From what Willow had seen on the screen, it didn\u2019t look like they had a relationship that was on the verge of ending. Why would it be the last time? They\u2019d obviously stayed for a reason even though they made an attempt at leaving. In fact, it was not just as simple as trying to head out the door; the vampire had used his superhuman speed to get them out of there, but without success.<\/p>\n
\u201cWeird. Maybe they\u2019re just bored with the library.\u201d Tromping back over to the couch, she pulled the popcorn bowl onto her lap and started munching. Thinking back to the first time she\u2019d noticed things being out of order, Willow had to ask herself, \u201cHave they really been doing this for a week?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grabbing the remote again, she pressed fast-forward, intending to skim over the details and move straight to the part where they were leaving the library. Willow wanted to see if they had any trouble getting out once they\u2026finished.<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t counted on the fast-forward action moving across the screen that way and dropped the remote on the floor upon seeing their bodies writhing together at such a frenetic pace.<\/p>\n
If it had been somebody she didn\u2019t know, Willow might have been laughing herself to death at the sight, but the fact that these were people she saw nearly every day, made a huge difference. As soon as the wayward device was back in her hands, she set the VCR to play at its normal speed.<\/p>\n
Though she knew that it would have been better to simply stop the VCR and fast forward the tape so that she didn\u2019t see everything, Willow\u2019s curiosity got the better of her again. A little guilty twinge pulled at her insides, but it wasn\u2019t as if anyone else knew she was watching the tape.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly the film they show in sex ed,\u201d Willow quipped, her eyes widening again at the sight of Angel thrusting rhythmically into the brunette. The way Cordelia was writhing and all but chanting his name made her figure the vampire had to be doing something right.<\/p>\n
Not that Willow would know. She and Oz hadn\u2019t gone all the way yet, but wow. This was certainly educational. After what seemed like forever, Cordelia reached a fiery peak, her body clutching his and her cries of passion heard explicitly across the view screen. Angel followed her, his own orgasm coming not far behind and Willow was practically shaking at the intensity leaping off the television screen.<\/p>\n
Angel gathered Cordelia into his arms, their bodies still joined. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Cordy. So sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
To that, Cordelia wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, buried her face against his broad shoulder and pleaded, \u201cTake me home, Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sorry? Willow was confused. There was no doubting the enjoyment factor. So why would Angel be sorry after giving Cordelia pleasure to an extent that it practically made her eyes roll back in her head?<\/p>\n
The vampire gently disjoined their bodies and placed Cordelia on her feet beside him. His hands cupped her face as he looked down at her with an expression that Willow could not deny held deep feeling. She could have guessed his thoughts even if his next words hadn\u2019t confirmed her suspicions.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know I love you, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia smiled that blinding grin, but her eyes convinced Willow that it was possible for a girl she\u2019d once thought of as a cold-hearted bitch to actually know the meaning of love. She ached for Xander for a brief moment because whatever was going on between Cordelia and Angel eclipsed any tender feelings she\u2019d witnessed before their big break-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do now,\u201d Cordelia stood on her tiptoes to touch her mouth to his. After they parted from that tender moment that left Willow sighing in response, the brunette told him, \u201cI love you too, Broody, but can we get out of here before Giles\u2019 desk starts to look interesting?\u201d<\/p>\n
They dressed hastily and hand-in-hand, Cordelia and Angel bolted out the library doors. As soon as the doors stopped swinging, the motion-sensitive camera turned off. The remainder of the tape was blank and so the television screen went all fuzzy with whitenoise.<\/p>\n
Willow turned off the television, ejecting the tape from the VCR at the same time. \u201cCase of the Prankster Poltergeist\u2026solved. Mystery that is Cordelia and Angel\u2026weird. Yummy and wow, but weird.\u201d<\/p>\n