Part 7<\/b><\/p>\n
This is bad, this is so bad. So bad.<\/i><\/p>\n
The thought was a loop in Willow\u2019s thoughts, however she presented a picture of concentration her eyes focused on two pencils that she had levitated off the table about an inch. Both were vertical, their erasers hovering over her done homework, her objective was to lift one higher so its eraser would appear to be precariously balanced on the other pencil\u2019s tip. It wasn\u2019t going well.<\/p>\n
Willow\u2019s mind was in overdrive, her mind more focused on Oz, who was sitting across from her at the table either sleeping or meditating. He\u2019d asked her to Homecoming and she\u2019d gleefully said yes without thinking. Without thinking that she had never bought a dress for a dance before, without thinking she\u2019d never been at a dance with a boyfriend before, without thinking that she\u2019d never had a boyfriend who would expect her to be in a dress and dance with him \u2013 when he wasn\u2019t playing the music\u2026okay maybe she could get out of the dancing.<\/p>\n
This is bad, this is so bad. So bad.<\/i><\/p>\n
Once again the thought was in the front of her mind and she held back a little yelp of worry. What was she going to do? Buffy was so weird lately, she had Scott, she had Slaying and overprotective watcher and mother. Willow bit the inside of her cheek. No she wouldn\u2019t bother Buffy with this, not unless she had too. She could shop, maybe she could shop with Cordelia. Right? Willow and Oz, Cordelia and Xander.<\/p>\n
They\u2019d all go together, right? Right? She\u2019d run it by Xander. Make sure of it. Cordelia would help her, wouldn\u2019t she? Willow mentally nodded to herself, of course she would. She could make sure Willow was okay to be with in public? Maybe? God, no, she didn\u2019t want to invite Cordelia to make fun of what a pathetic loser she was when it came to boys.<\/p>\n
Xander! Willow broke her eye contact with the pencils and glanced at Xander. He was sitting on the library counter and eating a candy bar. Yep. Xander was perfect. Cute and goofy Xander, yes, if he said a dress looked good on her then it had to be good, right? If she could get Xander to thumbs up a dress than Oz would drool over her\u2026it was logical. Right?<\/p>\n
This is bad, this is so bad. So bad.<\/i><\/p>\n
The yelp of fear escaped her throat then, and the pencil she was trying to hover over the first flew up in the air, started to spin and zag around and came to a halt by embedding itself in the wood of Oz\u2019s chair. A millimeter from his ear, due to his slouching. \u201cYikes! Oz!\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat up, twisted around and pulled the pencil free. \u201cI\u2019m thinking, maybe we don\u2019t practice the levitation thing near werewolves and humans. Vampires however is okay.\u201d Oz leaned over the table and handed her the pencil. \u201cIt\u2019s tip broke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt missed you though, it did right? I\u2019m so sorry, are you sure you\u2019re okay?\u201d Willow said all in one nervous breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fine. He didn\u2019t even flinch,\u201d Xander said from the counter, where he was just standing up from getting his candy bar from the floor. \u201cI, and I will admit it, screamed like a girly-man and dropped to the floor to avoid all incoming pencil missiles. Not quite as cool as the rocket launcher, but dangerous nonetheless.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doors to the library opened then a blonde woman with a severe hairstyle and glasses walked in like she owned the place. Willow felt an instant fear that whoever this adult was it wasn\u2019t going to be good news and she stood up instantly taking control of the library since Giles was elsewhere with Buffy. \u201cMay we help you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe librarian isn\u2019t here?\u201d the woman asked, her English accent confirming Willow\u2019s instinct about the woman. This couldn\u2019t be good, this woman had to be a watcher.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnglish. Watcher. You\u2019re a watcher!\u201d Xander stammered through a bite of his candy bar.<\/p>\n
The woman turned her head, her eyes narrowing at Xander. \u201cAnd you would know about Watcher\u2019s how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, uh, help Buffy.\u201d Willow stepped out from the table, the thought that was looping around in her brain taking on whole new meaning as she stepped closer. \u201cYou are a Watcher then?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed, the sigh of the disappointed and bored. \u201cNo one should know who Buffy is. Nor her Watcher. I\u2019m Gwendolyn Post. Mrs. I need to speak with Mr. Giles. It is urgent. Perhaps more so than I thought at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get him.\u201d Willow turned toward Oz, as she motioned with her hands she meant her and Xander. \u201cOz will stay here with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery well. I don\u2019t have all day to wait. There are things to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow nodded and met Xander\u2019s eyes, her own widening to convey worry as they walked out of the library. “This is bad, this is so bad. So bad,\u201d she said out loud for the first time. \u201cCould this day get more traumatic. What is someone from the Council doing here? And Oz asked me to Homecoming, what am I going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander took the final bite of his Payday and shrugged. \u201cWe tell Giles the stuffy Watcher Woman is here. And is it just me or did she make him look loose? And he and Buffy deal with it. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s nothing to worry about\u2026probably just another apocalypse or something, you know,\u201d he said throughout chewing his bite and finished with a swallow. \u201cAnd what do you mean about Oz and Homecoming?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to help me, Xander.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I\u2019ll help you. But what do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are dresses to be worn, to make me look\u2026 you know pretty. And dancing! I don\u2019t know if I can dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can dance\u2026and did you say pretty. Oh, God. Is Cordy going to expect me to be in a tux?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is bad, this is so bad. So, very, bad,\u201d Xander said with a groan.<\/p>\n
~~<\/p>\n
\u201cThis accursed machine has eaten my money again,\u201d Giles said, continuing to push the button for the orange flavored soda he\u2019d ordered.<\/p>\n
Buffy sipped from her own can of soda and watched his futile attempt to tame the machine for a full minute before deciding to help. \u201cYou just have to know\u2026\u201d she trailed off as she started shaking the machine. \u201cUse. Slayer. Strength.\u201d She smiled triumphantly as a grape soda fell out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted orange.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot my fault what comes out, it\u2019s liquid isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles balanced the soda between the crook of his arm and his chest, as he cleaned his glasses and muttered something under his breath. Buffy fought the urge to run away from him and not have the inevitable conversation about her next three days of training and other Slayertastic \u2013 in Giles\u2019 mind only \u2013 things.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, now that I have your full attention\u2026Buffy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here. Fully attentive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight, now today after your lunch period\u2026\u201d Giles trailed off when Cordelia shoved herself in the space between them and started to tape something to the wall. \u201cUh, Cordelia, if you would excuse us, Buffy and I are having a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you should thank me, considering it\u2019s probably boring demon stuff, Harmony wanted me to do this for me\u2026and normally I would make her do the menial work herself. But I saw that Buffy looked bored and you looked serious so \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Cordy,\u201d Buffy said, cutting her off, her eyes falling on what she was taping up on the wall, a picture of herself grinning. \u201cHomecoming Queen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. Who else but me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy stared at the poster. She\u2019d been a Homecoming Queen once, in junior high in Los Angeles. Everyone who was anyone had voted for her. Buffy\u2019s brow wrinkled, was that even true? Was it even conceivable that she, The Slayer, the girl being over-watched by her watcher, and nagged constantly by her mother was the same person. Now the only person she knew on campus who was anyone was Cordelia. She\u2019d killed countless demons, vampires and sent her boyfriend \u2013 ex-boyfriend\u2014to hell, only to have him return. Had she, Buffy, really been a popular girl, someone on the cheerleading squad, and voted to wear tiaras? Had she really only ever worried about what to wear, and not constantly wondering what to do about her mother, Slaying, Angel and Giles? Had she really ever been like Cordelia Chase?<\/p>\n
A shiver ran down her spine when she realized the answer was \u2018 yeah, you kinda were like Cordelia?\u2019 It jolted her out of her thoughts just in time to hear Giles ask her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy, are you even listening to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, I was having really scary thoughts,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy –\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me guess. After my lunch period, I\u2019m to meet you in the library during my study hall hour \u2013 you arranged with the teacher for me to meet you in the library for\u2026well, whatever lie you called it. I will then spend the hour beating you up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be working on your kick boxing skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike I said beating you up. Then I will finish my academic day. Try to get some fun time with Willow and Xander in, before I must go home for another mother-daughter bonding dinner. Then I must, and I stress the must, patrol because that\u2019s what good little Slayers do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles face fell into what Buffy called his stern-wannabe parent look of frustrated disappointment. It worked. It worked well, reminding her both about how she\u2019d run away after her fight with Angelus, and also about Angel. Angel out there all alone in his mansion, back and probably still confused. She needed to go to him, she wanted to go to him. She needed to talk to him about\u2026 too many things, most of which she didn\u2019t want to say out loud.<\/p>\n
Then there was Giles, her mother\u2026her friends. She owed them all the truth, but this was Angel. He\u2019d been her boyfriend, he\u2019d lost his soul because they\u2019d loved each other and she\u2019d been the one to stab him through the heart and send him to hell. Knowing, just like Giles said she would that Willow had returned his soul. She should tell Giles, she shouldn\u2019t be keeping this from Giles. He was her Watcher. He was the guy with a parental-like look of exasperation on his face when he lectured her. He was Giles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill you be at the library on time?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy nodded furiously. \u201cYes, I promise. I\u2019m sorry, Giles. I will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles\u2019 expression softened. \u201cGood, good. I don\u2019t mean this to be a trial, Buffy. I do this for your own safety. Your life is of utmost importance to me\u2026and this grape soda is swill. The orange at least doesn\u2019t –.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Buffy. Mr. Giles,\u201d Scott said, stopping next to Buffy and giving Giles a sympathetic smile. \u201cI never touch anything but the root beer from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the diet cola myself,\u201d Buffy said, smiling hello to Scott. Cute, nice, Scott, who was supposed to be her boyfriend, and she was ignoring him all the time. She had to make a conscious effort not to let the Slayer half of her life interfere with\u2026well, the having of a life she could call \u2018the other half of her life\u2019. \u201cHi, Scott.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a great band playing at the Bronze tonight and I was wondering –\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGiles!\u201d Willow\u2019s yell interrupted Scott, as she and Xander skidded to a halt next to Buffy and Scott. Buffy\u2019s instincts perked up at the looks on her two best friends faces alerting her to possible trouble.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Willow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA Wa\u2026\u201d Xander bit his tongue, seeing Scott. \u201cA woman, British. Stuffy. In the library with Oz. Waiting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow bobbed her head up and down. \u201cIt seemed important and urgent. Possibly not good. But it will be good right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles handed his soda to Xander, took off his glasses and took a few steps away. \u201cBritish you say? Did she give a name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Post,\u201d Willow said and Buffy met her eyes and saw major worry this meant something bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I?\u201d Buffy asked, stepping closer to Giles.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no.\u201d Giles shook his head. \u201cI\u2019ll go. See what it is about, no reason to bother you with it yet\u2026\u201d he then took off.<\/p>\n
Buffy turned back to Willow and Xander to ask more questions, and wanted to scream. Cordelia was back, sidled up next to Xander looking at the three of them with her mouth already wide open.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome woman, from England wanted to see Mr. Giles. Maybe she\u2019s a relative,\u201d Scott supplied. \u201cBuffy, I was wondering if\u2026\u201d But Buffy didn\u2019t notice him.<\/p>\n
What she noticed was that when Scott spoke, Xander manage to cough \u2018Watcher\u2019 in Cordelia\u2019s ear. What she noticed was that even Cordelia looked worried about what that could mean. What Buffy noticed was that Willow was bouncing on her toes, wondering what was going on. She turned around and stared down the hallway where Giles had disappeared.<\/p>\n
Whenever Watchers or the Council had been mentioned in the past, Giles always seemed to get really tense, more British and he\u2019d even wear more tweed. Buffy didn\u2019t like this, and why was she standing in the hall letting him find out what was up alone? She had to stand by him. With a half-wave at the group by the soda machine, Buffy took off down the hall in a fast paced walk, she wasn\u2019t going to let Giles deal with whatever it was alone.<\/p>\n
~~<\/p>\n
Cordelia left Willow and Xander to apologize for Buffy to Scott, frankly she didn\u2019t see why they were bothering. Or why Buffy was bothering, or why Scott was putting up with her disinterest in the first place. Buffy only had one man on her mind and he had fangs, and Cordelia knew it. No one else did though and she had to keep her mouth shut when she wanted to shout at Scott that he could do better than someone who wasn\u2019t telling her closest friends that her ex had come back from Hell.<\/p>\n
Or yell after Buffy and tell her what a hypocritical little bitch she was being when it came to Giles. Cordelia couldn\u2019t help but wonder if he would still appreciate Buffy\u2019s so-called loyalty if he knew that while she rushed to his defense simply because of some woman from England that she keeping Angel\u2019s existence from him. Giles deserved to know more than any of them, he was The Watcher, he was the man whose girlfriend had been killed, he was the one who had been tortured, he was the one who\u2019d pulled out his hair when Buffy ran away\u2026<\/p>\n
Cordelia didn\u2019t get Buffy at all. And she\u2019d kill to ask Buffy where she got off, not telling, not making sure Angel was safe to be left alone and a whole bunch of other questions but she couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d told Angel she would stay quiet and she really believed that was the right call. After all it wasn\u2019t her secret, she wasn\u2019t a Slayer, she wasn\u2019t part of the love drama that was them. Her part in the situation was over and done, unless Angel decided to tell Buffy about their run in, Cordelia frowned, that would be a fun conversation \u2013 not. She wondered what Buffy would like hearing more, that she hadn\u2019t fed her vampire enough, or that Cordelia despite being almost vamp-food had. Cordelia bit back a smile, it would almost be worth it to be able to lord the huge mistake over Buffy\u2019s head \u2013 for the few minutes the Buffy Squad would let her get away with it.<\/p>\n
Because lets not forget, Buffy has a lot to deal with, we have to understand\u2026being a Slayer is a tough thing \u2013 Well, duh, Cordelia thought, but she refused to believe that it gave Buffy the right to be stupid, or act the victim.<\/p>\n
Xander\u2019s hands fell on her shoulders and Cordelia realized she had spent way too much time thinking about Buffy. She shook it all off, reminded herself she had nothing to do with the situation anymore \u2013 despite thinking that the people who mattered should know about Angel, she turned to Xander. He should know, she thought and then berated herself, not her secret to tell, or her issue to obsess about. She needed a new subject, a fun subject\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I have issues about Homecoming to take up with you,\u201d Xander said.<\/p>\n
Yes, Cordelia thought, the perfect subject of them all. \u201cMe too. Like if you have issues about it, you should ask me first or I won\u2019t address them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander\u2019s mouth fell open and then he shut it quick. He blinked, then looked at Willow, who was still standing nearby and back at Cordelia. \u201cI, I, didn\u2019t ask you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Cordelia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Well, uh, Cordy, will you go to the Homecoming dance with me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. See, piece of cake. What are your issues?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, Willow here, she mentioned dresses and I realized that, um, do I have to wear a tux?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you do. I\u2019m going to be Homecoming Queen, so you have to look your best. Especially, since you\u2019re the reason I have to actually campaign this year to get all the votes I should. I mean, I\u2019ll date who I want to and I want to date you because well\u2026 you are kinda cute and sweet. But I will still be Homecoming Queen and you will be in a tux and looking wonderful for the dance. Got it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight. Uh, right\u2026\u201d Xander glanced at Willow.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there something wrong?\u201d Cordelia asked, realizing the two friends looked horrified, worried and baffled.<\/p>\n
Willow hopped up. \u201cNo. Nothing wrong. Just\u2026well, I\u2019ll make sure he looks nice and spiffy for you Cordy. He\u2019s going to help me look nice for Oz, male perspective. I\u2019ll be the female for him\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go ahead and try,\u201d Cordelia said and then her brain caught up with her mouth. \u201cOh! And Willow, could you do me a favor. I\u2019m going to need a database of my competition for Homecoming. So far it\u2019s not too back, but I\u2019ve heard a few rumors about someone else, and if she runs I may have a bit of competition. Will you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Willow said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat! You are so sweet\u2026and Oz and you will look so cute at the prom together. Xander and I will look gorgeous, and I guess if Scott keeps putting up with Buffy they\u2019ll look okay too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think we\u2019ll look gorgeous?\u201d Xander asked.<\/p>\n
Cordelia turned toward her boyfriend and smiled. \u201cYeah, I kind of do,\u201d she admitted, looking around to make sure only Willow had heard her. She still had a bit of a reputation to maintain, she didn\u2019t need people to know that she was nice to Xander more than forty percent of the time.<\/p>\n
He grinned. \u201cWanna go to the closet?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rolled her eyes. \u201cYou are one big hormone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that a no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018I didn\u2019t say that.\u201d Cordelia smiled, waved bye to Willow and let Xander her lead her down the hall to their special place, deciding that she\u2019d done her fill of wondering about Buffy\u2019s brain. Angel wasn\u2019t her problem plus she had more important things to focus on. Like a cute, goofy boyfriend who was a great kisser, finding the perfect dress for the dance and winning Homecoming Queen.<\/p>\n
TBC<\/p>\n