When Buffy entered the Library, the first person she saw was Cordelia seated at the table, reading a book; one of Giles' collection of demonology textbooks. Cordy was spending more time there lately. Buffy knew it was because of Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. The girl had it bad for the new Watcher. It was almost embarrassing seeing her fawn all over him. Buffy couldn't see the attraction herself. Maybe it had something to do with his expensive clothes.
"Hey, Cordelia. Do you know where Giles is?"
"Office." Cordy didn't even look up.
"Thanks."
Buffy went into the office. "Giles?"
Her Watcher glanced up at her, a welcoming smile on his face.
"Hello, Buffy."
Their relationship had gone through a lot this year, but they had come out of it more solidly a team than ever. Buffy was beginning to realize that Giles was one of her very best friends, and consciously made the effort to treat him that way.
"Is Cordelia waiting for Wesley?"
"Perhaps. Did you wish to see me about something?"
She smiled brightly at him, pleased because of the reason for her visit.
"Yup. Will, Oz, Xander and me are going to see a movie. Do you wanna come with us?"
"Xander and I," he corrected automatically. "Really, Buffy, your grammar needs refinement."
"So do you wanna come with us?"
"Thank you for asking." He seemed genuinely pleased. "I've already made plans for the evening, I'm afraid."
"Going to do some hot and heavy cross-referencing?" He frowned and she felt badly that she had made such a thoughtless remark. "I'm sorry. It's just that you never go out. We thought it would be fun if you came with us."
"That's kind of you to think of me, but I shall have to decline. Another time, perhaps?"
"Sure. Can't say I didn't try. Are you leaving soon?"
"Just now, actually." He gathered some books and papers and stuffed them into his briefcase, put on his suit jacket, and then followed her out of the office.
Buffy looked at Cordelia still reading at the table. The girl had gotten so studious lately. That was weird.
"Hey, Cordy. Do you want to go to a movie with us?" Couldn't hurt to ask. They were friends once. Sort of.
"Does 'us' include lame-o?"
Buffy refused to be baited. "By that you mean Xander? Yes. He's coming too."
"No, thank you," she replied primly. "I have plans for the evening."
Buffy smiled. Cordelia *had* been hanging around the Library too much lately. She was starting to sound like Giles.
"That's what..." she broke off knowing Cordelia would get annoyed big time if she said what she was thinking. She so did not need an argument with Cordelia.
"That's what what?"
"That's what I thought...because of you being so popular and all."
Cordelia gave her a hard look. "Is that a slam?"
"Nope."
"Better not be."
Giles fidgeted. "Girls, please. Do try to get along."
Buffy glanced at him. He usually stayed out of their little squabbles. He knew how Cordelia was -- all bitchy and snipey. She wavered under his stern glare.
Trying again to be nice to Cordelia -- sort of, she said, "So you and Wesley going steady yet?"
"No." The answer was half-mumbled as Cordy lowered her gaze to the book she had been reading. Her hair fell across her face, shielding her expression.
Ohmygod. Buffy knew then that Cordy was seriously hoping for some kind of permanent relationship with the young Watcher. Buffy's previous attempt to be nice didn't stop her from making a dig, "Then why are you hanging around all the time?"
"This is a public library. I'm public."
"Actually, it's the school... Never mind." Buffy couldn't handle a bout of semantics with Queen C right now.
"Are you both leaving now?" Giles asked. He had his coat on and seemed impatient. Buffy didn't know why he was in such a mood, but decided not to test the limits of his composure. "I'd like to lock up."
Heading for the door, Buffy teased, "Must be a hot date."
Giles didn't answer, and when she turned to see him fumble for one, she saw, instead, Cordelia struggling with her coat. The collar was turned in and she couldn't get it straightened because her long hair was in the way. Giles put his briefcase on the table and lifted her hair out of the way, holding it to the side until Cordelia pulled it from his hands. Giles then fixed the collar of her coat, and rested his hands lightly on her shoulders for a second to let her know it was done. Their eyes met briefly when Cordy turned and bestowed a quick, brilliant smile on him. Then Giles picked up his briefcase and they followed Buffy to the door.
Buffy experienced an odd, kicked-in-the-stomach feeling. What was it that she had just seen? It looked harmless and yet seemed off somehow. She shook her head.
The three of them walked through the deserted hallways together.
"Will you patrol later, Buffy?" Giles asked.
"Right after movie, popcorn and soda."
"Good. Do be careful."
"I will." Spying her other friends waiting for her at the exit, she hurried ahead to join them. Giles and Cordelia walked too slowly for a Slayer with excess energy. She and Willow, Oz, and Xander pushed through the doors and went outside to the parking lot.
"Hey, guys. Are you all psyched to see the movie?"
"I am," Willow replied. "I've been looking forward to this one since before they finished filming it. Dawson Prinze is sooo cool," she said dreamily. Then, perhaps realizing that didn't sound like something one said in front of one's boyfriend, she turned to Oz and said, "That is for an actor whom I'll never meet or even come within a thousand miles of."
Oz merely smiled his little amused half-smile. He was used to his girlfriend's babbles.
"He's okay for a gay guy," Xander said.
"Gay! He's not gay!" Willow squeaked. "Oz, tell me he's not gay."
Oz actually seemed taken aback at that request. "I don't know one way or the other."
"Chill, Will," Buffy soothed. "I saw one of those entertainment shows where they stalk celebrities outside restaurants and stuff, and Dawson was dining out with Reese Gellar. She was hanging onto his arm. They looked very cozy."
"Oh! Whew. That's okay then."
Xander cranked his head around as he heard the doors to the school open behind them. Giles and Cordelia exited the building, talking quietly as they walked.
"Wonder what Cordelia is doing tonight?"
"I asked her to join us," Buffy told him, guessing that her friend was not quite over his former girlfriend. Not that he'd ever admit it.
"And?"
"And she has a date. I think."
"Oh. Well, it just saves us being raked over hot coals because we don't live up to her standards," Xander quipped.
"When has Cordelia ever not had a date?" Willow asked.
"True." Buffy stared at the young woman in question as she walked beside the Watcher. As they got closer they broke off their conversation, but walked past the group. Buffy looked toward the parking lot. The only vehicles in it were Oz's van, some cars belonging to faculty and custodial staff and Cordelia's red sports car.
"Where's your car, Giles?" she asked of her Watcher.
"Hmm? Oh, in the shop. Again."
"Do you need a ride?" Oz asked. "We can drop you off before we go to the movie."
"Thank you, Oz. Cordelia has kindly offered me a lift."
"Yeah," the brunette confirmed. "In exchange for help with my English homework. I so do not get the Dark Ages. They had candles and oil lamps. Why was it called The Dark Ages? Why not the Mediocre Light Ages?" She continued to ramble on like that as they walked away from the others towards her car on the far side of the lot.
"Poor Giles," Willow said, smiling. "He may wish he caught a ride with us instead."
"Yeah..." Buffy continued to watch the pair as she walked with her friends. She bumped into Oz when they stopped at the van. "Oh, sorry."
"Earth to Slayer," Xander waved a hand in front of Buffy's face.
"What? Oh. Nothing."
"What are you looking at, Buffy?" Willow asked.
"That. Them."
Willow followed her friend's gaze. "What them? I only see Giles and Cordy."
"That's who I mean."
The others looked, too.
The Watcher and their erstwhile friend were still talking as they approached Cordelia's car. She dug into her purse and brought out the keys. Giles took them from her in a decidedly absentminded fashion, pointed the remote entry at the car and clicked it. The beep floated across the parking lot. Then Cordelia got in the passenger side while Giles went to the driver's side, got in, started the car and drove it out of the parking lot.
"Did you see that? Did you see that?" Buffy whipped her head around to face her friends then turned back again. "In the Library he helped her with her coat!"
The three stared blankly. Then Xander had a delayed reaction -- an exaggerated reaction -- as he clutched his chest.
"Oh no! Not her coat!"
Willow gave him an annoyed look and he settled down.
"There's something fishy going on with them," Buffy insisted.
"Cordy gave him a ride home. What's wrong with that?"
"It may have been Cordelia's car, but Giles drove it. Didn't you see? He handled the remote thingy as if he knew what it was. Come on! Giles? Mister I'm-allergic-to- technology? Mister drives-a-really-ugly-*old*-car-that- was-made-almost-before-cars-were-invented? Driving Cordy's fancy sportscar like he does it all the time? What's wrong with that picture? And, *and* she didn't even blink. She just let him take the keys and drive her car. She never lets anyone drive her car."
"That is unusual," Oz murmured.
"But Giles is a gentleman," Willow defended. "He has manners and everything. Maybe Cordy has a headache or something and didn't feel like driving."
"She was awfully quiet in the library. She hardly sniped at me even when I left her an opening the size of the Grand Canyon. Maybe you're right."
"Yeah. Maybe." Willow smiled and hooked her arm through Buffy's. "Let's go see that movie."
"Okay." Buffy was still unsettled, but shrugged off the feeling.
As they exited the theatre, the foursome walked along the sidewalk. Buffy and Willow walked together ahead of Oz and Xander.
"Wasn't that so cool when Dawson Prinze dove over the waterfall to save that family in the rowboat?" Willow gushed.
"The coolest," Buffy agreed.
"It was all special effects. They did that scene in a studio. He probably didn't even get wet," Xander scoffed.
The girls exchanged long-suffering looks.
"Xander's envious that he can't do stuff like that," Willow teased.
"Am not and can too!" came the protest.
"When you make a movie we'll go to it and completely suspend our disbelief," Buffy told him.
"That's more like it... um, huh?"
The girls giggled.
"Did I just get insulted?" Xander asked Oz.
"Not sure." Oz sounded like he knew, but was staying out of the discussion for his own safety.
"Don't worry, Xand, we'll all be there when you win your Os-car..." Buffy stopped talking and walking at the same time.
Oz bumped into her from behind.
"Buffy, you've got to start warning me when you're going to do that."
"Uh huh." Buffy was distracted.
"What are you looking at now?" Willow asked.
"Them."
They all looked across the street. Giles and Cordelia were exiting a restaurant. Both were dressed elegantly. Cordy wore a black, tight, mini-skirted sheath and high heels. Her hair was upswept. Giles wore a dark suit with a shirt that shimmered slightly under the streetlights and might have been silk.
As they walked closely together Giles put his hand on the small of Cordy's back. When they reached Cordelia's Sebring, Giles pulled the keys out of his own pocket and once again used the remote to unlock the doors. Then he held the passenger door open and waited while Cordelia slipped inside, closed it carefully after her and went around to the driver's side. He got in, started the car and drove off.
Buffy found herself doing a Wesley. Her mouth was open. She shut it.
"What the hell was that?" she asked her friends.
They looked just as stunned as she felt.
"It looked..." Willow's voice failed her. She tried again. "It looked like Giles and Cor...Cordelia on a date?"
"That's what it looked like to me, too." Buffy stared down the street in the direction the car had gone. "I'm going to find out what is going on here."
Already moving away, she broke into a trot.
"Buffy! Wait!" Willow yelled.
Buffy stopped and looked back.
"We'll all go," Willow said. She looked pointedly at her boyfriend.
"I'll drive," Oz said, sounding reluctant about the entire prospect.
Cordelia padded barefoot across the bedroom in her slip and hung her dress in the closet.
"Honey? Where are you, Rupert?"
Giles climbed the steps to the loft. "Right here, luv. Just turning off the lights downstairs."
He unbuttoned his shirt as he walked across the room. Cordelia's face lit up with a sly smile and she went to assist him in undressing. She met him in the centre of the room and pulled his shirttails free from his trousers.
"What's your hurry?" Giles asked, returning her smile.
She pressed herself up against him, her arms encircling his waist. "I've waited hours to get you alone. I can't wait any longer. Make love to me?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Cordelia's fingers were working on undoing the fastener of his pants. "You don't have to wait for me to ask. You should know that by now."
Giles bent his head towards hers. "I do know that." He brushed his lips across hers, the slightest of touches.
Cordelia kissed him back more urgently. Her arms went around his neck, her hands clasping the back of his head.
Giles' hands caressed her back then settled on her hips to pull her against him. He paraded a line of hot kisses against her neck.
They moved together toward the bed and fell on it, hands suddenly very busy with removing clothing. Giles' were underneath Cordelia's slip, shoving it up to her waist then he pulled the straps down from the top until he uncovered one breast. His mouth took over from there. Meanwhile, Cordelia had Giles' pants unzipped and slipped them past his rump. His boxers followed immediately.
"Lights," Cordy panted, reaching blindly for the bedside lamp.
Giles hand found the switch and the room plummeted into darkness.
"That was someone's idea of hand shadows, right? You know, with a projector and stuff? Like in summer camp?" Xander's anxiety rose with each word.
"No hand shadows," Buffy said. "Just Cordelia and my Watcher getting physical."
She sat in silence a moment, then: "Cordelia and Giles?"