Cordelia stalked towards Xander.
"Let's get something straight. You have no business asking that. You and I are not a couple anymore. Rupert and I are together now. That means that he is the only one whose opinion matters to me. So take your tackily dressed self and get out of my face!"
But Xander wasn't ready to back down. "How long, Cordy? How long have you and he been together?"
"More than a year."
"A year!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Yes. Ever since Oz and I caught Xander and Willow together at the factory."
"Oh, so you just jumped straight into Giles' arms?" Xander asked.
Giles decided it was time to intervene. "Not straight away, no. It happened weeks after that."
"And that's supposed to make it okay?"
Giles' eyes narrowed, his mouth hardening into a thin, displeased line. "No. It's not. It is what happened. It is how it is. It is not meant to make everything okay with anyone except Cordelia and myself."
Buffy folded her arms across her abdomen. "Why Cordelia, Giles?"
He caught her less than congratulatory tone. Adjusting his glasses to give himself a few seconds to avoid reacting emotionally, nevertheless there was an edge on his voice when he asked, "Excuse me?"
Buffy gestured with her hand. "I mean, Cordy? Come on!"
"Listen, you little..." Cordelia surged forward. Buffy put her fists up in defense when the other girl reached for her with clawing fingers.
Giles reacted instantly and got between them, pushing them apart. His arm around Cordelia's waist, he asked, "Please?"
She turned her gaze from Buffy to his steady stare. The tension melted from her body and, chastened, she put her palms against his chest.
"Sorry," she mouthed.
He smiled and ran his hand along the side of her face, letting all of his feelings for her show in his expression.
Behind Cordelia, Willow and Oz saw this. Willow reached for Oz's hand which he gave her, squeezing her fingers.
Giles turned to face his Slayer, keeping his arm around Cordelia.
He fixed Buffy with a stern look.
"I'm sorry you have a...problem with my relationship with Cordelia, Buffy. However, that is your problem. Not mine."
Buffy looked from Giles to Cordelia and back again.
"But….."
"Buffy."
The Slayer looked at Willow who smiled. "They're in love. It's obvious."
Buffy wasn't ready to accept that. "I just don't understand how you and Cordy, of all….." she started.
"Stop." Giles removed his glasses. For the first time that she could ever remember, Buffy was the sole object of her Watcher's anger; a very deep, shaking anger. His green eyes were suddenly cold and colourless. Speaking in a quiet, deadly voice, he said, "Willow is right. I love Cordelia. She is good to me, and good for me. She makes me happy. I will not allow you to sully that love with your thoughtless remarks."
Cordy took his hand in her own. "And I love Rupert. Take that and stick it in your Slayer bag of tricks."
Buffy found she was trembling.
Without another word she turned and walked out of the library.
They all stood and watched her go. All except Giles who stared at the floor.
Cordelia lifted her chin. "I'd say good riddance but that would be too kind."
"She doesn't understand," Oz murmured.
"No, she doesn't," Giles agreed sadly, all of his anger vanishing in the wake of Buffy's departure.
"Well," Xander said a bit too shrilly. He winced and tried again, clearing his throat first. "I do get it. Unfortunately. But then, I knew you and I were finished months ago, Cordy. Let me just say, good luck. To both of you." He included Giles in that, gave them a partial nod and then walked out through the swinging doors of the library.
Cordelia stared after him, a stunned, somewhat sad, expression on her face. "It was nice while it lasted," she whispered mostly to herself and, perhaps, to Xander. Then she looked at Giles' hand in hers and squeezed it. Smiling shyly, she raised her face and met his eyes. "But what we have is so much better."
Giles took her into his arms and rested his cheek against her hair, his eyes closed.
"I love you," he told her.
Cordy hugged him tighter.
When Giles and Cordelia emerged from the school several minutes later, Willow and Oz were waiting in the van.
"See? I told you they wouldn't stay in there all day. They can find some place more comfortable to be together."
"My girlfriend is a romantic."
Willow beamed at him.
They watched the lovers cross the parking near enough so that they brushed shoulders or fingers now and then, ever mindful of prying eyes. They nearly made it to Cordy's car when someone rushed them from behind a parked truck. At first, it looked like it might be Buffy. Whoever it was had flowing blonde hair and was just barely average in stature. Then reality reasserted itself.
Frantically flapping her hands, Willow squeaked out, "Demon!"
Oz started the van, put it in gear, and stomped on the gas pedal. Even as they roared across the lot, the demon knocked Giles aside and threw Cordelia to the sun-baked pavement, following her down with a flash of teeth and claws. She screamed and kicked at it, but it was on top of her, holding her down. She was unable to land any blows.
From the side of the school Buffy charged forward, her hands balled into fists, her face a mask of determination, and Slayer mode set on full throttle.
Before she reached Cordy and her attacker, Giles regained his footing and rushed them. He tackled the demon, driving it off and away from his girlfriend, rolling with it over and over until they came to rest several feet away. Long claws razored through Giles' sleeve, drawing blood, and forcing him back. He only removed himself far enough to swing his fist and connect with its snout in a satisfying crunch. More blood sprayed, this time it was blackish and demonic in origin. The creature howled in pain and leapt onto Giles, slamming him to the ground.
Giles speared his knee into the softer flesh of the monster's abdomen. It cried out again, furiously slicing it's claws through the air in an attempt to mangle Giles' face. He managed to keep it at bay by meeting every thrust with his hands.
Buffy reached them and grabbed the demon by the shoulders, dragging it off her Watcher. She pummeled it virtually senseless then used the heel of her boot to crush its windpipe. It fell limply onto its side.
Oz and Willow approached cautiously. Xander trotted up to stand beside them. "I saw the brouhaha from across the street. Had to come see what all the excitement was about," he explained.
"It's dead." Oz made the question into a statement.
Willow stared at the lifeless looking creature. "It is dead, right?"
Her face set in grim lines, Buffy replied, "As a doornail."
Xander blinked. "What is a doornail anyway and how do we know when it's dead?"
Then Buffy noticed the blood on Giles' arm. "Giles! You're hurt."
He ignored the wound, instead crawling over to where Cordelia was sprawled nearby, half-sitting up. Her face was streaked with tears and her mascara ran but she appeared unhurt otherwise. He took her into his arms and they sat on the ground holding each other.
Buffy stood nearby staring at them.
"Giles, you could have been killed!" Her tone was scolding, angry, scared.
He smoothed the hair off Cordelia's face.
Finally he looked up at Buffy, his face expressionless.
"You both could have been killed," Buffy said looking at Cordelia. She spoke slowly as if fighting her way through more thoughts and emotions than she could process.
Giles continued to stroke Cordy's cheek with his fingertips, his good arm wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned against him with her eyes half shut. Then she lifted her head from his chest, and gazed at him with such an expression of pure love that Willow whimpered and turned into Oz's embrace.
Buffy replayed the fight in her mind. Instead of seeing her own moves, she saw Giles attacking the demon. Her Watcher had risked his life to save Cordy's. It wasn't as if Giles had never fought creatures spawned from the Hellmouth, but she had never seen him fight one with such fury. He had fought to save the life of the woman he loved.
Crouching down beside the two on the ground, Buffy lifted a hand to touch Giles' shoulder. She let it drop short of actual contact.
"I understand now." When two pairs of eyes turned to her, she explained, "I mean, about you guys. You do love her, Giles. I get that. I guess I got it earlier. What I didn't understand was that, Cordy, you love Giles. You really do. I didn't think you were capable of it. I didn't want Giles to give his heart to someone who couldn't return his love. He's been hurt enough."
She rose from her crouch.
"If you ever hurt him, I will kill you."
Cordelia said, with more than a trace of her former haughtiness, "I'm giving you the same warning. Remember that."
Giles got to his feet and helped Cordy up.
"Oz, would you mind giving us a ride back to my apartment?"
By way of answer the young werewolf opened the sliding panel door and helped them into the vehicle. He and Willow got in the front with Xander going to the back to sit on the floor. Buffy remained where she was. Once the doors of the van shut she turned and began walking away across the lot.
The side door slid open again, the sound catching her attention. She turned around.
Giles looked out at her.
She stared back.
"Well?" Cordelia asked in her best demanding tone. "We're bleeding to death here. Are you coming with us or not?"
Giles lifted his hand towards Buffy.
She was inside the van in three bounding steps.