A/N : I'm not sure that I'm one hundred percent happy with how this turned out (no pun intended!) but my beta assures me it rocks so I await the reviews, either good or bad, from you guys.
Disclaimer : Joss owns all the BtVS characters. Slight stealage from episode 1.2 The Harvest contained in the first few paragraphs.
Revamped : Cordelia
He'd been watching her from the side for several minutes before he approached. He'd liked her for years and she barely gave him the time of day, now things were different.
"Uh, what do you want?" she asks him with that look in her eyes like she thinks he's was just another loser, only this time he doesn't care about that. He wants her, he is going to have her, in more ways than one.
He leads her back to the dancefloor, ignoring her sarcastic comments, going so far as to tell her to shut her pretty mouth when her rambling gets boring. She doesn't appear to mind so much, seems Miss Chase likes him better for telling her what to do than she ever had when he would've happily catered to her every whim if she'd asked, only she'd never even bothered to do that.
He pulls her close, one hand at her waist and the other on her back. Surprising really that she doesn't realise how cold his skin is through her flimsy clothes, but then air-head was practically her middle name.
Outside he can feel the others coming, the family into which he was adopted yesterday. The strength in his body, the lack of blood in his veins is because of them, and the irreconcilable love and hate he feels at the same time, towards Darla and her crew, will no doubt stay with him forever - just as Cordelia will, when he gets his way.
"I've got something to show you" he whispers in her ear and she pulls back a little in alarm.
"Something?" she echoes, body tensing as she wonders how a geek like Jesse could have a grip as tight as that which he has on her body right now.
"Call it a gift" he tells her, one hand sliding around her body, fingers running down her arms til he's holding her hand.
Unable to resist the lure of presents, Cordelia smiles and follows him as he heads for the back door. They make it out and around the side of the building just moments before the Scoobies arrive. The other vampires are already through the front door and holding the entire building hostage. Jesse was supposed to be with them, but he's planning his own private party.
"Um, why do I get the feeling there is no gift for me out here?" Cordy asks, an angry edge to her voice but the smell of fear radiates off her, stronger than her expensive perfume.
"What's the matter, Cordy?" Jesse grins, looking almost evil in the half light, "Am I not enough for you?" he asks, hand tightening round her own as she tries to get away. He turns her around and pushes her back against the wall, deep in the shadows where no-one can see them.
"What the hell is going on?" she asks, "Let go of me you freak!" she complains as her planned easy escape from the clutches of the supposed weakling proves much more difficult.
"Come on, Cordy" he laughs at her pathetic attempts to get free, "You're not afraid of me, are you?" he smirks, as fangs jut out from his lips, ridges appear at his forehead and his eyes glow an eerie yellow.
Cordelia's scream is loud enough to wake the dead, but with so many shrieks of panic from inside the building nobody comes to her aid, as the vamped out Jesse pushes her hair aside and sinks his fangs into her throat.
"Kind of amazing how this place can be open two days after an almost-massacre" Buffy comments as she, Willow, and Xander enter the Bronze.
"Pretty weird being back here so soon" the boy replies, "I mean just a couple of nights ago and you were up on that stage, kicking vampire butt..."
"A little louder, Xand" Buffy says sarcastically as she shoves him lightly towards a table in the corner, "I don't think everybody quite heard you"
"Sorry" he apologises as they sit down and Willow glances around.
"It feels strange, knowing Jesse is gone" she says sadly, "I mean, we don't even have a body to...y'know, bury"
"I'm sorry, guys" Buffy sympathises with her two friends, "I know he was a good guy, and I really didn't want things to end up like they did... if I could've save him I would"
"It's not your fault, Buff" Xander assures her, his hand going over hers on the table, "Weirdest part is though he could walk in any time, I mean, he's gone and all but not totally gone gone"
"He is Xand" Buffy reminds him, "If that thing that looks likes him walks in here, it won't be Jesse"
"Just a demon with his face" Willow echoes words Giles has told them over and over til they believe, "Speaking of demon-type faces" she mutters as she spots Cordelia across the dancefloor.
As if she sensed someone watching her, the cheerleader turns and stalks over to the table. It is only as she gets closer the three friends realise something is wrong, the usually fashion conscience Cor is currently wearing all tight black attire, with her makeup done overly much in the eye department.
"Cordelia, what a pleasant surprise" Xander's voice drips sarcasm as he speaks to her, "So I see you decided to go all out in the whore-wear stakes"
"Zip it, Harris" she snaps too harshly, "Like it matters what you and yours think of anybody. You're so useless, it's barely worth you being alive"
"Er, you can't just come over here talking to him like that" Buffy tells her firmly, "And y'know he's right, you look like a hooker in that outfit"
"Weird" says an almost jokey voice before it's owner steps out of the shadows, "I think she looks hot" Jesse tells them, tone turning icy as he wraps an arm around Cordy's waist and pulls her back against him, "Ironic really, when we're both cold" he smirks and Buffy feels sick.
"You didn't" she says, shaking her head in disbelief, "You couldn't, not that fast"
"I don't get it" Xander admits ignorance as he glances between the new couple and his Slayer friend.
"She, she's a...?" Willow asks nervously, heart hammering in her chest and nausea rising in her throat as she realises the answer to her half-asked question is yes. She disliked Cordelia almost as much as she had loved her friend Jesse, but she wouldn't wish what had happened to them on anybody. They're both dead, and possessed by demons now. It isn't them, Giles has told them that, and yet it seems as if it is.
"I didn't do it alone" Jesse smirks, "Didn't know I could do it at all til Darla showed me. Guess I was the first one to get the threesome fantasy, huh Xand?" he says to his old friend, who suddenly feels very sick for a whole menagerie of reasons.
"Jesse, man" he says sadly, "What happened to you? We were friends"
"No" Buffy reminds him, "He's not really Jesse, he's not your friend. He's a monster" she says, looking the vampire in the eye, "And I kill monsters"
"Yawn-fest" Cordelia almost laughs, "Looks like new girl's getting a little too big for her boots already"
"Yeah, they told me about you" Jesse tells the blonde, "Little Miss Do-Good, right?"
"You don't get anywhere in High School being a goody two-shoes, Buffy" Cordelia tells her, "I tried to tell you hanging out with these losers would be suicide"
The Slayer is about to ask what the hell she means by that when the lights go down throughout the club.
Who screams first, nobody is sure.
How many vampires are present is anyone's guess.
Which demon bites into which neck is uncertain.
But when the lights come back up, Jesse and Cordelia are oblivious to it all, as they stand up on the balcony, kissing each other, sharing the borrowed blood on their lips.
The End