Title: Out of Sight and Out of Mind
Author: Linqtothepast and Tactless Bruenette
Rating: PG-13
Category: Drama
Content: C/A
Summary: In the episode entitled "Out of Sight and Out of Mind" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season, what if Buffy didn't believe Cordelia and Cordelia was forced to ask Angel for help?
Spoilers: BtVS season 1
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: AO and NF. Elsewhere, Just ask.
Notes: This AU version of the episode has a characterization of Angel who is more independent of Buffy and willing to follow his own conscience.
Feedback: Yes, please. It will help the fic get out faster.
Thanks/Dedication: Uber Mucho thanks to Cordelia'sDestiny and Califi for the beta and suggestions!

Part 1

For the first time in a really long while, Cordelia Chase had entered the Bronze afraid. The last time she had been afraid entering the only teen club in Sunnydale was when she didn't know what her Cordettes were wearing to the Spring Dance. This time, the fear was different.

Cordelia Chase was no coward. She could face bad hairstyles, people with no sense of fashion, and people who needed advice on picking out the right pair of stilettos; but she had no idea of how to stop a stalker, especially a stalker that targeted her friends with the
intention of getting close to her. This was something beyond her league. This was beyond clashing colors, beyond picking out the perfect accessories for every outfit she pulled out of her walk-in closet, and beyond anything that Cordelia had faced before now.

For a girl who hardly needed anybody to stand on her own, she needed help. And the only person she knew capable of doing so was Buffy Summers.

As a matter of habit, she gave her luxuriously straight and silky dark brown hair on last pat and approached the table where she knew the three friends would be sitting. She made her way through with her usual Queen C finesse, her stilettos clicking across the club's floor. Cordelia's sharp hazel eyes picked out a fourth occupant of the table and recognized him as the young man she had labeled 'Salty Goodness' the last time she saw him at the Bronze when he was looking for Buffy.

Well, well, well, something good might come out of this encounter.

The beautiful brunette fixed her facial expression before completely walking up to Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, and Buffy Summers. They were sitting around a tiny round table, nursing their drinks and eyeing the dance floor, clearly enjoying each other's company. Cordelia had no use for tact in her life, preferring to tell everything just the way it was, but she was the victim here, not the aggressor. She desperately needed Buffy's help. Cordelia decided to save the doe-eyed look for the well-built and handsome young man sitting beside Buffy. All right, so he could use a little tan, but he still clearly deserved his 'Salty Goodness' title. She decided not to go for the "We're just old buddies and now I need your help" technique, but she did arrange her facial expression to not appear too haughty.

Buffy Summers watched the tall brunette approach their table carefully, almost as if she was afraid of being followed. She wondered what Cordelia Chase, resident queen bitch of Sunnydale High, was doing in this corner of the Bronze, but she figured it was probably to exchange scalding remarks with Xander. Whatever. Tonight was just a night to chill out for the Slayer; she was surrounded by her best friends and Angel, and even if the Bronze wasn't the happening place right now, Buffy was content.

Beside her, Willow watched Cordelia approach their table with curiosity. She knew that the tall brunette wasn't one just to drop by and say hi, but judging from the look on her
face, it looked like Cordelia would need their help. Willow had never really liked the tactless and sometimes snarky brunette, but she was new to the business of slaying
vampires and ridding the Hellmouth of evil, too. She tried not to imagine the satisfaction of watching Buffy stake a vampire version of Cordy.

Cordelia noticed that besides the hunk sitting beside Buffy, all the other occupants of the table were watching her approach with apprehension. She gave her head a regal Queen C toss, willing herself to get over the initial nervousness and to set up her emotional walls of defense. Little did the three Scoobies know that beneath Cordelia's cold exterior, there lay a vulnerable teenager inside. Shatter the walls of ice she set up around her, and
you would shatter the teen inside.

"Okay," she blew out a breath nervously, "What I'm about to say may shock you, but don't ever expect me to say it again." She stood there for a while taking deep breaths,
trying to think of a way to make her words sound a little less helpless.

"Come on, Cordelia," Xander said in an exasperated tone, "We don't have all night."

'Not to spend with you, anyway,' he thought, shooting a jealous look at Angel. He still didn't understand why Buffy had to bring Angel tonight. Dead Boy was a creature of the
night. He should be out doing something creature of the night-ish, not chilling with a bunch of teens over an espresso.

"Okay..."

"Well?" asked Buffy, mentally readying herself just in case Cordelia decided to sneak in a snide remark. Buffy looked at her closely, trying to pull off 'intimidating', and to her
surprise, it was strangely working.

"I need your help."

" What's wrong, Cor? The Visa maxed out?" Willow elbowed Xander in the ribs, although she couldn't help but think it was a funny comment. "Ow!"

"Now why would I help you?" she asked the girl who was currently trying to avoid making eyes at her boyfriend. 'Okay, so he's not my BOYFRIEND, but he's close to it.', Buffy thought with satisfaction, before forcing herself to focus on the issue at hand.

"Well, you see, these weird things have been happening. Harmony! She fell down the stairs. Well, not fell. Someone-something pushed her."

"Okay, Harmony fell down the stairs. So what? That's not paranormal activity, Cordelia, that's gravity."

Cordelia looked a little deflated, so she threw her a bone. "Why would you think I could help you in the first place?"

"I was actually, kind of, hoping you were in a gang."

"A gang?" Buffy was starting to regret that bone. "Okay. Well, I think I've heard all I need to. Sorry, no can do. "

By now, the Slayer had heard enough. First, she was almost late to the Bronze due to vampire slayage, there were piles of trigonometry homework waiting before the midterm next week, Angel was as quiet and unreadable as ever, and now Cordelia thought she was in a gang. She was almost about to push herself off the stool to go to the washroom when Cordelia said something else.

"Wait! There's more." Cordelia exclaimed. "My friend Mitch, he was attacked in the boys' locker room all by himself after practice. He's in the hospital right now and he told me he never saw his attacker. He was in the room by himself and he said something kept hitting him with a baseball bat."

"Cordelia, like I said, no can do." Buffy said firmly. Cordelia was probably up to her attention-grabbing techniques as usual.

"I," Cordelia started, and then she changed her mind," On second thought, no. I refuse to beg," and with that, she turned on her heel and left, heading back to her circle of so-called friends, the Cordettes.