Title: Spellbound 3/8
Author: Hayley
email: Lamb@traverse.com
Summary: Giles' visit to Los Angeles has interesting consequences.
Rating: R-some naughty language, and some nudity. . . .all the good things in life.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the toys you see before you have been borrowed from the all mighty Joss.I just take them out and play with them. *yay me* Don't sue.
Feedback: Oh pretty please? Have you hugged your author today?
Distribution: You may put it wherever you desire and I'll be thrilled about it. Just let me know where so I can send all my friends there to check it out.
Spoilers: Most of Angel, and some of Buffy. . . . nothing too specific or earth shattering.
*~*~*~*~*
Angel Investigations:
Cordelia continued to pace the small office restlessly.
"Would you please stop that Cordelia?" Wesley looked up from where he sat on the couch reading through an ancient demonology text.
"Stop what?" Cordelia snapped. In the past two days Wesley and Angel had both been bothering her more than normal. They claimed that *she* was the overly sensitive one, but REALLY sometimes Wesley's loud breathing just drove her insane!
"Pacing."
"I was here before you, and if I want to pace, I can pace."
Hearing Cordelia's words, Angel frowned from inside his office. Cordelia was usually difficult to read, but recently she'd been absolutely impossible, and completely lacking in humor.
Privately he wondered what exactly happened in Ethan Rayne's guesthouse, but with Cordelia's current mood he was too scared to ask. Besides he couldn't imagine Giles taking advantage of a girl as young as Cordelia. Rupert Giles is one of the most respectable, honorable men Angel knew.
Returning to the financial section of the paper, Angel's ear perked up at the sound of a courier delivering two packages. One each for Wesley and himself.
"Angel?" Wesley held the small boxes gingerly. "Any idea why you and I are recieving mail from Mr. Rayne?"
"There's only one way to find out." Angel opened the box carefully only to find an unlabeled video cassette inside.
"Any chance that it's his last will and testament?"
"Let's find out."
The trio descended in the elevator to Angel's apartment and popped the first tape into the VCR. An image flickered onto the screen, revealing the guesthouse and Cordelia and Giles locked in a passionate embrace.
"Son of a --"
Angel caught the remote before Cordelia could fling it through the television screen. "Cordelia. . . "
"Miserable, no good, sick, perverted, disgusting old . . . ."
Angel's hand covered the crossbow, not allowing her to lift it from the desk. "Cordelia! Calm down. I think it's safe to say that this means Ethan's not done with you."
"Not done with ME? HA! If Ethan Rayne thinks that I'm done with him he's got another thing coming! I'm going to rip him into itty bitty tiny little pieces!" Cordelia snarled. "I'm *going* to kill him."
"I think you're going to have to get in line for that." Wesley said from the other side of the room. "If Angel and I recieved copies of this video, what do you think the chances are that our aquaintances in Sunnydale did as well?"
"Wesley. . .we have to have a discussion about what *is* and is *not* helpful."
"Oh. . . my . . . God." Cordelia's jaw dropped as she slumped back in her chair, gaping at Wesley and Angel. "You think," Gulp. "Ethan sent that video to Buffy, Xander and Willow?"
"I think it's a possibility." Wesley replied, stunned by a sudden choking sound. "Cordelia?"
"Oh God." She repeated doubled over in her chair making a moaning sound.
"Cordelia?" Angel moved closer, and was shocked to discover she was laughing.
"Oh God Angel. . . .I may be slightly mortified. . .but Giles. . .is . . . .going to have to. . . .explain this to Buffy and Xander and Willow. . ." She took a shuddering breath. "I know it's awful. . .but wouldn't you *pay* to be a fly on the wall?"
hr
Sunnydale
"What are we going to say to him?" Willow tugged Buffy to a halt at the bottom of the steps leading to Giles' apartment.
"I thought I'd be sensitive and ask Giles when he turned into a filthy old pervert who gets off on getting girls more than 1/2 his age drunk and naked." Xander responded grimly. The very idea that Giles had put his hands all over Cordelia made him sick. "Maybe someone's putting Viagra in the L.A water supply."
"Xander!" Willow admonished. "This is GILES we're talking about. There's got to be an explanation."
"Well, I wanna hear it." Buffy knocked once on Giles' door, and pushed it open.
Giles watched as the trio of teenagers filed in. Xander looked disgusted, Willow pensive, and Buffy shocked. "What's the matter? What's happened?" Xander tossed Giles a videotape on it, a post it note that reads "Ask Me About My Summer Vacation."
"What's this?"
"Well. . . " Willow searched for the best explanation. "It starts out with a really nice mansion. . . ."
"And end up with you coping a feel on Cordelia like some horny old pervert." Xander finished.
Buffy elbowed him roughly in the ribs. "We all got a copy."
"I still don't understand what the problem is. People have sex." Anya huffed. "Where do you all think you came from?" She'd never understand the human obsession with sex. How people did it. Where they did it. And with whom they did it, all seemed to take up a lot of time in their culture.
"Give them to me." Giles promptly opened the cartridges and ripped out the tape. "I am only going to tell you this story once. After that we will never discuss it again. Is that clear?"
Only after he recieved three nods did he wave them into the livingroom. "While I was in Los Angeles I ended up at a party thrown by Ethan. He's been playing the part of a movie producer. . . ."
"So Cordy was there?" Willow guessed.
"Yes. She had no idea that Ethan was the host. He was casting spells on both me and Cordelia. I don't know what's on those tapes. But I can tell you that we never consumated anything. Wesley and Angel came in before anything could happen."
"How convenient. And what would Cordelia say if I called her and asked her?"
Giles removed his glasses and glowered at the boy. "Before or after she died of mortification? You will of course do as you see fit. . . .but I would hope that you would show some discretion."
"I still don't get it. You went to a party with ETHAN RAYNE after he turned you into a DEMON?"
"My relationship with Ethan is complex." Giles muttered. "To say the least."
Not at all pacified, Xander interjected. "Well that's lovely for you to be complex Giles. But this time you and Ethan got CORDELIA involved in your sick little games."
Anya watched curiously as her boyfriend's face flushed and he glared at the older man. Hmm. . . .
"I am well aware of that Xander. Ethan is not going to make that little video available to the public. It was a private message intended for the sole purpose of making me squirm. Ethan does have a code of ethics of sorts, and humiliating Cordelia would cross that code."
"You think Ethan has a code of ETHICS?" Buffy's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. Ethan can't SPELL ethics!"
"You're right, Ethan has no code of ethics. But he does have an iota of common sense. He knows that friendship and nostalgia will only save him so many times. . . .you are merely going to have to take my word that this will go no further."
"So! I heard that you got some old man." Spike strolled into Giles' apartment with a grin on his face. "Niiiiice show there. Two thumbs up. Does she have a friend?"
hr
Angel Investigations:
"She almost got herself killed tonight." Wesley frowned handing Angel a warm mug of blood. "I'm worried. She's been to the doctor, but her fever's not going down. I don't think she's sleeping, and she hasn't even been to an audition for two weeks."
"I know, I'm starting to think it's some kind of reaction to Ethan's spell. A side effect."
"I think you should call Rupert." Wesley frowned and passed Angel the telephone.
"Why me?"
"He at least feigns civility with you. We haven't reached that point in our association yet." Wesley answered still looking through the doorway where Cordelia slumped at her desk looking flushed and exhausted. "Angel, I know you're not happy with Rupert, but if he can give us some answers that help Cordelia, then it must be worth putting aside some of our own feelings."
Sighing, Angel seated himself at his desk and dialed the familiar number. "You say that since *I'm* the one that has to talk to him." The phone rang several times before being picked up. "Giles?"
"What?" Giles started at the irritable tone in his own voice. Somewhere in the past two weeks he'd lost any semblance of manners or breeding. He'd been forced to apologize to one or another of the children on more than one occasion. "Angel. What is it?"
"I think that Cordelia is suffering some sort of side effects from the spell Ethan cast."
"Spell?" Giles asked with deliberate obtuseness. Ethan wouldn't have sent a video to. . . .oh Bloody Hell! Of course he did. The King of Chaos reigns supreme. Bastard. Not particularly wanting a critique of his performance, Giles moved on to more important matters.
"What sort of side effects?" Giles tugged a notepad onto his lap from his desk.
"She's not eating. Or sleeping. She's distracted and clumsy. She nearly shot Wesley with her crossbow the other day. She's feverish, but when she had a check up the doctor didn't turn anything up." Angel frowned at the reciever. "Giles?"
"I'll be there in two hours."
"Well that was productive." Angel scowled, and rose to his feet. "He'll be here in two hours."
Wesley stood in the other side of the doorway as they watched Cordelia intently. "She'll be fine Angel."
hr
One Hour Forty-Five Minutes Later:
Stepping into the old elevator, Giles took a deep steadying breath. The entire situation was a bloody mess. He was having the same symptoms as Cordelia, and if his theory was correct, things were only going to get worse.
Giles opened the iron grate of the elevator and stepped into the dark hallway. He could hear soft voices in the office.
"Cordelia! Are you all right?" Angel sounded very concerned.
"Yeah. It--was another vision. But I don't understand it. I can't focus on it!" Cordelia sighed in exasperation.
"You've got to try Cordelia." Wesley urged. "Let me get you a bottle of water and some aspirin."
"I don't know what's the matter with me!" Cordelia's voice cracked.
Stepping into the office, Giles set his bag down on the floor and crossed to kneel in front of the chair Cordelia was slumped in. "Hullo."
Almost instantly Cordelia flung herself forward into his arms, hugging him so tightly it was as though she wanted to crawl inside of him. Giles could feel her unexpected embrace taking off some of the edge that had developed in the past two weeks. Something about the scent of her, the touch of her small hands on his shoulders soothed the beast within.
"I don't know what's wrong with me Giles." Cordelia nestled closer in his embrace, not noticing Wesley and Angel's identical frowns. She never expected to feel so *good* holding Giles.
His hands came up to cup her warm face. "I think I do." He replied. "But first you need to focus on your vision. That's the immediate problem. Can you do that now?"
Strangely enough Cordelia had no difficulty recounting her vision of a giant purple demon at a local nightclub to Angel and Wesley.
"Go on then. I'll take care of her." Giles said firmly when it appeared that Angel was going to argue. "We'll discuss it when you get back."
"Sorry about that." Cordelia slowly pulled herself to her feet, feeling slightly abashed in the face of her strange reaction to him. "Um, do you want something to drink?"
"Yes. Actually I brought some tea I think you might try." Giles followed Cordelia into the kitchen, and put on a kettle of water. "I understand you haven't been feeling well."
"Not really." Cordelia hedged. "I'm just 'off' lately. More than usual. Did that snitch Wesley call you? He's such a mother hen! He and Angel have been pouring chicken soup down my throat." She looked down at her hands folded primly on the table, and asked quietly. "Did they get the video too?"
"Yes. But I destroyed their copies. Cordelia, you have no idea how much I regret . . ."
"Of course you do. I mean I'm not really your type. It's not like I'm Willow or Buffy or anything. . . "
Realizing the mess he's making, Giles crouched in front of her chair easily tilting her face towards his. "That is *not* what I am trying to say Cordelia. I regret the fact that Ethan used you to hurt me. And that you were hurt in the process."
Cordelia knew that he was saying something, but it was getting lost in the touch of his hand on her face. "It's not your fault. I was at the party all on my own." She shuddered slightly. "And when I think of who I could have ended up with. . . ewww. Some gross old man with more hands than hair."
A small smile crossed Giles' lips. "I think that you're sickness is because of Ethan's spell. We need to find him and get him to reverse it." Once the kettle began to boil, he poured two cups of his special blend of tea, and passed a cup to Codelia. "Drink all of this."
"What's happening to me?" Cordelia sipped the tea and made a terrible face. "Blech."
"Drink up." Giles quickly finished his. "I think that our symptoms. . ." At Cordelia's curious glance, Giles nodded. "Yes, I'm having them as well. Don't stem so much from the spell, but from the fact that we were unable to finish what was started."
"You mean??" THAT had to be why she couldn't get the much older librarian out of her head. When she was awake she was missing him like her next breath, and when she was asleep. . .when she was asleep he finished what was started so spectacularly she'd gotten used to ice cold showers.
"I think Ethan's spell has a sexual release trigger of some sort."
"What is it with you Watchers? Always with the doom and gloom." Cordelia finished her tea and set aside the cup. "So how do we find Ethan? I mean this is just a little too strange even for a girl that grew up on a Hellmouth."
"I think that I've got a way to lure Ethan out into the open." Giles confided.
"Can't we just lure him out into the open spaces of the freeway?"
"Not that I haven't considered it, but I don't think that would solve our immediate problems." Giles' green eyes bored into Cordelia's. "You'll never know how sorry I am that I got you into this mess."
"Would you stop that?" Cordelia snatched the cups up from the table and moved to the kitchen sink. "I know it's probably the Watcher in you that makes you think that everything is always your responsibility, but this is Ethan's fault. Not mine, not yours. If you'd known things would end up like this, you never would have gone."
"You seem to know a great deal about this." Giles commented watching her stiff body language.
"Yeah, well I may have had a few lessons about letting go of guilt lately." Turning, she forced a smile to her face, and the dark thoughts out of her head. "Whatever was in that tea made me feel better. Loosened that knot in the pit of my stomach."
"When I go back to Sunnydale I'll leave you with a tin of it. Two teaspoons no more than three times a day."
"What is in it?"
"I would answer you Cordelia, but I'm afraid that's on a need to kow basis."
"It's something disgusting isn't it?" Grabbing a clean dishtowel Cordelia rubbed at her tongue. "What is it Giles? Blech. I knew it tasted funny. It better not have come from the inside of some slimey amphibian! No 'toadstone' tea. . . ."
"No Cordelia. Nothing in the tea came from an animal." Giles shook his head.
"Then you're right. I don't want to know. It's some witchy thing right?"
"Right." He watched as she picked up the phone on her desk before it even rang.
"Hey Angel. What happened? Did you and Wes kill the big bad already? No? Want me to meet you? Oh FINE!! Jeesh! I said I was sorry for almost shooting him! Tell Wesley not to be such a big baby! You guys will be careful? No. I'm fine. Wesley's more use to you than he would be to me. I'll lock up and take the laptop home with me in case you guys need anything. Call in six hours or face my wrath."
"You knew the phone was going to ring?"
Cordelia ducked her head. "Lucky guess?"
"I don't think so. What's going on Cordelia?"
"I'm hungry. Are you hungry? We can grab some take out on the way home."
hr
Author: Hayley
email: Lamb@traverse.com
Summary: Giles' visit to Los Angeles has interesting consequences.
Rating: R-some naughty language, and some nudity. . . .all the good things in life.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the toys you see before you have been borrowed from the all mighty Joss.I just take them out and play with them. *yay me* Don't sue.
Feedback: Oh pretty please? Have you hugged your author today?
Distribution: You may put it wherever you desire and I'll be thrilled about it. Just let me know where so I can send all my friends there to check it out.
Spoilers: Most of Angel, and some of Buffy. . . . nothing too specific or earth shattering.
*~*~*~*~*
Angel Investigations:
Cordelia continued to pace the small office restlessly.
"Would you please stop that Cordelia?" Wesley looked up from where he sat on the couch reading through an ancient demonology text.
"Stop what?" Cordelia snapped. In the past two days Wesley and Angel had both been bothering her more than normal. They claimed that *she* was the overly sensitive one, but REALLY sometimes Wesley's loud breathing just drove her insane!
"Pacing."
"I was here before you, and if I want to pace, I can pace."
Hearing Cordelia's words, Angel frowned from inside his office. Cordelia was usually difficult to read, but recently she'd been absolutely impossible, and completely lacking in humor.
Privately he wondered what exactly happened in Ethan Rayne's guesthouse, but with Cordelia's current mood he was too scared to ask. Besides he couldn't imagine Giles taking advantage of a girl as young as Cordelia. Rupert Giles is one of the most respectable, honorable men Angel knew.
Returning to the financial section of the paper, Angel's ear perked up at the sound of a courier delivering two packages. One each for Wesley and himself.
"Angel?" Wesley held the small boxes gingerly. "Any idea why you and I are recieving mail from Mr. Rayne?"
"There's only one way to find out." Angel opened the box carefully only to find an unlabeled video cassette inside.
"Any chance that it's his last will and testament?"
"Let's find out."
The trio descended in the elevator to Angel's apartment and popped the first tape into the VCR. An image flickered onto the screen, revealing the guesthouse and Cordelia and Giles locked in a passionate embrace.
"Son of a --"
Angel caught the remote before Cordelia could fling it through the television screen. "Cordelia. . . "
"Miserable, no good, sick, perverted, disgusting old . . . ."
Angel's hand covered the crossbow, not allowing her to lift it from the desk. "Cordelia! Calm down. I think it's safe to say that this means Ethan's not done with you."
"Not done with ME? HA! If Ethan Rayne thinks that I'm done with him he's got another thing coming! I'm going to rip him into itty bitty tiny little pieces!" Cordelia snarled. "I'm *going* to kill him."
"I think you're going to have to get in line for that." Wesley said from the other side of the room. "If Angel and I recieved copies of this video, what do you think the chances are that our aquaintances in Sunnydale did as well?"
"Wesley. . .we have to have a discussion about what *is* and is *not* helpful."
"Oh. . . my . . . God." Cordelia's jaw dropped as she slumped back in her chair, gaping at Wesley and Angel. "You think," Gulp. "Ethan sent that video to Buffy, Xander and Willow?"
"I think it's a possibility." Wesley replied, stunned by a sudden choking sound. "Cordelia?"
"Oh God." She repeated doubled over in her chair making a moaning sound.
"Cordelia?" Angel moved closer, and was shocked to discover she was laughing.
"Oh God Angel. . . .I may be slightly mortified. . .but Giles. . .is . . . .going to have to. . . .explain this to Buffy and Xander and Willow. . ." She took a shuddering breath. "I know it's awful. . .but wouldn't you *pay* to be a fly on the wall?"
hr
Sunnydale
"What are we going to say to him?" Willow tugged Buffy to a halt at the bottom of the steps leading to Giles' apartment.
"I thought I'd be sensitive and ask Giles when he turned into a filthy old pervert who gets off on getting girls more than 1/2 his age drunk and naked." Xander responded grimly. The very idea that Giles had put his hands all over Cordelia made him sick. "Maybe someone's putting Viagra in the L.A water supply."
"Xander!" Willow admonished. "This is GILES we're talking about. There's got to be an explanation."
"Well, I wanna hear it." Buffy knocked once on Giles' door, and pushed it open.
Giles watched as the trio of teenagers filed in. Xander looked disgusted, Willow pensive, and Buffy shocked. "What's the matter? What's happened?" Xander tossed Giles a videotape on it, a post it note that reads "Ask Me About My Summer Vacation."
"What's this?"
"Well. . . " Willow searched for the best explanation. "It starts out with a really nice mansion. . . ."
"And end up with you coping a feel on Cordelia like some horny old pervert." Xander finished.
Buffy elbowed him roughly in the ribs. "We all got a copy."
"I still don't understand what the problem is. People have sex." Anya huffed. "Where do you all think you came from?" She'd never understand the human obsession with sex. How people did it. Where they did it. And with whom they did it, all seemed to take up a lot of time in their culture.
"Give them to me." Giles promptly opened the cartridges and ripped out the tape. "I am only going to tell you this story once. After that we will never discuss it again. Is that clear?"
Only after he recieved three nods did he wave them into the livingroom. "While I was in Los Angeles I ended up at a party thrown by Ethan. He's been playing the part of a movie producer. . . ."
"So Cordy was there?" Willow guessed.
"Yes. She had no idea that Ethan was the host. He was casting spells on both me and Cordelia. I don't know what's on those tapes. But I can tell you that we never consumated anything. Wesley and Angel came in before anything could happen."
"How convenient. And what would Cordelia say if I called her and asked her?"
Giles removed his glasses and glowered at the boy. "Before or after she died of mortification? You will of course do as you see fit. . . .but I would hope that you would show some discretion."
"I still don't get it. You went to a party with ETHAN RAYNE after he turned you into a DEMON?"
"My relationship with Ethan is complex." Giles muttered. "To say the least."
Not at all pacified, Xander interjected. "Well that's lovely for you to be complex Giles. But this time you and Ethan got CORDELIA involved in your sick little games."
Anya watched curiously as her boyfriend's face flushed and he glared at the older man. Hmm. . . .
"I am well aware of that Xander. Ethan is not going to make that little video available to the public. It was a private message intended for the sole purpose of making me squirm. Ethan does have a code of ethics of sorts, and humiliating Cordelia would cross that code."
"You think Ethan has a code of ETHICS?" Buffy's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me. Ethan can't SPELL ethics!"
"You're right, Ethan has no code of ethics. But he does have an iota of common sense. He knows that friendship and nostalgia will only save him so many times. . . .you are merely going to have to take my word that this will go no further."
"So! I heard that you got some old man." Spike strolled into Giles' apartment with a grin on his face. "Niiiiice show there. Two thumbs up. Does she have a friend?"
hr
Angel Investigations:
"She almost got herself killed tonight." Wesley frowned handing Angel a warm mug of blood. "I'm worried. She's been to the doctor, but her fever's not going down. I don't think she's sleeping, and she hasn't even been to an audition for two weeks."
"I know, I'm starting to think it's some kind of reaction to Ethan's spell. A side effect."
"I think you should call Rupert." Wesley frowned and passed Angel the telephone.
"Why me?"
"He at least feigns civility with you. We haven't reached that point in our association yet." Wesley answered still looking through the doorway where Cordelia slumped at her desk looking flushed and exhausted. "Angel, I know you're not happy with Rupert, but if he can give us some answers that help Cordelia, then it must be worth putting aside some of our own feelings."
Sighing, Angel seated himself at his desk and dialed the familiar number. "You say that since *I'm* the one that has to talk to him." The phone rang several times before being picked up. "Giles?"
"What?" Giles started at the irritable tone in his own voice. Somewhere in the past two weeks he'd lost any semblance of manners or breeding. He'd been forced to apologize to one or another of the children on more than one occasion. "Angel. What is it?"
"I think that Cordelia is suffering some sort of side effects from the spell Ethan cast."
"Spell?" Giles asked with deliberate obtuseness. Ethan wouldn't have sent a video to. . . .oh Bloody Hell! Of course he did. The King of Chaos reigns supreme. Bastard. Not particularly wanting a critique of his performance, Giles moved on to more important matters.
"What sort of side effects?" Giles tugged a notepad onto his lap from his desk.
"She's not eating. Or sleeping. She's distracted and clumsy. She nearly shot Wesley with her crossbow the other day. She's feverish, but when she had a check up the doctor didn't turn anything up." Angel frowned at the reciever. "Giles?"
"I'll be there in two hours."
"Well that was productive." Angel scowled, and rose to his feet. "He'll be here in two hours."
Wesley stood in the other side of the doorway as they watched Cordelia intently. "She'll be fine Angel."
hr
One Hour Forty-Five Minutes Later:
Stepping into the old elevator, Giles took a deep steadying breath. The entire situation was a bloody mess. He was having the same symptoms as Cordelia, and if his theory was correct, things were only going to get worse.
Giles opened the iron grate of the elevator and stepped into the dark hallway. He could hear soft voices in the office.
"Cordelia! Are you all right?" Angel sounded very concerned.
"Yeah. It--was another vision. But I don't understand it. I can't focus on it!" Cordelia sighed in exasperation.
"You've got to try Cordelia." Wesley urged. "Let me get you a bottle of water and some aspirin."
"I don't know what's the matter with me!" Cordelia's voice cracked.
Stepping into the office, Giles set his bag down on the floor and crossed to kneel in front of the chair Cordelia was slumped in. "Hullo."
Almost instantly Cordelia flung herself forward into his arms, hugging him so tightly it was as though she wanted to crawl inside of him. Giles could feel her unexpected embrace taking off some of the edge that had developed in the past two weeks. Something about the scent of her, the touch of her small hands on his shoulders soothed the beast within.
"I don't know what's wrong with me Giles." Cordelia nestled closer in his embrace, not noticing Wesley and Angel's identical frowns. She never expected to feel so *good* holding Giles.
His hands came up to cup her warm face. "I think I do." He replied. "But first you need to focus on your vision. That's the immediate problem. Can you do that now?"
Strangely enough Cordelia had no difficulty recounting her vision of a giant purple demon at a local nightclub to Angel and Wesley.
"Go on then. I'll take care of her." Giles said firmly when it appeared that Angel was going to argue. "We'll discuss it when you get back."
"Sorry about that." Cordelia slowly pulled herself to her feet, feeling slightly abashed in the face of her strange reaction to him. "Um, do you want something to drink?"
"Yes. Actually I brought some tea I think you might try." Giles followed Cordelia into the kitchen, and put on a kettle of water. "I understand you haven't been feeling well."
"Not really." Cordelia hedged. "I'm just 'off' lately. More than usual. Did that snitch Wesley call you? He's such a mother hen! He and Angel have been pouring chicken soup down my throat." She looked down at her hands folded primly on the table, and asked quietly. "Did they get the video too?"
"Yes. But I destroyed their copies. Cordelia, you have no idea how much I regret . . ."
"Of course you do. I mean I'm not really your type. It's not like I'm Willow or Buffy or anything. . . "
Realizing the mess he's making, Giles crouched in front of her chair easily tilting her face towards his. "That is *not* what I am trying to say Cordelia. I regret the fact that Ethan used you to hurt me. And that you were hurt in the process."
Cordelia knew that he was saying something, but it was getting lost in the touch of his hand on her face. "It's not your fault. I was at the party all on my own." She shuddered slightly. "And when I think of who I could have ended up with. . . ewww. Some gross old man with more hands than hair."
A small smile crossed Giles' lips. "I think that you're sickness is because of Ethan's spell. We need to find him and get him to reverse it." Once the kettle began to boil, he poured two cups of his special blend of tea, and passed a cup to Codelia. "Drink all of this."
"What's happening to me?" Cordelia sipped the tea and made a terrible face. "Blech."
"Drink up." Giles quickly finished his. "I think that our symptoms. . ." At Cordelia's curious glance, Giles nodded. "Yes, I'm having them as well. Don't stem so much from the spell, but from the fact that we were unable to finish what was started."
"You mean??" THAT had to be why she couldn't get the much older librarian out of her head. When she was awake she was missing him like her next breath, and when she was asleep. . .when she was asleep he finished what was started so spectacularly she'd gotten used to ice cold showers.
"I think Ethan's spell has a sexual release trigger of some sort."
"What is it with you Watchers? Always with the doom and gloom." Cordelia finished her tea and set aside the cup. "So how do we find Ethan? I mean this is just a little too strange even for a girl that grew up on a Hellmouth."
"I think that I've got a way to lure Ethan out into the open." Giles confided.
"Can't we just lure him out into the open spaces of the freeway?"
"Not that I haven't considered it, but I don't think that would solve our immediate problems." Giles' green eyes bored into Cordelia's. "You'll never know how sorry I am that I got you into this mess."
"Would you stop that?" Cordelia snatched the cups up from the table and moved to the kitchen sink. "I know it's probably the Watcher in you that makes you think that everything is always your responsibility, but this is Ethan's fault. Not mine, not yours. If you'd known things would end up like this, you never would have gone."
"You seem to know a great deal about this." Giles commented watching her stiff body language.
"Yeah, well I may have had a few lessons about letting go of guilt lately." Turning, she forced a smile to her face, and the dark thoughts out of her head. "Whatever was in that tea made me feel better. Loosened that knot in the pit of my stomach."
"When I go back to Sunnydale I'll leave you with a tin of it. Two teaspoons no more than three times a day."
"What is in it?"
"I would answer you Cordelia, but I'm afraid that's on a need to kow basis."
"It's something disgusting isn't it?" Grabbing a clean dishtowel Cordelia rubbed at her tongue. "What is it Giles? Blech. I knew it tasted funny. It better not have come from the inside of some slimey amphibian! No 'toadstone' tea. . . ."
"No Cordelia. Nothing in the tea came from an animal." Giles shook his head.
"Then you're right. I don't want to know. It's some witchy thing right?"
"Right." He watched as she picked up the phone on her desk before it even rang.
"Hey Angel. What happened? Did you and Wes kill the big bad already? No? Want me to meet you? Oh FINE!! Jeesh! I said I was sorry for almost shooting him! Tell Wesley not to be such a big baby! You guys will be careful? No. I'm fine. Wesley's more use to you than he would be to me. I'll lock up and take the laptop home with me in case you guys need anything. Call in six hours or face my wrath."
"You knew the phone was going to ring?"
Cordelia ducked her head. "Lucky guess?"
"I don't think so. What's going on Cordelia?"
"I'm hungry. Are you hungry? We can grab some take out on the way home."
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