Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own any of the characters, no matter how much I WISH I did. They belong to the idiot Joss and the WB.. Any other characters, I created.
This I Promise You
By Jules
Chapter 7
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** Halloween **
"Willow, Cordelia, Buffy, your dates are here!" Duncan called up the stairs.
He turned to the three boys, dressed as Romeo, Hercules and a T-Bird (from Grease), waiting in the living room, "I'm sure it'll be just a moment."
** Ten minutes later **
"GIRLS!" Duncan called, getting impatient, and very uncomfortable.
"We're coming! We're coming!" Buffy yelled back, "We're just putting on a finishing touches!"
The finishing touches was a bag in which Buffy was putting stakes and crosses, which already secretly contained Cordelia's katana, and some knives that Willow had hidden in the bottom, just incase.
The girls then made their entrance downstairs.
Willow had ended up as the Indian Princess, Buffy had decided to go as Robin Hood, so she didn't look weird holding the bag, which was disguised as a quiver. Cordelia had chosen Aphrodite, so she looked a vision in the filmy pink material. [You know the outfit I'm talking about if you've ever watched Hercules or Xena]
"I really think we were worth the wait, don't you?" Cordelia questioned Buffy after there were no complements.
"Most definitely . . . I feel so . . . ignored!" Byfft agreed.
Oz, the quiet guy with the Technicolor hair who was dressed as a T-Bird stood in front of Willow and quietly told her, "You look great."
Willow blushed deeply, "You look nice too. I really like your costume."
Eric took Cordelia's hand, bowed and kissed it, "I have never seen true beauty until this night."
Cordelia smiled at him, "Why thank you, you make a wonderful Romeo. It was soooooo sweet of you to wear tights too."
"There is nothing I wouldn't do, to please you my enchantress." Eric told her, bowing before her again.
Buffy rolled her eyes, but when her date, 'Hercules' spoke to her, telling her, "You look amazing Buffy." She blushed.
Byfft covered by flustered saying, "Shouldn't we get going? We don't want to be too late."
"Yeah, let's party!" Cordelia agreed, "See ya tomorrow Mac, don't wait up!"
** Much later that night **
It was around 12:30 a.m. when two of the girls traipsed in, giggling. Buffy and Angel each were supporting one.
Cordelia stumbled, then leaned against the wall, "Shhhhhhh, you have to be veeewwy quiet, Mac is slllleeeeeeeeeping." She hissed, then slid down to the floor giggling, because the 'buzz' she was getting because of the other immortal's proximity made her feel even funnier.
Buffy and Angel looked at each other. Buffy shook her head, then sighed, "I'll take Willow, you . . . pick up Cordy."
"Right, now what happened again?" Angel questioned.
"The punch was spiked. I noticed right away, but by the time I found Cordelia, Willow and their dates, they were all plastered, giggling over Harmony who was passed out under the bleachers. I had Xander drive the guys home, and called you for help, because we ran out of vehicles, and I don't want to even think about how hard it would have been to get these two home alone."
Angel picked Cordelia up.
"Wheee!!!!" Cordelia squealed, then giggled, she turned to Buffy and told her in a serious voice, "Just so you know, Willow can sleep in the room three doors down from mine . . . with her clothes!"
"Shhh Cordy!" Willow hissed, "Your intoc-intox-inc . . . your loopy . . . and you like talk more when you're full of punch!"
"Ok!" She wrapped her arms around Angel's neck, "To my room James!" she ordered, then Cordelia burst out laughing again, and laid her head against Angel's shoulder, "To my room."
Angel shifted uncomfortably, the close contact making him very uptight, he ignored the feelings in his heart, and carried Cordelia upstairs. She was too drunk to notice that Angel oddly knew where her bedroom was.
He set her down on her bed sitting up.
Cordelia cocked her head and looked at him, "Angel, is this your favorite holiday?"
"No, actually, vampires and others things have parties to make fun of the day, because everyone's more guarded on Halloween, due to superstition. It's too dangerous for them to go out, so as soon as the sun goes down, they all go to secret location and party all night."
Cordelia stood up and started jumping on the bed, taking off the outside part of her costume leaving her in only the pink embroidered bra and matching underwear, "I love Halloween! You get to dress up and pretend to be someone else!" She stopped jumping and suddenly frowned, and fell to her knees, "So for me, it's just like everyday of my life . . . always hiding who I am and how I feel . . . I have to hide what I am all the time, cause I'm not allowed to tell." She explained in a quiet voice.
Angel had a feeling Cordelia was talking about more then just her not really being a snob, and stored it in the back of his mind.
"Angel?" Cordelia asked in a small voice as he pulled back the covers of her bed.
"Yeah?"
"What did you feel after the first time you killed someone, after you got your soul? I mean, you knew they were evil, but still, you killed them. . . . How did you deal with that?" Cordelia questioned and she curled up in the spot he'd uncovered for her.
"I felt guilty." He honestly told her, "But at the same time, I'd known I had to do it. That if I hadn't of killed them, they would have killed lots more people, innocent people." Angel told her, tucking her in.
"Does the bad feeling that it leaves in your soul go away?"
Angel got suspicious, "Eventually . . . Cordelia, did something happen?"
"Just some vengeance . . ." She motioned for him to come closed, "I wasn't supposed to do something that I did. Adam had made me promise, but I had both my fingers crossed behind my back!" She giggled again, showing him crossed fingers, then letting her arm fall above her head on the pillow.
Angel couldn't control himself and he tuck a few curls that were on her face behind her ear and whispered, "Good-night Cordelia." As finality, trying to tell her it was time to go to sleep.
"Night-night Angle, don't let those vampires on the balcony bite my neck please . . . and tell them it's rude to flash their fangs at a girl like that." She said, pointing to the balcony with her other hand
Angel's head whipped around to her French door and saw there was in fact two vampires there, he took two stakes out and opened the door, quickly dusting them.
"They're gone now Cordelia, they . . . um . . .just came to wish you a happy Halloween." He told her closing the doors and her curtains once more.
"That's so sweet, we usually don't get vampires in this neighborhood . . . we usually kill them in the cemetery, right Angel?" She asked yawning, her eyes drooping.
"Yes, Buffy and I find most vampires and demons in the cemetery."
"Angel, will you lay down with me? I get scared in the dark alone on Halloween." Cordelia innocently asked, still very drunk.
Angel silently groaned to himself . . . why did she have to do things like that.
"Please." She pleaded pouting, "The sun doesn't even hit my bed ever. And it's just for tonight."
Angel couldn't say no to her, no matter how much he knew he should not lay down next to her, he did anyway, for awhile. He'd just lain against the pillows when Cordelia laid her head against his chest and put her arm around his stomach. She sighed contented, and then quickly fell asleep, or just passed out. Angel wrapped his arms around her upper body, and closed his eyes.
** Many hours later, a little while before dawn **
Angel awoke, from the internal body clock, which alerted him of the approach of dawn, was upon him and the sun would soon arise. He slipped out of the bed and went to the French doors. He took one last look at Cordelia, who'd latched onto a pillow in his absence then slipped out the doors.
Angel jumped from the balcony, and then ran off to his apartment, only just making it in the door before the first rays of sunlight rose over the horizon. The moment the door was closed he started banging his head against the door, "Stupid, stupid."
Then he slunk into his room and stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed, "How could I have been so stupid? I'm not supposed to do this kind of thing. I know I could lose my soul and leaving her sleeping on me is just tempting fate! But feeling her body heat against mine, her smooth skin underneath my fingers, her arm wrapped around my waist . . . it just felt, so right. But you can't unfair to her. You don't have a permanent soul, and I know just one kiss from her would cause such immense happiness in my heart that I would definitely turn into Angelus . . . . Oh, and because of Buffy . . ." the last added as an after thought.
~*~
** The next day, 8:30 am **
Duncan came into Cordelia's bedroom to find the young immortal clutching a pillow, in the underwear of her costume.
"Up and at 'em Cordy." Duncan ordered her.
Cordelia groaned, "Is it really necessary to be so loud, or be with in buzz range? Ooh, my head!"
Just then Buffy came in, looking fresh as a daisy.
"What happened to you?" Duncan asked Cordelia, not seeing Buffy.
Buffy answered, knowing Cordelia most likely didn't remember, "Someone spiked the punch last night. Willow, Cordelia, Oz, and Eric all drank a whole lot of it. I brought back two very wasted girls."
Cordelia put the pillow she was clutching over her face and muffledly begged, "Please, leave me to deal with this hangover, since committing suicide would be futile."
Duncan rolled his eyes, and then left her in peace, knowing that when she was cranky, you did not want to mess with her if you valued a life without constant pain.
Buffy followed him out, a little confused about Cordelia's last comment.
** Hours later **
Cordelia finally got dressed in a pair of sweatpants with the legs cut off, and a shirt from cheerleading camp, and trudged downstairs.
She found Willow in the kitchen, head down on the table. Not speaking, Cordelia filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove which she'd turned it on, then joined Willow, keeping her head up by propping her elbow on the table and placing her head on her hand.
The only sound was off the clock ticking. Several minutes later the kettle whistled, signaling its readiness. Cordelia shuffled to the cupboard, got up two cups and her tea. She made two cups, then went back to the table, giving one to Willow.
Willow finally lifted her head, and smiled in thanks. Cordelia just slightly nodded her head, and then messaged her temples in pain. She got back up and soon returned with four extra strength Tylenol gel caps. Both took the pills, and then simultaneously let their heads fall on their left arm, which was resting on the table.
`
That was exactly how Duncan and Xander found them twenty minutes later.
"Aww, the poor things." Xander quietly said, then he sat down between the two and rubbed their backs, "I heard you're the victims of a spiked beverage at the Bewitched Ball."
"What gave it away? The comfortable clothes, the 'I feel like shit' look on our faces, or our heads that refused to be raised above this point?" Cordelia queried glowering.
"Would you like me to kill you so it will go away?" Xander asked teasing her.
"Would you, please?" Cordelia pleaded hopeful.
"No, he won't." Duncan ordered, "How much punch did you have?"
"Don't know, but we liked it, a lot. Everyone at the dance did. After five glasses, things get fuzzy. I'm thinking it was some Jack Daniels that was added, from the taste." Cordelia told them.
"And how would you know young lady?" Duncan demanded of his young ward.
"Oh come on Mac, get with the times. High school parties are full of alcohol . . . my father's office contains every expensive alcoholic beverage known to man. If you don't think I've gotten plastered before . . . you are very naive."
Duncan raised his eyebrow then changed the subject, "You know, you and I have some research to do, remember? The stuff about the anchoring?"
Cordelia raised her head, "Oh my God, you're right. It completely slipped my mind." She got up, thanking God the Tylenol was kicking in, "See ya later guys, you can watch some movies if you want on the DVD player. The movies are those disks on the shelf, they're all labeled. Duncan, I'm going to change, where do you want to meet?"
"The library." He informed her.
"Be down in like, 20 minutes."
Cordelia ran upstairs and took a shower to clear her head, wishing she could remember the night before. She brushed out her hair, puts in some gel. Then quickly dressed in a pair of tight black leather pants and a crimson red shirt, and ties a black do-rag in her hair to keep her hair out of her face. She slipped on a pair of black platform strapy sandals, and then quickly went down stairs.
** The Library **
Cordelia walked into the two-story room to find the place transformed. It was completely updated, computers, huge screens, the walls which used to contain law texts and other boring things now held every text on demon lore, prophecies, mythology, spells, watcher journals and other things supernatural, known to man. Some books were hundreds of years old.
Comfortable chairs, couches, and other things were all over the huge first floor, up the spiral stairs were more books, the weapons, and more chairs and things. Duncan had also added some high tech gadgets up there too.
"Oh my gosh, this place is amazing! I'd always wondered what the heck was going on when we'd heard those noises through the ballroom doors." Cordelia gasped.
Duncan turned to her, even though he'd been made aware of her arrival by the 'buzz' moments before, "Well, I thought if we were going to be doing this, I would bring all the books I always thought were legends, most of them are Adam's though."
"This has to be the most complete collection of demonology and things known to man!"
"Well, Mac's watcher Joe also stole some books from the Watcher headquarters." Adam called out from over the balcony in the second floor loft.
"Cool! Now I do have those skills."
"What skills?" Adam asked coming down.
"Oh, just burglary. I can pick pockets, any lock, override security systems, crack safes . . . you know, stuff like that. How the hell do you think I used to get anything out of this house, or into this house after midnight."
"Great, I'm training a junior Amanda who just hasn't started stealing things yet." Duncan groaned.
"Who's Aman-da?" Cordelia asked in a sing-songy voice.
"Never mind that. Where on earth did a rich girl . . . that isn't important. Let's get to work. I think Adam has found something."
"I have, I found two spells, but we can only do one of them because with the other one, we need something that doesn't exist anymore. We can do the second one, but we need an atheme, and it will take a few hours. It's the only thing we don't have that's needed."
"A wizard's dagger? Easy, Jack's Magicks Shoppe, three doors down from the Bronze." Cordelia chirped.
"Get a couple of them." Adam instructed, "We really should all have one. It's one of the only ways to kill wizards."
"I'll get as many as possible . . ." She walked over to the desk and flipped over the lamp, where there is a keypad and she punched in a code. A bookcase swung back and revealed a secret vault, which Duncan and Adam had had no knowledge of.
"What the hell is in that?" Adam asked.
"The Chase family jewels, gold bars, and a few million dollars in cash, which the government has no knowledge of existence. Plus the usual, documents, deeds to properties, blackmail material of most of the leaders of foreign counties, politicians in this one . . . the same things every socialite family keeps in their secret safes. The truth is, the legacy of the Chase family is a long line of very successful, rarely caught thieves. I mean, once we got rich about 200 years ago, our cover was secure. Who would suspect the richest family in town? My grandfather was the last true thief in a long illustrious line. My father passed on the lessons every Chase learns as a child, but he never committed burglary himself, at least not since his 20's. No, he preferred other illegal activities. Insider trading, over charging his clients, suing people to steal their money instead of just outright taking it. I have bank accounts in the Caribbean and Switzerland that hold more money then we'll ever need." Cordelia explained taking a stack of money, "My grandfather made sure that the Chase family would never have to work again . . . . Of course he didn't expect my cousin Derrick and me would be the last ones since his wife had four boys and a girl, but Uncle John and Uncle Bo never had children and died of heart attacks. Aunt Veruca blew her 22 million on eight divorces, 12 lovers, and stupid business ventures that left her broke at 47 and then she committed suicide in Beverly Hills. Anyway, Derrick is younger by one month, so he only gets 15 million, plus whatever Uncle Caleb leaves him when he dies. I got everything else, the net worth of the whole Chase estates is more then Bill Gates could dream of, but because most of it's secret, thought still legal, we're kept quiet. Just the way we like it. And now you know, so shhh!" She shoved some of the money in her purse, then gave Duncan the rest in her hand, "This should cover what it cost to do everything in here. See ya later!"
** Jack's Magicks Shoppe **
Cordelia walked up to Jack, "I need to see all your athemes."
"I'm not sure we carry that item Miss . . ." Jack, the handsome owner told her.
"Please, don't give me that bullshit. I have a nasty hangover and you will show me your athemes now or I will kick your ass."
Jack smiled at her condescendingly, "What are you, 15?"
Cordelia grabbed his shirt lapels and slammed him into a wall, "NOW!" then she dropped him.
"Alright! Alright! They're in the room behind the love potions, push the 3rd black tiles from the left."
Cordelia smiled at him kindly, "Thank you!"
Cordelia opened the door to the hidden room and she was in heaven. She got the necessities first, she chose 10 beautiful athemes, then went around looking. She chose a few staffs, two enchanted swords that would only work properly for the use of good, six crossbows with wood and silver arrows. A couple axes, and a couple of orbs that could come in handy some day. And she got a couple pounds of all the ingredients for spells that he had.
Jack followed closely behind packaging all the items she wished for. He nearly had a heart attack at his young age when he paid him in cash, with a $1,000 tip to never tell anyone who had bought all his stuff. Plus they made an agreement to keep her notified of all shipments of weapons, rare books, and real potions, none of the shit he sold to everyone else.
He knew that he'd just found a new regular customer who would keep him in business for the rest of his life if he treated her politely.
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Please, I want replies, I know it sounds pathetic, but I live for feedback, good or bad! I need to know what you think so I know where to go with this.
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This I Promise You
By Jules
Chapter 7
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** Halloween **
"Willow, Cordelia, Buffy, your dates are here!" Duncan called up the stairs.
He turned to the three boys, dressed as Romeo, Hercules and a T-Bird (from Grease), waiting in the living room, "I'm sure it'll be just a moment."
** Ten minutes later **
"GIRLS!" Duncan called, getting impatient, and very uncomfortable.
"We're coming! We're coming!" Buffy yelled back, "We're just putting on a finishing touches!"
The finishing touches was a bag in which Buffy was putting stakes and crosses, which already secretly contained Cordelia's katana, and some knives that Willow had hidden in the bottom, just incase.
The girls then made their entrance downstairs.
Willow had ended up as the Indian Princess, Buffy had decided to go as Robin Hood, so she didn't look weird holding the bag, which was disguised as a quiver. Cordelia had chosen Aphrodite, so she looked a vision in the filmy pink material. [You know the outfit I'm talking about if you've ever watched Hercules or Xena]
"I really think we were worth the wait, don't you?" Cordelia questioned Buffy after there were no complements.
"Most definitely . . . I feel so . . . ignored!" Byfft agreed.
Oz, the quiet guy with the Technicolor hair who was dressed as a T-Bird stood in front of Willow and quietly told her, "You look great."
Willow blushed deeply, "You look nice too. I really like your costume."
Eric took Cordelia's hand, bowed and kissed it, "I have never seen true beauty until this night."
Cordelia smiled at him, "Why thank you, you make a wonderful Romeo. It was soooooo sweet of you to wear tights too."
"There is nothing I wouldn't do, to please you my enchantress." Eric told her, bowing before her again.
Buffy rolled her eyes, but when her date, 'Hercules' spoke to her, telling her, "You look amazing Buffy." She blushed.
Byfft covered by flustered saying, "Shouldn't we get going? We don't want to be too late."
"Yeah, let's party!" Cordelia agreed, "See ya tomorrow Mac, don't wait up!"
** Much later that night **
It was around 12:30 a.m. when two of the girls traipsed in, giggling. Buffy and Angel each were supporting one.
Cordelia stumbled, then leaned against the wall, "Shhhhhhh, you have to be veeewwy quiet, Mac is slllleeeeeeeeeping." She hissed, then slid down to the floor giggling, because the 'buzz' she was getting because of the other immortal's proximity made her feel even funnier.
Buffy and Angel looked at each other. Buffy shook her head, then sighed, "I'll take Willow, you . . . pick up Cordy."
"Right, now what happened again?" Angel questioned.
"The punch was spiked. I noticed right away, but by the time I found Cordelia, Willow and their dates, they were all plastered, giggling over Harmony who was passed out under the bleachers. I had Xander drive the guys home, and called you for help, because we ran out of vehicles, and I don't want to even think about how hard it would have been to get these two home alone."
Angel picked Cordelia up.
"Wheee!!!!" Cordelia squealed, then giggled, she turned to Buffy and told her in a serious voice, "Just so you know, Willow can sleep in the room three doors down from mine . . . with her clothes!"
"Shhh Cordy!" Willow hissed, "Your intoc-intox-inc . . . your loopy . . . and you like talk more when you're full of punch!"
"Ok!" She wrapped her arms around Angel's neck, "To my room James!" she ordered, then Cordelia burst out laughing again, and laid her head against Angel's shoulder, "To my room."
Angel shifted uncomfortably, the close contact making him very uptight, he ignored the feelings in his heart, and carried Cordelia upstairs. She was too drunk to notice that Angel oddly knew where her bedroom was.
He set her down on her bed sitting up.
Cordelia cocked her head and looked at him, "Angel, is this your favorite holiday?"
"No, actually, vampires and others things have parties to make fun of the day, because everyone's more guarded on Halloween, due to superstition. It's too dangerous for them to go out, so as soon as the sun goes down, they all go to secret location and party all night."
Cordelia stood up and started jumping on the bed, taking off the outside part of her costume leaving her in only the pink embroidered bra and matching underwear, "I love Halloween! You get to dress up and pretend to be someone else!" She stopped jumping and suddenly frowned, and fell to her knees, "So for me, it's just like everyday of my life . . . always hiding who I am and how I feel . . . I have to hide what I am all the time, cause I'm not allowed to tell." She explained in a quiet voice.
Angel had a feeling Cordelia was talking about more then just her not really being a snob, and stored it in the back of his mind.
"Angel?" Cordelia asked in a small voice as he pulled back the covers of her bed.
"Yeah?"
"What did you feel after the first time you killed someone, after you got your soul? I mean, you knew they were evil, but still, you killed them. . . . How did you deal with that?" Cordelia questioned and she curled up in the spot he'd uncovered for her.
"I felt guilty." He honestly told her, "But at the same time, I'd known I had to do it. That if I hadn't of killed them, they would have killed lots more people, innocent people." Angel told her, tucking her in.
"Does the bad feeling that it leaves in your soul go away?"
Angel got suspicious, "Eventually . . . Cordelia, did something happen?"
"Just some vengeance . . ." She motioned for him to come closed, "I wasn't supposed to do something that I did. Adam had made me promise, but I had both my fingers crossed behind my back!" She giggled again, showing him crossed fingers, then letting her arm fall above her head on the pillow.
Angel couldn't control himself and he tuck a few curls that were on her face behind her ear and whispered, "Good-night Cordelia." As finality, trying to tell her it was time to go to sleep.
"Night-night Angle, don't let those vampires on the balcony bite my neck please . . . and tell them it's rude to flash their fangs at a girl like that." She said, pointing to the balcony with her other hand
Angel's head whipped around to her French door and saw there was in fact two vampires there, he took two stakes out and opened the door, quickly dusting them.
"They're gone now Cordelia, they . . . um . . .just came to wish you a happy Halloween." He told her closing the doors and her curtains once more.
"That's so sweet, we usually don't get vampires in this neighborhood . . . we usually kill them in the cemetery, right Angel?" She asked yawning, her eyes drooping.
"Yes, Buffy and I find most vampires and demons in the cemetery."
"Angel, will you lay down with me? I get scared in the dark alone on Halloween." Cordelia innocently asked, still very drunk.
Angel silently groaned to himself . . . why did she have to do things like that.
"Please." She pleaded pouting, "The sun doesn't even hit my bed ever. And it's just for tonight."
Angel couldn't say no to her, no matter how much he knew he should not lay down next to her, he did anyway, for awhile. He'd just lain against the pillows when Cordelia laid her head against his chest and put her arm around his stomach. She sighed contented, and then quickly fell asleep, or just passed out. Angel wrapped his arms around her upper body, and closed his eyes.
** Many hours later, a little while before dawn **
Angel awoke, from the internal body clock, which alerted him of the approach of dawn, was upon him and the sun would soon arise. He slipped out of the bed and went to the French doors. He took one last look at Cordelia, who'd latched onto a pillow in his absence then slipped out the doors.
Angel jumped from the balcony, and then ran off to his apartment, only just making it in the door before the first rays of sunlight rose over the horizon. The moment the door was closed he started banging his head against the door, "Stupid, stupid."
Then he slunk into his room and stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed, "How could I have been so stupid? I'm not supposed to do this kind of thing. I know I could lose my soul and leaving her sleeping on me is just tempting fate! But feeling her body heat against mine, her smooth skin underneath my fingers, her arm wrapped around my waist . . . it just felt, so right. But you can't unfair to her. You don't have a permanent soul, and I know just one kiss from her would cause such immense happiness in my heart that I would definitely turn into Angelus . . . . Oh, and because of Buffy . . ." the last added as an after thought.
~*~
** The next day, 8:30 am **
Duncan came into Cordelia's bedroom to find the young immortal clutching a pillow, in the underwear of her costume.
"Up and at 'em Cordy." Duncan ordered her.
Cordelia groaned, "Is it really necessary to be so loud, or be with in buzz range? Ooh, my head!"
Just then Buffy came in, looking fresh as a daisy.
"What happened to you?" Duncan asked Cordelia, not seeing Buffy.
Buffy answered, knowing Cordelia most likely didn't remember, "Someone spiked the punch last night. Willow, Cordelia, Oz, and Eric all drank a whole lot of it. I brought back two very wasted girls."
Cordelia put the pillow she was clutching over her face and muffledly begged, "Please, leave me to deal with this hangover, since committing suicide would be futile."
Duncan rolled his eyes, and then left her in peace, knowing that when she was cranky, you did not want to mess with her if you valued a life without constant pain.
Buffy followed him out, a little confused about Cordelia's last comment.
** Hours later **
Cordelia finally got dressed in a pair of sweatpants with the legs cut off, and a shirt from cheerleading camp, and trudged downstairs.
She found Willow in the kitchen, head down on the table. Not speaking, Cordelia filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove which she'd turned it on, then joined Willow, keeping her head up by propping her elbow on the table and placing her head on her hand.
The only sound was off the clock ticking. Several minutes later the kettle whistled, signaling its readiness. Cordelia shuffled to the cupboard, got up two cups and her tea. She made two cups, then went back to the table, giving one to Willow.
Willow finally lifted her head, and smiled in thanks. Cordelia just slightly nodded her head, and then messaged her temples in pain. She got back up and soon returned with four extra strength Tylenol gel caps. Both took the pills, and then simultaneously let their heads fall on their left arm, which was resting on the table.
`
That was exactly how Duncan and Xander found them twenty minutes later.
"Aww, the poor things." Xander quietly said, then he sat down between the two and rubbed their backs, "I heard you're the victims of a spiked beverage at the Bewitched Ball."
"What gave it away? The comfortable clothes, the 'I feel like shit' look on our faces, or our heads that refused to be raised above this point?" Cordelia queried glowering.
"Would you like me to kill you so it will go away?" Xander asked teasing her.
"Would you, please?" Cordelia pleaded hopeful.
"No, he won't." Duncan ordered, "How much punch did you have?"
"Don't know, but we liked it, a lot. Everyone at the dance did. After five glasses, things get fuzzy. I'm thinking it was some Jack Daniels that was added, from the taste." Cordelia told them.
"And how would you know young lady?" Duncan demanded of his young ward.
"Oh come on Mac, get with the times. High school parties are full of alcohol . . . my father's office contains every expensive alcoholic beverage known to man. If you don't think I've gotten plastered before . . . you are very naive."
Duncan raised his eyebrow then changed the subject, "You know, you and I have some research to do, remember? The stuff about the anchoring?"
Cordelia raised her head, "Oh my God, you're right. It completely slipped my mind." She got up, thanking God the Tylenol was kicking in, "See ya later guys, you can watch some movies if you want on the DVD player. The movies are those disks on the shelf, they're all labeled. Duncan, I'm going to change, where do you want to meet?"
"The library." He informed her.
"Be down in like, 20 minutes."
Cordelia ran upstairs and took a shower to clear her head, wishing she could remember the night before. She brushed out her hair, puts in some gel. Then quickly dressed in a pair of tight black leather pants and a crimson red shirt, and ties a black do-rag in her hair to keep her hair out of her face. She slipped on a pair of black platform strapy sandals, and then quickly went down stairs.
** The Library **
Cordelia walked into the two-story room to find the place transformed. It was completely updated, computers, huge screens, the walls which used to contain law texts and other boring things now held every text on demon lore, prophecies, mythology, spells, watcher journals and other things supernatural, known to man. Some books were hundreds of years old.
Comfortable chairs, couches, and other things were all over the huge first floor, up the spiral stairs were more books, the weapons, and more chairs and things. Duncan had also added some high tech gadgets up there too.
"Oh my gosh, this place is amazing! I'd always wondered what the heck was going on when we'd heard those noises through the ballroom doors." Cordelia gasped.
Duncan turned to her, even though he'd been made aware of her arrival by the 'buzz' moments before, "Well, I thought if we were going to be doing this, I would bring all the books I always thought were legends, most of them are Adam's though."
"This has to be the most complete collection of demonology and things known to man!"
"Well, Mac's watcher Joe also stole some books from the Watcher headquarters." Adam called out from over the balcony in the second floor loft.
"Cool! Now I do have those skills."
"What skills?" Adam asked coming down.
"Oh, just burglary. I can pick pockets, any lock, override security systems, crack safes . . . you know, stuff like that. How the hell do you think I used to get anything out of this house, or into this house after midnight."
"Great, I'm training a junior Amanda who just hasn't started stealing things yet." Duncan groaned.
"Who's Aman-da?" Cordelia asked in a sing-songy voice.
"Never mind that. Where on earth did a rich girl . . . that isn't important. Let's get to work. I think Adam has found something."
"I have, I found two spells, but we can only do one of them because with the other one, we need something that doesn't exist anymore. We can do the second one, but we need an atheme, and it will take a few hours. It's the only thing we don't have that's needed."
"A wizard's dagger? Easy, Jack's Magicks Shoppe, three doors down from the Bronze." Cordelia chirped.
"Get a couple of them." Adam instructed, "We really should all have one. It's one of the only ways to kill wizards."
"I'll get as many as possible . . ." She walked over to the desk and flipped over the lamp, where there is a keypad and she punched in a code. A bookcase swung back and revealed a secret vault, which Duncan and Adam had had no knowledge of.
"What the hell is in that?" Adam asked.
"The Chase family jewels, gold bars, and a few million dollars in cash, which the government has no knowledge of existence. Plus the usual, documents, deeds to properties, blackmail material of most of the leaders of foreign counties, politicians in this one . . . the same things every socialite family keeps in their secret safes. The truth is, the legacy of the Chase family is a long line of very successful, rarely caught thieves. I mean, once we got rich about 200 years ago, our cover was secure. Who would suspect the richest family in town? My grandfather was the last true thief in a long illustrious line. My father passed on the lessons every Chase learns as a child, but he never committed burglary himself, at least not since his 20's. No, he preferred other illegal activities. Insider trading, over charging his clients, suing people to steal their money instead of just outright taking it. I have bank accounts in the Caribbean and Switzerland that hold more money then we'll ever need." Cordelia explained taking a stack of money, "My grandfather made sure that the Chase family would never have to work again . . . . Of course he didn't expect my cousin Derrick and me would be the last ones since his wife had four boys and a girl, but Uncle John and Uncle Bo never had children and died of heart attacks. Aunt Veruca blew her 22 million on eight divorces, 12 lovers, and stupid business ventures that left her broke at 47 and then she committed suicide in Beverly Hills. Anyway, Derrick is younger by one month, so he only gets 15 million, plus whatever Uncle Caleb leaves him when he dies. I got everything else, the net worth of the whole Chase estates is more then Bill Gates could dream of, but because most of it's secret, thought still legal, we're kept quiet. Just the way we like it. And now you know, so shhh!" She shoved some of the money in her purse, then gave Duncan the rest in her hand, "This should cover what it cost to do everything in here. See ya later!"
** Jack's Magicks Shoppe **
Cordelia walked up to Jack, "I need to see all your athemes."
"I'm not sure we carry that item Miss . . ." Jack, the handsome owner told her.
"Please, don't give me that bullshit. I have a nasty hangover and you will show me your athemes now or I will kick your ass."
Jack smiled at her condescendingly, "What are you, 15?"
Cordelia grabbed his shirt lapels and slammed him into a wall, "NOW!" then she dropped him.
"Alright! Alright! They're in the room behind the love potions, push the 3rd black tiles from the left."
Cordelia smiled at him kindly, "Thank you!"
Cordelia opened the door to the hidden room and she was in heaven. She got the necessities first, she chose 10 beautiful athemes, then went around looking. She chose a few staffs, two enchanted swords that would only work properly for the use of good, six crossbows with wood and silver arrows. A couple axes, and a couple of orbs that could come in handy some day. And she got a couple pounds of all the ingredients for spells that he had.
Jack followed closely behind packaging all the items she wished for. He nearly had a heart attack at his young age when he paid him in cash, with a $1,000 tip to never tell anyone who had bought all his stuff. Plus they made an agreement to keep her notified of all shipments of weapons, rare books, and real potions, none of the shit he sold to everyone else.
He knew that he'd just found a new regular customer who would keep him in business for the rest of his life if he treated her politely.
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Please, I want replies, I know it sounds pathetic, but I live for feedback, good or bad! I need to know what you think so I know where to go with this.
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