In case you missed the beginning, I continue to disclaim…
Sorry it's taken so long to update this beast. As my shoulder heals and the typing speed increases again, the updates should be much more frequent =0)
Thanks to every one of you who's taken the time to post feedback or email my your comments!
Special thanks to Specks—for beta'ing and always cheering me along when I write. You're the best.
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Chapter 5.
When Professor Walsh had released them after no more than a perfunctory lecture, Angel had been wary-- sure her good mood wouldn't last and his reprieve would be short lived; Riley had apparently felt the same way because neither of them had wasted any time leaving the briefing room after their dismissal.
Not even bothering to stop by the locker room to grab their regular clothing, they headed for the elevator that would take them to the fraternity house above. After stepping inside and speaking into the voice- recognition unit to satisfy the stringent security protocol, they each had retreated to a corner of the lift and stared at the ceiling; neither uttering another word as the elevator completed it's ascent.
As the doors slid open to reveal the second floor of Lowell House, Riley had grabbed Angel's shoulder before he had a chance to step out.
"Hey, don't forget it's your turn to do the sight count tonight," he reminded with a grin.
"Ugh. I almost forgot," Angel groaned before heading off to the armory to perform the nightly weapons count.
***
Nearly thirty minutes later, Angel was walking through the hallway toward his room, still not able to believe his luck: He'd gotten off very light after his altercation with Dr. Drexel and, for the first time since his arrival in Sunnydale, he had the luxury of a night off.
Strolling into his room, he wasn't surprised to find Doyle and Gunn waiting for him there.
"Hey man, where ya been?" Gunn asked immediately.
"Armory. It was my turn to do the sight count," Angel explained then continued with a smirk, "Why? Did ya miss me, Gunn?"
Doyle snorted and Gunn shot him a dark look before turning back to Angel.
"Sorry, man. You're not my type…" he grinned, the familiar banter coming easily. "Naw, we were just worried since you were last seen with the bitch and Boy Wonder. When he came back up without you… We were about to send out a rescue team."
"Yeah," Doyle interrupted, "How'd it go with Walsh, anyway?"
"Well, Riley and I both lived to tell the tale."
The three men exchanged wry glances. Each had been on the receiving end of one of Professor Walsh's sterner 'lectures' before.
"So," Doyle began, "while you were out playing with the weapons, Gunn and I did some checking around. Trying to see what kind of fun there's to be had in Sunnydale."
Interested, Angel raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? What'd you find out?"
"Doesn't seem like there's a whole lot goin' on in this town after dark, man…"
Gunn interrupted, "Yeah, they may be in denial about some things, but they're not stupid. These people don't play after sundown."
"There are a handful of decent restaurants, one really scary fast food place that serves beef and chicken burgers…"
"Wait, what's scary about the fast food place?" Angel wanted to know.
"I told ya, they serve beef and chicken burgers!"
"Doyle, so do most fast food restaurants…"
"Together, man! The chicken and the beef are together-- in the *same* sandwich!"
"Egh!" Angel made a face, "I grant you, that's… different… but it doesn't really qualify as scary."
"Are you kidding? They're mixing species here, Angel! I tell ya, it's against all laws of God and man!"
Quirking and eyebrow at Angel as Doyle's diatribe ended, Gunn said, "Three guesses where we *won't* be dining tonight…"
Angel just laughed and asked, "Getting back on track here… Where *are* we going?"
"Well, we've only heard of one club so far."
"Wait! Just one?"
"Yeah, just one," Doyle shrugged, "We told you it was dead around here after dark."
Angel shot Doyle an 'I'm not amused' look and turned to Gunn, "Well, what's this club called?"
"The Bronze."
"Okay, so let me grab a quick shower and we'll head to this Bronze."
***
Arms laden with books, Cordelia followed Buffy into her dorm room, complaining.
"Well, really, Buffy… Would it have killed you to carry my books too?"
"Cordelia! I'm carrying my own books!" Buffy sighed, carefully setting her own load of books on the battered desk in front of her bed. "Besides, traditionally you're supposed to meet a nice, good-looking *guy* and have *him* tote your stuff around for you…"
"I know that, but since you're all 'superpowers girl' and I'm just 'regular old girl,' I don't see what the big deal would have been!" the brunette pouted before continuing, "Besides, the only guy I'd even *consider* letting help me with my books so far, is the guy you nearly killed in the bookstore…"
"HEY! I didn't nearly kill him… not on purpose, anyway!" Buffy sputtered. "Can I help it that those books were so close to the edge of such a very high shelf? Of course, I can't… Wait a minute," she whirled to face Cordelia, "You thought the TA was cute? Even when you thought he was putting the moves on Willow?"
"He was still yummy," Cordy smirked, "in a wholesome kind of way."
"I guess," Buffy agreed reluctantly.
Tossing her books haphazardly on Buffy's bed, Cordy made herself at home while critically examining the small room.
"It's tiny!" She declared and turned to survey Kathy's side of the room. "And, my God! Is that poster of Celine Dion *life-sized*?"
Plopping down in her desk chair, Buffy turned to look at the poster in question.
Cringing a little even as she looked at it, she conceded, "It has to be pretty close. She looks so tiny in all her videos."
Digging in her tote bag, Cordelia shook her head. Pulling out a bottle of water, she gave Buffy a shrewd glance.
"I'm betting I'll have a new roommate before the week is out."
"Yeah, mayb…"
Before Buffy could finish, the door to the room burst open and Kathy waltzed in, headphones on, singing off key at the top of her lungs.
"Once more you OOPPENN the door, and you're here in my heart, and my heart will go and ooonnnn. Love can touch us one time and last…"
Not noticing the two girls already in the room, she made her way over to the stereo system and put the CD she'd been listening to in and hit 'play.'
"Uh, hi! Kathy!" Buffy greeted her roommate.
Emitting a startled gasp, Kathy whirled around, hand over her heart, blushing furiously.
"Oh! Gosh," she stammered, "Buffy, you scared me! I didn't see you… or your friend."
"Yeah, you seemed a little…" Not sure how to finish, Buffy let the sentence trail off.
"Preoccupied," Cordelia supplied tactfully. Cordelia certainly wasn't known for her tact and it was all Buffy could do to stifle a gasp.
Kathy's blush became even deeper, but she said nothing.
Sweeping her hand to gesture from one girl to the other, Buffy hastily made the introductions.
"Kathy, this is Cordelia Chase. Cordy, this is Kathy Tapparich."
With a fake smile honed through years of rigorous cheerleading competition in place, Cordy faced her friend's new roommate and offered her hand, "Hi."
"Nice to meet you," Kathy said, taking the offered hand.
Noticing the bottle of water Cordy held, Kathy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Dropping the brunette's hand, she stalked over to the refrigerator and flung open the door; counting aloud, she started to check if all her water was still inside.
Cordelia stared incredulously at Kathy for a moment before turning to gape at Buffy.
The blonde raised an eyebrow and mouthed, "See?" before shaking her head in a gesture of indifference.
Satisfied that all her water was accounted for, Kathy turned back to face them.
"So, what are you two doing tonight? Anything special?"
"Uh, no." Buffy quickly declared.
"Nothing special," Cordelia affirmed.
"Well, a bunch of us from this floor are going to hang out at the coffee house… You should come," Kathy suggested.
"You mean the Espresso Pump?" Cordy asked.
"Huh? Oh, no. The one here on campus," Kathy corrected. "We're hoping to meet some guys and we've heard a lot of the Greeks hang out there."
Misunderstanding the blank looks she was getting, she explained further, "Greeks… You know… Frat guys!" Realizing her song was ending, she hurried over to hit the 'repeat' button on her stereo and called over her shoulder, "Really! It'll be super fun!"
Again staring at Buffy, Cordelia mouthed, "Super fun?" and shook her head vigorously.
As the song "My Heart Will Go On" began to play again, Kathy turned and looked expectantly at Buffy and Cordy.
"Well," she prodded, "What do you say?"
"Uh, no!" Cordelia blurted out, her supply of tact exhausted.
"What she means," Buffy came to the rescue, "is we already promised we'd meet some of our friends off campus tonight-- so we'll have to take a rain check."
"Oh, okay. Maybe next time." Kathy threw over her shoulder as she grabbed a jacket and left the room.
"I don't think so," Cordelia muttered. Looking at Buffy, she continued, "You do realize that was your jacket she left with, don't you?"
"What?!" Upset, Buffy started to run after the other girl, but stopped when she heard her friend.
"Buffy! Let her go," Cordy urged, "It's not worth it… That jacket was *so* last season anyway!"
Sighing, Buffy flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a minute before lifting her head and smiling at her friend.
"Well, at least now we know where we *won't* be going tonight."
"Yeah," Cordy agreed with a giggle, "Anywhere on campus…"
"You got it!"
"So… That leaves the Bronze, I guess."
"Yeah," Buffy rolled off the bed and walked over to her phone. "I'm calling Will to let her know to meet us there."
Pushing aside the call log Kathy had laid on top of it, she started dialing.
***
Walking into the Bronze shortly after 8:30, Cordelia and Buffy stood for a moment, taking in the scene.
At the far end of the room, on an elevated stage, a local band was performing. Cover songs were again the order of the night, and the current band was already in a frenzy, pounding out the sounds of the Foo Fighters' newest release and bounding around on stage. In front of the stage was a dance floor where 'enthusiastic' regulars did their best to dance. Beyond the dance floor, tables and couches were spread around, creating comfort zones that allowed the less 'enthusiastic' patrons to eat, relax, and just converse with one another. Near the back was a bar and small kitchen, serving all the foods it's customer's deemed essential: a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and quick meals such as nachos, hot dogs, and French fries.
After years of coming to this club during high school, Buffy and Cordelia found it all very familiar to them… comfortable, even.
Surveying the room for a few minutes, Buffy looked for Willow.
"Do you see her, Cordy?"
"No." Shaking her head, the tall brunette continued to look around the club. Spotting a table of attractive men, her eyes lit up and she nudged her friend.
"Hello, salty goodness!"
Confused, Buffy looked around, "Huh?"
"I see a table of guys, Buffy! Hot guys… Try to keep up, would ya?"
Rolling her eyes, Buffy laughed. "Some things just never change, do they?"
Cocking her head to the side, the brunette smiled at her friend, "Nope, and some things never will."
"Comforting…" Buffy replied wryly, "Why don't you get us a table? I'll grab some drinks and find you."
Grinning wickedly, Cordy smoothed a hand over her perfectly styled hair and walked away. Shaking her head in amusement, Buffy turned and made her way to the bar.
Handing the harried bartender some money, she ordered two diet sodas and leaned against the bar, waiting patiently for him to fill her order; it wasn't a long wait and within two minutes she was ready to find Cordelia.
Drinks in hand, Buffy turned and nearly dropped both sodas as she bumped into someone. Quickly, two hands reached out and gripped the beverages, preventing them from tumbling to the floor. Steadying her own hold on the drinks, Buffy looked up into the eyes of the person she had collided with; gazing back at her was a familiar pair of grey eyes. Before she could stop herself, Buffy started giggling.
"Well, now… That's hardly the reaction a man hopes for from a pretty girl."
Worried for a moment that she might have hurt his feelings, Buffy stopped her giggling and looked up at him. Seeing his amused look, she gave him a big smile.
"I'm sorry. I know I said it'd be nice bumping into you again, Doyle, but I never expected to really 'bump' into you again. Especially so soon…"
"Seems I'm a lucky man, then," he returned her grin. "What brings you here tonight, lass? Most of the freshmen donna wander this far from campus during their firs' week."
"Oh, I'm trying to avoid my new roommate," she shrugged, "we knew she was staying on campus, so we decided not to. That sounds terrible, doesn't it?" She looked to him for confirmation.
"Not a t'all… I spent quite a bit o' time hiding out from my firs' roommate. He's par' of the reason I joined a fraternity right away," he reassured her. Gathering his courage, he continued. "You said 'we.' I'm not keeping you from your date, am I?"
"Date? Oh, no. I came with my friend Cordelia," scanning the crowd for her friend, Buffy missed the quick look of relief that washed over Doyle. Spotting Cordelia, she waved to her before turning back to face Doyle. "I should probably head on over there, she's not known for her patience."
"Well, here, lemme carry those drinks for ya," he offered, determined to spend a little more time with this lovely creature.
"Uh, okay," she smiled. Handing him the cups, she turned and threaded her way through the crowd, Doyle close on her heels.
Arriving at the table Cordelia had secured, Buffy noticed that Willow had arrived and was already seated. Cordelia was talking animatedly, gesturing in the direction of the stage, while Willow nodded her head.
"…see, and that's why Teague and I really broke up-- it wasn't because he ended up working at the Mexican restaurant and shaving his head like he keeps telling people. It was totally because he never let me get a word in edgewise! Have you ever met anyone who just will not shut up about themselves?" Without waiting for an answer, Cordelia went on, "You just can't have a meaningful conversation with people like that. Oh," noticing Buffy's arrival, her attention shifted to the blonde, "it took you long enough…" Noticing the man with Buffy for the first time, she trailed off uncomfortably.
"Hi guys, this is Doyle. Doyle, these are my friends, Willow and Cordelia." Buffy introduced him quickly and sat down.
As Doyle placed the drinks on the table, he sized up Buffy's friends: a brunette and a redhead, both girls were extremely pretty, even though they were complete opposites. The brunette he knew immediately had to be Cordelia… She was gorgeous but the air of superiority she exuded was nearly palpable. Still, she smiled as she looked him over and he couldn't help but smile in return. The redhead, on the other hand, seemed a bit on the shy; still, she smiled warmly at him and gave a little wave.
Motioning to an empty chair, Cordelia spoke, "Have a seat, Doyle."
Sliding into the offered seat, he glanced at the three girls and employed some of the fabled Irish charm.
"'Tis a pleasure to meet ya both, Willow and Cordelia. To tell the truth, I feel a bit like a thorn amidst the roses sitting here with ya ladies," he admitted with a smile and watched as all three of their faces lit up.
Watching Doyle from a table across the room, Gunn shook his head and nudged his friend. When Angel looked over at him, he nodded in Doyle's direction.
"Check out Irish, man…"
Glancing at a table behind him, Angel saw Doyle sitting with three women, two of whom were smiling broadly at something he had just said. He couldn't see the face of the blonde woman next to Doyle, but knowing his friend, he guessed she too would be smiling.
"He does have the touch," Angel conceded.
"Hmm… A redhead, a brunette, a blonde, and an Irishman in a bar… I just know there's a joke in there somewhere," Riley grinned from his seat next to Angel.
"Seriously, guys, how does he *do* that? Whenever we go out he ends up with women fawning all over him," grumbled the man sitting across from them.
Shooting him a sympathetic grin, Angel just shrugged his shoulders, "No idea, Forrest."
"I think it's the accent," Gunn added.
"Yeah," Riley nodded in agreement, "I think the accent helps, but he's just got some great lines."
"I've got lines, too," Forrest frowned, "and you don't see me with women all over me."
"That's probably because your pick-up lines suck, man," Riley teased.
As Forrest started to shake his head, Angel spoke. "No," cutting off Forrest's denial before it even got underway, he continued, "Riley's right. Last time we were out I actually heard you say 'All those curves… and me with no brakes' to a girl."
Chuckling, Gunn added, "Still better than what he did last night… He walked up to a girl and told her that her eyes were 'as deep and blue as the Pacific Ocean' and he was 'a man lost at sea...'"
"That's not a bad line," Forrest insisted.
"It probably wouldn't have been," Gunn conceded, "if her eyes hadn't been brown."
Ducking his head, Forrest nursed his beer and waited for his friends' laughter to subside.
Taking a second look at Doyle and his companions, Riley realized something.
"Hey, I know those girls." Receiving curious looks from everyone at his table, he continued, "I met them at the bookstore today. One of them, the blonde… I forget her name… knocked a bunch of books on my head." Reminded of his earlier accident, Riley gingerly felt the bump on his head. "I think they're all in Walsh's psychology 101 class."
"Hmmm," Gunn glanced over at the table again before returning his attention to his friends, "So that'd make them all freshmen, right?" At Riley's nod, he went on, "Could be that the blonde is the same girl Doyle ran into at the bookstore today. He hasn't shut up about her... Buffy was her name, I think."
Taking a sip of his beer, Riley looked at Gunn curiously. "Since when does Doyle have a thing for blondes? And what kind of name is *Buffy,* anyway?"
Getting no response from his friends, he looked up and realized that they were staring at something behind him, clearly trying not to laugh. Without even looking, he knew Doyle and his latest bunch of admirers were standing behind him. With a groan, he turned around in his chair slowly, locking eyes with Doyle for a moment before shifting his gaze to the tiny blonde at Doyle's side.
Wincing, he started to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"No, it's okay," Buffy smiled good-naturedly, "I can't answer your first question, but as for your second one," she paused, "my mother likes to claim it's 'exotic'… I usually just stick with 'unique.'"
Trying to erase the last of the tension, Doyle started making introductions.
"Guys, these enchanting lasses are Willow, Cordelia, and Buffy," he said, gesturing to each girl as he said her name, "and these, ladies, are my fraternity brothers… Removing tha last traces o' foot from 'is mouth is Riley," Doyle chuckled and ignored the dirty look directed his way as he continued, "To 'is right is Forrest." Forrest nodded and smiled at the girls as Doyle carried on.
"Nexta Forrest is Gunn," Gunn hoisted his drink in a little salute as his name was mentioned, "and on Riley's other side is Angel."
"Hey," Angel greeted the newcomers. Rising to his feet, he offered his chair, "Would you like to sit down?"
Nodding, Cordelia quickly sat down as Doyle and Angel pulled up three additional chairs and positioned them around the table. Sitting down next to Cordelia, Willow left Buffy to sit between Doyle and Angel.
"So," Forrest began, "How did you all hear about this place?"
"Well, we've been coming here forever," Cordelia informed him.
"Since we were 15, at least," Willow agreed. "It was kinda the only place to go in high school."
"So you're all from here?" Riley asked.
"Not really. Willow and I have lived here all our lives, but Buffy moved here from LA a few years ago."
"LA?" Intrigued, Gunn studied the blonde before going on, "I lived in LA for years… Where'd you go to school?"
"Hemery…" Not wanting to dwell on her past in Los Angeles, Buffy jumped up when she noticed a slow song starting. Turning to Doyle, she smiled hopefully, "Wanna dance?"
"I'd love to," he assured her, standing up and grabbing her hand. Just as they started to walk toward the dance floor, his cell phone rang.
Checking the caller id, he looked at her apologetically, "I hafta take this… I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," she assured him, "we'll just wait for the next song."
"Nonsense," he told her, "it'd be a right shame to deny so beautiful a lass a dance when she's ready…" Looking over at the table he considered for a moment before motioning Angel over. As his friend approached, he whispered to Buffy, "Angel'll dance with ya. Just watch yer feet."
"No, really, that's not…" Buffy protested, trailing off as Angel reached them.
"Angel, I just got a call I can't dodge. Dance with the lass for me while I call 'em back, will ya?" Without waiting for a response, Doyle headed for a quieter area of the club. Buffy watched him hurry off before turning to face her newly drafted dance partner.
To be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to dance with Angel and, judging by the look on his face, she was sure he wasn't any more excited about the prospect than she was. Trying to figure out just what it was about him that made her feel... uncomfortable, she studied him carefully.
At about six foot one, with dark hair and eyes the color of espresso beans, she had to admit he was gorgeous. Unquestionably. In fact, under other circumstances, she was sure she and Cordelia would have been trading blows over who got to talk to him, let alone dance with him… No closer to a finding a reason, she was still puzzling it out when his voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"So, would you still like to dance?" Angel asked her, extending his hand.
"Um, sure," she agreed, deciding to be polite. After all, it was only a dance…
Taking his hand, she got an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach but quickly shook it off and followed him out onto the dance floor.
Reaching the floor, they awkwardly leaned into each other's embrace and started swaying to the music. They had just started to relax and enjoy the dance when the lights flickered. Once… twice… and then the Bronze was plunged into complete darkness.
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TBC…
Sorry it's taken so long to update this beast. As my shoulder heals and the typing speed increases again, the updates should be much more frequent =0)
Thanks to every one of you who's taken the time to post feedback or email my your comments!
Special thanks to Specks—for beta'ing and always cheering me along when I write. You're the best.
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Chapter 5.
When Professor Walsh had released them after no more than a perfunctory lecture, Angel had been wary-- sure her good mood wouldn't last and his reprieve would be short lived; Riley had apparently felt the same way because neither of them had wasted any time leaving the briefing room after their dismissal.
Not even bothering to stop by the locker room to grab their regular clothing, they headed for the elevator that would take them to the fraternity house above. After stepping inside and speaking into the voice- recognition unit to satisfy the stringent security protocol, they each had retreated to a corner of the lift and stared at the ceiling; neither uttering another word as the elevator completed it's ascent.
As the doors slid open to reveal the second floor of Lowell House, Riley had grabbed Angel's shoulder before he had a chance to step out.
"Hey, don't forget it's your turn to do the sight count tonight," he reminded with a grin.
"Ugh. I almost forgot," Angel groaned before heading off to the armory to perform the nightly weapons count.
***
Nearly thirty minutes later, Angel was walking through the hallway toward his room, still not able to believe his luck: He'd gotten off very light after his altercation with Dr. Drexel and, for the first time since his arrival in Sunnydale, he had the luxury of a night off.
Strolling into his room, he wasn't surprised to find Doyle and Gunn waiting for him there.
"Hey man, where ya been?" Gunn asked immediately.
"Armory. It was my turn to do the sight count," Angel explained then continued with a smirk, "Why? Did ya miss me, Gunn?"
Doyle snorted and Gunn shot him a dark look before turning back to Angel.
"Sorry, man. You're not my type…" he grinned, the familiar banter coming easily. "Naw, we were just worried since you were last seen with the bitch and Boy Wonder. When he came back up without you… We were about to send out a rescue team."
"Yeah," Doyle interrupted, "How'd it go with Walsh, anyway?"
"Well, Riley and I both lived to tell the tale."
The three men exchanged wry glances. Each had been on the receiving end of one of Professor Walsh's sterner 'lectures' before.
"So," Doyle began, "while you were out playing with the weapons, Gunn and I did some checking around. Trying to see what kind of fun there's to be had in Sunnydale."
Interested, Angel raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? What'd you find out?"
"Doesn't seem like there's a whole lot goin' on in this town after dark, man…"
Gunn interrupted, "Yeah, they may be in denial about some things, but they're not stupid. These people don't play after sundown."
"There are a handful of decent restaurants, one really scary fast food place that serves beef and chicken burgers…"
"Wait, what's scary about the fast food place?" Angel wanted to know.
"I told ya, they serve beef and chicken burgers!"
"Doyle, so do most fast food restaurants…"
"Together, man! The chicken and the beef are together-- in the *same* sandwich!"
"Egh!" Angel made a face, "I grant you, that's… different… but it doesn't really qualify as scary."
"Are you kidding? They're mixing species here, Angel! I tell ya, it's against all laws of God and man!"
Quirking and eyebrow at Angel as Doyle's diatribe ended, Gunn said, "Three guesses where we *won't* be dining tonight…"
Angel just laughed and asked, "Getting back on track here… Where *are* we going?"
"Well, we've only heard of one club so far."
"Wait! Just one?"
"Yeah, just one," Doyle shrugged, "We told you it was dead around here after dark."
Angel shot Doyle an 'I'm not amused' look and turned to Gunn, "Well, what's this club called?"
"The Bronze."
"Okay, so let me grab a quick shower and we'll head to this Bronze."
***
Arms laden with books, Cordelia followed Buffy into her dorm room, complaining.
"Well, really, Buffy… Would it have killed you to carry my books too?"
"Cordelia! I'm carrying my own books!" Buffy sighed, carefully setting her own load of books on the battered desk in front of her bed. "Besides, traditionally you're supposed to meet a nice, good-looking *guy* and have *him* tote your stuff around for you…"
"I know that, but since you're all 'superpowers girl' and I'm just 'regular old girl,' I don't see what the big deal would have been!" the brunette pouted before continuing, "Besides, the only guy I'd even *consider* letting help me with my books so far, is the guy you nearly killed in the bookstore…"
"HEY! I didn't nearly kill him… not on purpose, anyway!" Buffy sputtered. "Can I help it that those books were so close to the edge of such a very high shelf? Of course, I can't… Wait a minute," she whirled to face Cordelia, "You thought the TA was cute? Even when you thought he was putting the moves on Willow?"
"He was still yummy," Cordy smirked, "in a wholesome kind of way."
"I guess," Buffy agreed reluctantly.
Tossing her books haphazardly on Buffy's bed, Cordy made herself at home while critically examining the small room.
"It's tiny!" She declared and turned to survey Kathy's side of the room. "And, my God! Is that poster of Celine Dion *life-sized*?"
Plopping down in her desk chair, Buffy turned to look at the poster in question.
Cringing a little even as she looked at it, she conceded, "It has to be pretty close. She looks so tiny in all her videos."
Digging in her tote bag, Cordelia shook her head. Pulling out a bottle of water, she gave Buffy a shrewd glance.
"I'm betting I'll have a new roommate before the week is out."
"Yeah, mayb…"
Before Buffy could finish, the door to the room burst open and Kathy waltzed in, headphones on, singing off key at the top of her lungs.
"Once more you OOPPENN the door, and you're here in my heart, and my heart will go and ooonnnn. Love can touch us one time and last…"
Not noticing the two girls already in the room, she made her way over to the stereo system and put the CD she'd been listening to in and hit 'play.'
"Uh, hi! Kathy!" Buffy greeted her roommate.
Emitting a startled gasp, Kathy whirled around, hand over her heart, blushing furiously.
"Oh! Gosh," she stammered, "Buffy, you scared me! I didn't see you… or your friend."
"Yeah, you seemed a little…" Not sure how to finish, Buffy let the sentence trail off.
"Preoccupied," Cordelia supplied tactfully. Cordelia certainly wasn't known for her tact and it was all Buffy could do to stifle a gasp.
Kathy's blush became even deeper, but she said nothing.
Sweeping her hand to gesture from one girl to the other, Buffy hastily made the introductions.
"Kathy, this is Cordelia Chase. Cordy, this is Kathy Tapparich."
With a fake smile honed through years of rigorous cheerleading competition in place, Cordy faced her friend's new roommate and offered her hand, "Hi."
"Nice to meet you," Kathy said, taking the offered hand.
Noticing the bottle of water Cordy held, Kathy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Dropping the brunette's hand, she stalked over to the refrigerator and flung open the door; counting aloud, she started to check if all her water was still inside.
Cordelia stared incredulously at Kathy for a moment before turning to gape at Buffy.
The blonde raised an eyebrow and mouthed, "See?" before shaking her head in a gesture of indifference.
Satisfied that all her water was accounted for, Kathy turned back to face them.
"So, what are you two doing tonight? Anything special?"
"Uh, no." Buffy quickly declared.
"Nothing special," Cordelia affirmed.
"Well, a bunch of us from this floor are going to hang out at the coffee house… You should come," Kathy suggested.
"You mean the Espresso Pump?" Cordy asked.
"Huh? Oh, no. The one here on campus," Kathy corrected. "We're hoping to meet some guys and we've heard a lot of the Greeks hang out there."
Misunderstanding the blank looks she was getting, she explained further, "Greeks… You know… Frat guys!" Realizing her song was ending, she hurried over to hit the 'repeat' button on her stereo and called over her shoulder, "Really! It'll be super fun!"
Again staring at Buffy, Cordelia mouthed, "Super fun?" and shook her head vigorously.
As the song "My Heart Will Go On" began to play again, Kathy turned and looked expectantly at Buffy and Cordy.
"Well," she prodded, "What do you say?"
"Uh, no!" Cordelia blurted out, her supply of tact exhausted.
"What she means," Buffy came to the rescue, "is we already promised we'd meet some of our friends off campus tonight-- so we'll have to take a rain check."
"Oh, okay. Maybe next time." Kathy threw over her shoulder as she grabbed a jacket and left the room.
"I don't think so," Cordelia muttered. Looking at Buffy, she continued, "You do realize that was your jacket she left with, don't you?"
"What?!" Upset, Buffy started to run after the other girl, but stopped when she heard her friend.
"Buffy! Let her go," Cordy urged, "It's not worth it… That jacket was *so* last season anyway!"
Sighing, Buffy flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a minute before lifting her head and smiling at her friend.
"Well, at least now we know where we *won't* be going tonight."
"Yeah," Cordy agreed with a giggle, "Anywhere on campus…"
"You got it!"
"So… That leaves the Bronze, I guess."
"Yeah," Buffy rolled off the bed and walked over to her phone. "I'm calling Will to let her know to meet us there."
Pushing aside the call log Kathy had laid on top of it, she started dialing.
***
Walking into the Bronze shortly after 8:30, Cordelia and Buffy stood for a moment, taking in the scene.
At the far end of the room, on an elevated stage, a local band was performing. Cover songs were again the order of the night, and the current band was already in a frenzy, pounding out the sounds of the Foo Fighters' newest release and bounding around on stage. In front of the stage was a dance floor where 'enthusiastic' regulars did their best to dance. Beyond the dance floor, tables and couches were spread around, creating comfort zones that allowed the less 'enthusiastic' patrons to eat, relax, and just converse with one another. Near the back was a bar and small kitchen, serving all the foods it's customer's deemed essential: a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and quick meals such as nachos, hot dogs, and French fries.
After years of coming to this club during high school, Buffy and Cordelia found it all very familiar to them… comfortable, even.
Surveying the room for a few minutes, Buffy looked for Willow.
"Do you see her, Cordy?"
"No." Shaking her head, the tall brunette continued to look around the club. Spotting a table of attractive men, her eyes lit up and she nudged her friend.
"Hello, salty goodness!"
Confused, Buffy looked around, "Huh?"
"I see a table of guys, Buffy! Hot guys… Try to keep up, would ya?"
Rolling her eyes, Buffy laughed. "Some things just never change, do they?"
Cocking her head to the side, the brunette smiled at her friend, "Nope, and some things never will."
"Comforting…" Buffy replied wryly, "Why don't you get us a table? I'll grab some drinks and find you."
Grinning wickedly, Cordy smoothed a hand over her perfectly styled hair and walked away. Shaking her head in amusement, Buffy turned and made her way to the bar.
Handing the harried bartender some money, she ordered two diet sodas and leaned against the bar, waiting patiently for him to fill her order; it wasn't a long wait and within two minutes she was ready to find Cordelia.
Drinks in hand, Buffy turned and nearly dropped both sodas as she bumped into someone. Quickly, two hands reached out and gripped the beverages, preventing them from tumbling to the floor. Steadying her own hold on the drinks, Buffy looked up into the eyes of the person she had collided with; gazing back at her was a familiar pair of grey eyes. Before she could stop herself, Buffy started giggling.
"Well, now… That's hardly the reaction a man hopes for from a pretty girl."
Worried for a moment that she might have hurt his feelings, Buffy stopped her giggling and looked up at him. Seeing his amused look, she gave him a big smile.
"I'm sorry. I know I said it'd be nice bumping into you again, Doyle, but I never expected to really 'bump' into you again. Especially so soon…"
"Seems I'm a lucky man, then," he returned her grin. "What brings you here tonight, lass? Most of the freshmen donna wander this far from campus during their firs' week."
"Oh, I'm trying to avoid my new roommate," she shrugged, "we knew she was staying on campus, so we decided not to. That sounds terrible, doesn't it?" She looked to him for confirmation.
"Not a t'all… I spent quite a bit o' time hiding out from my firs' roommate. He's par' of the reason I joined a fraternity right away," he reassured her. Gathering his courage, he continued. "You said 'we.' I'm not keeping you from your date, am I?"
"Date? Oh, no. I came with my friend Cordelia," scanning the crowd for her friend, Buffy missed the quick look of relief that washed over Doyle. Spotting Cordelia, she waved to her before turning back to face Doyle. "I should probably head on over there, she's not known for her patience."
"Well, here, lemme carry those drinks for ya," he offered, determined to spend a little more time with this lovely creature.
"Uh, okay," she smiled. Handing him the cups, she turned and threaded her way through the crowd, Doyle close on her heels.
Arriving at the table Cordelia had secured, Buffy noticed that Willow had arrived and was already seated. Cordelia was talking animatedly, gesturing in the direction of the stage, while Willow nodded her head.
"…see, and that's why Teague and I really broke up-- it wasn't because he ended up working at the Mexican restaurant and shaving his head like he keeps telling people. It was totally because he never let me get a word in edgewise! Have you ever met anyone who just will not shut up about themselves?" Without waiting for an answer, Cordelia went on, "You just can't have a meaningful conversation with people like that. Oh," noticing Buffy's arrival, her attention shifted to the blonde, "it took you long enough…" Noticing the man with Buffy for the first time, she trailed off uncomfortably.
"Hi guys, this is Doyle. Doyle, these are my friends, Willow and Cordelia." Buffy introduced him quickly and sat down.
As Doyle placed the drinks on the table, he sized up Buffy's friends: a brunette and a redhead, both girls were extremely pretty, even though they were complete opposites. The brunette he knew immediately had to be Cordelia… She was gorgeous but the air of superiority she exuded was nearly palpable. Still, she smiled as she looked him over and he couldn't help but smile in return. The redhead, on the other hand, seemed a bit on the shy; still, she smiled warmly at him and gave a little wave.
Motioning to an empty chair, Cordelia spoke, "Have a seat, Doyle."
Sliding into the offered seat, he glanced at the three girls and employed some of the fabled Irish charm.
"'Tis a pleasure to meet ya both, Willow and Cordelia. To tell the truth, I feel a bit like a thorn amidst the roses sitting here with ya ladies," he admitted with a smile and watched as all three of their faces lit up.
Watching Doyle from a table across the room, Gunn shook his head and nudged his friend. When Angel looked over at him, he nodded in Doyle's direction.
"Check out Irish, man…"
Glancing at a table behind him, Angel saw Doyle sitting with three women, two of whom were smiling broadly at something he had just said. He couldn't see the face of the blonde woman next to Doyle, but knowing his friend, he guessed she too would be smiling.
"He does have the touch," Angel conceded.
"Hmm… A redhead, a brunette, a blonde, and an Irishman in a bar… I just know there's a joke in there somewhere," Riley grinned from his seat next to Angel.
"Seriously, guys, how does he *do* that? Whenever we go out he ends up with women fawning all over him," grumbled the man sitting across from them.
Shooting him a sympathetic grin, Angel just shrugged his shoulders, "No idea, Forrest."
"I think it's the accent," Gunn added.
"Yeah," Riley nodded in agreement, "I think the accent helps, but he's just got some great lines."
"I've got lines, too," Forrest frowned, "and you don't see me with women all over me."
"That's probably because your pick-up lines suck, man," Riley teased.
As Forrest started to shake his head, Angel spoke. "No," cutting off Forrest's denial before it even got underway, he continued, "Riley's right. Last time we were out I actually heard you say 'All those curves… and me with no brakes' to a girl."
Chuckling, Gunn added, "Still better than what he did last night… He walked up to a girl and told her that her eyes were 'as deep and blue as the Pacific Ocean' and he was 'a man lost at sea...'"
"That's not a bad line," Forrest insisted.
"It probably wouldn't have been," Gunn conceded, "if her eyes hadn't been brown."
Ducking his head, Forrest nursed his beer and waited for his friends' laughter to subside.
Taking a second look at Doyle and his companions, Riley realized something.
"Hey, I know those girls." Receiving curious looks from everyone at his table, he continued, "I met them at the bookstore today. One of them, the blonde… I forget her name… knocked a bunch of books on my head." Reminded of his earlier accident, Riley gingerly felt the bump on his head. "I think they're all in Walsh's psychology 101 class."
"Hmmm," Gunn glanced over at the table again before returning his attention to his friends, "So that'd make them all freshmen, right?" At Riley's nod, he went on, "Could be that the blonde is the same girl Doyle ran into at the bookstore today. He hasn't shut up about her... Buffy was her name, I think."
Taking a sip of his beer, Riley looked at Gunn curiously. "Since when does Doyle have a thing for blondes? And what kind of name is *Buffy,* anyway?"
Getting no response from his friends, he looked up and realized that they were staring at something behind him, clearly trying not to laugh. Without even looking, he knew Doyle and his latest bunch of admirers were standing behind him. With a groan, he turned around in his chair slowly, locking eyes with Doyle for a moment before shifting his gaze to the tiny blonde at Doyle's side.
Wincing, he started to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"No, it's okay," Buffy smiled good-naturedly, "I can't answer your first question, but as for your second one," she paused, "my mother likes to claim it's 'exotic'… I usually just stick with 'unique.'"
Trying to erase the last of the tension, Doyle started making introductions.
"Guys, these enchanting lasses are Willow, Cordelia, and Buffy," he said, gesturing to each girl as he said her name, "and these, ladies, are my fraternity brothers… Removing tha last traces o' foot from 'is mouth is Riley," Doyle chuckled and ignored the dirty look directed his way as he continued, "To 'is right is Forrest." Forrest nodded and smiled at the girls as Doyle carried on.
"Nexta Forrest is Gunn," Gunn hoisted his drink in a little salute as his name was mentioned, "and on Riley's other side is Angel."
"Hey," Angel greeted the newcomers. Rising to his feet, he offered his chair, "Would you like to sit down?"
Nodding, Cordelia quickly sat down as Doyle and Angel pulled up three additional chairs and positioned them around the table. Sitting down next to Cordelia, Willow left Buffy to sit between Doyle and Angel.
"So," Forrest began, "How did you all hear about this place?"
"Well, we've been coming here forever," Cordelia informed him.
"Since we were 15, at least," Willow agreed. "It was kinda the only place to go in high school."
"So you're all from here?" Riley asked.
"Not really. Willow and I have lived here all our lives, but Buffy moved here from LA a few years ago."
"LA?" Intrigued, Gunn studied the blonde before going on, "I lived in LA for years… Where'd you go to school?"
"Hemery…" Not wanting to dwell on her past in Los Angeles, Buffy jumped up when she noticed a slow song starting. Turning to Doyle, she smiled hopefully, "Wanna dance?"
"I'd love to," he assured her, standing up and grabbing her hand. Just as they started to walk toward the dance floor, his cell phone rang.
Checking the caller id, he looked at her apologetically, "I hafta take this… I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," she assured him, "we'll just wait for the next song."
"Nonsense," he told her, "it'd be a right shame to deny so beautiful a lass a dance when she's ready…" Looking over at the table he considered for a moment before motioning Angel over. As his friend approached, he whispered to Buffy, "Angel'll dance with ya. Just watch yer feet."
"No, really, that's not…" Buffy protested, trailing off as Angel reached them.
"Angel, I just got a call I can't dodge. Dance with the lass for me while I call 'em back, will ya?" Without waiting for a response, Doyle headed for a quieter area of the club. Buffy watched him hurry off before turning to face her newly drafted dance partner.
To be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to dance with Angel and, judging by the look on his face, she was sure he wasn't any more excited about the prospect than she was. Trying to figure out just what it was about him that made her feel... uncomfortable, she studied him carefully.
At about six foot one, with dark hair and eyes the color of espresso beans, she had to admit he was gorgeous. Unquestionably. In fact, under other circumstances, she was sure she and Cordelia would have been trading blows over who got to talk to him, let alone dance with him… No closer to a finding a reason, she was still puzzling it out when his voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"So, would you still like to dance?" Angel asked her, extending his hand.
"Um, sure," she agreed, deciding to be polite. After all, it was only a dance…
Taking his hand, she got an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach but quickly shook it off and followed him out onto the dance floor.
Reaching the floor, they awkwardly leaned into each other's embrace and started swaying to the music. They had just started to relax and enjoy the dance when the lights flickered. Once… twice… and then the Bronze was plunged into complete darkness.
**********************************************************************
TBC…