Author: Innocence

Title: The Beginning

Feedback: Yes. The more the better.

Author Notes: I still can't decide what shipper it's gonna be so keep reviewing till I decide I'll put a little of each. And for everyones info Cordy was friends with all the Scoobies before she found out she was the slayer. Basically she wasn't the major bitch she was in season one. Thanx to everyone who reviewed and emailed me. You all rock.

Part 6

~`~`~`~

"You need to keep a close eye on her." A mysterious voice said from one end of a phone line.

"I will. I am" Another replied.

"Good. We don't know what she is capable of yet."

"I know. She's very special."

"We need her. Her power could be very destructive."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Start the process."

~`~`~`~

People stopped and starred at the girl walking down the hallways.  She looked straight ahead trying not to pay them any attention, focusing completely on getting to the library, away from everyone.  She was used to having people stare at her, but it was usually in a good way.  She wore fading blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, along with worn out sneakers.  No designer originals anywhere.

Harmony stopped her, a horrified look on her face, "Cordelia what happened to you?" She brushed a lock of Cordy's unstyled hair off of her forehead, revealing a quickly fading bruise.

"Get off me," Cordelia easily pushed Harmony's hand away from her face. She tried to move around Harmony but the bleach blonde moved to block her way.

"What's your damage? Hanging with the losers finally get to you?" She glared at Cordy trying to look intimidating but failing miserably, "I was trying to make an intervention!" Her raised voice started to draw attention, "You are totally ruining the little image you have left. Your whole rep is like not there anymore!" That argument didn't sit well with the cranky new slayer.

"You know what Harmony," She perked up and smiled. Harmony grinned goofily awaiting a 'Thank you! You saved me' speech from Cordelia, "Fuck you!  Get a life! God only knows what you think is a life so get this through your bleach drowned skull.  I don't like you! I have bigger more important things to waste MY precious time on.  Why don't you go get knocked up be some random guy and get a head start on your life!" Cordelia was almost screaming.  She was tired and sore and didn't want to deal with anyone she didn't have to.

Harmony looked about ready to brake down in tears, and it wasn't going to be much longer before the tears came. She didn't stand a chance holding back the floods.  She started for the bathroom as they started to fall, ruining her already poorly done make-up.  The ex-Cordettes scurried after sending mixed looks of awe and anger towards Cordy.   

~`~`~`~`~

Xander watched the whole exchange from around the corner, seeing all the emotions playing across Cordelia's face as she watched what used to be the people she ruled over as Queen C look at her like she had grown a third head.

She turned away, walking dignifiedly away and trying not to make it obvious she didn't want to be stared at, at that point and time.  She turned the corner, trying to get to the library as fast as she could. Xander caught a hold of her arm causing her to jump.

"You okay Cordy?" Xander asked, the concern in his eyes almost scared Cordelia.

"Yea I'm fine. You know my first night slaying and I'm kinda wiped," She answered, dismissing his interest as superficial small talk.

"What happened?" He reached out and touched her bruise, shivering a little as his skin made contact with hers. He could barley see the bruise, "Wow I naver saw Buffy heal that fast. A second ago that thing was massive," He touched it lightly and Cordelia didn't even wince.

"Do you think Giles, I mean Ms. Shanlth, will want to hear about this, it healed awfully fast," Cordy was a little worried, she too had never seen Buffy heal that fast. She was more then a little freaked out.

"Yea, how did it happen anyway?" He asked. The two brunettes fell in step together, as they walked to the library.

"I went out to patrol last night at like four in the morning, its gotta be slayer instincts, and this huge demon attacked me from behind and I started to fight it. It through me into a gravestone and knocked me out. When I woke up it was about seven-thirty and it was dead nothing had killed it as far as I could tell it was just dead. I had to where the only things I had in my car to school," She gestured to her outfit, "You know this is pretty comfortable, more then some of the clothes I wear."

"Yea, your watcher will wanna know that," Cordelia shot him a look, he grinned, "About the demon, not your clothes."

"Oh, yea.  I know I shouldn't judge her but I get this feeling that something isn't right with her," Cordelia told him, for the first time relaying her thoughts to him.

"That's probably just your new slayerness picking up her bitchiness." Xander smiled at being able to joke around with his crush, and Cordy suppressed a giggle. 

They walked into the library and saw Willow, Buffy, and Giles sitting around the table nonchalantly having a good time, Ms. Shanlth glared at them and looked away upset that Giles wasn't maintaining an unemotional attachment to his slayer.

"Miss Chase," She started towards Cordelia, still in a pissy mood, "I would like that if from now on you will report to me promptly at seven so you can tell me about your patrols."

"Ms. Shanlth, just the watcher we wanted to see," Xander joked, but stopped at the withering look sent his way from Shanlth. He poked Cordelia, reminding her of what she had to tell her.

Cordy looked enviously at the care-free Buffy and her wonderful watcher, who wasn't as stuck-up as hers, "Me and Xander have a question," Buffy raised an eyebrow at that statement. Cordelia brushed loose wavy tendrils of her dark hair out of her face. Her bruise was entirely gone without a trace.  She repeated her concerns to Shanlth, hating every minute of speaking her thoughts to someone she barely knew and didn't especially like, an emotionless bitch.

When she had finished the watcher started in quickly, "It's just your slayer healing kicking in, maybe it wasn't as bad as you thought. And as for the demon, maybe its time had come, died of natural causes," She rattled off reasons, "Don't you think you should be getting to class now?" She hastily shoed Xander and Cordy out, looking at Giles to do the same.

He ignored her.  Shanlth grabbed an empty notebook and made her way to Giles office, slamming the door as she went.  The three watching saw her quickly grab for the phone as she wrote.

"What's up with her?" Buffy asked. Giles shrugged.

~`~`~`~

"Yes I have new information."

TBC

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