Epilogue

This was the life. This was exactly what she'd wanted since she was a little girl: the hot sun caressing her equally hot body while lying at the pool with an ice-cold glass of ice-tea next to her, and nobody who would bother her about anything. In the house itself her cook would be busy preparing the dinner she'd planned for tonight, and at the same time her other servants were cleaning the house.

And what was she doing? She was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing: getting a tan. With a lazy movement she took hold of the glass, and took a sip of the drink. As the cool liquid seeped down her throat, she repeated her earlier thought. This was the life.

To think that at one time it had seemed impossible she'd actually manage to get this far. Back when everything had gone wrong she had almost given up the hope of ever achieving this. Almost. Because she could never really give up on her dreams. All those times that she'd had to walk around covered in filthy slime or other filthy stuff had in the end paid off.

Of course, she could never have done it without the support of her best friends, something that she had no intention of ever forgetting. Especially him, he had stood by her no matter what had happened. Even now, after so long, Xander was still the most important man in her life, and sometimes late at night she might even go so far as to admit that she missed him.

Unfortunately the circles she now traveled in weren't suitable for him. His honesty would clash as much with the people surrounding her as his clothes usually did with each other. Still, memories of him kept turning up in her daydreams. That sweet, half-embarrassed, goofy smile of his that always showed up when he thought he'd done something that would anger her. As if she could actually stay mad at him. And of course, there was always the quality time that they'd spent together. It was said that you never forgot your first, and she always believed that their situation was the best proof of that.

"Miss?"

Turning half-around she looked at Brian, the current head of her staff. "Yes?"

"You have a visitor," he told her.

"Really?" She frowned, before smoothing her face again. There was no need to look ugly because someone had interrupted her free time. "Who is it?"

"Mister Harris."

Xander? Already? "Well, tell him to get out here, no need to keep him waiting."

"But-" he tried to raise what she knew was a pretty good point. But that point didn't matter in this situation. In fact, Xander couldn't have come at a better time.

"I can't remember saying this was up for debate."

Brian nodded, obviously not happy with her decision, and turned back to the house. Poor guy, he probably had a bit of a crush on her. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't her type. And that would only have mattered if he hadn't been a member of her staff. Just because her father had slept with his secretaries didn't mean she was going to lower herself to the same level. Besides, he was like way too old for her.

"Cordy," Xander started as soon as he exited the house. "You've got to help me."

"Hello to you too," she answered in reply, not bothering to actually turn around and look over her chair. "Yes, I'm doing great, thank you for asking, and how about you? I see you actually left that hellhole in order to visit me. Of course, nobody else would have started about me helping them before even giving a simple greeting."

He sighed at that, probably feeling like she was exaggerating. Well, he had been in the wrong here so he shouldn't be complaining. And indeed, as expected, he then said the words he was supposed to say. "Hello Cordelia. It's good to see you again, how are you?"

"Much better," Cordelia approved. "I'm doing great. I've been asked for a movie that is guaranteed to be seen by practically half the world, and I'm doing a voice for an animated movie as well. It's the first time I'll have to do that, so I'm a bit nervous. As a matter of fact, I'm having dinner tonight with the producer and several other members of the cast. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to work on that project."

"That's nice," Xander told her, while finally approaching her again. Obviously he didn't like to talk to the back of her head, and she had no intention of contorting herself into an impossible position just so that he could see her. There was a perfectly fine chair next to her after all. Besides, this was also where the fun part of this meeting was going to start.

"Is that all you can say?" she asked before she heard him stop at the sight of her body.

"Cordy!" The strangled voice was all she could wish for, and it was in her most innocent voice that she answered.

"Yes Xander? Is something wrong?"

He spluttered at that. "You- You're naked!"

Feigning a shocked expression on her face, she trailed her hands over what she knew was a perfect body. "Say it ain't so!"

"Cordy!" Xander tried again.

"What?"

"Why are you naked?" By this time he'd continued walking, doing hard his best not to stare at her assets. Poor guy, it wasn't as if it was actually possible for anyone to resist looking at such perfection.

Still, Cordelia decided to answer his question exactly as he asked it. Teasing her ex-boyfriend was simply too much fun. "Because I'm not wearing any clothes?"

"That's not funny," Xander said in that strangled voice, while sitting down on the lawn-chair next to her. Not that this meant that he actually dared look at her, oh no, he was staring at the pool. "Why aren't you wearing anything?"

"Because I want to be tanned all over? Sheesh, I'd have thought that after all this time with Faith you would have figured that part out."

"She doesn't sunbathe in the nude. Sunbathing is useless because of her Slayer healing," he explained to her.

Now that was something Cordelia hadn't known. "Really? I knew there had to be a downside to all that Slayer stuff of her and Buffy."

"Yeah well," Xander shrugged. "That still doesn't tell me why you're naked though."

"I told you already," she said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm tanning."

"Aren't you afraid that your picture will show up in dozens of magazines, the internet, and who knows where? This is Hollywood after all."

"Oh please, you don't think that I'd let just anybody enjoy the sight of my body, do you? It's one of those things for which magic is actually useful. Nobody can take a picture of me without my permission."

"You use magic to stop the press from coming here?" Xander asked incredulously.

Cordelia simply shrugged, an action that she noticed with more than a little satisfaction drew Xander's attention to a certain part of her body. Well two parts actually. That jiggled a bit. "Why not?"

"Isn't that misuse of magic or something?"

"Oh please, I can afford to hire someone to do it so it can't be misuse. And besides, what better goal is there? Aside from keeping me healthy of course, which is why I pay another mage to look me over."

"You hi- Never mind. I don't doubt that you'd do something like that."

"Well duh," Cordelia replied. "The only trouble with that sort of thing is to ensure that you find someone capable of doing what you want. But even mages need to eat so there is always somebody looking for a job. Besides, it's not all that hard for them. The spell around the house is only refreshed every two weeks or so, and I go for a checkup once a month. It's just like having a normal doctor check my health, only better."

"Okay, okay. I understand. Sorta." What wasn't there to understand? Sure, she had been a bit hesitant about using magic as well, but this was simply such a good use for it. And as it meant that she would never have to fear that someone might be watching her in her own house, it was well worth the money she spent on it. As long as they weren't going to do crazy things like asking for more money. Well, if that happened she could hire someone else, and if they tried to do something bad she knew more than enough people who'd be able to deal with that situation.

Tearing her mind away from those musings, she returned her attention to the matter at hand. Hey! Xander was once again staring at the pool. In a way it was flattering, but it wasn't what she wanted. "Don't you know it's impolite not to look at the person you're talking to?"

"What?" That statement surprised Xander enough that he turned to look at her again. "Oh! But you're naked! It wouldn't be very polite if I stared at certain other things either."

"Don't look at them then," Cordelia said, very much enjoying Xander's discomfort. "After all, it's not like you haven't seen any of it before."

"That's true," Xander admitted, trying very hard to look at her face. "But you're still as distracting now as you were then."

"Why thank you," she smiled at him. "That's very sweet of you."

"Yeah well," Xander shrugged.

"It kinda reminds me of how you were when you took me to that dinner."

"Eh, Cordy, that may not be the best memory to think about right now."

"Oh hush. I don't remember every single detail. But it was a couple of months before we graduated, on a day that my parents had this conference sort of thing in New York, and because I felt lonely you had invited me to have dinner in a very nice restaurant. You had really done your best that day, and it was really romantic."

"Yeah well," Xander shrugged again, clearly a bit embarrassed by how she was telling it. Not that he had any reason for it.

"That was on the twentieth of March, but I was already nervous on the nineteenth, because I knew what was going to happen after the dinner." Oh yes, even the memory of that night was hot. "I ate the chicken Alfredo, while you had a steak, medium-rare. We talked about everything, and nothing in particular. And then we went to my house."

….…

"So, this is it," Xander said while shuffling his feet in a shy way.

"I really enjoyed tonight," Cordelia answered in reply.

"Me too, but I should go."

"Do you wanna come in?" Both of them spoke at the same time, but it was her question that he replied to.

"A-are you sure?" he said, obviously as nervous as her. It had been so obvious the entire evening that tonight was going to be her night, but even now the both of them continued to step around the issue. She knew what he wanted, and she damn well knew what she wanted. The two of them, on the ground, in the kitchen, in the shower, on her bedroom floor, in her bed, and everywhere else that was humanly possible. It was a Friday night, and neither of them had anything important the next day.

And her parents would be away for the entire weekend. Something that she wanted to take advantage off for long, hard, exhausting hours. Oh yes, she could already imagine how his hands would trail down her body. For months now she had dreaded taking a shower at school, because she knew how risky it was. At home her showers had turned into a time of bliss where she had to bite her lip in an effort not to shout Xander's name as she finished. And that was something she really didn't want to let the other girls in the class know. That was far too personal. Meant only for her, and her boyfriend.

"I'm sure," Cordelia therefore said while staring into Xander's brown eyes. He knew what was likely to happen, but did he know exactly how far she wanted to go? That her preferred fantasy about tonight meant that he would be crawling home on Sunday? Crawling because he didn't have the strength to stand up.

Xander swallowed nervously, an adorable sign that she cherished. She knew that she wouldn't be his first. Not that she had any idea of who the girl had been, but she wasn't the only one in that regard, and she didn't care anyway. Past lovers weren't the issue here. "Okay then."

Sending him a bright smile, Cordelia led Xander down the path to her front door. The key trembled in her hand, but she managed to shove it in the lock. Just like she hoped that Xander would sho- Not yet! Turning the key, taking it out of the lock again, and stepping back, she turned to him again. "It's open."

"So it is," he replied solemnly.

"I-I think that maybe we should go in."

"Yes, that, eh, would be a good idea."

Neither of them moved though. Instead they stared at each other for several minutes. Why was her heart fluttering so badly? And why was her mouth suddenly so dry? Licking her lips she noticed how Xander's eyes were drawn to that tiny action. She also noticed that the two of them had started breathing heavy. She really needed to get inside before they did something her neighbors could enjoy. Which really wasn't something she enjoyed.

"Cordy," Xander whispered as he cupped her chin in his right hand, and used the other to caress her face. Oh god, this was getting better and better. No, worse and worse. She couldn't do this out here!

Stepping back, Cordelia noticed the sudden flash of disappointment in his face, a flash that he tried to hide as quickly as he could. She knew it was there though, and wanted to take his pain away. At least, that was the most logical conclusion she later came up with for what she said. "Not out here, inside."

Horrified at her sudden wanton behavior, she then fled into the house, knowing that Xander would follow closely. What to do. What to do... She had made preparations. There was something that a night like this required, and she had prepared it. Hearing Xander approach from the hallway, she quickly kicked out her shoes so that he would know she had no other plans, and walked to the kitchen.

The red wine, or the champagne? She had put a bottle of each ready, and now she suddenly didn't know which she was supposed to open. Didn't one of them have to breathe for a while before it was really good? But which one? She'd known before she left, but now she'd forgotten! Why hadn't she marked that one? Or maybe written it down or something? There was of course no reason that they couldn't drink both of them during the next couple of days—it wasn't as if her parents would actually miss the bottles—but which one would be the best for tonight?

"Cordy?"

"I'm coming!" Oh boy, now that was a loaded sentence. Once again she looked at the bottles before her. The memory of an erotic story she'd once read—well if her parents hadn't wanted her to read it, they should have hid it better—came to her. In that story there had been quite some amazing things that had been done with champagne, and none of them involved drinking. At least not from a glass. Which meant that for drinking she should take the other one.

Okay. Corkscrew. How do you use something like that? She'd only opened a bottle once before in her life, and that had been with the help of her father. Not that it had been difficult at that time, so why couldn't she do it this time around? She was holding the bottle in one hand, and the corkscrew in the other while attempting to fit the one in the other when a pair of strong arms suddenly took them from her. "Allow me."

"Xander," Cordelia breathed as she was surrounded by his arms.

"Why don't you get the glasses?" he whispered in her ear. The hot air as it played along the sensitive skin was enough to make her shiver, and desperate to at least try to restrain herself—for now—she slipped out of his embrace to get the glasses.

This at least was a task she had no trouble in succeeding at, and when she turned around she noted with satisfaction that Xander had succeeded in opening the bottle. Wait a minute, satisfaction because he succeeded where she failed? That didn't make any sense. But she didn't care, and ignoring that inner voice she quickly rinsed the glasses before joining him back in the living room.

Sitting so closely next to him on the couch, Cordelia was warmed by Xander's body heat. Not nearly enough yet, but before going any further she wanted to have some of the wine. This was supposed to be a romantic evening and as she hadn't been allowed to have alcohol during dinner—ridiculous laws—it had to come after. Wine was a part of romantic evenings, wasn't it? As was chocolate, preferably molten and distributed over the body of her love-

Maybe other thoughts were better. Taking another sip from her glass of wine, she rolled the liquid in her mouth, trying to determine what exactly people believed was so great about it. Then she had another sudden thought. Why would she have to think about other things? Wasn't the reason she'd invited Xander in because she believed that she was ready to take the next step in their relationship? That she wanted to experiment as much as she could? Work through most of the Kama Sutra in a single weekend?

Cordelia put down her glass, and looked at Xander. Looked at the way his lips were moving as he was talking to her. She didn't know what he was saying, nor did she care. She wanted those lips. She knew what they tasted like, but she wanted them to explore her entire body.

"Xander," she interrupted his monologue.

He tried to say something in reply, but she didn't care. Instead she attached her lips to his, and climbed on his lap. This was wonderful, as always. She could taste what little of the wine he'd tried, but most importantly she could taste him. That taste she could drown in, but also a taste that today was only a prelude to what was to come. Disengaging from his lips, she whispered in his ear. "Make lo-"

….…

"Okay, I think that's enough of a trip down memory lane," Xander said while he kept his hand pressed against her mouth. Interestingly enough she noticed that he was sweating, obviously he hadn't remained unaffected. Just the way she liked it.

Still, he was stopping her from talking, but she knew exactly how to turn that into her advantage. Allowing her tongue to dart out of her mouth, Cordelia licked at the hand keeping her quiet. An action that quickly caused Xander to retract his hand in shock. "Cordy!"

"Oh, don't be like that. You always liked it when I did things like that. And I didn't limit it to your hand either."

"Cordy! Please! I came here for help, and I can't explain the situation when you're sitting there naked," Xander pleaded. It was a bit of a weak excuse in her opinion, but she'd probably teased him enough now anyway.

"Alright, just hand me the robe there and I'll put it on."

"Thank you," he said relieved, while handing it over to her.

Of course, she had no intention of letting him off that easy. Accepting the robe, she got to her feet, and standing mere centimeters from Xander's face she allowed him one last look at her glorious body. A body he would still have been worshiping on a daily basis if she hadn't left Sunnydale half a year after their graduation.

The funny sound he made as she stood there reminded her of why she had loved him so deeply for so long. In the end though, she had wanted to move forward with her life, and as Xander insisted on remaining behind to help his friends there was nothing to it but for them to split up. Well no, she admitted to herself, they hadn't split up immediately. First they'd tried to do the long-distance thing, but it hadn't worked out. And then Faith had moved in on her territory.

"Cordy," Xander pleaded, sounding even more desperate than before. "Please, put it on."

Okay, now it really was time to stop before she actually started to hurt him. Putting on the robe, she sat back down. "Don't worry Xander, I have no intention of trying to steal you from your Slayer. Being torn apart by Faith isn't exactly my preferred way to die." Yes, she was being gentle with him. The poor tortured soul.

"Thank you," he breathed. Whether it was for the fact that she'd dressed, or for the words, she didn't know.

"You're welcome. Now tell me, what is it that brought you here? I mean, you hardly ever come to visit me anymore."

"I have a problem," Xander started.

"Well duh, you've already said that," Cordelia interrupted, now impatient to hear what his problem was. "Tell me what it is."

"Faith and Dawn. They have made some kind of bet, or started a race, I don't know. The fact is that both of them are trying to get into bed with me."

"Oh no! That sounds horrible!" Cordelia mocked, before turning to a specific part of what he'd said. "How is Dawn anyway?"

"She's getting better. These past couple of months helped her get over whatever it was that happened to her. Not that she's ready to talk about what happened yet, but I'm sure that will happen sooner or later."

"That's good to hear, but you know I still haven't gotten a good explanation of where she came from in the first place."

"It's a time-travel thing. Futures that happened, and didn't happen. In any case, for her the most important thing is that she is also the one who I met six years ago."

"You mean the one who?"

Xander nodded at that. "Yeah, and she promised she'd come back to claim me. Well, that has happened now, and Faith isn't too happy about it."

"So they each want you, but for some reason Faith has let her live?"

"Yes."

"So, what exactly is the problem?" Cordelia asked. "Because it sounds to me more like your idea of heaven than hell."

"They're getting worse all the time. I even had to flee to a motel after a while, not that that stopped Faith from breaking in. And besides, do you really think that whoever loses that fight will let me or the winner live?"

"But aren't you already dating Faith?"

"For some reason that I don't understand she decided that the both of them should have an equal shot. She broke up. Sorta. She wants me to choose her over Dawn, and not because she's the only available one." Xander explained. "Women."

Interesting, Cordelia quickly hid the grin that threatened to break out on her face as she heard that. Now this offered some nice possibilities. "Why don't you offer them the let's all be happy solution?"

"And what is that?" he asked warily.

"Invite them both, and have fun. Just because I didn't want something like that doesn't mean they're not interested."

As expected, Xander's eyes glazed over for a moment, before he shook his head. "No, Dawn has already made clear that she's a single-Xander woman, and I'm pretty sure that Faith isn't interested either."

"Well, there is always the time-sharing option then."

"Cordy! Please, I need a realistic solution, and not one that is based on my own fantasies."

"Well, what do you propose then?"

"Could I stay here for a while? Just until the worst is over and the two of them have calmed down a bit. I can't live like this."

Pretending to think it over, Cordelia stood up and started pacing. "Hmm, well in theory it would be possible. Of course, at least Faith knows that you'll come here for help, so she'll want to search the house. That means you'll have to be hidden very well."

"I can hide, if you help me, I can hide."

Time to have fun. "And what's in it for me?"

"What?" Oh, wasn't he cute when he looked confused? "What do you mean?"

"Well," she said while approaching him once again. "I'll have to go to a lot of trouble to do this, not to mention risk the wrath of a Slayer, so I'm just wondering what I can get in return."

"Any- I mean, we can discuss that."

"Yes we can," Cordelia said with a predatory smile on her face. Getting up from her own chair, she straddled his lap in a surprising move. "But I've already made my decision."

The naked fear in Xander's eyes was almost enough to make her back down. From her position she was able to judge the reaction of his body though, and that told her that he really liked their current positions. "What?"

"You see," she said while trailing her hand across his face, "I was thinking about you before you arrived. I have made an important decision, and I needed your help for it."

"What kind of help?" Xander squeaked. Not his most manly hour ever, but his obvious nerves did nothing to deter her.

"I've decided that I'd like to have a baby."

This shut him up, and Cordelia watched with barely contained glee as Xander could only gape like a fish. It wasn't until about a minute later that he actually was able to say something. "W-with me?"

"Of course you doofus. Don't worry though, my contracts stop me from having the baby immediately. The best time for me to get pregnant would be between three and six months from now. Of course, we should practice regularly before that time. I was thinking once in the morning, and a couple of times during the evening and night. How does that sound?"

"Bu- bu-"

"Yes, that sounds great, doesn't it? I can already hear the small patter of feet from our children."

"Children?" Xander finally managed.

Cordelia looked at him with a beatific smile gracing her lips. "Of course, we can't stop after the first one. You know how lonely it can be to be an only child, I wouldn't want to do that to my own child."

"Bu-"

"Miss Chase?"

Turning her attention away from Xander, Cordelia looked at Brian. "Yes?"

"You have an urgent phone call."

"I'm busy right now, can't they call back later?"

"It's your agent, and he says it's very important."

Sighing, Cordelia got up from Xander's lap. "Sorry honey, but duty calls. Why don't you stay here, and we'll continue this later." Giving him a quick kiss on his forehead, she turned around and walked to her office. A quick glance at the phone told her what she'd already known, and instead she switched on the audio feed of one of her security cameras.

"Are you leaving already mister Harris?"

"Yes Brian, I have something else to do, and who knows how long Cordelia will take on that phone call? Could you tell her that I'll call her soon?"

"Of course," Brian answered Xander before letting him out.

Settling herself in the comfy leather chair behind the desk, Cordelia waited for Brian to come to her. He had paid enough attention to Xander to realize when she was about to cross the line she didn't really want to cross. That had been his queue to get her, and he'd done his job well. So, when he finally knocked on the door, she didn't waste any time. "Come in."

As Brian walked into the room, he confirmed what she already knew. "Mister Harris has left."

"I know, thank you." Such a curt dismissal might not be entirely what Brian deserved, but she'd been enjoying herself. Once he was out of the room, she finally picked up the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

"Buffy Summers," was the reply.

"Hey Buffy, it's me."

"Cordelia! How are you?"

"I'm as great as ever," Cordelia replied with a smile. She had spent so much time with the wannabes and stars in LA that it was a rare treat to hear someone ask how she was doing for reasons that had nothing to do with getting one role or another. Even if that same person had already asked the question a couple of hours ago. "Anyway, he just left."

"That was quick," Buffy noted.

"You can stake vampires, and I can play men. Especially Xander. He was like putty in my hands, and acted almost exactly the way I'd expected. I do feel sorry for him though."

"There's no need for that. I'm pretty sure that secretly he's enjoying the attention."

"Maybe, but Buffy you should have seen his face when he saw me!"

"Why?"

"He came on me when I was sunbathing. In the nude."

"No way," Buffy breathed. "Tell me more."

"Later, you still have to tell me why you wanted me to scare him away."

"Dawn."

"Your newfound sister? What about her?"

"I do kinda like her, but now that she's staying it means I've got about eighteen years of sibling rivalry to catch up on. And as she already knew me, this war between her and Faith gives me the chance to catch up with her. And of course, she needs something to stop reminding herself of what had happened to her."

For a moment Cordelia wondered what it would be like to have a little sister. That was probably one of the few things she'd told Xander that was the truth. If she ever had children, she had no intention of keeping it to only one. She could easily support more, and that way they could keep each other company. And she had no intention of letting her career get in the way of her knowing them either. "I understand, I take it she hasn't really told you anything about it yet?"

"No," Buffy said in a slightly depressed tone.

A tone that Cordelia really didn't want to hear, so she chose to continue with Buffy's other reason. "Okay, so this is a sibling rivalry thing for you? Who are you rooting for then?"

The answer didn't come immediately, and when Buffy spoke again it sounded as if she had to do her best to concentrate on the question. But she did answer, and Cordelia was sure that she'd get Buffy out of this funk she'd gotten herself in. "Difficult to say, I like them both, and wouldn't mind seeing both of them being embarrassed either. Oh! Have I told you yet about how Dawn was waiting for Xander in the living room of his apartment? Naked?"

"No, but it sounds like fun. Was this before or after Faith broke into his motel room?"

"Before. It was the reason he left his apartment."

"Okay girlfriend, give me details." And snuggling a bit deeper into the big chair, Cordelia listened with great enjoyment to the stories Buffy told her about the attempts of both Faith and Dawn to make Xander choose between them.

Author's note: This is the end of the story, although there will be a sequel. When? I don't know yet. Also, because of the new rules of this site, my replies to reviews will no longer be written inside the stories, but go directly to the reviewer.

On a different note: A little over three weeks ago it was made public that patents on plots have been applied for. I wrote a story showing the consequences this will have which can be found under the same username on fictionpress (dot) com. You can use the link in my profile.

It's a short story so please read it, and think about what this means for you. I don't care if you give me any feedback on it: I just want you to think about the consequences.