----21----
"Ugh, wha?" Lexa muttered, bit by bit forcing her eyes open. What time was it? Why was her head pounding? She didn't get grand stupid drunk last night, right? Of course not, she didn't drink. Wait! Her head wasn't pounding, something else was /being/ pounded.
"HARRIS! OR HORNE!" a screaming muffled voice sounded. Lexa got up, looked around, and figured it came from the front door.
"What the . . .?" Lexa said, as he noticed the clock; 6:00.
"WHOEVER THE HELL IS IN THERE!" the man's voice continued.
"Yeah, yeah!" Lexa yelled angrily, getting up out of bed. She was wearing boxers and nothing else. Yawning she started walking, and then sped up as the complaining continued. Into the living area of her apartment, past the kitchen and finally to her front door. She unlocked the door, and opened it pissed off, "WHAT?" The man, and behind him a small throng of people, all her neighbors stood there, having varying degrees of annoyed and angry faces, as well as wearing varying degrees of night dress. The man stopped his hand before it would have slammed into Lexa's face, and then he stopped. An even more muffled sound of greater distance slowly filtered into Lexa's hearing. The neighbor looked down at her fantastic naked breasts and swallowed, his annoyance instantly forgotten. A few of the other man looked the same, while the women continued to be pissed, or got even worse - some even making tut tut expressions and sounds. Lexa looked down at herself and then snarled, "Oh, grow up, all of you! You woke me up at 6 o'clock in the friggin' morning, what the hell do you expect?"
The annoyance returned, and he hissed, "We /-know-/! Go tell your little lover that, and get him to shut up!"
"Lover? I don't have a lover," Lexa yelled back.
"OH NO?" the neighbor yelled at her, and pointed into the apartment, behind her, to the balcony and the beach. "I can't believe you it didn't wake /you/ up!"
Lexa turned around, and indeed the far away sound seemed to be coming from outside, albeit not through the balcony window. "I had double glass installed," Lexa muttered, and quickly walked over, while her neighbors contemplated getting the same thing.
Lexa unlocked and then opened her window, instantly assaulted by a voice calling out loud, "LEXA! LEXA! LEXA! COME OUT, MY LOVE!"
Lexa's eyes narrowed and walked to the edge of the balcony. The beach was some meter lower. A stone staircase lead from the front right of her balcony down to the sand. A small half-door that could be locked closed of the balcony. Lexa crossed the two an a half meters and then looked over the balcony down. "LEXA!" Deke Fisher yelled happily from the sand below now that she was finally out. He was in his football jacket, and had a radio standing on the sand. He turned it on, put the volume to max, and as romantic music started to play, he started to sing a self written song professing his undying love, and Lexa being so beautiful . . . you get the picture.
As Lexa stood there dumbfounded for a few fleeting moments she had to admit he had a good singing voice, then annoyance and anger took over. Her fist clenched, bringing it up next to her face while clenching her teeth and holding back a growl, producing the approximate sound of someone choking. When that didn't quit his singing, Lexa lost. She jumped over the railing, left hand leaning on it and came down. Deke quit his singing, and said happily, "Lexa, my love, I knew- . . ."
Lexa's foot slammed painfully in his face, and Deke was launched back several meters, unceremoniously being dumped in the sand. Lexa turned off the radio then crushed it. He walked over to the dazed Deke, yelling, "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GOD DAMNED MIND!" The first punch punctuated the last word of the sentence, and Lexa grabbed Deke's collar with her left hand, starting to punch him repeatedly in the face with her right, "IT'S SIX O'CLOCK IN THE FUCKING MORNING!" A final powerful blow slammed Deke's upper body down on the sand.
"Ehhhhh," he managed as he razed his black and blue head and his left index finger a little. He moaned out, "Serenade - not - romantic?"
Lexa growled, and as she slammed her right foot in Deke's face she yelled, "AT TEN AT NIGHT MAYBE!" Deke was launched backward another meter. Lexa turned around and stalked back toward her apartment up the staircase, muttered expletives to herself.
Behind her Deke groaned and moaned in pain, the see water washed over him, rousing him to wakefulness and he quickly scrambled back up the beach. Then he noticed how dirty his jacket had become, and he cried, "My jacket!"
Back in her apartment Lexa went over to her front door and told her neighbors, "/He/ is /not/ my boyfriend. He does it again, don't wake me, call the cops!" Then she slammed the door in their faces, locked it, and headed back to her bedroom, muttering more profanities. Half way there, she moaned, "Ah, fuck, I'll never get back to sleep."
-----
Yawning Lexa walked onto the Sunnydale High grass, wearing tight jeans, and a sleeveless shirt, that wrapped tightly around her breasts. A small backpack finished her ensemble. Soon she reached Buffy and Willow, who was smiling brightly, having her hair in a ponytail, wearing a short red skirt and white top that left her midriff open. She was holding a few books in front of her. Buffy comparatively was in a black skirt of her own, and a purple blouse that hugged her form without become tight everywhere, not a book in sight.
"Nightmares?" Buffy asked the girl.
Lexa shook her head, and explained, "Deke Fisher thought it was romantic to serenade a girl at six in the morning."
"You didn't kill him, did you?" Willow asked a little stricken as the three of them slowly turned toward the entrance and started walking toward him.
"I came close," Lexa said sourly, still pissed remembering the event.
Buffy nodded encouragingly, and said, "Good for you, your self control is improving."
Lexa gave Buffy a glare, who smiled innocently. Lexa asked, "So what's new with my two favorite babes in the world?"
"That Slayer emblem," Willow answered softly. Buffy looked at Willow with wide eyes. "I'm thinking of drawing it out, and seeing how much it costs to have made in print. If I plant it right here on my chest, it will not only look good, but I can also scare off vampires, and hypnotize them before I dust them with my breast. That'd be so cool."
Buffy groaned out in horror. "I can't believe you, Will. That's so tacky, besides, I doubt you need an emblem to hypnotize vampires with your chest."
Willow sputtered out something that attempted to be an answer. Luckily for her she was saved by an Amazon. "Nihau!" came an enthusiastic voice, and saw a far too happy Lotion bouncing toward them. Her flowery, tight, Asian dress/tunic fluttered about. It didn't have any sides, just wide, rounded slits, only two stylish flaps at the front and the back. If she walked normally it would be almost invisible that the dress had no sides. She jumped quite high and came down close to the group, as she said, "I'm so happy I'm not a bunny anymore. I'm back completely!" As she sailed down the dress fluttered up, baring her naked legs, and a lovely, lacy, black g-string. Lexa's eyes were glued to the g-string, as were Willow's although she was struggling not to and some annoyance at herself and embarrassment filtered across her face. Lexa landed and made a pirouette, making the flaps flutter about more, and said, "I hated being a bunny."
"Oh, it wasn't so bad," Lexa muttered barely audible.
"That's so cheating," Buffy commented pointed just a bit to the dress at Lotion's crotch area.
As Lexa and Willow shook themselves out of it, Lotion commented, "All's fair in love and war."
"Let's just get to class," Willow said, as they reached the entrance. "Which kinda means, you have to disappear," Willow said to Lexa, a little regret, which soon disappeared realizing who would be in her place.
Lexa nodded, and walked off toward the bathrooms for some privacy. The three girls turned to the left, and Lotion spoke, "Ah, life as a human being. To love an amazing- . . ."
"We get it already!" Buffy told her in exasperation, wishing she was still an unassuming Bunny.
A little while later they arrived at their classroom, and Xander caught up to them about the same time, slowing down. "Hey," Buffy said, with a smile, giving Lotion just a quick look with a movement of her eyes. She stepped forward, pushed her body, and especially her chest into Xander, pulled his head down, and gave him a deep passionate kiss, rubbing her body up against him. Then she broke the kiss, and took a step back. Xander stood there with a smile.
"And she says I'm cheating," Lotion muttered to Willow, indicating Buffy. The witch shrugged sadly.
-----
Buffy and Xander were sparring in the library. Close by, Lotion and Cordelia were doing the same thing, the first giving pointers to the latter. Jenny and Willow were in a meditation session sitting on the main table. As Xander parried a punch and kick combination from Buffy, Giles standing behind the counter, said, "I must say, Xander, that your observation about Kendra is quite disturbing on its own. However, I have not seen any signs in Kendra's behavior to indicate she might be suffering from sexual abuse."
Landing a kick on Buffy's chest, he pointed out, "Except barely manage to say word in front of me."
Giles nodded, but continued, "True, however that is explainable by what she was taught. Don't you think that if she were truly abused by her watcher, she'd have most trouble with me, being a watcher myself? However, not only did she not show any sign with me, we enjoyed each other's company greatly. It might even be called having fun."
"Yeah, Xander," Cordelia spoke, before having her legs being swiped from under her by Lotion, and groaning as she hit the floor.
"Don't get distracted during a fight," Lotion lectured with a grin.
Cordelia glared at Lotion, getting up quickly, and finishing, "I didn't see anything about her that told me she wasn't another happy, gung-ho, too aggressive Slayer."
"I have to agree with her, Xander," Jenny entered the conversation from her position. "I think you going down to Equador is unnecessary and a waste of time. Kendra is not being abused."
"Quite," Giles added once again, "especially since sexual abuse of the Slayer assigned to you, is the most frowned upon thing within the council. A watcher has great leeway with the Slayer, but that is one thing you cannot do. I can tell you, that no watcher will do that."
Xander parried a punch from Buffy, and then grabbed her followup holding it tightly. He muttered out, "I can't tell you how often I wished someone wouldn't have said that, and come to check out my home life."
Everyone was immediately silent. A tear flowed from Willow's face; having known about Xander's home life, but having been too young to know what to do about it. The strength in Buffy's arm left her, and she looked at Xander. Cordelia and Lotion looked at him sadly, Giles looked apologetic. Aafter an uncomfortable moment, Xander knocked Buffy to the ground.
"I realize that, Xander," Giles started gravely, his voice pained and even guilt, "but I promise you, that that is not the case this time. Kendra is well taken care of, and is in a healthy environment. That is as healthy as a Slayer can get it; barring perhaps Buffy's."
"You promise?" Xander asked.
"I promise, Kendra is safe," Giles told him evenly.
Xander hesitated for a moment, and then decided that the grownup that the most experience with the watchers and the council was right, and let it go.
Willow though, had another pressing matter weighing heavily on her mind, and she said, "Giles, about this Drusilla rising ritual?"
"Yes?" Giles asked.
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they basically get all the answers, because Buffy let one vamp get away?" Willow asked with an uncertain expression.
"Hey!" Buffy exclaimed with some betrayal.
"Well, actually, yes," Giles answered.
"Hey!" Buffy added louder, not liking this.
"Why? Did you have something in mind?" Giles asked her.
Willow scratched herself behind the ears, smiled and said, "Well, I was thinking; Lotion and Xander do their own patrols and scheduling, and, uh . . ."
"Yes?" Lotion prompted.
Willow swallowed as she saw Buffy's and Lotion's angry glare pointed at her, and then babbled onward, "Also they want the most time off of course, but shouldn't we have you make up the schedule, and make sure no one patrols alone? For you see, if Buffy weren't alone, than the vampire couldn't have gotten away, and . . ."
"I think we get the picture, Willow," Giles spoke thoughtfully, taking off his glasses to clear them, "And I must say, I rather like you're idea; if you're not alone, then I think it's even possible for you and Cordelia to patrol - should you want to of course."
The others looked at each other, and realized Willow was right. "Brainiac Willow, you rule," Xander told her with a smile, and Willow blushed, but grinned widely.
"That is definitely a good idea," Lotion added in with a smile, "was starting to find patrolling lonely; despite all the fun of dusting vampires."
"Well, count me in," Cordelia said with a grin, "I just found out, I'm still a master with swords; I'm looking forward to chopping some more heads."
"I've got dips on Xander as a patrol partner!" Buffy exclaimed with a big grin.
"Buffy," Giles admonished her sternly, "I do believe the point of me making the schedules, would be that /I/ also make the pairings for that night."
Buffy pouted, but Giles didn't budge, which made Buffy decide to switch the depressing subject, "So? Are we going bronzing tonight? Girls' night out?"
"I can't," Lotion said somewhat sadly, restarting the sparring with Cordelia, "my mother has me doing some chores and some special training with her."
"Well, I'm there," Willow said happily.
Cordelia barely deflected a blow, and said, "I might be in the Bronze, but not with you; I've got a date."
"Really?" Xander asked surprised, twisting away from Buffy's fist. It was good, and he was happy for sure that Cordelia moved on. "Well, I'll definitely be coming, I can use a good breezer."
-----
Willow had just taken a shower, preparing for the Bronze. She was naked apart from toweling off, and came by her fish tank. She grabbed a pot with fish food, and tossed some in. She smiled as she watched her fish swim up to get something. She walked over to her bed - more like hopping on one foot, then changing to the other as she dried her feet. Now fully dry, she removed the plastic hair covering, and shook her long hair free.
Across the bed was a mirror and she took in her flowing hair as it bounced about her head a bit. Before Xander had come back a girl, she'd never had the guts to have the hair dresser work on her hair like this. She took herself in. Her breasts were pretty nice, good size too, she decided, not big, but certainly not small, and then she took in her curves. She modeled back and forth a bit, pushing out her hips, then smiled. She about to go get a pair of panties and put them on, when she stopped. She turned back, and looked in the mirror. She couldn't really, right? But why not? She bit her lower lip, trying to decide, her head almost spinning. It would be so naughty, so . . . well, Willow had masturbated before of course, but to herself? And why not? Don't they always say on Oprah, if you want to get love, you most love yourself first and send out that love? She might as well make it more physical; she was bi after all.
She climbed on her bed, then paused. She quickly got off and went to her door, making sure it was locked. Then she got back, and once more crawled onto the bed, on her knees. She seductively crawled forward, arching her back, and looking herself in the mirror eyes. She licked her upper lips, and then giggled. Growing serious again, she took in her downward hanging breasts - who didn't really 'hang' all that much. "You're hot," she told herself, and giggled again. She blew herself a kiss, and licked her lips, giving herself seductive looks. Her body tingled clearly now, her nipples tightening.
Was she wet already? Only one way to find out, Willow decided. She let sucked on her right index and middle fingers, and then let them slowly sink along her body. She paused at her breasts, fondling them, sending shivers down her body. Then she quickly moved her hand further along her body, making sure to touch and fondle it all. Then she reached her short pubic hair, and hesitated a moment. Then she went further, exploring a bit; but even blind she could find her pleasure knob pretty quickly. "Ooh, mmh," she whimpered as she gave her clitoris a few expert rubs. But that hadn't been the goal, hadn't it. She moved forward, and gently dipped her middle finger between her folds. "Definitely wet," she told herself hotly as her finger sank smoothly into her moist depth. She added another, and moaned at the pleasurable intrusion. She pulled them back out again, the plunged them back. Breathing heavier he fingers went in and out, in and out. "You're hot, Willow," she whimpered to herself between moans. "So sexy, yeah. Boys and girls want you, all you have to do is spread your legs," she told herself, then shuddered at the image, while her fingers stimulated her moist depths. After a few more seconds of heavy breathing and pleasuring herself, Willow decided this wasn't the way to do it.
No, indeed, this was the position to take with another present, but she was alone, and there was barely anything to see of herself. She couldn't make love to herself like this. She removed her slick fingers and wiped them off on her breasts, eliciting an aroused groan from herself. She quickly turned her ass forward, shifted her legs off the bed, placing her feet close together on the ground. She took herself in now, and smiled naughtily - the utter her returned the gesture, turning her on. "I'm so naughty," she whispered to herself, her head buzzing with forbidden arousal. Resolutely, but steadily with a teasing pace, she opened her legs, moaning as she could see herself in full glory. "Oh, god," she muttered, and quickly, almost of their own accord, her right fingers made the journey back down to her vagina.
Her two fingers once again slipped in her tight depths, which gripped her fingers now. "Oh, I want it," she told herself hotly, and starting moving her fingers in and out. Slowly at first, but in no time at all they found a breakneck speed, plunging in an out at dizzying speeds, and bringing forth even greater pleasures. Her left hand started squeezing her tits, while she kept her eyes on herself in the mirror, roaming up and down, lingering at interesting parts. She made kissing motions to herself as her pleasure rose rapidly. Her hips started bucking on her fingers of their own accord, her inner muscles grasping the pleasure-bringing digits with greater ferocity.
"Oh, my god, I'm going to come," Willow told herself, speeding her hand motions up just a bit. Her hips bucked harder, as she slowly arched her back. The sound of her breathing was quick and heavy, gasp in, gasp out, gasp in, gasp out, rapid, almost like a dog. It was happening; the tingling started in her feet, drew up her legs, and then slammed in her vagina and clit, who took it over and blasted it outward in pure bliss. "Ahmng!" Willow gave one powerful moan in her release, then clenched her lips and teeth shut, not wanting to alert her mother. Her body jerked, her hips shuddered and rippled into her fingers, and her inner muscles seemed to want to suck them inside. Her body trembled uncontrollably, the muscles in her stomach clenching and unclenching, before it locked in position, her back arched fully. Amazing pulses of pleasure flowed through her body, as she sat there, riding them out, muscles powerfully, but only slightly rippling as they sent the bliss up into her mind.
Her orgasm broke, and she let her mouth go, letting out a low moan and then she collapsed backward onto the bed. Her right fingers were still in her pussy, and her left quickly joined them. Only slowly she came down from her high, gently moaning out, still feeling aroused, staying high up there. When she found herself growing tender she gently removed her hands, and rested them on her stomach. She rested a bit, before sitting bolt upright. "Shit, I got to hurry," she said, reaching for the drawer with her panties.
-----
Xander looked himself over in the mirror. He was naked, and he took in his muscles, the shape of his shoulders. He flexed a few of them, testing himself with his awakening bisexual side. Part of it was still a bit scary; he was a pretty heterosexual guy, so he was a heterosexual girl, and the two tastes were blending to make him (and her) fully bisexual - or at least that's what he had gathered from Willow's explanation back then - he hadn't payed that much attention, seeing as he had mostly been panicking inside at the time. Over time he had gotten mostly used to the idea however; having decided that the drawback of starting to think sexually about guys, just couldn't possibly way up against the benefits . . . not to mention the fact that if he dismissed the concept outright, fought it tooth and nail, he'd basically be saying to his best friend in over a decade, whose own bisexuality was arising, 'you're dirty and bad.' That was something Xander would never be able to get across his heart, so he decided to go with it.
He still remembered the relief when he found out he wasn't gushing over every 'hot guy' he loathed with a passion, like all the heterosexual girls in school. Once that obstacle was out of the way; there was nothing stopping him from grasping the bull by the horn so to speak. "Xander Harris, you're hot," he told himself with a grin, then cocked his head.
He reached over to a bottle with water, and said, "Of course, however hot you are as a guy . . ." He splashed a little water in his face, dried it off with a prepared towel, and then as she ran her hand through her hair, she told herself, "you're out of this world as a girl."
Lexa took herself in, and grinned, putting the towel aside. "Oh, yeah, definitely worth it, I'll always have a girl with me," she smiled at herself, checking out her voluptuous hips, her C-cup breasts, and her soft but strong legs. The muscles she had, elevated from just another hot girl, to smoking - the leg-muscles promising a sweet captivity, wrapped around someone's waist. Lexa took in her shaven pussy-mound, smirking at herself, and letting her fingers glide over her lips. "Uh, uh!" she told herself suddenly, forcing her hand away. "No time, and you're not turning into one of those girls who always late . . . waait a minute, so that's why they're always late, no self control!" She chuckled, and wiggled her eyebrows at herself once, finishing, "Can't say I blame 'em." She laughed, and got out her lacy black g-string, slowly and seductively pulling them up along her legs. Finally they fit snugly around her crotch. "Damn, quit looking at yourself, before you soil the panties," Lexa admonished herself, and sped up the changing process.
-----
Buffy finished putting on her lipstick as the doorbell rang downstairs. "All girls' night out," she told herself, shaking her head. It had been several months since Xander returned gender challenged, but there were still times when the concept amazed her. He really was one of the girls now - and at the same time, the complete opposite. She shook her head at the irony; becoming a girl in order to become a boyfriend. She quickly went down the stairs, and opened the door, behind which Willow and Xander were waiting.
"Wow, smoking," Lexa said, taking in Buffy's black, tight, shiny leather pants, and purple top.
"Uhuh," Willow said, eyes wide. Dang, it wasn't fair to have so many hot girls around.
"Thanks, guys, you're yummy too," Buffy commented on their short skirts and high heels; the tops obscured by their coats though, "At least, I'd be able to claim if I weren't straight."
"Hey, girls," a voice said, and Joyce summers in pair of tight jeans and low cut top arrived from the living room, "Have fun tonight."
-Definitely not fair,- Willow thought taking in Buffy's mother, then quickly shook the notion from her mind.
"We will, Mrs. S," Lexa sounded from next to Willow, smiling, while Buffy grabbed her coat.
"We're going, see ya mom!" Buffy called back, and quickly went out the door, not wanting to be around when her mom remembered to set a curfew.
As Willow turned around and Buffy's behest, she wondered for a quick moment if Xander found . . . couldn't be. Their two gazes locked for a moment, -OH, MY GOD!-
The look hadn't lasted a second, and the had turned almost completely smoothly, but Buffy's Slayer senses picked up on it. "What was that look you two just gave each other?" she asked suspiciously.
"What look?" Xander answered innocently.
"No look here, uh, uh, no sirree, Bob," Willow quickly added. Buffy looked suspiciously at them for a few moments, and then they went on their way.
-----
The three of them were sitting at a table in the Bronze, dark except for the flashing lights off the stage, and the low mood lighting. They had drinks in front of them, and took the occasional sip as they talked about his and that.
"This is nice," Buffy said with a smile.
"Yep, definitely with the nice," Lexa added with a smile.
Willow nodded saying, "Yep, no Deo messing with my magic, no assassins, no Spike and Drusilla - nice quiet times."
"Yep, quiet is good; just me, my two best friends, and talk and dance . . ." Buffy said as she looked around the bronze, seeing people sitting, standing, talking, and a good number dancing. "I'm bored."
"Me too," Lexa offered, as Willow looked at her two friends - she was far from bored. Lexa suddenly sat up, and then said, "Okay, a little less bored." Buffy and Willow looked where she was looking, and there was Cordelia, in plain view of the three of them, passionately kissing Oz.
"Wow, she moves fast," Buffy commented, and Willow nodded with a grin.
"You can say that again," Lexa said somewhat bitterly.
Willow looked over at her, and said, "I thought you broke up with her."
"I did!" Lexa defended herself, and fumed, "it isn't like I'm jealous or anything, but I'd expected to have given a bit more of an impression than . . . what? Two days before she's snogging the next guy."
"I kinda coupled them," Willow said with a cheeky grinned. Buffy and Xander looked questioningly at her. Willow grinned, and said, "He was about to ask me out, I nipped that in the bud with me being your, and all. Then I introduced them; he's so nice and quiet, and she's one giant egotistical blabber mouth; they complement each other perfectly." Willow finished her rather comfortable babble, grinning widely at her two incredulous friends. When she noticed their expressions, Willow added conspiratorially to Buffy, "If it succeeds, it's one less rival."
Buffy's eyebrows widened, then grinned, and told her, "Great going, Will."
"I am sitting right here, you know," Lexa pointed out to his two friends, who just turned to look at him as if they had no idea they did anything wrong.
The band lowered its song, and the singer spoke into the microphone, "It's ten o'clock right now, and someone asked to sing something for a certain someone."
Lexa's eyes widened, and kept her gaze locked on Buffy and Willow. She was with her back to the stage, and so she asked the other two, "Please, say it isn't so."
"What isn't?" Buffy asked Lexa.
"Hello, all, you all know who I am," the familiar voice came through the speakers. Lexa's eyes twitched and more so when he saw Buffy and Willow look surprised at the stage. "I'm Deke Fisher, Red-Streak Quarterback of Sunnydale High." Lexa's right hand balled into a fist, as she bared her teeth. Deke continued, "I'm here to serenade my beloved Lexa, may our love triumph." The band started playing a gently song, and then Deke started to sing.
Oh, Lexa, beautiful Lexa,
Your eyes as mysterious as the stars,
Oh, Lexa, my sexy Lexa,
With the most amazing legs . . .
"I'm gonna kill him," Lexa hissed and twisted around on the seat. Instantly Buffy and Willow surged forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and holding her down. Lexa struggled, grunting, "Let me go kill him, damn it."
"Lexa," Buffy admonished needing nearly all her strength to keep Lexa down. "Unlike waking you up at six o'clock in the morning, this is not a hittable offence."
"Certainly not a killable one," Willow added as Lexa still struggled.
Oh, amazing Lexa, with your bright smile,
You light up the whole Bronze,
Indeed Lexa, I love you,
You are so free, so lovely,
"Can't I hit him just a little?" Lexa whimpered slowly stopping her struggling.
"No, sorry, Lexa," Willow told her with resolve.
Lexa stopped, and then surged forward, "Then let me go tell him what I think at least!"
"Only if you promise," Buffy demanded.
Lexa said, "I promise I won't hit him."
Buffy pushed her head around, looking in her friend's eyes. Lexa sighed, "Or kick him, or hurt him in any other way, apart from using words." Buffy nodded to Willow and the two let Lexa go.
When your quick wit is unleashed,
Everyone can see your beauty,
And no one will not laugh,
Apart from the victim,
Oh, Lexa, I love you- kzzzgt
Lexa still standing on the dance floor, but right at the stage, had yanked the microphone stand away from Deke. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Lexa screamed at him, stopping the entire floor and the band.
"Serenading you, my love, showing my love for all- . . ." Deke started.
"QUIT IT!" Lexa yelled at him with anger. "Don't you get it yet that I'm not interested in you? I'm not in love with you, I'm not even attracted to you. To me you're just a stumper who gets lucky running around with a stupid ball!"
"I can change your mind, just let me have this dance," Deke tried anyway, looking hopeful in a happy sort of way, extending his hand down at the girl.
Lexa started to growl, closing her eyes, softly whispering to herself, "I promised I wouldn't hurt him, I promised I wouldn't hurt . . . oh, what the hell." She readied her fist, then caught someone in the corner of her eye. A smile crept up her face, and looked up at Deke, "Watch this, dick face." She turned to her right, and walked straight at the geek guy standing near a pillar.
"Hey, handsome," Lexa started with a seductive face, running her right hand gently through his hair until it reached the back. "I remember you, you helped me, do you remember me?" she asked riding her body up Jonathan's body.
Jonathan gulped, hoping in god's name that she didn't notice his rising erection at the touch and proximity of her scantily clad body. He managed to nod, and mutter, "Y-yes."
"Oh, don't worry, handsome," Lexa purred placing a kiss on his forehead, "by the time I'm halfway done, you won't be erect anymore, unless you have fantastic control." Jonathan's eyes widened in utter shock, and whimpered before Lexa's lips pressed against his, her tongue pushing inside a moment later, starting a passionate kiss. She pulled him backward toward the dance floor than broke the kiss, her left hand snaking around his back to his ass, and she added, "Or perhaps a little sooner." Lexa then frowned and turned to the stunned band, "Hey, music, I'm trying to dance here."
The lead singer snapped out of it, and said, "Yes, ma'am." He took a step forward and took the microphone from the silent, jaw-dropped, pained Deke. He slapped the quarterback on his shoulders and said, "It was valiant try, man, it wasn't meant to be. Sorry." He then gently pushed him to the right, toward the end of the stage, and Deke very slowly, like a man going to his execution, walked onward. Behind him the band started a much more vibrant and sexy sound, and the singer started singing.
-----
Buffy and Willow watched as Lexa started to perform an amazing sexy dance, purely designed to titillate her dance partner . . . and the rest of the bronze.
"Mmh, looks like fun," Willow said with a grin, and nudged Buffy. "Come on."
Buffy swallowed, and said, "Dance with you, or get a partner?"
Willow grinned and looked over to a defeated guy next to the podium, and said, "I was thinking I was always too insecure to dance with a quarterback."
Buffy blinked, and several Bronze-damaging scenarios filled her mind as she pictured possible reactions from Lexa. "/You/ wouldn't!" Buffy exclaimed to her redheaded friend.
Willow flashed her a downright evil grin, and the witch walked off. Buffy shuddered, look around, and decided she wasn't going to sit this one out again. She got off the stool, and looked around, seeing if she could find an available guy, or otherwise dance solo. She smiled as she found a nice-looking, blonde guy talking to his buddies.
Willow reached Deke, and gently laid her arms around his neck. "Hello," Willow said, smiling up at him. She wondered what effect this would have on Xander, it could range from the good to the bad she knew, but there was no turning back now.
Deke's eyes fluttered, life returning to him. "Huh?'
"I'm Willow, wanna dance?" Willow asked, and didn't give Deke time to answer. She pulled him up on the dance floor and rubbed her body against his, swaying to the music.
Deke looked down, directly into Willow's cleavage, and saw her naked legs from under her short skirt. "Oh, boy," he muttered, as Willow's ass gently undulated, pushing her crotch against his upper legs.
"That's right, Deke, just focus on me, I'm hot, aren't I?" Willow asked him, her heart fluttering nervously waiting for the answer, hating herself that she still hadn't quite lost her insecure days fully.
"Oh, yeah, sizzling," Deke muttered without thought, and Willow's heart smelled with pride.
Lexa gently moved to the beat of the musing, shaking everything she had to shake, trying to get Jonathan to steer her a bit, lead so to speak. It seemed to work here in there, but quickly forgot about it, as she felt Jonathan's and every other guys eyes on her body . . . well except a good number.
Lexa opened her eyes to take a good look, and suddenly her eyes widened as she saw a redhead ride up against Deke, and he seemed to enjoy it. Taking over leading for a bit, she went closer to Deke and bit at the jock, "Oh, how grand your claims of love are." Deke blanched, and blushed, trying to stammer an explanation of 'just dancing' and 'no love', but Lexa continued onward, "And here you are, riding up to the first, trashy redh- . . ." Lexa's voice caught as she took a closer look. The redhead turned around, exposing her front and continued riding her body, now backward, against Deke, her eyes closed and obviously enjoying herself. "Willow?" Lexa exclaimed in shock, looking from Deke's face to Willow's and back. "How? Wha? How could you?"
Willow opened her eyes, and told her best friend, "Hey, I have to be able to tell my grandchildren the true story, of how despite being a geek, and could wrap everyone around my finger, including the star quarterback." Willow knew it was a bullshit reason, and then Lexa wouldn't believe it for a moment, but that was the point.
"Low, Willow," Lexa told her with narrowed eyes. "You've really sunk low."
Willow shrugged, and then grinned she called out over the music, "And about to go lower." She brought her left arm and sensually wrapped it around Deke's upper left leg, stimulating him.
"If you think that's low . . ." Willow and Lexa looked over, coming across Buffy dancing with a blond guy, pushing her leather clad crotch into his. Buffy looked back at them, and grinned, "Watch this." Then wrapped her right hand around his ass, and looked up at him seductively, "What's your name?"
"Sean," the guy answered with a happy smile.
"Nice name," she told him, blinking her eyelids sexily at him.
Lexa looked annoyed for a moment, and then, pointed at the band, making an upward gesture with he index finger, and said, "Hey, turn it up a little."
The lead singer grinned, stopped his singing, and loving a good show, told his band mates, "Guys, you heard the lady." The beat went up, and turned into a more sweaty, sexual-energetic song.
Lexa grinned, and then pushed Jonathan's face in between her breasts, as she sped up her movements to the beat. She wiggled her eyebrows superiorly to her friends, as Jonathan muttered with a barely-seen, /huge/ smile, "I've died and gone to heaven."
Off to the side, Cordelia stood watching the show of the three girls one upping each other. Oz stood next to her, looking with an unreadable smile. "Well, I'll be damned," Cordelia muttered with a huff. "Those, those . . . that . . . he . . . here I am, working my butt off, and he just goes onto the dance floor and . . . and . . ." She gestured at the lewd scene.
"He?" Oz questioned.
Cordelia turned to face him, took him in for a moment, and then said, "Let's dance." She grabbed Oz by the arm, and pulled him along.
"I don't really dance," Oz muttered as she stumbled behind Cordelia.
"You don't have to," Cordelia said with a grin, "just stand there, and I'll use you like a strip club's silver pole to blow everyone off the dance floor." Oz's eyebrows actually rose at that statement.
-----
Later
Cordelia sat in the passenger seat of Oz's van as he slowly drove her home. "I can't believe it," Cordelia spoke angrily. "I kissed you right in front of his face, and he goes off to make Jonathan's life bliss. Then I join in, and barely a flicker, now he's off with his dork friends."
"Exactly who is this 'he', again?" Oz asked carefully.
"Xander, Xander Harris!" Cordelia hissed out his name.
Oz looked her in the eyes, and looked deeper. Cordelia jerked back. "I didn't see him."
"He was there, trust me," Cordelia said, tightening the arms folded across her ample chest.
"So what's so special about Xander Harris that you tried to make him jealous by kissing me? Good kiss, by the way," Oz asked dryly.
Cordelia sighed, and lifted one finger, "He's good looking . . ." Then she raised the next finger, thus counting onward every point, "He's got an amazing body, muscles, mmh, he's confident, he stands up to evil, he had the guts to stand up to me, saved my life a few times . . ."
"Ah, a veritable white knight," Oz said, understanding, Cordelia looked over to him, "although isn't the bad boy these days?"
"Do I look like I care?" Cordelia asked him, and he looked over, taking in her eyes again. There was no way he couldn't see them brimming with pain. Xander breaking up with him - and her failure to sway him back, hurt her more than she was willing to admit, he was sure. But why? Hmm . . .
"Saved you from what, though?" Oz asked a gently.
"That's . . . not important," Cordelia answered.
"From some of those monsters?" Oz asked, and Cordelia looked surprised at him. "I do not succumb to panic, I did see them at the school when they attacked. Rather odd everyone else seems to have chosen to not remember them."
"Yeah, yeah, from some of the monsters, the vampires, the whole forces of evil thing," Cordelia said, sinking down, then leant back.
He noticed Cordelia leaning back, looking dreamily, yet sadly up at the roof of his van. "'s There more?" he asked smoothly.
"Multiple orgasms, he can give multiple orgasms with just his fingers," Cordelia answered, and then suddenly blanched as she realized she'd said that out loud.
To her surprise, Oz casually remarked, "I can do that too; although perhaps not quite with just my fingers yet, then again, I /am/ a guitar player. There was this groupie once - I am not proud of some of my past decisions - who most definitely had multiple orgasms. Of course, she came pretty easy, but I'll bet if I have the time to explore a girl's body and reactions . . ."
Cordelia looked shocked at him. "That isn't a lie?" she blurted out.
"No," Oz grunted.
"Oh, uhm," Cordelia muttered, not knowing what to do.
Oz once saw the sad look, and it intrigued, intrigued him definitely. There was more here than just a shallow cheerleader. "Listen," Oz said, mustering a smile, "I'm willing to overlook the whole use-me-to-get-another-guy-jealous thing, provided you go out with me again, and this time for real? Give me a fair chance?"
"You would?" Cordelia asked a little surprised, even more so when she felt some of spirits rise.
"There's this new movie out, that they say is good, I'm reserving judgement though," he offered, as he pulled up to the Chase mansion. "Friday, eight o'clock?"
Cordelia looked at him for a moment, and then told him, "Okay." She smiled weakly, and then gestured to the house. "Uh, here, yeah," she muttered nervously, and steadily opened the door, getting out. She hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Thanks."
"No problem, Friday, don't forget," Oz told her.
"I won't," she said and closed the door. Then Oz' van drove off. "'I won't?'" she asked herself, going over her muttering. "God, Chase, what's wrong with you? You sounded like a loser back there," Cordelia admonished, then steeled herself before opening the small door in the larger gate with her key.
-----
"I can't believe I did that. I can't believe it was so much fun!" Buffy said, as she walked on Lexa's right toward her home. Lexa, and Willow on the other side of her, nodded with a smile.
"Yep, letting go and enjoying the music and the dance is a lot of fun, especially if you can get everyone else to watch you put them to shame," Lexa grinned with a twinkle in her eyes, and Willow nodded enthusiastically.
"And did you guys see ice-queen Cordelia?" Buffy asked them, still surprised at superior cheerleader.
"Yep, she was smoking," Willow said with a grin. She blanched and turned to look at her friends, "I didn't just think and say that about Cordelia, did I?"
"Sorry, Will, you've joined the club," Lexa told her, and Willow whimpered turning her head back. "Or left it, as the case may be."
"Huh?" Buffy wondered.
"I was the president of the 'I hate Cordelia'-club a few years back," Willow explained mortified.
Buffy didn't let Willow's funk spoil her excitement, and said, "I still can't get over how she danced their right with us, showing it all, letting it all go. I can tell you, when I was Queen Bitch of Hemery High, I /never/ would have done that."
"Too superior to lower yourself?" Lexa asked with a grin.
"Exactly," Buffy said with a perpetual smile. They split up between Willow and Lexa for a moment, for them to maneuver around a streetlight, and Buffy continued, "I was high queen, only low trash let themselves go like that. Sure we danced, and we'd even be sexy, especially to our dates; but completely losing yourself in the music, hardly noticing anything around you . . ."
"Good thing you lowered yourself down to the trash, right, Buff?" Lexa said with a grin.
"Exa- hey!" Buffy replied, making Lexa and Willow giggle. "That was low," Buffy added, before joining in the giggling.
They reached the driveway to Buffy's house, and so they walked up it. Buffy reached for her keys, and moved to put in the lock, wondering why the lights were out. The door just opened; apparently somebody hadn't properly closed it; or broke it open. Fear suddenly gripped her heart. She gave her companions a look, who gave a determined nod. Stealthily they entered the house, Buffy up front, peering left and right. There was a sound, a yelp, and glass breaking, and for a tiny, single instant Buffy froze, then she the two ran forward, passed the stairs, and opened the door to the kitchen, finding . . .
Mrs. Summers making out with a man. Their jaws dropped, as Joyce laughed a bit, then froze as she noticed Buffy and her friends. The man froze too, and turned around. "Oh, hi, Buffy, you're home early," Joyce said a little weakly. "I pushed over a glass, uh . . ."
"Hi," the man wearing an apron and holding a spoon said.
"Oh, uh, Buffy, this is Ted," Joyce said, as Buffy closed her mouth, and looked with some distrust at the man. What was it about him. Willow just looked with wide eyes, while Lexa took him calmly.
"Hi," Buffy muttered.
"Ted, this is Buffy and her friends Willow and . . . Lexa," Joyce said, having to remember Xander's female name for a moment.
Ted took a step forward and extended his hand toward Buffy, and she gingerly took it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Buffy, your mother has told me a lot about you."
"Not the other way around," Buffy muttered, getting creepy crawly feelings - this guy was just too nice, she could hear it in his tone of voice even now.
Ted laughed nervously - perfectly, /far/ too perfectly - and said, "We will rectify the inequality in no time I'm sure; I'd love to talk with you."
Ted moved on to Willow and shook the surprised witch's hand, "Hello, Willow, I think Buffy has a great taste in friends."
"Oh, yeah, hi," she said with a blush at Ted's charming nature.
Ted turned to Buffy's right, where Lexa had taken a step forward. Ted held out a hand, but Lexa kept her arms folded across her chest. Buffy looked a little surprised at that, and so did Joyce. After a moment, Ted decided to talk without the hand shake, saying, "Well, Lexa, I hope we can get to no each other, but this isn't very polite behavior, now is it?"
Everyone looked at the Mexican standoff, which was about to end. Lexa looked down, taking in the still offered hand, then looked up, and said slowly, "No chi."
"What?" Ted said as the others just looked surprised.
With rapid speed, Lexa's hands shot out, her left grabbed Ted's shoulder, and a moment later her right smashed into Ted's chest. The other three gasped, and then looked in more surprise when electrical sparks jumped from the wound and Ted's head. "Sex bots," Lexa hissed out, angrily.
Ted stood shuddering, "This . . . this . . . is . . . is . . . un- . . . un- . . ."
"God damn, perverted sex bots," Lexa cursed, and tore out a mass of wiring from the robot, making it glitch even more. With an uppercut, Lexa rammed through Ted's right shoulder and tore off its arm. "First they hit on innocent boys, and now they go after lovely, pure, single mothers to corrupt!" Lexa smashed the arm across Ted's face, and then back again, making the robot stagger back and desperately try to maintain balance while it continued glitching. "What's this world coming to? Sex bots here, sex bots there, and if it isn't sex bots, it's pedophile, cowardly vampires!" Lexa slammed the arm one last time across the robots face, and it dropped over, slamming against the cupboards in the back, sitting up, glitching.
"Pedophile vampires?" Joyce asked her daughter concerned as Lexa stalked over to Ted.
Buffy smiled innocently and said, "Some nasty bunch I had to dust last week."
Lexa reached Ted, and growled out, "I mean, am I the only normal, average day guy left on this planet? Or is it just the hellmouth?" When one final roundhouse kick she decapitated Ted and his half-singed head dropped literally bonelessly to the ground, where it stayed. Lexa breathed heavily with her anger and annoyance and took in the other three women. "At least this one bothered to wear clothes," Lexa finished with a grunt.
Willow pointed at Lexa and said, sweetly smiling, "You're not exactly a normal guy either, Xan. In fact, right now, you're not a man at all."
Lexa's eyes twitched, and she looked down at her own breasts. A growl sounded from the back of her throat. She dipped her hands in a pain of heating water and splashed it on her face; and so Xander Harris stood their in a short skirt. Buffy barely kept back a grin - Xander had been right, guy clothes could look got on a girl, but not the other way around. "Better now, Willow?" Xander asked her pissed off, and then slammed his foot down, crushing Ted's head.
Steadily calming down, Xander walked over to the faucet and splashed himself with a little cold water again, so he didn't look ridiculous. "Willow," Joyce said with an official tone. Willow turned to look, making a acknowledging, yet questioning sound. "New rules in this house; when there's a someone with enough strength to smash the entire house to pieces who is pissed off in the house - do /not/ annoy that person."
"Uh, sorry, got it," Willow said, shrinking back a bit at Joyce powerful tone. Buffy shivered for a moment, she'd never thought she'd hear her mom use that tone of voice on anyone but her.
Lexa looked sheepishly at the destroyed robot, and said, "Uh, sorry for the mess, but uh . . ."
"No apology necessary, Xander, although I'm sad he turned out to be that," Joyce spoke with a hint of sadness; Ted had been nice.
"Say, Xan," Willow said, taking in the destroyed robot with big 'oh goody' eyes, "how do you know this wasn't a nice android like Data from Star Trek?"
Xander looked at Willow incredulously. Buffy was the one to answer Willow, "We're on the Hellmouth, Willow."
"Oh, right," Willow muttered.
"What do we do with him?" Joyce wondered at the robot.
"Can I have him for spare parts, and you know, research?" Willow asked with a grin big enough for someone winning a hundred million dollars in a lottery, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Just don't try to repair him, Will," Buffy told her friend with warning.
"I won't, I swear," Willow replied.
-----
Some time later the three of them sat up in Buffy's room on her bed, watching tv.
"Ooh, Buffy, look," Willow said with a grin, "There's David Chokachi, isn't he hot?"
"I don't know, Willow," Lexa said with a grin, "Buffy, see, David Hasselhoff is there, a real man, not that polished momma's boy. You like that one better don't you? I certainly do."
"I like both," Buffy said with a grin, and the seen changed. "Willow, Xander quick; there's Yasmine Bleeth, hot brunette in a skimpy bathing suit, don't you guys like that."
"Oh, do I ever like her," Willow said with a grin, sucking up the screen with her face.
"Uhuh," Lexa said with hot eyes.
Buffy laughed out, and then put her forehead in her hands in shame. "This is soo wrong, we should quit this quickly," Buffy said, laughter in her voice.
"Yeah, Baywatch is way too easy," Lexa said with a grin, making Buffy laugh out loud more. "We all got what? A thousand points already?"
"Yep," Willow said taking the remote and flipping the channels. "This sucks, no more hot guys or babes on tv, what's this world coming to." Buffy rolled off her bed with laughter.
"Will, I think we broke her," Lexa said, with a huge grin, pointing at the downed Buffy.
"We know the secret weapon to downing a Slayer - laughter. With great power, comes great responsibility, Xan; this should remain between you and me," Willow said with a cheeky grin.
"Absolutely, pinky swear," Lexa said, and they did, making the laughter coming from the bottom grow louder.
After a few moments, Buffy managed to force her head over the bed's edge, holding onto the bed. She looked at her friends and muttered, "You two are impossible."
The two shrugged, and Willow said, "Ten years of practice, Buffy, another few years, and you'll be a well-oiled part of the machine."
"Hubba, hubba, hubba," Lexa muttered looking at Buffy with a tongue hanging out. Then lolled out, "Well-oiled." Buffy fell back down laughing. Lexa gave Willow a poke with her elbow and said, "Too easy."
"Yep. We need another target," Willow said with a grin. "How about Giles?"
-----
Friday
Oz had chosen a comedy for his night out with Cordelia. Better to break the ice with some humor so to speak. So far so good; they had left the movie theater in good spirits, and then he had taken her to a restaurant - the local McDonald's, where Oz poured on the charm and the humor some more. Cordelia had an amazing laugh, he found, and he wanted to see and hear at as often as he could.
"So, the chicken says to the chick in the egg still stuck in her passage, 'If you don't come out, I'll get my husband and have you ripped out, you probably won't survive,'" Oz said, smiling as he watched Cordelia snicker in anticipation. Then he finished, "Says the chick from the egg, 'No, you won't.' 'Why not?' the chicken returns annoyed. Says the chick, 'There's no way he'll mistake a half-hawk chick for one of his own.'"
Cordelia laughed out loud, and almost sprayed Oz with her diet coke. "Oh, god," Cordelia blurted out, "Oz."
Oz smiled at her. "So, I'm in the neighborhood of the White Knight yet?" Cordelia's smile faltered and she looked down at her half-eaten hamburger, suddenly not in the mood anymore. "Do you want to tell me the real reason why you want him so much?" Oz prompted, deciding with the laughter to mellow her into it, he could get to the answer, the answer he somehow knew he needed desperately in order to get to this girl.
"Why do you say they aren't the real reasons?" Cordelia asked him a little angrily, not liking how he could cut to her so much.
Oz smiled wistfully, and said, "Because apart from the hero bit, all of them are superficial. And you're not that shallow."
"I most certainly am," Cordelia protested immediately.
Oz grinned and brought up his hands, starting to count on his fingers, "I'm short; not that well kept; I change my hair color to weird colors all the time; I barely have any ambition, most certainly not money wise and I told you that; you apologized for using me to make someone else jealous; you gave me the opportunity of a real date; you not once complained about my dingy van; you're laughing to my jokes in a McDonald's,. and if I put my mind to it, I can probably think of a few more." Cordelia looked at him with a dropped jaw, then blushing. Oz smiled and added, "Now, those reasons will be great additional reasons, icing on the cake, but they aren't enough for you to really want him."
Cordelia shrank back, suddenly a little afraid of the guy in front of her. She knew he was smart, but she never thought this smart, or this observant; it was almost like . . . Cordelia shook her head - no, don't think about it. She couldn't afford that, she knew Xander for ages, and he had shown her several times over he wouldn't . . . but she didn't know that about this guy. "Hey," Oz said, feeling guilty all of a sudden, he hadn't quite expected this reaction, "don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or anything, or use that against you."
"Please, bring me home," Cordelia requested weakly.
"Okay," Oz said, and got up. He had no interest in spooking Cordelia more, so he'd bring her home no questions asked.
A few minutes later he was driving along merrily, or perhaps not so merrily with a pained Cordelia sitting next to him. The cheerleader had her arms wrapped around herself, a clear sign she was hurting. She was more then hurting; a volcano of emotions burned through her being, boiling inside her, the pressure mounting by the minute. The confusion and pain she had felt ever since Xander slammed the door shut on any possibility of a relationship between the two, and really the night before that even. The damn she had built around her emotions so long ago threatened to burst; for the past months she had lowered it bit by bit, thinking it less and less necessary, and now suddenly a massive flood had been poured inside her, and Oz had slammed a hole in it with simple ease tonight, the waters coming through. "Pull over," Cordelia whimpered, swallowing deeply.
Oz did as asked, and turned off the engine. "You're not going to walk are you?" Oz asked concerned. Cordelia shook her head, and then turned to look at him, a pleading look in her face. Oz took a guess, and slipped his hand along side her arm, placing it on her hand. He squeezed it, and asked again, "Why do you want him so much?"
Cordelia just looked down staring at his hand holding hers. "I-I . . ." Cordelia whimpered, and then it came all flooding out. "I'm a bitch; I've made myself into one. I'm the most popular girl in school, but I don't have any friends, except him . . ." She looked up, and looked into Oz' eyes, tears flowing from hers. "None want to be friends with 'me', they just want to be friends with the richest girl in town, or date her, but not him," Cordelia whimpered, swallowing away a lump. "He's never been intimidated by me, unlike the others. I insulted him, he insulted me back; the only others who dared that were his friends and when he was with them . . ." Cordelia went back to whimpering.
Cordelia hadn't really said much, but to Oz it really was already pretty clear now. -My god, she's beautiful,- he thought suddenly, -and I didn't see it until I spent time with her on these dates, he did, no doubt.-
His suspicion was about to be confirmed. Cordelia returned her eyes to his, and she continued, "He never cared about the money; he didn't even really tell me, 'you're evil, quit bugging me', like some of his friends wanted to." She paused again, whimpering, "The fighting back, always felt to me . . . 'you can be better' . . . he even said so, when I tried pursuing him . . . if you want me, you have to become better. He saw what I hid . . . what I walled off . . . what he wanted me to release so we could possibly be something." Cordelia sobbed, and sank her head down.
-She's so beautiful,- Oz thought again, and asked her tentatively, "Why did he break it off?"
"The insults," Cordelia whispered, "th-they showed me he didn't care about the money. They make me feel good about myself; they got us going." She swallowed heavily again, continuing, "His mother is an uncaring drunk, his father an abusive one, verbally, physically, he even sold Xander to the mob as a sex slave - he escaped though, and had his father arrested."
"Harsh," Oz noted, and finished, "and he didn't want to go down his path, so trading insults with a girlfriend was out of the question?"
Cordelia nodded, giving a sob, "I need him, I need him, he's the only friend I had."
Oz's super mind went into overdrive, connecting dots, putting puzzle pieces together, and so he concluded, "There's more, isn't there?" Cordelia actually shrank back from him. "You wouldn't have told me this if there wasn't more; you're much too good at hiding your real self. There's something else, something big."
"You'll hate me," Cordelia whimpered.
Oz leaned toward her and whispered, "I won't hate you, you are beautiful, and sexy, and so deep." Cordelia looked at him with some suspicion, so Oz added, "I'm like him you know, on a few key fronts. For one, I don't care about money, not one little bit. If I did, I'd be much more ambitious." He slowly pulled her toward him, and he found she didn't pull back. Gently, very gently, he placed his lips on hers, and gave her a short, but very feeling kiss.
Cordelia looked surprised at him, the kiss had been amazing. No tongue, no passion, just pure caring. Cordelia swallowed, and said, "I can't tell you, I can't."
"It's tearing you up inside," Oz said, not as a persuasion, just an observation. Cordelia shook her head. "Let's go find him. What's his address?"
"He doesn't want me," Cordelia answered weakly.
"Not as a girlfriend, but from what you told me about him, he'd never turn you away as a friend," Oz pointed out, calmly, giving her a gently expectant look. A moment later Xander's address came rolling off her tongue.
-----
A little while later Oz parked his van in an empty parking space next to Xander's apartment building. He ushered the still pained Cordelia toward the entrance, and then looked through the bells. "X, X," Oz started.
"A. Harris," Cordelia whimpered out. "Alexander."
"Ah," Oz said and rung the bell, then rung it again.
Finally an heavy breathing male voice came over the intercom, "Harris."
"Hey, Xander, this is Oz, and I've got Cordelia with me, could we come in?" Oz asked.
"Oh, yeah, sure," came the confused reply. A buzzer went, and the door opened.
Oz ushered Cordelia inside. "Where to now?" Oz asked her. Cordelia pointed forward. They rounded a corner to the right, which went immediately to the left, and Cordelia pointed to the door in the corner. Oz rung the bell there, and a few moments later, Xander opened the door.
If Oz didn't have a perfectly cool composition of uncaring about nearly anything, apart a few extremely important things - he'd feel inadequate and probably jealous. He had checked out his competition in the past few days in school of course, but however well he dressed, it didn't have the same impact as this. Xander was in sweat pants, and a loose sleeveless, training shirt. Sweat poured off his muscles, accentuating them, and with them still strained and tense from the serious workout he must have been doing; he positively looked like a Greek god.
"Hey?" he greeted, as in a room behind him where grunts and female yells, crashes.
"I'll get you for that!" one yelled, and then there was the distinctive sound of something hitting a body.
"Don't mind them, they're really going at it tonight, as you can see," Xander said with a smile and without missing a beat as explanation, and then immediately focused on the pained Cordelia. "Cordy?" he asked obviously surprised at Cordelia's state.
Cordelia couldn't take it anymore. She surged forward and threw herself around his neck, and cried. "What's wrong?" he asked, as he backed up a little, beckoning with one of the hands behind Cordelia's back for Oz to enter. Oz did so, and closed the door behind him, as Xander gently maneuvered the crying cheerleader toward the couch in the middle of the living room. Oz took the place in, and nodded impressed.
Xander made comforting sounds as he sat down, holding the cheerleader. He rubbed her back as she sobbed. "Hey, Cordy, what is it?" Xander asked, a little uncomfortable, not really knowing if he could do anything for the almost girlfriend, and now good friend.
"I killed," she said softly and burst out crying harder, having stopped caring that Oz might overhear - Xander would protect her, he wasn't turning her away. Xander blinked in confusion, looking at Oz who had rounded the couch. Cordelia's crying, alerted two more occupants of the apartment. From the gym Lotion and Buffy emerged, both sweaty and bruised, and looked in confusion and surprise at the sight.
"Can you explain that a bit," Xander said gently to her.
"I killed," Cordelia sobbed out, "I killed, and it wasn't a demon . . . that sword master . . . she was human." She hugged Xander tighter, sobbing, "I killed a human being; and the way I did it . . ." Cordelia coughed, and cried, and stuttered, then breathed in deeply before going on, "I've never- never moved, or f-fought l-li-li-like that before, Xander. I w-w-was a machine - a killing machine. I h-h-ha-have no right to fight like that . . . I ex-ex- I rose above myself; I reveled in it."
Cordelia cried out again, as Xander tensed the hug, and went, "Ssh. It's all right."
The cheerleader shook her head, and continued, "It-it was like; like everything I had ever learned- learned came together . . . dancing, fencing, the sword training, your and Lotion's training, all brought together, woven together i-in a single bright feeling; it was like it burned in my veins - a single need to stop her, for what she did to me, but- . . ." She felt her cheek, feeling a tiny thin line there still, which soon would be gone as well, ". . . what she was going to do to you, and the others, kill you. Th-th-that was my whole world; the burning need, the assassin, and the sw-sw-swords; she even seem to slow down . . ."
"Adrenaline," Oz coolly supplied, making everyone but Cordelia look at him, "Speeds up the brain, makes things appear to slow down, often focuses the mind on a single necessary task." As cool as he appeared, inside Oz's heart swelled, if Cordelia allowed it, he'd be her boyfriend for sure. She was amazing, she had from what he gathered stopped a highly trained, mistress of the sword assassin with lots of experience at being a cold-blooded killing machine with her own choice weapons, because her need to protect her boyfriend and friends propelled her in another state of being. She was a hero, an angelic hero.
"Xander, I don't want to be evil, I don't want to be a killer," Cordelia whimpered out.
"You're not, Cordelia," Xander told her with a smile, hugging her tighter, "You're not a killer, you're not evil. The Terakan needed to be stopped. Yes, she was human, but she was no better than the demons and vampires we kill. She was an assassin, and she was going to kill us if she got the chance. What you did was a good thing, no different from a policeman shooting a criminal."
"Then why do I feel so horrible?" Cordelia asked Xander, straightening up a bit, looking at him.
"So do policemen," Oz remarked casually, once more drawing attention to him. "Many need weeks if not months of therapy, and the support of their significant other." Everyone, even Cordelia looked at him now, continuing to look. Oz shrugged, "I have a good memory, notice how I don't know the exact reasons why someone feels so bad."
Lotion came forward, and placed a comforting hand on Cordelia's back. "You don't have to feel guilty, or pained, I killed a human too," Lotion said, remembering the satisfaction of snapping her neck. "An Amazon, she was evil, she was going to kill us, she needed to be stopped. You are a good person, Cordelia, and a good sparring partner, or as I call it, punching bag." Lotion smiled down at Cordelia, and the cheerleader's mouth quirked up just a bit.
"Yeah," Buffy added, shaken to the core of what she was allowed to witness. "You're not bad, Cordelia. If you hadn't done what you did, then we all might be dead. I'm more worried about Lotion being evil, than you are."
Lotion whipped her head at Buffy, and asked, "Does pig-nosed girl want another beating?"
"See what I mean?" Buffy told Cordelia with a grin.
"Buffy's got a point though," Xander said, turning Cordelia's much calmed down face toward him. "Lotion may not feel like you do, doesn't make her evil, but as long as you feel bad about being forced to perform a killing, you are most definitely not evil. Evil wouldn't only not feel any guilt, they'd revel in the feeling, in the sensation, they love killing. So you are a good person, Cordelia Chase."
Cordelia wiped away a few of her tears, and then suddenly felt embarrassed. Here she'd been bawling like a child, /her/, Cordelia Chase, Queen C of Sunnydale high. She rose from the couch, and mumbled a thank you to all of them. "Cor," Xander interrupted her, "if you feel bad again, need to talk, we'll be there for you, all of us. I'll make you a key too, and Lotion as well, I should have done that earlier. You're not bad, you're not weak for this, and there's nothing to be ashamed of, got that?"
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah, no worries," Buffy felt the need to add in, "consider us your therapists; this is between us. Won't even tell Willow and Giles if you don't want us to."
"Th-thank you," Cordelia said, surprised that Buffy and Lotion seemed to consider her a friend, not just another rival for Xander's love. "I-I think I'd like to go home, sleep."
"You can crash here if you want, both of you, I've got sleeping bags," Xander offered.
Cordelia shook her head, taking a deep breath, sniffing to get the last of the crying done. "I want to sleep in my own bed," she said, looking around lost.
"That would be my cue," Oz said with a smile, and gently placed his arm around Cordelia's waist. "Shall we?" Oz asked her. Cordelia nodded weakly and let herself be gently walked out.
"See you in school, Cordelia, or earlier if you feel like it," Xander greeted and, Buffy and Lotion added their own greets. Cordelia gave them a smile before walking onward.
Slowly Xander closed the door, feeling pained. "Damn," Buffy said, surprised at the rawness of her own emotions, "That was intense."
"Yeah, definitely, fuck," Xander said, never having given this possibility a single thought. To him, it had been simple; assassins come kill Buffy and Lotion and as a result other friends? Kill assassins before they succeed.
"How come you don't feel guilt?" Buffy asked Lotion.
The Amazon shrugged, and said, "Don't know for sure, but I suppose if you're raised with the idea that killing is bad, bad, bad, bad, or taught that killing is not good, and should be avoided, but there will be times when you can't . . ." Lotion shrugged, and said, "Even if you're mind knows you had no other choice, I can see you're emotions tell you it's bad."
"She'll be alright," Xander said, turning to face his remaining two friends, "Cordelia is tough, she'll get through it, we just need to be there for her."
"We will be," Buffy said, resolutely.
To Be Continued . . .
Author's notes:
There, I hope you guys liked the part, lots of humor, then the heavy stuff. Give me feedback!