A/N The setting for this story will be the fall of senior year. They have been together long enough for solid feelings to have developed. Plus it is during the homecoming episode that Cordelia admits to Buffy that she thinks she loves Xander. And no fluke, I've made my feelings on that very clear, I trust. (Author beats a dead horse.)

No, Oz isn't a werewolf and no Xander won't be either. In Nodakskip' story 'Shifting Phases' it's hinted that Cordy got bit by a little kid while at the mall. I'm going to use the same setup, but provide an explanation for how she got bit. We never learn just how old Oz's cousin is, so I am going to assume around three, not that anyone's going to know he was the biter.

Cordelia sat on a bench in the mall beside her favorite pack mule/boyfriend, Xander, while sucking on a sucker, sugar free of course, let's not tempt fate here, daydreaming. Remembering how when they were kids, before Daddy remarried, Xander used to give her suckers, instead of flowers, just because he knew she liked them.

"Penny for your thoughts, Cor?"

"Oh just thinking about something I doodled in my notebook recently."

"What would that be, fashion tips?"

She swatted half heartedly at his arm, "No I, um, I wrote Cordelia Chase-Harris, just to see how it would look. I've never done anything like that before."

"Chase-Harris, dare I hope it has anything to do with me, you know, me being the Harris you happen to be dating?"

"Yes, Doofus, definitely in regards to you."

"So did you like how it looked?" he, oh-so-causally asked, with a side glance at her.

"Yes, actually, I did. Do you ever think things like that? You know, with regards to me, maybe?" She also asked, oh-so-casually.

"Yah, sometimes, and then it leads to thinking about whether it's inevitable that I will end up like him. And then I get scared, because so not wanting to be like him and worrying and -"

This time the swat wasn't half hearted. "Listen up, Doofus, if I thought for one moment you could ever be like him, I would never have let you touch me. I do not date wastes, one date is all it takes for me know if a guy is worth my time and most never rated more than a month at most, those that did warrant any time. You, on the other hand, it has been a whole year since that kiss you laid on me in Buffy's basement, and yeah we've had our issues and that had nothing to do with you actually being a loser and more to do with me being afraid of losing everything, everyone has been telling me that I should want for years. Making me believe being popular was all that mattered. You aren't him and I know you never will be and I will drum it into you eventually, until you accept it."

A cry nearby, interrupted her impassioned speech and both turned to look as a small toddler sat down on the ground and just cried. He didn't seem to be throwing a tantrum, just crying. Xander got up and went over to him. Cordelia followed, curious about what he was up to.

Xander crouched down in front of the child and said, "Hey there little guy, having a rough day? Mommy making you go shopping? Yah, my girlfriends making me go shopping too. Don't they understand, men don't belong here, it's full of weird smells and shiny things we men don't understand or want to understand, right?"

The kid stopped crying and looked up at the teenager and said pathetically, "Want go park, swing."

"Oh, yah, I'm right there with you buddy, that would be way more fun than this weird place. Although when you get older, you'll find there are some compensations for putting up with it, but that's a way off for you." Xander said, making a face at the little boy that made him laugh.

Cordelia lips twitched since she knew he was referring to the fact that she promised him they'd stop at Victoria Secret and she'd model something for him.

She came forward and addressed the boy's mother, "I have a sugar free sucker, would it be all right if I gave it to him, he is trying to be good boy."

The woman smiled and said "Thank you, yes that would fine."

Cordelia pulled it out of her pocket and unwrapped it and held it out to the little boy. To her surprise, instead of reaching out to take it from her, he leaned forward and grabbed it right into his mouth! She felt sharp little teeth scrape over her finger and let go of the sucker in surprise. "Oh, careful there almost got me too."

The mother looked alarmed and said anxiously, "he didn't bite you, did he, is there any blood?"

Cordelia checked her finger, "No, looks fine to me, just took me by surprise, that's all. No harm done."

"Oh good, well thank you for helping calm him down, especially you, sir, you have a way with kids." she picked up the boy and left.

"She's right, you were good with him."

"Is your finger all right?"

She held it out to him and he took it in his warm palm and lifted it up to his eyes. "Looks ok, just scrapped a little. Kids that age have sharp teeth, looks like." He gently kissed the tip, which made her smile.

"Makes me think some more about that Chase-Harris thing. An adorable baby doofus would be nice to have."

"Adorable baby doofus?"

"Well, duh, your a doofus and anything that I make is of course going to be adorable, and your ears on a kid, so cute."

"These ears got me teased when we were kids Cordy and you used to like grabbing them and dragging me around with them as I recall." he said amused.

"Well that's because they're so convenient and easy to hang onto."

"You know, there might be a little Princess, in some of my daydreams." he told her as they moved toward the Victoria Secret store. "With you being my Queen and all."

"I like were your brain is going, Doofus.

"It has to keep up with you, my Queen."