"Jesse, I need to talk to you about something, well a couple of somethings." Xander said to his best friend for like forever, Jesse McNally.
"What about, man?"
"I talked to Cordelia last night."
"Did you feel her out? See if she might be interested in me? You're the best!"
"No, not exactly." Xander said uncomfortably, remembering just exactly how much of her he'd felt last night. Twice. Her lips should be registered as lethal weapons. "I did tell her you're a great guy and a good friend, but it didn't go over very well with her."
"Why not? What else do I have to do to get her attention?"
"Stop fawning all over her and back off, a lot. It makes her feel really uncomfortable."
"That's not what I'm trying to do! I just want her to know I like her."
"You go too far. She knows you like her, but she calls you Stalker Boy for a reason. Your behavior is borderline obsessive and she's close to freaking out over it."
Jesse slumped back onto the couch. "You're kidding, please tell me you're kidding." He begged.
"No, sorry. She was very adamant about it, Jesse. If you're ever going to get anywhere with any girl, than you have to stop being so obvious and over the top. I talked to Uncle Rory about it too, he says your approach makes girls anywhere from angry to afraid. Cordelia gets angry and if she's angry enough she'll put a restraining order on you."
"I'm really that bad?!"
"Everyone's noticed. You're on the verge of being considered a joke by some people and a danger by others. That's Uncle Rory's take on it."
Jesse looked horrified. "God, what do I do?! How do I fix this?"
"Back off, like I said. Cool your jets, she knows you're interested, give her a chance to think about that and decide if she likes you back. And I've got to be honest with you about something."
"What?"
"Cordelia and I started fighting last night and I kissed her, twice. We both agreed it won't happen again, not that we understand why it happened in the first place since we've never been interested in each other before. But I'm not giving you advice just so I can move in on her, she really did tell me you make her uncomfortable and Uncle Rory really did tell me how other people see your behavior."
"You kissed her? What was it like?"
"Oh no, I may not be Willow level smart, but I know you don't talk about a girl like that! Kissing and stuff is private, you should know that!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Cordelia doesn't deserve to be talked about like that."
"How would you feel if some guy talked about kissing Willow?"
Jesse blinked and then said, "I'd kill him! Willow's practically our sister!"
"Exactly, isn't there a song about how every girl is some one's daughter or sister or both? Maybe we should keep that in mind, how if we wouldn't want a guy treating Willow like that, than we shouldn't treat a girl like that."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Anything else you want to talk about? You said a couple different things."
"Yes, but we need to wait for Cordelia to get here."
"Cordelia is coming here? To your house? And you're not dating her?!"
"No, I'm not and she's coming here because we have something in common and we want you to know about it."
"How can you have something in common with Cordelia Chase? She's rich, you're not, she's a girl, you're a guy, she's popular, you're not. What could you possibly have in common with her?"
"Trust me, it's something that's going to blow your mind. But you have to swear not to tell anyone because it's a huge secret. Our families know, but Willow doesn't and you can't tell her. She'd freak."
Cordelia arrived not long after and the two of them began to rather awkwardly, explain to Jesse that the world was bigger than he knew and fairy tales and myths were real.
"Are you writing a story?" Jesse asked. "Because it sounds like the kind of thing you'd read, Xan, but I wouldn't think you'd read scifi or fantasy, Cordelia."
"What I read isn't any of your business and any other circumstances and the truth about what I am wouldn't be either, but given what Xander is and that he wants his best friend to know and help him deal, that sooner or later you'll find out anyway, so I agreed to help him convince you."
"Convince me about what? What are you guys talking about?"
"This." Cordelia answered and full on woged in front of him. Jesse jumped back away from her.
"What the Hell?! What are you?!"
"She's a Fuchsbau." Xander answered. "Not something evil or creepy and definitely not a demon. She's part human, part animal. In her case, a fox. This is why this is a secret, Jesse, remember Men in Black? A person is smart, people are dumb, panicky animals. People find out and Cordelia could be in danger. So could others like her. She doesn't deserve that, none of them do."
"Are you a Fuchsbau too?"
"No, but I am a Wesen, which is the overall term for what we are. I don't have another face, but Cordelia and other Wesen just have to see my eyes and know what I am."
"Your eyes don't look any different to me."
"And I don't look any different unless I let you see my other face." Cordelia reminded him. "We can see each other, but normal humans can't see either of us. It's a naturally occuring kind of camouflage to help keep us safe."
Jesse studied Cordelia's other face. It was kind of cute. Some creamy white fur, a brown nose, slightly pointed ears. "You kinda look like a cute puppy."
She growled.