"You're instincts are telling you there's something off about this Ted guy?" Xander asked after Buffy told the others about her mother's new boyfriend. "Or you're having a problem with your mother dating for the first time since the divorce. Are you sure about which one it is?"

"Okay, I admit it's weird. Seeing my mother frenching a guy is definitely a ticket to therapy land, but it's more than that. I'm pretty good at sensing what's going on around me, and there is definitely something wrong with this...Ted." Buffy looked passed the other three teens, who turned to look and saw a middle age man coming towards them. "Is here...at my school."

"Hello, Buffy." The man approaching smiled at her. "Are these the friends you mentioned? Willow, who has a crush on Xander and Xander, who's secretly dating Cordelia?"

Silence as Willow went white, gasped and ran and Xander flashed an angry look at the man, before following her and Cordelia added her own glare.

"A bit touchy." Ted commented.

"Ted," Buffy said through clenched teeth. "is there a reason you're here, at my school?"

"I'm updating the software in the guidance office." Ted replied, seemingly oblivious to the tension and upset he'd caused. "Buffy, I was wondering, do you like miniature golf? I thought it might be a good way to get to know you and your sister, if we, along with your mother, spent some time on an outing together."

"Sure, Saturday afternoon?" Buffy asked, teeth still clenched.

"That should work just fine, I'll speak to your mother about it and arrange a time to pick you ladies up." He smiled again and headed down the hall.

"He's a snake oil salesman." Cordelia muttered. "He's got that kind of smile. Damn it, we were hoping to ease Willow into the idea of me and Xander dating. We both knew she was going to have a problem with it."

"I'm sorry." Buffy told her. "I made a comment about feeling like a fifth wheel at the movie and that you guys might be announcing you're dating soon. I was trying to cover the awkwardness of catching them kissing. He kind of lobbed a grenade, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did." Cordelia nodded. "Either he has absolutely no clue what he just did, which I don't buy or he did it on purpose. But why would he do it on purpose, he had to know it would cause a problem. Unless he just likes stirring up trouble, which is a problem all by itself."

"Tell me about it, he makes my skin crawl." Buffy muttered. "Something's wrong with him and it's not just that he apparently likes to cause trouble, there's something...off about him. And I can't be any clearer than that." Frustrated, Buffy threw her hands up.

"I think if we've learned anything, it's that your instincts can be trusted." Cordelia decided. "Except where Angel is concerned, of course."

Buffy narrowed her eyes and then sighed. "I still miss him, that's not changing any time soon, I think. Even after finding out about the Magic and being thralled by someone and Angel disappearing. I still care about him and I miss him."

Cordelia looked sympathetic. "Look at it this way, if he does come back, thanks to the protections Xander and Ms. Calendar put on us, you'll know it's your own feelings and not something you were programmed, for lack of a better word, to feel for him."

"Which is good to know." Buffy decided. "You think we should find Xander and Willow?"

"I think Willow might be tempted to set me on fire right now." Cordelia shrugged. "I'm the one person she doesn't want to see Xander with. She'll calm down eventually."

Xander caught up with Willow in the courtyard and she spun around to glare at him. "I wondered why she was hanging around so much! It doesn't make any sense, the group's had nothing to do since Halloween and she's not one of us! But I've seen you two talking in the hall and she's doing her homework in the Library with you during your free period. I didn't want to think that you could be so stupid as to get involved with her, but I guess all she had to do was flash her cleavage and you went panting after her!"

"Enough." Xander said sharply. "You're entitled to your feelings, but you are not entitled to be so insulting, to either of us."

"It's Cordelia! Remember? The We Hate Cordelia Club, of which you are the treasurer!"

"A club you tried to start and assigned positions to. I don't hate Cordelia, I never have. Some of her behavior I didn't like, but she's not the person who bullied you anymore, she's trying to be a better person. It's time to move on, Willow. For my sake, can you try to get along with her?"

"You're really going to do this, date her?"

"Yes."

"That's it? Just yes, no defending yourself?"

"I haven't done anything wrong, Willow. I have nothing to apologize for. We hoped to do this more slowly, let you see how she's changed and give you time to get used to the idea. Believe it or not, neither of us want to hurt you. Unfortunately, you've already been hurt by the fact that I don't return your feelings. But my interest in Cordelia isn't meant to hurt you, it has nothing to do with you. If you can't be happy for me, that's your choice. But I won't stand for you insulting either one of us, understood?"

"Understood. Now leave me alone, I can't stand to look at you right now."

"Your choice." He turned and left and Willow sat down on a nearby bench and started crying. She mourned as she cut the final ties on a long held dream.