By Shattered Faith Rating:: PG
Disclaimer:: I do not own any Buffy or Angel charactures, they belong to Joss Whedon and the WB.
Cordelia Chase gazed in the mirror with self-satisfaction. Well she had to commend herself tonight; she looked quite dashing indeed. Cordy finished off her ensemble with a touch of red rouge lipstick, and she daintily smacked her lips together. Perfect. No man would be able to resist her charm.
There was a knock at the front door, and Cordy’s heart raced. There he was, ready to take her out to the Bronze. Her Xander. Cordy held her chin up high.
Okay, so Xander wasn’t exactly what the average person would call Taster’s Choice. He had his dorky moments, many dorky moments, but there was just something about him that Cordy really liked. There was something about him that drove her crazy. Maybe her friends didn’t see it, but for the first time in her whole life, she was defying her friends. She was going to date Xander weather they liked it or not. Well, as long as she didn’t have to forfeit her place as Prom Queen, that is.
Cordelia rushed downstairs and opened the door. There was Xander, wearing nothing special, but looking like a million dollars. Cordy blushed. “Hi, Xander.”
Xander beamed. Wow, Cordy hadn’t had any introductory insults for him! That was a first! “Are you ready, M’lady?” He asked her in an old fashioned accent that he hoped she’d find sexy. Cordy rolled her eyes slightly, but held out her hand. Xander gratefully took it.
It was just a given for this unlikely pair that when they went anywhere together, they took Cordelia’s car. It was much nicer than Xander’s, and after all, Cordy did have a reputation to keep! They eagerly climbed in, Cordelia at the wheel. Xander glanced over at her and quickly fastened his seatbelt. When she was driving, Xander remembered what they had taught him at boy scouts all those years ago. Be prepared for anything. Cordelia looked over him and smiled. This was going to be a fun night, she hoped.
Cordelia spun quickly into her driveway and slammed on her breaks. Her trusty seatbelt kept her from jerking forward too much, but she didn’t care. Cordelia Chase was mad.
All she had wanted was to have a good time with her boyfriend. But No! First, her friend Harmony was there, and that girl just couldn’t go one moment without dissing Xander! I mean, it’s not like she didn’t have any call to, but only Cordy could say those things to him! She had rights as his girlfriend to tell him these things. Harmony didn’t.
And then, Little Miss Buffy had to show up, and of coarse Xander was drooling over her like a dehydrated dog.
If that wasn’t enough, later when they were in her car into quite a heavy make-out session, he slipped and called her Buffy! That was just too much. She made him get out of Her car right then and there. She told him she never wanted to see him again. This had definitely not been her night. There was only one thing that could make Cordelia feel better. Shopping. Cordy sped into the mall after a quick run into her house to patch herself up. I mean, it’s not like she was about to go anywhere with tearstains on her outfit! What kind of impression would she be making on the public of Sunnydale then?
Tiffanies. Jewelry. Cordy knew in her heart that looking at jewelry right after dumping her boyfriend probably wasn’t the emotionally safest thing to do, but, but she just Had to! Casually, she stepped inside the door.
Oh wow, right in front in the glass case was the most beautiful diamond neclace she had ever seen. Cordy longingly ran her fingers over the glass. This was the kind of thing that a boyfriend would give her, not the kind of thing she bought for herself. That would be begging for pity. And now, she didn’t have a boyfriend.
Tears started welling up Cordelia’s eyes, but she angrily fought against them. She was strong. She was Cordelia Chase, and Cordelia Chase doesn’t let dorky boys get to her like this.
Still, Cordy just Had to look at the necklace. She just wanted to hold it in her hands, run it through her fingers. She wanted to know what to expect when a necklace like that appeared in front of her at a fancy dinner one night. She looked around. Strange, there was no one in sight. “Um, excuse me?” She called out. “Is anyone there?” There was a faint shuffle in the back, and Cordy smiled. Suddenly, a young woman with long dark hair stepped out behind the counter. She was wearing a beautiful white seventeenth century dress. Cordy gasped. It was Drusilla.
Cordelia quickly stepped backwards, frantically hoping that the door was behind her. Drusilla tilted her head in confusion. Unfortunately, Cordy ran into the wall, and not the door. Her head shot up. “Um, hi. I was just looking, but I’ll be going now .. “ She stammered, inching closer to the door. Drusilla looked at her with longing eyes.
“No, don’t go . . “ She pleaded. “’Ave some tea with me!” Cordelia stopped, and looked at the crazed vampire as if she were nuts.
“What?” Drusilla giggled softly.
“Oi already ‘ad moi suppa’. . “ She said, glancing towards the back room. “Oi just wanted tea. An’ . . your sad . .mm .. “
“Why, why do you think I’m sad?” Cordelia carefully asked.
“Your ‘eart .. . it ‘urts. You’ve been betrayed.” Drusilla simply stated. Cordy took in a sharp breath. God, what was this vampire’s deal?
“Please, ‘ave some tea with me . .. ?” Dru asked again. Cordy glanced around. Drusilla wasn’t vamped out, and she didn’t look as if she was hungry. Maybe if Cordy did what she asked, Dru would let her go. But if she tried to run, well, she didn’t want to do anything to make Drusilla angry. As upset as Cordy was, she didn’t want to die.
“Alright, I’ll stay.” She said shaking, and slowly folded her hands in front of her, trying to stay calm. Drusilla watched her curiously, and Cordy closed her eyes briefly and tried to breath rhythmically.
“Oi ‘ave tea in the back. . “ She stammered. “Oi won’t ‘urt you. . I swear on the moon . .and the stars .. mm . .” Cordy gulped. God. First she had to dump her boyfriend, and now a crazy vampire wanted to have tea with her. Hopefully not kill her. What a night this was turning out to be.
Cordelia took a deep breath and followed Drusilla into the back room. She gasped. The body she assumed had been the clerk’s was on a chair in the corner, eyes bulging and lifeless and drained of all his blood. Drusilla’s gaze followed Cordy’s.
“Oi told you, Oi fed already. So Oi won’t ‘urt you.”
“Uh, yeah, because I’m not ready to be, um, dead yet.” Cordy stammered. “ Drusilla ignored her, and pointed to a small porcelain table.
“Come, ‘ave some tea.” She said, and giggled to herself. Cordelia looked around, and saw three small chairs. One of them had a small doll sitting in it, blindfolded and gagged. “That’s Miss Edith. She spoke out of turn, and will be taking no tea today.” Dru informed her. Cordelia wanted to make a comment, but for perhaps the first time in her life, she bit her lip. Never taking her eyes off Drusilla, Cordelia sat herself down on the small chair and cleared her throat. Drusilla did the same, and lightly picked up her almost doll-sized cup. She lightly sipped her imaginary tea.
Cordelia did the same, trying to mimic Dru’s exact style. She didn’t want Dru getting upset; god didn’t know what would happen to her then. Dru smiled at her approvingly.
“So, Moi child .. ‘ave you been shopping lately?” Dru asked. Cordy raised her eyebrows. Wow, a topic she actually knew stuff about! This would definitely help her relax until Dru let her go.
“Shopping, yes I have.” Cordy lightly kicked out her feet. “In fact, I just got these shoes yesterday. There was a sale at Bloomingdale’s.” Dru giggled.
“Noice. . Oi loike them.” Cordy bit her bottom lip. Dru wasn’t going to take her shoes now, was she?
“Yeah, me too. I mean, can you just imagine spring without them?” Drusilla’s eyes grew darker, and Cordy’s heart practically leapt from her chest. Oh no, did she say something wrong? This was not good.
“Your ‘eart, it ‘urts.” Dru said. “A man did this to you.” Cordy looked up in surprise.
“Yeah. Well, kind of. I mean, I was dating this boy, but he, well he’s a looser. My friends didn’t like me dating him, and he just couldn’t stop doing things that embarrassed me! I swear, he wouldn’t know clever if it bit him in the bum.”
“But you loike ‘im.” Dru stated, plain and simple. Wow, Cordy thought. She really skips past the bullshit. “Yeah, I do, but, but I have a reputation to keep!” She blurted out. Drusilla put down her teacup again, and her facial expression and voice took on a more serious tone.
“I loved Moi Angel.” She said. “’E made me scream . . “ Cordy fought back the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t want to hear about Drusilla’s sex life. “’E made me ‘ear the moon . .and the stars .. “ She trailed off. “And then, ‘e gave me Moi Li’l Spoike. Oi loved ‘im.” She said.
Thoughts raced through Cordelia’s mind. Angel had been the vampire with a soul. He had been Buffy’s boyfriend. But before all that, the first time he was bad, he had created Drusilla. Tortured her, an innocent young clairvoyant. He killed her family and friends, and drove her insane. And then he had turned her into a vampire.
Angel and Buffy were quite the couple, it had almost made Cordy jealous. Tall, dark, handsome, and sweet. That’s a combination only fit for an Angel, no pun intended. But Buffy made the mistake of sleeping with him, and now he was bad again. And staying with Spike and Drusilla. A light bulb suddenly went on inside Cordelia’s head. If she could talk to Dru, she might be able to find out some useful information to bring back to Buffy and the rest of the freaks. That is, if she lived to bring it back to them.
“Who do you love more though, Spike or Angel?” Cordelia asked. Drusilla’s eyes lolled.
“Oi .. Oi don’t know.” Dru murmured. “Angel makes me feel all tingly insoide, loike a fire. An’ Spoike .. ‘e calls me a PrinCess.”
Cordelia picked up her teacup again and pretended to casually sip from it. She set it back down.
“But isn’t Angel mean to you sometimes?” Drusilla lowered her head slightly.
“No, ‘e’s not mean. ‘E wants to destroy the world .. “ Dru giggled. “Make it gone all gone.” Cordelia gulped.
“And what does Spike want?”
“Spoike .. ‘e just wants me.” Dru said, sounding sad. “Oi can’t stay away from them .. they’re loike .. blood. . “ Dru closed her eyes, and Cordelia squirmed in her chair. She Had to get Dru to Not think about blood. That thought is hazardous to Cordy’s health. Literally.
“If you had to choose one, right now, who would you choose?” Drusilla shook her head violently.
“They sing in Moi ‘ead .. they sing to me. They tear at my ‘eart. Make it ‘urt. Make it bleed.” Cordelia was not liking where this was going.
“No, no bleeding. We can’t let blood get on our new clothes, can we?” Cordy said, hoping that Dru would see things her way. Drusilla slightly smiled.
“No, we can’t. Oi don’t loike stains . .” She responded, and Cordelia smiled. Dru tilted her head. “Why do you let others tell you who to love?” She asked her. Crdelia shuffled her hands.
“Well, I’m the popular one. It’s my job to set a good example, and, as much as I may like making out with Xander, he’s not a good example.”
“Why?”
“Because, he’s, well he’s a dork! You should see the clothes he wears. And sometimes, he won’t cut his hair for a while and it gets shaggy. And sometimes, when he talks, he says the stupidest things, or the corniest things.”
“If you didn’t loike ‘im, you wouldn’t ‘ave noticed all that.” Dru said. Cordelia sucked in her breath. Wow, for a wacko vampire, she really saw through all the bull.
“I Do like him! But I just can’t take it!” She complained. “I can’t take people making fun of me for being with him.”
“Does he make your ‘eart dance . .? Does your ‘ead sing when you’re with ‘im?” Cordy slightly rolled her eyes.
“My head Aches when I’m with him.”
“You’re lying. Oi can see it in your eyes.” Cordy gulped.
“Sorry, that was sarcasm. But .. “ Cordy threw up her hands. “Oh, I don’t know! I mean, I don’t know what to do about him! I do care about him, but, I can’t let my friends think low of me.”
Dru sipped from her teacup again. “Oi love two, you love one. An’ you complain . .” Dru said. She narrowed her eyes. “Your ‘eart is what matters. Listen to your ‘eart. ‘Old your ‘ead up high .. and smile down from the stars.” Drusilla set her teacup down for the last time, and rose off of her chair. Cordy immediately tensed up. “Teatimes over . .” Dru mumbled. “Time to go ‘ome.” Drusilla gathered her cups as Cordy watched, frozen in fear. Drusilla flashed her a casual smile one last time, and then ran out the door into the night. Cordy sat there, mesmerized by thought.
Cordelia pulled her car into her driveway, thoughts of confusion drifting through her mind. She gout out, and stopped when she saw Xander sitting on her front steps. He immediately got up and glared at her. Cordy closed her car door, and Xander rushed over to her. “Alright. I’m leaving as soon as I say my peace.” He began. “First of all, are you such a snob that you can’t take your friends not liking me? If you don’t like me, that’s fine you can just say it. But if the only reason you’re acting this way is because of your friends, well then your just a shallow brat, and I have nothing more to say to you. So get out your Daddy’s credit card and go buy something expensive, and live like that-“ Cordy interrupted him.
“Xander, shut up.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him close to her, closing her lips over his. She closed her eyes and savored the kiss for as long as she could. Then she pulled away and smiled widely.
“Wow.” Was all Xander could say. True, he may not be the one to throw out witty comments, but he sure drove her wild when they kissed!
Life just worked like that sometimes. It took things like psycho vampires drinking imaginary tea to make you think about what is most important. But Cordy knew now, and she was thankful for that tea party. And, for not dying during that tea party. And for having Xander.
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