ff:Exquisitely Bored Chapt10

[Carol.Clarke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hope haven't posted this here already.

Title: Exquisitely Bored 
Chapter 10: Zoo
Rating R 
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
Summary: In an alternate world Willow is the Slayer and she and her Father
just moved to Sunnydale. Cordelia and Buffy, life long friends run head long
into the new slayer in town.
Warning: Love and sex between two women, if you don't like it don't read it.

Note: I really need feed back. I need direction. Just don't hurt me too bad,
and yes I already know I suck at spelling and grammar. Who knew I would need
those in life?
Thanks: Special thanks go to AleXander Thompson whose transcripts made this
story possible.
More Thanks: AnnaBar

ZOO 

"They're obnoxious. Professionally" Cordelia Chase said to her housemate
Willow Rosenburg while pointing out a group of teens from their school.

Kyle, Rhonda, Tor and Heidi were acting like classic juvenile delinquents.
It wasn't hard to see they were getting ready to tease a classmate. The boy,
Willow didn't know his name, was sketching in a notebook, just like Cordelia
did whenever she got a chance. Actually Willow was surprised Cordy wasn't
sketching the animals at the zoo. The slayer figured that maybe what she saw
this morning had something to do with it. Willow really didn't know what to
say to either of them. She was happy if they were happy, but something told
her Cordy wasn't that happy about it. 

Willow let the thoughts pass and turned into slayer Willow. Looking around
the zoo at the other students, purely a slayer instinct, the redhead saw
Xander and Buffy walking toward the two girls. Both were laughing and
pushing each other. "You guys should have come with us, the monkeys looked
just like Xander" Buffy said still playing "push" and "shove" with Xander.

Buffy began a description of how much like the monkeys acted like Xander.
Xander for his part, good naturally, stood behind Buffy acting out her
descriptions. The four of them were laughing and enjoying the day. Then they
heard Lance scream as Tor and Kyle tossed his notebook around and holding it
over the bear cage.

"Isn't that Lance?" Xander asked

"I see the four hoodlums haven't changed." Buffy said to the group,
starting to edge toward the action.

"Yes, and that is Principle Flutie." Willow said happily, pointing out the
Principle heading for the problem.

The friends watched as Flutie gave the group a pointed lecture. Well that is
what they guessed was going on, they weren't close enough to hear the
conversation. Not even Willow's slayer hearing could pick up all of the
conversation. Then he left and Tor put his arm around Lance. They all
guessed the boy had covered for the group.

After Mr. Flutie left, heading for another group of students standing on the
fence above the tiger cage, the four delinquents took off in the direction
of the closed Hyena house, dragging Lance behind them.

"That looks like trouble." Willow said, starting to follow the group.

Cordelia put a hand on the redhead's shoulder and said, " I'll handle it.
This job doesn't require actual slaying. "

"I'll go too." Xander said in his" I am a man voice."

"Fine, just keep up." Cordelia snapped.

Once out of earshot, and having Buffy alone for the first time that day,
Willow asked "So?"

"So,..... What?" Buffy said blushing, and apparently finding her shoe
strings fascinating. 

"You, Cordy, doing the Ellen and Anne thing." Willow asked wondering why she
hadn't asked Cordelia first.

"Well, what do you want me to say." Buffy said while becoming redder than
the slayer's hair.

Buffy knew this conversation was coming, she just didn't know what to say to
her best friend. Truth was, Buffy didn't know what to say to herself. She
knew she was gay, she just didn't know all the details about being gay. A
few books from the library or Waldens mostly told her she would either
commit suicide, be put in a mental institution, or become a mean school
teacher and die alone. Even the few porno magazines she had found or bought
were male fantasies and not what she felt. Mostly not what she wanted. Buffy
wanted a relationship, not group sex with people watching with cameras or
whatever. Then there was the real problem, she didn't know what she wanted
from a relationship. Buffy was 16 and she really didn't have the world
figured out. Not yet anyway.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Cordelia had managed to get inside of the house before her friend Xander. He
had been following her at a distance because he tripped on a sidewalk curb.
Just as he was about to enter the exhibit the zookeeper stopped him.

Normally Xander was a happy guy but now he was listening to a lecture on a
creature he wasn't going to get to see. Not that he cared to see Hyenas, he
was worried about Cordelia. Four to one odds weren't that great. Buffy knew
all about marshal arts and could handle herself and Will was the slayer, but
Cordy was the artist. What could she do? Paint them to death. 

Xander turned back to listen to the zookeeper , "The Masai tribesmen told me
that hyenas are capable of understanding human speech. They follow humans
around by day, learning their names. At night, when the campfire dies, they
call out to a person. Once they separate him, the pack simply devours them."


Cordelia heard the zookeeper stopping Xander. She was grateful Xander wasn't
with her. She needed to think on her own. The cheerleader was hoping to use
her secret power to chase or Tor and Kyle and the rest of the hopeless ones,
save Lance and then sneak off for a while to think away from her friends.
She was just so grateful that Willow hadn't asked her anything. 

It wasn't that she felt guilt exactly. She really did like what she and
Buffy had done together. But part of her kept hearing her Father and the
sound of his belt. Even now living with the Rosenburgs, Cordelia didn't feel
safe. She couldn't make herself believe her father wouldn't come for her and
she knew it would mean yet another beating. 

Buffy had always made her feel safe. It was Buffy that Cordelia would seek
out to keep her safe for the night at least. And when they had made love
this morning, Cordelia once again felt safe. Felt loved. Only she was pretty
sure she was going to hurt Buffy. She knew she didn't love her the same way.

Still listening to the Zookeeper and Xander, the cheerleader moved into to
the compound that housed the hyenas. She could her Heidi laughing and Lance
crying. She quicken quickened her stride and entered the exhibit.

Tor and Kyle had Lance upside down over the cage.

"Hey you want to put him down" Cordelia shouted. 

"Why ya gonna make me." Kyle laughed.
"Just put him down now." The cheerleader said in her bossiest voice. Then
she added her hands to her hips.

"Might as well now that we have a new toy to play with." Rhonda said walking
around the brunette. 

"Good ideal. (idea)" Kyle replied before he and Tor pulled Lance back, then
tossed him to the ground. 

"Lance get out of here." Cordelia ordered. Lance took the clue and grabbed
his notebook and ran.

"Yeah a cheerleader with balls, don't see that often." Heidi stated as the
four began to move around the cheerleader.

"Do the four of you share one brain or what." Cordelia answered moving into
a defense position. She wasn't about to run from these jerks. 

The five where dancing around in an ancient predatory game. The Hyenas began
barking out some song that only they knew the words too. Then Cordelia took
her eyes away from the other and looked directly at the beast in the cage.
Its eyes glowed for a split second and Cordelia's eyes returned the glow
then all was black.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"That guy really needs a vacation." Xander said once he got away from the
zookeeper. 

Circling around he was surprised when a terrified Lance came screaming out
of the animal habitat. Running inside, Xander found his friend laying on the
ground with the other four students in the same condition. 

When Cordelia got up a second or two later, Xander was hugging her and
crying. Cordy just brushed him away and said, "Lets go"

Xander even more puzzled than normal, followed the girl out the door.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Later that night the gang went to the Bronze just like every other night of
the week. Xander was flirting with a couple of girls on the other side of
the dance club, just like every other night. And making about the same
progress. Cordelia was dancing with her followers, just like every other
night. And Buffy and Willow were eating muffins. 

"Would you stop staring, she hasn't moved in over an hour, Buffy." The
slayer said.

"I guess I am being obvious, huh. It's just, she is so, ...I don't know."
The blond finished by putting her head on the table. 

"She is so, and on her way over here." Willow said then watched as Buffy's
eyes burst with a new light in them.

Both young women began moving over for their friend. In stead of sitting
down, Cordelia grabbed Willow's muffin off her plate and stuffed it in her
mouth. Then the brunette spit the muffin back onto Willow's plate.

"What is the junk, I need real food." Cordelia said before wandering off in
search of real food.

"What's up with that?" Buffy questioned.

"Don't know and don't have time to find out, patrol. Come with?"

"That would be great Will." 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The next day Buffy and Willow were in the library doing what the did
everyday after school.

"I wonder were Cordelia is, she should be here by now." The inpatient half
demon wondered out loud. 

"Hmm, that'd make her on time. We couldn't have that! Relax Buffy she will
be here." Willow reassured her. 

Just then Xander walked in eating an apple. Both girls jumped at his
entrance then sat back down facing the door, for the silent vigil waiting
for Cordelia. Both girls had a separate reason to need to speak to their
friend..

"What" Xander asked.

"It's nothing Xander, we were just waiting for Cordelia to show up."

"Well forget that, I saw her drive off in somebody's car. I don't knows
whose though." The boy said in-between mouths full of apple.

"See, I told you she was acting weird all day." Buffy wined. 

"Buffy, I didn't notice anything. But then again I'm not as hyperaware of
her as, oh, say, for example, you." Willow said.

" Hyperaware?" Buffy replied.

"Well over attentive maybe." Willow joked

"It's just, she hasn't said anything after," Buffy stopped noticing Xander
observing them, "After you know, not a word. That is not like Cordelia"

"Maybe she is scared, it is kinda a big step, maybe she just needs some time
to think." Willow said, trying to reassure her friend or maybe herself.
Buffy was right on one count, Cordelia hadn't mutter one word about their
change in relationship.

"I have really screwed up, haven't I?" Buffy said panicking " Sorry Will, I
think I really need to be alone." Crying, Buffy left the room.

"Can you tell me what just happened because I am clueless." Xander said
before pulling up a chair next to Willow.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Early the next day the scoobie gang met in the library. Willow gave her
daily slayage report. Cordelia was surprisingly absent form the group. Just
as she had been from the house last night. Willow was put in the position of
lying to her father, again. She had told him she had a study date at
Harmony's, then had to lie to him again that she called and spent the
night.

Willow was having bad bad slayer feelings. Which were completely different
from naughty slayer feeling (,)which had nothing to do with her two best
friends, and was not to be discussed.

Both doors to the library opened wide with a loud bang startling the group.
Cordelia followed by Kyle, Rhonda, Tor and Heidi walked in the library and
began circling the room knocking over books. Finally Cordelia walked up
close to Willow and said, "You took a bath."

A puzzled Willow replied, "Yeah, I-I often do, I'm actually known for it."

Cordelia continued to sniff the slayer while the rest of the pack moved in
attack formation around the library sniffing Xander, Buffy and Giles. None
of them spoke, not the pack and not the scoobie gang. Willow was in full
slayer mode, working out who to take out first. 

Cordelia moved over to Buffy, and sniffed a little. "Demon, I can't believe
I sleep with someone as boring and stupid as you. Just because you can spell
words with her arms and have that little cheerleader ass and blond hair."
Buffy had been standing there stunned when Willow slapped the brunette
Cordelia.

"You on the other hand smell good, I could mate with you anytime." Cordelia
ran her hand down the slayer's arm. The cheerleader then snapped her fingers
and the pack quietly backed out of library. 

The others were silent in the wake until Xander said, "And the weird
behavior award goes to..."

"You know what you were talking about yesterday, I agree, Cordelia's lost
her mind." Willow said concerned .

Buffy just looked at her feet holding back her tears, then she remembered
her step-father was in the room. Looking up, she saw the shocked expression
on his face and guessed it had little to do with Cordelia.

"I need to be alone." Buffy choked out before taking off running.

Giles started out the door after his step-daughter when Xander put a hand on
his shoulder. "Let her be for now."

"I'll go look for her in a little while, she just needs to be alone now."
Willow said

"So it is true?" The watcher asked.

"It doesn't matter now, Giles we have bigger problems, You and I both know
that was some hellmouth version of Cordy. So we need to find a way of
helping her."

"Possession possibly, I get started looking it up." The man said gathering
up books and his composition. "Oh and Willow, it is true, the a........."
Giles was not able to finish yet he still needed to know.

Willow was thinking about how to answer her watcher, when Xander beat her to
it. "Yeah it's true" 

"Is this a new thing." Giles asked again.

"Very new, now can we drop this topic." Willow answered grabbing Xander's
hand and pulling him off to chem. class.



"Hey! No body messes with my Willow." Xander

"And the weird award goes to...." -Buffy