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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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2020-11-05
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1,099
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Easter Sunday

Summary:

RATING: PG
CLASSIFICATION: Giles & Cordelia conversation.
SUMMARY: During a study session, it boils down to just Giles and Cordelia, and they talk, somewhat awkwardly.
SPOILERS: Takes place in season 3 before "Graduation Day."
DISTRIBUTION: Any sites with my fic up; you all have unspoken permission. I write it, you can post it. Everyone else just keep my name on it and let me know.
DISCLAIMER: If you don't recognize it, chances are it's my own creation. If you do, I don't own it. Joss Whedon, Kazui Sandollar, The WB, UPN, et. al. most likely do.
FEEDBACK: Please send it offlist and let me know it's feedback; I do rapid delete on my account due to a lot of spam.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Went to Challenge In A Can ( http://www.dymphna.net/challenge ) and ended up with "Jenny Calendar," "serious" and "dagger." Also, this is my entry in the Old Skool Ficathon, where my assignment was thus:
Writing for: Roz McClure
Pairing, or main character: Giles and Cordelia ('shipped or not, up to you).
Show and season: Buffy S3
Two things you want: The Mayor, Easter
One thing you don't want: dark tone. woe!
Submitted through the 'YG deleted' All-About-Cordy mailing list. Please join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AllAboutCordy

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Easter Sunday
by Ragna
writinggoddess@aol.com

 

 

It was Easter Sunday. Easter didn't mean much to a demon, though, so after everyone had enjoyed what few Easter rituals they held from childhood to this time of transition, they came to the library.

Not everyone stayed the whole time, however. It wasn't that they didn't consider the Mayor a serious threat, and they knew that Easter Sunday meant that it was creeping closer to whatever it was that the Mayor had planned, but this was a holiday that most of their parents considered pretty important.

And, slowly, by six everyone had slipped out of the library doors of Sunnydale High except Giles and, surprisingly, Cordelia.

"Cordelia?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you still here? It's almost midnight."

"Well...I don't really want to go home right now."

"I know I may regret asking this, but why?"

"Why should I tell you? You think it's bad, and I haven't even said a word!"

"I said I may regret asking. I didn't say I would, but if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

There was a long pause before Cordelia said, "There isn't anyone home. Daddy's in Los Angeles talking to his lawyers, and Mom went with him."

"It doesn't matter to them that it's Easter Sunday?"

"Holidays aren't a big thing in my family, unless it's a chance for a photo op."

"Ah."

"Giles?"

"Yes?"

"We're looking for a dagger, right? Because I think I found it."

Giles got up and looked over Cordelia's shoulder. "I think you're right." He picked up the book and carried it back over to where he'd been sitting.

"So...Giles?"

"Yes, Cordelia?"

"Do we need to research anything else? I mean, is there anything else I can do?"

"Not really."

"Oh."

"But you're welcome to stay if you like."

"Thanks." Cordelia picked up another book and started flipping through it. "Can I ask a question?"

"If I said no, would that deter you?"

"Geez, thanks a lot."

"I'm sorry, Cordelia. This situation with the Mayor...I just wish I could get a grasp on it."

"Ah. Then maybe I shouldn't ask you the question."

"You may as well."

"Do you miss Miss Calendar?"

The question surprised Giles for a moment. "Jenny Calendar..." he murmured to himself. "Yes, Cordelia, I do miss her. Why do you ask?"

"Well...if you tell Xander this I'll hurt you. I miss him. And I know he's here, and he's not dead, but it feels that way. Like he's dead, I mean. He won't talk to me unless it's demon related."

"And yet you persist on flirting with Wesley for what reason?"

Cordelia blushed. "I thought if I made him jealous enough he'd pay attention to me." She shrugged and looked back to her book. "It isn't working."

"And, to be quite honest, it makes the rest of us a bit ill."

"Sorry."

"I think it doesn't work because Xander has moved on."

"I kind of figured that out when he slept with Faith."

Giles nodded, setting the book back down. "Would you like some advice, Cordelia?"

"Why not?"

"Leave Sunnydale."

"You really must not like me."

"That's not it. Buffy has to stay, and neither Xander, Willow or I are likely to leave her here alone, and I doubt Oz will leave Willow's side. You, however...as important as you are to this team, you have no real connections to us anymore. Take advantage of that..."

"Maybe." She looked at the ceiling. "Maybe I'll go to Los Angeles, become an actress...I've always wanted to do that."

"That sounds like a fine idea."

She turned her head so she looked at Giles. "Am I really important?"

"Yes, Cordelia. We can use all the help we can get, and the fact that you're here, even if you are using this time for your own purposes as well, is important. Finding this excerpt about the dagger, for example...I think it will help quite a bit."

Cordelia nodded. "I stopped feeling important a long time ago."

"Why, may I ask?"

"I don't really know. I mean, I was popular. I guess I still am, even though Harmony loves to rub Xander in my face. But I never really felt important, no matter how many crowns I got or so-called friends I had."

Giles nodded and let the conversation drift off into a companionable silence. He stared at the picture of the dagger for a moment before saying, "Cordelia, why do you help?"

"Because...I need to, I guess. I want to help people. And right now, I want to stop the Mayor."

"Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do, I guess."

"And you'll deal with those you don't like in order to help everyone else?"

"Hey, Sunnydale's my home. I may not like it at times...okay, a lot of the time I hate this place, but it's still home. You know?"

"I think I grasp the concept." Giles looked at his watch. "You have classes tomorrow. Why don't you go home and get some rest now? I don't want to be to blame for there being bags under your eyes in the morning."

Cordelia smiled slightly. "I guess I should."

"Do you have any stakes or holy water with you?"

"One stake; I had to use two when I got here because the vampire grabbed one and the other disappeared when I staked him."

Giles got up and went towards the weapons cabinet, rummaging around until he retrieved a few stakes and some bottles of holy water. "Take these with you," he said, setting them on the check-out counter.

Cordelia nodded and started to gather her things. She stopped for a moment, shutting her eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"My side starts to hurt every once in a while, usually when I bend over or something. It's okay."

"I've never asked you if you were really okay after the accident."

"It's okay. I'll be okay...I just still shouldn't exert myself too much, you know?" She picked up her purse, opened it up and fished out her car keys. "Well, I'm going home. Night, Giles."

"Goodnight, Cordelia," he said as he watched her head to the checkout counter t pick up the supplies. "Take care."

"I will," she replied as she walked out of the library doors.

Giles sat back down at the table and began reading the passage about the dagger, but after a few moments he place a bookmark on the open pages and shut the book, then began gathering his own belongings to go home.

 

 

end

Notes:

This orphaned work was originally on Pejas WWOMB posted by author Ragna.
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