SquidgeWorld Archive

"Class Dismissed"

The children surged out of the door as Doyle stood and gathered his papers from the desk. . Glancing up he noticed Cordelia leaning against the doorframe smiling. He looked at her quizzically.

"It's him"

"Who?"

She stepped into the room and lowered her voice keeping the grin plastered on her face.

"HIM! The 'ewww' guy I was telling you about."

"Cordy, just 'cos you don't like the guy don't mean he's the one y'know."

"Exactly"

Doyle just looked lost. Sighing she spelt it out for him.

"So I snooped. What I do best!"

"Thought that was shoppin'" Doyle smirked. Swatting his arm she said seriously.

"In the 'business' world I snoop best. Duh!"

"Oh. Right y'are"

"Anyway. He started here three months ago, and shock horror, the very next day the kids start complaining of headaches and tiredness."

"Ok, finally something we can use. Let's go tell Angel."

Triumphantly Cordelia walked out beside Doyle. She had solved the case. Now to do what any self-respecting person would do, shop! Leave the dirty work up to those that were best at it, and that would be Angel and Doyle, she thought.

****************

"So you're sure? Everything checks out?"

"God! Angel of course. Th guy is major sleaze what more proof do you need?"

"Cordelia just beca-" Doyle held his hand up to silence Angel.

"Been there man, gotta go with Cordy on this one. The evidence points to him."

"Ok!" Angel folded his arms and leaned against Cordelias desk. The other two were sat on the office couch.

"So when do we make our move?" Doyle asked, he was slightly uncomfortable teaching again, it was a part of his life that he had moved past, a part that he still wasn't comfortable dealing with. He longed to get drunk, he needed some clarity. /Clarity, yeah right. Just need my old familiar routine back; Drink, vision, drink, kill bad guy, drink and in between flirt with Cordy./ He smirked as he thought this, his eyes wandered over to the beautiful brunette sitting next to him. < If only I could just touch her, see her smile, really smile at me. Who am I kidding? Right now I probably rate second on her 'eww' factor list and that's only thanks to a horrible children's brain sucking demon. > Doyle fought his thoughts and tuned back into what Angel was saying.

"We can't do it during the day because of the kids."

"Yeah and Angel and Children don't mix" Cordelia replied. Angel looked at her, confusion and hurt reflected in his eyes. She didn't seem to notice.

"I like kids Cordelia, I just don't see too many in my...line of work."

"You mean being a 'Vampire'?"

"Well yes. But also they don't usually roam the streets after dark talking to strange men."

"Good point" Cordy agreed, "only things that go bump in the night come out after dark."

"D'you think we could lure him here?" Doyle asked, desperately trying to stop the sudden fire round between Angel and Cordelia and remove the hurt look from Angel's eyes, a look Cordelia did not see or chose not to see.

Grateful for the save Angel smiled, then shock him head, "I don't think so."

"What then boss?"

A slow smile spread across Angel's face. /Maybe things are looking up./ He thought.

"Cordelia"

"What!" Doyle and Cordelia said in unison.

"Cordelia has to be the one to lure him away. Set up a date, meet at your apartment, then that's where me and Doyle come in."

"Ok mister. First things first. One, I am not going anywhere near that man." She scrunched up her face in disgust at the thought of it. "Second, why do you hate me? And third, did I mention that I won't go anywhere near him?" Folding her arms across her chest she sat back on the couch.

**********************

/Ok Mister horrible sleazy guy, wanna go on a date? Why? Well cos my boss is a tough vampire and well, we want to give you a going away party. Where are you going? Well considering what you've been doing I'd say Hell. See you at eight, have a nice day. Smile. Remember to smile, try to sound convincing, oh and mental note, kill Angel for making you do this./

"Miss Chase. It's so nice to see you"

"What?" /Easy girl, you need to be nice so that later you can kill him dead./

"Oh mister Robertson. Hi." /Smile damn it, eww he is a disgusting major sleaze ball./

"Please, call me Nigel. I thought you never wanted to see me again? Not that I'm complaining you understand, it's always nice to see you, and by there's a lot of you to see." He eyed Cordelia up and down. She wore a simple tight short black skirt and a plain white blouse that hugged her figure. It was as sexy as she could make herself appear in front of him, she didn't really want his eyes on her any longer than necessary.

"Yeah. Whatever." She replied flatly and cut straight to the chase. "Well, um, you see, I was wondering if you would well,..." /come on, you're an actress, act damn it./ Flashing her killer smile she went on "Well I changed my mind. I mean I was harsh in my judgement of you and I would like to apologise and maybe we could, um, - " /Oh God please help me./ "Well, go on a date. Tonight." /God did I just do that? I actually sound desperate./

Looking at Mr Robertson she saw a slow lazy, and very sleazy grin spread across his face.

/Well what do you know, the babe likes me, or she's just not getting any at home and thinks I'll be easy./ He continued to stare at her and her huge plastered grim. /God, she's gorgeous. Who cares if she thinks I'm easy, for the past three weeks now I wanted her every time I saw her, or heard her voice, or smelt her wonderful smell. She is finally looking my way and I'm not going to refuse, but tonight is a pain, got that whole super demon transformation thing going to happen./

"Ok! But tonight?"

"Yes! It HAS to be tonight." She caught the funny look he gave her, "I mean, I just can't put it off one more day. I feel so bad about the way I treated you. It has to be tonight."

"Oh. Well it's just that, well, don't get me wrong, I'm more than eager to get to know you better and try to make you feel better, if you know what I mean?" He raised his eyebrow suggestively at her and leered. "It's just that tonight is really bad, what about lunch instead?"

"Oh, well, um, why not tonight? Do you have another...date?" /God I do sound desperate. Angel is so gonna pay for this!/

"Well, I have a class after school. Science extra credit class. There are some really clever kids here, they should be nurtured and encouraged to the fullest of their potential."

/Yeah I bet, you big brain stealing, sleazy creepy looking demon./ Cordelia silently thought.

"Then tonight I have a, ... well a meeting I can't rearrange."

"What! Can't you squeeze me in between, it won't take long?"

His face broke out into a wide grin. /I know where I'd like to squeeze her, God she really can't wait to catch me./

Cordelia cringed at her words and gagged at the look he was giving her, she took an involuntary step back.

"Sorry, only lunch."

/Great, now what I am gonna do? Eww, eww, eww, get out of here, my skin is crawling./

"O...okay. Great see you then. Bye" She bolted out the room before he could say another word.

*******************

"Doyle we have a MAJOR problem."

"Tell me about it!"

Doyle was standing in his empty classroom looking at his cell phone. Cordelia marched up to him, still talking and not listening to what he had just said.

"Eww guy is busy tonight. God can you actually believe that? Maybe I'm loosing it? Nasty horrible demons don't even want to go out with me, what chance do I have for a normal rich gorgeous guy?"

"Cordelia it doesn't matter"

"Yes it does matter!" She wheeled on him, " I have a reputation to protect you know!"

"No Cordy, that was Angel, he said it happens tonight, something about the night after the full moon and the planets aligning or something."

"Huh? I guess he was busy tonight after all. Go figure." Cordelia sat on the desk and crossed her legs. Doyle looked up into her wide dark brown eyes, /God I love her. No don't think that now, think save the world now, think that later./

"Yeah well, um, we gotta stop him before then Cordy."

"What about Angel, the sun's out?"

"We have to do this by ourselves Cordy. Angel told me how to kill him."

"Oh great! Hello death. Imagine dying while the sun is still up, so not how I imagined it to be."

"Cordelia you're not gonna die. You know I would never let anything happen to you I..., besides who would decipher your filing system if you weren't around? /Good save man./ Doyle thought as he realised he was on the verge of telling her he loved her.

"Gee thanks" she threw back at him, smiling inwardly as she realised what he was about to say. /He's not really that bad./ She thought, /but I'd never tell him that./

"Ok then, kill the demon then go a drinkin' it's a plan fer me."

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Lunch" she suddenly blurted out.

"What? It's not lunch time yet Cordy, it's only ten thirty in the mornin'"

"No stupid. We have a lunch date. He couldn't make tonight so he said lunch. I think I agreed before I ran out the room." She wrinkled her face up in disgust as she remembered how he made her feel. /Lunchtime can't come quick enough so I can so kill him./

"Great. Where?"

"Huh?"

"Where are you having lunch?"

"I don't know. God do I have to think of everything around here?"

"Ok Cordy, here's the plan."

*************

/Well that was pleasant. NOT./ Cordelia thought to herself as she walked back to Nigel's car after spending an hour alone in a crowded restaurant with him. She had never been so grateful to have a crowded restaurant and a really bad table, sitting next to the kitchen suddenly wasn't all that bad, /some nice distraction in there./ She thought and smiled to herself.

"Oh my God. What was that?" Cordelia reluctantly clutched Nigel's arm as a loud crash was heard from a near by alley.

"It's probably just be a cat. Nothing to worry about." He grinned at her as she clung to his arm

"No no go and see. PLEASE" She fluttered her eyelashes at him and silently begged him with her eyes to protect her.

He laughed quietly at her and pattered her hand but agreed to check. Slowly and carefully he entered the alley.

/Oh creep guy prepare to die./ She sang to herself as she pulled a small gun from her purse that was armed with a special dart Angel had prepared. Quietly she entered the alley listening to the voices waiting for the right moment.

******************

"Hey, are you ok?" Nigel stared at the man in the darkest corner of the alley. He was half sprawled half leaning against the wall. The man groaned but didn't answer.

"Hey, do you want an ambulance or something?"

The man moved, God did he move. In one swift movement he was lunging at Nigel and impaling him on a sword.

"Or somthin'" came the Irishman's reply.

Nigel screamed in pain and shock. Suddenly only was there a searing pain in his gut but something shot into his neck. He turned slightly and saw Cordelia. /My Cordelia./ He thought, standing with her arms stretched out holding a gun. /She shot me. Oh God she did more than shoot me./ "NO!!" He screamed as realisation hit him.

"You alright Princess?"

"Uh huh" she answered, her eyes wide at the sight in front of her. Nigel no longer looked like Nigel, his skin was turning brown and flakey, and his body was also changing shape. "Um, Doyle, I think now's the time."

Doyle took his eyes off her and glanced at the man in front of him. He pulled the sword out of his gut; not a speck of blood was on it. < Saves on the cleanin'. > He thought. "Better stand back darlin', could be messy."

Cordelia retreated to the trashcan and hid behind it.

Doyle raised the sword and swung it at the now strange creature in front of him. Before he could follow through with his actions he found himself slammed against the wall and a pair of brown flakey hands gripping his throat.

"Doyle!" Cordelia shrieked from her hiding place.

"You can not... stop me...little man...I am more powerful than you." Nigel's lips never moved as he spoke and the words echoed around the alley bouncing off the trashcans.

"Sorry man..." Doyle gasped for air. "no can do." His face shifted and his demon took control. Nigel slightly taken by surprise at the once harmless man suddenly sprouting a green and pointy face loosened his grip. /A Bracken demon is no match for me./ He thought, and it was his last thought as Doyle cleanly sliced his head off and slumped to the ground. Cordelia was instantly by his side never seeing his demon face.

"Doyle are you ok?!"

Rubbing his neck and still gasping for breath said "Yeah. Sure Princess." He looked at her and saw the fear and worry in her eyes. Then he looked at the demon, it was rotting on the ground, soon it would be little more than a pulpy mess, no threat to anyone.

"How did you manage to do that?" Cordelia asked with surprise and admiration for the man in front of her. She had always thought Angel was the strong one and that Doyle hid behind him at times, but now she wasn't sure.

"Aww well you'd be surprised what ya can do when it's life and death. Especially your death."

He smiled at her as she helped him up. She wrapped her arm around his waist and led him out of the alley.

/I could get used to this./ He thought. /Move over Angel, Doyle's on his way./