TITLE:  Afterthoughts - I Fall To Pieces
AUTHOR:  Isa Bedigian
EMAIL:  slaythis99@aol.com
SUMMARY:  Cordy & Doyle go spend that first paycheck.  Response to the
challenge issued on ba_earlybirds
SPOILER:  I Fall To Pieces
DISTRIBUTION:  Sure, just email me & lmk where it's going - I like seeing 
my name in print =)
FEEDBACK:  Please, I'd hate to have to Slay for it.  =P
RATING:   TV-PG
DISCLAIMER:  Doyle & Cordelia belong to Joss and David.  I'm not happy that
they are not mine.

"So," Cordy said happily as they walked out into the sunshine.  "Where
should we go first?"

"The bank?" Doyle guessed.

"Or the mall!"

"Cordelia, it might be a good idea to cash the check before we spend the
thing."

"Oh. Right. Then we'll go to the mall."

"You do know that whole thing isn't yours, right?"

"What?  No, Angel said I could have it."

"When?"

"All right, I'll go fifty-fifty with you.  I have to pay my rent and 
that leaves me two hundred dollars.  Come on." she began tugging on his 
arm.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to show you how to treat a lady, in case you ever get a 
date."

Doyle sighed.  There went all his earnings, down the drain.

*****

After the bank, Cordelia dropped the rent money at her apartment "So I
don't forget and spend it on shoes."  After that, she led Doyle to the 
mall and he knew it was all downhill from there.

"The proper way to shop is to follow your woman around," Cordy explained
as though she were some grand expert.  Doyle figured she probably was.  
"You have to make her feel loved and appreciated through the entire 
trip, otherwise she won't be content with the clothes you purchase for 
her."

"The clothes I buy?" Doyle asked.

"Duh." she gave him a dirty look.

"I'm just makin' sure I've got this all straight."

She snapped her fingers and like the puppydog she expected him to be, he
followed her to Nordstrom's.

Doyle waited patiently while Cordelia tried on outfit after outfit. He
thought she looked beautiful in all of them, but he especially liked the
little green sundress she tried on. It was out of season and seventy 
percent off. She wound up taking it, along with a black blouse with an 
oriental design on it and an animal print skirt that was leather and 
also sixty percent off.

"These are all final sale," the cashier told her when she brought the
items up.

"I know." Cordy said quietly.

"Is this on your Nordstrom charge?" she asked brightly.

"No, cash."

"One-oh-two-thirteen."

Cordelia stared long and hard at her wallet before finally handing over
the money, with the right change to the penny.  Doyle followed her out 
of the store and to a bench where she plopped and opened her wallet 
again to count her funds.

"You're paying for lunch." she informed him.

"All right. Since you're plannin' on breakin' me here, you mind if I ask
a question?"

"No, not at all.  As long as it's not about my weight or age."

He smirked at her.  She could be so cute when she was trying to be
bitchy.  "Why are ya spendin' all your money on these things?  I mean,
they're expensive, I could tell it was hurtin' ya to part with the 
money. And it's not like you don't already have lots of beautiful 
clothes."

"It's just that......before I moved here, I was somebody. I'm not sure I
liked that person, but I was her, one hundred percent.  Now that I'm LA, 
I wanna be different, but I've got an image to uphold, you know?"

"Not really." he answered honestly.

"I didn't think you would." she rolled her eyes.

"Cordelia, aren't all these people still in Sunnydale?"

"Yeah, but I never know when they're just going to pop in and visit."

"Cordelia--"

"We have to get a move on." she stood up.  "Angel probably expects us
back at his place once the sun sets and we've got lots of stores to hit 
yet."

He nodded and followed her, wishing he was really her boyfriend and not
just someone she let come shopping with her.

*****

Cordelia really knew how to spread her money, and Doyle was impressed.
Cordelia managed to buy things at Afterthoughts, Express, Limited and 
Steve Madden.  Doyle took her to lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen 
and after they ate, he reached for her hand and miraculously, she let 
him have it.

"I don't bite," she muttered as they walked out of the restaruant.
"Unless, of course, I'm chased."  Then she took off running like a mad 
woman through the mall. Doyle struggled to keep up, Cordelia's bags 
swinging as he ran.

She fell onto a bench, giggling madly. He sat beside her and dropped her
bags, panting. She caught her breath and smiled at him.  "I haven't 
laughed like that in ages."

"I'm glad I could help you."

Cordelia was still sort of laying down, so she had to strain her neck
upwards to look at him.  Something in her wanted him to kiss her so bad, 
so she gave in and let it happen.

Their lips brushed together softly, quickly, and then it was over.

"Well, we'd better get going." Cordy stood up and straightned her 
clothes. "I've got to change and paint my nails before Angel needs me to 
kill a slimey thing."

Doyle, still dazed from the kiss, followed her wondering what the Hell
happened.

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