Title: Death's Loving Eyes
Author: Shadowgrl
Disclaimer: Not Mine. They belong to Joss Whedon and the WB.
Description: Cordelia decides to take what she wants; the only way she knows
how.
Rating: PG
Time Line: After Harvest and The Witch.
Feedback would be appreciated. Email is agenie_13@hotmail.com



Willow Rosenburg hummed contentedly to herself as she watched Buffy and
Xander dance at the Bronze. Things had been good lately. Sure, there had
been the whole harvest thing and then Amy’s mom being all evil and stuff,
but overall, things were pretty good for Willow. She was hanging out with
Amy now and she had Buffy and Xander. Of course, Buffy could never take the
place of Jesse but it was nice to have not just one, but two, friends that
were girls. Willow had never had a real girl friend before. She was
discovering that she liked gossiping about boys, specifically Xander, and
going shopping and other girly things. And to make things even better she
hadn’t been picked on in a few weeks. Cordelia was out ill, or so the rumor
was, so Willow hadn’t had to deal with her putdowns and insults. She hadn’t
run to the bathroom in tears once since Cordelia had been out. And with no
Cordy to lead the pack, Harmony and the rest of the Cordettes as they were
known, hadn’t been bothering Willow either. She felt free for the first time
in her life. Everything was going well for her. Willow burst out into
giggles of giddiness, then quickly stopped herself so she wouldn’t receive
any strange looks. But she couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her
face.

Across the room, dark eyes watched with fond amusement as Willow smiled and
giggled to herself. They catalogued with great interest the dreamy and
satisfied looks that fluttered across the girl’s face. Longing flooded the
watcher, longing to cross the room and be with the girl. But it was not yet
time. Strength still had to be gathered; a position in the clan made. A few
more days was all it should take and then everything would be set. It would
not be easy to gain Willow’s trust, it would be harder to earn her love. But
there was plenty of time, all the time in the world in fact.

Willow bounced into the library, high on life, and ready to face another day
of demon researching. She was not surprised to see Buffy there already;
after all Giles was her Watcher but he was also the school librarian. It
provided a good cover for Buffy’s activities and since no one ever came in
the library they were free to train and research to their hearts content.
Xander was also already there, desperately trying to flirt with an oblivious
Buffy. The by now familiar pain shot through Willow as she watched. For her
entire life she had wanted Xander to flirt with her like that; to actually
notice that she was a girl and she loved him. It wasn’t Buffy’s fault Xander
had a crush on her and Willow knew Buffy didn’t like Xander as more than a
friend but it still hurt her heart to see Xander flirt with yet another girl
that wasn’t her. Every day she woke up and asked herself if today would be
the day Xander SAW her. She sighed. Today was not going to be the day
judging from Xander’s actions.


Willow was in a good mood. The demon world was pretty calm so there was not
much research to do. So, she spent her time looking through all of Giles’s
books while he and Buffy sparred. Willow was so enthralled with all the
books she didn’t even care that Xander was drooling over Buffy as she worked
out.

The day went on and the four of them broke for lunch. Then they returned to
the library because as Giles said “A Slayer must constantly be on her guard;
even if there is no sign of immediate danger.” Giles could be so English
sometimes! So Willow once more sat herself in the chair in Giles’s office
and began to read the books on vampires. She read through most of them and
then came across something very interesting. The Order of Aurelius. A very
old and powerful vampire sect. The one whose Master Buffy had killed a few
weeks ago. There were many pages devoted to the Master but there were even
more devoted to his favorite childe Darla. Willow was fascinated. The power
and knowledge this woman must have. Most of the vamps Willow had read about
were male and the ones that were females were generally insignificant
females. Darla was the first female vamp Willow had read about that had
enormous power. There was a picture in the book; well, a drawing since
vampires don’t show up on film. Willow gasped as she recognized the face of
the vampire she had thrown holy water onto the night of the Harvest. Terror
gripped the girl. She had attacked a master vampire. She was lucky to be
alive. Quickly skimming through some of Darla’s exploits Willow was gripped
with a feeling of fear. She remembered the strange sensations she’d had the
last few days. Like someone had been watching her. She had blown it off but
what if it was Darla wanting revenge on her! (That’s ridiculous Rosenburg. A
four hundred-year old master vampire has more important things to do to
think about little old you. But maybe I should mention her to Giles just in
case.)

Willow walked out of Giles’s office only to find the library empty. Looking
around in confusion she gasped as she realized she had been reading all day.
It was 9 at night. The others had left long ago and she had been so quiet
they probably hadn’t realized she was still there. She shrugged that off as
it happened to her often and her mind was too busy wrapping itself around
the fact that she had an 8 block walk home alone at night only one stake to
defend herself with. Add that to her newfound knowledge of who Darla was and
Willow was one very scared young woman.

As she walked home Willow kept glancing nervously around her. She wasn’t
sure if she was being paranoid or what, but she was positive she was being
followed. There had been no footsteps or snapping of twigs to alert her.
Rather, it was the absolute and complete silence around her that told her
more than anything that she was being stalked. In the course of her reading
Willow had read that vampires considered themselves hunters and their food
prey. Therefore anything exhibiting the behavior of prey was automatically
classified as food. So, despite her feelings of terror and helplessness,
Willow was careful to keep her walk at a normal pace, reasoning that a
sudden increase in pace could be classified as a reaction born of fear and
therefore upping her from the curious distraction stage to the food stage.

She was about two blocks away from her house and her nerves were almost to
the breaking point. All that was keeping her going was the mantra she
chanted under her breath. “A master vampire has other things on her mind. I
have a stake and I know how to use it. I refuse to let myself be victimized
in school and out of it. I choose Cordelia and her Cordettes in school so
therefore, I cannot be attacked by vampires out of it.” It wasn’t a real
mantra since she knew her line of reasoning would not hold up in vampire
court but it made her feel a little better so she kept repeating it.

And now she knew for a fact she was being followed. Willow had spent most of
her life alone because her parents were always traveling and stuff. She had
learned how to read silences and when to know if she was alone. It made it
almost impossible for people to sneak up on her. Namely Xander who seemed to
love trying to scare her. While pausing to tie her shoe, which had come
undone, she had closed her eyes and extended her senses. It was something
she immediately wished she had not done, as she realized she was being
followed by not one, but two, beings. She wasn’t sure if they were vamps, or
humans, or even a demon, but she knew she didn’t want to find out. She had
straightened up from double knotting her shoe and had continued on her way.
A block and a half to go. And then it happened. There was a snarl from in
front of her. Willow had only enough time to wonder how the being had gotten
in front of her, when previously it had been behind her, and then she was
knocked to the ground, and three snarling vamps were growling over her.
Willow tried to scramble to her feet and grab her stake but her other shoe
chose that moment to come untied and she tripped and fell, a cry of pain
escaping her. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and braced
herself for more vamps to join in. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself to
die. She doubted she could handle one vamp and she knew she stood no chance
against five.

To her surprise nothing happened. She opened one eye and saw a guy and a
girl fighting off the other vamps. At first she thought it was Buffy but
then saw the girl had brown hair. And then the three vamps were staked and
there were only the two standing there. Willow scrambled to her feet and
watched in shock as the remaining two vamps looked at each other. It was
then Willow recognized the female.

“Cordelia,” Willow whispered in a shocked voice.

The brunette turned to look at her, her human features falling into place.
She smirked in that Cordelia way she had.

“Hello Willow. It’s been a while. Thought I’d let you know I was back. How
are things?”

Willow was hopelessly confused. Cordelia was a vamp who had just saved her
life and now appeared to be perfectly content to stand there and make
conversation with her. Her attention was attracted by the other vamp who
growled at Cordelia.

“Leave her alone. Go back to your sire.”

As Cordelia spoke Willow realized who the other vamp was. She hadn’t
recognized him from Buffy’s description of tall, dark and handsome.

“Why should I go home? I am a proper vampire after all. The night is my
friend not yours Angel. The souled one. What a waste of a hunk of salty
goodness. And as for Willow I have no intention of leaving her alone.” She
turned to face Willow. “I may be dead, or well, undead, Willow but nothing
between us has changed. You still belong to me and I have every intention of
taking what’s mine. As a human I didn’t realize what I wanted. I thought I
hated you. Now I realize what my emotion really was. I was weak and stupid.
That’s all changed and I know now what I really wanted was you. In every way
possible.” Willow paled as Cordelia’s meaning became clear. Cordelia’s eyes
traveled over Willow’s body and even Willow with her total of zero
experience recognized the lust on Cordelia’s face. Angel growled low in his
throat.

“Go home Cordelia before I stake you where you stand.”

Willow found the threat coupled with the way he said it to be very
threatening and frightening but Cordelia just laughed.

“You can’t stake me brother dearest,” she said mockingly. “Now go away
you’re scaring my Willow. Willow, run along home. Tonight is not the night
for you. You’re not ready yet. And you probably won’t be for a while. I can
wait. And tell Buffy to stay out of my way. Goodnight Willow. Sleep well.”

And with that Cordelia turned and disappeared into the darkness.

“Brother,” Willow whispered. It was the only thing she could focus on right
now. She was not ready to deal with the fact she had almost died, and she
was definitely not ready to think about the fact that her mortal enemy since
age 5 was now a member of the undead society and apparently desired her in
ways Willow had never thought about before.

“Come on,” Angel said. “I’ll walk you home.”

“But Cordy said it wasn’t time.” It was the only response a confused Willow
could come up with. For some reason she knew Cordy had been telling the
truth. Cordelia was not ready for Willow yet.

Angel looked at her carefully. He quickly realized she was in shock and that
she had latched onto Cordelia’s line for reasons he could not fathom. He
knew the girls knew each other, it was clear from the conversation they’d
had. And it was also obvious that Willow was less scared of a vampire
Cordelia than she was of even him. He tried to think about the best way to
break Cordelia’s influence. “Willow you can’t listen to Cordelia. She is a
fledge, a newly made vampire. She has no power. Just because she has said
something does not mean other vampires will not attack you. Tonight was
proof enough of that. You can’t trust Cordelia she is a vampire.”

“So are you.”

“I have a soul. I feel things other vampires don’t like guilt. I would never
hurt you or anyone else deliberately.”

“She called you her brother. What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure,” Angel replied. He knew Darla was in town but she rarely made
children or minions. She only chose those she thought would be right. That
would be strong. Angel had seen Cordelia when she was human and he hadn’t
thought she would be worthy of Darla’s attention. And he had gotten no power
signature from her tonight. He couldn’t understand why Darla would make her.
But he would find out. “Come on Little One. I’ll walk you home.”

Together the two started off. In the shadows a dark figure watched with a
smile. “ That’s it Angel. Walk my precious home like a good little souled
vampire.”

As Cordelia entered the lair she was greeted with a smile from her sire.
“Was your hunt successful?” Darla asked her.

“Indeed it was my sire. I found my little love just in time to keep her from
becoming dinner. When may I announce my claim? In addition to not wanting
her dead, Angel seems to have taken an interest in her. I have no desire to
have to deal with him. He is not my interest.”

“Perhaps it would be a good idea to ‘put the word out’, I believe is the
term these days. Did Angel suspect anything?”

“Well judging from the way he kept sniffing and looking at me like I was an
experiment he had to figure out, I assume he was wondering why you created
me. He was unable to sense any power from me.”

“Good. You have risen fast in the ranks my dear. A childe as young as you
would never be allowed to claim a human pet. But you have proven yourself.
You are strong and cunning. Never have I seen such viciousness coupled with
such intensity. Not even Angelus in his day was as devious as you are. I
knew the moment I saw you that you would make an excellent leader.”

“Thank you sire. Do you think Angel will come to visit you?”

“I would be expecting him. I would also watch out for him to be following
your little redhead home. He does take himself so seriously and now that he
knows about you and is curious, he will be on the lookout for you.”

“I shall be expecting him then. If there is nothing else sire I would like
to sleep. I must also work on the next phase of my plan. I would appreciate
your advice. I need to be invited into Willow’s house. But her parents are
never home and Willow will not let me in at this point in time. Her fear is
stronger than her trust.”

“I shall be glad to help. But after you sleep. It has been a long night for
you. You need your rest."

Cordelia smiled as she went to her rooms. Darla took such good care of her.
She knew she was lucky. Most sires were not so caring. This was a good place
for her. She had never felt so loved. It would be good for Willow too. She
could come into her own here. Become the woman Cordelia saw instinctively.
There would be no more hiding. But first she needed entry into Willow’s
house. Cordelia had heard Willow when she expressed her belief in that fact
that Cordelia would not come for her yet. Trust was not an issue. No, the
problem would be Buffy, Xander, and Angel. On her own Willow would not have
told Buffy or Xander what had occurred. But Cordelia knew Angel would have
run straight to Buffy to tell her all about Cordelia and her plans for
Willow. Buffy would no doubt confront Willow and make her feel inferior. She
would be afraid of Cordelia and what they both wanted. As a result of that,
Willow would shy away from Cordelia. Perhaps the invitation could wait. She
would make her intentions clear first. Then she would wait for Willow to
make up her mind.

Cordelia judged Angel well. At this point in time he was speaking to Buffy
on the phone since the sun prevented him from telling her in person. Buffy
found it hard to believe that someone had turned Cordelia. She found it even
more difficult to believe that Cordelia wanted Willow in a sexual way. In
Buffy’s world, that kind of thing never came into play. Angel decided not to
tell her that it wasn't all that unusual; most vampires were bisexual. He
also decided not to mention that after her initial shock Willow had not
appeared upset by the idea of becoming Cordelia's lover. Of course, the
entire way home all Willow had done was mutter brother under her breath and
shoot sideways glances at him so it was difficult to tell if she was upset.
Angel also was given the feeling that Willow didn't trust him. She listened
to his warning about not inviting anyone in with a bored look on her face
but then smiled and politely thanked him for walking her home. The girl was
a mystery Angel concluded. However, that was also something he decided Buffy
didn’t need to know. Buffy promised to watch out for Willow and ‘take care
of Cordelia.’ Angel winced to himself as Buffy’s tone of voice and her job
told him in no uncertain terms what she meant.

For her part, Willow was sitting on her bed in the dark thinking about the
events of the last few hours. The fact that Cordelia was a vampire did not
really surprise her. Cordelia had always been someone to stand out and
attract attention. Angel had muttered something about Cordelia not having
any power but Willow knew better. Cordelia Chase had never been the kind of
person that was able to get along without power and the fact that she was a
vampire would not have changed that personality aspect. She may not have had
authority when she first woke up but Willow was certain she had it now.
Angel was mistaken if he thought Cordelia was nothing to worry about.

Cordelia looked good as a vampire. Her face had glowed under the moonlight.
Always beautiful, she had looked ethereal tonight. And the way she had
fought the vampires told Willow of her strength and skill. Not entirely sure
how she felt about Cordelia wanting her, she was honest enough to admit that
she was attracted to her. That was what worried her. Willow had always
thought she loved Xander and she had assumed that feeling she got when he
paid attention to her was desire. Willow had her illusions shattered when
Cordelia had looked at her tonight. Cordelia had stripped her naked with
just her eyes and Willow had responded. She had felt her nipples harden and
moisture pool between her legs. Her eyes had been unable to look away from
Cordelia. Xander had never made her feel like that. Nothing had ever made
her feel like that. That feeling of desire, of being wanted, was what was
worrying Willow. No one had ever cared about her before. Not really.
Cordelia made Willow want to go to her even though she knew she would be
dead. Cordelia might want her for her lover but what she hadn’t said was
that vampires rarely took human lovers. If they were wanted badly enough,
the humans were turned and then taken as lovers. From Cordelia’s casual
announcement that she had every intention of taking Willow, Willow had to
assume Cordelia planned to kill her so she could become her lover. And the
dying was the scary part.

The next few nights were uneventful. Willow was not allowed anywhere by
herself. Buffy showed up after school to walk her home, even though it was
still light, she picked Willow up for Bronzing, no longer let her patrol
with her, and took Willow home at night. She also double-checked all the
doors and windows at Willow’s house nightly. Willow was amazed at all the
attention she was receiving. Each night while Buffy, Willow, and Xander
walked home, Angel followed them just in case Cordelia set up a trap. He
kept his presence hidden from Buffy and Xander but he was unable to fool
Willow. Neither was Cordelia. It was a parade. First came Buffy, then
Willow, then Xander. About half a block away Angel lurked. What was most
amusing however, was Cordelia. She knew Willow knew she was there although
how she kept the others from knowing was a mystery Willow could not figure
out. Especially since she was right on top of Angel as he followed them. In
fact, she seemed to love sneaking up behind him and pretending to stake him
then slipping away without him even noticing her. Or she would swoop down
behind him from a tree and make faces as he stalked along behind them. It
was all Willow could do to keep from falling down in fits of laughter at
Cordelia’s antics. As it was, Buffy, Xander, and probably Angel thought she
was reacting badly to the stress of being stalked by a vampire with all the
snorting and snickers she was unable to control on those walks home. Whoever
said vampires had no sense of humor needed to meet Cordelia. Willow would
laugh solidly for hours after the others had left.

Willow’s fear was slowly leaving her. Cordelia’s games did not lessen the
fact that she was a vampire and needed to be feared. If anything, her
ability to sneak away and cloak herself from Angel brought the fact home to
her. But those games, and the little gifts Cordelia left her sometimes,
played a large role in telling Willow that Cordelia really did care about
her. Each gift was carefully thought out, telling Willow that Cordelia knew
her likes and dislikes. Her birthday was coming up and she idly wondered
what Cordelia was going to give her then. Having read about some vampires
ideas of courting, she was hoping not to be greeted with the bodies of her
friends. But she was pretty certain she didn’t have to worry about that. She
hoped.

Cordelia was in a good mood. She had just eaten, after following the nightly
parade home and making sure both Willow and Xander got home safely. While
she didn’t particularly care for Xander, having him killed by a vamp would
severely harm Willow’s growing affection for her. She had played her usual
games with Angel loving the way Willow would try not to laugh at the
oblivious vampire. Really, how he had survived two hundred years was a
mystery to Cordelia. And, of course, the real reason for her good mood.
Tomorrow night was the night. Tomorrow she would find out if her gifts and
games had helped her case. It was Willow’s birthday and Cordelia had the
perfect gift. Despite all the attention, she knew Willow still did not
really know her or understand her. Tomorrow night she would give her two
gifts. One was a magical object. It was so old it didn’t even have a name.
It was just called ‘the mirror’. Darla had given it to her. It was useless
for humans as it showed the demon within, to vampires it was a great weapon
and prize. By giving this gift to Willow she would be opening herself up
completely to her. Willow would be able to know anything she wanted about
Cordelia. She could ask anything, about her first moments waking up to the
reason Cordelia was following her. And the mirror would show her the truth.
There was no hiding anything from the mirror. It was ironic that the object
was a mirror since vampires had no reflections generally. But when this
mirror was put in front of them, a reflection appeared. Cordelia was a
little curious as to what exactly the mirror would show.

The second gift was the one Cordelia was not sure she would get to give.
Conversation. She had known Willow for years, always taking her for granted.
Then, when she had risen, her demon had realized what the true emotion was
and had made plans accordingly. But they had never talked. Cordelia hoped to
fix that tomorrow night. If she got the chance.

Willow was thrilled. Today had been her birthday, normally just another day.
But this year she’d had a small party with her friends. There had been cake
and candles and wishes. She had even gotten presents. Most of her friends
had been invited. Willow had walked to the library ready to research, idly
looking around for Buffy as the blond usually met up with her after class
and they would walk together. When Willow hadn’t seen her she had continued
on her way. She had entered the library to be greeted with a big Surprise
from her friends and banners. A cake was sitting in the middle of the table.
It had been great. Buffy and Xander had organized it; inviting some of her
other friends like Amy and Michael. Giles had been here too. She and Xander
had had a moment where the bonded over the fact that Jesse was not there.
Then had come cake and wishes. Willow was glad that it was tradition to not
tell what a person had wished for. She had a feeling her wish of keeping
Cordelia safe would not have gone over well. The party had lasted for a few
hours since school was over. Giles had even let them play music. Amy and
Michael left around 8 but Willow, Buffy and Xander prepared themselves for
another night of research. Then Giles said to not be ridiculous it was
Willow’s birthday. He basically shooed them away to the Bronze where they
were all more than happy to go. But that was not the end of Willow’s
surprises. Angel showed up at the Bronze. With a gift for her birthday.
Willow almost fell over from the shock. Especially when he asked to speak
with her privately to give it to her.

It turned out to be a book of spells, which had Willow very confused, as she
was not a witch. However, Angel explained to her that it was a beginner’s
book and that it had some very powerful protection spells in it. Since Angel
had told Buffy about Cordelia, there had been an unspoken truce between him
and Willow that Cordelia would not be discussed. So, Angel left unsaid that
the spells were to protect her from Cordelia. Just as Willow neglected to
say that they would not be used for that reason. Instead she smiled and
thanked him. Then after a moment of silence she hugged him. Angel hugged her
back, feeling not only his first real human contact in years but also a
sense of sadness that Willow was apparently comfortable with Cordelia’s
obsession. He had done what he could but if Willow was determined to go down
that path all he could do was be there waiting along the sides to help her
when she fell.

Willow yawned as she sat in her bed. It was late, or rather early, about ten
after one. And Willow was exhausted from her activities. But she couldn’t go
to sleep yet. She was expecting one more visitor before dawn. She needed to
be awake for her. She picked up the book Angel had given her and began to
leaf through it. It was actually fairly interesting and Willow was
completely engrossed in it when the knock sounded at her balcony doors. She
carefully marked her place and slipped out of bed. Without even the
slightest hesitation she opened the door and smiled at the person on the
other side.

“Happy Birthday Willow.”

“Thank you Cordelia.”

“I brought you a gift. I hope you like it.” Cordelia held out a small
wrapped package for Willow to take.

As Willow reached out for it both girls knew that Cordelia could grab her
hand and pull her the rest of the way out and have Willow at her mercy. But
Willow knew Cordelia would not do that. And she was right. Willow took the
gift and sat down on the floor still inside her room. Just because she
trusted Cordelia didn’t mean she was about to willingly offer herself up on
a platter to her. Cordelia also sat down, much more gracefully then Willow
who had simply flopped down Indian style.

Willow tore into the paper excited to see what Cordelia had brought her.

“A mirror,” she asked Cordelia questioningly. It was gorgeous but Willow had
never been one for vanity.

“Its not an ordinary mirror. It’s hard to explain but it basically shows the
demon within. Not for humans but for other creatures. It answers questions
by showing the wielder the demon and what’s its thinking and feeling. It’s a
great weapon and also an incredible prize. My sire gave it to me as a gift
when I exceeded her expectations and took control of one of the clans here.”

“Cordelia if it was a gift from your sire. I mean, I know how important
those are. Are you sure you want me to have it?”

“I’m very sure. And my sire is fine with it. She actually wants to meet you.
When you’re ready.”

“How exactly does it work?”

“Well, you simply place it in front of the demon you want to know about.
Then you ask a question. The mirror is attuned only to its owner. It answers
you inside your mind by telling you the answer but also by showing it to you
in the mirror. That way, even if you don’t understand the picture, you get
the answer from inside your mind. Since it belongs to you now no one else
can ever use it unless you give permission. But it will always know you are
its owner. It works on vampires too even though they have no reflection.
That’s why it’s so valuable.”

“Cordelia I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing. I never even thought such
a thing existed.”

“Its been relegated to myth status over the centuries. Only the highest
ranking clan members of the Order of Aurelius know about it. With the master
dead; Darla, Spike Angelus and myself are the only high ranking members
left. Darla wants you to have it. So do I. Angelus is lost to us and Spike
wouldn’t care. Will you accept it?”

Willow was stunned. This mirror was obviously a very important artifact and
it was being given to her. “Cordelia why are you giving this to me?”

“I knew you would ask that. You’re always so curious. I’m giving it to you
because I love you. I did even when I was human. I just didn’t know it was
love. I’m also giving it you because I trust you and I know you can take
care of it. It’s very valuable Willow. It can be used as a weapon against us
if the wielder asks the right questions. The mirror cannot be bonded to a
demon. Only to a human because they have no demon for the mirror to look
into. Keeping it in the lair was risky. Anyone could have stolen it and used
it to destroy us. By giving it to you, not only is is protected by you, but
it keeps you safe as well. It’s very powerful and has a will of its own. It
protects its owners. I have another gift for you Willow that I hope you will
accept.”

“Another gift. Cordelia you don’t have too. You didn’t even have to give me
one.”

“I’m well aware of that Willow. But I wanted too. I know you’re confused
about this. I am sure I act a lot different than other vampires you’ve seen.
I was hoping we could talk. I have a lot to tell you and it could take a few
nights. I thought if you wanted to know I could meet you here every night
and tell you about what happened to me. Tell you about Darla. Maybe bring
her one night. I’m not going to lie to you Willow. I want you to be mine.
But I don’t want you scared and hating me for forcing you. I would like you
to love me if you can. But you can’t love someone if you don’t know them.”

Willow considered this. By accepting this gift she was basically telling
Cordelia she had feelings for her. Willow knew she did. A whole lot of
feelings. Cordelia made her laugh, which was important. She was thoughtful
and observant. Kind to Willow and Xander. She had seen Cordelia watch Xander
and protect him. But she was also strong and devious. Almost a master
vampire if not one already. Ruthless and cunning. And then there was the
whole undead factor. But looking at the moonlight shining down on Cordelia
Willow knew none of that really mattered. Her heart was singing to her, the
blood was rushing through her veins and she had never felt more alive. She
cared deeply about Cordelia. It had crept up on her but there it was. And
she wanted to know more. So Willow smiled and said, “How about we start
tonight.”

As the nights passed Willow learned more about the vampire world then even
Giles knew existed. Vampires had a caste system, a hierarchy and Cordelia
had made it to the top pier. She was subject only to her sire Darla. Other
vampires trembled before her and she already ruled over one of the biggest
vampire clans in Sunnydale. All this in less than one month. Even Cordelia
admitted she was a little stunned at how quickly she had risen. Willow
learned all about the vampires that were almost her family. She learned of
Angelus and his childer. Spike, otherwise known as William the Bloody, and
his lover Drusilla, who Angelus had driven insane and had the gift of sight
and the mind of a child. She learned of Penn who was just like Angelus had
been but without the sense of refinement. She learned the history of demons.
But to her, the most fascinating was the relationship between Darla and
Cordelia. Cordelia said Darla had made a mistake with Angelus and had cast
him out because of something he could not control. She said she was Darla’s
first childe since then. Darla was determined not to repeat her mistake so
she was very hands on with Cordelia. She cared deeply for her daughter.
Willow was envious. Her own parents were never around and had probably never
meant to have a child anyway. And here was Cordelia, a vampire, and her
mother loved her. She was glad Cordelia had a sire that cared but she wished
she could have one too.

Cordelia talked for about two weeks telling Willow everything she could
think of so she would no longer be nervous. She knew she was getting through
to Willow. Finally it was time to talk about the subject.

“Willow I’ve told you everything I can. Now I would like to tell you what I
want and hear your decision.”

Willow swallowed nervously. She had met Darla and surprisingly liked her.
She understood the realm of the vampire. She had been claimed and now walked
the night unafraid with her vampire suitor at her side. She had fallen
deeply in love with Cordelia and was ready to have a physical relationship.
But she still did not want to die. But she owed it to Cordelia to hear her
out. Then maybe they could talk about how she didn’t want to die.

“Go ahead Cordy. I’m listening.”

“Willow I love you. I want you to be with me for eternity. But I know you
aren’t ready for that step. So here’s what I am proposing. I would like you
to become my consort. It’s the same as a mate except you can stay alive.
Mates are vampires who love vampires. A consort is a human mate. We would be
together and live together but you would still be human. Then in a few years
or so we could discuss it again. Is that okay?”

‘Please, please let it be okay,’ Cordelia thought. She didn’t know what she
would do if Willow said no. She had thought about this carefully. If Willow
agreed Cordelia would have to move out of the lair. There was no way she
would bring her precious Willow down there. Darla and her had already picked
out some houses to show Willow. It would be Willow’s decision. But she had
to agree first and from the silence Cordelia was afraid the answer was going
to be no.

She looked at Willow. Willow looked at her. And then Cordelia was knocked to
the ground as one hundred ten pounds of Willow flung herself at her. Willow
was babbling and crying and kissing every part of Cordelia she could reach.
Although confused, Cordelia wasn’t about to stop her. It felt way too good.
And then a voice intruded on them.

“What the hell is going on here?”

And Willow was lifted off a very irritated Cordelia.

“Angel so good to see you. Oh wait, no its not.” Cordelia stood up and
brushed the dirt from her clothes. Willow squirmed free of Angel and walked
over to Cordelia.

“Angel congratulate me. Cordelia just asked me to become her consort and I
agreed.”

“Her consort?” Angel was stunned.

“Yep. Now I can be with her and I don’t have to die. Isn’t that great?”

“Umm well I.  Does Buffy know?” That was all Angel could come up with.

“Of course Buffy doesn’t know silly. Cordelia just asked me like two minutes
ago. And anyway, I don’t think she’ll like it.”

“You’d be right about that.”

“Buffy!” three voices exclaimed. One in fear, one in exasperation because
how many other people were going to intrude on her private moment with
Willow, and another in his usual bored monotone.

“I’d like an explanation and I would like it now.”

“Well we don’t always get what we want now do we Slayer?”

“Cordy please. She’s my best friend. Let me explain,” Willow whispered
pleadingly.

Cordelia grudgingly nodded. She was then left looking curiously at Angel as
Willow dragged Buffy off a little ways. “Somehow this is not how I pictured
our night would go,” she muttered.

She heard a snort and looked up to see Angel smiling slightly. “No I imagine
its not,” he agreed. “Consort?”

“I love Willow. I know you and Buffy don’t believe me that’s fine. But I do.
I knew she didn’t want to die so I decided to ask her to be my consort
instead of my mate. This way I can be with her and she doesn’t have to die.
She can still go to school and be with Xander and Buffy even though I’d like
her to ditch Buffy. She can go in the sun, play games, do whatever she
wants. But at night she comes home to me. She’ll be protected from any
demons that want her because she’ll be mine. She’ll have two worlds at her
feet. What could be better?”

“What indeed,” Buffy’s voice said from behind. “I didn’t believe Willow
completely. I thought you were just lying to her. Using her because she was
so sweet and because you were a bitch. But I’m not dumb. I knew you were
still around Cordelia. You’re not the only one who can play stealthy
follower you know. I did some research looked stuff up. I learned how to use
the card catalog Will. I read Giles’s books. I believe you Cordelia. I
shouldn’t. It goes against everything I stand for as a Slayer. But I’m
already the most troublesome Slayer in history. I’m already breaking some
major rules.” Everyone carefully avoided looking at Angel. Despite his
vampire status they all knew of the love between the two. “I might as well
break some more. I won’t stake you Cordelia. As long as you don’t hurt
Willow or turn her against her will. It’s probably gonna get me a long
boring lecture but I don’t care. Just be happy Wills. That’s all that’s
important to me and Xander. Although you’re probably gonna need me there to
catch him when you tell him about this.”

“So you’re okay?” Willow wanted to make sure.

Buffy sighed. “Okay may not be the right word. I’m nervous. Bit I want you
to be happy. So there it is.”

Willow smiled and hugged Buffy whispering her thanks in her ear. She
received a smile and hug back along with a promise that she would never be
alone. Willow sauntered over to Cordelia. “Well now that everything is
settled what should we do now?”

“Mother is waiting for us. We picked out some houses we thought you might
like.”

“Houses?” came the question from the other three.

“Of course. You don’t think you’re going to live in the lair do you? Somehow
not only can I not picture you there but also I just can’t see Xander or
Buffy visiting you there. So mother and I went house hunting. There’s a
couple we thought would be suitable but you get first pick.”

“Cool! Our very own house. Let’s go look. Buffy, Angel wanna come?”

Buffy and Angel looked at each other. It was obvious they both did but were
not sure about the other.

“Oh stop gazing lovingly at each other. God you make me wanna hurl. It’s a
house. Do you wanna see it or not?”

Willow held out her hand and Buffy slowly took it. With Cordelia on her left
and Buffy on her right, Angel stalking along behind them the four set off to
look at some houses. It was time for Willow to come into her own. Looking up
into Cordelia’s eyes, Willow knew her life would be incredible. And she
couldn’t wait to live it.