Current mood:	hopeful
Entry tags:	2003 gifts, mistress_mab

for mistress_mab
Happy Holidays! I had fun making your gifts. I hope you like them! This is actually the first complete fanfic I've written in the Buffyverse. It was a fun pairing to work with.

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Title: Chocolate Makes Everything Better
Author: debvel
Pairing: Cordelia/Giles
Rating: only what you would see on the show
Spoilers: Takes place during BtVS S3 "Band Candy".
Disclaimer: Buffy characters are the property of Mutant Enemy. I promise to put them back when I'm done with them, good as new.
Notes: Written for mistress_mab for the 2003 btvs_santa Secret Santa exchange. She asked for "Cordy/Giles --- bonus points if it's Ripper." I did my best. Big thank you to reginaw for doing a quick beta.


"Could this day get any weirder?" A passerby turned to look at her. "Don't answer that. Hello? Talking to myself, not to you." Cordelia stalked down the street. First her parents got all strange, then her Mom took off to the mall in Cordy's car (after complaining that the Mercedes was "too stuffy"). Finally Xander called her to help research this latest Hellmouthy event and she had to walk to the school, because, of course, Mom hadn't left her keys behind when she borrowed Cordy's car.

She dodged out of the way as a fifty year old man went wobbling by on a skateboard. "This is nuts. Grow up already!" she shouted after him.

She turned right, deciding to cut through the alley behind the bookstore and take a shortcut to the school. She was halfway to the next street when she noticed the group standing in the shadows.

One of the figures nudged another. "Hey, things are looking up."

Cordelia could have kicked herself. Just because the adults were all loony didn't mean the vamps were. There were at least five of them.

As they moved toward her and into the light, she realized that she knew a couple of them. The one on the left worked in the gas station, and the man next to him was the cute, although much too old for her, mechanic. She had seen both of them in the sunlight a few days ago, so unless they had died recently, they weren't vampires.

That didn't make the situation any better. It just meant the stake and holy water in her bag weren't going to do her much good. They were all walking towards her now, laughing and egging each other on like a bunch of high school delinquents.

"Whoops, wrong turn!" she said, attempting her brightest smile as she started backing away.

"Hey foxy lady, we'll help you find your way," one of them said. His leer was contradicting his attempt to seem helpful.

"No thanks," she replied. "I think I can find it by myself."

They were only a few feet away. The not so cute anymore mechanic laughed at her. "Well I think you should hang around for a while."

Cordelia kept cautiously backing up. She didn't want to take her eyes off the men in front of her, but all she needed to make this situation complete was to trip over some random piece of garbage.

"I think you should leave the lady alone," a voice behind her said.

Cordelia risked a quick glance behind her. The man was leaning against the wall a few feet behind her. His face was in shadow as he bent his head to light a cigarette. He had sounded a little like Mr. Giles, but she didn't recognize him. She quickly turned her attention back to the threat in front of her.

The men had stopped advancing on her. "Yeah? Well why should we care what you think?" one asked belligerently.

"'Cause if you don't, I'll make you care," the man behind her responded. The voice was calm enough, but there was an undercurrent of menace that was unmistakable to anyone who lived in Sunnydale.

A man at the back of the group shrugged. "Forget the chick. Let's go steal that Corvette we saw on Third street."

The gang seemed to lose their momentum. The gas station guy threw a disgusted "Screw you man," at them as he followed his friends down the street.

Cordelia turned around to see her "rescuer". The man looked familiar, but she couldn't quite...wait. "Giles? Is that you?"

"Call me Ripper," he said. "Thought you would know better than to be walking around at night by yourself."

"Ripper? Oh. Right." Cordelia was feeling a little giddy with relief. She smiled at Giles, while the fashion critic in her head took notes. What on earth was he wearing? A white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a checked shirt tied around his waist? No wonder she hadn't recognized him! "Well that's certainly a fashion statement. Did you watch too many 'Happy Days' reruns or something?"

"You're an odd bird, you know that?"

"Whatever. Why aren't you at the library? Weird stuff is happening, shouldn't you being doing that book thing?"

"Why would I go there?" He tossed his cigarette down as he walked up to her. "Boring old books. Much rather hang around here."

"Oh great. You too." Cordelia attempted to take his arm. "Well come on 'Teen Watcher', I'm sure Willow will want you there anyway."

"Don't bloody think so," he responded. 'Ripper' pulled his arm back, and the force of his tug swung her around. She almost lost her balance, but he quickly grabbed her other arm and held her upright.

"Okay, fine, you don't want to go? You don't need to throw me around to make your point!"

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to toss you," he apologized.

He was still holding her arms, Cordelia noticed. He was gazing at her face with a speculative look. "I bet you're a girl that really knows how to have fun." He leaned in a little bit and gave her a very un-Giles grin. "So, what do you do for fun in this town?"

Cordelia's mind was starting to spin. Goodbye frying pan, hello fire. "Well, uh," she stammered. Were his eyes always that color? What happened to his glasses? And why hadn't she ever noticed how sexy his accent was? Wait, what was wrong with her? It was just stuffy old Mr. Giles. "We usually just go to the Bronze," she finally got out.

His hands skimmed a little farther up her arms. "Nah. The music there is crap."

Okay, this is seriously creepy, Cordelia thought. This is creepy, right? Her legs didn't seem to agree, because they were taking a half step closer to him.

"There's something I've been wanting to do," he said softly. Then he leaned in to kiss her.

Cordelia had about one second to decide what to do, and by the time her brain caught up, it was too late. His lips were on hers, and his arm slipped around her back.

Ohhh. Now that wasn't creepy. Not at all.

His other hand moved into her hair and cupped the back of her head, holding her gently as his thumb stroked across her cheek. He deepened the kiss, pulling her against him. Cordelia let herself melt into him. She was kissing him back, sliding her arms around his waist. He tasted like cigarettes, and whiskey, and dangerous temptation.

Suddenly he broke the kiss and looked back towards the street. Cordelia realized someone was calling his name.

"Oh bugger," he whispered. Cordelia looked up at him with a slightly dazed expression. He smiled regretfully as he let her go. His hand brushed against hers one more time as he stepped away.

"Over here Joyce," he called. "I ran into one of Buffy's friends."

Mrs. Summers came around the corner of the alley. "Oh, hey Cordy. Cool shirt. Ripper, where did you go? I thought we were gonna go have some fun?"

Flustered and confused, Cordelia decided to make a quick getaway, before Mrs. Summers started asking her for makeup tips or something. "Okay, well, don't let me keep you!" she stammered. "I'll just go do that thing. Elsewhere." Then she turned and fled.

***

When Cordelia wandered into the library the next day, Mr. Giles wouldn't look at her. She wasn't surprised. She was having trouble looking at him too. Part of her was feeling guilty at betraying Xander. The rest of her was in guilt overload for just how much she had enjoyed that betrayal, and how much she wished she could do it again.

It was impossible of course. The Sunnydale School Board could overlook a lot of things (swim team fish monsters, students who ate the principal) and cover up more (gang members on PCP), but they weren't going to be able to overlook a faculty/student romance.

But in her private daydreams she heard a British accent, and she couldn't help imagining what it would be like if he wasn't a member of the faculty.