They're not mine, and we all know it.
That got their attention. Xander looked up at her, his mouth forming an O of surprise. Buffy and Giles were wearing similar expressions of shock. Even Willow and Oz pried their lips apart enough to stare at her. Cordelia took in their expressions and added it to her list of Things I Don’t Quite Understand.
“What?” she asked. “What are you all staring at? Do I have lipstick on my teeth or something?”
Oz spoke up, still visibly shocked. “Cordy ... you don’t swear!”
“Hell? Hell? I’ve said worse things than that, Oz, and maybe you haven’t heard me, cause it’s not like we hang much, but if that’s the reason you’re all looking at me like I have toilet paper stuck on my shoe, then ... you can just get over it!”
Oz stood up and went over to her side. “Cordy, what’s wrong?” He looked over her outfit and her made-up face. He was wearing a look of concern. “Is this all because of the breakup? You know you don’t have to go to all this trouble ...” he paused, clearly embarrassed. “It’s over, Cordy.”
“If it’s over, then why are you with her?” inquired Cordelia, pointing to Willow. The latter merely looked at her with an expression of pity on her face. Cordelia stopped talking, aware that something was wrong. She looked over at Xander uncertainly, then back at Willow.
Buffy hopped off the table and walked towards Cordelia. She too, gave Cordelia’s clothes a quick once-over, then put her arm gently around the brunette. “I think maybe the California sun was too much for her today, guys. You know she’s still weak from the fall.” She glared at Willow and Oz, who squirmed uncomfortably and moved apart. Buffy directed Cordy to the empty seat beside Xander and took one on the other side of her.
“Now, Cordy, what’s going on?”
Cordy’s hold on her temper snapped. “That’s what I want to know! One minute Xander is making out with Willow behind my back, the next she’s all over Oz’s face!” She turned to Oz, her anger evident. “I thought you broke up with her? You must be more pathetic than I thought if you just let that little wimp crawl back to you like that!”
“Hey!”
Cordelia ignored Willow’s outburst and whirled around to face Xander. “Does this mean you want to get back together again? Is that why you were being Mr. Sensitive today? Well, just because your redheaded girlfriend dumped you doesn’t mean I’m taking you back!”
“Cordy,” interjected Xander quietly, his tone sounding very unlike the sarcastic Xander she knew. “Cordy, please. You’re not making any sense.”
Buffy looked over at Giles, worry written all over her face. “Do you think it’s temporary amnesia or something?”
Willow laughed dryly. “More like temporary insanity. Looks like all that research made our little hacker snap.” She examined her nails carefully. “It’s not too good for my manicure either.”
Cordelia examined the redhead more carefully, noting the differences in her appearance for the first time. Willow was wearing lipstick ... and mascara ... and eyeshadow ... and a really cute dress that Cordelia had seen in the window of her favorite shop. Add strappy sandals and carefully styled hair and you’ve got ... < A trendy Willow...? >
Willow was still talking. “... but then again, with all the time she spends with her eyes glued to the computer, what do you expect? I mean, what kind of creepy nerd has the morgue bookmarked as one of her favorite places on the Net?” Giles gave Willow a hard look. “What? I know something about computers too!”
Buffy stepped in, interrupting Willow’s insensitive tirade. “That’s enough, Willow!” She glanced at Cordelia, who had not said a word so far. “Ignore her, Cordy. It’s only Willow.”
Oz looked at Cordelia in concern. Despite the makeup she was wearing he noticed that her face had gone pale. He glanced at his girlfriend, who looked indignant at being told to shut up. She opened her mouth to say something, but Oz squeezed her hand gently as a silent warning for her to keep quiet. Willow’s expression softened and she smiled lovingly at him. Pain flashed through Xander’s face, but he too, kept quiet.
Buffy continued to try and coax a response out of Cordelia. Giles cleared his throat and spoke up hesitantly, hoping that what he was about to say would cheer the girl up somewhat. “I-it would do you good to remember, Willow, that it has been thanks to Cordelia’s research on the, um, Internet that Buffy has been able to defeat so many of the d-demons on the Hellmouth.”
Willow rolled her eyes in response. Cordelia, on the other hand, did something that she had never done before. She fainted.
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