Companion piece to 'Locker Room Bet'.

"Please Buffy, I'm begging you" Cordelia said.

"No way, Cordelia. In case you forgot, I have a boyfriend." At Cordelia's raised eyebrows Buffy added, "Okay, we have some problems to work out now that Angel's got his soul back again, but I still love him. Maybe in your version of the world you can have a serious relationship and date other people, but not mine." Buffy's tone was absolute as she and Cordelia walked into the sunlight from History class.

Cordelia took a quick look around and steered Buffy into a private corner. She absolutely hated to admit what she was about to say, but she'd already asked, pleaded, and begged. Even for this she wasn't going to grovel, so she didn't have any other choice.

"Buffy, I need this date," at Buffy's skeptical look, Cordelia took a deep breath-she really hated to admit this-and continued "Look, dating Xander was great while it lasted, but it did major damage to my reputation as an A-list babe. One date with Kirk Harcourt can put me right back on top."

"So?"

"So? Thanks to said damage, he won't go out with me unless it's a double date with his joined-at-the-hip best friend Randy. Randy won't go out on this date unless it's with you. That means the only way I get my reputation back in one night is if you go out with Randy Norton."

Buffy looked at Cordelia's pleading eyes and sighed. "I just can't help remembering what happened the last time we double-dated."

Cordelia made a rueful face and replied "True. I promise, if we go anywhere near a fraternity or any place that isn't completely public, we are both so out of there. Please Buffy, I need this."

Buffy sighed again and nodded. "When?"

"Tonight-no time like the present. I'll tell Kirk and Randy to pick us up at my house at seven, okay?"

"Okay" Buffy sighed, hoping that the sinking feeling she had was just because she didn't want to know what Angel would think if he ever found out about this.

"Look, this date may not be with Angel, but it isn't going to be that bad." Cordelia said.

Cordelia was right. It was worse.

Buffy came to this conclusion when Randy said, "You know, you're lucky to be dating a guy like me." Buffy wouldn't have stood for that even in her pre-Slaying days, when she had been more than a little ditzy. This conclusion was confirmed when the four of them went to the Bronze, and she spent every slow song peeling Randy's hands off several rather private parts of her anatomy in between scanning the crowd anxiously for Angel.

Willow was there watching Oz and his band play, and came to talk to her when Randy went to get the two of them a drink.

"What are you doing here, Buffy?" she asked.

"I'm not cheating on Angel!"

"I didn't say you were-"

"If I was here because I wanted to be, if I was here because I wanted to date the reincarnation of an octopus who hasn't quite shaken off his former habits, then I would be cheating on Angel. I am here simply to do a favor for a friend-who owes me big time after this."

"Not going well, huh?" Willow asked.

"I think it passed beyond that in the car. I don't think Cordelia's having the best night of her life either. The things we do for our reputations..." Buffy trailed off, shaking her head.

"Well, that's going to be a comfort to Xander." Willow shrugged.

"Xander's here?" Buffy asked. "How's he taking this?"

"Okay, I think."

"I thought Xander and Cordelia breaking up was a mutual thing? I mean, they're still friends, right?"

"It was, and they are-well, as much as they ever have been" Willow assured her. "Xander's just a little jealous that Cordelia managed to get a date before he did."

"Testosterone, the great equalizer. It turns all men into morons." Buffy muttered.

"What was that?" Willow asked.

"Just something Giles told me once. Here comes my" Buffy grimaced in either pain or disgust, Willow couldn't tell which, "date."

"I'll leave you to it, then."

"Gee, thanks. Willow, if you see Angel-"

"I'll steer him away." Willow said, smiling.

"Thank you" Buffy said fervently as Randy came back.

"Here you go" Randy said as he handed Buffy a glass. "Diet Coke, right?"

"Right."

As Willow walked away, Buffy thought something was funny about Randy's carefully innocent tone of voice, and took a careful sip. Sure enough, even without the superior senses of a Slayer, she could taste the alcohol.

"How much do I owe you?" Buffy asked, reaching for her wallet in the pocket of her jeans.

"Don't worry, it's on me." Randy told her.

"I insist," Buffy said, giving him three bucks. She didn't want to give Randy the impression that she owed him anything. She had a fairly good idea of how he would want to collect.

Buffy managed to dump most of her drink in a rubbish bin a few minutes later, but Randy and Kirk both had more and more to drink. Cordelia, with an apologetic glance at Buffy, managed to get the two guys to agree to walk home, which led to Buffy repeating her dance floor boogie to un-peel Randy's eight hands-or at least that's how many he seemed to have. Eager to get this Titanic of a date over and done with, Buffy suggested they cut across a field. Which was another mistake.

Cordelia and Buffy stood, the spring night air making them shiver while Kirk and Randy crept up on the cow.

"You just had to mention 'Heathers', didn't you Buffy?"

"How was I to know they'd seen it, and actually liked this scene?" Buffy retorted. "Only morons think that scene's funny." At Cordelia's silence, Buffy shrugged and added, "You're right. Sorry."

"So where's Christian Slater when you need him?" Cordelia asked.

"This is the Hellmouth, remember? We'd probably get Robert Downey Jr."

Just as Buffy finished speaking, the boys chuckled as they pushed over the sleeping cow. Just like in the movie, the poor cow landed in a cowpat which splattered over Buffy's shirt. The overhanging shirttail protected her jeans, but the shirt was artistically splattered over the sleeves and front.

"That's it!" Buffy hissed as the boys did a drunken and wavering high-five. "I am heading home."

"What am I supposed to do?" Cordelia asked.

"You're back on the top of the A-list of babedom at Sunnydale High, you figure it out!" Buffy told her, then relented and said, "You should be fine. Kirk's house is just over on the north side of this field. Dump them both there, then call a cab from your cell phone. I'm going home to scarf all the frozen yogurt in the house."

Buffy headed off towards the east side of the field, towards the road. There were lots of half-dead trees along the way, in case she ran into a vampire- Cordelia had made her leave her stakes at home. As she started up the slight hill that marked the end of the field, a dark figure came out of the trees and Buffy stopped, going into a defensive stance.

"Rough night, huh?"

Buffy let her arms drop and told Angel "You have no idea. How did you find out?"

"I ran into Willow and Xander at the Bronze after you left, and Xander let it slip about your...date."

"It wasn't a date, it was a favor for Cordelia," Buffy told him. She bit her lip nervously and asked, "Are you mad at me?"

Angel gave her the smile that always made her heart turn over and said "No. Willow suggested that I follow you, in case you were too polite to do anything permanent to Octopus. I take it you're glad to see me?"

"Always" Buffy told him with her own heart-tumbling smile. "But I'm gladder than usual tonight."

She walked up the rest of the hill, and stood in front of him. "Kiss me hard as you can-please. I need to know that this night has at least one redeeming feature." As Angel took a step towards her, Buffy stiffened and stepped away. With a rueful grimace, she said "Sorry, for a minute I forgot about the cow thing."

Angel smiled and slid off his leather jacket, identical to the one he'd given her over a year ago. He handed it to Buffy, who held it away from her body carefully as he took off his white T-shirt. As Angel took his jacket back, he asked, "You want me to turn around?"

"Don't worry," Buffy told him as she started to unbutton her long, fairly clinging shirt-the least revealing but still respectable top she owned-"I dressed to not impress from the skin out."

As she slid off her shirt to reveal a crop-top style sports bra, Angel put his jacket back on, raised his eyebrows and said, "No kidding. I've seen you wear more revealing things to work out with Giles."

Buffy broke off admiring Angel's bare chest, and frowned. As she grabbed Angel's T-shirt, she told him "Don't be ridiculous." She yanked the T-shirt over her head and smoothed it down over her body. It covered her down to the middle of her thighs, but clung around her chest and hips in a way that Angel found very interesting. She shook the loose clumps off her shirt and bundled it up in her hand with the stains on the inside. She saw the way Angel was looking at her, and tilted her head to the side as she looked back.

"Well?" Buffy asked.

"You look so much better in my clothes than I do, I should just give you everything." Angel told her.

"I don't know about that." Buffy replied as she stepped close to him, "I think you look pretty good in your clothes."

She just caught the reflection of the starlight in Angel's eyes as he bent his head to kiss her.

If Buffy's mouth hadn't been occupied, she would have sighed in pleasure. Angel's kisses always made her tingle, but this one just about set her skin on fire.

As the kiss ended, Buffy smiled and said "Well, I guess the worst night has something good about it." She looked back over the field, and her superb vision showed her that Cordelia had managed to get the boys up on the front porch of Kirk's house.

She turned back to see Angel zipping up his jacket, and when she made a tiny pout of disappointment, Angel smiled and held out his hand. As Buffy took it, he said, "Come on, I'll buy you a ice cream at Ben and Jerry's."

Buffy lifted his arm around her shoulders and put her own arm around his waist. "Sounds like the perfect way to end the night."

As they walked off, Buffy told Angel "I swear, I'm never doing a favor for Cordelia again."

Read the companion piece.

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