But I'm Not A Cheerleader!
Buffy calls to let them know that the babies are safe, and no more research is needed. So they look at each other, Cordelia and Xander and Willow and Oz, and think about going home.
'It's the SATs tomorrow,' Willow reminds them, almost too perky and eager. Xander sighs and launches into another rant on tests that can't be studied for. Cordelia and Willow look at each other, asking by glances who should say it. 'You don't study, anyway, Xander, even when it would make a difference,' says Cordy, when Willow makes it clear that this is her role as Xander's girlfriend.
'True,' Xander replies, 'but it shouldn't curtail my right to complain.'
Oz stands in the background and smiles. 'So - are we going home?' he asks, holding a hand out to Willow. 'I'll drive.'
Willow shakes her head. 'Nothing against your driving, but.I spent the evening with Buffy. Driving. Not so keen on the cars tonight.'
'Come home with me,' says Cordelia, suddenly. Willow stares at her. So do Oz and Xander, but it's Willow who Cordy cares about. She tries to explain it: 'The effects of the candy won't have worn off and I'd rather have company.' Willow is nodding but Xander looks puzzled.
'Why not me?' he asks. His confusion is so sweet Cordelia almost kisses him.
'Because you're my boyfriend, Xander, and when my parents come out of their chocolate-induced second adolescence, they're going to turn back into adults, and you and me having a sleepover would just be too difficult to explain. So, Willow - how about it?'
Willow is deep in thought when Cordelia turns back to her. 'Second adolescence?' she asks, nervously. 'I really don't want to know what my parents were like as teenagers. If they're at home, which I doubt.' She's babbling, and then she stops. 'So, yes. And thank you.'
They walk to the parking lot together; Xander and Cordy, Oz and Willow. Oz kisses Willow, then turns to offer Xander a lift home. Cordelia unlocks her car, and that's when Willow balks.
'I told you I'd had enough cars for this evening.'
Cordy heaves a sigh that is only half an act. 'Well, I'm wearing spike heels and the only other way home is to walk. In that,' she finishes, pointing at the street where loutish-looking grownups who used to be the neighbourhood dentist or Officer Friendly are creating amounts of chaos of which Spike and Drusilla would be proud. Willow looks once and then opens the car door. 'I'll drive real careful,' Cordelia promises. 'Not like Buffy at all.' Willow studies her, and then nods.
They drive out of the parking lot and turn right. Oz turns his van to the left and Willow waves out the window. She chews on her lip as her eyes follow the van, and Cordy is left wondering why she suggested this in the first place. Cordy watches Willow catch her lower lip with her teeth, and suddenly she thinks about kissing those lips. An aberration. Cordelia fixes her attention on the road, on getting them both back to her house without running into any of the people who are wandering around, seemingly unaware of the existence of motor vehicles. She drives carefully, and Willow begins to relax. She even uncurls her fingers from the door handle, and when Cordelia looks at Willow's hands - which she doesn't do often; her attention is on the road, of course - her knuckles are finally pink and not white. Willow's hands are tiny and delicate, Cordelia notes, although perhaps they could do with a manicure. When Cordy realises that she is thinking about places those hands can go, she shakes her head, scolding herself mentally, and she switches on the radio. All that comes through the speakers is static.
'Even the DJs must have been eating the chocolate,' exclaims Willow. Cordelia says nothing and switches to an out of town station.
They're pulling into the driveway of Cordelia's house when Willow asks tentatively, 'You're awfully quiet. Have I done something?'
Cordelia stops the car and switches off the engine. 'I'm sorry, Willow,' she says, contrite. 'I was concentrating on my driving. But we're here now.' She smiles, but looks past Willow's shoulder, and her face falls. 'Is that my mother? What is she doing?' She takes off for the house at a run, forgetting Willow entirely in the face of the crisis that is her mother - standing at the window holding Cordelia's cheerleader pompoms.
'Look, Hon!' Mrs Chase calls out. 'Isn't it just bitchin'?' She's still wearing the lycra pants and a tube top Cordy thought she'd thrown out. The yellow and brick-red pompoms clash violently with the tube top, but Cordelia is so grateful that her mother isn't wearing her cheerleader uniform that she'll forgive the fashion faux pas. 'D'you think I can be on your squad, honey?' adds Mrs Chase.
Cordelia isn't big on tact, but for her mother, she'll try. 'We only take kids who are at Sunnydale High, mom.'
'Oh, that's too bad.' Mrs Chase tries a couple of high kicks and Cordy averts her eyes. 'You brought a friend home!'
Cordy turns. Willow is standing in the doorway looking awkward. Cordy smiles reassuringly at her, then introduces her. 'Mom, this is Willow. She's a friend from school.'
'Right,' says Mrs Chase, throwing one pompom into the air. She tries to catch it on the way down, but misses it, and she looks at the pile it forms on the floor with distrust. She turns back to Willow. 'You're the little geek girl.'
Cordelia's jaw drops, and she abandons any thought she may have had of rescuing her precious pompoms. If they get ruined, she'll buy new ones. 'Mom, we'll be in my room.' Cordy grabs Willow's hand and they hurry towards the stairs. Behind them Mrs Chase says vaguely, 'Okay, have fun, geek girl.,' but her attention has shifted back to the fallen pompom.
Cordelia leads Willow up the stairs, but they're in her bedroom before she realises that Willow is fighting back tears. 'She didn't mean it.'
'Even the grown ups think I'm weird and a geek,' says Willow. Cordy puts an arm around Willow's shoulders.
'That's not true. I mean - I used to think you were weird, but you're my friend, now. Right?'
Willow manages a tiny smile and Cordelia squeezes Willow's shoulder.
'Now, what should we do? I just need to check whether my mother has gone through my closet again, and then I'm all yours. Dump your bags in a corner,' she adds over her shoulder, as she enters her closet.
It's even more of a mess than usual - clearly her mother has been here. Cordelia sighs and dumps an armful of clothes in the dry cleaning hamper. They are crumpled from being left on the floor, and will need pressing at the very least. Her cheerleading uniform is thankfully pristine and untouched on its hanger. Which gives her an idea.
'Willow? Come in here for a sec!'
Willow walks in and stops just inside the door. 'Wow. I mean, wow.'
'Try this on,' says Cordy, holding out the hanger with her uniform. 'I think you'd look cute.'
Willow shakes her head. 'No way. I'm not Miss Perky Cheerleader. Not even in my imagination.'
Cordelia moves behind Willow and positions the other girl in front of a mirror. She holds the uniform against Willow, her hand by Willow's neck. 'Please?' She's about to lean down to kiss the nape of Willow's neck when she realises what she is doing. Willow's hand comes up to hold the uniform, and Cordy backs away. 'I'll leave you to change,' she says, smiles and leaves.
Cordelia wanders aimlessly around her room while she waits for Willow. She wonders what possessed her - and in this town, literal possession is always an option. More than once since they left the library, Cordy has noticed herself noticing Willow. Wanting to kiss Willow. Wanting to... do things with Willow she isn't even willing to consider doing with Xander.
'This is disturbing,' Cordelia mutters to herself. 'It's disturbing and it has to stop.' And then Willow walks into the room, awkward in the short skirt that shows of Willow's leg. And a tight top to emphasise her - breasts. Cordy stares. She tries not to, but who would have known there were actual breasts under those shapeless tops Willow likes to wear? Because there are and they're. shapely, and Cordelia is still confused and disturbed.
But also intrigued.
'You're staring at me,' says Willow, embarrassed. 'I look ridiculous.'
Cordy takes Willow's arm and pulls her over to the full-length mirror that stands by her dressing table. 'You don't look ridiculous. You look like a cheerleader.' Cordelia stands behind Willow as she looks at herself in the mirror.
'How many mirrors do you have in this room, anyway?' mutters Willow.
'Enough,' Cordelia replies. 'It's a pity they don't kill vampires - if they did I'd be the safest girl in Sunnydale.'
'Except for Harmony, of course,' Willow snarks.
Cordelia grins. 'Ooh, there is a bitchy little cheerleader in there after all!'
Willow suddenly looks nervous again, and twists around to face Cordelia. 'There isn't a spell on these clothes, is there? I'm not going to turn into a cheerleader?'
'Would that be so bad?'
Willow looks back in the mirror. Cordy watches her, and sees the other girl's eyes take in the long-looking legs. The curves Willow probably didn't know she had. And she sees the ghost of a proud smile on Willow's lips.
'Why do you wear this stuff anyway?' asks Willow. Cordelia suspects she's trying to sound disinterested, but the eyes don't lie, and Willow can't break contact with the mirror.
'You need to be able to kick easily,' says Cordelia. 'And we're supposed to look good to make the school and the team look good.'
Willow chews on her lip again, the way she did in the car. 'Do you think this makes me look good?'
The lip and the teeth and the question asked in Willow's sweet-little-girl voice mingle in Cordelia's head. The urge to kiss Willow is almost unbearable, and right now Cordelia doesn't care about explanations or possession or supernatural influences.
'It makes you look fantastic,' says Cordelia, and she stands behind Willow with her left hand on Willow's waist. 'Do you know why boys like looking at us in these uniforms?' she asks.
Willow shakes her head. She hasn't pulled away from Cordelia's hand, so Cordy throws caution to the wind.
'They like thinking about doing this.' She leans over a little and places her hand on Willow's thigh, below the hem of the skirt. Slowly, she moves the hand up, inch by inch, underneath the hem.
Willow draws in a breath, and closes her eyes. 'Cordy.'
Cordelia brings the hand up higher until she stands almost straight again. She whispers into Willow's ear. 'The boys don't get to do this, of course. But they think about it. They think short skirts will make it easier for them.' She slides the hand that is on Willow's waist underneath the top, and moves it up Willow's body to cup one of her previously unimaginable breasts. Cordelia watches herself in the mirror, fondling and caressing Willow. Willow's cheeks are flushed, and she's leaning her head on Cordelia's shoulder.
'Cordy.' Willow says again.
Cordelia stops moving her hands, but she leaves them where they are. 'Open your eyes. Look in the mirror. Look at us.' Willow looks at herself and at Cordelia. Cordy puts her mouth to Willow's ear and whispers, 'I'll stop if you want me to. I promise you I'll stop.'
Willow stands perfectly still for a moment. Then she twists in Cordelia's arms and for an instant Cordy thinks Willow is running away. She keeps her promise and pulls her arms away.
Until she realises that Willow is kissing her.
Willow has her lips on Cordelia's and her arms around Cordelia, and the kiss is so sweet and yet so urgent that Cordy is almost knocked off balance.
They pull away to catch their breath, and Willow looks at Cordy nervously. 'I've wanted to do that almost since we got here,' she says. 'I don't understand why. do you think it's the chocolate?'
Cordelia kisses her again before answering. 'Do you really care?'
'No,' replies Willow. Her hands are roaming towards Cordy's breasts, and Cordelia smiles.
'Let's get that top off you,' she tells Willow. 'I still can't believe that you have boobs, and I want to see them with my own eyes.'
Willow pouts, sticking out her lower lip, which Cordy promptly kisses and sucks and teases with her tongue while she tries to get hold of the edge of the sweater.
Willow pushes her away gently. 'I thought you liked me in this uniform.'
'I do,' says Cordelia. 'And I want you to keep that skirt on. But how am I going to believe that you haven't stuffed Kleenex down your bra if I don't check?' she finishes.
The sweater comes off, as does the bra, and Cordy satisfies herself as to the existence - and sensitivities - of Willow's breasts. Willow demands the same of Cordy, and they lie together, topless, on Cordelia's bed.
Willow whispers, smiling, into Cordy's ear. 'Before, in front of the mirror. what were you checking with your other hand?'
'Under your skirt? I wasn't checking for anything in particular. should I be?'
Willow pretends to think. 'I'm sure there must be something you're not sure of. After all, you've never seen me in a skirt this short before.'
'True,' says Cordelia, and she moves her hands back down to Willow's thighs. She glides her hands slowly up, pushing the skirt out of the way. Willow wriggles at the touch and Cordelia grins up at her.
There comes a point, when Willow is still wearing the skirt but Cordelia's head is underneath it, when Cordelia realises that the uniform is going to have to go to the cleaners before the next game.
Willow's hips jerk once more and Cordelia doesn't care.
They only sleep for an hour according to the clock. Cordelia is lying across the bed, her legs tangled with Willow's. The only clothing either of them is wearing is the skirt from Cordelia's cheerleader uniform, which is crumpled around Willow's waist.
Willow still has gorgeous breasts, and when that thought goes through Cordy's head she almost screams.
They both sit up and pull sheets in front of themselves. 'It was the chocolate, right? Or a spell on the uniform?' Willow asks.
'It must have been,' replies Cordy. 'Turn your back.'
Willow turns around and Cordelia dashes to her en suite and grabs her bathrobe. She searches for Willow's clothes in the closet and brings them out to her.
'We can't tell Xander,' says Willow. 'Or Oz!'
Cordelia stares at Willow in disbelief. 'Of course not. No one is ever going to hear about this, Willow. No one. We'll never speak of this again.'
Willow nods solemnly. 'Like that time in the supply closet on Parent's Night last year, right?'
Cordy glares. 'Right. Just like that.'