The Key To Happiness
by John O'Connor
Disclaimer:  "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel"
and their characters are the property of Twentieth
Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and/or the
WB/UPN networks.  No infringement for profit is
intended.  This is strictly for fun.








 Cordelia Chase walked down Sunset Strip, completely
ignorant of the hookers and drug dealers, both human
and demon, scattered along the famous street.  She
wasn't even really aware of where she was or how long
she'd been walking.  She was totally wrapped up in her
own little world.
Unlike the old Cordy who was completely self-absorbed,
this newer Cordy was very involved with the problems
of others.  Since she'd become a human/demon hybrid
with the ability to see the future, she'd often been
troubled by the visions and spent a lot of time trying
to understand the more incomplete ones.  She'd gotten
quite good at it too.
There were times when the visions gave her all the
information needed to solve a given problem (often
involving saving someone from a dire fate).  At times,
it seemed like the Powers were supplying everything
right down to the zip code.  That made it easy for the
teams at Angel Investigations to deal with threats.
Others, unfortunately, were much more ambiguous.  Take
the slimer daemon about a month ago.  All that was
shown to her was the underside of a pier.  The teams
split to check out any that matched.  After
fruitlessly searching virtually every entertainment
and fishing pier in the Southland, they regrouped back
at the Hyperion and saw a report on KTLA News about a
man found dead near the old San Pedro freight docks,
his body covered in highly acidic slime.
This type of outcome was fortunately rare.  In the
years since Cordy had become a living prophet, most of
the visions had ended less fatally.  For the victims
anyway.
In those same years, Angel Investigations had grown.
Not tremendously but it was bigger.  There were now
four teams of three people; each team had a sensitive
in the lineup.  Angel, while still overall head of the
agency, headed the primary team when they had to split
up.  His son, Connor, was in charge of another as was
Charles Gunn, the professional vampire killer.  The
fourth team called itself the Angels and was headed by
Kate Lochley, former LAPD detective with Cordy and
Fred Burkle.
Cordelia, easily the most sensitive of the twelve,
could sense when she was near the site of a vision.
The drawback was she had to be within a few blocks of
the location.  Currently the two ungifted members of
the Angels trailed behind Cordy as she meandered
around trying to feel where they were needed.
"Think she's sensed anything yet?" Fred asked
worriedly.  After being back on Earth for a longer
time than she was trapped in Pylea, she was beginning
to feel uncomfortable in areas like the Strip.  At one
time, she'd revelled in being around so many people
again.
Kate, who regularly dealt with lowlifes such as those
around them, took Fred's hand, replying, "I don't
think so.  Not yet.  Scared?"
Smiling at her, Fred shook her head, "Not with you
near me."
The vision Cordelia was trying to focus on was of a
brunette being attacked by a couple of the newer
Ubervamps in an alley near a dimly-lit street.  After
telling Angel about the vision, the group was broken
up and sent to prowl around various low-class areas in
the LA area.
It being a slow week, Angel sent the four teams to the
four likeliest locales.  He led his team up to the
Valley, the location of some of their deadliest
encounters during the Apocalypse War.  Connor took his
team to Orange County around the Disneyland ruins.
Gunn headed towards the partially-devastated Port of
Los Angeles.


Angel's warning echoed in their ears, "Don't forget
that these Ubervamps can only be slowed by the stake.
You must behead them to kill them.  Garlic, the cross,
holy water..."


"...and sunlight, none of them do jackshit.
Yadda-yadda," Gunn concluded.  "We know.  Can we go
now?"


"Yeah, Dad, I wanna dust some vamps," Connor said.


Unconsciously echoing an old television show, Angel
agreed, "Let's be careful out there."


The Ubervamps were a nasty bit of work that Wolfram
and Hart had managed to bring to bear during the
Apocalypse War in late '03.  Based on the limited
arcane knowledge of the First One, they were a cross
between meta-human genetics and vampiric demonism.
And they were far more deadly than the 'old-fashioned'
bloodsuckers.


By early '04, like all good monsters, they of course
took off on their own after decimating the law offices
and a few other corporations nearby.


While any four teams stood a good chance of running
into a group of Ubervamps, regular vamps, or rogue
demon strike teams left from the War, Cordy felt like
her team had to go into Hollywood where the majority
of the LA demons, bad and not-so bad, had begun to
congregate after the War.


For nearly two hours, they walked up and down the
brightly-lit streets from Sunset to Hollywood and
Vine.  Finally, Kate came up and grasped her shoulder,
"Cordy, it's not here.  Let's give it up.  I'm sure
one of the other teams found the victim."


Cordelia stared blankly at Kate for a minute.  Then
she blinked, replying, "Yeah, but I was so sure
this..."  Her voice trailed off as the street faded
around her.


"Well, I don't know much about visions.  Nothing
actually.  But, well, you haven't felt anything since
we left the hotel and you usually do by now so maybe
there's nothing to feel.  Well, not nothing, there has
to be something but nothing we..." Fred's voice
trailed off as she glanced quickly at the alluring
she-devil in the red dress who wolf-whistled at her.


"Hey, Fred.  I'm right here, remember?" Kate snapped
her fingers in front of Fred.


"Oh!"  Fred smiled broadly, "You're jealous!"


"Am not."


"Yes you are.  Isn't she, Cordelia?"


"Yes...  No...  What?" Cordelia looked at them, her
eyes a milky white.


"I said Kate's..."


"Wait, Cornpone."  Kate took Cordelia's hand, "Another
one?"


Cordy nodded before slipping away again.  The same
victim, a girl around twenty, was fighting the
Ubervamps in a more familiar location.  She wielded a
cross but the vamps laughed at her and lunged.  One
caught her hand, crushing the icon to splinters.
Another grabbed her long, brown hair, pulling her head
back and exposing her neck...


"Sipowicz," Cordelia whispered.


"Huh?"


"What?"


Cordy's head snapped up and she said, "I know where
she is.  We haven't got much time.  Where's the car?"


They quickly headed southwest to Pico Boulevard.  On
the way, Cordelia explained her latest vision.  "She
wasn't being attacked in an alley.  Not a real one.
The second vision showed me a New York street.  I
recognized it from that walk-on I had on 'NYPD Blue'.
She's at the old Twentieth Century Fox lot.  And we
don't have much time."


Neither of her teammates questioned how she knew that,
they just accepted it.  Nor did they ask if there was
more.


The studio gate was locked, but there was a large
enough gap for them to squeeze through.  Leaving the
car on Pico, they headed in.


LA, like most of the rest of the world, was recovering
from the Apocalypse War.  The damage, while invariably
extreme, was also limited in range.  Certain areas
were hard hit and others were not even touched by the
battles.  For some reason, both Disneyland and several
of the major film studios, as well as portions of the
Port of Los Angeles were ruined by the War and
abandoned afterwards.


Walking past the gutted executive office building,
Cordelia's face lit up.  She felt it.


"This way," she called, running off to the left and
into the exterior street sets.  Reaching the end of
New York Street, Cordy saw it all.  The girl being
yanked between two of the vamps while another moved in
slowly.  At the girl's feet were the splinters of the
ineffectual cross.  The Ubervamps looked un-vamplike
as they moved in, just pale and hungry.  The girl
wasn't screaming or acting like a typical victim, she
was trying to fight.


"Alright, bloodsuckers!  It's clobberin' time!" Fred
yelled, charging the group.  Kate and Cordelia
followed, brandishing their weapons.


The first vamp turned as Fred neared him.  Her swing
went wide and he laughed at her while grabbing her by
the neck.  Kate saw this and turned from one of the
other vamps and raced to save the girl.


Swinging her battle axe, she neatly decapitated the
vamp.  His headless corpse fell to the cracked
pavement as a greenish ooze flowed out of his severed
neck.  The body dissolved in seconds.


Cordy, trying to decide which of the two remaining
vamps posed the biggest threat, saw the 'victim' pull
her arms together.  The speed of her movement
surprised the two vamps holding her and they were
jerked around to butt heads in front of her.


They reeled around and the victim pulled out a
razor-sharp short sword, quickly dispatching the vamp
on her right.  Cordy killed the one to the girl's
left, it's head bouncing to the curbside before it
bubbled away.


Quickly scanning the ruined set, she asked, "Any
others?"


The victim, who's voice sounded vaguely familiar,
shook her head, "No.  I don't think so.  Just those
three I followed in here."


"You followed?  Ubervamps?  What're you, another
Slayer?"


"No, the sister of one."


Cordelia stopped and stared as she got her first
glimpse of the girl's face.


"Dawn?"


"Yeah.  It's me."


"Uh, what're you...  Why are you here?  Is there a
problem in Sunnydale?"


"You mean besides the swarms of vamps and the hordes
of demons that seem to occasionally pour out of the
Hellmouth by the thousands?  No.  Same old boring
California town."


"But, then why..."


"School."


Kate stepped up, "Cord, I hate to break up this little
reunion but..."


"Yeah.  I guess we're done here.  We can leave the
ruin-prowling to Connor.  Better come with us, Dawn."


"Sure.  Why not?"


Quickly introducing the newcomer to her teammates,
Cordelia led them out of the studio grounds.  She
judiciously left out any mention of Dawn's origins and
the false memories created for her and people she
'knew'.  It was confusing enough to Angel and her and
they knew the whole truth.


As they walked by the burned-out sound stages, Kate
looked at Fred, "Why don't you call the boys and tell
them that the Angels were once again triumphant."


"Okay!" Fred responded gleefully as she pulled out a
cell phone.


"'It's clobberin' time'?" Kate then asked, her eyebrow
cocked teasingly.  "Too many of Gunn's old comic
books..."


Fred grinned at her innocently, shrugging as she spoke
to one of their other teams.


Soon, the four women were in the old, battered Taurus
wagon heading back to the Hyperion.  Kate drove with
Fred sitting next to her.  Cordelia rode in back with
their guest.


"How's your hand?" she asked Dawn, looking for damage
from the crushing grip of the supervamp she had seen
in the vision.


"Okay.  Little sore."  And Cordy couldn't see much
more than a couple of small cuts and scratches.


"You were lucky."


"Not just luck," Dawn responded.


"O-kay.  So.  You're here for school?"


"Uh-huh.  MBA at UCLA."


"Why not UC-Sunnydale?  Don't they have one of those
MBA-thingies?"


"Buffy went there.  The whole kid-sister thing got old
fast."


"Oh," Cordelia replied quietly.


Back at the Hyperion, Fred took their weapons and
returned them to the old cabinet they used as a
weapons locker.  Kate went to the computer to log
another supervamp kill into the LAPD data base.


Cordy took the time to really look at the girl.  'This
was the gawky, all-arms-and-legs kid I ignored when I
ran with the Scoobies? Or remember when I...  Never
mind, but talk about the proverbial ugly duckling...
Not that Dawn was ever ugly...'  Cordy's thoughts ran
randomly through her brain.


Cordelia gazed at Dawn.  She still had long brown hair
that hung down her back in soft curves.  Her large
blue-green eyes missed nothing.  And the silly-looking
overbite had matured into the one of the sexiest
Cordelia had seen in years.


'What am I doing?  This is Buffy's sister!  My
friend's sister.  She's not like that.  Can't be, not
after the way she used to moon over Xander.  And that
vamp that replaced Angel...'  Even after the years
since the War, Cordelia still couldn't utter Spike's
name.  Even to herself.


Dawn looked at Cordelia and smiled, "What are you
looking at?"


Trying not to melt at the smile directed to her, Cordy
stammered, "Uh, noth...nothing.  I was
just...remembering..."  With a laugh, she went on,
"When did you grow up?"


Cocking an eyebrow, the younger brunette said, "A few
years ago.  Duh-uh."


Dawn watched as Fred walked into the office and draped
her arms over Kate's shoulders, her chin resting on
the former cop's head.  "So, they're together...?"


"Yeah.  For a couple of years now.  You don't have a
problem with that, do you?"


"No, course not.  Just that the brunette..."  Dawn
gave a quick shake of her head, her hair dancing on
her shoulders.  "Anyway, what about you?  Anyone
special?"


Cordelia looked at the pair in the office and said
somewhat sadly, "Not for a couple of years..."


"Oh. Who?  The cop or the cowgirl?"


"Both."  Seeing the question in Dawn's surprised look,
Cordy added, "Okay, long story short.  First Fred,
after she and Gunn broke up.  We just grew apart.
Then Kate when she moved back from New York.  She and
I resumed our relationship but it wasn't the same.
She was smitten by the Fred-bug and I bowed out
gracefully."


"I thought so!  You and the brunette!"


"What?  Dawn, what do you mean?"


"I guess I've developed this sense about people.  I
felt that you and..."  Dawn stopped and grinned, "I
just see you as the brunette type.  What happened?"


"After Angel and I decided that we...  The whole thing
with Connor got in the way.  And well, then Fred and I
were trying to console each other and, you know...  We
finally decided it wasn't more than friendship - what
we felt.  Then Kate came back and we had a little
fling before she confessed that she was falling for
Fred."


"I'm sorry.  That must've hurt."


"Not really.  I knew Kate and I weren't really
compatable.  And, well, she and Fred just fit together
so well, you know?  The street-smart ex-cop and the
not-so naive farmgirl."


"Since then, no one?"


"No one special.  I haven't found Ms. Right.  And from
that comment, you can tell I'm not interested Mr.
Right."


"Really?  Why not?"


Cordy smiled sadly, "Burned too many times.  I joke
that it's the Powers' way of getting back at me for my
Queen C days.  But really, I just have no interest in
men now."


"Yeah, the Queen.  You know, when I was a kid, I used
to have the biggest crush on..."


"Huh?"  Cordy looked up when Dawn stopped talking.


"Uh, never mind."


"Okay." 'For now,' Cordelia promised herself.  "C'mon
Dawn.  Let's see what has them so fascinated."


The boys, as the Angels called them, returned.  After
introductions were made where needed, Angel sat down
with Dawn to catch up on life in Sunnydale.


"So, Dawn...  How's things back home?"


"Sunnydale?"


"Yeah.  Where else?"


"It's just that you never seemed to care about S-dale.
 Never came back to visit or..."


"Not true.  So not true.  I came back.  I did the
whole you-can't-go-home-again thing.  And the guy who
wrote that was right.


"So, anyway, how are things with, you know, with
Willow and Xander and...  And Buffy."


"Good.  Xander has been making money hand over fist
rebuilding the town.  Willow is pretty busy too.  The
Magic Box is open and business is booming."


"Yeah, same here with tarot readers, ESP psychics.
Both the frauds and the real things."


"Churches too," Wesley chimed in as he walked up  to
them.  "Sorry for the interruption but I'd love a
chance to speak with you, Dawn.  You are something of
an oddity, even in our business..."


"Wesley!" Cordelia shouted.


"Oh.  I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to..."


Dawn smiled, "It's okay.  No harm, no foul.  I
sometimes forget I was the Key.  The memories those
monks created..."


"Yeah.  For all of us," Cordy agreed.


"Anyway, Buffy is doing okay. I think she's finally
happy."


"Good.  That's great.  Really."  Angel paused for a
moment.  "So how's the Hellmouth?"


"Still spewing demons occasionally.  Willow and Buffy
do their part and they've got a new gang of Scoobies
from the new high school who've volunteered to help
out."


"Great.  What brings you here?"


Dawn, with Cordelia's help, briefly recapped the
evening for Angel and Wesley.  Then Dawn explained in
more detail why she had been hunting the Ubervamps.


"So, your professor was a supervamp?" Angel asked.


"Yeah.  Guess they aren't too picky who teaches
nowadays."


"You've taken up slaying?" Cordy asked.


"Not like Buffy but...  The sonuvabitch tried to put
the bite on me.  Sire me.  Not to mention, he gave me
a 'C' on the last pop quiz," Dawn smiled cheekily.


Later, Cordelia was sitting on a couch looking over
the latest Cosmo while Angel showed Dawn around.


"Some things never change."


"Hey Dawn"  Cordy held up the magazine displaying the
cover, "But some things do."


Dawn looked and saw one of the cover articles 'Is your
lover a demon in bed or just a demon?'


"Jeez," Dawn laughed.


"So, you didn't freak out about me and..."


"Well, growing up with Willow and Tara.  Then when
Willow and Buffy finally got together...  It's kind of
hard to freak out about something you see everyday."


"Yeah."


"Do you miss them?  I mean..."


"Yes, I know what you mean.  And there are times I
wake up in the middle of the night and...the empty
bed...  So, how are the Witch and the Slayer?"


"Good change-of-subject.  They're both great.  Like I
told Angel, Buffy is really happy.  For the first time
since...at least since Mom died.  Willow and Buffy
needed each other to fix the
my-boyfriend-was-a-vamp-I'm-back-from-the-dead,
my-lover-was-shot-I-have-a-dark-wicked-witch-of-the-west-side
parts of themselves.


"And they're really cute together."


Cordy smiled, "I'm glad you're okay with this."


"Hey, it's the 21st century. I almost have to be."


"Okay, now the big question.  You've been in town
since the beginning of the term...  Why didn't you
come to see us?"


Dawn looked at the floor.  Her voice, for the first
time since they had met at the old studio lot, was
hesitant.  "I...I wanted to but...  I didn't know
if...  School was hectic and then I found out one of
my professor's was a supervamp and...  I..."


"Dawn, it's okay.  I was just teasing.  Don't worry.
It's alright."


"No, it's not alright.  I guess I can tell you.  I
used to have a big crush on..."  Dawn looked at
Cordelia for a long moment then dropped her eyes
again, "Angel."


"Really?  Dawn?  Truth?"  Cordelia had become quite
adept at reading untruths in people.


Still looking down, she shook her head, "No.  I...  I
had a crush on you.  But...you were the head
cheerleader and in high school and I was just in grade
school and junior high and clumsy and..."


Cordelia took the younger girl's hand, "Dawn.  It's
okay.  I'm glad you told me."


"Really?  I wanted to tell you back in school but I
was afraid."


"I'm glad you waited.  Back then, I was too much of a
bitch to see beyond myself.  To be honest, I hardly
knew you were alive.  But, well, I changed..."


"The War?"


"Yes, that.  But really before the War.  Even before I
started to work here.  When my family lost it all...
Well, it opened my eyes.  Then, working here with
Angel, Doyle, Wesley and Gunn, I started to
understand.  But it wasn't 'til after Pylea and my
final shot at queenhood-dom..."


"What?"


"Pylea.  Demon world where humans are cattle...  Ask
Fred, she can finally really talk about it.  Thanks to
Kate."


"Okay.  I guess."


"Anyway, after that was my stint as a Higher Power.  I
guess what I was trying to say is that I've changed.
I'm not the self-centered snob I used to be.  Sure, I
still like good clothes and new shoes but I finally
have come to understand that there's more to life."
Cordelia looked away, her eyes sad.


"More?" Dawn asked.


"Yeah," Cordy replied.  "C'mon, let's get you settled
for the night.  It's too late to head back to campus
tonight."


They went upstairs quietly, both musing over the fact
that they, like everyone who knew Dawn, talked about
the past like it was all real.  It had been scary for
Dawn at the beginning but had become reassuring, like
a sign of acceptance of her nature.


Cordelia led Dawn down the main hall to one of the
nicer empty suites.  "Here you go.  Sheets should be
clean, this is one of the rooms we keep ready for
over-nighters.  Which have been more common the past
few years..."


"Good.  Kinda like clean sheets.  You know, dorm
life."


"Okay.  I'm just down there if you need anything."


"Thanks Cordelia."


"Not a problem," Cordy smiled and headed to her room.
Dawn watched the older woman walk down the hall.


A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on
Cordelia's door.  "Yes?"


"Cordelia?  Can I come in?"  It was Dawn, which was
not all that surprising to Cordelia.


"Sure."


The younger woman entered and stopped when she saw
Cordelia.  The seer was wearing a long San Diego
Chargers jersey and little else.


"I...  I'm sorry.  I didn't..."  Dawn turned to go.


"Wait, Dawn.  What is it?"


"Nothing.  You're obviously ready to go to sleep..."


Cordy gave her a small smile, "Well, I was getting
ready for bed but I'm not very sleepy.  What can I do
for you?"  From the brief hungry look in Dawn's eyes,
Cordy had a clue what the girl wanted from her.


"I guess I'm too keyed up to sleep.  No pun
intended..."  Cordy chuckled with her.  "I was kinda
hoping we could, you know, talk or..."


"Or what?" Cordy prompted.


"Nothing.  Forget it.  I'll see you in the morning."


Dawn started to open the door.  Cordelia stepped up
and pushed it closed.  "Dawn, what do you want?  What
do you really want?"


"I...can't say..."


"Dawn?  Do you still...have a crush on me?"  Cordy
asked with a gentle smile.


"Ye-yes," Dawn whispered.  This was more like the girl
Cordy was supposed to remember: shy, unsure of
herself.


"You know something?  When I saw you, I knew why I had
that vision.  It all made sense."


"Uh...what do you mean?" Dawn asked, confused by this
apparent change of topic.


"Since the Wars, my visions have been more general.
You know, a demon horde attacking a night club or
vamps overrunning a school dance.  I almost never have
one so centralized in scope, so focussed.  You know
what I mean?"


"I-I guess so."


"What I'm trying to say is that the Powers let me have
specific visions as a sort of payback for the
responsibility of the whole vision thing.


"When I have such specific visions, it almost always
centers on someone who I care about.  You understand?"


Dawn finally looked up into Cordelia's eyes, "You
care...?"


"Yes.  Very much."


Cordy leaned forward and kissed Dawn gently.  Dawn
returned the pressure of her closed lips.  Cordelia's
arms encircled the younger woman.


Pulling back slightly, Cordy asked, "Is this what you
want?"


"Y-yes.  Y-you?"


Cordy had to smile.  This girl could fight off
supervamps that would make macho he-men piss their
pants but she was scared of...what?  Cordy?  Being
with another woman?  It didn't matter.  Not at that
moment.  All that mattered was the lovely woman in her
arms.


Cordy kissed Dawn again, her tongue pushing into the
younger woman's mouth to find a willing participant in
their oral dance.


At the feel of Cordelia's tongue against hers, Dawn
moaned.  It was so much more than she had hoped.  And
the feel of Cordy's body against hers...  Cordy wasn't
wearing anything under the jersey!


The kiss grew in passion as Cordelia ran her hands
over Dawn's back.  She realized that, while the girl
was enthusiastically responding to the kiss, her hands
were hanging limply at her sides.  Cordy took Dawn's
wrists and moved the unresisting hands back to rest on
her ass.


Dawn took the hint and squeezed the round flesh
through the jersey.  Growing bolder, she slipped her
hands under the jersey, kneading the fleshy cheeks.
When Cordy gasped into her mouth, she knew was doing
the right thing.


Cordelia broke the kiss and moved her mouth to Dawn's
ear.  Nibbling lightly the ear, she muttered, "Dawn, I
want you.  I want to taste you tonight.  Now."


As Cordy's tongue snaked into her ear, Dawn moaned
again and tightened her grip on the woman's ass.  She
could feel her arousal building, the wetness growing
between her legs.  She managed to whisper, "I want you
too."


Cordelia pulled back from the younger woman and took
her hand, leading her to the bed.  "I don't think
we'll need to worry about that other room, will we?"


Dawn shook her head, smiling.  "I hope not.  I want to
stay with you."


"I think that can be arranged," Cordy replied with a
giggle.  "First, though, I think you have too many
clothes on..."


Cordelia pulled the girl's blouse off, exposing a
strapless bra.  She bent and kissed the exposed skin
above Dawn's bra.  Her lips met soft warmth and she
could feel the girl's racing heart through the tender
contact.


Cordy kissed Dawn softly saying, "It's okay.  You
don't have to be nervous."


"It's just that...  I've never done this before...
With another girl...  What if...?"


"Don't worry.  If you'd like, I'll..."


"Will you teach me?" Dawn asked quickly, cutting off
Cordelia.


"I would love to.  How do you want to star...?"


Again Dawn interrupted Cordy, this time with a
passionate kiss.


'This kind of interruption I could get to like,' Cordy
thought before she gave herself fully to the deep, wet
kiss.


The older girl managed to unhook Dawn's bra.  Cordy
managed to step back enough to allow the bra to fall
without breaking the kiss.


Dawn whimpered when Cordelia pulled her mouth away to
plant gentle kisses along her jaw.  Moving further,
Cordelia sucked gently at the skin of Dawn's throat.
Her mouth covered an old, imperfectly-healed bite
mark, a reminder of the horrors of the War.


A feeling of fear began to grow when Dawn felt Cordy
sucking on her bite mark.  The feeling ebbed as she
felt the other woman's tongue caress the scar tissue,
adding spiritual healing to the physical.  She hadn't
let anyone touch her anywhere near there since that
awful night near the end of the War.


Cordelia murmured quietly against the scarred flesh,
"It's okay, Dawn.  I will never hurt you.  I will
always take care of you."


At those half-heard words, Dawn surrendered herself
completely to the woman she had desired for so long.
"Oh Cordelia...please...  Feels so good..."


Cordy moved down and held one of the girl's rounded
breasts in her hand as she said, "I want to make it
feel even better."


True to her word, she began to suck on the soft flesh,
feeling the nipple harden against her tongue.  Dawn
tasted fresh and clean, like the dawn.  Cordy had to
smile at her unintentional pun as she continued to
please her new lover.


Switching to the other breast, she used her fingers to
keep the wet nipple excitedly erect.  From the
wordless sounds coming from Dawn's mouth, she was
doing a pretty good job.  It may have been a while
since she'd been with a woman but it was just like
riding a bike.


This brought a small chuckle to her throat which
translated into highly erotic vibrations to Dawn's
breast.


"Corrrdeee..."


Dawn slumped against Cordelia, breathing heavily.
Cordy stood up right and looked at the girl in
surprise.  "Dawn, did you...climax?"


"Uh...yea-yeah. Um, I guess I did," Dawn replied,
squeezing out the words between deep breaths.
"I...I'm sorry."


Cordy took Dawn into her arms and held her tight,
"Don't be.  Don't ever be sorry.  I'm flattered that
you're so excited to be with me."


Dawn smiled and Cordy felt something loosen inside her
that had been held tightly for too long.  She smiled
back, "Dawn, did you know that the first orgasm isn't
always the best?"


"I've heard that.  Buffy and Willow were talking one
morning and...  Well, they didn't know I was there
and...  I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."


Dawn was once again the nervous kid from Sunnydale,
albeit in a very nicely matured body, Cordy observed.
And she was so cute.  Cordy had to kiss her again.


Dawn took the kiss from sweetness to heat and the two
were again moaning into each other's mouths.  The kiss
seemed to last forever.  Neither woman wanted it to
end.


Finally, Dawn pulled back.  "Can I see you?  Naked?"


Cordelia nodded and reached down to pull off the
jersey.  Dawn's hands covered Cordy's, "Let me.
Please."


Dawn slowly pulled the jersey up, staring in
admiration at the smooth flesh as it was slowly
exposed.  As the dark triangle between Cordelia's lefs
appeared, the admiration quickly changed to lust.


Dawn then saw the smooth skin of Cordy's stomach, only
slightly marred by scars from her battles.  She longed
to kiss them as Cordy had kissed her scar.


As she pulled up on the synthetic material, Dawn
shivered when her fingers brushed Corelia's nipples.
Cordy shivered in response.


Finally, Dawn lifted the jersey over Cordelia's head
and dropped it to the floor.  Cordy shook her head,
her once-again long locks dancing in the light.


The older woman smiled when she saw her new lover
staring open-mouthed.  "You like?" she teasingly
asked.


Dawn nodded and muttered, "My God, you're more
beautiful than..."


"Thank you.  So are you," Cordy responded, her eyes
drinking in the site of Dawn's bare torso.  "But I'm
being cheated."


"Huh?"


"Too many clothes!"  Cordy knelt before Dawn, "Here,
let me help you.


As Cordelia removed her tennis shoes and socks, Dawn
gazed down at her in rapture.  Then, glancing to the
side, she saw their reflection in the closet door
mirror.  It was incredible.


She saw herself in profile, her breasts standing
proudly on her chest, her hair hanging loosely over
one shoulder.  At her feet was the pricelessly
beautiful image of a naked Cordelia Chase, her own
long hair brushing Dawn's now-bare feet.


Cordy undid the button-fly of Dawn's jeans and quickly
pealed the faded denim down and off.  Dawn was down to
her panties, a large wet spot darkening the front.


"Hmm..." Cordelia said as she pressed her nose into
Dawn's crotch.  "Ambrosia."


Even as she was becoming more and more turned on, Dawn
couldn't help but smile.  Cordelia, the object of her
teenage lust, wanted her.


Cordelia did want her.  At that moment, she wanted
Dawn more than any other lover, a feeling she would
come to know well over the years.  The girl's aroma
aroused the already turned-on seer.  She quickly
pulled the sodden panties down over Dawn's curvy hips
and took a deeper breath.


"Dawn," Cordelia said in a husky whisper.  Then she
pressed her face between the girl's legs, tasting the
saturation from her first climax.  Her hands cupped
Dawn's rounded ass cheeks, partially supporting the
excited girl.


"Oh God!  Cordelia!"  Dawn's outburst was well above a
whisper as she felt the woman's lips and tongue
exploring her.  "Yes!  That feels so...  Oh GOD!"


Cordelia lapped up the dew in Dawn's pubic patch.  The
taste was musky and sweet and sour and wonderful.  She
moved her face slightly and reached out for the source
with her tongue.


The seer's tongue delved deep within Dawn's sopping
mound, tracing the contours of her sex then trusting
deep between the girl's labia.  Alternately licking
and tongue-fucking the girl, Cordelia was rewarded
with another climax.


"OOOOO!  GGGAAWWDD!!!  CCCCOOOORRRRDDDDEEEEEEEEE!!!!"


Dawn started to collapse as her legs turned to rubber.
 The only things holding her up were Cordelia's strong
hands grasping her ass and the older woman's face
pressed deep within her, still tasting the girl's cum.


"God, Cordy!  Please stop!" Dawn pleaded.


Cordy spoke into the girl, "No.  Not yet."


The words resonated within her, exciting her anew.
Dawn forced herself to remain upright.


Cordelia continued to lick the girl's pussy, venturing
up to lave the base of her clit and down to tease the
sensitive flesh behind her slit.


Her tongue darted all around the small area, never
staying too long at any point.  From the crevice
between Dawn's legs, to the hot, buttery vagina, to
the erect little clitoris - her tongue danced around
it all.  Every time Cordy could feel Dawn tense in a
preclimactic state, she moved her tongue and lips
elsewhere.


Finally, she sucked the hard nubbin between her lips
and lapped at the tip.  Cordelia knew the girl wasn't
going to last much longer and allowed her to climax
again.


With a wordless scream, Dawn fell.  Cordy caught her
and cradled her limp body as Dawn fell into a blissful
abyss.


Cordy held the girl gently, her hair falling like a
dark curtain around their faces.  She was looking down
at the beautiful face as Dawn's eyes fluttered open.
"Hi," she said simply.


"Oh wow!  I never...  Cordelia, you..."  Dawn decided
not to fight the verbal logjam and kissed her lover
hard.  Her hand slipped up and around Cordelia's
slender neck, pulling the woman more tightly to her.


Finally breaking the kiss, Dawn asked, "Do I really
taste like that?"  Cordy merely smiled.  "I want to
try that."


Cordy stood and helped Dawn to her feet, leading her
to the bed.  Sitting down, she pulled Dawn once more
into her lap, stroking the soft hair.  After sharing
another deep kiss, Cordelia asked, "Are you sure?  You
don't have to, you know."


"Yes I do.  And, even more, I want to."


Kneeling, Dawn spread Cordelia's knees and gazed at
the wet lips beneath the crown of brown curls.
Licking her lips, the girl leaned in and tasted Cordy.


Even though she was inexperienced, Dawn made up for it
with her vigor and enthusiasm.  As she nibbled and
tongued the hot flesh of Cordelia's sex, she tasted
another woman for the first time.  And wanted more.


Inexperienced or not, Dawn was soon rewarded when
Cordy climaxed with a loud scream.


"DAAAWWWNNNNNEEEE!!!!"


* * * * * *


Down the corridor, Fred snuggled up to Kate and said,
"Sounds like someone's having fun."


Kate hugged her lover close and said, "Yes, it does.
Kinda gives me an idea..."


The ex-cop and the ex-cowgirl shared a deep kiss.
Soon their cries echoed down the corridor, reigniting
Dawn and Cordelia's lust.


* * * * * *


As dawn brightened the eastern sky, Cordy and Dawn
snuggled under a thin blanket, both thoroughly sated
for the time being.


"Dawn, I had a vision when I came the first time."


"Oh?  Is someone in danger?" Dawn asked, worried that
she might have distracted Cordelia from her
responsibilities.


"Yes, me.  In danger of falling for you."  Dawn looked
at her with a mix of puzzlement and hope.  "The vision
is of us growing old together."


"Oh, that sounds wonderful, Cordelia," Dawn said
before kissing the woman who held her tight.


* * * * * *


The Angels took the lead and, with Connor's team, were
scouring the area around the Santa Monica Pier.  Some
Ubervamps had been spotted there and Dawn had
volunteered their team.


Cordy was slightly irritated with her new teammate but
forgave Dawn for overstepping her bounds after hearing
the younger woman's whispered promise to make it up to
her.


Cordelia only hoped the images of she and Dawn
together wouldn't distract her too much from sliming
some more Ubervamps.  She wasn't worried about the
danger, not with six other hunters with her.  But she
couldn't bear to miss any more kills - the teasing was
becoming unbearable.






 (c) John O'Conner


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