“Come on Fred,” Cordelia pleaded with the older woman.  “It’ll be fun.”

“Cordelia I really don’t know about this,” Fred told her.  “I don’t dance.”

“Oh please,” Cordy brushed of her comment.  “All you have to do is move your hips around.  Besides this is one the hottest new clubs in LA and I have VIP passes.  And it’s either you or Angel, and trust me, he really can’t dance.  And you need a little fun in your life, don’t you think?”

Fred shook her head a little, “But I don’t have anything to wear.  I mean if it’s such a hip place they won’t want to let someone like me in.”

Rolling her eyes a bit Cordelia laughed at her.  “Don’t worry about it.  I have some pants and a halter-top that will look great on you.  And we’ll do your hair, it will be prefect.”

“No,” Fred shook her head.  “I really don’t want to go.  Besides I have this book that I have been really looking forward to finishing and I-“

“Wesley!” Cordelia called out to their boss who was in his office.

“Cordelia,” Fred hissed at her.  “Don’t drag him into this.”

“Well if you won’t listen to me maybe you will listen to him,” she replied.

Fred was starting to get embarrassed, “Fine I’ll go.  Just don’t, oh never mind.  I’ll be up in my room.”  She started up the stairs when the front doors of the hotel opened and in walked Charles Gunn.  Fred froze instantly and did not say anything.

“Gunn,” Cordy silently cursed.  She knew what had happened, they all did.  “You’re back.”

“Yeah,” Gunn said evenly.  “Um, Fred can I talk to you for a minute.”

“No,” Cordy said quickly.  “I mean no she is busy right now.  We are going out tonight, aren’t we Fred?  Now gone on upstairs, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Fred didn’t say anything she just did what Cordelia told her.  She didn’t even bother to look at Gunn as she passed by him.  Eventually they would have to talk and she was going to have to tell him that she knew what he was really doing in San Diego, but for now Fred decided it was best to just avoid him.  The best way seemed to be by doing exactly what Cordelia told her to do, go upstairs, get dressed, and go out and try to have some fun.

“So Gunn,” Cordelia said coolly.  “How was San Diego?  Good demon hunting?”

“Yeah,” Gunn didn’t look at her.  His eyes followed Fred up the stairs.  “Hey do you what’s up with her?  I mean she is going out with you?”

“Well,” Cordelia was about to start yelling at him but Wesley came to the door of his office.

“Cordy,” Wesley was still holding the book that he was looking at.  “Did you call for me?”

“Um, yeah,” an evil plan started to come to her mind.  Cordy moved closer to Wesley.  “I was just telling Gunn here that I was taking you and Fred out tonight to that new club, you remember don’t you,” she eyed him carefully letting him know that he better agree with her or he would be in big trouble later.

“Yes,” he wasn’t stupid.  Wesley looked at Gunn, “We are going out to that club, the um…”

“Wonderland,” Cordelia finished for him giving Gunn a big smile.

“Yes, the Wonderland,” Wesley chuckled nervously.  “Well I, um, I better go get ready.  Trendy dress and all, you know how long it can take to find the right thing.”  He moved to go back to his office and gather his things up.

“Something that says you have taste, please,” Cordy called after him.  Then she looked at Gunn, “I would ask you to come with us, really I would.  But I only have three VIP passes, you know how hard it is to get your hands on those things.”

“Sure, yeah,” Gunn shrugged.  “It’s cool, I was just coming to say hi to Fred and let her know that I was back.  I am very tired actually.  I’ll probably just come home and rest.”

“I’ll bet,” Cordy said under breath.  “I guess we’ll see you tomorrow then.  Have a nice evening, and don’t worry about Fred,” she started to push him out the door.  “We’ll take good care of her.”  With that Cordelia shoved Gunn out the hotel and let out a sigh of relief.

“Cordelia,” Wesley said quietly to her after coming back out of his office.  “Do I really have to go?”

“Yes!” she hissed at him turning around to look at him.  “It will never be said that Cordelia Chase lied to someone, and you are not about to turn me into a lair.”  She walked down the stairs to and invaded his personal space looking him coldly in the eyes.  “Now, I want you to go back to that god forsaken apartment of yours and find something decent to wear,” Cordy punctuated each of her words by jabbing her finger into his chest.  “And then be back here by 10:30 on the dot.”

“Okay,” Wesley hung his head.  “See you later.”

“Wesley don’t you dare screw this up or you will regret it for the rest of your life,” she shouted at him as he left the hotel.  Then she turned around to look at the figure that was lurking in the shadows.  “Okay, you can stop laughing now and come out.”

Angel emerged with a smile on his face, “I wasn’t laughing.”

“Whatever,” Cordy rolled her eyes again.  “Listen buddy you owe me big time for this.”

“I know, I know,” he held up his hands.  “I my defense, this was Connor’s idea.”

“Yeah right,” she huffed at him.  “I suppose he told you that between all of his babbling this morning?”

“Of course,” Angel smiled again.

Cordelia turned away from him and started to head up the stairs, “If either of them make me loss my VIP status with this club you are going to have to raise my salary big time.”  She did not see the smirk on his face, but she knew it was there.

“Cordelia I really don’t know about this,” Fred tugged at the hem of the crimson halter-top and tried to get it to reach the waistband of the black hip-hugging paleather pants as she looked mirror.  “I mean you can see my navel.”

“Everyone dresses like this at the club Fred,” Cordelia told her forcing her to turn around and face her again.  “Now just relax and let me do finish doing your makeup.”

“And what about my hair,” Fred played with it a little.  “I mean I know I wear it up sometimes, but never like this.  Won’t I get it messy.”

“That is the whole point of the French twist, and with hair like yours it just looks better after it starts to come loose.”  Cordy put the finishing touches on the eyeliner.  “Okay, look.”

Fred turned around nervously and looked in the mirror and frowned, “I look like a hooker!”

“You do not,” Cordy scolded her.  “If you look like a hooker now than what do I look like all the time?”

Fred bit down her lip to keep from saying anything to the question.  The she tried to pull at the top again, “Well I guess it’s okay.  After all everyone will be looking at you anyway.”

“You bet your pretty little head,” Cordy admired herself in the mirror.  She was wearing a backless gold top that from the front looked like a tank top and was made of small little metal circles with matching gold pants.  “Now come on.  Wesley is supposed to be here any minute.”

Fred let Cordelia drag her down the stairs of the hotel and they saw Angel in the lobby who was holding Connor.  The vampire did a double take when he saw the women descend the stairs.

“So, whatcha think,” Cordy asked pushing Fred slightly in front to hear his approval of her handy work.

Angel looked a little dazed but replied, “Um, both of you look great.”

“Thanks,” Fred whispered not looking at him.

“Did you expect anything less?  Move it Fred,” Cordy nudged her to the door.  “Let’s get going.”  She looked back at Angel and mouthed to him, you owe me.

Outside Wesley had just pulled up on his motorcycle.  He was dressed in his leather pants with coat too match and a button dark blue shirt that shimmered a little.  He took of his helmet and looked at Cordelia who was purposely blocking Fred from his view.  He looked over her, “Nice shirt.”

“Thanks,” Cordy told him.  “Is that all you could manage?”

“It doesn’t meet your approval?”

“It will have to do,” she moved out of the way and eyed him carefully to see his reaction to Fred.  She was very pleased to see his mouth gape slightly.

“Fred,” Wesley breathed.  “You look, um…”

“See,” Fred told Cordelia.  “I told you it wasn’t good.”

“No,” Wesley shook his head.  “It’s wonderful.”

“Oh,” Fred looked down at the ground and laughed nervously.  Then she looked at him, really looked at him.  “Well you look… nice too.”

Cordelia waited for them to say something else and then grabbed Fred’s arm.  “Come on,” she pulled the girl toward Angel’s car.  “You’ll follow us Wesley.  Let’s get going.  I don’t want to be late.”

Wesley did not hear her at first.  He was still busy gawking at Fred.  Then he shook his head, “Yes, um, right.  I’ll follow.”

Cordelia shook her head, “I don’t know Fred.  I think he really likes it.”

“Cordelia!” Fred screeched at her.  A slow smile came across her face but she quickly.

The younger woman laughed at her, “I saw that Fred.  Admit you liked the way he was looking at you.”

“Well,” Fred looked down at her hands.  “It was nice, it reminded me of the way Gunn used to-“

“Nuh uh!” Cordy stopped her.  “We are not going to say the g word at all tonight.  You will not think about him one tiny bit.  Okay?” 

“Okay,” Fred sighed looking away.  “It’s just that-“

“Don’t want to hear it,” Cordy said.  “Tonight is about fun.  And that is what we are going to do.  We are going to have fun.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.  We are going to the hottest party scene in town.”  Cordelia pulled off onto the street and headed towards downtown LA.  Tonight was going to very interesting, and even though she told Angel she really hated doing this but secretly she was dying to see what was going to happen.