__When Wesley Met Cordy__
By Kath



The large, ornate room was festooned with happy, smiling people. Some hung in groups, clutching crystal chalices of champagne and chatting amiably; others danced with abandon to the latest club mix. The walls were draped with silver and purple streamers and decorations, and the chandeliers twinkled brightly, as if winking knowingly at the crowd below. Amidst all of this, stood a lone figure, a melancholy cloud hanging dramatically over her head.

Cordelia knew she should be thrilled to be here. These were the rich and famous of Los Angeles; the ones she had wanted so desperately to meet, only a few short months ago. She'd gone out and splurged on the simple, yet elegant, black gown she was wearing and had even paid to have her hair and makeup done for the first time in ages. It was way more than she should have spent, especially considering her present employment situation - or lack thereof - but, after all, as Wesley kept trying to inform her, this was the *real* start of the new millennium. Little needles of guilt poked at her conscience, when she thought of Wesley. Cordelia had deliberately not told him of David Nabbit's invitation. Ever since Angel had fired everyone, the two of them, along with Gunn, had been working to maintain Angel Investigations on their own, operating, once again, out of her apartment. The visions hadn't stopped; in fact, if anything, they had escalated. The three of them were exhausted, and cross with each other much of the time. Christmas had been a dismal affair, although, now that she looked back on it, she realized Wesley had tried to make it festive for her, bringing in a little tree and offering to string some lights. At the time she had just found it irritating. When she'd remembered about David's invitation, she had selfishly kept it to herself, wanting the chance to be normal for once, to be around people who didn't know demons existed, just for one night.

A waiter passed by, laden with trays of steaming hordeurves. [Wesley would have attacked those with a vengeance] she thought with a smile. Damn, the needles were becoming jackhammers. What was wrong with her? She was Queen C. She knew she looked good - hell, she looked great! So why wasn't she happily chatting up theatrical agents and future dating potential? Deep down, Cordelia already knew the answer. Where at one time she would have felt independent and bold, now all she felt was alone. You weren't supposed to be alone on New Years Eve. This life wasn't what she wanted anymore. She missed her friends. Watching as couples swept by her, holding hands, only having eyes for each other, pangs of jealousy swept through the girl, and she was finally forced to admit the real truth to herself: she missed Wesley. True, he could be annoying. Yesterday, when he'd started - for the third time - to explain how everyone had been wrong last year, and that *this* year was the start of the new millennium, she had just wanted to throttle the loquacious man. Still, maybe if she'd taken the time to really listen to him, instead of blowing him off over and over, he would have stopped repeating himself, and *maybe*, if she'd really paid attention, she would have seen that he was just as lonely as she was, and was reaching out in the only way he knew how.

Cordelia looked at her watch. It read: 11:00 p.m. In one hour, couples all over the world - okay, in this time zone - were going to be in each others arms, kissing, and ringing in the New Year together. Abruptly, with total clarity, she knew where she wanted to be, when the clocks struck midnight. She only hoped she could make it in time.

*****

Wesley was startled out of his own, private reverie, by a very insistent knocking on his apartment door. How long had he been standing there, in front of the open refrigerator, staring into its empty bowels? He had no idea. He looked at his watch: 11:30. Now who on earth would be banging on his door at this hour. Shutting the refrigerator again, the demon hunter picked up a stake, and went to the door. True, vampires didn't usually knock, but one could never be too careful. Peering through the peephole, his mouth fell open when he realized who was out in his hall. Wesley fumbled with the chain and the deadbolt, and cracked the door open enough to look out.

"Cordelia?"

"Well, duh. Who do you think it is?" She grimaced at him impatiently, as though he should have been expecting her, and was keeping her waiting.

Pulling the door open wide, Wesley stood, stunned, his eyes moving up and down her form, taking in the clingy dress, that shimmered, even in the dull light of the hallway. Looking down at his own apparel, he became embarrassingly aware of the grey sweatpants and faded 'Cambridge' t-shirt he was wearing. "Uh....well...." was all he managed to get out, before Cordelia swept past him, into his tiny flat. Dazed, he shut the door behind her, relocking it automatically, before turning to face her again.

"Cordelia," he looked at his watch again. "It's 11:30. Aren't you running awfully late for David Nabbit's party?"

He watched in amazement, as the girl's self-confidence seemed to crumble right before his eyes. She grew pale, and then a pink blush spread across her cheeks.

"Y-you knew...about the party?" she stammered.

"Yes, of course. I was there when you opened the invitation. Don't you remember?" A light dawned. "You didn't remember, did you? You thought I didn't know....and you deliberately didn't tell me. I'm right, aren't I?" He found himself actually getting angry.

"W-well...." Cordelia began to feel desperate. This was not going the way she'd planned. Actually, she hadn't figured out what she was going to do, once she'd gotten there, but this was certainly not a good start. She could feel tears welling in her eyes. "You're right...and I'm sorry." A single tear escaped, rolling down her smooth cheek. Instantly, anger forgotten, Wesley was at her side, leading her to the sofa, arm gently around her shoulder.

"Cordelia? What's wrong? Why are you here? Did you have a vision?"

She shook her head, and gratefully took the handkerchief he offered, dabbing at her eyes, trying not to smear her makeup. She didn't want to end up with raccoon eyes.

"You don't know what I went through to get here," she sniffed.

Wes sat back and studied her closely. "Cordelia, why *are* you here?"

"I just...I thought maybe...you didn't have any plans and were gonna be here by yourself..." she trailed off.

Wesley's eyebrows shot up incredulously. "So, you felt sorry for me and thought you would do me the *favor* of gracing me with your presence." He had jumped up and was now pacing up and down in front of her.

Uh oh, Cordy knew that voice. It usually meant she'd insulted him somehow.

"Yes...no, wait! I didn't mean...not that exactly." She never had this much trouble talking to Wes before, not even back in the Sunnydale days. He had his defenses up and she probably wasn't going to get out of this without telling him the truth. [Damn.]

"How come you're so defensive all of a sudden? Can't I just feel like coming over and hanging out with you?" she hedged.

Wesley stopped pacing. If possible, his eyes grew even wider, and it took him so long to answer, she was starting to think he hadn't heard her.

"Come over and 'hang out'?" The ex-Watcher was practically choking on the words. "On New Year's Eve? When you've been invited to a formal dress soiree at a millionaire's mansion? In the ten months we've been working together, you've never once expressed any interest in spending time with me in the off hours, so...gee, I don't know, Cordelia. I can't imagine why I would be the least bit suspicious."

[Ouch} She supposed she deserved that. "Alright, I admit it. There is more to it."

This appeared to placate the young Englishman, as he relaxed a bit, and sat back down. He even smiled at her, as if he were satisfied he'd won this round.

Cordelia took a deep breath and looked at her watch. She had twenty minutes to convince Wesley that she wasn't out to get him. Well, she was...just not in a bad way.

"Okay, I *was* at the party. You should have seen David's house. All the decorations...champagne served in real crystal..you would have loved the shrimp rolls...oh, and I swear I saw Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe..."

Wesley leaned back, folding his slender arms neatly across his chest. He was wearing his tolerant face, which indicated she was losing him.

"Right, that's besides the point. Anyway, I was there and I started to think it would be kinda nice if...you were there...with...me." The rest came tumbling out in a rush. "So I decided to come here, and here you are, and here I am, and look, it's almost midnight. Do you have anything to drink, uh, to toast with? Cause that would be nice." She was babbling, and she knew it. Good God, she was turning into Willow!

Wesley blinked, took a deep breath, and blinked again. Cordy was sure that, if she looked deep enough into his eyes - and how come she had never noticed how beautiful his eyes were before? - she would be able to see gears turning in his head, as he processed what she'd just told him.

"Cordy, if this is some sort of joke..."

"Would I joke about missing a celeb-filled party?"

"Why me?"

The question caught the girl off guard. "What?"

"I mean, why not Gunn? Was I closer? Or, maybe he wasn't home..."

Cordelia rested a hand on her friend's knee and smiled brightly at him. "Because, Silly, I like Gunn, but I *love* you."

An entire cadre of vampires could have burst through the door uninvited, and Wesley would not have so much as flinched.

"Pardon?" he said at last.

"I know, it took me long enough to realize it, but, I don't believe in leaving things unsaid, so there ya go. I love you."

Wesley removed his glasses carefully, and rubbed at his tired eyes. His mind fought to form a coherent thought. It was losing badly. "Cordelia," he tried to be delicate. "This has been a difficult time for all of us, what with Angel becoming....so self-absorbed, and the sacking and all. I can understand how you might feel alone, but you're not. Gunn and I are you're friends, and we're here for you. You certainly don't need to resort to such extreme measures, just to have company for the holidays."

Cordy's eyes narrowed and her body tensed, as she spoke through gritted teeth. "Is *that* what you think I'm doing? You think my life is so pathetic that I need to *lie* to you, to pretend I feel something for you, just so you'll notice me? Yeah, right!" She scooted herself farther away on the sofa, and refused to look at him.

"I do apologize. That isn't what I meant at all. I would never....I only meant that, do to these extreme circumstances, I feel you're mistaking loneliness for something else."

"You don't care about me at all?"

Wesley's eyes grew sad, and seemed to change color, to a darker blue. "I never said that," he whispered softly, almost to himself. "Your friendship means a great deal to me, Cordelia. We almost lost it once, trying to make more of our relationship than we should have. I don't want to ever jeopardize what we have again. I couldn't bear to lose you. You're my closest friend."

Clearly touched, Cordy slid back closer to Wesley, hooking her arm through his, and resting her head lightly on his shoulder. "And you're mine." To herself, she thought that she wasn't about to give up, not now that she knew he really did have feelings for her. She just needed a way to get it through his thick skull, that she'd meant what she said. Idly, for lack of anything better to do, she picked up the tv remote and switched it on.

"Ugh, Dick Clark. Why does everyone always want to spend New Years watching boring old Dick Clark?"

Before Wesley could formulate an answer, the girl had vaulted off the couch, nearly taking his arm with her, in her haste to reach the telephone. She'd dialed a number and was now attempting to stretch the phone cord into the kitchen, assumably so he wouldn't hear her conversation. Wesley was forced to leap up as well, in order to save the phone, and the lamp next to it, from certain destruction as they attempted to sail off the hall table. He was just about to call to her to stop pulling so hard, when she bounced back out of the kitchen, a grin on her face that would rival a Cheshire cat's.

"I don't want to know what you're up to now, do I?" he sighed, resignedly.

"Just wait and see, Mr. Doubting Wesley." She'd brought back a bottle of wine with her, and two glasses - now his icebox was truly empty - and was busy pouring each of them a glassful. Wesley returned to his seat, and gracefully accepted the offered glass. Cordy held up hers as well.

"A toast....to Dick Clark."

"Uh, to.... what?" Just then, he was interrupted, by a voice booming from his tv set. "Could you turn that down? I really don't see why...."

Dick Clark: "We don't normally take requests, during our New Years Across America show, but as a favor to two lovebirds in Los Angeles, we're going to deliver this message: Cordelia Chase would like everyone to know that she is truly, madly, and deeply in love with Mr. Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. So, Wesley, if you're listening, don't let this one get away..."

Wesley stared in shock, first at the tv screen, then at Cordelia, who was beaming at him. "W-wha....h-how....? How on earth did you...?"

"It's all who you know." She answered, smugly. "I just phoned David, and explained the situation to him. He was very sympathetic, really. He's a pretty influential man, when he wants to be, you know. He called someone, and before you know it...voila!"

"B-but....." The confused man couldn't think of what came after 'but', but he was sure something must.

"So, now do you believe me? It's one minute to midnight. Are you gonna kiss me?"

"Cordelia..." he finally managed to sputter. "I really don't think we should rush into anything. Perhaps, with time, we could...."

An exaggerated sigh escaped Cordy's lips. "Wes, I give up. If you want to take things slowly, I guess I can understand that. But, even close friends are allowed to kiss on New Years, right? I mean, just a friendly kiss, of course."

Not wanting to disappoint the girl, and still reeling from her public declaration, Wesley agreed. The replay of the ball dropping in New York was about to occur, with about 10 seconds to spare, when Cordelia leaned in and gave him a rather chaste peck on the lips. Relieved that she was finally seeing things rationally, he was completely taken by surprise by the full body clinch that followed. Her body seemed to melt into his, her mouth warm and inviting. Wesley felt his brain explode, as he relaxed and opened himself up to the sensations swirling through his body. Somewhere, in the distance, he could hear the sound of noise makers, fireworks and horns blowing. Not wanting to release her, but feeling the need to come up for air, he pulled back, only enough to catch his breath.

"I do suppose, I might be willing to rethink my decision," Wesley murmured, softly.

Cordy caressed his cheek lovingly, and gazed into his eyes, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I thought you might."

"Happy New Year," he managed to get out, between kisses.

Cordelia smiled against his lips. "Happy New Millennium, Wes. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *