That Which Lurks Within:
Chapter One

by GylzGirl

Distribution: UCSL. Anyone else just ask.
Disclaimers: Joss. Fox. WB. You think they want credit for what I do with the Scoobies? Not on the likely.
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: G/C, G/W, G/B, G/Other
Ships: B/G, (W/O mentioned)
Author's Notes: Though this takes place during the college years, this was written just after Lover's Walk. In this universe Cordy and Xander got back together after LW, Cordelia never became poor and stayed in Sunnydale, Angel is gone, Willow and Oz are still together, the girls attend Sunnydale University and Giles is the librarian there. This fic was included in the zine A Watcher's Passion (contact zinelady@aol.com for info).

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Cordelia cast a glance out the window at the dilapidated manorhouse that loomed before her. Yeah, why should she feel guilty? She was just...investigating. After all, the sorority used this place for initiations because it was supposedly haunted. She'd bravely find out and make a full ghost report back to the troops. Cordelia smiled brightly and got out of the car.

She approached a group of seven figures, five in white robes, the other two in red. The taller of the red robes turned to face her. "Hi Brandi!"

"Like, where the hell were you?! We've been waiting for like 20 minutes!"

Cordelia gulped. "I know and I'm really sorry." Brandi rolled her eyes and popped her gum. "I uh, stopped for gas and couldn't get the damn thing started again, stupid older model. I told my Dad it was just asking for trouble making me drive that heap two years in a row, but does he listen? No. And it's his daughter that pays, I swear!"

"You've made a very poor showing so far pledge. Pray you do not like dishonor yourself with cowardice inside."

Cordy smiled even wider. "You betcha. I'm *so* into this ghostie thing!"

"Here, put this on." Brandi shoved a white robe into Cordelia's hands and rejoined the group. "Pledges, like follow me into this abode of evil, but be warned. You are not the first to like venture here and some have never returned. Follow." Brandi began to lead them up the little dirt path to the front door.

Cordelia slipped the plain white robe on over her white, button-down, mid-drift and black leather mini-skirt. She pulled her long brown hair out from the collar and hustled to catch up.

Once inside, Cordelia joined the others and settled herself at a round wooden table with large, dripping, white candles in the center. The table and its chairs were the only intact furnishings in the cobweb-enshrouded living room. Cordelia was examining the room with a critical eye from her seat. That of one who'd seen the sorts of things these girls were playing at. She took in the surgically perfected noses of her companions, crinkling with disgust at the filth around them. And Brandi, with her uber-ominous rigmarole spoiled rather comically by her valley girl dialect. It was ridiculous, but if you wanted in, you put up with the crap. She wondered if this was how the rest of the Scooby Gang had seen her. Maybe, it was how they still saw her.

"Pledges, lay your palms flat on the table. Your fingertips must touch that of the sister next to you." Cordy watched as a sea of airbrushed, shiny, acrylic talons spread across the table's surface. Brandy looked to her fellow red robe across the table from her. "Sister Kara, you may now begin."

The until now silent girl, spoke up. "Spirits of the darkness, dwellers in the abyss, we summon you." Cordelia bowed her head so that her long hair would cover her smile. The girl's voice was so high pitched she half-expected a chorus of baying dogs in the background. "We call you from your wandering. Show yourselves."

'Well if you're hoping to annoy them into showing up, we have a good chance here.' Cordy absent-mindedly envisioned introducing Kara to Oz and him dropping to the ground, covering his ears to shield his lycanthropic hearing.

"Show us your power!" The candles flickered and the cobwebs blew in a breeze with no source. The assembled girls began to look around nervously as the temperature dropped noticeably.

Cordela felt icy pinpricks on the back of her neck, cold, piercing, painful. Her eyes shut as she inhaled to scream, struggling against the crushing heaviness in her lungs. She felt something foreign brush against her mind and the scream tore its way free.

Cordelia's scream reverberated around the nearly empty room and all the girls sprang to their feet, staring at her. The front door slammed open against the wall as the candles blew out.

Cordelia stood and made her way to the door amongst the chaos of fleeing, screaming coeds and darkness. As she exited the house, five cars peeled out and sped away and two robed figures laughed on the porch.

Brandi approached with a smile. "That was beyond hysterical! Way better than what we had planned for you guys. You even had us for a minute. You're like totally in, Cordelia! Welcome sister!"

"That's great," Cordelia said, slowly.

"You can move into the house Monday if you like. Kara and I are headed back. Troy's having a party and we promised an appearance. You gonna show?"

"Not tonight, thank you."

"Cool. Need a lift?"

"No thank you. I'll be fine."

"Great. Later!"

Brandi and Kara bounded off to a shiny, blue sportscar and drove off. Cordelia walked slowly to her car as she removed her robe. She unlocked her car door, throwing the robe inside and reached for her purse, retrieving her cell phone. She locked her car door and sat on the hood, staring at her phone blankly for several seconds before she unflipped it and began to dial. "Hello Giles? It's Cordelia. I need some help."

Rupert Giles' Citroen pulled up alongside Cordelia's car. She sat on her hood, gripping her phone, unmoving. Giles turned his motor off, got out and went to her.

"Cordelia?" he said softly. Giles became a little scared. For the first time since he'd known her, Cordelia did not look well. She looked pale and shaken. "Cordelia?"

Blinking and apparently seeing him for the first time, Cordelia finally answered, "Hello Giles. Sorry I had to bother you."

"That's perfectly all right. Are you feeling well?"

"No," she said quietly. "We did a seance. I felt like something tried to get into me for a minute. I feel sort of dizzy. My parents are gone for the weekend and I was scared to go home by myself. In case I pass out or something."

"Cordelia," Giles calmed himself, now was not the time to lecture her on the perils of playing with powers she couldn't control, "I'll take you back to my house if you want. I'll take care of you and in the morning, we'll talk."

"Yes please. Thank you," so quiet, so reserved, so polite, now he was really worried. Cordelia slid from the hood and accompanied Giles to his passenger door. He helped her in, then got in and drove away.

Giles unlocked his front door, reached in and turned the light on. Cordelia ambled in past him. Giles frowned. None of the normal bounce in her step. She was sluggish, trance-like almost. He shut the door and turned just in time to see Cordelia teeter in her step. He steadied her with an arm around her waist and she turned against his chest, clutching at his shirt.

"Giles? Giles!" Cordelia sounded almost panicked.

"Shh, it's all right. You won't fall. I've got you. Let's get you in on the sofa."

Her grip on his shirt front loosened. Giles looked down as she pulled back. He tried to look into her eyes to see if her pupils were dilated. "Cordelia? Are you still dizzy?"

A strange smile played at the corners of her mouth. She leaned forward faster than he could follow and kissed him on the lips. Giles stood frozen, utterly shocked, until he felt her tongue trace the part in his lips in an effort to open him to her and he felt her hands tugging at his belt. His hand drew up from her waist in an attempt to grab her shoulders. His breath caught as his palm brushed the soft mounds of her bare breasts. How did she get her top undone without him noticing? Why was she doing this? He realized with what she had said earlier that *she* wasn't doing this. Cordelia had picked up a passenger and this was a result of a hijack.

Giles' shaking hands found their way to her shoulders. He shoved her back, trying not to look at her nudity. "Cordelia? Cordelia stop!"

An embarrassed expression clouded her face, erasing the smirk. "Giles? What's happening?!" She faltered again, knees buckling.

Giles crushed her against him, getting ready to carry her the sofa. Her arms slid to his neck. As he started to lift her, she scratched her nails across his skin, hard. He could feel the tear as the blood started to flow. When Giles looked to her face, incredulous, the smirk was there again. Giles began to feel foggy, dizzy, drugged. His legs would not support his own weight, let alone Cordelia's and he sank to the floor.

Cordelia fell with him. He felt her slight weight on his chest as he lay blinking up at the ceiling, trying not to panic. Cordelia rolled over and kissed him again. His lips opened in response, as if they moved through her will not his. They only thing he seemed to have control over moving were his eyes, and it was hard to accept what they were showing him.

Giles felt Cordelia's hand slip into his hair as she broke the kiss. She stood straddled over him and shrugged her open shirt off, revealing the tan, taut breasts he had so briefly encountered. Now it seemed even his eyes had betrayed him. He found he could not look away.

Cordelia grinned down at him as she inched her skirt up to her waist. She then grabbed the thin strap of lace across her hip and pulled hard, ripping the panties from her body.

Giles could feel the warm tingle of arousal building in his abdomen. She bent to him, running her hands down his shirt front, then grabbing and pulling it open, sending buttons spraying. She ran a lazy hand down his exposed chest to his pants and unfastened him. Gripping the top, she pulled his trousers and boxers down his thighs in one tug.

Cordelia sat lightly across his hips, grinding, teasing against his arising member. A moan tore from his lips, rising in volume as she bent to his chest and lapped at his nipple. She increased her kisses as he hardened beneath her, then pulled back and smiled. She lowered herself onto him slowly, teasing as in everything. She slid along his length once, then again, before his body began to thrust into her of its own accord. She rode him to a rapid climax, Giles struggling in vain against his traitorous body. As he spilled into her, unconsciousness claimed him.

Cordelia smirked down at his peaceful, sleeping face. She trailed her fingers through his chest hair. A look of confusion then crossed her features and, like a puppet with its strings cut, Cordelia collapsed on top of him.

On to Chapter 2

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