In The DarkBy Ten
“It’s broken.”
“No, it’s not broken. Refresh the screen.” Willow sat in the sunlit window scouring through another text of demon descriptions and details. Cordelia had said at least four times that the computer she was working on was broken. Each time it had been a minor user error that any 3rd grader could have figured out. She realized that Cordelia was technologically challenged, but she was quickly recognizing that unless she stopped her research and went to help her directly she was going to spend most of the afternoon answer elementary questions such as, “What does esc mean?”
“It’s still not working.”
“Did you refresh the screen?” She sighed and refused to get up.
“Yes,” Cordy responded, a touch of annoyance in her voice. “I’m not stupid, but it’s black. How do you refresh a black screen?”
“Black?” Willow looked up from her book, a hint of concern flashing and then quickly dissipating. “Check the monitor. Is it plugged into the computer?”
Cordy frowned and leaned over the table so that she could look behind the large monitor. “Yes.”
“Okay, is the little green light flashing?”
“Where?”
Willow almost growled. “On the monitor, Cordelia, the on-off switch, is it flashing?”
“Uhhhh, no.”
“How about the computer? The front of the computer should have a light shining.” This was getting ridiculous and she was getting extraordinarily peeved.
“Uhhhh, where is that exactly?”
Willow gritted her teeth. “Next to the monitor. That big, square box you sometimes stick floppy disks into … is there a light on the front?”
“Ummm, no. Should there be?”
Willow sighed resolutely. “Okay, check to see if the computer is plugged in. Maybe you kicked the plug out with your shoes.”
“Hey! These are Italian leather and they don’t kick anything I don’t intend for them to kick.” She bristled, then looked around on the floor. “No plugs on the floor.”
“Is there a power bar behind the monitor?”
“A what?”
“A power bar.”
“Why would there be food behind the monitor?”
Willow closed the book and surrendered. “Not a power bar, a power bar! You know, one of those things with lots of plugs in it?” She couldn’t believe it. How could Cordelia live in this day and age and know nothing about technology?
“Oh, uh, yes. Here it is.”
Okay, is the little red light on the on-off switch of that working?”
“Um, what little red light?”
Willow sighed again. She was never going to get this done. Giles needed a summary of all demons cross referenced to the word ascension before he could make any projections on what might be happening. How could she possibly get this finished with Cordelia unable to turn on a light switch?
“Cordelia,” she sighed and gathered up her books. “Look, I’m going outside to the patio. If you can’t make it work, call tech support, okay? The number is on a stickee note by the phone.” She almost flounced past Cordy, tossing her final comments casually over her shoulder. “You know, that’s that thing you use to call boys when you don’t have a date on Saturday night.”
“Hey! I never have to call boys, and I never DON’T have a date, and ….”
Willow left the library with Cordelia still ranting away, a very pleased expression on her face. Sometimes it was really worth the efford to goad a cheerleader. Five minutes later she knew exactly why the computer wasn’t working. She smiled to herself and decided to go to the main quad. She didn’t say a word to Cordelia.
**************
“Hello? Tech support? Something’s wrong with my computer.” Cordy had that snotty voice thing going really well, as if it were tech support’s negligence that prevented her from the getting the information she needed from her computer. She listened to the phone, a long drawn out explanation that made her attention wander half way through.
“Okay. So, where do I look for that?” She looked around as the voice on the phone droned on, cringing when he wanted her to crawl beneath the desk. “Do you have any idea what’s under there?” She listened some more. “Okay.”
She set the phone down a little too hard, no doubt sending a nice, loud pop into the tech support guy’s ear. Cautiously she got down on her hands and knees and crawled beneath the table, a series of “ewww” and “yuck” rattling the air of the usually quiet library.
She crawled back out covered in dust and grime, brushing herself off and muttering. “Do you have any idea how gross that was under there? I don’t think anyone has ever cleaned beneath that thing and there were dead things I don’t even want to see, and it was dark down there so I really couldn’t see much anyway but I could feel all those cob webby things crawling all over me and they’re in my hair and … what … uh … okay.”
She fiddled with the light switch a few times. “No, the light’s not doing anything, but I don’t care about the stupid lamp, okay? I just want my computer to cough up the 12 page Biology paper I’ve spent most of the semester working on, and if you think I’m going to do that all over again…”
A wrinkle formed on her brow as the voice on the phone obviously interrupted her. “Okay, I’m backing away from the computer. Is it dangerous? Huh? Box it up? What? “ Her voice became almost shrill. “I’m too stupid to what? Own a computer?!”
She slammed down the phone, just as Wesley Wyndham-Pryce came in the main doors, a look of calm purpose on his face. He looked elegant and all James Bond-y as usual, and there was a strange strength in him that usually remained hidden, as if he were totally in control of a situation rather than just reacting to it. Cordelia found that made him even more attractive to her and almost distracting enough to stop the tantrum she felt brewing inside.
The moment Wesley saw Cordelia he froze, obviously trying to discern what would be the proper course of action in such circumstances. On the one hand she was an extremely attractive young woman who he would be more than happy to get to know on a more intimate level. Then again, she was also a student and therefore off limits for any adult associated with the school. However, she was in obvious distress, and he couldn’t be so ungallant as to not offer his aide.
“What has you so upset … um … Cor … Miss Chase? I mean other than the blackout, which I assume would be upsetting to almost anyone. I know I find it somewhat distressing, but this sort of thing used to happen all the time at the draughty old place where I attended university, so it doesn’t really bother me in the least, but I could see that it would be of some concern to a young woman like yourself who has classes to attend and dances and … “ He stopped, watching her as her expression changed from annoyed frustration to outright anger.
“Blackout?” Her voice grew higher in pitch. “There’s a blackout???”
“Oh dear. I’m sorry, I thought you knew.” Wes took one look at her and calmly stepped away. Mt. Cordelia was about to erupt. Giles’s office was starting to look like a refuge rather than the opportunity to snoop.
For Cordelia, learning of the blackout was the last straw. She had endured computer difficulties, faulty electricity, Willow blowing her off, and condescending computer technicians. Now, to find out that the entire thing was because of a black out, well, that was just to much. She began screaming at the air, the walls, the ceiling, and him as if they were all in some kind of conspiracy against her. He was at a loss of what to do. He stepped further away as her rant increased until he was almost in a panic himself to try to find some way to calm her down.
Finally, in desperation, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into him, pressing his lips fiercely to hers in a passionate and desperate kiss. He held her to him, their lips fused together, until she began to stop struggling. When she began to moan and purr happily into his mouth, he lingered a bit longer before releasing his lips from hers, taking a step back, his hands still firmly on her shoulders.
They stared at each other in awkward silence.
“I, uh, must apologize, Miss Chase. You were distraught and it was the only way I could think of to distract you.” He released her shoulders, brushing the fabric of her sleeves as if that was his hands’ only purpose for being there. “It was quite inappropriate, I’m sorry to say, please forgive me for ….”
Cordy’s lips turned up into a slight smile and she began to move slowly and seductively toward the embarrassed Englishman. “So, you’re saying that all the power in the school is out? So there won’t be any classes because, hey, it’s dark, and no announcements telling us where to go or what to do because, hey, no speakers, and ….. “
Wesley backed slowly away from her, keeping a consistent distance between them. Cordelia, however, was relentless and continued going down the list of things they couldn’t do because there was no power and about how she had read there had been an increase of births in New York City in 1977 after those blackouts because no one could watch TV or listen to radios or anything like that so they found something better to do.
When they reached Giles’s office, she physically shoved Wes through it, then added with a smile. “So, how about if we find something better to do, Wes?” With a delicious smile she stepped through the door, closing it behind her.
~Fin~