That's How You Know It's Love
by Melissa Flores
mistyjox@hotmail.com

Hunted down like animals, Giles and Cordelia must pull together in order to save themselves, and find a bond that is more than friendship in the process.

Disclaimer: Giles and Cordy ain't mine. They belong to Joss da crackhead.
Distribution: Decaf Land, my fic site, and Topaz's, since this is for her lyrics challenge.
Feedback: Lusted after.

Author's Notes: This is in response to Topaz's lyrics challenge, which was, basically, to write a story based on lyrics that she gave us. The lyrics that were given to me were Deanna Carter's, That's how you Know it's Love. They were hunted down at : http://www.mydeanapage.com/

"Hello!" Cordelia Chase stumbled over  a branch, landing with a groan on the ground. The rain was pelting down on her, and for a minute, she lay there, before stumbling up and wiping the mud off her last pair of good jeans.

Grimacing as she saw the stain, she allowed on selfish thought to enter her head. "Damn, as soon as I find that damn old guy, he is SO going to pay." The mutter was dismissed as soon as it came, and she continued on, calling out loud in the top of her voice.

"Giles!"

There was no answer, and Cordelia felt her heart tremor slightly.  The chill of the rain soaked her jacket but she barely noticed, every nerve on edge trying to find Giles.

"Giles!! You idiot! Answer me!" There was only pelting rain. Cordelia sighed, mopping the wetness out of her eyes and squinting through the downpour. He couldn't have been dragged far. The routine scavenge for herbs in the forest had turned deadly when they had run into a pack of wolves.  Giles, in his typical Giles way had ordered her to run away.  Telling her to run, to save herself, he had grabbed a branch, like that stupid pathetic thing was really going to keep him safe.

And Cordelia, like an idiot, had refused.  She had no idea WHY she did, since before, when she had been in the exact same situation with Xander when they were attacked by Drusilla, she had run like the Dickens. But it was different. This was Giles.  She couldn't leave him alone in the woods with a bunch of wolves. Buffy would kill her.

And it had pissed him off. She had never seen him so pissed when she told him there was no way in hell she was leaving him to get mutilated like a ...well a dog.

"Dammit, GO!" He had cried, pushing her away, and taunting the dogs, he had run, forcing them to follow him.

Cordelia could only watch in horror as he ran deeper into the woods, the wolf pack following him.

What an idiot. Cordelia had stood frozen, for a moment she hadn't been able to move, and then she ran to his stupid little car, and grabbed the crossbow he had packed.

There had been no time to call Buffy, or even her boss Angel the dead guy, she didn't even think about that. For some strange reason, here she was, armed with nothing but a crossbow, trying to locate the old guy in the furious rainy forest.

This was Giles, she had to find him. He was like... Giles. He was the glue. The glue that had kept her in this monster fighting business, the only reason she had stayed and helped Buffy.  He had encouraged her when he found about her helping Angel and Doyle, he had told her he was proud of her. NO ONE had ever said that to her.

He was her friend, at times, he had been her only friend, even if he didn't think so, even if she sometimes thought the guy couldn't stand her.

"GILES!!" She called again, trying desperately to beat the rain out with her voice.  Those cheer leading skills, the years of booming those rhymes, came in handy, and she thanked her lucky stars for them when she heard a weak voice responding.

Her heart skipped, and she ran in the direction of the voice.  It was crying out in pain, and Cordelia felt her heart beating faster.

"Giles!" She cried again, running faster.

Her breath came out in gasps as she continued to run, and suddenly her steps faltered, and her face froze.

"Oh, my god."

Giles stood in the middle of a circle of wolves, fallen, his face in agony. The wolves were circling him, and Cordelia felt her heart tremor with fear.  Without skipping a beat, she raised the crossbow, and sighted for the one that was closest to him.

Just as the wolf ran toward the fallen man, she let if fly.  She heard a yelp, and without looking, she grabbed another crossbow and mounted it, aiming quickly, letting it fly again.

There was another yelp, and a whimper as the wolf stumbled off. Sensing the danger, the other wolves ran off after it.

Cordelia swallowed, trying to catch her breath as she ran forward.

"Giles?" She asked, her voice slipping slightly.

Giles face was bleeding, his glasses were gone, and his arms appeared to have been chewed at.  "Oh, my god."

His eyes opened, as she wiped away the rain from his forehead, her body sheltering his face from the rain as she leaned over him. After a minute, he registered her.

"I though I told you to run away." He mustered.

Her eyes rolled as she helped him sit up. "Shut up, Giles. You'd be dead if I hadn't come back."

He coughed, grimacing when he realized he had coughed blood into his hand.

"Oh, God. You look so gross." Was her observation, her face semi placid.

"Yes, well, thank you." He responded dryly.  He tried to get up, and then groaned, Cordelia's eyebrow furrowed.

"Okay, you ARE as stupid as I thought. Giles we can't move you, you'll like, bleed to death."

He almost glared at her.  "Cordelia, we can't very well stay here. The wolves will smell the blood and come back. We'll be sitting ducks."

Cordelia grimaced.  "Okay, first thing we do when we get back. Kill Willow. Then I'm going to kill Angel for making me come and help you, and then I'm going to kill you for insisting I come with you on this little scavenging thing."

"Cordelia, you're going to kill me anyway if you keep rambling. Please help me up."

She nodded, sighing as she pulled him up, wincing when he groaned.  "I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice so tender and full of emotion he had to look at her once.

"Here." She grabbed his good hand and wrapped it on her shoulder.  "Lean on me, just.... keep the blood away okay? I don't want these pants completely ruined."

He ignored the last comment, thankfully resting on her slightly, though still not allowing her to carry his full weight.

Suddenly she froze.  He looked at her.  "What is it?"

"Uh-oh."

A pit settled into Giles' stomach. "What do you mean, Uh-oh." He asked suspiciously.

"Umm.. Giles? Do you remember which way the car is?"

He gazed at her for one full minute.  "You got us lost?!"

"Well, it wasn't like it was the number one priority in my mind to remember where it was! I thought you were dying, okay? That was kind of all that was on my mind!"

He closed his eyes, counting to three. She was right, of course. She had only been thinking about him. He would be an ass to get angry for that.

"Help me down, over there." She obeyed, putting him next to a rock that semi shielded them from the rain.

"We'll have to wait out the night." He said softly.  "We shouldn't be trapsiding all over the woods, we might go in the wrong direction."

"Oh, yay. All night in the forest." Cordelia rolled her eyes, but merely rechecked her crossbow before putting it down next to her.

He gazed at her in surprise.  "You aren't going to argue with me?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Considering I don't have a better plan, no."

"Here." She pulled off her jacket, shivering in the cold night air as she covered him with it.

"Cordelia. You need this. It's freezing in the forest at night." He tried to give it back but she held it firmly to him.

"No, Giles. I don't need you dying on me okay? There's no way I'm leaving this funky forest alone. Oh, this is so your fault."

"My fault!?" He sputtered.

"Yeah, why the hell did you insist I come with you? Xander usually does this, he would have been fine. Out here, I'm like... useless."

It was when her voice tremored that he finally realized where this anger was coming from.  Cordelia felt useless and scared.   She honestly didn't think she could have made a difference out here.

Good Lord, was she that insecure?

"Look, Cordelia... I'm afraid I have a confession to make."

She looked back at him, her face remarkably beautiful despite being streaked with dirt.  "What?"

"I asked you to come for two reasons. Number one, you are better at recognizing specimens and finish the task faster and better than any of the others." Her face lit up in surprise.  "And... "He hesitated.  "Because I enjoy your company."

Her face floated now into shock.  "Huh?"

Feeling his face grow red, he nevertheless continued. "It's quite different than when you were living here, Cordelia.  You act different than Buffy and the others. You seem more mature. More like an adult. You've outgrown them. And you realize that, don't you?"

She looked away at his scrutinous glance.  "Yeah." She finally admitted.  "I mean, I come back here, and all they are talking about is rush parties and boyfriends, and sometimes all I can care about is how to pay my rent. It's scary." She shrugged. "I feel old."  She gave him an uneven smile. "It's like I have more in common with you now."

He smiled at the words.  "Yes, it does seem like that, doesn't it?"

She stared at him for one long minute, finally realizing what he meant.  "Giles.... I love hanging out with you. I mean... you ... you treat me like a person... sometimes. I'm sorry... I'm sorry if I sounded like I was bitter or something. You're a good... friend."

He felt his lips curl into an involuntary grin at the heartfelt confession.   "Likewise, Ms. Chase." He murmured, the memory of her wide and frightened eyes as she chased away the wolves fresh in his mind.

"If we die here, I'm kicking your ass."

"Thank you." He murmured. She wiped at his forehead with her sleeve, and sighed, leaning against the rock.

"We're going to die. I know it."

He closed his eyes, silently muttering a prayer of patience before opening them again.  "Cordelia, we've gotten out of worse traps than this. Do you remember when we saved Buffy and Willow from being burned at the stake?"

Her lips fluttered into a smile at the thought. "Yeah, we did the whole tag team then, didn't we? Though I never will forgive you making me touch that Toad thing. "

"Yes, well, we'll get out of this one. I promise you."

She glared at him, and then sighed, shrugging and closing her eyes.  "If that had come from anyone but you, I'd.... "She blew her breath out. "Okay, Giles. I believe you. But just in case we do die or I die of pnemonia-"

"You're kicking my ass, yes, I know."

She had to smile at his resigned remark.  "Damn straight." And with that she tenderly brushed at his face again, making sure his arm was shielded from the dirt.

One hour later, she was back to being a pessimist.

"If we die here, I WILL kill you, Giles."

"Yes, you've said that already, Cordelia." He answered, mechanically.

"What are we going to do?" She whispered, rubbing at her neck.

He closed his eyes, staving off the pain before answering. "Well, perhaps we could, wait out the night, in the morning,  you and I could make it to the car by use of the sun."

"How?" The word came with a blank expression.

"I have a compass, Cordelia. I can use  it when I can see."

"You have a compass and you didn't tell me?"

"Do you know how to use one?"

"Well.. no." She admitted.

"Well, I can't use it in the darkness and in blinding pain, can I? I remember the position of the car, I've camped there before. We just need light to see by. We'll be fine here till morning." She stared at him for a second, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

"That's perfect!" She squealed, grabbing his good arm and squeezing. "Oh, God, Giles, I could kiss you right now!" She blushed as soon as the words came out, and the tender grin he gave her.  "Well, you know.. not literally or anything." She murmured quickly, brushing the hair out of her face.

"I doubt kissing you would really help right now, Cordelia, considering you'd die of pneumonia, and as a result, pass it on to me."

"Funny, old guy." With that she pulled some leaves that seemed semi dry, and gently laid him on them, settling in a shivering lump a few feet away.

"Cordelia."

"Go to sleep, Giles."

"Come here." He ordered, raising his good arm. After a minute, her desire to be warm won out, and she relented., coming forward, and sliding next to him, hugging him.

"Are you going to be okay?" Her voice was unexpectedly gentle, and he felt himself smile at the concern.

"I'll be fine. I promise. Get your rest, Cordelia. We both need it."

She obeyed, falling asleep immediately. Giles lay awake sometime longer, the pain now something he was used to. He found himself gently running his fingers along her back, and forced himself to stop, to simply close his eyes and hold her.

Yet before he drifted off, the single thought betrayed to himself that he could lay with her next to him forever. And this time, he didn't push it away.

Cordelia was never sure exactly how Giles and her managed to find the car, but find the car they did, thanks to Giles seldom misguided directions.

They were so caught up in their excitement, and trying to get Giles back safely at first they didn't' realize the car wouldn't start.

Thank goodness for cell phones. She used Giles to call Buffy and then the paramedics, and within ten minutes they arrived.

The sense of closure that hung in the air was intimidating to Cordelia, but she didn't leave Giles's side, merely sat with him, not speaking, even as the paramedics had lay him on the cot, preparing him for the move.

"Cordelia."

She looked down at him as he lay in the cot, his arm covered in bandages, his eyes glazed in pain.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think I thanked you, for saving my life."

She blushed at the admiring gaze, shaking it off quickly. "Yeah, well, don't expect it too much, okay? It's not like I can come down here every other week and save your ass."

"Yes well, regardless of that. If I can ever do anything..."

She bit her lip, feeling the color rising to her cheeks as she responded. "Yeah, actually."

"What is it?"

Her hazel eyes were unnervingly clear as she stared at him. "Can we be friends, then, Giles?"

Giles gaze was soft, his voice tender when he responded, "We ARE friends, Cordelia."

They gazed at each other for one moment, before the paramedic barked orders and shook them both out of their transfixation.

Cordelia stepped back, crossing her arm and biting her lip as he was carried into the paramedic's van, Buffy climbing in behind him.

Watching him, she felt an arm descend on her shoulder, a cold body against her.

"You okay?"

She didn't look at Angel as she responded. "I'm fine.  Would like some clean clothes though."  He slipped out his coat and settled it on her shoulders, before turning her away.

"Let's go home."

She nodded, but as she turned, her head searched out Giles'  face again, and caught him staring at her from across the road.

That last thing she saw before he was taken away was a smile in his green eyes, one that without thinking, she returned.

A week had passed and Cordelia was still thinking about him.  She would close her eyes, and she would see that smile, the heartfelt confession, and the thought that maybe she had just found her best friend.

In the old guy.

Still, she felt too nervous to call him.   What would it look like? Here was desperate Cordy, calling up GILES, and what would she say, "hey, Giles, want to hang out? You know, cause you only live two hours away?"

Groaning, she put her arms on her desk, burying her face in them.

"Something the matter?"

Her head flew up, her eyes widened when she saw a familiar figure at the door.

"Giles."

He smiled. "Hullo, Cordelia.

"Hi." Feeling her heart thud, she rose hastily.  "Wow, you're all better."

He looked to his arm, and smiled. "Yes, well, the doctors know me quite well. They take care of me."

"So umm. did Angel need you or something?"

"No."

"No?"  He shook his head, smiling softly.  Her eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because you made a promise that you failed to keep, Cordelia." He informed her solemnly.

She looked at him, completely bewildered. "What?"

"I believe you said that if we got through this, you'd kiss me senseless." He said softly, his smiled wicked when her eyes widened.

"Excuse me?!"

"Well you did."

"I thought we were going to DIE, you moron." She whispered hastily back. "I didn't' think you'd take it literally."

"Well, I did."

"Why?"

"Because." He put his hands in his pocket, looking down when he responded softly, "I really would like to kiss you, Cordelia."

Oh, God.  Cordelia felt behind her, bracing her hands on the desk for support. "Oh." was all she could muster.

"Would you like to kiss me?" He asked quietly. Cordelia felt her knees go weak at the intense gaze he gave her. Who was this guy? It couldn't be Giles doing this to her, it couldn't be.

But it was his eyes, his body that her eyes were roving over, it was his words that she felt going right through.  It was Giles all right.

"Yes." She answered honestly.  He smiled, the specks of insecurity erased from his eyes as he came forward, stopping a foot away.  He stared at her, on his face that sexy lazy grin of his before ever so slowly, he reached forward and tenderly took one palm into his, rubbing at it.

She felt herself smile at the shivers that filled her at the contact.  He pulled her to him, his hands now on her waist.

For a minute they just stared at each other, and then he leaned down, his lips millimeters from hers.

"You realize what we're doing." She remarked, pulling back seconds before his lips were to land on hers.

He stared at her for a minute, his green eyes growing darker, and his mouth widening into a smile.

"And that is?"

"We're venturing into awkwardness." She said, sliding her arms around him nevertheless.

"I disagree." He said, shaking his head.

"Oh?" She cocked an eyebrow. "And what's your theory, old guy?"

His lips leaned down, his answer causing her to gasp and close her eyes as  his lips tenderly brushed hers.  His lips were relentless, pressure building as she finally allowed him intimate access, as her body pressed closer to his, and he moaned at the contact.  They lips brushed at each others for a soft second, and then they stilled, eyes closed and hearts hammering as they felt each other's breath  whispering across the skin.

He hugged her then, burying his face into her neck and just inhaling, shuddering when her lips pressed against his neck for  a second.

His lips found her ear, and it was then that he finally responded to her question.  "Falling in love." He whispered softly.  "We're falling in love, Cordelia."