Buffy giggled delightedly as her slightly intoxicated dance partner swung her in a graceful circle and dipped her so low that the tips of her seawater clogged hair almost touched the sand.

“You tryna get me all dizzy, Dave?” she asked breathlessly once he'd pulled her back upright.

He smiled cheekily as they swayed to the music being blasted from the nearby speakers. “Well I figured that it was the only way an odd yet charming dork like myself could possibly persuade such a beautiful young lady like you to have another drink with me.” He was teasing her, and she liked it. There was nothing better than a guy with a great sense of humour.

Buffy hadn't known Dave for very long – actually, she'd only known the guy for the three hours that the beach party had been swinging. But he was nice and cute and had been flirting with her ever since he'd spotted her through the smoke of the bonfire and Buffy was pretty sure that she'd need no persuasion whatsoever to spend a little more time with him tonight. In fact, she was just about to break all 'playing it cool' rules and tell him exactly this when she felt the buzz of her cellphone going off inside the back pocket of her denim shorts.

“Hold that thought,” she instructed Dave, before disentangling herself and moving away from the bonfire and the music to answer the call. “I'll be back,” she promised over her shoulder.

Once she was far away enough for the music to be muffled and for the smell of the smoke to be fainter, she flopped down onto the sand, near enough to the water so that she could wriggle her happy little toes in it.

“Buffy?” the person on the other end of the phone exclaimed as soon as she had hit answer.

She started in surprise at the sound of her mother's voice, unused to hearing Joyce down the phone. Ever since Buffy had begun travelling three years ago, Joyce had always contacted her by email as she was never sure which country her daughter was going to be in, and was always confused by the phone codes. It was an endearing quality, one of Joyce's many ditzy attributes, and it always made Buffy miss her mother just that little bit more whenever she thought about it.

“Hey, Mom,” she replied. “What's wrong? There's something wrong, right? For you to be calling me instead of mailing?”

“Oh...yes, actually. Buffy, we need you to come home.”

Buffy blinked, surprised by her mother's statement. Never, not once, in the past three years had there ever been a cause for Joyce to call Buffy home from her travels. Not the time when her step-father, Giles, had flooded the house, not the time when her mother had forgotten about her incense sticks and burnt down a whole bed, not even the time Buffy's older brother, Xander, had announced he was getting married to a belly dancer – only to break it off three days later when he found out she was cheating on him with the club barman...and woman.

Buffy visited home every six months or so, so there had really been no other need for her to go back to Sunnydale apart from then.

“Mom, what's happened?” she questioned, a little niggle of worry worming it's way through her belly.

There was a muffled commotion in the background, and Buffy strained her ears to try and find out what was going on. “Oh dear...Buffy, I have to go. The twins have just broken the vase your grandmother gave us last Christmas.”

“Wait, the twins are there?”

Oh dear, the devil twins. Thomas and Jesse – her father's evil seven year old sons from his marriage to his second wife, Darla. As much as Buffy loved her little brothers, they could be complete pains in the ass when they were...well, awake.

“Um...yes. Seriously Angelkins, I have to go. I'll explain everything when you get here. You will come, won't you?”

“Of course I'll come. I'll get the first flight out tomorrow.”

Joyce let out an audible sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you. You don't know how good that is to hear. Will you let me know what time you arrive? I'll pick you up from the airport.”

“Sure thing. I'll call you tomorrow when I know.”

There was some more noise in Joyce's background – a squeal this time and a loud thud.

“Banana sticks!” Joyce cursed. “Thomas, let go of your brother's ear! No, I said let go! Oh, where's your mother? Oh no...Buffy, I really must go. I'll see you soon.”

“But wait, can't you at least-” Anything else Buffy had been about to say was cut off by the shrill sound of the dial tone. “tell me what's going on...” she trailed off.

She huffed out a frustrated little puff of air. As endearing as Joyce's ditzyness was, it could also be extremely annoying. But it wouldn't stop her from doing as her mother had asked and getting home as soon as she possibly could. Joyce wouldn't have asked her to come home unless it was a crisis of the serious kind, she was all about the being free, letting Buffy follow her dreams of seeing the world. But Buffy was a big family girl, and there was nothing she wouldn't do to help them if they needed it.

Still sitting down, she looked back towards the beach party sadly. People were still dancing around the bonfire...freely...carelessly. She'd only been in Greece for a week and a half but she'd already fallen in love with the place, the people, everything. Going home would be such a downer. She'd always felt so confined back in Sunnydale, so trapped. It was why she'd gone travelling in the first place...to feel free.

She supposed everybody needed to go home sometime.

A tear streaked Willow hugged Buffy to her chest for several long and emotional moments, purposely ignoring the nasal toned voice informing all passengers that it was their last chance to board the flight over the loud airport speakers.

Buffy tried to pull away, squeaking when she was unsuccessful. “Will, that's my flight they're talking about. You're gonna have to let me go sometime or I'll miss it.”

“Maybe that's what I'm trying to achieve,” Willow's muffled voice answered back. But despite her words, she finally let Buffy go, stepping away and fingering the home made chain of beads and feathers around her neck – a habit she often employed when she was anxious or upset.

“Aw, honey, come on! I'll only be gone for six months. Then I'll be back out here with you and travelling the world once more.”

Willow sighed and pouted. “I know, I know. It's just that it'll be so weird! I haven't travelled a day without you since we met in Denmark last year!”

Buffy laughed and rolled her eyes at Willow's typical drippy behaviour. She had learnt a lot about the eccentric girl in the year that she had known her, including the fact that she tended to over-dramatize everything. “And you did perfectly fine without me before then. I'm sure you'll be just peachy now.”

“It'll still be strange. You better promise to email me all the time, missy. Like, every day. I want to know everything that happens in the crazy world of Buffy Summers.”

“You know I will. And you too! I wanna hear about every place you go to, every country. And ooh, hey! Maybe you can even visit me in Sunnydale!”

“Count on it! You can introduce me to that hunky sounding brother of yours.”

“Okay. Firstly...ew. Secondly...he has a girlfriend. Joy someone or other. She's a cheerleader at the local university. Totally Xander's type.”

Willow shrugged. “Never mind. I'm sure I'll find someone else to keep me occupied while I'm there.”

“You're shameless.”

“A hussy to the core.”

Another announcement played over the airport speakers, and Buffy cringed and leant down to pick up her hand luggage. “I have to go, or I'm really gonna miss my flight.”

“Okay, fine,” Willow grumbled. “But one more hug.”


+++

It had been the longest flight in the history of the world. No, the history of the universe! Or at least that's how it had felt to Buffy.

The on-flight movie had been awful – like, rip your eyeballs out awful. The food had been awful – crap so stale that Buffy was sure she was going to be ill later. The obnoxious air hostesses had been awful. And the rude, pervy man sitting next to her had been the most awful thing of all.

All in all, it was really no surprise that Buffy burst into great, heaving sobs at the sight of her mother waiting for her in the tiny Sunnydale airport, dressed in her usual headscarf and floaty dress and smelling of lavender and candle smoke. Everything about her was just so welcoming, and Buffy was just so tired – she'd been too afraid to sleep on the plane just in case pervy man had decided to use the opportunity to cop a feel – that she couldn't help but have a little sniffle when Joyce wrapped her up tightly in a warm embrace.

A quick trip to the airport toilets and café later, Buffy was back to looking and feeling like her normal, functioning self. A naturally curious person, she impressed herself by waiting until she and Joyce had gotten all the way to the car and were driving home before she began questioning her mother on the situation.

“Oh, it's those two fathers of yours,” Joyce started disapprovingly, referring to Hank and her second husband, Rupert. “They've been up to no good again, as usual. I swear to the holy heavens, the day those two men became best friends was the day my life turned upside-down. Always up to mischief, they are. And if they aren't then it's only because they're too busy scheming to create some.”

Buffy 'hmm'd' in agreement, more than used to her father and step-father's antics. Every time she came home for a visit they'd be holed up together, giggling like naughty schoolboys and getting up to God only knew what. “What did they do this time?”

“They went and got themselves arrested, that's what they did!” Joyce announced loudly, wildly flourishing her arms.

“Mom!” Buffy screeched when the car swerved to the side and someone behind them honked furiously.

“Sorry, sorry!” Joyce lowered her hands back down to the wheel, leaving Buffy to work at slowing down her furiously beating heart.

“And what?!” she exclaimed, once her body had calmed and her mind had had time to process what her mother had just said. Of all the things she'd thought to expect, that hadn't been one of them.

“I know! Silly elephants! And they've been jailed too! For six months, I might add.”

“Jailed?! For six months?! Why didn't you call and tell me about this sooner?”

“Well I didn't want to worry you, honey.”

“Mom, I'm not a kid any more. You need to tell me this kinda stuff.” She paused, allowing herself a moment to process everything. “Jeez, six months. What the hell did they do?”

Her mother tutted and sent her a frown. “Language, Buffy!”

She rolled her eyes at Joyce's old fashioned ways. Only she would think to scold her for using the word 'hell'. Buffy actually found her mother's eccentric ways quite lovely, though it would take a serious amount of torture to get her to admit it. “Sorry,” she expressed. I meant to say what the frik did they do?”

“Is that really any better, young lady?”

No, she was wrong. Her mother wasn't lovely, she was annoying. “Come on, Mom! Will you just tell me what's going on already? Why were they arrested?”

“My, there's no need to shout at me, I can hear you, you know.”

Buffy sucked in a deep, calming breath. “Please, Mom,” she insisted though gritted teeth.

“Don't have a fit, Buffy. Golly, I thought travelling was supposed to relax you.” At her daughter's pointed glare, Joyce cleared her throat and continued. “Your fathers were protesting outside of the coffee house again-”

“Old Mrs Jackson's place? Why on earth would they do that? She's so sweet.”

“Well as you know, the coffee house was left to Mrs Jackson after her husband passed away all those years ago, but as it turns out, she was just its caretaker until their son-”

“Elliot?”

“That's the one. She was just its caretaker until Elliot turned twenty one.”

“But isn't he like, forty or something? Way over twenty one, anyway.”

“Thirty eight, actually. But apparently he never wanted the place up until recently.”

“When he suddenly decided he wanted to take it over?”

“No. Well yes. No. He wanted the property, that's all. He wanted to close down the coffee house and use the space.”

“For what?”

“A gun store, of all things.”

“A gun store? Are you kidding me? That's crazy! What can he think we'd possibly need a gun store for in a tiny little town like ours?”

“That's not even the worst of it. He wanted to move back to town so he told his mother she'd have to leave the little flat she lives in above the coffee house.”

“Shut up! No way! What a bas...I mean, what an evil toad! Not only is he getting rid of the coffee house – which has been around like, forever – but he's kicking little old Mrs Jackson out of her home, too? No wonder Dad and Giles were protesting! Hell, I'll protest against that ass! Screw the police, I'll risk jail!”

“Aw, sweetheart! It's adorable of you to get so worked up about it but you really needn't worry. After realizing he'd never get any business and that he was about to ostracise himself from a whole town he headed back to New York with his tail set firmly between his legs. I don't think we'll have to worry about him coming back any time soon.”

“And Mrs Jackson's okay? She doesn't have to leave her home or her shop?”

“Not in the immediate future, no.”

“Wow. And he left after the protest?”

“Of course. Otherwise there would never have been any need for the dratted thing in the first place and your fathers would be at home where they belong.”

“I'm still not sure I understand. How could a simple coffee house protest end up with them both in prison? They must have been in eight different protests this year alone.”

Joyce winced. “Things got a little out of hand, I suppose. Arguments started, a punch or two was thrown, the occasional kick in the shin. It all ended up in a series of arrests and Judge Gilmore gave Hank and Rupert six months in prison as they were leading the whole thing. She said that she was sick and tired of the trouble the pair of them cause and that she was teaching them a lesson. Using them as an example.”

“An example to who?”

“Oh, I don't know. Hank and Rupert, other would be protesters, the population of Sunnydale. Who knows how that woman's mind works. What matters is that they're in jail and that that's where they'll be for the next six months!”

“God, that sucks! And how's Darla coping?”

Her father's second wife, while being as sweet as cherry pie, could rival even Willow with her tendency to overreact. She was the most emotional woman Buffy had ever met. Only last year she had locked herself in her bedroom for a day and a half because Hank had forgotten to bring home the apples like he had promised.

“In pieces, the poor dear. And with those two boys to look after, as well. It was all a complete nightmare. Which is why I invited her to come and live with me until our husbands return home.”

Buffy blinked in surprise. “You did what?”

“I just felt so bad for her and Thomas and Jesse, all alone in that big house with no one to take care of them. And she really does need help with the boys, they can be very demanding, trust me.”

“They're seven years old, what exactly are they demanding? Toy trucks and juice?”

“You clearly have no idea how hard bringing up a child can be. God only knows how she copes with two of them at the same time. At least you and Xander were a few years apart.”

Buffy smiled warmly at her mother. “Well I think asking them to live you you is a really nice idea, Mom. Very generous of you.”

“Thank you, sweetie. I'll tell you, though, it's a houseful. What with Darla in your old old room and the twins in Xander's. I'm awfully afraid you'll have to sleep on the couch. You don't mind too much, do you?” Joyce shot Buffy a worried glance.

“No, the couch is fine, honestly. And I'll try and find somewhere to crash as soon as I can, I promise. I'm sure one of my friends has a spare room somewhere. But I'm just a little confused. What exactly did you need me to come home for? I mean, I'm glad to be here for support and all, but you seemed like you needed me for something? Surely you don't need help with the twins? 'Cause you know how bad I am with kids, right?”

“No, no! Nothing like that! Lord, I still cringe when I remember the time you babysat for little Colin when you were fourteen.”

They both winced as they remembered how that had turned out.

“No,” Joyce continued. “I need your help with the shop. With looking after Darla and Jesse and Thomas I just don't have enough hours in the day to run it. And try as I might, I just can't seem to get my head around all the paperwork – you know how bad I am with all that boring stuff, it's much more Rupert's thing. He or Xander usually take care of it but with him in jail and Xander busy with the construction site I'm just completely lost.”

Buffy nodded as her mother explained, remembering the hours she had spent working in The Magic Box as a teenager.

Joyce and Rupert had opened the place not long after they'd married eight years ago, and for a shop that sold 'magical' items that were actually no more magical than Buffy's little toenail, it did surprisingly well. Apparently the residents of Sunnydale actually wanted their houses filled with incense sticks and candles and magical charms.

“So, you want me to take over the shop until Giles gets back?”

“I'll help out when I can, of course. And I've hired a nice young boy to help out, too. Wendall, his name is. He's still at school but he can work on weekends and the occasional evening.”

“Well, sure I can do that. Anything to help you guys out.”

“Oh, thank you, Buffy!” her mother gushed with a relieved sigh. “You don't know how good that is to hear. I've been in a tizz about it all week.”

As her mother continued to ramble, Buffy sat back and rubbed her forehead, exhaustion taking over her weary bones and making her eyes grow heavy. She smiled as she began to drift off to the reassuring sound of her mother's voice, thinking that despite all of the drama, it was surprisingly good to be home.


+++

William Wright felt unbearably hot. And bitterly cold. He felt empty, and so full of emotions that he thought he might explode all over his stylishly furnished sitting room. The stylishly furnished sitting room that she had picked out, for God's sake. “You're what?” he questioned, his shaking voice quiet and disbelieving.

A bored looking Cordelia sighed wearily and sat back in a dark leather armchair, crossing her long legs and tutting as if breaking his heart into tiny little pieces was just some great imposition on her time. “I said I'm leaving you, Will. It's over. The end. Finito.”

He rubbed his clammy hands over his jeans clad knees, unable to understand how she could act this way. So...so flippant! They'd been together for almost two years! They loved each other, didn't they? “But...why? I thought we were happy? You seemed happy.”

She looked down at her red talons with obvious disinterest. “Sure we were. Happy as bunnies or whatever. But I have to follow my dreams. You want me to follow my dreams, right? If I want to be a real actress then I can't very well do it from a crappy little hell hole like Sunnydale! I need to be in LA, with all the other big stars.”

“So you want to move to LA, that's fine!” Will announced desperately. “But that doesn't mean that we have to break up! I can come up to LA on weekends, and you can visit back here. We can work something out! We don't have to be over!”

“I see your point, I do, honest. But I really think I should be single if I'm going to make it big as an actress.”

“Wha-? Why on earth would you-? I don't understand, why would you need to be single? Is that some kind of famous person rule?”

She flicked an invisible bit of fluff off of her otherwise perfectly put together outfit, a look that was almost guilty passing across her face. “You never know when there might be certain...opportunities.”

Oh. Now he got it. His darling little sweetie pie had decided that in order to become a big star she was going to sleep her way to the top, do it the easy way. And she didn't need some small town boyfriend back home getting in the way of her barely there conscience. That was what she was really trying to say. Will knew it, she knew it. As much as she claimed to care about him, she cared about being famous more. Callous bitch.

She slapped a hand on her knee in a final kind of way and stood up, eyeing Will pitifully. “I'm just gonna go, okay sweetie? You can just have anything I've left here sent out to me once I've found a place to live.”

He watched blankly as she picked up her bag and headed over to the apartment door. “Yeah,” he replied dully. “Sure I'll do that. And don't forget me when you're all big and famous. Be sure to send me an autograph.”

She turned back, her scarlet lips stretched out into a wide grin. “Of course I won't forget you, big-boy.”

And then she was gone, leaving him to wonder at how she could have possibly misinterpreted his words for anything other than sarcasm.


+++

“Boy, that was exhausting!” Buffy tiredly claimed later that evening, as Joyce arranged some blankets on the settee for her. “Who knew feeding and putting to bed two seven year old boys could be so freakin' draining.”

“I couldn't agree more.” This was proved merely by the fact that for once Joyce failed to scold Buffy for the use of the word 'freakin''. “Apparently they really don't like to sleep. Will this be okay for you?” she asked, as she stood up straight to survey her handiwork.

“Perfect, thank you. And I'll get on to finding that place to crash first thing tomorrow, I promise.”

“Oh, Buffy! You've flown half way around the world just to help me out! You can stay here as long as you like, it's your home! I only wish I could offer you your old room instead of this worn out old sofa.”

“I appreciate that, Mom, but the house really is pretty crowded. I think it would be best for the sanity of everyone involved if I found some place else.”

“Well...as long as you're really sure you don't mind?”

“Of course I don't.”

“Okay then.” Joyce yawned and stretched, a relived smile stretching out her face. “It's been a stressful day, I think I'll go upstairs and meditate for half an hour before bedtime. See you in the morning, honey. 'Kay?”

“Sure will, Mom. Sleep well.”

Joyce brushed an affectionate hand over Buffy's hair and kissed the top of her head. “You too,” she said, before disappearing up the stairs towards her bedroom.

Buffy flopped down onto the couch, not even getting so far as to pull the blankets over herself before she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.


+++

“She'll come crawling back to you, man, I guarantee it,” a privately relived Xander consoled Will as they nursed a couple of beers together in a quiet corner of the Bronze. It wasn't like he hated Cordelia or anything, it was just that he thought that she was an awful human being and should never have been allowed the luxury of speech. Or, ya know, life.

“You think?” Will asked hopefully, his voice slurring just the slightest bit.

“Yeah, sure. I mean, this is Cordelia we're talking about here. The girl who's never stuck to one thing for more than a week, remember? Once she realizes that she's not gonna make it all big and famous in actress land she'll be straight back home to you with her sorry little tail hidden between her legs.”

Will looked up in surprise. “You don't reckon she'll make it? Seriously? Not even with her looks and personality?”

“Okay, I admit, she may be seriously hot, and her pushy, overbearing personality will probably help her out a time or two...but you're forgetting one thing, my drunken friend.”

“Yeah, what's that?”

“Girl can't act for shit.”

Will winced for a moment at his best friend's brutal honesty, before admitting to himself that Xander was probably right. “True,” he mumbled with a nod. “But hey, even if she did come crawling back, who says I'd even have her? Got my pride, ya know?”

Snorting, Xander took a hearty gulp of his beer and wiped his mouth before answering. “Pride schmide. She left you like six hours ago, dude, and all you've achieved since then is the happy certainty of a hangover tomorrow morning.”

Will groaned and banged his forehead down against the sticky tabletop, muttering something under his breath. Xander wasn't quite sure, but it sounded to him like 'Heartless bitch'. He hoped to hell his buddy was talking about Cordelia, and not him.

He slapped Will on the back, wondering whether or not he should mention the fact that he was pretty damn sure that Will had just made one hell of a great escape. Cordelia was a bitch, pure and simple, and she'd been messing the guy around for way too long. “Come on, there are plenty more fish in the sea..” he decided on in the end. “Fish, I might add at the risk of sounding a little gay, that are dying to get a good old taste of the ol' William action.”

“Oh, pish.”

“Hey! Would I lie to you? You know it's true. You've had flocks of girls twittering around you ever since high school.”

This time it was Will's turn to snort. “Even if that was true, this is bloody Sunnydale. I've lived here twelve years now and I've known every girl here that exact amount of time. It'd be weird.”

“Jeez, twelve years. I feel old.”

“Twenty eight isn't old, is it?”

Xander shrugged. “Maybe not. But I don't think it's young, either.”

“Anyway, my point is that nobody new ever comes to town, let alone new...fish, or whatever.”

“And that's where you're wrong, my brother. There is indeed a newbie to town. She arrived today, in fact.”

A little line appeared between Will's eyebrows as he pondered Xander's words. “I've not heard about anyone new. Who?”

“My sister, Buffy,” Xander notified with with a self satisfied grin. “She came home from her travels today.”

Will tried his hardest to paste an interested look on his face...and failed miserably. Xander's little sister, from what he could remember, was a skinny little nut-job with a great love of herbs and all things spiritual. A hippy to the core, just like her parents. She had also been best friends with his own little sister, Drusilla, since the pair had been only twelve years old. Buffy had spent a lot of time at his house when they were younger, but he'd been far to busy 'hanging out and being cool' with his own friends to ever really pay her any attention. A time or two he might have worried about what kind of influence she was having on his sister if Dru hadn't been such a strange little individual herself. God only knew what the pair of them had gotten up to. “She doesn't count. Known her since she was a kid.”

“Whoa whoa whoa there, buddy! Not tryna set you up with her! No way! This is my kid sister we're talking about here. I'm just pointing out that there's more going on in this town than the almighty William thinks he knows about.”

It had never really occurred to Will before, but he couldn't help but wonder how Xander had turned out so...normal...compared to the rest of his family. “Hardly a kid any more. She must be around twenty four now, same as Dru.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, you mean you're an overprotective arse.”

“Maybe. But you know you're just the same with Dru.”

“True.”

The two men sat in reflective silence for a moment longer.

“Another drink, man?” Xander asked finally, standing up and draining his own bottle.

“God, yes.”

Buffy dropped her bags onto her new bed with a relieved sigh, smiling with gratitude when her old school friend, Luke, dropped off the rest. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here,” she gushed. “I can't even begin to describe how cramped it was at my mom's. I mean, I love my brothers and all, but they can get pretty wild.”

“Hey, I grew up with three older sisters. Now that was wild.” He leaned forwards and squeezed her shoulder, giving her that smouldering look he had perfected so well when they had been just sixteen. “Besides, it'll be kinda nice having a woman around the house. It needs more of a feminine touch, don't you think?”

She glanced out into the hallway, where a large oil painting of a bunch of pink roses hung, and then to her new room – adorned with colourful cushions and throws – and thought privately that Luke had that feminine touch down just perfectly. “Uh...sure,” she settled on out loud. “And it's gonna be a lot of fun. We can hang out just like we did in high school.”

She blushed as she spied a little glint shining in his eyes, and mentally slapped herself when she remembered exactly what they'd used to do while 'hanging out' in their teenage years. “Uhm...maybe not exactly like high school,” she hastened to add.

Luke chuckled and squeezed her shoulder once more, before dropping his arm. “Can't blame a man for getting excited. You turned out well, Summers.” He looked down at his watch and grimaced. “And I can't wait to hang out some, but I should really get to work. Those palms won't read themselves, right?”

Buffy grinned and hugged him gratefully before letting him leave.

Once he had gone, she flopped down onto her soft new mattress and contemplated unpacking. The thought alone made her groan.

“Screw that,” she muttered to herself, rolling over to where she had left her purse and fishing her cellphone from it.

Drusilla answered on the first ring.

“Buffy! My sweetheart, is that really you?”

“It really is,” Buffy replied with a happy giggle. It was so good to hear her best friend's voice again after all this time. Drusilla had been visiting her sister in LA the last time Buffy had been home from her travels, and she'd been one of the things she'd missed most about Sunnydale whilst she was away.

“My Buffy, how have you be-no!” Drusilla sucked in a large, excited sounding breath. “Wait! I want you to save it all so we can chat face to face. Where are you right now?”

“I'm at Luke's. I'm staying with him while I'm back in Sunnydale. You remember Luke, don't you?”

Drusilla hummed down the phone. “Was that the chap who courted you back in high school for a month or two in senior year? The one with the red car you and he-”

“That's the one,” Buffy interrupted her before she could continue that story any further. There was certain memories that did not need bringing up.

“That's perfect,” Drusilla declared. “He lives very close to town, yes? Meet me for lunch and we can catch up?”

“Right now?”

“Most definitely right now. I think I shall burst if you keep me waiting! I have so much to tell you, dear Buffy. And I suspect you have just as much to tell me.”

“Still a psychic, I see?” Buffy teased, smiling to herself as she remembered how Drusilla had claimed she was able to predict the future for their whole seventeenth year after dreaming about her goldfish dying before it had actually happened.

“No, just an avid listener of town gossip.”

Buffy cringed, wondering exactly what it was the townsfolk had been saying about her two fathers. Things tended to get a little exaggerated down the grapevine in a small, nosy area like theirs. “Well, I appreciate the honesty.”

“You always did. So, lunch?”

“Sure I can do that. Definitely. My only other plans today were unpacking and that's...well, boring. You know?”

Drusilla snorted affectionately. “I've missed you, sweet. Very, very much.”


+++

From the second they spotted each other from across the busy restaurant it was just like they'd never been apart.

There were squeals and hugs and more squeals and another hug before sitting and squealing and talking and talking and talking and eating and talking. They talked so fast and excitedly that other diners glanced at them in amusement from time to time out of the corner of their eyes.

Once they'd finished up desert, Drusilla sat back in her chair and shot Buffy a secretive little smile. “I have something else to tell you. A surprise.”

Buffy leaned forwards over the table, intrigued. “Ooh, tell me!”

“Liam and I are having a baby!”

Buffy clapped her hands together and beamed delightedly. “No way! Seriously?”

“Quite so.”

Feeling happy tears gathering in her eyes, Buffy leaned right across the table to pull her best friend into a congratulatory embrace. She couldn't even begin to describe how happy she was for Drusilla and Liam – two high school sweethearts who had been through so much.

“How far gone?” she asked, once she had sat back down and composed herself a little.


“I just turned three months yesterday – which is why we've officially started telling people. You were first on our list, of course, once we'd learnt you were back in town. And-”

Her speech was cut short by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. Fishing it out of her purse, she rolled her eyes and shook her head once she'd glanced at the screen. “I'd better get this,” she commented to Buffy. “It's my mother.”

Buffy nodded at her to go ahead, well aware that Anne would only continue to ring again and again if Drusilla ignored her.

“Hello, Mother,” Drusilla droned into the phone. “...I'm having lunch with Buffy...Yes, Buffy Summers...I'm aware that you haven't seen her around in quite a while...Because she's been travelling. Remember I told you?...No, I can't come for family dinner today...Because I've plans with Buffy...I know, but I forgot. I'll be there for next week's dinner...I know I promised...” She heaved a gigantic, frustrated sigh and shot Buffy an apologetic look. “Oh, for heaven's sake, Mother! May I at least invite Buffy?”

As Anne answered Drusilla's request down the other end of the phone, Buffy watched her friend's cheeks redden slightly, and noticed the way that she turned away a little, as if she didn't want Buffy to hear whatever it was that was being said.

She listened as Drusilla pleaded with her mother in hushed tones, her eyes narrowing in confusion. She and Drusilla had been best friends since they were children and Buffy had always been welcome in the Wright household. What had changed?

Finally, after three minutes and eighteen seconds – not like Buffy had been counting or anything – Drusilla smiled triumphantly . “Good then. We'll be there in half an hour.” She snapped her cell shut and looked across the table. “My mother has invited us for dinner. You don't mind, do you?”

Buffy personally thought the word invited was exaggerating just a bit, but whatever. “I really don't have to come, you know,” she replied awkwardly.

“What on earth do you mean? Why wouldn't you want to come?”

Buffy picked up her napkin and began to shred it with twitchy fingers. “Well, it kinda sounded like your mom didn't want me to tag along. I really wouldn't want to impose.”

Drusilla waved a hand through the air in obvious dismissal. “Oh, Buffy! Of course she wanted you there!”

But Buffy had known her friend for a long time, and could spot a clear lie from a million miles away. Something was definitely going on.


+++

As Buffy had expected, Anne wasn't exactly welcoming towards her once they had arrived at the family house. In fact, she was cold and distant – even more so than she normally was. It wasn't as if she had ever been super friendly to Buffy when she was a kid or anything – she was far too stiff to ever really get Buffy and her different family ways – but she had at least been civil. Welcoming, even.

And yet now she would barely even spare Buffy a small glance, and made sure with all of her mumbled comments to let her know that she was most definitely imposing on a 'family only' evening.

And Drusilla's father hadn't been that much of an improvement. Buffy had remembered Tor as being a jolly kind of guy, but he'd been downright obnoxious towards Buffy during dinner – making rude comments about Hank and Rupert on more than one occasion. At least it had given her insight onto why exactly they were behaving so poorly towards her. Her family was clearly in disgrace.

And of course there was Will. But she'd already been expecting him to be an ignorant ass – he'd been that way ever since they'd met. She didn't even think he cared about Hank and Rupert being sent to jail, but he was still sporting that giant stick up his ass anyway. She was just glad Drusilla's older brother had been too busy with his own life when they were growing up to ever intrude on theirs. How Drusilla had dealt with that for all those years would forever remain a mystery.


+++

“Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner, Mrs Wright,” Buffy stammered out later that evening as she prepared to leave. “The food was wonderful, as always.”

Anne smiled in reply, although the motion didn't reach anywhere near her eyes. Her expression was clear though – Buffy hadn't been invited. “Any time, dear. You know you're always welcome.”

Big liar, Buffy thought privately.

Drusilla swept forwards and pulled Buffy into a rib crushing hug. “I'm so very sorry about the old bag,” she whispered into her ear. And then louder, “Thank you ever so for joining us this evening, Buffy. We've missed you around here.”

“It's been a pleasure.”

“How are you getting home? You still don't drive, I expect?”

“There should be a bus from the corner in exactly thirteen minutes, if I remember right. It'll take me right near Luke's place.”

“Oh, pish posh.” Drusilla shook her head firmly. “Don't be silly. William will be driving towards town on his own way home. Save the hassle and let him drop you off.”

Buffy's eyes widened as she imagined how uncomfortable that journey would be. “Uhm...I really-”

Will chose that exact moment to exit the kitchen and interrupt on their conversation. “Did I just hear someone mention my name?”


+++

Buffy could only thank the hell out of Will's ridiculously fast driving as they pulled up outside of Luke's apartment twenty minutes later.

Uncomfortable had been an understatement of the greatest kind. Excruciating seemed a whole lot more appropriate.

It had quite possibly been the worst car journey Buffy had ever been in in her whole entire life. And she'd been in some pretty bad car journeys.

It had been bad enough back at the Wright house when Drusilla had told Will that he was to drive Buffy home. The memory alone of the horror on his face would be enough to make Buffy's blood boil for weeks – the jerk!

And the awkward, stilted conversation they had suffered through in the car...well, it was very clear to Buffy that Will was still very much under the impression that she hadn't changed a jot and was still that skinny little kid he'd known all those years ago.

Yeah, he was definitely a jerk. A stupid jerk.

Whatever. It wasn't exactly like she cared what he thought. Never had, never would. Drusilla was her best friend, and the only one in that damned family who she gave a crap about. Not her annoying brother.

“Thanks for the ride,” she uttered dryly, once the car had finally come to a stop. “It was...fun.”

Will gave a tight smile, but didn't even bother to look in her direction. “Sure. Bye then.”

Buffy rolled hey eyes and climbed out the car, slamming the door behind her. It wasn't like she wanted to spend any more time with him than she had to, but some people liked to be polite every once in a while.

“Uptight ass,” she muttered quietly to herself, before letting herself into the building.


+++

Will watched Buffy stalk into her apartment block with obvious distaste. He noted the wavy hair and the floaty clothing and the beads she wore around her wrists and ankles and tutted.

Still just the strange little hippy girl she'd always been. He guessed some people were just incapable of change.

“Bloody nut job,” he announced to himself, snorting as he started up his car with a shaking head.

As she had anticipated, it hadn't taken Buffy more than a day to get herself reacquainted with The Magic Box and the way it ran. Serving customers and stocking up and doing paperwork – it was just like riding a bike. A very boring bike.

And that strange kid obsessed with spiders, Wendall, had been surprisingly helpful. Buffy was glad her mom had thought to hire him.

She'd been working in the shop for almost a whole week and was painting her nails during a particularly quiet hour – on what had to have been the dullest day in the whole of history – when the shop phone rang next to her.

She jumped, her surprise causing her to smudge her previously perfectly applied varnished fingernails.

“Dammit,” she cursed, reaching for the phone with one hand and bringing the other up closer to her face to inspect. “Hello?” Her tone was clearly annoyed as she answered the call.

“Well, my sweet. It sounds like a little birdie woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. How dreadful for you.”

“Dru?”

“Yes, love.”

Buffy felt her mood lift instantly. “Well hey! It's good to hear from you again so soon. What's up?”

“I'm afraid I'm calling to ask you for a terrible favour. Awfully rude of me, I know. But I am prepared to bribe you with copious amounts of chocolate brownies.”

“Go on,” Buffy prompted, both amused and intrigued.

“Liam and I are moving into our new apartment today-”

“Really? What's wrong with the one you're in now? It's so pretty.”

“Pretty it may be, but it's by no means big enough for both us and a baby.”

“True,” Buffy mused. “What do you need my help with?”

“Manual labour. We need an extra pair of hands to move our things. I'm not much use, I'm afraid. Liam won't let me lift anything heavier than an apple at the moment. Sweet, but incredibly annoying. Bless him.”

Anything sounded better than sitting in the empty shop, and with the promise of chocolate brownies, Buffy could hardly say no. “Of course I'll help. Wendall will be here in half an hour. He can watch over the shop for a while. I'll be there as soon as I can.”


+++

Buffy may not have been so eager to share her time and her hands had she known who else Drusilla had persuaded to pitch in.

“Oh, it's you” she acknowledged with distaste as she passed Will in the hallway of Drusilla and Liam's old apartment building, carrying a heavy looking box of belongings towards the elevator.

“Hello to you, too,” he replied with a roll of his eyes, barely even slowing down his pace to greet her.

Liam, who had wandered out into the hallway to meet Buffy, glanced at her with entertainment shining in his eyes as Will disappeared around the corner. “So...you guys fall out or something?”

Buffy huffed and folded her arms across her chest, miffed at the way Will had so easily dismissed her. “Or something.”


+++

Buffy cheered silently in gratification when Drusilla announced that it was time for a snack break – three and a half hours later. She moved into the new living room and sat down next to Liam on a packing box, accepting the cup of tea that Drusilla handed her with a grateful sigh.

“There was actually an alternative motive for asking for the two of you specifically to help us out today,” Drusilla announced mysteriously, as she sat on another box near her brother.

“Yeah?” Will answered, sounding only mildly interested. “Do tell.”

“Maybe she would if you wouldn't interrupt her,” Buffy muttered under her breath.

Will merely tossed her a disdainful glance and stuck his fingers up in her direction.

“Children, don't fight,” Drusilla scolded. “Or I won't tell you.”

“Sorry,” Buffy and Will mumbled together.

Drusilla and Liam looked over at each other with budding excitement, and then back at the other two.

“We want you both to be our baby's godparents,” Liam blurted out.

There was a second of silence, before Buffy gasped and clapped her hands, bouncing up and down on her box with delight. “Oh my God! Are you guys serious? This is so huge!”

“Of course we're serious, Buffy,” Drusilla replied. “There's really no one else in the world we could possibly want more.”

Buffy threw her arms around Liam, and then leaped over to where Drusilla sat and did the same. “I'll definitely be your baby's godmommy! Thank you so much for asking me!”

Drusilla patted Buffy's head and then looked over her friend's shoulder to where her brother was sat, looking a little shell shocked. “And you?”

“You want me to do it?” he answered questioningly, his face twisted into disbelief.

“Sure we do, buddy,” Liam replied. “Why not?”

Will shook his head and smiled shyly. And Buffy, much to her consternation, felt a little tug on the strings of her heart. “I just never thought I'd be the kind of guy someone would ask...Are you sure? You know I'd always be there for the li'l munchkin anyhow, what with me being uncle and all.”

Drusilla reached a hand out to Will's arm and squeezed it tightly. “We'd be honoured.”

“No, I'm the one that'd be honoured.” He took Drusilla's hand from his arm and held it in his own. “Thank you. You too, Liam. Thank you, really.”

Buffy smiled as she watched him, feeling for the first time in all the years that she'd known him that actually, there might just be the tiniest little bit of humanity in him after all. Who knew that the guy even had feelings?


+++

“Here, Buff. Let me get that for you,” Will offered to Buffy another hour later, sliding the heavy box she'd been carrying towards the bedroom from her arms into his.

“Uh...thank you,” she said, puzzled at his display of gentlemanliness. Just when she thought she had the guy figured out...

“No probs.”

He walked into the bedroom and deposited the box on the floor. When he came back out Buffy was running her hands through her frazzled hair. “Boy,” she said with a beaming smile – something he'd never expected her to direct at him. “I sure don't remember Dru being such a slave driver. Girl sure knows how to work a crew.”

Will chuckled. “Well, the reason you don't remember is because you're not her big brother, and consequently – her servant.”

“She ran you around a lot when you were kids, huh?”

“Kids? Who said it ever stopped?”

Buffy laughed, feeling only slightly weird to be talking to him without wanting to hurt him. She looked around guiltily for signs of Drusilla and Liam, and then smirked naughtily when she discovered there were none. “So I was thinking of sneaking away for a couple of minutes to get a cold drink and a totally earned rest. Wanna join?”

Will grinned, deviously.


+++

Less than five minutes later, the rebellious pair were sitting on the edge of the roof of Drusilla and Liam's new apartment building, happily sipping at the cold, refreshing bottles of pop Will had purchased for them from the handy drinks machine in the hallway.

“Heaven,” Buffy blurted with a sigh, putting her empty bottle on the floor. She looked out in front of her and hummed with pleasure. “The view from up here is amazing.”

The building was so high up that the pair could see the whole of Sunnydale. With the setting sun casting a pink and orange glow to the sky, the effect was magical.

Will nodded in agreement. “Yeah, they picked a great place.”

“Not hard to do in Sunnydale.”

“To be fair.” Will tore his gaze away from the view and glanced over at Buffy. “So, how's your mum doing these days?”

Bufy looked at him in surprise, wondering why he cared.

He shrugged in reply to her unspoken question. “What? She's a nice lady. I spent a lot of time over at your place with Xander when we were teens, remember? I always liked Joyce.”

Her eyes twinkled as she smiled over at him. “Mom's doing fine, thank you for asking. Coping amazingly with the whole prison situation, as always.”

“She always was good in a crisis,” he reminisced. “Remember the time you and Dru got lost in the woods when you took it up in your heads to go camping?”

Buffy cringed, remembering how much trouble they'd been in when they'd eventually been found. “Yeah. She had the search parties organized and going before the cops had even put their hats on.”

“She's a great woman.”

“I'll tell her you asked after her.”

He studied her closely. “And what about you?”

“And what about me what?”

“Well...what are your plans? For after, I mean. When Rupert and Hank are back from prison and you don't need to stick around to run the shop for your mum any more. What are you gonna do with yourself then? Head back out?”

She very nearly questioned Will on his knowledge that it was she who was running the shop while her fathers were away, but stopped herself with the tiniest shakes of her head. Of course he knew. This was Sunnydale, after all. Home of the gossip and chatter.

Shrugging, she looked back out at the view, her gaze appreciative. “Who knows? Being back home feels kinda nice right now. Maybe I'll stick around and settle down. Get a job somewhere, and an apartment. There's no place like home, right?”

Instead of replying, Will snorted and smirked at her in obvious amusement.

“Something funny?” she asked, the middle of her brow creasing together as she wondered what she'd said.

“No, just...you're not the type of girl I'd imagine would ever be able to settle down, that's all. It'd take a brave man to get involved with such a flight risk.”

Buffy opened and closed her mouth, genuinely surprised by his comment and...oh God, hurt.

What the hell did he mean – not that type of girl? And flight risk? Just because she liked to travel? Just because she wanted to see the world? Did that automatically mean that she'd never be able to stick around in one place? That she'd never commit? That no one would ever want to be committed to her?

Wow.

Just when she'd been thinking that she might be wrong about Will, he had to go and reveal his true dickish nature all over again.

Stupid fucknut.

Standing up suddenly, she brushed down her clothes of any imaginary dirt, debating for a second on whether or not to say something to Will. She thought better of it after deciding that it wouldn't do much good anyway, considering how damned ignorant he was.

Instead she simply turned and walked away, her nose in the air and the shoulders set straight.

Will looked up as she left, confused by her abrupt departure. “Hey,” he called out. “Where are you going?” He frowned when she ignored him and pulled a face. “What the bloody hell did I say?”

It was a nice day.

Well, it was Sunnydale, which meant home of the nice days according to all the old bastards who resided in the town, but today was just...extra nice.

Will wasn't even sure why. It was a Monday morning, which although was his day off still carried the same heavy weight, and he was still single and hadn't heard a word from Cordelia since she'd clickity clacked her way out off his apartment the other week.

But he was feeling oddly cheerful. Cheerful enough to be whistling a jaunty tune as he drove through town, anyway.

He blinked and stopped whistling when he spotted a familiar blonde head just up in front of him, struggling along the pavement with a mountain of grocery bags.

Purposely not questioning his reasoning – because deep down he knew that just a week ago he wouldn't have hesitated in picking up the speed and driving past without stopping to so much as offer a helping hand – he slowed down the car to an almost halt next to her and wound down the window.

“Need a ride?” he called out. He refused to think about how before they'd had their little talk on the roof the other day he would have done just about anything to avoid spending any extra time with her. He especially refused to think about why that had suddenly changed.

He was cheerful, that was all. Nothing else to it.

Besides, she was bound to say no anyway. He'd said something to piss her off the other day on the roof, he could tell. So she'd probably just give him a dirty look and refuse. Embarrass him like he'd clearly embarrassed her.

So it was a complete surprise when Buffy stopped to peer into his window with a complete look of...relief on her face. He certainly hadn't expected her to look at him in anything other than complete negativity, that was for sure.

She blew a damp strand of hair away from her forehead and nodded gratefully.


+++

“Thanks for the ride...again,” Buffy babbled as they reached Luke's apartment building, a little smile on her face.

Will pulled to a stop and opened and then re closed his mouth. For reasons completely unknown to his brain and his common sense, he'd felt his heart drop just the tiniest little bit at the thought of saying goodbye to her Buffy so soon – especially since she seemed to have forgotten about whatever it was he'd said to upset her the other day on the roof and was being as nice as pie towards him.

Actually, he suspected that it was less likely that she had forgot, and more simply that she had just let it go. She didn't seem the type to hold grudges – which made her a far better person than he was, that was for sure.

“No problem,” he answered finally. When she reached for the car door handle, he put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Can I help you carry your bags up?” He tried his hardest not to sound as desperate as he felt.

She started in surprise, clearly still unused to him actually being nice towards her for the first time in their entire history. “Uhm...I'm good. Thanks anyway though.”

“Come on,” he replied, his tone teasing. “Li'l thing like you can't carry all those big heavy bags up all those flights of stairs by your lonesome. It's high up, this apartment, right?”

He couldn't quite explain, even to himself, just why exactly he was going out of his way to wind her up, just like a silly kid would do with his first crush. All he did know what that he wanted a couple of extra minutes with her, and that he would do just about anything to accomplish that goal.

She spluttered in outrage at his insinuation, her cheeks turning a sweet shade of pink. “'Li'l thing like me'?” she mimicked in an awful English accent. “I may be small but I'm stronger than I look, I'll have you know! Hell, I'm just as strong as you are! Stronger, even!”

Will lifted up one amused, disbelieving eyebrow, which only served to get her even more huffy. He kinda liked it. “Uh huh.” His tone was dry.

“Right,” she barked determinedly. “That's totally it!”

Before Will could stop her, she had already slammed her way out of the car.

He cursed silently. How could he have let himself piss her off, again? What was he, twelve?

Sighing heavily, he quickly scrambled out after her. “Come on, Buffy. I didn't mean to-” He paused in mid-sentence and began to back away with his hands raised defensively when he spotted her advancing towards him, a menacing look set firmly upon her face as she rolled up her sleeves defiantly. “Hey now,” he blurted nervously. “There's no need to get violent. Didn't mean any harm. Was just messing, is all.”

She stopped by the hood of his car and patted the metal. “Get your ass over here, now.”

Afraid of just what might happen if he didn't comply with her demands, Will hastened over to where she was stood. “Uh...what-”

“Arm wrestle,” she explained bluntly, leaning over and placing her elbow on the hood of his car and wriggling her fingers impatiently. “I'll show you strong, Mr Li'lthinglikeyou.”

Comprehension dawning and irrational fears fading, Will rolled his eyes at her childishness and ran a hand through his hair. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because it is. What's wrong, Willy-boy? Scared of a li'l thing like me?”

He sighed again, knowing that if he refused her she was quite likely to hound him for the rest of his life. Stubborn bitch.

He moved a little closer and copied her actions, bending over the hood of his car and taking her dainty little hand in his much larger one. “Fine. We'll have a stupid arm wrestle – not that it'll make you feel much better. But you have to promise to let me help you with your bags when I win.”

“Ha! When you win? Dream on, buddy.”

He tutted impatiently. “Promise?”

Sticking her bottom lip out like a petulant child, she promised, and squeezed his hand tighter in preparation.

“You sure you really wanna-” Will began, but was once again interrupted by an impatient Buffy.

“Three, two, one...go!”

Just as Will had expected, the arm wrestle was over within seconds.

When it was done, and she had released his arm, Will glanced over at her and smirked. She pouted back sulkily and rubbed the inside of her arm.

“You were supposed to let me win.”

He did not think she was adorable, he did not think she was adorable, he did not-

Oh, bloody hell.

“And why's that, angel face?”

“Because I'm the girl and you're the guy and the guy's supposed to let the girl win to make her feel good. Duh.”

“So...by letting you win I would have been making you feel good?”

“Yes.”

“Even though it would have been a lie?”

“Even better.”

Will shook his head in bafflement. “Don't think I was ever taught your crazy girl rules in school. Might have helped a lot in life.”

“You're oh so funny,” she replied dryly. “You may as well carry my grocery bags upstairs for me now. I'd do it and all, but I'm injured, ya know.”

Will decided that it would probably be best for his mental state to refrain from mentioning that helping her carry her shopping was all he'd ever been trying to do in the first place, and if she'd just have let him do it when he suggested it then she would have saved them both a lot of time and aggravation.

Instead, he took the high ground and simply gathered up the bags and requested that she lead the way.


+++

“Nice place you got,” Will commented, as he followed Buffy towards the kitchen. He glanced around at the wall hangings and the incense sticks and the beaded doorways. “Very you.”

“Nice stereotyping,” she replied with a smug grin. “None of this is anything to do with me. Luke decorated it all himself.”

He planted the bags down on the kitchen counter and turned to her in surprise. “You two must have very similar tastes.”

It wasn't jealousy he was feeling. Not at all. Definitely not. And he sure as hell wasn't going to embarrass himself by asking her if she and Luke were sticking it to each other, even though the need for an answer was burning a hole right through his brain.

“You got any ice?” he settled on in the end.

Buffy frowned in confusion at his random question, but pointed towards the freezer and watched in silence as he opened up the door and grabbed a handful of cubes and wrapped them up in a kitchen towel that he'd found laying on the counter.

Come here,” he bossed gently.

For once, she did as she was told, understanding dawning in her eyes when he carefully lifted up her arm to place the ice-pack on the area that she had complained had hurt.

“Oh,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

He looked down into her eyes, smiling tenderly. “My fault it got hurt. Least I can do is make it feel better. That's the guy's job, right?”

Buffy giggled at the way he had twisted her earlier words. “Not your fault you're so strong,” she teased. “Guess you need all that extra strength to be a fireman, huh?”

“Comes in handy from time to time.”

They were silent for a moment, and Will went back to inspecting the arm that he was tending to.

“You know something?” Buffy piped up eventually. “You're really not as much of an uptight ass as I originally thought.”

Will was unable to stop the bubble of laughter that escaped his throat at her brutally honest words. “Well do you wanna know something?” he replied.. “You're just as much of a bloody nut job as I originally thought...but now I think that maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.”

Buffy smiled sweetly and ducked her head.


+++

It was well over an hour later when Will finally climbed back into his car, and he congratulated himself on managing to span his extra couple of minutes into such a long time.

He felt weird, different...light – and he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the fruit tea she had conned him into trying. In fact, he hadn't felt so light in a very long time. Nor could he remember laughing so much. Having pure, light-hearted fun just talking to someone.

Not even with Cordelia. Especially not with Cordelia.

He shook his head and started up the car, determined to head straight towards the nearest bar before he could analyse the already confusing situation even further.

Buffy pulled herself up and out of the pool at the local gym. She wrung out her hair and stretched her arms – ouch. It had been way too long since she's had a good swim, and even longer since she'd worked out. Now she had the aching muscles to prove it.

Wrapping her towel around herself, she moved into the changing room and grabbed her bag from a locker. Just as her cellphone began to vibrate.

“Hello?”

“Buffy? Ohmygawd, Buffy! Is it really you? I totally can't believe it, I haven't see you in like, ever! What was it? Like, nine months ago? In Holland, right? I miss Holland. Holland was awesome.”

Buffy blinked. “Harmony?”

The other girl squealed excitedly. “You're like, super psychic or something! You knew it was me and I didn't even have to tell you! How'd you know?”

“Just a...really good guess.”

Harmony was a fellow traveller, like Buffy. Only she was funded by her rich father. She was generous, though, and had let Buffy and Willow crash with her in her fancy hotel room for the three weeks they'd been in Holland.

“That's so totally wicked. So, what have you been doing? I just spoke to Willow and she told me you had to go home for some major crisis. Not that hunky brother of yours, I hope. Not that I've ever seen him, but whatever. Aw, I miss you and Willow – you guys were son much fun!”

“I...missed you too, Harm.” And what were the other twenty four questions she asked?

“Aw, honey! You're such a sweety pie! So, anyway. There was a reason I called...I'm getting married...woo!” She squealed again, and Buffy had to stick her finger in her ear to make sure it wasn't damaged.

“You're what now? To who? When? Where? This is so huge!”

“I know, right? Can you believe it, it's so exciting! His name is Blayne and he's a total dreamboat! His dad is like, president of some really boring company but totally rich, so he and Daddy are so happy.”

“Wow. I'm so happy for you! Where'd you meet him?”

“In Marbella last month. Our eyes met over an Orgasm and and boom! Love at first sight for me and my Blayney bear. And after that we just couldn't wait. So we're getting married. And you totally have to come, by the way.”

“Oh, well sure. When is it?”

“Tomorrow,” Harmony answered, as if it was obvious.

“Say what?”

“I said it's tomorrow, dopey head! I know it's soon and all, but we really wanted the wedding at the Hyperion Hotel in LA and that place is always booked up for like, three whole years. Crazy! But Daddy pulled some strings and you know he's so important so they shuffled some other people around. So yay! You'll come, right?”

“Uh...yeah, I guess. What time?”

“Ten.”

“If I travel right through the night I should be able to make it on time.”

“So you'll come?”

“Of course! I wouldn't miss it!”

“Oh, Buffy! That's so great! I'm just so happy I could burst! All my favourite people will be there. Daddy told me that even Robert Downey Junior promised to come! Okay, I have to go now. Lots of things to do, you know? Oh, and make sure you bring a guest. A guy guest. Coolio. Ciao!”

And then she was gone.

Buffy stared at her cellphone for a long moment, wondering whether that conversation had actually just happened. She wanted to marvel at the craziness of Harmony, but it was just so her that the whole situation really couldn't come as that much of a surprise.

And a date...well, she'd need to find someone to drive her there anyway. Luke would be up for it.


+++

Buffy pushed her way into Shay's bar and looked frantically around for Luke. She knew he often frequented the place on his days off. She cursed his stupid 'I don't believe in cellphone' crap and decided that when she found him she was going to finally kick his butt into this century.

After a couple of moments, she conceded that Luke and his gigantic body must be elsewhere, and she folded her arms over her chest grumpily.

But then she caught a glimpse of an even better prospect, and a smirk spread slowly across her face.


+++

“...and then her freakin' mom walked in on us. I think getting a view of my big bare ass almost gave the old gal a heart attack.”

Will burst into laughter as Fritz finished off the story of the girl he'd taken out that weekend. Seemed the poor guy was caught with his pants around his ankles all too often. “That's what you get for dating a nineteen year old, you twat.”

“Don't be jealous, Will, you-” Fritz stopped mid sentence and looked over Will's shoulder. “Hey man, don't look now but the hottie by the door is totally checking you out.” He leaned back in his chair and let out a low, appreciative whistle. “Not seen her around these parts before, and I've lived here over a year now. Wait, she's coming over...”

Will glanced over his shoulder and pursed his lips. He should have known. Buffy was heading right towards him with a fiercely determined look on her little face. He turned back and slumped down a little. Why did he have to be with Fritz of all people? The guy was an arse. And he didn't much care for Fritz's amused snort, either.

Yeah, this wasn't going to end well.

“Hey,” she called brightly, sitting down at the table without waiting for an invitation.

“Hi,” Will replied.

“Who's your friend?” she asked.

Realization dawned and Fritz grinned. “Oh, you two know each other?”

Will sighed. “Fritz, this is Buffy, a friend of Dru's. Buffy, this is Fritz. We work together at the station.”

Fritz reached over the table for Buffy's hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “A pleasure.”

“Yeah, you too.” Or not. She turned back to Will. “Are you free right now?”

He shot her a puzzled frown. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”

“You need to come with me.”

“Come where?”

“I'll tell you in the car. You're driving.”

He scoffed. “You're off your bird if you think I'm going anywhere-”

She stood up and tugged on his hand. “Come on.”

“Okay.” Damn.

As he stood up to follow her, he heard Fritz guffaw, and knew that it was at him and the way he had been so quick to comply – very uncharacteristic of him. He scowled when he realized that by this time tomorrow, everyone at the station would be laughing at how he was Buffy's bitch.

But it didn't stop him from waving goodbye to Fritz and allowing Buffy to drag him from the bar. There was just something about her that made him want to act...impulsive.


+++

It wasn't until Will was seated and belted in his car that he even tried to ask again where they were going.

“LA,” she replied distractedly, as she fished her cellphone out of her bag. “I just need to call Xan and get him to watch over the shop tomorrow.”

Will stared at her, dumbfounded. “LA? That'll take us all bloody night! What the hell is so important in LA?”

“My friend, Harmony, is getting married there in the morning. You're my date.”

He made a choking sound. “I'm your what now?”

She rolled her eyes. “Jeez, don't have a heart attack. Don't worry, I didn't mean a date date. I just needed to bring someone along and I couldn't find Luke.”

“Gee, thanks. Now I feel precious.”

“Oh, don't pretend to be all offended. Like you'd ever want to date someone like me, anyway. I'm not all stiff upper lippy and...and snooty.”

“You think I'm stiff upper lippy and snooty?”

Buffy shrugged. “Not all the time.”

Will shrugged and started up the car and began to drive. After a minute, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You're lucky I have the next few days off work, you know.”

“Yeah,” she said with a snort. “Like you wouldn't have come anyway. You're just dying for an adventure.” She smiled over at him, so bright and naughty that he couldn't get mad at her teasing.

Besides, it was kind of true.


+++

Over the next few hours, Buffy and Will discovered that it was surprisingly easy to talk to one another. Big things and little things, and silly random things that popped into their heads.

Weirdly easy, in fact.

“Best pick up line?” Buffy asked, after she'd answered one of his questions.

“Oh, uhm...okay...What's your favourite fruit?”

She looked bemused. “Seriously? That's a pick up line?”

He sighed. “Just work with me here, yeah? What's your favourite fruit?”

“Fine. Okay...an orange?”

“Nice. Mine's raisins.”

“Spiffy.”

“Do you want one?”

“A raison?” Okay, he was weirder than she'd originally thought.

“Yeah.”

“Um...no thanks.”

“How about a date?”

She stared at him for a long moment. “I don't get it.”

“Because a date is a fruit...you know?” He coughed awkwardly.

Buffy started giggling, and then she found she couldn't stop. “That...is so...dumb!” she managed to wheeze out.

Will huffed, but he couldn't help the little smile that creeped onto his face. He'd made her laugh.


+++

They drove through the night and arrived in LA with an hour to spare. A sincerely frazzled Will suggested that they used the time to nap, but Buffy reminded him that they needed something to wear other than the ruffled jeans they were sporting.

Sure, he hadn't minded watching her try on different outfits at first, but after the fifth shop he started to get grumpy. He was glad when she eventually settled on some sexy dark red number. And not that he'd admit it, but he even liked the matching shirt she made him buy. All doled up, he an Buffy looked pretty darned good together.

And then they were rushing towards the Hyperion Hotel, some jumped up monster of a place Cordelia had always insisted they stay in whenever they'd happened to be in LA.

He and Buffy had walked through the doors and his companion had instantly been ambushed by a fireball off a woman who Buffy had eventually had the grace to introduce him to as Willow.

And then they were seated and watching the bride – decked out in a sparkly pink ball of fluff – walk down the aisle to a hip hop version of 'Here Comes the Bride'. Will was relieved to see that even Buffy had to cover up an amused snort at that.

The whole thing was a nightmare. A bloody, stinking nightmare.

And then it was over and there was food. And alcohol. Sweet, merciful alcohol.


+++

Will watched Buffy over the top of his beer. She was spinning on the dance floor, waving a large flower in circles in the air. She looked so happy. The cheerful smile that she always seemed to wear was, of course, present.

He hard a sucking noise, and turned just in time to see Willow rip her lips away from the bloke – Marc, he thought his name might be – she'd been trying to inhale. Or kiss. “If you stare at her any harder, she's going to burst into flames,” she informed him helpfully.

Will blushed. “I'm not staring at her.”

“Sure. Just go and kiss her already.”

“Don't be daft.”

“Kiss her now. She's coming over.”

“What-”

“Dance with me.” This demand was from Buffy. Of course it was from Buffy.

Ignoring the googly eyes Willow was making at him, he turned and smirked up at Buffy. “You gonna make me?”

“Will! Come on!”

It was the bloody pout that did it. He sighed and followed her onto the dance floor. “I'm not very good at dancing, Buffy.”

“Who says?”

“Cordy used to tell me all the time.”

“Yeah, well, from what I remember from high school, Cordelia Chase was an idiot. And you haven't danced all night.”

She turned to him and took one of his hands. He put the other on her waist. “I haven't danced all night because I don't want to look stupid.”

“But looking stupid is so much fun!”


+++

Much later that night, when Will was back at the table where he belonged, Buffy once again approached. She flopped down onto his knee and draped her arms around his neck. Will pointedly ignored the smug grin Willow shot him.

“Come back and dance with me,” Buffy pleaded. “I'm lonely out there. The only guy that's single and will dance with me keeps trying to stick his hand up my skirt.”

Will glared at Mr Handsy over Buffy's shoulder, and then he looked down at her. She was somehow still managing to sway even though she was sat on top of him. “You're drunk.”

She fluttered her eyelashes up at him. “But a charming drunk, right?”

He snorted. “Sure.”

Humming happily, she cupped his cheek and lay her head on his shoulder. “You have a pretty face.”

She was stroking his chin now. It was distracting. “I think it's time to get you into bed.”

“Only if you come with me,” she answered mischievously.

“She's a very happy drunk,” Willow informed him helpfully from the other side of the table. “And a total lightweight. I booked a room here – why don't you take Buffy upstairs and let her sleep it off.” She sent Marc a saucy wink. “I'll be in Marc's room in you need me.”


+++

It took Will almost an hour to finally manage to persuade Buffy to call it quits, and by that time, she'd managed to consume another three drinks. He practically had to carry her up to Willow's room.

“Get some sleep,” he ordered, as he sat her down on the bed. “I'm going to go and see if they have another room available, so I'll see you in the morning at break-”

“No!” she protested, grabbing his hand and yanking him back. “Stay with me a while. You know you want to.”

“Not sure that's much of a good idea.” But he sat down next to her anyway. Of course he did.

Smiling triumphantly, she kicked off her shoes, folded her legs underneath her, and rested her head back on his shoulder. “Do you know what it is I like about you, Will?”

“My dashing good looks and charming personality?”

“Duh. Nope.”

“Oh. Then I'm stumped. And possibly insulted.”

“I like...that you pretend to be all stick up your assy and boring, but then when you think there's no one paying attention to you, you drop your guard and get...get silly. And fun. And you smile.”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I think my acting silly has more to do with being around you than anything else.”

She knelt up, so that they were eye to eye. “You know what else I like about you?”

He swallowed. They were awfully close together. He could smell the beer she'd been drinking and the strawberries she'd been nibbling on. His heart began to patter and his mouth went dry, and when it occurred to him that it was Buffy making him feel this way, he almost went dizzy with confusion. “What's that?”

“I like how you pretend not to like me, when really I know that you do.”

They were drawing even closer, and Buffy's lips were parting, and Will's hand was sliding up her thigh, and he was pretty sure that he was about to get a hell of a fan-fucking-tastic kiss.

And then Buffy was saying something. He hoped it was something sexy.

“I'm gonna barf.”

“What?”

She leaped off of the bed and dived for the bathroom.


+++

“There we go...that's it,” Will soothed, smoothing back the hair from Buffy's forehead as she emptied out the contents of her stomach into the toilet, “Get it all out, you'll feel better.”

She dry heaved a couple more times, before sitting back and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I think that might be it. For now, anyway.”

“Probably be a bit more in the morning.”

“Yuck. I can't believe you just saw me puke. I must look so gross.”

Ratty hair...check. Smudged make-up...check. Adorable pout...check. “Nah. Just...really drunk.”

“You suck. Tell me I look pretty.”

“Sorry. You look pretty. Especially with that black stuff all under your eyes.”

“You double suck.”

He grinned and stood up, holding a hand out for her. “Think you can manage to get all the way into bed? Or do you fancy spending the night with your head stuck on the toilet seat?”

She scowled at him and took his hand. “You're the least sympathetic person I've ever met.”


+++

He set down a large glass of water on the bedside table, next to where she was curled up under the covers in the bed and groaning. “Try to drink as much of this as you can. It'll make you feel marginally less hungover in the morning.”

“You sound like you know what you're talking about.”

“Yeah, well. Had a couple of reasons to have a binge or two recently.”

“Will?”

“Yeah, sweets?”

“What if I puke in my sleep and I'm so drunk that I drown in my own vomit?”

“Unlikely.”

“But what if I do?” she whined.

He folded his arms across his chest and regarded her with one eyebrow raised. “You want me to stay here? On the pull out?”

She smiled sweetly in response. “Yes please.”

Yeah, like he hadn't been planning to do that anyway.


+++

Okay, so Buffy was officially dying of hungoveritus. It sucked. Big time.

She gingerly made her way down into the dining hall, wishing that she had a pair of sunglasses to hide her puffy eyes, and glanced at the buffet selection with a queasy groan. Collecting just a glass of orange juice, she sat down next to Will, who was happily tucking his way into a large full breakfast.

“Morning,” he greeted her cheerfully. “You were dead to the world when I tried to wake you earlier.”

She said words in reply, she was sure of it. Yet it came out sounding like 'Blerahoom'.

“Feeling better today?” he asked, with a much to gleeful smile.

“Just peachy.” Her tone was as dark as the glare she sent him. She watched him eat for a moment, before coughing awkwardly and reaching to fiddle with his napkin. “Um...so...I don't really remember much about last night.” Big, fat lie. “But I know my mouth tends to run away with me when I drink, so if I said anything stupid...it was the alcohol talking.” Even bigger, fatter lie. She'd meant every stupid word she'd said. She just hadn't meant to say them out loud.

“Understood.” He didn't even look up from his breakfast.

Willow joined them at the table with her own plate of food. “I couldn't help over hearing you-”

“Because you were eavesdropping,” Buffy interrupted.

“Well, yeah. But you know what they say, drunken words are often unspoken thoughts.”

Buffy scowled over at her. “Okay, shut up.” She turned back to Will, who was watching them both and looking very amused by the whole thing. “So...nothing happened that I should know about, right?” Apart from the almost kissing and the hands and the words and the almost kissing.

Will took his time chewing and swallowing his mouthful of bacon. She didn't remember their almost kiss? Well, this was embarrassing. Okay, option one – remind her about it and, have her accuse him of being a desperate creep. Option two – lie. Yeah, he liked option two. “No.”

Buffy sat back in her chair and frowned. Why was he lying? She cursed silently. He was obviously embarrassed for her – boy, she could just die of shame! Why did she have to turn into a stupid hussy every time a drop of alcohol passed her lips? And now he was being all noble and trying to spare her the disgrace.

No way could she spend the rest of the day trapped in a car alone with him.

She turned to Willow. “Hey, now that you're back in the country, why don't you come stay with me in Sunnydale for a while?”

Like a magnet was drawing them together, Buffy and Will found themselves to be in one another's company more and more over the next couple of months.

It was always an accident, of course. They never purposely sought the other out. Not even the time Will drove three miles out of his way to go the grocery store that just so happened to be near where Buffy was staying. He was totally surprised to see Buffy there. Truly. And the fact that they spent the rest of the afternoon back at Luke's place discussing the pro's and con's of herbal pain relief was just something that happened. Or the time that Buffy just felt like taking a little trip to stop by Xander's to say hey when she knew he was hanging out with Will. Or even the time when Will offered to pick up some of the herbal medicine that he didn't even believe in for Dru from The Magic Box. And persuading him to hang out and close up the shop with her was just for convenience, Buffy told herself. Honestly.

It's not like they were friends or anything. Will was just her big brother's buddy. And Buffy was just his little sister's best friend. They were just two people who happened to have known each other for a really long time, and were only just now realizing that being around the other wasn't actually as painful as they had originally thought.

But they didn't exactly hate spending time together, either.


+++

“Fire on 123 Court Street!” Sid, Will's Officer in Charge yelled out. “Let's go! Now!”

Will turned to Fritz with a frown on his face at they climbed into the truck. “123 Court Street? That sounds familiar...”

“It's right in town,” Fritz replied, his usual foolish behaviour forgotten as he got into work mode.


+++

It wasn't until they arrived at Court Street a speedy minute later that Will realized why 123 sounded so familiar, and his heart began to thud painfully in his chest as the truth dawned.

“It's where Buffy's living,” he stressed desperately to Fritz.

“The blonde from the bar?”

He could only nod in reply.

The truck pulled to a stop and Fritz glanced from the apartment – black smoke billowing out of the windows included – to Will's stricken face. “She might not be in there.”

“You think?”

“Sure, buddy.” Fritz gripped Will's shoulder. “Come on, now. Game face, yeah? Gotta think with a clear head or people are gonna get hurt.”

Will nodded, and followed Fritz out of the truck.


+++

While the rest of their team worked to put out the flames, Fritz and Will partnered up to search for people inside. Luke was the first they came across, already stumbling towards the door. They helped him out and deposited him into the arms of a paramedic.

“Is anyone else inside?” Will demanded. “Is Buffy in there?”

Luke pulled off the oxygen mask the paramedic had just given him and shook his head desperately. “I don't know!” he cried. “Buffy and Willow went out for dinner and and I left some candles burning so they could see when they got back because I knew it would be dark. I fell asleep. What time is it? They said they'd be back by eleven.”

Will's eyes widened. “It's twelve fifteen.”

“Oh God!”

Fritz and Will hurriedly re-entered the burning building, calling out over the flames. Fritz grabbed Will's arms when he heard a voice.

“Help! Help us!”

“That was from the kitchen,” Will yelled to Fritz.

He led the way, and had to kick in the door, which was already being attacked by fire.

“Buffy?!” he shouted. “Willow?!”

A little flash of red peeked out from under the kitchen table. “Will!” Willow cried gratefully. As Will and Fritz rushed to her, she crawled out from under the table, pulling a barely conscious Buffy with her. She coughed heavily as Fritz scooped her up into his arms. “Wait! Buffy!”

“Will's got her, don't worry! Is there anyone else in the apartment?”

“Luke!”

“He's okay, he's already out. Anyone else?”

“No.”

Fritz looked back at the doorway, which was now sealed off by the fire, and at Will, holding a violently coughing Buffy in his arms. The smoke was beginning to get to him, and his oxygen was running out. “Window?” He gestured to the large one behind Will.

Will nodded.


+++

“Thank you, Andrew,” Buffy said to the paramedic, after he had finished giving her oxygen and tending to her.

“I'll be back in a minute to drive you to hospital,” he told her. “Just have to check on the others one last time.”

She nodded and looked back at the charred remains of Luke's apartment. She could only thank God that Will and his team had gotten there in time to stop it from spreading.

Nearby, Willow and Fritz had their heads together and were making quiet conversation. By the sultry gaze Willow was giving him, Buffy suspected that he was going to be getting an extra special thank you for saving her life that night.

“I'm off duty in an hour,” Buffy overheard him murmur.

Will rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Buffy in the ambulance. “He's got all the professionalism of a stoned rubber duck.” He grinned when Buffy giggled. “You might want to warn your friend. Fritz likes to see himself as a bit of a player.”

She smiled weakly. “Then it sounds like they're perfect for each other. Trust me, Willow can handle herself.”

“That's good, then. How are you feeling now?”

“Good, I guess. I mean, it feels like I've just smoked a pack of sixty, and I think I might still be in shock, but good. Andrew gave me some oxygen, which was nifty.”

“You know Andrew?”

“Yeah. We grew up on the same street.”

“Oh yeah, that's right. Good paramedic. Mad as a hatter, though. Is he taking you into hospital?”

“Yeah. Just to get checked over.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. “Will, I just don't know how to thank-”

“Are you ready to go?” Andrew was back, Luke and Willow behind him.

Buffy nodded and looked up at Will. “Talk to you later?”

“Sure.”


+++

It was nearly three am by the time Buffy was finally released from hospital. She spoke briefly to Willow, who was already feeling much better and planning to spend the night back at Fritz's place. Buffy felt obliged to pass on Will's warning, but Willow just smiled and declared it 'Even better'.

And then she spent a good fifteen minutes listening to Luke, who seemed unable to stop apologizing. He offered to let her stay with him at his parents, but she politely declined – way too awkward after what his dad had caught them doing in the garden shed back in their high school years.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally walked out of the hospital doors. It was cold out, but she could take a big, deep breath of cool, fresh air, and that was something she wouldn't be taking for granted any time soon.

“Hey,” a voice called out to her from the left.

She turned, somehow unsurprised to find Will leaning against the wall. Without thinking, she stepped closer and threw her arms around his neck. He clung on to her just as tightly.

“You saved my life,” she mumbled into his jacket, her whole body trembling. “I could've died in there but you saved me. Saying thank you just seems so...so...so much of an understatement.”

He buried his nose into her hair. It smelt of smoke and hospitals. “I almost went mad when I found out it was your place. Just the thought of you being in there...If anything had of happened to you...” His grip of her tightened even more.

After a long while, she pulled back and looked up at him. “Were you waiting here for me?”

“Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

She smiled sweetly. “Well, I am. Thanks to you. Are you?”

“Yeah. Running into burning buildings is kind of what I'm trained for. What are you going to do now?”

“Do you mean long term, or just tonight?”

“Bit of both.”

“Well, thankfully I won't have to deal with all the insurance because it wasn't my place. Poor Luke will have to-”

Will snorted. “Poor Luke? That idiot almost had you-”

“Will! It was an accident!”

“Yeah, well.” His nostrils flared as he reigned in his rage. “Probably best if I don't bump into him for a while.”

Buffy laughed. “Luke's a giant.”

“So. I'm like a rabid little pitbull when I'm pissed off. All teeth.”

“Aw, you're so cute when you're all righteous and protective.”

He blushed and leaned back against the wall. “Where are you gonna live now?”

“I'll probably go back to my mom's until I can find somewhere. Maybe I'll go wild and actually rent somewhere of my own.”

“Is that where you're headed now? To your mum's? I could drive you if you like?”

“A ride would be great, thanks. But not to my mom's. I don't wanna barge in at this time, especially with the twins staying over. I'm gonna stay at a hotel tonight, and call round in the morning.”

“You shouldn't be alone tonight after the fire. You might still be in shock.”

“It's cool, I'll be fine.”

“You could stay with me?” he blurted. Had he really just invited Buffy to stay with him? At his apartment? Overnight? Was he mad?

She opened and closed her mouth, looking a little lost. “That's okay. I'd hate to impose-”

“No, I insist.” What was he doing? “I'd hate to think of you alone right now.”

“Okay.” Buffy smiled and nodded gratefully. “That'd be nice.”

Oh hell.


+++

Neither had quite anticipated just how awkward it would be once they actually arrived back at Will's place. Things were silent as he let her in, and then they both just stood in the hall, not really knowing what to say.

“Uh...this way,” Will instructed eventually, leading her down the hall and into the lounge.

Though Will had stopped by Luke's a time or two, Buffy had never visited Will at his place before, and she looked around curiously. It was stylish – a little too stylish, like it belonged inside a magazine. All black and white and posh furnishings.

“Cordelia pick this out?” she guessed.

“How'd you know?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. It's just...not very you.”

“Yeah? What is me?”

“Maybe...something more colourful?”

Before he and Cordelia had gotten together, the place had been filled with art. His sofa had been a big, bright red thing Dru had pointed out for him, and most of the rest of his furniture had been things belonging to his Aunt Emily before she died. It had felt like home then.

He thought maybe Buffy understood him in a way that Cordelia never had.

It kind of frightened him.


+++

He let her use her shower, and wear some of his clothes. The whole thing was very intimate. He even made coffee, which they both drank silently, sat awkwardly at opposite ends of his sofa.

“Right. So...the bedroom is through there,” he told her, pointing towards a closed door. “If you need anything, help yourself. Or I'll be here on the sofa.”

She stood up. “Thank you again for saving my life. If I knew how I could repay you...”

“I was just doing my job.”

“Still...Well, goodnight.”

Just stand up and kiss her. It was all he'd wanted to do all night. It was all he'd wanted to do for weeks. “Yeah, night.”

Buffy walked into his bedroom and clicked the door shut behind her. Biting her lip, she looked over at his large bed.

Will's bed. Bed of Will. It probably smelt just like him.

She didn't know when she'd become such a chicken. Maybe it was just him, because if she'd wanted a man before, she'd just told him. Or maybe it was because he was Dru's brother, or Xander's best friend. Or maybe she was just making excuses.

But before she could ponder it any further, the door was flung open behind her, and Will was walking into the room with an oh so determined look on his face.

And then he was right in her face and grabbing her cheeks between his two calloused hands and kissing the holy hell out of her and oh...oh...oh he was good at it.

Long moments passed before they pulled apart.

Buffy's chest rose up and down as her breathing became heavier the longer he looked down at her with that stormy look in his eyes. She nodded to herself. “Yeah, okay.” And then she leaned forwards to place her lips back on his.

It was all the invitation Will needed. He slid his hands down to her butt, lifted her up and stumbled towards the bed.

Buffy was warmer than usual when she woke up the next morning. It probably had something to do with the heavy arm draped across her stomach, or the long body pressed up against her back. Or maybe she was warm because there was a decidedly penis shaped object sticking into her butt. Her eyes slowly opened as thoughts and memories began seeping into her conscious mind.

Fire bad. Tree pretty.

Fire! Hospital! Will!

Will. Sex. Sex with Will. Sex with her best friend's older brother, Will. And then some more sex with Will.

Oh God, amazing sex with Will.

And that was Will's decidedly penis shaped object sticking into her butt.

If she was going to be completely honest with herself, she'd have to admit that the whole 'sex with Will' thing...it had been coming for a while. The sparks between them over the previous few weeks had been growing from innocent little sparklers, to great honking firework displays. The more time they spent together, the more she realized that he was so different to what she remembered him to be. The stick up his ass had vanished. He'd stopped treating her like a mad little hippie, and more like a...woman. And she knew he was feeling it too. She could tell by the way he looked at her that he was feeling it too.

So, it was a good thing that they'd done it, right?

Or was it?

Because it wasn't like a relationship between them would ever work. Just because he wasn't so up his own ass these days, didn't make them at all compatible. They didn't like any of the same things, or have anything in common. And their parents had never really been friends. And when her dad and Giles were out of prison, she'd be leaving Sunnydale again to travel some more. So by sleeping together, had they just made their odd little friendship a lot more uncomfortable?

Or had they just sexed their way out of each other's systems so they could carry on with their lives?

She was so darned confused.

She felt the body behind her stiffen, and knew that he'd just woken up.

Should she pretend to be asleep? No, that was dumb. Act sexy? Casual. Cheerful?

A nice, simple, “Good morning,” was what she settled on.

“Uh...morning.” His arm slowly slid off of her, and he rolled onto his back.

Buffy rolled onto hers, and pulled the sheet up self-consciously to cover her naked chest. She glanced over at him, only to look away quickly when she realized that he was doing the same thing to her. “So...” she began, keeping her eyes on the ceiling. Why was this so awkward? Surely they'd got over the strained part of their relationship already? Especially with the whole him putting his naughty naked parts inside of hers.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “So...”

“That was great. Last night I mean, it was great.” Understatement much?

She felt him nod beside her. “Better than great.”

“Amazing.”

“Bloody amazing. Should've done it ages ago.”

“Right. So it was good that we did it. Which means that we shouldn't be feeling awkward right now.”

She turned to face him as he let out a big puff of air. “No, we shouldn't.” He smiled and shook his head. “Sorry I'm being such a twat. I just never expected to do what we did last night with you. I mean, I wanted to, but I never expected to.”

“You didn't expect to boink me when you stormed in and kissed me?”

“Well...maybe then. But not before that.”

She wanted to reach out and touch him. To run her fingers through his hair or trace her nails down his chest. But she had to find out how he felt first. Was it just a one time thing for him? Or did he want more? “Me neither. And I wanted to, too. I've been going crazy thinking about you these past few weeks.”

“Same here. You're right, it was a good thing we did it. Least now we can get on with our lives and start thinking clearly again.”

Buffy swallowed. Well, there was her answer. He wanted to get on with his life. “Right,” she voiced slowly. “You're out of my system now.” Lie.

If he was disappointed by that, it didn't show on his face. “Never had a one night stand before.”

Jeez, dig the stake in deeper, why don't you. “Happy to be of service. We uh...we probably shouldn't tell anyone about this.” No need for anyone to share in her humiliation.

“Probably not. Xander would likely kill me.”

“Maybe not kill. Possibly maim.”

He chuckled. “He'd chop off all my dangly bits.”

They lay in silence for a few moments, once again staring at the ceiling. Buffy wished he'd kiss her. “I should probably go.”

Will looked surprised. “It's still early.” He checked his watch. “Only seven. Don't you want breakfast?”

“My mom will be awake soon, and she'll hear about the fire in like, five minutes flat.”

“Ah, the curse of a tiny town.”

“Yeah, so she'll be worried...”

“Right.”

She shuffled over to the edge of the bed and peered over, trying to locate her panties. She was pretty sure he'd flung them in this direction after he'd ripped them off her the night before. She looked around when he coughed, and then blushed. Her panties were dangling from his finger. “Thanks,” she said, snatching them back.


+++

Will pulled up outside of Joyce's home less than half an hour later. She'd considered saying no to his offer of a ride, but there was just no way she could walk through town in one of his t-shirts and a pair of his sweats.

They looked at each other for a moment, smiling stupidly.

Tell him you want to see him again. “So I should go,” she announced. “Bye then.”

He nodded as she exited the car. “Seeya.” He waited until she'd entered the house before pulling away.

God, he felt great! Amazing! Sex with Buffy had been just what he needed to finally stop going absolutely crazy thinking about her all of the time. She was right, they were out of each other's systems now.

Except now he knew what it felt like to be inside her – paradise – and what she looked like when she was naked – a kinky goddess. And he was still thinking about her.


+++

Joyce was only just getting up when Buffy let herself in the front door. She stopped on the stairs where she'd been descending in her gigantic robe and blinked sleepily. “Hello, honey. Did you know it's only,” She checked her watch. “seven thirty?”

Buffy sat her mother down on the sofa and explained about the fire. Joyce gasped and hugged Buffy close with shaking hands.

“Thank goodness no one was hurt! Why on earth didn't you call me the minute you arrived in hospital? Where did you stay last night? Tell me you didn't stay at a hotel all by yourself! How are you feeling now? Is Luke okay? Oh, I could just swat that boy on the behind, the daft alligator! You never ever go to sleep with candles burning!” She winced as she remembered the whole 'incense burning down her bed' incident. “And what about your friend, Willow? Where is she now? Oh, I should make you some breakfast, you must be starving...”


+++

Dru's hand was clutched over her heart as Will relayed the events of the fire over lunch at his parent's house. “Oh my dear, I must call Buffy at once and make sure she's okay!”

“Finish your food first,” Anne instructed.

Will rolled his eyes. Their mother had a bad habit of treating them like they were still naughty twelve year olds. “She's fine,” he told Dru. “They checked her over in hospital and let her out an hour later.”

“Did she go home to Joyce's after that?”

“Uh, no.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked down at his food. This would be awkward. “She came home with me.”

Both Anne and Tor stopped eating to frown at him.

“Buffy Summers spent the entire night in your flat?” Anne demanded. Will sighed at her attitude – his parents had never been overly big fans of Buffy and her family.

“I slept on the couch,” he lied, sticking to the story he and Buffy had decided on in the car.


+++

“Oh, how chivalrous of him!” Joyce exclaimed, beaming.

Xander, who had heard about the fire from his girlfriend, Marcie – apparently things with Joy hadn't worked out after she'd farted one time during dinner – and had come to see if Buffy was okay, snorted. “It's Will we're talking about here, Mom, of course he was chivalrous. It's not like he would've made her sleep on the sofa after she'd just been in a fire.”

“They could have both slept in the bed,” Marcie suggested.

He looked horrified at her words. “No way, that would be...weird. It'd be like Will was putting the moves on my baby sister. He knows I'd pound him into next week if he ever did anything like that.”

“I'm not a baby, Xan,” Buffy protested, elbowing him in the ribs and trying oh so very hard not to blush.


+++

Drusilla joined Will where he'd been sitting on the porch and handed him a cup of coffee. She splayed a hand across her stomach as she sat down next to him. “I feel like a big whale.”

He rolled his eyes. “You're barely even showing yet. Your tum's just a little bit padded. Looks like you ate too much pudding.”

She looked down fondly. “Do you think so?”

“Yeah. Don't worry, you'll look like a big pumpkin soon.”

“Is it daft that I can't wait?”

Will looked his sister over. She was positively glowing. “No, it's nice.”

“It is nice. Especially now all that nasty morning sickness has passed.” She scooted closer, and lay her head on his shoulder. “You've been so good to Buffy, Willy. I really do appreciate it as I know you haven't gotten along easily in the past.”

He bit his cheek as he remembered the night before. “We're doing okay now, though.”

“Yes, I've noticed. You seem to be getting along very well.”

There was something in her tone of voice, and...yes, she had that twinkle in her eye. It meant she was up to mischief. “Not that close. Don't get any ideas. We're just friends. Sort of.”

“Hmm.” She didn't sound very much like she believed him. “I don't know how many 'sort of' friends would wait at a hospital until three in the morning to take their 'sort of' friend home with them.”

Pointing out that it hadn't been his intention would be lost on her, he knew. She was already romanticizing the whole thing, and she didn't even know the complete story. “Don't be daft, Dru. She's...Buffy. Me and her are too different.”

“Oh, I understand. Same old prejudices as mother and father.”

“Dru-”

She halted him with a hand and stood up. “Just don't pass by something precious because of silly differences.”

Will frowned to himself as Drusilla left him to go back inside the house. Last night had been great, there was no denying it, but they'd been right to make it just a one time thing. Because he and Buffy were from two completely different worlds.

Just because she was beautiful, and funny, and smart, and playful, and liked him for just being him, and accepted all his worse traits, and was pretty much the perfect girl, didn't mean he should be with her, right?

He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. He'd made a stupid mistake letting Buffy leave that morning. He should've gone with his first instinct and told her to stop talking nonsense with the ridiculous 'out of each other's systems' thing, and then rolled on top of her and persuaded her in very physical terms to stay.

And now it was too late.

A Long Drive

“Hello, darling!” Drusilla called cheerfully as she entered The Magic Box. When Buffy hadn't appeared by the time the door had closed behind her, she frowned. “Are you here, my sweet?”

A hairy boy popped his head up from behind the counter. “Uh..what? Do you mean me?”

“Of course not, Wendall. You're just...well, you're very, very strange. Where is Buffy?”

“Miss Summers is in the back room. You want me to go get her or something?”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “No, I'm very capable of walking there myself, thank you.”

“I don't think you're allowed-”

But she had already swept past him.

When she opened the door to the back room, Buffy looked up and broke out into a pleased smile. She had a bag of chicken's feet in one hand, and a gem encrusted goblet in the other. “Hey you! This is a surprise of the nicest kind.” She dropped the items in her hands into a nearby box. “New delivery,” she said, by way of explanation. She pulled out a chair and gestured for Drusilla to sit.

“I came because I have some lovely news.” Drusilla sighed gratefully as she sat, rubbing her belly. The baby was coming along quite nicely at six months.

Buffy perched on the desk. “Yeah?”

“I've found you an apartment to rent.”

“You have?” Buffy stopped swinging her legs and glanced at Drusilla with interest. She'd been looking for an apartment for the past few weeks – living with her younger brother's was making it very hard for her to remember why exactly it was she loved them so much. But the cheap apartments were beyond ugly, the nice apartments way out of her spending limit – if she ever wanted to be able to afford to travel again – and the only people looking to share were absolute freaks. She didn't even want to think about that one guy who'd answered the door all dressed in leather and insisted that if she wanted to move in she had to call him 'The Master'. “Where?”

“In my very building. Right across the hall, in fact.”

“But I thought that's where Jenny lived?”

“Well yes, she does. But she's also leaving for Iceland for six months to teach, and she doesn't want her apartment empty whilst she's gone.”

“That sounds so perfect! And my dads will be out of prison before then so I won't need to find a new place when she gets back because I can travel again!”

“Yes, it all works out nicely. Why don't you come on over after work and talk to Jenny?”

“I will. And thank you.”


+++

Jenny was moved out, and Buffy moved in, within the week.

Drusilla, still having no idea about Buffy and Will's night together, once again demanded moving day help from her brother, and for the very first time, Buffy was almost glad that she'd lost nearly half of her possessions in the fire so that it at least didn't take them too long.

Will wouldn't even look her in the eye, the bastard. He must have been regretting having sex with her more than she'd realized.


+++

In hindsight, moving across the hall from the sister and close friend of the one guy in the world you were trying to avoid probably wasn't the wisest idea, Buffy mused. Because since she'd moved into Jenny's place, she was seeing Will more than ever.

But he always made sure that they were never left alone together, his voice was always clipped when he spoke to her, and the whole situation just got more awkward each day.

Like he hadn't made her feel crappy enough.


+++

Drusilla watched Will and Buffy through narrowed eyes. Things had become very strange between the pair of them as of late, and so she'd invited them both around for dinner. A bit of sneaky manoeuvring had them sitting together on the couch, but they'd scooted to opposite ends, and were pointedly looking anywhere but at each other.

Either they'd had an argument, or there was a rather substantial amount of sexual tension sizzling away between them. Or maybe both.

“So,” she began, pouring ketchup onto her Chinese noodles. “Anything new between the two of you?”

Will coughed, and Buffy blushed.

“Nothing new,” Will commented quickly.

Buffy nodded in agreement. “Nothing at all. Just the same old Buffy. Same old...none newness.”

Liam, oblivious as ever, didn't even look up from his food. Drusilla rolled her eyes and sprinkled pepper over the ketchup. Will and Buffy really needed to do...something. Although the thought of her brother doing...something with anyone was yick. But if he had to do...something, it would be just so romantic if he did it with Buffy after all these years. Before she could think of something else to embarrass them with, her cellphone chirped. She moved aside her plate to answer it.

“Sweetie pie?” The voice didn't even wait for her to say hello. “It's me...your sister.”

“I do have caller ID, Cecily.”

Cecily tutted. “Be nice, I have a wonderful announcement!”

“Yes? Do share...”

“Bernard and I are to be married! He proposed last night!”

Drusilla smiled delightedly. “Oh, that is fantastic! How did he do it? Down on one knee?”

“Of course. He's very traditional, my Bernard. And romantic. He lit candles all over the living room.”

Bernard was an overly boring professor type, and Drusilla doubted he had a single romantic bone in his body. It was more than likely that he'd gotten the idea off the internet. But he made her sister very happy, which counted for everything. “Oh, I'm ever so happy for you! Have you thought about a date?”

“No, not yet. Quick engagements are so unfashionable, you know. We'll probably spend a year or so planning, you know how it is. We are throwing a little engagement bash this weekend, however. You and Liam will be there, I hope? Mother and father are coming. I've yet to speak to William.”

“Certainly we'll be there, daft sister. We wouldn't miss it. And William is here with me now if you wish to speak with him?”

“Oh, how handy. Yes please.”

After finalizing the plans for the weekend, Drusilla held out the phone. “Buffy, be a dear and pass this to William, would you?” A little line appeared between her brows as William did his damnedest not to touch Buffy's fingers as he took the phone off her.

“Hey, sis. Congratulations.”

“William! Did I just hear Drusilla say Buffy's name?”

“Yeah, she's here with us.”

“Lovely! Do tell her I'd like her to come along this weekend also.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Little Buffy was always like another younger sister to me.”

“Right.” He sighed and cleared his throat awkwardly, before turning to Buffy. “Cess wants you along for her engagement do this weekend. You free?”

Buffy smiled. “Sure I'm free! Tell her thank you! And congratulations! Oh wait, when are you driving down?”

“Friday afternoon,” Drusilla offered.

“Aw, man.” Buffy's face fell. “I'm babysitting Jesse and Thomas on Friday evening so Mom can take Darla out for dinner. Poor gal is all weepy 'cause she misses my dad.”

“I'd be all weepy too if me and Dru were separated for six months,” Liam informed them all helpfully.

Ignoring the googly eyed look Drusilla sent Liam, Will said, “Yeah, come to think of it, I'm working 'till ten on Friday. Might have to drive up on Saturday morning instead.”

“Nonsense,” Cecily scolded, having heard what he'd said. “You'll just have to make the journey after your shift at the station finishes.”

Will sighed, and Drusilla tore her gaze away from Liam. “What did she say?” She beamed once he'd told her, a plan forming in her sneaky little mind. “Well that's fine! You can pick up Buffy and the two of you can drive down together.” And then maybe the two of them could work out their issues on the three hour drive. And if they just so happened to fall madly in love...even better. They could all go on lots of double dates and have a double wedding and all their babies could grow up together and they'd all live happily ever after. She jolted and shook her head. Dratted hormones.

Buffy's eyes widened. She could already imagine how that car ride would go. Three parts awkward silence, one part horniness – on her part, that was. One sides horniness was such a bummer. “No way, I really couldn't ask Will to-”

“Nonsense,” Drusilla interrupted, as she was prone to do. “This way, neither of you has to make the journey by yourselves. You can talk...and stuff. It will be nice, won't it, William?”

Poor Will, Buffy almost found herself thinking. He looked like he wanted to disappear right into the couch. The stupid jerk. “Sure. It'll be...fun.”

They were trapped. Neither were willing to share with Drusilla and Liam why they'd rather fly to Cecily's house on a hover-board made out of wasps then spend three hours alone in a tiny, cramped car together, and to refuse her suggestion would just seem downright childish.

“That's settled then. Let Cecily know, will you?”

Great.


+++

Twelve thirty am.

Will had been driving for an hour and a half, and they were only half way to Cecily's house. Buffy could count the amount of words they'd said to one another on just one of her hands.

She officially now wanted to die. There wasn't a single time in her life that she could remember not being able to hold a conversation with anyone. She'd been outgoing and cheerful and engaging since before she could even talk. She'd never had anyone dislike her before. Of course, she'd never been crazy about anyone before, either, so there was a first for everything.

Because she was, she'd realized, completely crazy about Will. Mad about him. Buffy Summers was mad for Will Wright. Who'd ignored her when they were teens, slept with her when they were adults, and then gone back to ignoring her.

And she couldn't stop thinking about him.

She thought about him while she was working. She thought about him while she was showering. She thought about him while she was eating. She thought about him while she was painting her toenails. She thought about him all the freakin' time.

There was only so much thinking a gal could do before her brain clicked in to place. She may be ditzy little Buffy, but she wasn't dumb.

She was crazy about him. What the hell?

She glanced over at him in the driver's seat through the corner of her eye. He looked tired, and very strained – no doubt feeling the awkwardness just as much as she was. There was a little vein poking out on his forehead, and he was holding onto the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

“Uh...Will...” she started. Her voice felt slightly hoarse from lack of use. “You're going twenty over the speed limit.”

Will jumped in surprise at the sound of her voice, and looked down, perturbed to find that she was right. He hadn't even noticed. But he'd been too busy concentrating on not concentrating on Buffy, and the way that the perfume she was wearing was turning him on, and the fact that he could see a little patch of skin on her leg from the rip in her jeans and it was driving him wild. “Christ, I am as well, sorry,” he acknowledged, slowing the car down. “Just a bit tired, I guess. Getting weary.”

Buffy nodded in understanding. “It's okay. I'm just sorry I don't have my stupid license. I could have driven, or we could have taken turns.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I like being the one driving.”

She rolled her eyes, unsurprised. “You know it's okay to let go of control sometimes, right? You can let loose without the whole world falling down around you.”

“Yeah?” Will eyed her, tiredly. It was this kind of free spirited Buffiness that had drawn him to her in the first place. However, it was the first time they'd managed to have a conversation last longer than a whole thirty seconds since the day he'd dropped her off at Joyce's after they'd slept together, and he'd really missed talking to her. “How so?”

Buffy smirked devilishly. “Start with the small things, tight ass. Like music.” She leaned forward and flicked the car radio on, fiddling around for a moment until some bouncy pile of pop came on.

“I don't think so,” Will announced with a grimace. He reached out to turn it over, but Buffy slapped his hand away. He blinked in surprise. She pretended not to have heard his protest, and turned the song all the way up, so that the car began to vibrate from the speakers. His eyes widened in alarm as she wound down the windows. “What the hell are you doing now?”

“Waking us up!” she called over the music. With a happy chuckle, she began to jiggle in her seat. “Anywhere you go, I'll foooooollow you down!” she sang along to the music.

Will couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. She looked so funny trying to dance in the small space, and her voice was dreadful. But within seconds she'd made him feel lighter than air, she'd made him want to dance like an idiot too. So he did, and his heart skipped a beat when she giggled delightedly.

“I'll follow you down but not that faaar!”

Still bouncing, Will looked over at Buffy for as long as he dared keep his eyes off of the road. The gigantic smile on his face felt more genuine than it had in a long time, and he was sure his mouth couldn't stretch any wider.

“What are you all smiley about?” she asked, catching him watching her.

“Just thinking about you,” he answered honestly. “And about how this is probably going to be one of those moments that I remember for the rest of my life.” When she smiled back at him, he felt as if all the happiness he'd ever felt before had been leading up to this. He felt free, in that special way only she could make him feel. “You make me smile like no one else in the world,” he admitted.

They kept the music blasting for the rest of the journey, and neither said anything. Nothing else was needed.

Tarzan, Jane & Green Banana Sandwiches

Cecily certainly hadn't been lying when she'd told Will that she'd made plans for the whole weekend. He'd barely managed to steal three hours of sleep before she was shaking him awake, announcing that he'd better get his patootie out of bed and get some breakfast before they set out.

Over breakfast, she handed out itineraries for the day. Will's eyes widened. She had them busy from dawn to dusk!

His situation wasn't helped any by Buffy. Not that she was doing anything on purpose, but when she licked the orange juice off her fingers like that, it was only natural that his spoonful of cereal miss his mouth, he told himself. Of course, Liam making fun of him for the next hour was not natural, and he was only forced to cease when Will launched himself at his goofy friend. The two men wrestled until Will finally managed to get him into a headlock.

Anne was sincerely unamused.

After breakfast the group made their way over to Bernard's country club to play a spot of tennis. Will was so busy watching Buffy's match against his Uncle Ethan – and more specifically the way her ass looked in those teeny tiny white shorts – that he failed to keep a close eye on his own tennis partner. Liam took the opportunity to pay Will back for his earlier headlock and shot a tennis ball right for his head. Will was seeing stars for the next forty minutes.

Thankfully, he managed not to make a complete tit of himself through lunch – although he suspected the damage was already done. But when they took Bernard's boat out late in the afternoon, he completely missed his opportunity to drive because he was so busy concentrating hard on not pushing Buffy's flyaway strands of hair back behind her ears. He was sure he might have heard Bernard call to him at one point. Maybe some time between when he was noticing how adorable Buffy looked when her cheeks were tinged pink with cold, and when he realized that if he sat at a certain angle, he could see right down her vest.

Truth be told, the day was torture of the best kind. Utter torture.


+++

Bernard's family were a riot, Buffy decided, as one of his old cousins brought her over another drink at the party. In fact, they were surprisingly wild considering the fact that Bernard himself was such a boring old coot. They'd even managed to lighten Anne and Tor up and persuade them to dance, which had to be a miracle in itself.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Liam grabbed her hand and yanked her onto the dance floor.

After ten minutes of dancing with him, a dizzy Buffy called a time out, and laughed when he let go of her hand and bowed dramatically.

“I'm gonna go pee,” she told him.

“Too much info, Buff.”

She rolled her eyes and smacked him on the ass before darting her way out of the crowd of people to leave the room.

The cool air and the quietness of the bathroom was actually a relief, and she splashed some water over her face to soothe her flushed face.

For about the hundredth time in just an hour, she wondered where Will was and what he was doing. He'd been present for the first hour and a half of the party – she knew that because she'd been unable to keep herself from shooting sneaky glances in his direction every couple of minutes or so – and then he'd vanished. She hoped he hadn't hooked up with Bernard's pretty niece, Fred. He couldn't have, could he? Not when he'd spent the day looking at Buffy all smouldering and with those eyes...oh, those eyes. She'd been positively tingling the entire day.

With a sigh, because really, who was she to say who Will could and couldn't hook up with, she straightened her shoulders and made her way back to the party. But just as she was about to re-enter the room, a large hand grasped her elbow and she was pulled back against a hard, oh so familiar body. “Will! What-”

He span her around and kissed her, walking her forward until her back hit the wall. Buffy knew that she should probably make some kind of protest, maybe tell him he couldn't just kiss her after the way he'd treated her, but it felt so good that all she could do was moan breathlessly and kiss him back just as hard. He moved his leg in between hers and stuck an eager hand right up her top and kissed her chin, her jaw, her neck. “God, I missed you.”

“Will,” she protested half heartedly, even as her hand gripped onto his butt. “Someone might see us.”

He pulled away and glanced towards the door, of which they were awfully close, and nodded. Grinning at her, he lifted her up and over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, ignoring her shriek, and hurried upstairs towards the room he was staying in. Once inside, he kicked the door shut, and dumped Buffy unceremoniously onto the bed. “Me Tarzan!” He banged a fist on his chest. “You Jane!”

Laughing, Buffy knelt up on her knees. “You freak,” she replied, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him down to the bed on top of her. “Me horny.” She cupped his cheek and kissed him, languidly.

Will pulled away suddenly. “Before we do this, I want to...I've just been pacing around for ages outside thinking about it...I want to make sure...”

“Make sure of what?”

“That we won't be idiots again tomorrow morning,” he answered, his face inches above hers. “Neither of us will pretend that it was a one time thing, right?”

If he kept on talking that way, Buffy might just have to burst with happiness. “Right. Last time we were stupid. It was never going to be a one time thing with me and you.”

He gave a relived little grunt and kissed her again, moving one of his hands to unzip her skirt. “I'm so crazy about you, Buffy. All I've done is think about you, but I like it. Say you'll be with me?”

“Mm? Oh!” His fingers had found their way inside her panties. “Yes, Will. God yes! Let's be idiots together.”


+++

A thoroughly spent Will lay happily next to Buffy, smiling down at her from where his head rested on his fist.

She was half asleep, which was okay for now, but there was no way Will was done with her for the night. “Buffy?”

She frowned. “Mm?”

“Are you awake?”

“Nuh uh.”

“You sound like you're awake.”

“It's all a conspiracy. A sleeping conspiracy for tired Buffy.”

“Right.” Something inside his heart snapped. Something irreversible. Will wasn't sure that he minded all that much. “People are gonna wonder where we got to.” Actually, the majority of them were probably too drunk to care. Drusilla might have noticed, with the not drinking, but she was probably too busy taking care of Liam to think about it.

“Green banana sandwiches.”

Will chuckled, and lay his head down next to hers as he realized she was sleep talking. “Sure, baby.”

Buffy was very, very happy when she awoke the next morning. It could have had something to do with the blanket of golden sunshine shining through the curtains and warming her exposed skin. It could have had something to do with the smell of freshly cooked breakfast drifting upstairs to lure eager little noses.

It probably had a lot to do with the fact the one of Will's hands was in a very naughty place. She moaned, and he grinned, deviously. “Good morning.”

She nodded in agreement. “Very good morning.”

Ten delicious minutes later, Buffy lay panting next to a very smug looking Will. When she glanced over in his direction, he locked his eyes with hers and slowly licked his fingers, one by one.

“You are a very, very bad man.”

“Just wanted to make sure you knew what my intentions were when you woke up, is all. Didn't want any misunderstandings like last time.” He made it all sound so very innocent.

Buffy leaned on her side and pretended to debate the matter. “Hmm...I'm not entirely sure I do understand your intentions. I may need some further explanation.”

With a playful growl, Will rolled on top of her and pinned her arms over her head. “My pleasure,” he said, and kissed her deeply.

Now this was what waking up next to Will should have been like last time, Buffy mused. Happy and sexy and full of naked kissage. But if they carried on like this then it was going to go down exactly like it had done the night before – loudly. They'd gotten away with it then, because everybody had been too drunk and the music had been too loud, but she highly doubted that Will's family would fail to overhear them if they started going at it like bunnies. And so with an unhappy little groan, she pulled away. “What time is it?”

“Not telling,” Will answered petulantly. He rubbed his nose in the hollow of her neck.

“Why not?” When he didn't answer, she glanced over at he clock on his bedside table and sighed. “We should probably get up and go down to breakfast.”

His face clouded over. “That's why.”

She reached up and kissed him right on his grumpy little pout. “So what are we telling your family?”

“Well I thought I could throw your naked little self over my shoulder and parade you around the house, slapping your delectable arse and bragging to everyone about how you're my woman.”

She punched his shoulder. “Jerk. Be serious.”

He smiled, and rolled back over to his side of the bed. “I don't know. Me and you...it's all very new. Not even taken you on a real date yet. Unless you count your mate's fluffy pink wedding.”

“Which I don't.”

“Well, there you go.”

She nodded and looked up at the bed canopy. “Yeah, I'm not sure I'm used to it either. I mean, I'm totally happy, and I'm in this, but you were always just Dru's big brother, and now your Dru's naked and sexy big brother, so...much weirdness.” After chewing on her lip for a moment, she asked, “Do you think we should wait a few days until we tell your family? And mine?”

Will winced. “Xander's gonna kill me.”

“He can try. Don't worry, I'll protect you.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, with your wincy little girl arms?”

“Hey! I do not have wincy little girl arms!”

“Certainly looked that way when you lost our arm wrestle.”

“Oh.” She stuck out her bottom lip. “I forgot that was with you.”

“Well I appreciate the sentiment all the same. And if it helps any, being with you would be worth being smashed to a pulp by Xander.”

She smiled sweetly over at him and wrapped an arm around his chest. Where had this sweet, charming man come from? “So today we just act cool?”

“Cool as a cucumber.”

“Good.” With a happy smirk, Buffy wriggled underneath the covers and found her way in between Will's thighs.

“Uh...what are you doing?” he asked, though he thought he might already know.

“I thought I'd show you my intentions,” came her muffled reply.

“Oh, okay. But we should probably get down to breakfaohhh! Hahhh!”


+++

Will stared at the long mirror back at his place with a frown. He yanked off his red vest and pulled on a white t-shirt – the one that had the dog with a moustache on the front.

He was supposed to have left for Buffy's apartment five minutes ago, because they'd arranged to spend the afternoon together. An actual arrangement, and not just bumping into one another 'accidentally' like they'd been doing over the past couple of months. There would probably be sex, what with the whole arranging to meet up thing. He and Buffy, meeting up. On purpose.

He didn't know why he was feeling so weird about the whole thing. She was his girl, that was for sure. But they'd never arranged a...date before. He'd never imagined growing up that he'd be making a date with Buffy Summers one day.

And now he was stood in front of his mirror having a big old fashion crisis like he was some kind of girl. He bet Buffy wasn't changing her t-shirt every thirty second like some hormonal teenager.

Pouting, he cocked his head and glared at the dog with the moustache. Was it laughing at him? Damn dog! He ripped the t-shirt off and slipped on his only shirt – light blue to match his eyes, according to Cordelia. He snorted in disgust as he remembered her insisting he buy it, and yanked it off and threw it towards the bin. And then he winced and picked it out again and placed it gently on his bed. It was his only shirt, after all. And it was actually quite nice, and it really did match his eyes.

He folded his arms over his naked chest and regarded himself in the mirror once more, rolling his eyes. What the hell was he thinking? This was Buffy! Buffy didn't care how he dressed. She liked him for him, regardless of what he wore, and she didn't view him as some kind of fashion accessory, as Cordelia had done. She'd probably even like it if he showed up bare chested.

Buffy would probably like the dog with the moustache. It was the kind of thing she'd find funny.

He was wearing the dog with the moustache.

Dressed, he grabbed his keys and his denim jacket, and headed towards his front door.

And then he hurried back to the bedroom and discarded the dog with the moustache and pulled his red vest back on.


+++

Buffy paced back and forth in her apartment, wringing her hands nervously.

What if Will didn't like her place? He hadn't seen it since the day he'd helped her move in, and a lot had changed since then. Maybe she should take down some of the wall hangings, or hide the large statue of the elephant god, or put out the incense?

She hoped he liked it. She'd never really had a place of her own before, and had never really cared what other people thought. But now this place was hers – for a while – and she did care what Will thought. His opinion mattered to her. She liked that.

A knock on the front door startled her from chewing on her thumbnail, and she hurried to answer.

“Hi.” Will looked as sheepish as she felt.

“Hey...” She held the door open. “Come on in.”

As he passed by her, he handed her a bunch of flowers. “For you.”

“Oh! I love daffodils!”

“I know.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking embarrassed. Buffy wondered if he'd bought Cordelia many flowers. “I remember you used to bring bunches of them 'round the house every spring. You said that smelling them made you feel-”

“Hopeful.” A light shined in her eyes. “I can't believe you remember that.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, before Buffy shut the front door and bustled into the kitchen area to put the daffodils into water. She saw Will bounce on the balls of his feet as he watched her, and she wished he wouldn't look like he felt so out of place. Once she was satisfied that she couldn't fiddle with her flower arrangement any more without looking like she was stalling – which she was, why was this so awkward? - she turned, and leaned back against the counter. She jiggled her knee and glanced at Will.

“I like your place,” he told her. “You've done it up nice.”

“Thanks...it's just temporary, though.”

“Right. 'Cause you'll be leaving again.” That was something they'd neglected to talk about before.

“Maybe.”

There was a couple more seconds of silence, and then Will heaved a sigh. “This is so stupid.”

Buffy's shoulders dropped in relief. “So true.”

“Just...come here.”

They met in the middle of the room and kissed desperately, grasping on to one another and holding tight.

“Missed you so much,” Will mumbled, kissing her ear.

“It's only been two days.”

“Two long days.”

She smirked and slid her arms around his neck as he gripped his hands onto her butt and yanked her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Bedroom?”

“That way.”

He stumbled back in the direction she pointed towards, but was so intent on kissing her that he didn't watch where he was going. It was only a second before they stumbled to the floor.

“Are you okay?” Buffy asked breathlessly.

“Yeah. Screw the bedroom, it's too far away.”

She giggled as his hands went to the buttons on her shorts. “Will, it's-”

But she was interrupted by an insistent knocking on her front door. They paused mid-kiss, and stared at each other with wide eyes.

“Don't answer it,” Will hissed.

“Duh, I wasn't going to.”

But the knocking continued. “Buffy! Open up!” Drusilla called from the other side of the door. “I know you're in there, I can see the light on under the door. You need to let me in, darling, or I'm going to do a little piddle right here in the hallway!”

Buffy groaned. “I'd better let her in.”

Will nodded, and they stood and helped each other straighten out before Buffy reluctantly opened the door. Drusilla rushed past her with a quick thank you and zipped straight into the bathroom.

“This sneaking about thing was a lot sexier before we were interrupted,” Will grumbled.

“She's your sister,” Buffy answered with a shrug.

When Drusilla re-emerged from Buffy's bathroom, it was with a little frown on her face. “I thought I saw you, William. What are you doing in here?”

Will's mouth opened and closed as he tried to think of an answer. “Uh...waiting for you?”

Drusilla didn't look overly convinced.

“Why couldn't you pee in your own apartment?” Buffy asked, partly to distract Drusilla, and partly because she just wanted to know.

“Because I just arrived home and was about to do a wee in my knickers and I couldn't find my keys as my bag is so overstuffed.”

“Ah.”

Drusilla flopped down onto Buffy's sofa. “Now that I'm here, we can have tea. How lovely.”

Buffy and Will eyed one another over Drusilla's head and sighed.