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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Brat for her encouragement regarding this story.
Chapter One

“I need you to go on a date for me.”

Buffy’s head snapped up from the magazine she’d been reading, green eyes wide with surprise.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

Willow blew her nose noisily in a tissue and pinned Buffy with a glare.

“You heard me.”

“Willow,” Buffy frowned at her best friend. “I can’t go on a date for you.”

“Why not?”

Rising from the armchair Buffy began gathering the remains of the lunch she and Willow had just finished. “Don’t you think the guy’s going to notice?”

Willow rolled her eyes before launching into a coughing fit and then collapsing back onto her bed. “He won’t have a clue,” she croaked.

Buffy’s watched her friend with worried eyes. When Willow had called and asked her to bring by some soup and magazines Buffy'd had no idea her friend was so sick. This cold had been going around at the office where they worked together but Buffy had been lucky enough not to get sick – yet. After taking care of Willow for the weekend Buffy wasn’t so sure she’d escape unscathed.

After cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen Buffy made them both a cup of tea and returned to the bedroom.

“Thanks for taking care of me.”

“No problem,” Buffy smiled and plopped back down into the armchair that she’d pulled up beside the bed. “Just remember this next week when I’m the one in the bed hacking up my lungs.”

“Oh that’s a pretty picture,” Willow laughed tiredly. “So you haven’t told me if you’ll go.”

“Go where?” The feigned innocence on Buffy’s face wouldn’t have fooled anyone. Least of all her friend of five years.

“On the date silly.”

“Okay this is just strange,” Buffy placed her tea on the bedside table and frowned. “Just who is it that you’re going out with that he wouldn’t notice that it wasn’t even you he was with?”

Willow dropped her eyes, becoming suddenly engrossed in a loose thread on her bedspread. Then, taking a deep breath she blurted out, “William Rafe.”

Buffy’s jaw dropped open. All she could think was how grateful she was that she’d put her hot tea down before hearing that name. Suddenly she burst out laughing as she realized that she must have misunderstood. “Willow how on earth did you hook up with a guy named William Rafe? Geez he must hate having that name.”

Willow shook her head as she spoke quietly, “Not a William Rafe. The William Rafe.”

“The William Rafe.” Buffy repeated. “The star of Hours of Darkness. The show that we sit in your lounge room watching every Tuesday night.”

Willow cringed. “Yes.”

All humour fled as Buffy fell back into staring at her friend in amazement. “How?” The quiet word slipped out of her mouth on a rush of breath.

“I entered a competition from some magazine. Win a date with William Rafe. I never thought in a million years I would win. But then...” Her voice dropped away and she gave a little shrug.

Finally, a huge smile spread across Buffy’s face and she laughed in giddy delight. “You must be so excited. That’s amazing. He’s like the sexiest man on the face of the planet.”

“Well according to you. I prefer that other guy myself. That Xander Harris guy.” Willow paused before looking at Buffy with trepidation. “You’re not mad at me then?”

“Why would I be mad?” Buffy asked.

“Because I know you really like him and I was going to meet him and I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d be…I don’t know…jealous or something.” Willow’s words stumbled to a halt as she watched Buffy’s face worriedly. “Please say you’re not mad.”

Buffy smiled, eager to relieve her friend’s guilt. “Of course I’m not mad. I do wish you’d told me though so I could be excited for you. It will be heaps of fun. We’ll have to go shopping and buy you something fabulous to wear.”

Willow finally gave a relieved smile. And promptly sneezed. Tossing her tissue, with more vigour than accuracy, at her waste paper basket she sighed, “So you’ll go for me then?”

Quickly reminded of how this conversation started Buffy suddenly felt panic closing in.

“Of course I’m not going. You’re going. You won and you’re going. This will be a night to brag to your children about and I’m not taking it away from you.”

“It’s tonight Buffy.”

As Willow’s words penetrated her brain Buffy paused to take in her friend’s appearance. Willow was much paler than usual and her eyes were red and puffy. Her normally vibrant red hair hung limp and tangled down to her shoulders. Even as she watched Buffy got the impression that all Willow wanted was to finish this conversation so she could get some sleep.

“Oh,” she whispered.

Willow took in Buffy’s ‘deer in headlights’ expression and knew she’d have to act quick if she was going to talk her friend into this. “Please Buffy. I know you’d have a great time. You can’t tell me you haven’t fantasized about this ever since you first clapped eyes on him on the television. I was there I saw you.”

“That was not him that was an accident.”

“You dropped popcorn all over the lounge room floor.”

“I tripped,” Buffy argued half-heartedly.

“Yeah,” Willow retorted. “Over your tongue.”

Buffy blushed at the memory. She could admit she’d been shocked at her reaction to the platinum-blonde man that had appeared on the small screen. Her breath had caught in her throat and she’d spent the entire hour with her eyes fixated to the sharp angles of his face. Enthralled with the deep timbre of his voice. As the credits had rolled on that first episode Buffy had been completely embarrassed to realize she had barely spoken a word to Willow throughout the entire show. It didn’t help that by then Willow was laughing uncontrollably at her.

“He’ll be here in two hours to pick you up.” Willow’s voice brought Buffy out of her memories. “So get busy shimmying into the most revealing dress you can find in my closet. I expect to hear every delicious detail tomorrow.”

Buffy’s heart threatened to burst from her chest as the reality of the situation hit her. William Rafe. Here. In two hours. Blind panic took over as her mind ran through a hundred different ways she could make a complete fool of herself in front of a man she had never dreamed she would actually meet.

“I can’t do this,” she gasped between pants. “I can’t just go out on a date with William Rafe.”

“Why not?” Willow snuggled into her covers, knowing she’d won the argument even if Buffy hadn’t realized it yet. “Just tell him you’re me. He’ll never know the difference. Try the red dress with the split up the side. No man could resist you in that one.”

In a daze, Buffy moved to Willow’s closet and opened the doors. Her eyes ran over the multitude of colours and fabrics without seeing them. A million thoughts clamoured for attention in her mind. What would she say to him? What would he think of her? What if he turned out to be a jerk?

Taking a fortifying breath Buffy forced herself to examine the contents of Willow’s wardrobe. If she was going to do this, she decided, she might as well do it right.





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