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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you, as always, for the reviews! There is a longer author's note at the bottom of the chapter.
Chapter 17:

 
William could hear sounds coming from inside of the building before they were even outside of the front door. He had expected loud music, but this was bordering on the ridiculous. How could people even think, let alone talk, with such a loud racket?

"Okay, just let me know if the music bothers you," Buffy said, as she handed the bouncer a cover fee for both of them.

"It is quite loud," William stated, beginning to lose his confidence over his agreement to visit The Bronze.

"I'd like to think that you will get used to it," she said. "But if it bothers you-"

"Buffy, I will let you know the minute I am annoyed," he said, hoping to end her worry.

Buffy smiled. "Okay then. Shall we?"

"We shall." William held out his arm in hopes that Buffy would accept it and they could walk in together. Very quickly, Buffy reached out and wrapped her arm around his, loving how very special that made her feel.

The two walked through the door and Buffy led the way through the crowds of people. Still holding onto William's arm, Buffy could feel him tense at her side. She looked at him and then bit her lip, wondering if she might have brought him here before he was ready for it.

"Are you still okay?" She loudly asked near his ear.

"Yes. I, uh, I'm just trying to become adjusted to all of the sounds," William explained. "That and the sights."

"Sorry," Buffy replied, squeezing his hand. "I know you aren't used to hearing such loud noises back at home, right?"

"Well, there are loud noises every once in a while, but nothing along the lines of this," William said, raising his voice so he could be heard over the pounding beat of the music. He looked at the dance floor and then quickly looked away. "Do people really dance to music such as this?"

Buffy pointed to the dance floor, which wasn't even half-filled. "See? They're dancing. Although, I guess you would probably think of that as...bouncing around aimlessly."

"Yes, the thought did cross my mind," William agreed, with a small smile on his face. He looked at how closely the men and women were dancing together and quickly averted his eyes. "Buffy, I feel as if I should not be watching them."

Buffy looked at the dance floor, where couples were swaying provocatively to the loud beat of the music. "Um...yeah, about that," she started. "That's how a lot of us dance these days."

William made a "hmmph" sound in the back of his throat and kept his eyes away from the moving dance floor, thinking that he would never be able to dance like that, and especially with Buffy. "All of these people need some proper dancing lessons," he commented.

She shook her head and smiled, trying to picture William giving ballroom dancing lessons to a bunch of teens and 20-year-olds who could care less about "proper dancing." "Just don't look, okay?"

William nodded. "Shall we find your friends?"

Buffy nodded and walked closer towards the bar area, where she saw her four friends waiting for her at a table. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Ready as I will ever be, I imagine," William replied.

"Hey guys," Buffy greeted when she walked up to the round table.

"Buffy, hi!" Willow answered first, waving from across the table. She looked at William standing beside her and smiled. He hadn't even said a word and for some reason, she already had a good feeling about him.

Everyone else welcomed Buffy, and Tara waved as well before Buffy pointed towards William. "Everyone, I'd like for you to meet William Stafford." Words of welcome were heard from around the table before Buffy continued on. "William, this is Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander." She pointed towards each person as she introduced him or her.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet all of you," William started. "Buffy has said so many nice things about you."

"C'mon, William," Xander said. "Pull up a chair and join us."

Both Buffy and William sat down in the barstools, continuing to keep their connection with each other by holding hands. "This is William's first time here in the States," Buffy explained. "He is visiting for the holidays."

"Well, I for one have to say that it is great having another man around in the group," Xander said. "It was getting to be a bit much with just all these women and estrogen around. Not that I'm complaining or anything, right William?"

William thought on Xander's words, unsure of what he should say in response. "Quite right," he finally answered.

"So, William, tell us more about yourself," Tara said, reaching out to take Willow's hand and silently asking her girlfriend if she too noticed the vibes between Buffy and William.

"Well, I live with my mother and sister in London," he said, obviously leaving out the year when he came from.

"Is it very different than here in the US?" Willow asked. She'd had always wanted to visit England but hadn't gotten the chance yet.

William smiled to himself, remembering the morning when his sister had asked the very same question. He squeezed Buffy's hand, thinking that it was amazing and fun that they had a secret joke between the two of them. "It has taken some time to adjust," he spoke truthfully. "However, I am quickly picking up on things."

Buffy raised her eyebrows hearing another 20th century phrase pass through William's lips. Wow, if he was already beginning to incorporate modern catch phrases into his everyday language then he really was catching onto things quickly.

"What do you do for a living, William?" Xander asked. He had heard the least about William since he didn't see Buffy as often as the women did. However, from what he had heard from Anya over the last few days, Xander had a pretty good feeling that this guy might stick around for a while.

"I am a poet."

"Oh, well that's nice," Tara said. "Willow and I took a class on Romantic era poetry, right baby?"

Willow smiled and then nodded, taking a moment to look at Tara and tell her that she did indeed see much more than meets the eye concerning the blonde couple. "Does that era of poetry inspire your own writing?"

William took a few seconds to look at the two women, sitting there smiling at one another as they held hands. Before his conversations with Buffy, he had never heard of a relationship between two people of the same gender. Buffy had explained a bit about what she termed "gay" and "lesbian" relationships and how heated the debate over the topic currently was in the US. At first, William had thought the notion of a same-gender relationship unnatural and weird, but seeing Willow and Tara sitting together looking perfectly normal and happy, quickly forced William to change his mind.

"Yes, I find that era of poetry much enjoyable," William said, sending a secret smile towards Buffy. After all, when he had read poetry it was still considered new and innovative, not something that was studied in a history course.

"Doesn't writing not pay very well?" Anya blurted out.

Anya eyed William suspiciously. Although he seemed like a very nice guy, there was something...different about him. Something that she could not place her finger on, but she could tell there was something not right with William. However, she would give Buffy the benefit of the doubt and give him a fair chance.

Xander shook his head. "Honey, how many times do I have to tell you that not everything is about money?"

Anya "hmm"ed as she thought it over in her head. "About half as many times as you tell me that not everything is about sex."

Buffy cringed, remembering that she never had gotten around to reminding Anya to try and work on her tact for the evening. "Anya!" she hissed across the table. If she had been sitting closer to her, Buffy would have kicked Anya's shin from underneath the table.

"What? I can't help it that I like to be so open about my sex life," Anya said defensively. "I mean, most men would be happy that their fiancée goes around telling everyone how big you-"

Xander reached up and covered her mouth, sending an apologetic look at the rest of the table, especially towards William. "I'm sorry about that. We're just going to go dance now."

Xander and Anya rose from the table and walked out to the dance floor while Buffy looked over at William with a concerned expression. William's eyes were wide in shock at Anya's explicit words, and Buffy made a mental note to seriously threaten the girl tomorrow morning.

"Are you okay?"

William slowly nodded. "Was she going to say that I think she was going to say?"

Buffy nodded. "Yes, unfortunately, Anya was absent from school during the days the class learned about tact."

"You'll get used to her eventually," Willow jumped in. "I mean, I...I almost have."

Tara rubbed her girlfriend's shoulders affectionately. "Oh sweetie, you like Anya, admit it. You just like to put on that tough girl air for old times sake."

Willow didn't answer, but all three women knew that Tara's words were very true.

"May I ask how long you two have been...courting?" William looked at Buffy and shrugged, unsure of what the modern day term was.

"Aww, courting. Is that what you all still call it over there?" Willow asked. "She and I have been together for almost two years."

"Best two years of my life," Tara said, bringing Willow's hand up to her lips and lightly kissing the back of it.

"Mine too, baby."

William smiled, seeing the obvious love both women had for the other. Buffy had been right when she had written that it didn't matter the gender, what mattered was if there was love. And from the looks of things, both Willow and Tara had more than enough love to last a lifetime.

He turned his head and looked at the dance floor, trying to spot Xander and Anya. Finally, he noticed them towards the front of the floor, dancing and laughing happily together. The two were moving frantically to the fast paced song, and again William wondered if he could ever manage to dance in such a fashion.

"Do you want to dance too?"

"Excuse me?" William asked, still adjusting to the loud music playing overhead. He didn't understand how people could carry on normal conversations with music this loud.

"Dance?" She asked again, raising her voice.

"I...I am not certain that I would understand-"

"I'll teach you," she said. "We'll just go slow and dance with the basic steps," Buffy said, hoping to sway his decision. "If you hate it, we'll come right back."

William slowly nodded. "Then I guess I will give it a shot."

Buffy stood and reached out for his hand. William stood from the barstool as well, and she slowly led him through the sea of people to an open spot on the dance floor. The music suddenly changed to a much slower beat, and when Buffy turned around to face him, she noticed the visible unease in his posture and expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

William looked around, noticing how close all of the other couples were standing. Many were barely moving, too busy caught up in a heated kiss or touch - things that he had never experienced before. "Yes - Yes, I am sure," he answered. "I just do not...I do not understand this dance."

"Well, it's pretty simple," she explained. "You simply place your hands here-" She took his hands and placed them against her hips. "And I place my hands here." Buffy brought her own hands up against his chest to rest on top of his shoulders. "Is this okay?"

William's eyes were focused on where she had placed his hands. He had never placed his hands so low on her body before, and part of him was terrified that he was going too far, while another part of him was overcome with joy that he was actually allowed to be so close to Buffy. He quickly made his decision and stepped closer to her, tightening his grip around her lower waist.

"This is...this is perfect," he finally said.

I know, Buffy completely agreed. "Now, all you do is sway to the beat of the music. Like this." She demonstrated by beginning to move from right to left slightly. "Not too bad, right?"

"No. Actually, this is very simple when compared to the intricate steps to dances that I learned growing up."

"I guess so," Buffy said. "So, what did you think of everyone?"

"I do like your friends," William said. "They are all very...interesting."

"And when you say 'interesting' in that tone of voice, I can tell you are thinking about Anya," Buffy said, grinning. "She definitely takes some getting used to."

"Yes, I agree. However, her fiancée seems very nice. Xander seems to be a very nice gentleman," William continued. "However, I must say that I do seem to favor Willow the best."

"Willow's great, isn't she?" Buffy agreed. "I don't know what I would do without her."

"However...seeing her with Tara. With another woman," William started. "That is very...new to me."

"I know that might take some time getting used to as well," Buffy said. "But look at it this way. They are just two people in love, two people that want to be together because they love each other. It doesn't matter than they are both women. What matters is that they love each other."

"It sounds to me as if you may have had difficulty understanding their relationship as well."

Buffy shrugged, wondering how he could read her so well in such a short period of time. "At first. I mean, I admit that it did take me by surprise. Her only other relationship was with a man. It was just weird going from seeing Willow and her boyfriend to Willow and her girlfriend."

"I see." William said, thinking over Buffy's last few words. Although they had become much closer over the last couple of days, neither one had made any effort to actually define their relationship. William spoke up, hoping to clear that up right now. "Is that what I am, Buffy?"

"What?"

"A boyfriend?"

Buffy blushed, surprised that he was wondering the same thing she had been thinking about earlier today. "I suppose you are," she finally said. "I mean, that's what I was assuming you would be when you said, 'things' - meaning 'us' - progressing."

William nodded, trying to understand the terminology of this time period. "And then that would make you...my girlfriend?"

Buffy nodded. "You got it."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter. "I've never had a girlfriend before," he revealed.

Buffy felt her heart clench at seeing is face light up at the mere thought of having a girlfriend - a word that was so simple, but clearly meant so much to him...to both of them, actually. "Well, I don't know why," she said. "I don't know how a man as kind and generous as you could go on single for very long."

William's eyes clouded over at the though of Cecily and the humiliation he had gone through at his last social event that he had attended. But, when he realized that she was simply giving him a compliment, his spirits lifted and he was right back where he had been a few seconds before - exhilaration.

"Are you still okay with the dancing?" Buffy asked.

William nodded, looking down at their feet, which were barely moving across the floor.

"Well, if you wanted to simplify things even more, you don't even have to move," Buffy said.

She stopped moving and pressed up against William, laying her head against his chest and feeling the top of her head rest underneath of his chin. William's hands slid around until they rested against the small of her back as Buffy's hands dropped to cling to his side. He clasped his hands together and felt her do the same against his back.

"Now this...this is perfect," she said softly.

William looked down at the woman in his arms, breathed in the scent of her shampoo, and swore that he might have just died in ecstacy.

And it was there that William realized that he could come to enjoy dancing in the 21st century very, very much.

 
~~~

When William and Buffy walked back to their table, Xander had purchased drinks for everyone. Buffy discretely exchanged her club soda with William's beer since she wasn't sure about his tolerance level to alcohol. The group of six sat together talking, allowing William get to know everyone better.

Thirty minutes later, William leaned over to ask Buffy where the bathroom was. She pointed to the bathroom signs and directed him how to get there. When William rose from the table and began to walk to the other side of the club, Buffy looked at her friends excitedly.

"So?" She asked. "What does everybody think?"

"I like him" Willow finally said. "I think I really do like him."

"Me too," Tara agreed. "He seems very sweet."

Buffy beamed at hearing her best friends give quick praise. "Yeah, he really is."

"And I don't get a creepy-Warren feeling from him either," Willow said, delighted that her friend had finally found someone who seemed to fit her perfectly.

"He seems pretty cool," Xander began. "I got the impression he is overly polite. Is that something people in England always do?"

Buffy shrugged. "He's always been polite ever since we first began writing to each other," she said truthfully. "That's one of the things I like best about him." She turned and looked at the last person who hadn't spoken yet. "Anya?"

"I don't know..." she started. "He just seems a bit too perfect."

Buffy sat back, surprised to her words against William coming from Anya, of all people. "Well, William is a great guy, but no one is perfect."

"He's just...something about him. Like he's from a different generation or something," Anya said.

Buffy paused, wondering how someone whose mind was so centered on sex and almost nothing else could suspect something so close to the truth while no one else did. "Anya..."

"Nevermind. This is just me getting into some deep inner thoughts; it doesn't happen too often. I wish you many happy orgasms with William," she said.

Everyone at the table groaned.

"No, seriously, though," Anya began, frowing when she realized that her earlier words might have hurt Buffy. "He does seem...nice. Maybe a little timid for my tastes, but that seems to work with you."

And it was true - William's calm, pacified nature was very calming to Buffy. He hadn't ever gotten upset or overly emotional since arriving in her time, and she realized that she was beginning to count on his rational thinking to help her get through things. It didn't take much to make Buffy realize that she was beginning to count on William for a lot of things.

"I'm so glad that you all like him," Buffy said. "He's a bit nervous about meeting you all, but I'm sure that as time goes on, he'll start to loosen up and act more casual with you all."

"Has he met Dawnie yet?" Willow asked.

"No, actually. But she'll be home Monday evening, so I'll introduce the two of them then," Buffy explained. She reminded herself to call Dawn this weekend and let her know that William would be there when she got home. Buffy didn't expect to have any problems with William and Dawn getting along. After hearing so much about his devotion and love for his own sister, Buffy knew that she didn't have anything to worry about.

Buffy felt a hand touch the small of her back and she whirled around to come face to face with William. "Made it there and back safe and sound?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," William replied, smiling. "There is another slow song playing. Would you care to dance?"

"That sounds great," Buffy replied, hopping off of the stool and standing beside him. "We'll be back," she told her friends as the couple walked out to the dance floor.

 
~~~

 
Several songs later, the group of friends decided to call it a night since they all had work the next morning. Buffy and William were still on the dance floor, where her four friends could see the two joking around and badly dancing together.

Willow walked up to the couple and tapped on Buffy's shoulder. "Hey, I think we're ready to head out," Willow said.

"Okay. Is that okay with you, William?" Buffy asked.

William nodded emphatically. Although he had enjoyed meeting her friends and dancing with Buffy, the loud music was beginning to hurt his head. Furthermore, he was unused to staying up this late at night and was ready for a good night's sleep.

The group grabbed their coats and headed out the door. Buffy automatically reached for William's arm, looping her own through his and walking at a leisurely pace beside him.

"Did you have fun tonight?" She asked William as they all walked out towards the parking lot.

"Yes, I did," he admitted. Above everything else, William had enjoyed dancing with Buffy, where he had been closer to her than ever before. It was a lovely feeling and one he hoped that he would have again very soon. "And we will come back?"

"As many times as you would like," Buffy answered.

They stopped once they came up to Buffy's SUV and turned to say good night to her friends. "Good night, guys," she said. "Willow and Anya? I'll see you two at work tomorrow morning."

"Good night, Buffy."

"It was great meeting you, William."

"See you tomorrow, Buff."

"See you again soon, William."

The two other couples kept on walking as Buffy unlocked the car doors. Once they were both inside and she had locked the doors, Buffy leaned over and gently, lightly, lovingly kissed William on the cheek.

"What - what was that for?" William asked softly. His mind was still trying to catch up. She kissed me, Buffy kissed me! he thought. Although it had simply been a light peck on the cheek, it was a momentous step forward for him.

"For being an incredible man who my friends liked after only meeting you for ten minutes." Buffy explained, letting her hand come to rest on his knee. "For being you."

 
~~~

 
TBC...


Thank you all for the feedback on the last chapter - and to whoever nominated me at the VKA? THANK YOU! It always means so much to me when my stories get nominated because I don't nominate myself - which means that you guys take your time to go out to sites and nominate my stories. And that just means a lot to me personally. There is a lot going on with my life right now...with the exception of this story, I'm taking a much-needed break from the fandom, but I'm still around to contact through e-mail.

So, in the meantime, keep up with the awesome reviews - you guys rock for reading this story and letting me know what you think. Read and review and make me a happy author! (Not that I'm not already happy with you guys and your response to this story, but a girl can never get too many reviews!) ;)

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