Chere = Darling, Dear
Je t'aime = I love You
Anything further can probably be guess from the rest of the conversation.
*denotes thought
Disclaimer: All usual disclaimers apply. I own none of the characters, I am merely utilising them for entertainment purposes only. No intention of infringing any copyrights is being held. The plot is an adaptation of another story and I hold no ownership over it.
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Chapter One:
The bright autumn sun glinted off of the multitude of glass panes of the newly designed buildings of UNBC. Behind the main buildings, up on a hill, students were shuffling about moving into their dorms rooms, saying hi to old friends and meeting new ones. In the second building, lovingly dubbed "Rez 2", students and their parents were steadily streaming in and out lugging their meagre belongings into the building.
Buffy Summers stood in front of the building and took a deep breath. Well here it goes, she thought. With the wind swirling her long, golden hair around her face, Buffy carried a couple of small boxes up the little hill in front of the dorm. Ok let's see now, room 303 south. That should be third floor and down the corridor on the right. She remembered as she thought back to the map of the school she had studied the night before. Buffy walked through the security doors and stood in front of the elevators, pressed the button and waited.
"You're new around here aren't you?" Buffy looked up toward the voice. On the stairs behind her was a very good looking guy with glossy dark hair gel to perfection and smiling brown eyes.
"Uh, yeah...oops." As she turned to talk to him one of the boxes started to topple off the stack.
"I'll get it." He hopped over the railing and grabbed the box just before it hit the ground. "Let me take them for you. By the way, the elevators are almost always broken down so you'd better get use to using the stairs."
"Oh, ok. I'll remember that." Buffy looked up at him and studied his features. Short dark hair, broad shoulders, not too muscular, tall, and beautiful brown eyes. And he was talking to her. "Huh? Sorry." She mumbled annoyingly aware that her face was heating up.
"I was just asking what room you were in," he grinned.
He's laughing at me! Argh! "Room 303...s—Wait! Why should I tell you? I'm sure that I can find it myself, thank you." Cool as ice, Buffy took back her boxes. She turned around and made her way up the stairs. Hopefully I won't have to see him again.
Three flights of stairs later, Buffy stumbled out onto the third floor. Turning right she walked down the hall and scanned the doors for the right number. A few doors down she finally found 303. On the door was a poster with her name and three others on it. Well, it looks like I have roommates named Cordelia, Willow and Anya. Hope they're nice. She'd talked to some people who had been off to school and was horrified with some of the stories they came back with about their crazy roommates. Buffy desperately hoped she wouldn't return home with stories to rival theirs. She reached into her pocket and tried to fish out the keys she had gotten no more than thirty minutes ago from the housing office. Well here goes. She turned the knob and walked in.
Straight ahead of her was a small living room with a large window, it was very modern and decorated in green tones. On the left was a kitchen and behind the opened door was a closet. Next to that was a hallway that led to the numbered doors of the bedrooms and the bathroom, which she noticed had two large mirrors and two sinks as she walked past. Room 4 should be right at the end of the hall. And sure enough it was. Buffy opened the door and looked in. Inside was a desk, a bed, a tiny closet and a shelf above that and not much room for anything else. Buffy dropped her box off on the bed with a dull thud and noted how hard it was. She cringed. I'll have to so something about that. The window faced the woods, like a beautiful tranquil painting which was good since she loved the outdoors. She sighed, "Well this is it. This is my room for the next eight months." Buffy went back to her car and brought up the rest of her things.
For the next few days the residence buildings were a buzz with activity. There was orientation, clubs had their tables lined up along the halls of the university trying to recruit members, students were lined up everywhere trying to change courses or signing up for clubs and not to mention just hanging around trading stories of the summer. Buffy was slowly getting to know her other roommates. And so far things were going well.
The next to move in after Buffy was Willow Rosenberg. Slender with cute cropped red tresses, she and her parents moved in a modest number of boxes after they traded hellos and smiles and spent most of the afternoon in the room arranging her belongings. Later that same day Cordelia Chase arrived. She was tall and tanned with flowing hair that was a becoming chestnut brown in colour. She and her mother and father said their hellos and moved in what seemed like their entire house into her dorm room. Which was an amazing feat in itself since her room was even smaller than her own, and then disappeared until the evening. Finally, last to arrive a few days later was Anya Jenkins. She was slim and athletic looking with curled blonde hair. She had vocally announced her presence, bubbling with life as she moved her things in, before stating that her room need to be made fit for having orgasms in and disappeared.
The first morning all the girls were together, they sat together at the table and were getting to know each other. Everyone still in their housecoats and pyjamas, they sat nervously nursing their coffees trying to think of something to talk about.
"So where is everyone from?" Cordy decided to hazard the first question. "I'm from Vancouver."
"No way! So am I!" Said Willow, "I'm from Whiterock."
"I wish I came from somewhere interesting like that," said Buffy, "I'm from a tiny town up north called Kitimat. It's got to be the most boring place on earth."
"Well I'm from Calgary," said Anya.
"That's cool. We're living with someone from another province. The rest of us are just from boring old BC. " laughed Buffy. "Anyone for another coffee?" Buffy got up and went into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle and the container of instant coffee.
Willow shook her head, "No thanks. I think we need to find some real coffee, not this instant garbage."
"And we could definitely use some provisions. So who's got a car?” Asked Cordy
"Well I've got one," said Buffy
"And I've got a truck," Piped up Anya proudly. "We're going to be getting quite a bit so we'd better take the truck."
"Ok so we'll all get dressed and we'll go. So how's an hour sound?" Cordy stood up and looked around at the other girls.
Everyone nodded and went about getting dressed. After much confusion in the small bathroom, everyone managed to get showered and made up.
Buffy was the last to get into the shower. While towelling off she heard some male voices coming from the living room and decided to go have a look. Putting on her robe she headed out of the bathroom to see what was going on.
In the hall in front of her, Buffy saw that Cordy, Willow and Anya were talking to a couple of guys. One of them was tall with blonde hair and laughing profusely and the other was short with had black hair and laughing along with the other one. Buffy walked up to the group.
"Oh and here's Buffy, our other roomie, " introduced Cordy. "She's got room four."
"Hi," said the lanky blonde as he extended his hand, the other guy followed his friend's example. "I'm Riley and this is my roommate Oz." He pointed at the shorter guy next to him.
"Hi, nice to meet you both." Smiling she shook hands with them both. Buffy was aware of where their gazes were drifting too and pulled her robe around her a bit tighter. "I think I should cover up a little. Be back in a bit." And with that she turned and headed to her room to dress. When she came out the boys were gone.
"Weren't they cute?" asked Cordy. "Especially the tall one."
Buffy thought back to the encounter at the elevator when she met another cute guy. "Yeah but he's a bit tall for my liking. So they live across the hall, huh? This should be interesting."
Willow walked to the closet looking for some shoes. "Yeah they said they were living with some guys named Angel and Gunn or something. I thought Oz was kinda cute." Disgustedly she kicked at her own boring shoes. "Anyone wear size 7 shoes?"
"Yeah I do," said Buffy. "Go help yourself. My shoes are in the closet."
"Thanks, Buffy." Willow went into Buffy's room and looked around. She had set up a sophisticated looking computer system on her desk and on the shelf above it a huge stereo. "Nice set up, Buffy," she shouted down the hall. Her closet was packed full of clothing and on the floor beneath all the hanging clothes the floor was covered with shoes of every type that could be imagined. Wow! She must have some kind of bank account! Willow thought. She'd have to ask her about that. She browsed through the shoes until she found a pair of black chucks. Slipping them on, she walked back out. "You certainly have quite a collection of shoes there."
"Yeah, I kinda have a thing for shoes." Buffy herself was wearing her favourite pair of Doc Martins. "Everyone ready?"
They all filed out the door. Across the hall, it seemed that the guys had the same idea, because at the same time the girls came out so did they. Buffy looked up at the sound of the door opening. Riley followed Oz out and then someone that Buffy didn't recognize and then she saw a familiar face. Today he was wearing a black silk shirt and black pants that made him look like he was about to step out into a photo shoot. Oh no! He lives across the hall! Quickly, before he saw her, she ducked behind Cordy and prayed that no one would notice. Unfortunately, Cordy was the first one to step forward.
"Hi! Heading out too?" She looked behind the first two and asked, "So you must be the other roomies, right?"
Oz looked away from Willow long enough to hear what Cordy was saying. "Yeah, this is Gunn," he gestured to the chocolate skinned man, "and he's Angel." He said, pointing at Angel who was smiling and leaning against the doorframe. They all exchanged hellos, while Buffy tried to sneak back into the room without anyone noticing.
"Buffy? Where are you going? I was introducing you to the guys." Cordy caught her as she was opening the door.
Busted, Buffy turned around and smiled. "I think I forgot my keys in the room," she lied.
"Don't worry, I've got mine." Ever helpful, Cordy patted her coat pocket and then pulled her over. "This is Buffy, our forth."
She shook hands with Gunn and looked up at Angel.
He extended his hand, looked into her eyes and smiled, "Nice to see you again, Buffy"
Smiling weakly, she shook his hand and simply nodded hello. Cordy was still chattering away. Willow and Oz were engrossed in conversation and Anya looked bored and was fiddling with her car keys.
"So you two know each other?" Cordy was staring at Angel.
"Not really. We met when I was moving in." Buffy shrugged like it was no big deal. "We should really get going before the shops close, and we're still not quite sure where they are."
"Oh that's not a problem," Willow said, "according to Oz, this is their third year in Prince George. They can help us find them."
Fantastic. "Great. Let's go then."
They all walked down the stairs and down to the car park. UNBC was on top of a hill in Prince George and to get into town you needed a vehicle. Anya's truck was parked in the second row and she led everyone to it.
"Well this is it! My chariot! Sorry guys but I don't have enough room for you all." The girls began to pile into her beat up old Nissan truck.
Angel walked across to the other row. "Don't worry this is my car." He put his hand on a jet black Presidia. "Did you guys have any place in mind?"
Surprise, surprise. He's got a really nice car. "Well, we need groceries. But I bet no one would mind doing a little window shopping, am I right girls?"
"That'd be great!" they all chimed in, the guys looked a little less than enthused.
"Ok then follow me. We'll go to the mall you can do everything there all at once." Angel slid into the front seat and started the car. The engine came to life and the boys climbed into it.
"Try and keep up ok?" Grinning he sped out of the lot.
"Anya you can't let them beat us! Go! Go!" and girls raced off after them.
Later that evening the girls sat together in the front room and talked about everything. Buffy and Anya sat on their new beanbags on the floor while Cordy and Willow sat on the couch. They had moved on from talking about their families and were now comparing high school and boyfriend horror stories.
"Ok, nothing is worse than a guy who thinks that his mother driving you on a date is cool," said Anya. "I went out with this one guy who didn't know how to drive, so whenever we needed to go anywhere he would get his mom to drive us around. I remember a couple of times she even waited in the parking lot for us while we went out for dinner." She shuddered. "Needless to say, it didn't last very long."
"Yeah, well I went out with one who thought a hockey game was a romantic date." Giggling, Willow got the popcorn out of the microwave poured it into a bowl and sat down again. "After going deaf from all the shouting on about three occasions, I decided that he was just too romantic for me."
"I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem with driving if you went out with Angel," said Cordy. "Did you get a look at him? And that car? I could definitely go for that. Does anyone mind if I go for him?" She looked around and everyone shook their heads, including Buffy.
"That's not a problem," Willow was grinning. "I think Oz is cute."
Anya nudged Buffy, "Ooooh! That was quick!" They both fell over laughing when Willow blushed.
Cordy looked over at the two of them and smiled. "So have you two got your eyes on anyone yet? Anya shook her head while Buffy thought of soulful brown eyes. "Buffy? How about you?"
She shook her head. "Nope, not on anyone I've met so far. So what classes are you taking, Anya?"
"I'm majoring in Wildlife Biology. And you guys?"
"I'm doing History and Political Science." Cordy leaned back on the couch.
"English, with a minor in Biological Anthropology." Buffy answered with a smile.
"Weird, I'm doing English too, but I'm still not sure what to minor in. It's hard to pick a major let alone a minor as well, there is just so much I want to do" Willow said. Nods of agreement came from all around.
Then there was a knock on the door before it swept open. It was Oz. The girls looked at each other, and much to Willow's embarrassment, greeted him with a "Hi Oz!" in unison. His ears and cheeks went slightly pink but otherwise he remained unaffected.
"Anyone up for a party? There's another one tonight over in Rez 1. It's suppose to be the last one before classes start." Willow was already at the door. "Come on guys. You'll get to meet some great people."
Slowly one by one they stood up and headed out the door. On the second floor of the other building flocks of people were crowding themselves into a small apartment. Before they even got close, they could feel the bass of the music and hear everyone shouting and laughing. Oz made a beeline over to a crowd in the middle of the room with the girls in tow. Buffy recognised Riley and Angel immediately. They were in the middle of the crowd, apparently telling a very amusing story. Amid the hilarity, Angel looked up and saw her. Without a word he headed over.
"Hi there, ladies," he was looking directly at her. "Come on I'll introduce you to some people." Cordy slid herself in between Buffy and Angel and followed him into the kitchen. Buffy looked over at Anya.
"Well it looks like we're on our own huh?" and with that they lost themselves in the crowd. A little while later, after a couple of drinks and meeting a bunch of people, Buffy and Anya settled in with a group of people and were in the middle of a conversation when Buffy felt a tug on her arm. Angel was next to her and looked like he wanted to talk. "Anya I'll be back in a sec ok?” She nodded ok.
"Yeah? What do you want?" Buffy scanned the room for Cordy. "Where's Cordy? I thought she was with you."
"She's over there somewhere," he said waving his arm, "talking to some people. What have you been up to? Where did you disappear to? I was going to introduce you to some people."
"Anya and I did quite well on out own thanks." She looked up at him. "As a matter of fact I think I should be getting back to her right now." Anya looked desperate to get away from this guy who was trying to entertain her with what looked like a duck walk. Buffy laughed at her friend's dismayed look and smiled at Angel, "Talk to you later ok?" Before he could say anything Cordy appeared next to him and dragged him off to another crowd.
Anya and Buffy walked home together a few hours later. "That was fun huh? We should have gone to more of them, but I'm sure that there will be a lot more." Anya was smiling. "Did you get a load of that creep who was trying to make me laugh with that duck walk thing? He wouldn't leave me alone!" She looked at Buffy. "Buff? What's wrong? Didn't you have a good time?"
Buffy shrugged and made a weak attempt at a smile.
"What was it? Some loser come on to you?" Buffy just shrugged. Anya pulled her down onto the grass. "Well then what was it?" Buffy looked down the path and saw Angel and Cordy heading their way. Anya saw the look on her face. "You have a thing for Angel don't you?”
"Nah. He annoys me."
Anya nodded. "Yeah I can see that." Her tone was totally sarcastic. "Just like I would say no to a date with Brad Pitt," She jabbed Buffy in the ribs with her elbow. "Admit it you think he's cute."
She shrugged. "He's ok."
"Well then why don't you do something about it?"
"How can I?" she waved at Cordy and Angel. She was blatantly throwing herself at him.
"She practically called all rights to him. How could I do that to my own roommate? Besides, I'm not looking for a relationship."
Anya nodded and pulled her up. "Come on, I'll make you a drink." Back at their room Anya made her a coffee and poured a little something extra into it. "Here it'll help you relax, it always helps me."
"Thanks," Buffy accepted it and sat down. At the same moment Cordy came through the door practically flying. "I think I'll drink in my room. Later." Totally down, Buffy sat at her desk and took a sip of her coffee. She wasn't about to go stealing her friend's guy. She knew what it was like to be cheated on. Buffy decided to just let it be. She smiled to herself. She'd just have to look for her nonexistent dream guy. Knowing that he didn't exist and too tired to finish the mug off, Buffy got into bed. At least he couldn't break her heart if he didn't exist. She slept a fitful dreamless sleep.
Over the next few weeks everyone got to know their classes and each other very well. It became a daily routine to wake up, go to classes and then meet up and hang out, if time provided. Willow and Oz got along very well and were doing just about everything together. Gunn and Anya both seemed to like going off and each do their own thing. Cordy, Buffy, Riley and Angel hung out together as much as they could, when they didn't have papers and labs to do.
Buffy and Willow had a few classes together so they decided to pool their brain power and study together with some other people from their class. They would meet at the library and discuss plot lines and ideas discussed so far during the semester.
"Okay, so you're telling me that the character of Falstaff, from Shakespeare's Henry plays, is a noble character?" Kenny pulled his glasses off his face, rubbed his eyes then stuck a leg of his classes into his mouth and started chewing.
"He very well could be," said Sarah who was one of the more attentive students in the class. "He tries to do the right thing in the end." She put her book in his face and pointed out the passage with her pencil.
Between gulps of coffee, the group tried to write down and absorb as much as they could from the conversation. Buffy had never seen so many stressed out people in her entire life. Tempers were short and sleep was little. People would be walking to class and back without even realizing it or acknowledgement of friends passing by. Students laden with books and mugs of coffee walked around like zombies, hardly taking anything in. Although all the girls were now good friends, arguments were becoming more frequent and she found herself doing whatever she could to vent her frustrations and get out of the suite.
"I think that's about all I can take for tonight. So I'll meet you back tomorrow?" Buffy's brain felt like it was going to explode. "I definitely need a break." They had been at it for three hours now and it was all that she could take.
"Yeah I think I'm all burnt out." Willow looked very much the tired student, right down to wrinkled clothes and pencils absently stuck in her hair.
Everyone agreed and got up to leave. Willow and Buffy walked back up to Rez together.
"So how are you and Oz getting along? You two look pretty cozy."
"Yeah I think that we're doing pretty good. We've got so much in common it's like we were made for each other." She looked over to Buffy. "I really think that he could be the one." She did a little hop. "He just makes me all tingly."
Buffy smiled at her friend. "I'm happy for you. But remember to take your time and let things go slowly."
Willow laughed, "You sound like my mother!" Both laughing they walked up the stairs to their suite. "So how about you? You have your sights on anyone yet? I think I saw Kenny going goo goo eyed at you." Willow couldn't understand it. Buffy was pretty and great to hang out with yet she still didn't have a boyfriend. She found it so strange. She'd seen the way guys looked at her and had even seen some approach her but she had never seen her go out on a date or anything.
"Kenny? Are you kidding? I don't think that he's my type."
"How do you know? You've never looked at him for more than a split second."
"Believe me I know. I always figured I would know I was in love because I would look at the guy and bang! It would feel like I was struck by lightning."
"Have you ever felt that way though? You know all tingly and giggly."
"Nope not that I can remember." Buffy shrugged doubting that she ever would.
Willow frowned and nodded. "That's too bad! But that's definitely how I feel with Oz!"
"Good." Buffy smiled. They walked into their room. Gunn, Oz, Cordy, Angel and Anya were sitting around watching TV. "Hello everyone! Trying to wind down?"
Riley and Oz looked exceptionally happy. "We did good on out midterms so we're celebrating. We've got a pizza coming up and we're just waiting on you guys to find out what movies we should get."
"Great, just hold on while we get relaxed." Willow all but threw off her coat and shoes and
then jumped on the couch with Oz and Riley.
Buffy took off her coat and hung it up in the closet.
"Be back in a sec." She headed into her room and shut the door. Yup this is going to be relaxing alright. Kicking off her shoes she sat on the bed. I'll just go out for a little while and I'll just relax. Determined to have a good time, Buffy pulled her hair back into a ponytail, put on some sweats and walked back out.
Riley greeted her with a slap on the back. She gave him a withering look and gave him a shot in the arm. "Hey thought we lost you. The pizzas are here, got five?" Buffy nodded and pulled a five dollar bill out of her coat and handed it to him. He ran out the door. Buffy walked into the front room and sat down on one of the beanbag chairs that they had bought on one of their latest shopping trips. She sank into it and the motion alone started to relax her.
"So how are you midterms coming along, Buff?" Cordy was sitting across from Angel and was handing her a cookie. "Almost through?"
"Yeah I have one left in Renaissance Lit talk about joy. But I think we've got it covered, eh, Wills?"
She nodded absently still looking at Oz.
Buffy turned to the others. "How about you guys?"
"I have one left in History," said Cordelia.
"I've got a couple left, Plant Bio and Math." Anya did not look at all enthused.
Angel stretched, "I know how you feel. I've got Bio left and it's a killer. But enough about that, we're relaxing here. That means no one mentions anything about work. So what movies do you think we should get?
"Please, something funny." Said Buffy "I really need a good laugh." Everyone seemed to agree. "Ok then it's settled. Comedy it is, but can anyone recommend a good one?"
Riley and Angel looked at each other and said, "Austin Powers!" Everyone just groaned.
"Come on you guys you know you like it. It's a funny movie, you have to admit that." Angel was getting his coat on. "Anyone up for a ride?" Immediately Cordy was on her feet. She had her coat and shoes on in a flash. Anya looked at Buffy, rolled her eyes and smiled.
"I think I'll go and get the snacks," said Buffy. She put on her coat. "Anyone wanna come with?"
Anya nodded. "Yup I'll come along."
Riley got up as well, "Yeah I bet you'd both get lost without me." Buffy took a swipe at him. "Hey! Don't have to get defensive!" Riley easily ducked the blow and laughed. "Be right back, need my coat." And he was out the door.
Buffy looked at the couch, "How about you two? There's room if you want to come along."
"Nah I think we'll stay here and wait for you guys." Oz was smiling. "Here's some money, just get us a couple Slurpees, some ice cream and a bag of Doritos."
"Ok then, see you in a bit." The five of them filed out the door and headed for the parking lot.
"So which car's yours?" asked Angel.
Buffy saw him looking at the old beat up trucks and cars. I bet he's wondering if I have an old beater. Buffy walked over to a little red Sunfire and ran her hand over the hood. "This is my baby." She looked into his eyes and saw surprise dawn and then amusement. "You don't believe me."
Laughing he shook his head. "No, really? This is your car?"
Buffy pulled out her keys with exaggerated movements and opened the door. Reaching in she started the engine. Grinning triumphantly she looked at him. "Believe me now?" She, Anya and Riley climbed in.
"Catch you later." Without another thought they were off.
Riley was in the back seat and was looking at Buffy in the rear-view mirror. "Why don't you two just kiss and get it over with?"
"What are you talking about?" Buffy was focusing on the road. "Which way do I turn?" They reached the mouth of the entrance to the university.
"Right. Come on Buff, it's so obvious that you two are crazy about each other. Well it's either love or you two should just kill each other and get it over with."
"You're delusional." She took the corner and sped down the dark road. "Cordy is the one with the thing for Angel. Or haven't you noticed?"
"I think you're the one who hasn't noticed. Or haven't you seen the way he looks at you. He makes any excuse to go across the hall and see you."
"How come I never see him then? Now which way?"
"Straight over. You should have, he's there everyday."
"Cordy grabs him that's why," Anya was looking over at her from the front passenger seat. "I think she thinks that he's over there to see her. You should see how happy she is to see him there everyday."
"And that's another reason. Cordy has her heart set on him. How could I do that to her? She's my friend."
"Well you'd better do something before Cordy gets hurt because it's obvious that he doesn't want her."
Angel's black Precidia was speeding along the road toward the nearest Blockbuster. Cordy was chattering away. "So what have to been up to today?"
"Nothing much, study for midterms, go to classes, you know the usual." He stopped at a red light and looked at her. "How about you?"
Grinning Cordy answered, "Same here. We have so much in common."
"Well it is midterm time, so there isn't much else to do." He laughed.
Cordy blushed. The light turned green and he sped off. She decided that she wouldn't say anything more for the rest of the ride. She reached over turned on the radio and settled back in her seat and tried to enjoy the rest of the ride.
About twenty minutes later, they were all back at the girls' room and were getting settled to watch the movie. Buffy grabbed a blanket out of her room and settled on the floor with a bean bag, Anya followed suit. Riley sat on the dining table while Cordy sat on a chair. Opposite Cordy, Angel perched backwards on a chair and as usual Willow and Oz took over the couch. Then Riley had a brainwave.
"Be right back." About two minutes later there was a kick at the door. Cordy went and opened it. Outside were Riley and Gunn. "Mind if Gunn joins us? No one objected, so Gunn came in dragging the guys' couch while Riley pushed on the other end. With some cleverness, they managed to fit it into the small room.
Cordy jumped on it after Angel sat down on the corner. Gunn sat in between them and Buffy leaned up against the end. Riley looked comfortable on the table so Buffy decided to start the movie.
"Everyone ready?" They all nodded and Buffy pressed play on the remote. She sat back and tried to loose herself in the misadventures of Austin Powers. The boys sat and cheered and between mouthfuls of food shouted out the lines along with the hero. They thought that this was hilarious. Of course this didn't matter, the girls had all seen it so many times, thanks to the boys, that they could recite every single line in the movie themselves. So rather than freak out on the boys, the girls just let them have their fun. That was up until the credits started to roll.
Cordy stood up and stretched. "Ok now all of you out! We've got some more studying to do." They gave the little, hurt puppy look but left anyway, sadly dragging their couch behind them in an attempt to gain sympathy. Unfortunately for them it didn't work. With them gone the girls started to tidy up, well tidy up the way that they do. This meant moving the mess from the living room to the kitchen. They would deal with that in the morning, when they had more time. That done the girls began to retire to their rooms one by one.
Buffy went to her room and sat at her desk and turned on her stereo and listened to the radio. Reaching over to the windowsill she grabbed bunch of candles and her incense burner and lit them all one by one. By the time she was done her room was looking and smelling like something out of the Arabian Nights. Satisfied that she had achieved the right ambience, she picked up her notebook and flipped through, trying to get facts straight in her mind. She changed positions from having the books in her lap, on her desk, leaning over the books and then leaning back in her chair, Buffy picked up her books and decided that she would be more comfortable on the bed. But before she could get to it there was a knock on the door. Putting her book down, she opened the door.
Cordy was standing there grinning from ear to ear. "Guess what?" She was so excited she was practically bouncing up and down. "I think Angel is going to ask me out!"
Before she could say anything else, Willow and Anya were out of their rooms and in the hall as well.
"No way!" shouted Willow.
"How do you know?" Anya was looking worriedly at Buffy. "Did he say something?"
"Yup! He said that he would love to take me out and show me around town sometime. I said great and he said 'I'll give you a call sometime'." She was definitely bouncing now. "This is so great!"
"That's fantastic for you!" Buffy was smiling. She was truly happy for her roommate.
"You'll have to tell us how it works out for you two." She leaned into the closet and tossed a pair of shoes over her shoulder. "I think I'll go to the gym for a while." She blew out the candles and put out the incense. Cordy wasn't even hearing her. She floated down the hall and into her room. Buffy grabbed her cross trainers and put them on.
"Buffy, are you ok?" Anya had followed her out into the hall. Buffy continued walking.
"Of course I am. Don't be silly. It wouldn't have worked out for us anyways. I always seem to get the losers. And Cordy is deliriously happy. So it all works out for everyone." They stopped talking and nodded ‘hi’ to some people who lived on their floor as they walked by. "I'm happy for her. Really I am."
"You don't look it. You know if you need anyone to talk to, you can always come to me. Want me to tag along?" Anya and Buffy were squash partners and played a lot of the time.
"No thanks, I'm ok I just tired. I need to clear my head. I'll be back in a little while, alright?" Anya stopped at the front doors. Buffy waved and sprinted to the gym.
One of Buffy's favourite things was to go to the gym. She found that lifting weights, making use of the punching bag and playing squash definitely released a lot of tension. Plus it was a good excuse to get out of the suite. Once in a while she would head down with one of the other girls, but she found that sometimes going alone was more therapeutic.
Unfortunately a lot of people had the same idea. Tonight the weight room was completely filled and downstairs the squash courts were all taken.
Shrugging, Buffy walked past them and out the doors that opened up next to the Canfor Theatre. Buffy didn't feel like going back to Rez yet. She slowed when she heard the beautiful music drifting out from it. There must a performance tonight. She stopped for a moment and listened, whoever was playing the piano was superb. She looked around for a place to sit. Across from the doors to the theatre were some cushy looking benches. A couple of students were sitting on them studying. "Mind if I sit?" They absently shook their heads and
returned to their books. Buffy sat down and brought her legs up to her chest. Closing her eyes, she put her head on her knees and let the music carry her away.
A small redhead boldly pushed her way past several women and approached the tuxedo
clad figure in the middle of the crowd. "Monsieur le Conte can you sign this for me please?" The gorgeous man before her turned and smiled, accepting the book. His fingers touched hers when he took it. She shivered with pleasure and smiled as beautifully as she could, hoping that he would notice her.
He smiled kindly, but barely noticed her. The concert had lasted three hours and now all William le Conte wanted to do was relax. He quickly signed his name in it and handed it back to her. She thanked him profusely and disappeared in the crowd.
William ran his hands through his midnight black hair and took a deep breath. Women surrounded him on all angles, pushing and shoving trying to get as close as they could to him. William had gotten use to their admiring glances and attempts to get him to notice them over the years. The truth was he didn't have any time for anyone at the moment and besides that he wasn't interested in a relationship. He thought about how his last one ended and shook his head. Talk about a disaster. He looked around at the pushing women, but he did find the whole thing amusing. William sighed and signed a book handed to him by another trembling female.
A handsome, blonde haired man, dressed in an expensive Armani suit, pushed through the crowd of women, came up behind him and patted him on the back. "Spike! That was magnifique!" He pushed up his wire rimmed glasses and looked at his old friend's tired face. "Glad it's over, non?"
He smiled at his friend Andrew Wells. "Oui, Andrew, I just want to sleep for a month now."
"Ha! You know we're scheduled for another concert tomorrow and then it's off to Europe again." He knew he didn't have to remind him. Spike kept on top of everything.
"The things I have to do." He shook his head in mock frustration. Andrew knew as well as he did that he loved nothing more than performing and sharing his gift with others.
Andrew laughed. "Come on! The sooner we're done this, the sooner you can get some sleep."
Spike signed the last of the autographs while Andrew and the rest of Spike's crew gathered up their things and packed up some equipment and stored it for the following night. Spike walked over and joined in to help them do it. He never could just sit by while the others were busy. He didn't feel it was fair at all for him to go and sleep while his friends slaved away. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves and helped move the equipment.
Some time later, they finished up and walked out. Spike was the last to leave after making sure that everything was in order for the next performance. He took one last look, turned off the lights and walked out the front doors of the theatre, locking the doors behind him. He turned and was about to walk away when he saw her.
At first he didn't know what to make of it, but he decided to investigate the small body curled up alone on the bench. He had seen the students roaming around the university like zombies and instantly knew that it was exam time. Spike thought back to his own days at university and remembered what it was like. He shook his head smiling to himself. Clearly this was a tired student taking a break from studying. Still it wasn't safe for a young woman to be out alone at night.
Spike approached her and gently tapped on her shoulder. He didn't want to startle her. He had to tap several times before she responded. She must be so drained! She looked incredibly tired and looked at him with big blue eyes. For some reason tears were drying on her cheeks. Spike suddenly had an bizarre urge to wipe them away with his finger tips. He quickly halted that thought, sure that he would alarm her. Wisps of her sun-kissed hair had escaped from her ponytail and softly framed her heart shaped face. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. A bolt of lightning went through him when their eyes made contact. Spike decided then and there that he was going to do whatever it took to keep her in his life.
He smiled warmly at her. "Allô."
Buffy must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew was someone was tapping on her shoulder.
"Allô? Miss? Are you ok?"
Buffy heard a deep male voice talking to her. She looked up and saw a silhouette in front of her. The bright light behind him made it impossible for her to see his face. She shielded her eyes from the light and squinted trying to make out who it was.
"Oh, je m'excuse." He kneeled down so their faces were even.
Buffy now saw a handsome bleached-haired man kneeling in front of her with a concerned look on his face. Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. He was magnificent! A lock of his gelled hair had escaped and tumbled onto his forehead. He quickly brushed it out of the way. He had gorgeous features! His cheeks looked almost as though they were chiselled out of the smooth stone that made his skin, but what got her the most were his eyes. They were an unreal shade of blue. They seemed to pierce straight into her. Wow! A jolt went through her when their eyes met. Buffy shivered and taking in his face again, saw that he was smiling at her. Quickly she regained her senses and shook her head absently. "I'm fine, thank you. I must have fallen asleep."
"Why do you cry?" He smiled at her kindly.
Cry? She brushed at her cheeks and found that he was right. She quickly wiped the tears away. "Oh. It's nothing. I'm alright."
"It is not right for someone so beautiful to cry." Again, he instinctively raised his hand to wipe the tears away but stopped. Instead he brought it back and reached into his pocket, pulling out a silk handkerchief. Spike handed it to her. "Here."
She noticed his words were heavily accented and he was wearing an elegant black tux. He must be one of the musicians. "Thank you. You're French aren't you?" She carefully wiped her eyes.
He grinned. She might be upset about something but she was still perceptive. "Oui."
"What are you doing in Prince George?" Duh! Why did I just ask such a stupid question?
He didn't seem to notice. "I was playing here tonight as part of a tour."
Her eyes widened. He was the one who had been playing. "I heard you. You were wonderful."
"Merci, that is very nice of you." He studied her face again. "But what has you so troubled?"
"Just my exams. I'm very tired of them. You must know what it's like to be stressed out." She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands.
"Bien sur. Of course, but you must not let it get to you like that, it is not good for you." He extended his hand. "Join me for coffee?"
She looked at his hand and then back at his face. It was a very tempting offer. She definitely needed some more time away from studying. And Buffy had to admit he intrigued her as well. But she didn't even know the guy. She shook her head. "No, thanks. I have to get back to my studying." She went to stand up. "Thank god I'm at the end of them."
"S'il vous plait? Please, it will be nice to drink and relax for a little bit." He extended his hand further. "It will help me relax too."
Buffy thought about it for a bit and agreed. "Ok, but only if we stay on campus." Why not? Going back to her books wasn't appealing at the moment and he looked like a pleasant diversion. She took his hand and felt a frisson of pleasure go through her. Buffy looked at him as he easily pulled her onto her feet. He was unexpectedly strong. "Merci beaucoup."
"You speak French?" He looked at her incredulously.
"I took French classes in high school so I speak a little. It's not very good though, it's been along time since I've spoken it so you'll have to bear with me." Buffy stopped when she realised she was babbling idiotically. Buffy stop being so stupid!
He smiled warmly at her, "I'm sure it is wonderful." He looked around. "So where can we go?"
"The Wintergarden should be open still. It's this way." She led him down some stairs to the little bistro at the Wintergarden. She led him to the counter and called her friend over and ordered two coffees.
There were some students milling around looking like they were trying to find something to divert their attention from their studying. A bunch more were sitting at the tables madly flipping through books with their forgotten food cooling in front of them.
"This is where most of the students hang out. It's a bit quiet now but that's because of exams." The waitress' eyes flicked over to Spike’s several times as she handed Buffy the coffees. Buffy couldn't blame her, she couldn't keep her own eyes off of him either. "Thanks, Lisa." annoyed, Buffy realised that she didn't have a cent on her since she was suppose to be going to the gym. She uselessly patted the sides of her sweats. They didn't have any pockets. Without a thought, Spike handed the girl the money and smiled at Buffy.
Buffy smiled back. "Thanks. Want to sit over there?" She pointed at some of the taller tables. He nodded. They wandered over and sat down. Spike pulled out her chair for her. Buffy smiled at him and stepped up into the seat. "Thanks."
Spike looked around and was aware of the strange looks people were giving him. He smiled. "People are looking at us. I guess I am a little over dressed, non?" He began pulling off his tie and jacket. In a flash he had them off and hanging on the back of his chair. "Do I look more like a student now?"
Buffy looked at him. No, he didn't look like a student he looked more like a gorgeous apparition. Buffy didn't think there was anything he could do to distract attention from his looks. He sat straight and tall in his chair and had a very dignified air about him that commanded attention. He looked absolutely regal. She watched as he undid to top button of his shirt with his long fingers and wondered what he looked like with it off. She cleared her throat and took a sip of the bitter brew. Buffy didn't like where her mind was straying and tried to focus on the conversation. "Don't worry about them. If you'll look at them, they aren't exactly the best dressed people on campus." She nodded pointedly at a guy with green hair and a pierced nose who was staring at them.
He laughed. She was a nice person. "So what is your name? I am William le Conte, however, my friends call me Spike"
For some reason she'd forgotten that she didn't even know his name. "Buffy Summers" She stuck her hand out sideways for him to shake but he turned it palm down and kissed it instead.
"Enchanté" Spike let his lips linger on her silky skin. He inhaled her fresh scent then looked into her eyes. God, she was beautiful.
Buffy blushed and gently disengaged her hand from his. She busied herself with dumping sugar into her cup and stirring. Mechanically, she lifted her coffee and sipped nervously. That was new. She'd never had anyone kiss her hand before. She looked at him. What was she doing having coffee with some man she didn't even know? Her thoughts were sidetracked when she heard him trying the coffee. She looked up from her cup.
He had put his cup down. "This coffee is terrible!" he choked. Grimacing, Spike started dumping cream into it.
Buffy laughed. His face was twisted up like it was the vilest thing he had ever tasted.
She stopped him before he emptied the entire container of cream into it. "It takes a while to get use to. Here try this." Surprising herself, she filled a tablespoon with sugar, dumped it into the cloudy liquid and stirred it for him.
Obligingly, he took an experimental sip. "A bit better," He looked over at her smiling face and grinned, displaying gleaming white teeth. "See? You are relaxing already."
Buffy did feel more relaxed now. She took another sip and looked at him. "So tell me about yourself."
Buffy was amazed at how relaxed she was with him. Usually she kept quiet around people she just met, but with him it was like they knew each other forever. For the next few hours they talked about everything.
He told her about his childhood on a vineyard in the south-west region of France. And about how at an early age he displayed a talent for music. Now at the age of twenty six he toured all over the world sharing his gift. He told her about all the places he'd been to and the interesting things he's seen on his travels.
She told him about how she grew up in a small town and how after high school she wasn't sure what she wanted to do so she ended up in Indonesia studying orangutans in their natural environment for two years. And now she started university to study English and Biological Anthropology.
They then moved onto other topics, science, politics, and news. He was a fountain of information. He happily discovered she was as well. They discussed their views on everything and found that they felt the same way about most things. Spike was on cloud nine. It was rare to find anyone as interesting, intelligent and beautiful as Buffy. And he had managed to do it by accident.
Buffy looked at him as he sipped his fourth cup of coffee. He was the nicest person she had ever met. Spike seemed to be totally honest and at ease with her as she was with him. Buffy reminded herself that people were often nothing like they seemed. But as she continued to talk to him she slowly lost her reservations. She was having too good a time to be wary of him. Buffy was laughing hysterically at a story he was telling her about one of his school day antics when she saw Gunn heading toward them. Still smiling she waved. "Hey, Gunn!"
"Hi, Buffy, How's it going?" He looked over at Spike. "Who's you friend?" He stopped next to the table and looked at her. This was strange; Buffy grinning ear to ear late at night before an exam. She was usually stressed out, locked in her room and chain drinking coffee at this point.
"This is William," They shook hands. "This is my friend Gunn. He lives across the hall from me."
He stood studying the guy sitting with Buffy, very interested in who could make her so happy. "Hi, there, how's it goin’?" Gunn grinned and shook hands with Spike, then turned his head to her. "Buff, not to be bossy or anything, but shouldn't you be studying? It's getting late, eh?"
Buffy looked at her watch. It was well past midnight! "Oh my god! I didn't realize how late it was." She looked over at Spike. "Spike, Je suis désole, mais il faut que j'aille. I'm sorry but I have to go. I have an exam tomorrow that I still want to do some more studying for."
How had it gotten so late? Spike was reluctant to go, he was having such a good time. But she was right it was getting late. Spike smiled at Buffy. "Bien sur. I must be going myself. It is getting late and I have another performance tomorrow." He drained his cup and looked at her. "Will I see you again, Buffy?"
She definitely wanted to talk to him again. "You want to meet again tomorrow night? I'll be better company with all my exams done."
"It is a date." He helped her out of her chair and kissed her hand. "We will be setting up at around four pm." He grabbed his jacket and tie. "À bientôt!"
"Bonsoir." Buffy smiled watching him weave his tall form easily through the crowd.
"Who the hell was that? Is he like a count or something?"
"Nah." Grinning, Buffy toyed with the back of the chair. "He's a pianist."
Gunn looked at her with a big smirk on his face. "You are so smitten."
"I am not!" She couldn't stop smiling.
"Look at you! Smiling. Inanely even! This is the happiest I've seen you since we moved in." He jostled her ribs with his elbow.
She couldn't deny it, she was in a very good mood. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard or felt so at ease with anyone let alone a guy. After that talk with Spike all of the tension was gone and she felt great. It showed. She shrugged at Gunn.
"Sigh, isn't he dreamy? He was so dashing!" Gunn was doing a really lousy imitation of her voice.
She punched him in the shoulder, but still couldn't stop smiling. "Stop being stupid!"
"You've got it so bad!"
Finally after much teasing they got their rooms. "You know I'm just kidding right? I'm happy seeing you happy. Night Buffy."
"Yeah I know. Night Gunn."