Chapter 1 – You Never Know
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Buffy whispered, sitting down as she nervously scanned the room. Seeing the look that her friend was giving her, she quickly turned away from the accusing glare.
“Buffy,” Willow hissed. “This was your idea in the first place. I was the one who was against it from the start.”
“Well… we weren’t doing anything else and it looked… kind of fun,” she replied, knowing her argument was weak, at best. “Besides, it’s only five minutes.”
“With each guy,” Willow said, looking around the room at the people who were milling around.
“Yeah… but there’re only eight guys. Forty-five minutes and we’re outta here. Who knows- maybe one of us will get lucky.” Seeing the horrified look on her friend’s face, Buffy’s eyes widened. “Not that kind of lucky. God, Wills, get your mind out of the gutter,” she added with a giggle.
“Well, there are a few cute guys here,” her friend finally said with a small smile.
“That’s all we can ask for,” Buffy said with a nod. “Besides, it’s only a few minutes, and it’s not like we’re forced to give out any personal information. Just a fun-filled, girl’s night out.”
“You seem awfully sure of yourself,” Willow said with a smile.
“I just figured that if this is a complete bust, we can always hit a club later.”
“Deal,” the redhead replied with a giggle.
* * * * *
Date #1
“I’m Doyle.”
“Buffy,” she replied, smiling at the attractive man and shaking his hand.
“Well, what brings you here tonight, Buffy?” he asked with a thick Irish accent, sitting down across from her.
“My friend and I were bored. Thought that this sounded like an interesting idea, so here we are. What about you?”
“Pretty much the same,” he replied with a slight shrug. “I’ve been kind of out of the whole dating arena for a while.”
“Why’s that?”
“You see, I kind of fell for a bad girl type, and I’m sure you know how that goes. I started thinking that she was The One and it turned out that she was only looking for something fun. After she married me, left me for another man, and then came back and asked for me to bless their marriage, I became a little jaded. But when I met this other woman, I thought she was the girl for me. Until she ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it with her Prada heels, then I sort of forgot about dating. So now, I’m a pathetic, broken shell of a man with no heart, who has to rely on one of these speed-daters to actually get a date.”
“Uh huh… and how’s that working out for you?” Buffy asked, trying to discreetly check her watch.
“To be honest, it hasn’t. Kind of surprising.”
“Truly is,” she said with a falsely bright smile.
* * * * *
Date #2
“Are you here by yourself, Angel?” she asked, looking around to see what could be the cause of this man’s gloomy expression.
“No, one of my friends dragged me along. Said it would get me out of my ‘brooding phase’.”
“Oh,” Buffy replied with a nod, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe if he snapped out of whatever was bothering him, he would be kind of fun to be around. “So, what do you do for fun?” she asked with a bright smile.
“Nothing,” he responded, playing with his drink, never making direct eye contact with her. “What’s the point of doing anything fun in the world? It’s all the same. We’re all going to end up being miserable and alone until the day we drink ourselves to death or explode because of a car bomb or whatever else the government has planned for us.”
“Excuse me?” Buffy replied skeptically, startled when his eyes finally raised to hers.
“You don’t believe in it?”
“What’s that?”
“Conspiracy theories?”
“Can’t say I’ve ever given them much thought. I’ve been one of those foolish people who actually get out and interact with the world.”
* * * * *
Date #3
“You seem like a really great person, Buffy,” the brunette said with a bright smile.
“You do, too, Ford. So, what do you do for a living?”
“Nothing, right now. I’m more focused on my goal in life.”
“Well, that’s good. What is it? If you don’t mind my asking, of course.”
“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “It’s not like I try and keep it a big secret or something. I’m going to be immortal. I’ve found a group of people who accept me for who I really am and know what I’m going through and what I believe in.”
I’m really going to regret asking this.
“And…what’s that?”
“Vampirism,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Immortality, aversion to sunlight- I have all the traits. They’ve put me on the right track and now I just have to find my mate. That’s why I’m here tonight.”
“Well, this has been fun,” Buffy said, shooting out of her chair.
“But we still have a few minutes left,” Ford argued, standing with her.
“Sorry, ladies room is calling my name,” she replied, practically running from the other man.
* * * * *
Date #4
“Hi, I’m RJ,” the man said, shaking her head with a friendly smile.
“Buffy.”
“You certainly are.”
Taking a deep breath, Buffy narrowed her eyes to study the man in front of her. “And what do you do for a living?”
“Nothing yet,” he replied. “I’m still in high school… but my older brother is a pizza delivery guy, and he says that he can get me a job there after I graduate. I can move up the ladder of success.”
“Delivering pizzas?” Buffy said slowly.
“Yeah,” RJ replied, the excitement tingeing his words.
“Wouldn’t that interrupt your curfew?” she asked with a slight smile, trying to keep from laughing.
“Oh no, that’s not a problem. I can stay out as late as I want,” he said with a smile. “Tonight, for example. We can go back to your place, have a drink, maybe have a little more than that,” he said with an immature leer that he probably thought was seductive.
“Well… as much fun as that would be, I really don’t feel like committing a felony tonight, so if you’ll excuse me.”
* * * * *
Date #5
“Are you here alone, Andrew?” she asked, seeing the looks he was casting toward the other side of the room.
“No,” he said with a dreamy expression. “I came with one of my friends. His name’s Warren and he’s sitting right over there. Isn’t he just the dreamiest,” Andrew said, resting his chin in his hand as he watched the other man.
“Unbelievable,” Buffy muttered under her breath.
* * * * *
Date #6
“Tell me a little about yourself, Robin Wood,” she said with a flirty smile. “Do you live in town?” she asked. At least this guy seemed to be relatively normal.
“No, I’m only in town on business.”
“Business?” Buffy repeated, tilting her head in question.
“This is just my night off. I’ve been trying to hunt down the scumbag who killed my mother. I’m not stopping until he dies a slow, painful death at my hands.”
“And… how long have you been searching for him?” she asked, feeling the need to lean away from the table and put even more distance between the two.
“Twenty years. But he’s gonna stop running eventually. I know just how I’m going to make him pay. All my plans have been carefully laid out, and he’s going to suffer in ways he never imagined.”
“Well…at least you’re goal-oriented.”
* * * * *
Date #7
Finally, a seemingly normal guy.
“What do you do for a living, Wesley?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink.
“I’m a part-time librarian and I work for an organization in England. Of course, it’s via the internet, so I don’t have to commute,” he said with a laugh that Buffy returned. “I’m very interested in old books and historical figures.
Figures. The one decent guy in the whole bunch and he’s not even my type.
“Have you met my friend Willow?”
* * * * *
Date #8
“And what have we here?”
Turning around at the unfamiliar voice, Buffy raised an eyebrow at the man standing behind her, taking in the black leather duster, chiseled cheekbones that any woman would die for, and bleached hair.
“Looks like my night is looking up,” he said with a slow smile, making sure he took in every curve of her figure. “What do you say we skip this whole sodding ‘Five Minutes in Heaven’ and make our way over to the hotel across the street, cutie?”
“Excuse me?” Buffy replied, feeling the urge to reach over and slap the man. “I don’t even know your name, and you expect me to sleep with you?”
“The name’s Spike. And you can’t say it wouldn’t be fun,” he said with a smile, biting his lip as his gaze perused her bare skin and exposed legs, barely offering any coverage by the short skirt she was wearing.
“Maybe for you,” she replied, raising an eyebrow in a challenge.
“Oh, I can guarantee a good time, pet,” he said with a slow smile forming on his face.
“I think I’ll pass.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Oh, I think I do,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“What’s your name, kitten?”
“Now, why would I want to tell you that?” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest, inadvertently drawing his attention there.
“Now, now…none of that. Fair’s fair. You know mine and all I’m asking for is a name, Goldilocks.”
“Buffy,” she said with a heavy sigh, turning her attention away from him to scan the room for her friend.
“Buffy?”
“Have a problem with it?” she asked, whirling around to face him.
“Retract the claws,” he said with a grin. “What do you say we head out?”
“Do you need something to hit you over the head?” she asked, looking at him in contempt. “I’m not interested. You can go find someone who is… if there’s any woman out there who’s that desperate.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, I don’t have any problems finding company, but I do like a challenge.”
“Well, find a different target,” she snapped.
“I don’t think so,” he replied, leaning against a nearby wall, watching as she became more frustrated. “I’m having a little too much fun right here.”
“Fine. I’ll leave,” Buffy said, spinning on her heel and walking toward the front of the building. “Amazing,” she muttered to herself. “Six losers, one guy who wasn’t my type, and one asshole. Must be my lucky night.”
Motioning to Willow that she would be outside, Buffy smiled when she saw her friend talking to Wesley, obviously enjoying herself. At least one of them had a good night.
I’ll have some good stories to tell.
Smiling at the thought, she shook her head, walking through the door. Looking around, Buffy saw a bar down the street and quickly made her way toward it, deciding that it sounded more appealing than standing outside. She knew that Willow would call her cell phone when she was ready to leave.
Walking through the door, she made her way to the bar and ordered a beer, sitting down with a heavy sigh. Closing her eyes for a moment, she ignored the sounds of the people who were talking around her.
“Trying to run off, pet?”
Her eyes snapped open at the familiar voice before her jaw tightened. “Trying to get away from you.”
“Now, why would you want to do that?” he asked with a grin, sitting next to her.
“Maybe because you’re a pig.”
“Oink, oink, baby.”
“I’m not looking to get picked up.”
“Oh, so that’s why you were speed-dating a few minutes ago and sitting in a bar right now.”
“I wanted to have fun. I didn’t think I’d run into the most unappealing men on the planet.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
“Not yet,” he said with a soft smile that Buffy tried to ignore, not wanting to notice how good he looked when he dropped the bravado. “But I’m more than willing to let you in and find out.”
“And why would I want to do that?” she asked, turning toward him with an indifferent expression.
“Because, love, you never know what you might be missing.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Many thanks to Noaluvjames for the idea for this fic!