Title: Sweet Sixteen
Author: Pattyanne
snapkik@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: None of the BtVS
characters belong to me.
Feedback: Love some, thanks!
Rating: Up to NC-17
Summary: AU. William and Buffy are
teenage neighbors meeting for the
first time.
AN: This chapter is for everyone who can
remember how it felt going to a formal dance,
wearing the most perfect dress ever, with the boy
you've dreamed about. I don't know about anyone
else, but it's one of my best memories.
AN: I tried to describe the dress Buffy wore in
'Prophecy Girl' for this story.
Part twenty four...
~~~~~~~~~
"Poetry in motion
Walking by my side
Her lovely locomotion
Keeps my eyes open wide.."
~~~~~~~~~~
The front door burst open with all the force of a police
raid, followed by the sound of a small blonde whirlwind
pelting up the stairs, yelling for her mother.
"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Joyce came rushing
out onto the landing, expecting to see her daughter bleeding
from every pore on her body from the way she was hollering.
"I found it, I found it!" Buffy squealed. "It's perfect. It's white
and long and floaty, and it's just my size and it looks sooo
good on me. You have to come and see it!"
She grabbed Joyce's hands and began tugging her down the
staircase.
"You mean...now?" Joyce asked.
"Right now. Please, please, please....I don't want
someone else to have MY perfect dress."
Since there was no answer to that comment, Joyce
grabbed her purse and followed her daughter out to the
car.
Buffy sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with the radio,
taking her sunglasses off and pushing them back on, and
bombarding her mother with an endless barrage of questions
and commentary that all centered around one, vital, all
important subject....The Homecoming Dance.
The first formal dance of the new school year was fast
approaching, and Buffy had been all over town in search
of just the right dress.
She'd considered and rejected at least twenty of them
before Joyce had announced that she was weary of
making the rounds of every mall within a fifty mile radius
of Sunnydale. If Buffy was going to be that difficult to
please, she could do her shopping with her friends and
let Joyce know when she finally found the dress she was
dreaming of.
At almost five o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, the parking
lot was nearly empty. They found a space in the first
row, and even as Joyce was locking up the car, Buffy
had already pulled open the heavy glass door that opened
onto the main concourse of the Sunnydale Mall.
The dress was draped gracefully over a mannequin in the
main window of a shop that went by the colorful name of
'Raspberry Lemonade', turning slowly on a revolving stand,
under soft pink lighting.
"Isn't it perfect?" Buffy whispered, a reverence in her voice
that was usually reserved for European cathedrals.
Joyce had to agree, it was a lovely gown. Sleeveless, and
creamy white in color, it had a snugly fitting bodice, and a
flowing satin underskirt, covered with a layer of floaty chiffon.
"What do you think?" Buffy asked, gazing appealingly up
at her mother, her small hands clasped together prayerfully
as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet.
"I think," Joyce said slowly, casting a critical eye up and
down the dress, drawing out the tension, "you should go in
and try it on."
Buffy squealed in pure happiness, throwing her arms around
her mother and planting a smackingly loud kiss on her cheek,
before dragging her off her feet and into the shop.
Five minutes later, she stood before a three way mirror,
spinning in a circle and making the skirts of the dress
swirl gracefully around her legs.
"Isn't it beautiful, Mom?" She stopped in front of Joyce and
held the sides of the dress out. "Don't you love it? And it
fits perfectly. This dress is SO me!"
Joyce looked her up and down. "This is THE one?"
Buffy nodded happily. "Yes."
"You know you can't change your mind. Once you buy it,
there's no bringing it back because you've found something
you like better."
"I wouldn't ever!" Buffy said, horrified at the very notion of
returning her perfect dress. "Besides," she added playfully,
"I've already tried on every other dress in town and there's
nothing I like better."
"You're sure?"
'I'm sure." Turning back to the mirror, Buffy again turned
in a slow circle.
Joyce watched her, smiling and handing her credit card
to the hovering salesclerk without taking her eyes off her
daughter. "Wrap it up."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Poetry in motion
See her gentle sway
A wave out on the ocean
Could never move that way..."
~~~~~~~~~~
"I need shoes."
"I know."
"Well, I found these really nice ones downstairs at
Daisy Chain. They go perfectly with the dress."
"Let's go and look."
Buffy transferred the dress bag to her left hand and
squeezed her mother's arm. "You're the best mom ever!"
"Hmm. Remember that the next time I ask you to clean
up your room."
"I will."
"Sure, you will."
"I'll try?"
Joyce laughed. "I'll take it. Now, point me towards
the perfect shoes?"
Ten minutes later, they walked out of the shoe store with
a box containing a pair of size 5 white pumps with medium
high heels and delicate straps across the ankles.
"How about some ice cream?" Joyce suggested as they
wandered past the food court.
Buffy was always agreeable to ice cream. She secured
a table, while Joyce ordered two hot fudge sundaes.
They sat there eating in a companionable silence for a
few minutes.
"So," Joyce finally said, "you have the dress and
the shoes. What's next?"
Buffy scraped hot fudge from the sides of the dish. "I
don't know. I think I have everything I need."
Her mother smiled. "The perfect dress...the perfect
shoes...the perfect escort," she teased.
"Check, check, and check," Buffy replied brightly.
"What about your hair? Up or down?"
"Up, I think. Maybe down. I'll experiment. Are you
going to finish that?"
Joyce pushed the remainder of her sundae across the
table. "Jewelry?"
Buffy looked up with a sheepish smile. "Well...I was
going to ask...."
"Uh-oh." Joyce sat back and folded her arms across her
chest. "Let me guess. You want to borrow my diamond
earrings?"
"Can I? Please?"
"I don't know, Buffy," Joyce sighed. "They were very
expensive. And I've had them for..."
"...a long time."
"You'd have to promise to..."
"...take good care of them."
"And not to..."
"...lose them."
It was at this point that Joyce discovered it was
almost impossible to lecture her daughter while
laughing at the same time.
~~~~~~~~~~
"I love every movement
There's nothing I would change..."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Every time I think it's impossible for you to get
any more beautiful, you prove me wrong."
Buffy's cheeks turned a fetching shade of pink, charming
William beyond the telling of it.
"You like my dress?" she asked, spinning lightly on
one foot for him. 'It took me forever to find it."
"It was worth the hunt," he smiled. "You look lovely in it."
He wanted to tell her the first thing that had crossed
his mind when she'd opened the door; that she looked
like a bride. All she needed was a veil and his grand-
mother's pearl and diamond choker, and she'd be ready
to leave for the church.
Maybe he would tell her that later. When they were
completely alone.
"William," Joyce greeted him, from the top of the
stairs Buffy had just descended. "You look wonderful!"
"Thanks," he replied, holding out his hand to take
Buffy's. From behind his back, his free hand produced
a corsage box with a tiny wrist corsage of pink rosebuds
nestled inside like a precious jewel. "For you," he said
softly, telling her all she needed to know with the look in
his eyes.
Joyce joined them at the foot of the stairs. "You two look
almost like a fairytale. I keep expecting to look out the
door and see a pumpkin shaped carriage."
"Mom!" Buffy made a show of rolling her eyes, but she
laughed as well.
"Oh, I've embarrassed her," Joyce said, pretending
great chagrin. "Now I suppose she won't stand still for a
picture or two."
"They're taking pictures at the dance," Buffy said,
holding out her hand for William to slide the lacy wrist
band of flowers onto. "I'll make sure you get one."
"One?" Joyce exclaimed. "I'll need at least five. I'll
want an 8X10 and I know your grandparents will want
one, too. I think your dad will....just bring home the order
form, all right?"
"All right."
"Now, stand still and smile!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"She doesn't need improvement
She's much too nice to rearrange.."
~~~~~~~~~~
"I've never been in a limousine before," Willow
squealed, settling in next to Oz. "It's so elegant."
"Actually, I wanted to pick you up in a horse drawn
carriage," he replied, "but all the horses were on strike."
"On strike for what?"
"Better working conditions, bigger feed bags, major
medical...just the usual things."
Buffy laughed, smoothing the skirt of her dress and
snuggling closer to William. "What about a dental plan?"
"No," Oz shook his head. "They haggled over it but couldn't
agree on the terms."
'I'll tell you who needs a dental plan," Xander interjected.
"Who?" Anya asked.
"Oh, that would be our not-so-bosom-buddy. One Angel
O'Connor. The guy with the big mouth and the glass jaw."
"Xander," William said quietly.
"What? I'm sorry, I can't help it. I've waited thirteen years
for someone to wipe that smirk off his face the hard way,"
Xander replied. "Then you come to town and three months
later, he's eating dirt. I'd have paid cash money to have seen
it happen."
Buffy said nothing. She'd spent the days following that
altercation on pins and needles, wondering if Angel would
make good on this threat to sue William for assaulting him.
Angel had been out of school for almost two weeks, and
when he'd reappeared with his bruises and swelling almost
gone, no one had said a word to him about the incident.
As time had passed with no further problems, Buffy had
begun to believe what William had said; that Angel was too
embarrassed to admit the truth of the situation to his father.
William's uncle had questioned him about the swelling of
his hand, but had accepted the explanation he'd been given;
that someone had insulted Buffy beyond bearing and he'd
simply reacted instinctively to defend her.
"Just let it go now," William said firmly, squeezing Buffy's
hand. "This isn't the place to talk about it, and it's definitely
not the night for it."
"He's right," Anya added. "You can gloat about it later with
me."
"Thank you," Xander said. "I'm glad someone understands my
need to do just that."
The limo driver swung the long car into the circular driveway
at the entrance to the country club, ending further discussion.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Poetry in motion
Dancing close to me
A flower of devotion
A'swaying gracefully..."
~~~~~~~~~~
The entire main ballroom had been set aside for the
Homecoming Dance, and the decorating committee had
transformed it into something wonderful.
Directly opposite the main doors, there was a stage
where the band played. Someone had attached white
lattice work to the ceiling and strung tiny lights through
it, giving it the appearance of a star-filled sky.
There was a long buffet table at either end of the large
room, with snowy white linens draping gracefully to the
floor. Offerings ranged from chips and dips, to platters
covered with various pastries and cookies. Large glass
punch bowls were presided over by a member of the
refreshment committee.
Although the rest of their group looked suitably im-
pressed by it all, Buffy couldn't help noticing that William
took everything pretty much in stride. Knowing that he came
from a very privileged background, she wondered if things
here seemed a bit ordinary to him.
If this was true, though, he gave no outward sign of it.
Smiling down at her, he asked, "Want something to eat,
love? Or would you rather dance first?"
Buffy returned his smile with her own, pressing her
cheek briefly against the fabric of his tux. "Dance,
please," she requested.
Oz and Willow went to scout out a table for the group's
base of operations. Xander, towing Anya along behind him,
headed straight for the buffet.
"Have I told you, yet," William asked, leading Buffy out
on the dance floor, "how beautiful you look tonight?"
"You did," she replied, stepping into his embrace. "But
go ahead and say it as often as you want. I really don't
mind."
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he leaned over to
whisper in her ear. "You're the most beautiful girl in the
room," he said, his warm breath stirring her curls. "And I
love you very much."
Laying her cheek against the lapel of his tuxedo jacket,
Buffy's eyes drifted shut. "I love you, too. And you're
definitely the handsomest boy here."
Even though men's fashion was hardly her forte, she'd
known from the moment she'd seen him wearing it that
his suit was no rental job. It fit him too perfectly, in a way
that rented formal wear never did, as though it had been
tailor made for him.
Pressed close together, hardly moving at all, the intimacy
of their embrace almost made her dizzy. Everything around
her seemed enhanced. The lights sparkled like the stars
they were imitating, the music was soft and slow with a
seductive beat she could feel in her blood.
Even the air she breathed was transformed by the
warmth of so many bodies and the intoxicating mingle
of different perfumes.
"Buffy?" William placed one hand beneath her chin,
tilting her face up.
She opened her eyes, looking up into his gemstone
eyes. "Hmm?"
"Nothing," he said. "Just..."
"Just what?"
"Just this." One hand went to the back of her neck,
keeping her in place as he bent to kiss her. Their lips
came together, clung briefly, broke contact, met again,
broke again....
His arms tightened around her waist as she wrapped
her fingers around his biceps, clutching them for
support.
Giving up any pretense of movement, William concen-
trated on her. His lips moved to press kisses against her
smooth forehead, then each soft cheek.
"Just that," he said softly.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Poetry in motion
See her gentle sway
A wave out on the ocean
Could never move that way.."
~~~~~~~~~~
Following the ancient custom that says 'If one of us
goes then all of us go', Buffy, Anya and Willow
congregated in the ladies lounge, repairing hairdos
and freshening make up, chatting with vivacious
excitement about the evening.
When the lounge was empty of everyone but them,
Anya pulled Buffy and Willow into a corner."Can you
guys keep a secret?" she asked softly. The other
two girls nodded eagerly, moving closer in a con-
spiratorial manner. "I've decided that...tonight's the
night."
"Tonight's what night?" Willow asked, then gasped as
the meaning became clear. "You mean...THAT night?
The night where you...and Xander...it's TONIGHT!?"
Anya sighed. "Say it a little louder, Wil. I don't think
everybody heard it over the music."
"I'm sorry," Willow squeaked. "I just...I wasn't expecting
that...about tonight."
"Neither was I!" Buffy echoed, her eyes big and
round. "Are you really?"
Anya nodded. "We've been together for two years," she
said. "He really wants to."
"Yeah, but....do YOU want to?" Now Willow's voice was
so low they had to lean close to hear it.
"Well, sure," Anya said. "I love him. And besides," she
added, "I was reading my mom's copy of Cosmo last
month and IT said that a man reaches his sexual peak
at around seventeen."
Buffy and Willow looked at each other, then back at
Anya, both obviously thinking the same thing...
Their boyfriends were also seventeen.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Poetry in motion
All that I adore
No number 9 love potion
Could make me love her more..."
~~~~~~~~~~
TBC....
(Don't go NOW. I'm just getting to the good part!)
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