Dawn looked up from the adjacent display case and said, "I don't know, we can get some glitter and glue and sparkle that right up." She giggled and pursed her lips thoughtfully, "I think some tasteful crystals would do wonders."
Buffy put her other hand to good use and smacked her little sister lightly on the arm. "Sure, sure, mock my fashion nightmare."
Dawn laughed again and said slyly, "I'll bet William would like the way you looked no matter what we did to it."
Buffy blushed and quickly turned her gaze back to the earrings she was considering. "You promised not to say anything about that."
Dawn snorted. "Oh yeah, right, I forgot, I was being 'sorta human' at the time, right?" She sniffed. "Maybe I've reverted again."
"Yeah, that was a given."
"Seriously though, Buffy, are you going to ask him to go with you? I mean, it didn't seem like the Parker thing went too well, Mom picking you up and all. Why did she, anyway? What happened?"
Buffy frowned. "No. It didn't go well." She turned to Dawn and said seriously. "Just don't go anywhere near him ok? He's not a good guy."
"Ok, ok, don't tell me what happened. I'm a little kid, blah, blah, blah." Dawn waved her hand in the air and turned back to the jewelry.
"I mean it, though. About Parker. Stay away from him." Buffy repeated, her hand falling on her sister's arm to get her attention. "Please."
Dawn scrunched up her face and shook her off. "Ok, got it. He's boring anyway and way too old. But really, are you going to get William to go with you?"
It was Buffy's turn to wrinkle her nose. "I don't know, Dawn. I think he's with that other girl. She's always touching him and hanging all over him and stuff and it's not like he's shoving her away."
"Is she pretty?" Dawn asked sympathetically.
"No, she's not pretty," Buffy said slowly.
"Oh well, you're really pretty and we know he likes you so—"
Buffy frowned again and cut her off. "She's kind of beautiful. If you like the type."
"What type?"
Buffy waved the salesman over and pointed at the emerald and diamond platinum drops she'd selected. Holding one up to her ear, she said, "What do you think?"
"They look great." Dawn smiled. "They'll go with the dress perfectly. But— are you sure it's ok to spend this much on our stuff? Those are kind of expensive and with the necklace..."
Buffy smiled, "Mom's words, and I quote, were, 'Buy whatever you want. If your father wants you to go, he can afford it.' I think she's mad at him again." She turned to the salesman. "I'll take these and the bracelet and necklace that match, thanks." Looking back at Dawn, she said, "That's not entirely true, we do have a budget, because Mom didn't want us to come home with something like the Hope diamond, but we haven't reached it yet. Did you find anything?"
"These." Dawn pointed at a sapphire set. "They'll look nice, won't they?"
"Perfect." Buffy took out her credit card and waited for the man to come back.
"So," Dawn prompted, "what type?"
Buffy sighed. "She's tall and thin. She has long, dark hair and perfect skin." She tapped the card on the case and said begrudgingly, "She sings pretty well. She's older than William, I think."
Dawn made a face. "So is there anything wrong with her?"
"Yeah, she's kind of insane and dresses awfully. But William doesn't seem to care."
"I still think he likes you."
Buffy smiled at her sister's staunch words. "Hope you're right." She took the dainty bags off the counter and handed over Dawn's. "Dresses. Check. Jewelry. Check. What's next?"
"Shoes!" Dawn crowed gleefully. "Oh, but I'm starving. Could we get something to eat first?"
"You're always starving. You're going to weigh like a million and one pounds someday."
Dawn stuck her tongue out at Buffy and said haughtily, "I'm growing. Unlike some people." She looked back at her sister and grabbed the shopping bags from her. "I'm taking these. Watching you juggle with one hand is fun, but takes too long and I'm STARVING." She strode out the door, long legs leaving Buffy in the dust.
Buffy caught up when Dawn stopped short abruptly a couple blocks away from the jewelry store. "Dawn—"
"Buffy," Dawn whispered, grabbing Buffy’s arm. "Is that William?" She jerked her head to indicate that Buffy should look across the street. "I thought I heard his voice, not THAT many Brits around here but—”
Buffy laughed, "Oh yeah, whispering is really necessary because—" her voice trailed off as she took in who was with William.
"That's her, huh?" Dawn said sympathetically. "I get what you mean about the clothes."
Buffy could see what had attracted Dawn's attention. William was protesting loudly from where he sat sprawled on a bench outside a store called Goth Gear. Drusilla was pulling at one arm, alternately laughing and pouting as she tried to pull him into the shop.
"Buffy, what happened to him?" Dawn whispered loudly.
"Oh. Uh, I'm not sure," Buffy said. "She changed his hair; I think I told you that. He got rid of his glasses. They broke during the—" She stopped.
"He's hot!" Dawn laughed at her sister. "No wonder you like him now."
Buffy scowled. "That has nothing to do with it. I started liking him before the—wait, what are we doing? We have to get out of here before he sees us." She tugged at her sister.
"They're gone." Dawn pointed. "See? She must've gotten him to go inside."
"Oh." Buffy said flatly. "Well, good. That could've been embarrass—" She rushed to catch up with Dawn who was halfway across the street. "WHAT are you doing?"
Dawn smiled innocently at her. "Shopping! C'mon," she said and headed into the store.
"Dawn!" Buffy whispered furiously, following her. "This isn't funny. Let's just go. I think he already thinks I'm like stalker girl or something."
Dawn didn't pause. She scoped the store out and spotted them in the back, near the boots. "Puhlease, I think I know what I'm doing. How long have I been your little sister? I've spied on you tons of times!" She waved a reassuring hand at her spluttering, infuriated sister and darted into a side aisle. "Fortunately, this place has perfect cover. It's crowded with lots of stuff and tiny little aisles. Plenty of hidey-"
"Buffy?" William stared at her curiously. "And…Dawn, was it?"
"Hi!" Buffy said weakly as Drusilla appeared at William's side.
"What are you two doing here?"
"Um." Buffy floundered.
Dawn piped up cheerfully. "Shopping! I'm thinking of going through a rebellious phase. How do you think I'd look in this?" She held up a black, vinyl top that had what looked like batwing cutouts along the neckline. "You getting anything?"
Tongue-tied, William held up a boot box while Drusilla's cool gaze took in Dawn's pastel pink mini.
"Dawn, put that away," Buffy said, cheeks flaming.
"Oh you're right, Buffy. It's too much, isn't it? For daytime anyway. Not sure if they'll let me wear vinyl at school anyway. Maybe something—" Dawn pretended to ponder the problem and looked at Drusilla as though she hadn't seen her before. "Hey, I really like your blouse. Maybe you could give me a few pointers? Help me out along with my uh first few outfits?"
Buffy nearly choked. Drusilla was wearing a spidery patterned, black lace, crop top with enormous belled sleeves and a skintight, red, knee-length skirt.
"Well, your sister was helping you," William said gently. "I'm sure she'll want to—"
"Oh, Buffy won't mind! She can't help me with this anyway. She's like, the anti-rebel. I need someone cool. Pleeeeease?" Dawn turned puppy-dog eyes on William.
Buffy caught Drusilla rolling her eyes, but mentally gave her sister a round of grudging applause at her expertise in manipulation as William said, "Well, if Buffy doesn't mind. Dru?" He turned to her and Drusilla had no choice but to smile and extend a hand to the younger Summers sister.
"I'll see what I can do." Drusilla managed before Dawn dragged her off to a rack across the store.
William stood awkwardly, arms cradling the box as he fiddled with his car keys. "So, uh, you're all for this rebellion? Helping the little Bit out with her change of style? Didn't think you two were all that close."
"She can be an ok kid," Buffy admitted. "Sometimes. This change came on somewhat suddenly. We were out looking for dresses for a dance. I think this is cotillion backlash." She grinned.
"Ah." William nodded. "A dance. You find something then? Dresses, I mean."
Buffy nodded and indicated the pile of shopping bags Dawn had dumped at her feet. "Everything but the shoes." She smiled. "That's where we were headed when she saw this place. Well, first food, then shoes. Dawn's starving. Though her new fashion obsession seems to have made her forget."
William frowned at the bags, "Er, shouldn't those be hanging or something?" Buffy gave him an odd look and he blushed self-consciously. "When I carry them for my mother, I know they need to be sort of—" He said softly, putting his box on the floor and picking up the dress bags. "Uh, up, so they don't wrinkle. Or something."
Something about the uncomfortable way he was holding the bags up, with the greatest care to prevent her dress from wrinkling struck Buffy as absurdly sweet. His hair might be different and his glasses were nowhere in sight, but William was still the same underneath. She smiled warmly at him. "Yeah, they do. My designated pack mule ran off."
"Yeah, that she did. In a hurry." William paused. "Dru and I were going to get something to eat before I take her home and go to work; would you two like to join us?"
Buffy hesitated. She wanted to see William longer, but tagging along with her little sister on his date with Dru seemed like a new low in third-wheeldom.
She saw him catch her pause and clearly misinterpret it, backtracking. "'Course you don't have to. Just thought I could drive you both home afterwards, save the dresses. But—"
"No, no—" Buffy said quickly. "I just— I didn't want to interrupt your date. That's all."
William reeled visibly. "Date? What date? Oh, you mean Dru? No— it's not— I mean, we're not—" He ran his free hand through his hair, agitated and made it stand up in curly little spikes. "Not a date." He finished somewhat coherently.
"Oh." Buffy smiled at him again. "Then we'd love to. Thanks." Though she could think of little she'd like to do less than spend more time with Drusilla and felt confident the reverse was also true, she was delighted that, in William's eyes at least, he and Drusilla weren't a couple.
"Really?" He smiled shyly back. "I mean, yeah, the Bit's got to eat. Can't have her starving. She looks thin enough as it is."
His hair was so cute when it was messed up, Buffy thought. But, oh, he had one side mussed and the other not. "C'mere," she said and leaned over to free the other side from the gel. "That's better. You had—" She gestured at his hair. "Unevenness."
William stared at her. "Yeah. Goes everywhere without the gel, too. Thanks."
"I like it that way." Buffy said.
"You do?"
"Yeah."
Dawn swept back in front of them, laden with two new bags. "Mission accomplished!" she said, satisfied, looking from her sister to William. "All set. Buffy, food now?"