"So, um, Dawn, what did you end up getting, clothes-wise?" Buffy asked, desperate to make conversation. She wondered how she was going to explain the charges on Dawn's card to her parents. Somehow, she didn't think Dad would approve of whatever 'Goth Gear' Dawn had acquired. Maybe they could return the things and her father wouldn't bring it up.
Dawn raised her head from her milkshake and grinned. "I got the coolest leather pants and a tiiiiny little halter in blue, with black hearts and crossbones all over it and…" Dawn chattered away, listing her purchases one by one as Buffy groaned inwardly.
"Dru was really helpful," Dawn smiled at the girl opposite her. "You're pretty good, Buffy, but that was the fastest, whirlwind shop I've ever done. I got a lot of stuff!"
Drusilla smiled back at the enthusiastic teenager. "Wasn’t hard. You’re so tall and thin. Everything looked good on her." She directed this last to Buffy, who caught the subtle barb as she was meant to.
Buffy shrugged it off and joked, "Dawn hogged all the tall genes, rotten brat." Now Dawn did stick her tongue out at her sister.
"You're not all that short, pet." William interjected. "You're at least--"
"Five foot two.” Buffy scrunched up her nose. “Though on my license I plan to lie by an inch at least."
“If you ever get it!” Dawn teased.
Pointedly ignoring her, Buffy continued, "Darn grandmother on my Mom's side, giving me the curse of shortness. My parents are both pretty tall, like Dawn."
"Well, I think you're the perfect Buffy height." William laughed and warm, green eyes met his.
Dawn rolled her eyes and slurped at her chocolate shake.
"Thanks. They make all the good clothes for taller people though." Buffy mourned.
"They do," Dru agreed smugly.
Thankfully, the food was not long in arriving and Dawn set to making quick work of her burger and fries. William stared at her in awe. "Bit, take a breath, no one's going to take it away from you if you pause, I promise," he teased.
"Get cold, though." Dawn mumbled around a mouthful of fries. "Hate cold fries! Nasty!"
"Dawn, don't talk with your mouth full, that's disgusting." Buffy chided.
William laughed, "She's right about cold chips. They do taste nasty."
The table fell silent again as they ate their meals. Buffy looked longingly at Dawn and William's burgers, toying with the salad on her fork. Stupid salad. She'd ordered it in a moment of insecurity after Dru had ordered one. Now she wished she'd ordered the burger she really wanted.
Stupid peer pressure, she thought glumly. The phrase 'just say no to salads!' wandered through her brain and she smiled. Raising her eyes from the unappetizing mound of iceberg lettuce, she caught William looking at her again. She held his gaze a moment before he looked away and, smiling for a different reason now, stared at her plate again. That had to be good, right? She hoped Dawn was right.
Buffy didn't know why her instincts failed her when it came to William. Maybe it was that he was so different from any other boy she'd known. Maybe it was that weird multiple personality thing he had going on though. One minute he acted all cute and interested and the next he was all business-like and distant.
"So, Spike, we're getting together tonight again," Dru said. "Rehearsal this time. Oz is going to try out that new song…"
William paused, then said, "The one he was working on last night?"
"Mm hmm," Dru confirmed. "No lyrics yet, so I'm likely to be a bit bored…" She flashed him a smile.
"Oh, erm…" William set his burger down.
Dru tried a different tack, "Devon mentioned you two had a good time tossing possible lyrics back and forth. I think he's a bit stuck, to be honest, maybe you could help him out?"
William brightened visibly. "Yeah, that could be fun. I could drop by for a little while after work."
Buffy stabbed at her lettuce, bringing another crunchy, tasteless bite to her lips. This time it was Dawn she caught looking at her. Ow! And Dawn who kicked her under the table. She glared at her sister.
"What was I supposed to do?" Buffy slammed the front door after her sister stalked through, carrying their bags. William had been running late for work and had to rush off after dropping them.
Dawn snorted. "Oh, I don't know, maybe not let her ask him to her house right in front of you?"
"How on earth was I supposed to prevent that?"
"God, you're totally hopeless." Dawn hung the dress bags on the banister, dumped everything else at the foot of the stairs and turned to her sister. "You're supposed to tell the guy you like him. He's happy. You're happy. Kiss, kiss, smooch, smooch," she made exaggerated kissing noises, "and no more skanky band 'ho."
"Aaaagh." Buffy growled in frustration. "It's not that simple, Dawn. You've never dated anyone so you don't know. You don't just go up to a guy and say, hey, I like you, let's go out."
"Why not? That'd be way too easy, huh?"
"Yes. No--" Buffy's brow furrowed, "You just don't. Anyway, if he likes me, he should tell me, shouldn't he?" she finished triumphantly.
Dawn stared at her sister. "Yes. He should tell you. But if you're both all worried about getting shot down and neither one of you does anything--" She rolled her eyes. "You're both hopeless."
Buffy drew herself up to her full five foot two inches. "I am NOT worried about being shot down."
"Of course you are! You told me you were!" Dawn quoted in a whiny tone, "I don't think he likes me. I think he likes this other girl--"
Buffy shook a finger at her and spluttered, "You--you--just--you--” Then she sat heavily on the lowest step. "Yeah, ok, I'm afraid of being shot down."
"What happened at the store when I was away, anyway? Did you two get anywhere at all?" Dawn huffed. "I do all the work, give you the perfect opportunity to talk to him and you blow it?"
"No. I didn't. I didn't blow anything. I mean--” Buffy floundered. "We talked. Dawn, we've been alone together before, like, most times I've seen him I've been alone with him." She paused. "He did say they weren't on a date though."
"Ok,” Dawn sat next to her. "What else did he say?"
Buffy perked up a little. "He seemed kinda surprised I thought he might be on a date." She related the rest of the conversation, brief as it was.
Dawn stood up. "Yeah. So. Held your bags. Told you he wasn't on a date. Asked if you'd come to lunch so he could drive you home. Told you you were 'the perfect Buffy height'." She made a show of gagging. "That's probably like William's version of jumping on you. He totally likes you. But I've told you that already, like a million times." She grabbed a couple bags and started up the stairs.
"What makes you so sure about this stuff anyway? You've never even been on a date!"
Dawn informed her haughtily, "I watch soap operas. They tend to have a lot of people like you on them. Clueless. Miserable. You know."
"I am not clueless." Buffy frowned at her. "I'm not," she said stubbornly. "He let me fix his hair too. And I told him I liked it messy."
"Oh, well, that's good. I'm sure you'll be all over each other in no time." Dawn continued up the stairs and shot back, "You still owe me shoe shopping since we got interrupted by your lack of a love life."
Buffy sighed and declined to mention that following William had been all Dawn's idea. End of shopping truce, she thought.
William tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music as he drove down through the center of Sunnydale on Sunday morning. Passing the Goth Gear shop, he couldn't help thinking of Buffy. She'd looked so cute and completely out of place there. And her little sister...she was something. He hoped Dru hadn't picked anything too risqué for the girl.
He sighed and ran through the events of the previous day in his mind again. He’d wanted the chance to talk to Buffy more, maybe carry her bags in for her and have a few minutes at her house before work, but hadn't managed it. Dru had insisted on being dropped off last and he'd been cutting it close time-wise as it was, so he'd had to hurry off.
He didn't know what to think now. Buffy had seemed very interested in his relationship with Dru. Or lack of one. Was he imagining it, or had Buffy seemed happier when he'd said he and Dru weren't dating? Did she come to lunch just to get the ride home? Playing with his hair like that…she’d said she liked his hair…
He shook his head. And just who was taking her to that dance? Finn, probably.
Back to reality, he told himself as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.
William opened the door to his mother's room quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping. He hoped to get in an hour with her before work; she seemed to feel better in the mornings.
A man was standing over the bed. He turned and William, shocked, dropped the book he'd brought.
"Uncle Ethan?"