~epilogue – 10 years later~
“I can’t believe we’re actually back here after all this time.” Buffy Summers-Pratt looked around the large room, her eyes searching curiously through the crowd of people. She smiled as her eyes landed on the huge banner hanging from the ceiling. “Look at that, can you believe it? It’s been ten years since we graduated!”
William glanced around the gymnasium before turning back to his wife. “Yeah, and I definitely recall you saying something back then about never setting your foot at this place again.”
“Well, it is our high school reunion.” Buffy pouted a little. “Besides, you’re the one who said we should go. Which I have to admit surprised me, since you hated this place just as much as I did.”
“How could I hate this place?” William placed a soft kiss at the top of her head with a playful smile. “It’s where I met you, isn’t it?” Buffy beamed at him and he let out a happy sigh, still having a hard time to take in the fact that he and Buffy were now married, and had been so for the last five years. And what truly amazed him was that their love just seemed to grow stronger each day. Now he cleared his throat, almost shyly. “Look, there’s Willow. Let’s go over and say hi.”
Buffy’s face lit up as she spotted the red-head, standing alone by the bar. “Willow!” She hurried over to her old friend, William following.
“Buffy, William!” Willow smiled warmly at them, hugging Buffy first, then William. “I’m so glad you guys made it.”
“So, where’s the whelp?” William looked around the room.
Willow’s smile faltered a little. “Oh, Xander’s not coming. He said he wouldn’t feel very comfortable around all these people, especially not after that…” She hesitated. “…thing, you know?”
Buffy gave her a look full of understanding. “You mean the ‘leaving Anya at the altar-thing’? Not his best idea, huh?”
Willow nodded in agreement. “I feel really bad for them. Can’t imagine what they must be going through.” She shook her head, sadly. They had all been a little surprised when Xander had finally proposed to Anya Jenkins, who he had been dating on and off since high school, but that was nothing compared to the shock when he suddenly panicked and ran off at the day of their wedding.
“Have you talked to Anya?” Buffy now asked, curiously.
Willow shook her head, looking a little ashamed. “We weren’t exactly friends or anything. I mean, she was Xander’s girlfriend, but…” She shrugged. Buffy nodded, knowing that Willow had never really liked Anya in the first place.
After a moment’s silence, Willow cleared her throat. “Oh, there’s Amy, I haven’t seen her in years!” She raised her hand and waved at a tall woman with curly, brown hair.
William put his arm around Buffy’s shoulders. “Want a drink, pet?” She nodded with a grateful smile and he turned towards the bar, waving his hand to catch the bartender’s attention. Buffy took a step after him, about to follow, when she accidentally bumped into someone. Her eyes widened when she immediately recognized the blonde woman in front of her. And judging by the cold look on the other woman’s face, she recognized Buffy as well.
“Oh, look!” Harmony crossed her arms over her chest, raising her voice to make sure everybody would hear. “It’s the high school outcast!”
Before Buffy got the chance to respond, William turned around, giving Harmony the look-over and snorted, clearly not at all impressed. “Oh, look!” he mimicked Harmony’s high pitched voice. “It’s the high school slut!” Harmony opened her mouth, then closed it again, staring at him in shock. Then, as people around them started to laugh, she turned around abruptly and stormed off without a word. William rolled his eyes and handed Buffy her diet coke. “Here you go, luv.”
Buffy gave him a kiss on the cheek. “God, that was just great!” She shook her head in amusement. William looked pleased, but didn’t say anything. Buffy went on, giggling; “Looked like she was here all by herself. And did you see her finger? No ring! Ha! I’m married to a famous writer and I bet that skank Harmony couldn’t even get a date for tonight!”
William grimaced, looking away in embarrassment. “I’m not that famous, pet.”
“Are you kidding?” Buffy stared at him in disbelief. “Your latest novel’s been on the top-ten bestseller list for seven weeks now. I’m telling you, it’s just a matter of time before people will line up outside our house, screaming for your autograph.” A grin spread on her face as William blushed.
“Hey, William. Buffy.” A deep voice interrupted them and they turned around. William smiled at Charles Gunn and shook his outstretched hand. Gunn returned his smile and shook Buffy’s hand as well. Then he glanced at the slender woman standing next to him with a proud smile. “This is my wife, Winnifred – Fred, darling, this is Buffy and William.” Fred smiled, shyly.
“So…” Buffy glanced at Gunn. “Have you heard anything from Liam Angelus lately? I don’t see him here tonight.” She gave William’s hand an assuring squeeze, not wanting to bring up bad memories, but too curious not to ask. She had seen Liam around town a couple of times over the years, and every time he had recognized her, he had immediately lowered his eyes and hurried away in the other direction.
~flashback~
Buffy hurried over to Liam, who had just gotten to his feet. His eyes narrowed and he looked annoyed when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled sweetly at him. “I just thought you and I should have a little talk.”
He gave her a suspicious look. “About what?”
“William’s a very good friend of mine.” Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. “From now on, you’ll leave him alone.”
For a moment, Liam just stared at her, mouth open. Then he burst out laughing, his humiliation only moments before clearly forgotten. “Really? Is that a threat, princess?”
Buffy didn’t dignify that with an answer. Instead she just pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and held it up in front of him. Liam’s smile faltered and he gave her a confused look. “What’s that?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s called a cell phone, Liam. I happen to have some really interesting pictures here I think you should take a look at.” Liam just looked at her, blankly, so she went on, a sarcastic note in her voice; “Oh, here, let me help you. I didn’t realize you were too stupid to know how to flick through some pictures.”
Liam glared at her, furiously, and tried to snatch the phone from her, but Buffy pulled her hand back and held it just out of his reach. “Not so fast. Before you get any stupid ideas, like trying to erase the pictures before you give me my phone back, you should know that I’ve already sent every single picture to my personal e-mail address.” A wide grin spread on her face. “Don’t you just love technology nowadays?” She handed him the phone, still smiling.
He flicked through the pictures without a word. Finally, he looked up. “Now what?”
“Hmm…” Buffy took her phone back, a thoughtful expression on her face as she watched one of the pictures of Liam and William she had taken earlier. She tilted her head to the side. “I guess I could make a video out of these somehow and upload it on YouTube.”
Clenching his fists in fury, Liam took a threatening step towards her. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Or…” Buffy went on, ignoring his interruption completely. “I could show them to Andrew Wells.” Liam stopped and stared at her, a blank look on his face. “Tucker’s brother?” He still looked confused and she rolled her eyes. “The editor of the school paper! I bet he could come up with a wonderful article.” She paused, dramatically. “’Famous high school bully, trembling in fear in front of his former victim’. How about that for a headline? Your friends are so gonna love to see this new side of you, don’t you think?”
“You fucking bitch…” Liam stopped, obviously at a loss for words. Then he slumped back against the wall behind him with a defeated sigh. “What the hell do you want?”
Buffy stared at him in disbelief. “Are you stupid or something? I already told you; I want you to stay the hell away from William.”
Liam snorted. Then he was silent for a moment. “Fine.”
But Buffy wasn’t finished. “Same goes for your friends. If any of you touch him, hell, if you so much as look at him funny again, the whole school’s gonna find out how William kicked your ass and made you cry like the pathetic little wimp you really are.” She gave him an expectant look. “Well? Are we clear?”
At first, Liam didn’t answer. Then he practically hissed the word out, through gritted teeth. “Yes.”
~end flashback~
“Liam?” Gunn looked a little surprised. “We haven’t exactly stayed in touch over the years. I see him around town every now and then, though. Rumor says he’s dating the owner of the new beauty salon at the mall.”
William stared at him for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. “Oh, you’ve got to be joking!” Gunn shook his head, a grin spreading on his face as well.
Buffy looked from William to Gunn, frowning. “What’s so funny?” Then she remembered something. “Wait. Isn’t that the place where you…?” She gestured towards William’s newly bleached blond hair. He nodded, still chuckling. Buffy was even more confused. “But didn’t you say the owner of that place was…?”
“A bloke named Lorne. Really nice guy.” William tried to stay serious but failed, miserably. “Oh bloody hell, this is just hilarious!”
After making some more polite small talk with Gunn and Fred, William grabbed Buffy’s hand and pulled her with him out into the long corridor outside the gymnasium, insisting there was something he wanted to show her. Following him, though, a little suspiciously, Buffy giggled as he gently pushed her into one of the bathrooms, locking the door behind them. “Finally alone,” he whispered huskily in her ear.
“William!” Buffy rolled her eyes as he gave her an innocent look. “Don’t tell me you just brought me to the ladies room to make out! What are we, fourteen?”
He pouted, slightly. “Are you telling me you don’t want me?”
She opened her mouth, then let out a moan as he started tracing soft kisses down her collarbone. “Okay, that’s not fair.”
William couldn’t help but smirk, knowing exactly what it took to convince her. “Like this, do you, pet?”
“Mm-hmm.” Buffy let out a happy sigh and ran her fingers through his hair as he let his lips brush against hers for a brief moment. She parted her lips, slightly, allowing their tongues to meet. Suddenly, she pulled back. “We can’t do this! What if someone…?” Her voice trailed off as William’s hands found their way under her shirt, slowly running over her soft skin. “William, what about the reunion?”
“Sod the bloody reunion!” William pulled back a little so he could slip out of his leather duster, letting it fall to the floor. “I just want you.”
“I want you, too, Will.” Buffy pouted a little. “But we’re in a bathroom at our old school. Not exactly my idea of romantic.”
“I don’t know.” William put a single strand of hair behind her ear. “As far as I’m concerned, I could make love to you down in the sewers, and it would still be nothing but romantic.”
Buffy smiled. “Aww, that’s very sweet.” Then she frowned. “Or really, really gross. You do know that’s never gonna happen, right?”
He chuckled. “Just saying, it doesn’t matter where we are, luv. As long as we’re together, how could anything we do ever be any less than perfect?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Huh. Either that made perfect sense…” He raised a brow, giving her a hopeful look. “…or you’re just so horny right now that you’re ready to say whatever crap you can come up with so you can get laid.”
William mock glared at her, pretending to be deeply offended. “Crap, you say? Tell me something, pet. Last night? All the naughty things I whispered in your ear as you came, was that crap as well?”
Their eyes met and Buffy almost blushed as she recalled the hours and hours of steamy love-making last night. Although she and William had been together for ten years now, she still didn’t think she could ever get tired of him. Or the sex, for that matter. Suddenly, it had become very hot in the small bathroom. “Well…”
“Admit it, luv…” Without warning, William slid his hand under her black skirt and under her silky thong, causing her to gasp. “You love the things I do to you…” He started rubbing her clit, slowly. “…the way I touch you…” He slid one finger inside of her, followed by another. “…in all the right places.”
“Oh, God…” Buffy closed her eyes, a soft moan escaping from her throat.
This time, William didn’t even try to hide his smirk. It was safe to say that he had learned a thing or two over the years; he knew exactly what Buffy liked. “I can make you feel so good, kitten,” he breathed into her ear. “You want it, don’t you?”
“A world of yes!” Buffy’s eyes snapped open. “You’re evil.” He gave her a sexy grin that made her knees go weak.
“What can I tell you, baby? I’ve always been bad.” Buffy let out an amused snort at that and he rolled his eyes. “You want this or not?” She gave him a sweet smile and pretended to zip her lips closed. “No need for that.” William looked her deep in the eyes and curled his tongue behind his teeth. “I wanna hear you scream.”
For a moment, she just looked at him. Then she started tugging at his pants, almost desperately. As he took a step back to make it easier for her, he had to bite his lip to hide a smile. “Thought you wanted this to be romantic?”
“We can do romantic any time.” Buffy batted her eyelashes at him and put her hand right on his crotch, thinking that two could play that game. It was now his turn to gasp. “Now… I just want you to fuck me!”
“That right?” He was grinning widely now. “Your wish is my command.”
As soon as Buffy had pulled his pants down all the way, William quickly kicked them to the side. Then he took her hand, gently pulling her down on the floor with him, using his duster as a blanket. Buffy immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, crying out with pleasure as he easily slid into her. She grasped his shoulders tightly as he started thrusting inside her. “God! Whatever you do, don’t stop!”
William pulled his head back so he could look at her, his eyes dark with desire. “Don’t think I can make it last very long, kitten.”
“Don’t care.” Buffy pulled him closer again. “Just keep going!” He did, and she threw her head back with a gasp as she started to feel the familiar feeling building up inside her. She let out a pleading whimper. “Please, William, I’m gonna…”
He started thrusting faster and faster, never slowing down, and she was not surprised when he came with a roar, only seconds after her. Afterwords they just lay there in silence for a moment, panting. Then William gently cupped her cheek and kissed her, with so much passion that it almost made her weep. “I love you, Buffy.”
“I love you, too, William, so much.” They just looked at each other for a moment, then Buffy giggled, still a little out of breath from the kiss. “I guess you were right after all.” He gave her a questioning look and she explained; “It was very romantic.”
“And here I just made that crap up. Can’t believe you fell for it.” She slapped him hard on the arm. “Ow! Just kidding, luv!”
Buffy glared at him, trying to stay serious but failing. Instead, she ran her fingers through his blond hair. “I love your hair this way.”
He caught her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles before she could loosen the gel and make his hair all curly. “Thought you hated it.”
“I never said that.” She squeezed his hand. “It just took some time to get used to. I didn’t see why you had to make such a drastic change, that’s all.” Then she smiled a little. “But I have to admit, it makes you look really hot. Kinda dangerous.”
“Yeah?” William got a pleased look on his face. “Maybe I need a new name to go with my new look.”
“Don’t you dare!” Buffy let go of his hand, giving him a stern look. “Bleached blond hair and leather duster – fine. But if you start dressing all in black and call yourself Spike or something, then you’ll be sleeping on the couch, mister.”
“Spike, eh?” William looked thoughtful for a moment. “Kinda like it.” He laughed as she gave him a warning look, firmly shaking her head. “Kidding, pet. Come on.” He got up from the floor and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. “School’s out for bloody summer. Let’s go home.”
The End