“Hello, darling!” Drusilla called cheerfully as she entered The Magic Box. When Buffy hadn't appeared by the time the door had closed behind her, she frowned. “Are you here, my sweet?”
A hairy boy popped his head up from behind the counter. “Uh..what? Do you mean me?”
“Of course not, Wendall. You're just...well, you're very, very strange. Where is Buffy?”
“Miss Summers is in the back room. You want me to go get her or something?”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “No, I'm very capable of walking there myself, thank you.”
“I don't think you're allowed-”
But she had already swept past him.
When she opened the door to the back room, Buffy looked up and broke out into a pleased smile. She had a bag of chicken's feet in one hand, and a gem encrusted goblet in the other. “Hey you! This is a surprise of the nicest kind.” She dropped the items in her hands into a nearby box. “New delivery,” she said, by way of explanation. She pulled out a chair and gestured for Drusilla to sit.
“I came because I have some lovely news.” Drusilla sighed gratefully as she sat, rubbing her belly. The baby was coming along quite nicely at six months.
Buffy perched on the desk. “Yeah?”
“I've found you an apartment to rent.”
“You have?” Buffy stopped swinging her legs and glanced at Drusilla with interest. She'd been looking for an apartment for the past few weeks – living with her younger brother's was making it very hard for her to remember why exactly it was she loved them so much. But the cheap apartments were beyond ugly, the nice apartments way out of her spending limit – if she ever wanted to be able to afford to travel again – and the only people looking to share were absolute freaks. She didn't even want to think about that one guy who'd answered the door all dressed in leather and insisted that if she wanted to move in she had to call him 'The Master'. “Where?”
“In my very building. Right across the hall, in fact.”
“But I thought that's where Jenny lived?”
“Well yes, she does. But she's also leaving for Iceland for six months to teach, and she doesn't want her apartment empty whilst she's gone.”
“That sounds so perfect! And my dads will be out of prison before then so I won't need to find a new place when she gets back because I can travel again!”
“Yes, it all works out nicely. Why don't you come on over after work and talk to Jenny?”
“I will. And thank you.”
Jenny was moved out, and Buffy moved in, within the week.
Drusilla, still having no idea about Buffy and Will's night together, once again demanded moving day help from her brother, and for the very first time, Buffy was almost glad that she'd lost nearly half of her possessions in the fire so that it at least didn't take them too long.
Will wouldn't even look her in the eye, the bastard. He must have been regretting having sex with her more than she'd realized.
In hindsight, moving across the hall from the sister and close friend of the one guy in the world you were trying to avoid probably wasn't the wisest idea, Buffy mused. Because since she'd moved into Jenny's place, she was seeing Will more than ever.
But he always made sure that they were never left alone together, his voice was always clipped when he spoke to her, and the whole situation just got more awkward each day.
Like he hadn't made her feel crappy enough.
Drusilla watched Will and Buffy through narrowed eyes. Things had become very strange between the pair of them as of late, and so she'd invited them both around for dinner. A bit of sneaky manoeuvring had them sitting together on the couch, but they'd scooted to opposite ends, and were pointedly looking anywhere but at each other.
Either they'd had an argument, or there was a rather substantial amount of sexual tension sizzling away between them. Or maybe both.
“So,” she began, pouring ketchup onto her Chinese noodles. “Anything new between the two of you?”
Will coughed, and Buffy blushed.
“Nothing new,” Will commented quickly.
Buffy nodded in agreement. “Nothing at all. Just the same old Buffy. Same old...none newness.”
Liam, oblivious as ever, didn't even look up from his food. Drusilla rolled her eyes and sprinkled pepper over the ketchup. Will and Buffy really needed to do...something. Although the thought of her brother doing...something with anyone was yick. But if he had to do...something, it would be just so romantic if he did it with Buffy after all these years. Before she could think of something else to embarrass them with, her cellphone chirped. She moved aside her plate to answer it.
“Sweetie pie?” The voice didn't even wait for her to say hello. “It's me...your sister.”
“I do have caller ID, Cecily.”
Cecily tutted. “Be nice, I have a wonderful announcement!”
“Yes? Do share...”
“Bernard and I are to be married! He proposed last night!”
Drusilla smiled delightedly. “Oh, that is fantastic! How did he do it? Down on one knee?”
“Of course. He's very traditional, my Bernard. And romantic. He lit candles all over the living room.”
Bernard was an overly boring professor type, and Drusilla doubted he had a single romantic bone in his body. It was more than likely that he'd gotten the idea off the internet. But he made her sister very happy, which counted for everything. “Oh, I'm ever so happy for you! Have you thought about a date?”
“No, not yet. Quick engagements are so unfashionable, you know. We'll probably spend a year or so planning, you know how it is. We are throwing a little engagement bash this weekend, however. You and Liam will be there, I hope? Mother and father are coming. I've yet to speak to William.”
“Certainly we'll be there, daft sister. We wouldn't miss it. And William is here with me now if you wish to speak with him?”
“Oh, how handy. Yes please.”
After finalizing the plans for the weekend, Drusilla held out the phone. “Buffy, be a dear and pass this to William, would you?” A little line appeared between her brows as William did his damnedest not to touch Buffy's fingers as he took the phone off her.
“Hey, sis. Congratulations.”
“William! Did I just hear Drusilla say Buffy's name?”
“Yeah, she's here with us.”
“Lovely! Do tell her I'd like her to come along this weekend also.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Little Buffy was always like another younger sister to me.”
“Right.” He sighed and cleared his throat awkwardly, before turning to Buffy. “Cess wants you along for her engagement do this weekend. You free?”
Buffy smiled. “Sure I'm free! Tell her thank you! And congratulations! Oh wait, when are you driving down?”
“Friday afternoon,” Drusilla offered.
“Aw, man.” Buffy's face fell. “I'm babysitting Jesse and Thomas on Friday evening so Mom can take Darla out for dinner. Poor gal is all weepy 'cause she misses my dad.”
“I'd be all weepy too if me and Dru were separated for six months,” Liam informed them all helpfully.
Ignoring the googly eyed look Drusilla sent Liam, Will said, “Yeah, come to think of it, I'm working 'till ten on Friday. Might have to drive up on Saturday morning instead.”
“Nonsense,” Cecily scolded, having heard what he'd said. “You'll just have to make the journey after your shift at the station finishes.”
Will sighed, and Drusilla tore her gaze away from Liam. “What did she say?” She beamed once he'd told her, a plan forming in her sneaky little mind. “Well that's fine! You can pick up Buffy and the two of you can drive down together.” And then maybe the two of them could work out their issues on the three hour drive. And if they just so happened to fall madly in love...even better. They could all go on lots of double dates and have a double wedding and all their babies could grow up together and they'd all live happily ever after. She jolted and shook her head. Dratted hormones.
Buffy's eyes widened. She could already imagine how that car ride would go. Three parts awkward silence, one part horniness – on her part, that was. One sides horniness was such a bummer. “No way, I really couldn't ask Will to-”
“Nonsense,” Drusilla interrupted, as she was prone to do. “This way, neither of you has to make the journey by yourselves. You can talk...and stuff. It will be nice, won't it, William?”
Poor Will, Buffy almost found herself thinking. He looked like he wanted to disappear right into the couch. The stupid jerk. “Sure. It'll be...fun.”
They were trapped. Neither were willing to share with Drusilla and Liam why they'd rather fly to Cecily's house on a hover-board made out of wasps then spend three hours alone in a tiny, cramped car together, and to refuse her suggestion would just seem downright childish.
“That's settled then. Let Cecily know, will you?”
Great.
Twelve thirty am.
Will had been driving for an hour and a half, and they were only half way to Cecily's house. Buffy could count the amount of words they'd said to one another on just one of her hands.
She officially now wanted to die. There wasn't a single time in her life that she could remember not being able to hold a conversation with anyone. She'd been outgoing and cheerful and engaging since before she could even talk. She'd never had anyone dislike her before. Of course, she'd never been crazy about anyone before, either, so there was a first for everything.
Because she was, she'd realized, completely crazy about Will. Mad about him. Buffy Summers was mad for Will Wright. Who'd ignored her when they were teens, slept with her when they were adults, and then gone back to ignoring her.
And she couldn't stop thinking about him.
She thought about him while she was working. She thought about him while she was showering. She thought about him while she was eating. She thought about him while she was painting her toenails. She thought about him all the freakin' time.
There was only so much thinking a gal could do before her brain clicked in to place. She may be ditzy little Buffy, but she wasn't dumb.
She was crazy about him. What the hell?
She glanced over at him in the driver's seat through the corner of her eye. He looked tired, and very strained – no doubt feeling the awkwardness just as much as she was. There was a little vein poking out on his forehead, and he was holding onto the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
“Uh...Will...” she started. Her voice felt slightly hoarse from lack of use. “You're going twenty over the speed limit.”
Will jumped in surprise at the sound of her voice, and looked down, perturbed to find that she was right. He hadn't even noticed. But he'd been too busy concentrating on not concentrating on Buffy, and the way that the perfume she was wearing was turning him on, and the fact that he could see a little patch of skin on her leg from the rip in her jeans and it was driving him wild. “Christ, I am as well, sorry,” he acknowledged, slowing the car down. “Just a bit tired, I guess. Getting weary.”
Buffy nodded in understanding. “It's okay. I'm just sorry I don't have my stupid license. I could have driven, or we could have taken turns.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I like being the one driving.”
She rolled her eyes, unsurprised. “You know it's okay to let go of control sometimes, right? You can let loose without the whole world falling down around you.”
“Yeah?” Will eyed her, tiredly. It was this kind of free spirited Buffiness that had drawn him to her in the first place. However, it was the first time they'd managed to have a conversation last longer than a whole thirty seconds since the day he'd dropped her off at Joyce's after they'd slept together, and he'd really missed talking to her. “How so?”
Buffy smirked devilishly. “Start with the small things, tight ass. Like music.” She leaned forward and flicked the car radio on, fiddling around for a moment until some bouncy pile of pop came on.
“I don't think so,” Will announced with a grimace. He reached out to turn it over, but Buffy slapped his hand away. He blinked in surprise. She pretended not to have heard his protest, and turned the song all the way up, so that the car began to vibrate from the speakers. His eyes widened in alarm as she wound down the windows. “What the hell are you doing now?”
“Waking us up!” she called over the music. With a happy chuckle, she began to jiggle in her seat. “Anywhere you go, I'll foooooollow you down!” she sang along to the music.
Will couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. She looked so funny trying to dance in the small space, and her voice was dreadful. But within seconds she'd made him feel lighter than air, she'd made him want to dance like an idiot too. So he did, and his heart skipped a beat when she giggled delightedly.
“I'll follow you down but not that faaar!”
Still bouncing, Will looked over at Buffy for as long as he dared keep his eyes off of the road. The gigantic smile on his face felt more genuine than it had in a long time, and he was sure his mouth couldn't stretch any wider.
“What are you all smiley about?” she asked, catching him watching her.
“Just thinking about you,” he answered honestly. “And about how this is probably going to be one of those moments that I remember for the rest of my life.” When she smiled back at him, he felt as if all the happiness he'd ever felt before had been leading up to this. He felt free, in that special way only she could make him feel. “You make me smile like no one else in the world,” he admitted.
They kept the music blasting for the rest of the journey, and neither said anything. Nothing else was needed.