There William was, sitting with a book on his dorm bed when there was a party going on next door. Always the 'good boy'...

God, Xander wanted to fix that. William missed out on so many fun and new things because he was too busy being the good boy his mother had raised. Xander thought it must have been cool, in a way, being exactly what your parents expected, but enough was enough. William was almost twenty-three, had been in university for almost 4 years and he still hadn't been to a single party. He didn't want to change his friend all together, he just wanted to get him to loosen up a bit. Have some more fun.

But since it was Halloween, Xander had just the idea to bring William out of his shell a bit.

Xander walked to William's side of the dorm room and sat on his computer chair, watching William read his book. He was going to wait until William noticed him, but he was too engrossed in A Midsummer Night's Dream , so Xander took matters into his own hands.

Xander picked up a pencil off the desk and threw it at William, hitting him on his cheek with the eraser tip. William's head shot out and he scowled at Xander then returned to his book.

Xander sighed and decided to just talk to him. He stretched out his leg and nudged him with his foot. “So, what are you going to dress up as for the Lowell house Halloween party?” Xander asked him, knowing it was going to be something corny, like when he went to his parents Halloween party as a Christmas tree, or the year before that, when he went to Cordy's parents Halloween party as a 'ghost' with a sheet over his head. 'At least I got him to agree to go to the party in the first place...”

William didn't want to be interrupted, but he knew Xander wouldn't go away until he wanted to. “I'm going to be...” he closed the book he was reading, his finger used as a bookmark. He tilted his head in thought, going over some costumes he had at his parent's house. “I don't know, there are so many choices. Maybe... Oh!” William exclaimed then held up his book, his pointer finger—the one that was not being used as a bookmark—was poised under the author.”William Shakespeare!” he said, making Xander jump with his excitement.

Xander lowered and shook his head. “William, are you serious? You're gonna go to a college party dressed as Shakespeare?”

“Well...” William shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. “Yeah. Why not?”

“Well...” Xander mocked, shaking his head and nodding as well. “It's kind of dorky.”

William's jaw dropped and he stared at Xander incredulously. “It's Shakespeare, mate! He is a legend. I would hardly call that dorky.”

“It's dorky, and you will look dorky. How about this--”

“No!” William blurted, not caring what Xander had to say. “I'm not going as anything you say. Knowing you, you'll probably send me as a bloody vampire or something. No way.”

Xander waved his hand dismissively at his friend. He was about to deny that he was going to say that but stopped. “Well, you were close... but no. I was going to say you should go as like someone punk. A bad boy William. Totally opposite from you, Mr. Goody-two-shoes”

“Not totally opposite! I am bad... sometimes.” William argued, his ego hurt.

Xander rolled his eyes. “Okay... prove it. When was the last time you were bad?”

William's mouth opened and closed a few times, searching for something to say. He really hadn't done anything bad in his life, except maybe when he had thrown his next-door-neighbor's pack of crayons into the brook behind his house in a fit of rage that only five year old boys are capable of. But he didn't think Xander would accept that as bad behavior. But he certainly wasn't a 'goody-two-shoes'. “Oh! There was that time that I... uh...” William's lips pursed and he shook his head. “No, that was you.”

“See--”

William cut Xander off by waving his hand. “I got one! That time when I was with Dru, before she left me. I stole her a purse from that bleedin' frilly store she loved so much.”

“Was this before or after she broke up with you because you weren't adventurous enough?”

William's triumphant smile was quickly lost as he scowled at Xander for the second time that evening. “After.”

“Exactly. Come on, just take my advice and do it. Just for the one night.” Xander asked “I'll even get Cordy and Anya to do a makeover.”

“No.” William said simply.

“I dare you.” Xander said and held out his hand to shake with William's. “I dare you to go dressed up as a punk. Besides,” Xander shrugged his shoulder. “You'll get some women. Girls dig the bad boy look. Haven't you ever read one of those girly magazines?”

William raised an eyebrow. "You have?"

"That's not the point. You're trying to distract me. You know I'm right."

William thought about that. He hadn't had a woman in a while. Maybe—just this once—he would do what Xander said. William put his hand out and shook Xander's. “Alright, I'll do it. But just for tomorrow night.

Xander quickly shook his hand and let go, his smile was wide and his ideas were big. “Great! I'll go call Cordy and Anya right now!”

William watched Xander practically bounce out of the room and he shook his head. 'What have I gotten myself into now?'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cordy hung up the phone with Xander and she smiled widely. “Well, well, well... William is finally coming out of his shell.” She said to her cousin sitting on the bed.

“William? William Pratt?” Liz asked, looking up from the magazine she was looking at.

“Yup. You know him. William, sandy blond hair, glasses, had a huge crush on you when we were 8.” Cordy replied, giggling mercilessly at Liz' scrunched up face.

“Oh god. I remember him. He followed me around like a love sick puppy! So... creepy.” Liz said and shuddered. “What's he up to these days?”

Cordy stopped her laughing and took a deep breath. “Oh, you know.. Always has his nose in a book. Xander wants me to give him a makeover for the party. First one he's been to.”

Buffy's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. “You're serious? He's twenty-three and has never been to a college party?” she shook her head and looked back down at her magazine and flipped the page. “Someone needs to get laid. Stat.”

“Oh, don't be such a snob. He's a good guy. Better than that Angel guy you were dating. Maybe you could give him a chance. You never know.”

Buffy thought about that for a moment. She was tired of all the pretty boy, jock types she had been dating lately. Plus, when Cordelia Chase was telling you that you were being a snob? Time to switch gears. She could go for a nerdy guy. If anything, it would definitely be different.

“Maybe I will...”

TBC

William was laying in bed, pondering what he had agreed to the other day.


Today was the day he would be transformed into someone other than himself. Try as he might, he couldn't picture it. Cordelia and Anya were on their way over to give him a 'makeover', and he was scared senseless. Maybe he could back out?


No, they would never allow him to. Besides, it was a dare. He agreed, so he had to go through with it. Maybe he could change into something different after he got to the party? He could probably do that, too. Xander would be too busy with Anya, Cordelia would be too busy with her entourage of admirers to care, so that left him free to do what he wanted.


Maybe he would make a small appearance at the party, then leave. He had never been to a college party, and he had never really intended to go. Just like his soon-to-be costume, Xander was the one to talk him into it.


William kept thinking about the dreadful things that was about to happen to him during the makeover when Xander and the girls walked in, pulling him out of his thoughts.


“You ready, William?” Cordy asked, plopping a big bag of who-knows-what on his bed, by his feet. “Cos' Anya and I stayed up really late last night deciding on what to do with you... In a very non sexual way.” she shuddered then started to pull things out of her bag.


First came chains. Lots of chains. Then a baggie full of safety pins, which he was really nervous about. Then, what looked like a makeup bag came out and William put his hands up. “Whoa. Not putting no bloody makeup on my face, if that's what you're thinking.” he said. “I'm no bloody girl.”


Anya laughed and unzipped the makeup bag. “No, its not for girls, see?” she said holding up an eyeliner stick. “It's called Guyliner. Guy eyeliner. It's totally fine!” she told him, waving her hand dismissively. Anya reached into her purse, procuring a rolled up magazine and quickly flipping through it. "See, Johnny Depp wears it all the time, and he's a total hunk!" She said, holding the picture of said actor about three inches from his face.


"Hey!" Xander hollered. "I'm just as gorgeous and.. and.. manly as Captain Jack Sparrow there!"


William pushed the picture away from his face and sighed, slumping into his bed. “Still not wearing it,” he mumbled.


Cordy giggled and started to bring more things out of her bag. A black t-shirt that looked too small for him and a pair of black jeans that also looked like they would be tight was added to the pile, causing him to cringe. “You expect me to wear those?” he asked, picking up the t-shirt and holding it to his chest.


“Yup.” Cordy said. “And these.” She held up the chains and pulled out a couple of rings from her bag. “You're going to look great!”


“Not bloody likely,” he mumbled then stood up to sit on the chair in front of his laptop. “Alright, let's get this over with.”


Cordy giggled evilly, rubbing her hands together before grabbing a pair of scissors from his dresser. “First things first, hair must go.” she said, grabbing a hold of a think patch of hair.


Insert evil giggle.


William dodged to get the scissors away from his head. There was no way he was going to let her cut his hair. “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. I did not agree to a hair cut,” he said, his lips turning into a pout. “I like my curls.”


Anya laughed and held Williams arms at his side. “Don't be such a baby, it'll grow back! Besides, curls? Not exactly the punk look. We wont do anything else to your hair. Promise.”


William sighed, rolling his eyes drastically. “Fine,” he said. “Just not too much.”


And she didn't take too much off. Just enough to get rid of split ends and a give him a chunky layering. “There.” She said, standing back to admire her work.


It was a little lopsided. Only a little. And some of the layers were longer than others, but she wouldn't dare tell William that his head went from a mop, to 'my head was attacked by scissors'.


She tilted her head to the side, examining it more closely. 'Well... That didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped..' she thought, definitely keeping that statement to herself.


She looked at Xander and Anya, happily making out behind her so they couldn't see the disaster that was Williams hair. Quickly, she grabbed some hair gel and put a generously sized dollop in the palm of her hand. 'I can fix this. He'll never even notice!'


She rubbed her palms together then running her fingers through his sandy blond hair, effectively slicking it back. She wiped her hands off on a towel then grabbed a comb, running it through his hair again to clear away the gaps.


When she was satisfied with the results, she stood straight and placed her hands on her hips. “There! Hair is done!” she said enthusiastically, a beaming smile on her face.


“Can I look?” William asked, reaching his hand up to touch the new gel encased hair he was sporting. “Jesus, Cordy, what did you do? Put a helmet on my head?”


Cordy scoffed, her smile was instantly gone. “No,” she told him, crossing her arms across her chest. “Just a little gel. No big deal.”


“A litt--” he sighed. He would play along. “Fine, let's just get on with it. There's a couple of things I need to do around town.”


Anya pushed Xander away from her, leaving him in a lust addled state. “Ohh! Let me do the guyliner!” she said while clapping her hands, making sure to put emphasis on the 'guy' part.


She picked up the stick of black eyeliner and pulled his eye lid down and pressing the eyeliner down on the edge of his eye, causing him to yelp in pain. “I swear to god, woman! You poke me in the bloody eye with that and I'll rip your throat out!”


Everyone in the room stood up straight, wondering where the hell that had come from the mild mannered man. “Well, gee.” Anya said, leaning forward to apply more eyeliner. “No need to be so rude. And the imagery...” she cringed.


“That's the spirit, William! That was totally bad ass!” Xander exclaimed, not missing the glare his girlfriend sent over her shoulder. “But, if you hurt my girlfriend, I'll have to do... something...” another glare. “Something damn manly!” Cordy giggled and shook her head at Xander's lame threat.


“What? Like I could top 'I'll rip your throat out'?”


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


After the eyeliner, chains and rings were in place, Cordy ushered him to the bathroom so he could change, then stood outside of his door. She had been waiting for the perfect time to bring up Buffy, but hadn't had the chance until now.


“So, uh...” she mumbled, not really knowing what to say. “You.. Do you want to go out on a date with Buffy Summers?” she asked, deciding to make a blunt approach, as per her usual.


“What?” William yelped through the door. 'Did she just say 'Buffy Summers'? As in The Buffy Summers, the girl I convinced himself that I loved when I was younger?' he thought to himself, completely missing what Cordelia had said. “What was that?”


“I said...” she took a deep breath. “Buffy is here for the month, wants to get with a guy. Someone different than the guys she usually dates. I thought maybe you would be up for it. Will you ask her out?” she asked bluntly.


William thought about this for a moment. He treated little Buffy like a princess when they were younger. What ever she asked for or wanted, he would have it for her within the next two minutes. He knew now that she had only been using him, but he didn't mind. She was the only girl that ever actually let him be himself around. Plus, they were older now. Things might be different.


With Cecily, he had to fit in. Be in the popular crowd and be envied by all the girls in school, yet be owned by her. That relationship didn't last long. He was no were near popular, and not even close to being enviable by all the woman. That relationship ended in a week. She had only really been interested in him because she though he might be able to help her pass english.


Then there was Drusilla. He treated her like she was the second coming for the four months that they had been together, and yet 'William' wasn't enough. She wanted 'Spike'. Whoever that was, it wasn't William, and he wasn't going to just change for some gothic loony who talked to her dollies.


He wanted to be himself.


He looked down at his 'costume' and shrugged, he could go back to being himself later tonight. Maybe Buffy would want him the way he was. He hoped.


With his mind made up, he opened the door, revealing his costume to Cordy. His jeans were a little tight, and same with the shirt, but it was bearable. Plus, Cordy was doing this weird googly eye thing while looking him up and down... he had to look at least decent to get her attention.


“Forget Buffy, I might just keep you all for myself!” she laughed, holding a hand up to cover her mouth. “Ohmigod! Will! You look incredible!” she hollered then threw her arms around his neck or a tight hug.


“Thanks, Cordy,” he said, hugging her back. “But I don't know if I like the shirt. It's a little... tight. Maybe a size bigger?”


“No! Just like that is perfect. I just have to add the safety pins! Oh, I'm so excited for the finished product!” she giggled loudly.


It seemed like she really had forgotten about Buffy, but William hadn't. He would like to see Buffy again, he hadn't seen her in so many years. To go on a date with her would be... magnificent. He wondered for a minute about what she might look like, but figured it didn't matter. She was Buffy.


“Cordelia, about Buffy. Tell her I'll pick her up at 8 next Friday. I would love to go on a date with her.”

Once everyone left him alone in his dorm room, William put on some of his more 'normal' clothes and left to go run some pre-party errands.

He had a few things to do. He had a list of small things to do for his mum, and he had to get some groceries for his mini-fridge. Even with a lock on it, Xander seemed to be able to get in and eat all of his self-bought food. William would never call Xander on it, because they were best friends. But William secretly hated it and made a mental note to buy dry foods so he could hide them where his roommate wouldn't think to look.

Plus, he had a date with Buffy coming up, he wanted to maybe pick something up for her.

He was still shocked by that. A date with Buffy Summers... it was almost unreal. He hoped it would go well...

More importantly, he hoped it wasn't a cruel joke.

He first went to the Espresso Pump and got himself a coffee, then he went to pick up his mother's dry-cleaning. On the way to the laundromat, his head started to get itchy, probably from all the gel Cordelia had put in his hair. He ran his fingers through his encrusted hair, loosening the hold the gel had and letting his curls spring free.

After all the gel was gone, he ran his fingers through it again, feeling all of the chunks that were missing. He stopped in his tracks and his cup fell to the ground, spilling its contents in front of his shoes as both hands flew up to his hair. 'WHAT THE HELL DID SHE DO?' His inner voice screamed as he stood there, shocked and fondling the ends of his hair. “I'm going to kill her!” he hollered.

Innocent passersby stared at the crazy guy who was yelling and touching his bad haircut. Some people shook their heads, some smiled awkwardly and rushed to pass him. William just smiled, a blush staining his cheeks as he picked up his now empty cup. He quickly threw it in the trash and bolted across the street toward the closest barbershop.

Of course, it had to be a women's salon, but he didn't care. He burst through the door, frantically looking around for a free mirror. When he found one, he ran over to it and checked out his reflection. There were small patches of his hair missing, easily fixable without losing too much more hair, but he was still ticked off. He sighed, vowing to have a little chat with Cordy as he walked to the front desk.

“Hey, Sugar! How can I...” the guy at the front desk looked up, his eyes bulging as he took in the condition of William's hair. “What the heck happened to you?”

William scowled, his hand went up to cover the mess on his head. “I... uh...” he mumbled, fidgeting under the man's stare. Finally, William rolled his eyes and his shoulders slumped. “Oh, sod it all to hell! I have a date with this girl who is way out of my league, a Halloween Party that my friends dared me to dress up as a punk for, and I let them do a makeover type thing on me. Now, I have a bad haircut and an even worse outfit and I just want it fixed,” he said in one rushed sentence, his lips curling into a pout when he finished.

The hairdresser giggled effeminately then walked around the counter, looping his arm through William's and ushering him to a seat. “Well then, let me fix this little mess up for you. No problem. I think I know something that can help your look out a bit, too.”

When William shot him a withering glare, the hairdresser put his hands up submissively. “Totally temporary, I promise. If you don't like it, I can change it.”

William slouched into the chair. Why not? Not like his day could get worse... And this guy was a professional. He wouldn't botch up his hair like Cordy had. Also, he would fix it if he did mess it up.

With his mind made up, William looked up at the hairdresser, reading his nametag. “Alright, Lorne. Have at it.”

Lorne clapped his hands together, rubbing them and smiled brightly at William. “Alright, gorgeous! Let's get crackin'!”


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lorne spent a good amount of time adding some sort of paste to William's head, saying comforting words and promises of a better look when it was all finished. William filled him in on the details of his whole situation, including how pretty he remembered Buffy to be, and his costume plan.

When his scalp started to burn, William became a bit frantic, but Lorne assured him it would all turn out fabulous.

Lorne finally rinsed the goop out, he put a blindfold over William's eyes so he couldn't peek, and then went to cutting.

William sat there, almost falling asleep in the chair as Lorne perfected his 'masterpiece'.

Finally, William felt a soft brush on the back of his neck, sweeping away any stray hair that didn't make it to the ground.

“Okay, now. I want you to know that you look simply marvelous, but it might be a bit of a shock to you. You told me that your friends wanted you to be punk, so I took it to the next level. On the count of three!”

Lorne untied the back of the blindfold. “One...” he stood in front of William, blocking any mirrors and removed the blindfold. “Two...” William looked at him expectantly. “Three!” Lorne spun William around to face the mirror, and William—to say the least—was shocked.

His hair was bleached. Platinum. White.

He just stared at himself, the soft looking curls were short, but still there and framing his face. The bleached color of his hair made his eyes and cheekbones stand out, making him look like he was a rebel. Even though he was anything but a bad boy, he loved it.

“You look like Billy Idol!” Lorne squealed, clapping his hands a couple of times. “So, do you like it?"

William stood up, slowly taking off the black vinyl cover then turned to Lorne. A slow smile spread across his face. “Lorne, you bugger! I love it!” William quickly hugged him, then turned back to the mirror, touching his hair for what felt like the millionth time that day. “How did you know it would look good on me?”

Lorne shrugged. “I had a hunch. Your cheekbones and those pouty lips reminded me of Billy Idol, so I went with it."

William nodded vigorously, he really did like it. Lorne chuckled then started walking toward the counter so William could pay. “I'm glad you like it! I was a little nervous, but I knew you would look good.”

William paid his total, still smiling proudly because of his new hair. Cordy was going to have a fit! He couldn't wait to show it off at the party tonight.

Now, all he needed was a nickname. He didn't think that he would get into this whole costume thing, but with the hair, he felt he could get used to it for the night.

“So, I never got your name when I was doing your hair...” Lorne asked, subtly hitting on the man in front of him.

“Sorry, mate. Don't swing that way, but the name is...” for some unknown reason, he thought of Drusilla. She always wanted 'Spike', maybe he could be that guy for the night? “Spike.”


“Spike?” Lorne asked, knowing that wasn't his real name, but he would go with it.

“Yeah. Name's Spike.”


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


William slowly walked up to his mother's house. He had made sure to do everything on the list. He knew his mother was going to have a fit when she saw his new hair.

He walked in and shut the door behind him. He set the stuff down in the hallway, and then walked into the kitchen, knocking on the door to announce his presence. “Mum?”

“Dear Lord, William! What have you done to your hair?!”


TBC

William hadn't seen anyone since he left to run errands earlier that day. When he got home, he found a note on his table that Xander had left saying that Anya wanted him to help her get into costume and that William would have to go to the party by himself. Which didn't bother him really, he could get there himself. He would just be a little late. Without Xander, Anya or Cordelia there to push him out the door, he could take his time getting ready. He would go though.

He quickly had a shower, making himself clean in ten minutes, then he dried himself off. He thought about gelling his hair back like Cordelia had earlier, but he hated the crusty, flaky feel of it, so he skipped it, leaving his hair in disheveled curls instead. He thought it looked better anyway. With a towel slung across his hips, he walked into his room. As soon as he opened the door, he heard his phone ringing so he rushed to pick it up before to went to the answering machine.

“Hello?”

“Hi, William?” a female voice asked.

“Yes, this is me.”

“Okay, this is Buffy. How are you?”

William almost hung up the phone. Buffy. Buffy Summers was calling him! He started to shake with nervousness and happiness as he scrambled for his next words. “H-hey! I'm... uh, I'm good, I guess. Getting ready to go to the Halloween party tonight. H-how are you?”

“I'm great! I'm also going to that Halloween party, maybe we can hang out there for a bit?”

William's eyes widened comically. She wanted to hang out tonight? He hadn't prepared for this... and he was going to be dressed like a... Oh Lord, this wasn't going to go to well. Maybe he could say he might not go, but go anyway? It wasn't like she would recognize him either way. Last time they saw each other they were still running around thinking the other had cooties. “I think I might actually skip it. Stomach isn't sitting right. But, we still have that date for next Friday. That okay with you?

“Yeah! That's actually what I called about. Next Friday at eight, right?”

“R-right, next Friday at eight... any specific place you want to go? I mean there isn't a lot of places to go on a date in Sunnydale, but we could... Oh! We could go--”

“William! It's all good. Whatever you plan should be fine. I'll see you then, 'kay?”

They said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving William with a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. Buffy was going to be at the party tonight, and he had no way to actually get out of it. Also, he pretty much started off his could-be-relationship off with a lie. This wasn't good.

With more fear running through his body than he started out with, he finished getting ready.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once Buffy hung up the phone, she decided it was time to get ready for the party. It wouldn't take her long, she'd already done her hair and makeup, so she just had to slip into her outfit.

She was surprised that Cordelia had chosen it for her. It was the complete opposite of her usual attire. On a regular day, she would wear frilly skirts and tank tops, the complete prep wardrobe. But tonight, she was going as a punk chick. She crimped her hair, put dark makeup on—not trampy, but enough to define her features and make her look dark and mysterious. Add some leather pants, a blood red halter top and some leather hooker boots, she looked hot.

When she deemed herself presentable, she went into Cordelia's adjoining room and smiled at her choice in a costume. “Cheerleader? I'm sure you could have picked something more--” Cordy spun around to look at Buffy and she giggled. “Ah, a still-pretty dead cheerleader. Leave it Cordelia to still look hot when she is dead.”

“Don't you know it! I thought, 'Hey, I already have the outfit, add some fake blood and a couple of rips, and you've got yourself a hot, completely costless costume'. Smart. Huh?” Cordy asked and twirled around in, showing off her 'costless costume'.

Buffy rolled her eyes and walked further into the room. “You almost ready to go to the party?”

“Yup.” Cordy said, popping the 'p'. She grabbed her purse, then looped her arm through Buffy's as the headed for the door. “You look hot too, by the way.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy stepped into the house, the music so loud she almost wanted to cover her ears. She saw a bunch of frat boys around a table, watching two obviously drunk girls make out, a bunch of scantily clad women with animal ears, and drunk football players. There was no mistaking that this was a usual college party. Buffy wanted to roll her eyes. She was tired of this crap, but Cordy insisted that she should go, so she did.

She went to the kitchen and picked up a Jello shooter, using a toothpick for loosen the blue Jello from the small cup and then downing it. She made a 'yum' sound and picked up another, figuring she would need it to try and get into the swing of things. When she downed a total of three, she picked up a red plastic cup and made her way to the keg. 'Foamy goodness...'

The first half an hour of the party was boring. Cordy had run off to a room with her at-the-moment-boyfriend Devon and left Buffy to her own devices. So, sitting on the couch, nursing her beer, she sat and watched the clock above the door.

A couple of guys had hit on her, but she turned down every one of them. Including a really dull guy name Riley. Captain of the basketball team and President of the 'I'm a dumb jock, ask me how!' club. Buffy had seen more than her fair share of those types and wasn't looking for another. What she wanted was a nice guy. Someone who would treat her with the respect any woman deserved. Someone good looking and smart, a little adventurous. She wanted...

The guy currently walking through the door. 'Oh. My. God. That's a man, if I've ever seen one. Gotta get me a piece of that!' she thought as she saw a platinum blonde man walk through the front door. He looked a little nervous, but still hot as hell. She quickly stood up, thankful that the three Jello shots and one and a half beers she drank hadn't taken a huge affect on her motor skills.

She waded through the crowded space, holding her drink above her head so she wouldn't spill the contents. Her only thought was to get to the sexy guy with amazing cheekbones before any one else did. As she got closer, she started to feel really nervous. What was she going to say to him? Would her costume make him want to do the things to her that she was currently thinking of doing to him? She hoped so, because she was standing right in front of him now.

“H-hi... I'm... Liz.” She said, covering up the ridiculousness of her name. So it was a lie, it wasn't like he had to know. Besides, it was Halloween.

The gorgeous man looked at her, his eyes running the length of her body, and clearly liking what he saw. She watched as his tongue poked out to moisten his lips and she thought she would just melt. 'Want. Want. Want. Now!'

“Well, hello, Liz. 'M Spike,” he replied, his British accent rolling over her. Buffy shivered as he took her hand and brought it to his lips, leaving a lingering kiss on her knuckles. “Care to dance?”

'Swoon! I'm all swoony! Witness me swooning!' she thought as she dumbly nodded her head. Where was the confident woman that she usually was? Being near this man reduced her to a school girl with a crush, and somehow, she couldn't seem to care. He was hot, she was going to have him. At least for tonight.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

William didn't know where he had gotten this boost of confidence, but damn was he enjoying it. Leading this petite blonde out to the dance floor was doing wonders for his ego. Before tonight, he wouldn't have even thought he had a chance with a girl as incredibly beautiful as Liz, but tonight was different. He was Spike. All confidence, sexuality and attitude. He was going to use it to the fullest, and thank Xander, Anya and Cordelia later.

Right now, he had a bombshell to dance with.

They made it to the dance floor without being swallowed by the crowd and he twirled Liz around, smiling as he faintly heard her laugh. He had never hated a stereo for being loud until this moment. He wished he could hear her laughter without anything to drown her out.

When she started to dance, he started to get nervous. What was he thinking asking her to dance? He didn't know how to. He had no clue what he was supposed to do. Then, Liz started to grind against him, her movements perfectly in sync with the music, and he suddenly didn't care for his lack of dance moves. He slid his hands down her arms and linked his fingers with hers, pulling her arms up above her to wrap around her neck as they swayed to the beat. It was erotic, it was amazing, it turned William on. Remembering that he had a role to play to keep this girl interested, her once again ran his hands down her body and rested them on her hips, pulling her flush against him. He could feel his cock hardening, so he went to push her away a bit, but was surprised when Liz pushed against him hard, all but wiggling her ass against his hard length.

He groaned and spun her around, instantly crushing his lips to hers without thought. His conscience catching up to him, he was about to pull away again, but Liz pulled him closer to her, running her tongue over his bottom lip. He opened his mouth, granting her access to let her tongue massage his. He was in heaven. He had just died and went to heaven.

Then, she pulled away from him, her hand traveled down his arm and cupped his erection, and she spoke, “I want you, Spike.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With Devan in tow, Cordy made her way over to Xander and giggled as she watched her cousin dance... make that mate on the dance floor. “I'm guessing it's happening already?” she asked Xander, nudging him when he wasn't responding.

Xander turned his dazed gaze to Cordy, and grinned from ear to ear. “Holy shit, Buffy is hot!” he said, ignoring the swat Anya gave him. “I didn't think William would do that to his hair, but yeah, operation 'Get William and Buffy together' has begun.”

Cordelia smiled triumphantly. She and Xander that been plotting this for two weeks. She was happy that she didn't have to do as much as she thought she would to get these two together. She guessed she just had a knack for having things go the way she planned.

TBC

As the song finished, Liz quickly grabbed Spike's hand and started to pull him toward the dorm rooms. The way they had danced had worked her into a frenzy, so she was aching to get him alone.

Finding an empty room behind door number one—which was pure luck—Liz practically fell through the bedroom door, her half drunken state and her eagerness to get Spike naked had her tripping over her own feet. She fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him through the door, then hauled him to her body, ignoring the surprised look on his face as she dove in for a lusty kiss.


He reciprocated the kiss instantly, slightly nervous and scared about what was to come. 'Confidence, confidence, confidence!' He chanted in his mind, trying his damnedest to remain in control of his body. He had only ever had Drusilla, and that was a while ago. This Blonde Beauty was pretty much throwing herself at him, and he was practically quaking with anticipation and fear.

Liz ran her hands down his chest, feeling the hard muscles under his shirt. She knew he would have an incredible body under those darned clothes. Now, to get him out of them so she could see for herself...

She slipped her hands under the ripped black material, sliding her hands up his torso and breaking the kiss to get the shirt off. She dropped the shirt, then captured his lips in another kiss. The way his mouth worked on hers, she didn't think she would be able to stop kissing him.

Then his hands came into play, and she thought she might die.

He cupped a breast, kneading the mound and tweaking her nipple through her shirt. She broke the kiss again, throwing her head back and moaning as he slid his moth down her neck, leaving open mouthed kissed on the sensitive skin he found. She was in heaven.

“God, Liz... want you...” he growled, quickly taking her shirt off and sliding her bra straps off her shoulders. He continued to kiss her shoulders, then across her collarbone as he worked her bra snaps at the back. “Need you, now.”

She moaned as her bra fell to the floor, the cool air of the room doing little to kill the heat he had created in her. He took a nipple in his mouth, wrapping his tongue around it and nibbling gently. She pushed her pelvis against his and she tangled her hand in his soft curls, feeling the hard evidence of his arousal on her belly. “Please, Spike... now...”

She jumped up, wrapping her legs around his hips and pushed her hot pussy against his denim clad erection. He staggered towards the bed, falling onto it in a fit of laughter. “I'm so sorry, did I crush you?” he asked, pulling away slightly to see if she was okay.

Her hands went to his jeans, pulling on them as she giggled. “I'm fine! Get these off and fuck me!”

He chuckled and stood up, watching her take her leather pants off as he took off his jeans. “God, you're gorgeous...” he whispered as he heel-toed his combat boots off.

“You're not so bad yourself.” She replied, eying his bare chest.

Once they were completely naked, Spike went to lay on top of her to worship her body more, but she quickly reversed their position so she was straddling his waist.

“Screw foreplay, we can do that later.” She said, then sank down on his hard cock.

They both gasped, then shivered, loving the feeling of becoming one with each other.

Buffy swiveled her hips, grinding her clit against his pelvic bone as her walls stretched for him. He was so impossibly big, she thought she might spilt down the middle. No one she had been with before was this big, it was incredible. She was so completely full.

She leaned down to kiss Spike, but was surprised to find herself on her back and Spike slowly sliding out, then thrusting back inside of her. She arched her back, groaning at the sensation.

“You like that, luv?” he asked as she pulled almost all the way out, then quickly pushed his way into her tight channel.

“Oh, fuck! Love it... more! Uhh!” she moaned.

Spike complied, quickly finding his rhythm. Each thrust brought him to new heights he had never been to before, and he loved it. Being inside this delightful creature was the best thing that had ever happened to him before. Now, if he could only find a way to keep her...

He leaned down and kissed her, slipping his tongue inside her moist cavern to duel with hers. “Fuck, Liz. So fucking tight, so warm... all for me...” he groaned as he felt her walls tighten on his member. “Bloody hell! Do that again!”

She giggled and did it again, constricting her muscles on his prick over and over. She started to meet his thrusts, forcing him to go harder and faster. “Please, Spike... need to cum...”

He wormed his hand in between them, finding her clit and started to rub it. “I got you, pet.”

He thrust in a couple more times, feeling her body writhe under his as she began to climax. Her walls started to flutter, and he groaned, holding back his own orgasm until he was sure she was satisfied.

“Oh, Spike! Shit... I'm.. holy fuck, I'm gonna...” she whimpered and pulled him down for a passionate kiss as waves of pleasure shot through her body.

He continued thrusting and rubbing her nubbin as her hips bucked against his, seeking more friction as she came undone.

Spike thrust in one more time, spilling his seed inside of her welcoming body as his own orgasm ripped through his body. “Liz!!” he called, then shuddered as is release subsided.

He collapsed on top of her, then grinned as she wrapped her arms around him. “Are you okay? Not crushing you?” he asked for the second time that night.

She giggled, then kissed him chastely. “Nope, no Bu-Liz crushage. Promise.” She said, happy that she covered up her slip. That could have been bad.

Spike grinned and nodded, then rested his head on her shoulder. He was in a post coital high, committing every second that had just happened to memory. Then, his eyes flew open and he looked at the girl underneath him in fear. He quickly rolled off of her and put his hands over his face. “Wanker!” he whispered, then looked over at Liz again.

She furrowed her eyebrow in confusion. Why was he all of a sudden acting like this? One second, he is all happy, then the next he was angry? Buffy got nervous. “Was... Was I not.. good?” she asked, reaching for the blanket under her to cover herself.

Spike stopped her, then pulled her to his body, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her shoulder. “No, no, not that. Being with you was.. was bloody fantastic...” he said, then sighed. “It's just... we didn't use a condom, and I sort of... I came inside of you...”

Buffy burst out laughing, then turned to look at him. “You... you got all grrr-y about that?” she laughed harder.

It was his turn to be confused. “What the... Liz, this could be potentially bad. Boy...” he pointed to his semi soft cock. “plus girl...” he pointed to her pussy. “plus unprotected sex, equals baby.”

Buffy laughed then slapped his shoulder. “I know, silly. I'm laughing because you are so worried about me being pregnant, which is sweet of you, but you don't have to. I'm protected. Take a little pill everyday to prevent those pesky babies.” she giggled.

Spike's face softened, then he smiled. “Oh,”

“Mmmhmm. Now, if you want to... you know, have more unprotected sex... I would be totally up for.. Ohh!” she moaned as Spike pulled her on top of him.

“Well, I'm up for it, too.” he chuckled as he pushed his hardening erection against her.

TBC

“Buffy...” Cordelia called as she entered Buffy's room. Buffy was laying face down on her bed, sleeping. At three o'clock in the afternoon. Cordy knew what Buffy was trying to do, but she wasn't going to get away with it. “Buuuufffyyyy!” Cordy said again, giving her cousin a shake to wake her up.

Neither William nor Buffy knew that was in store for them tonight. Cordy hadn't known that they went under different names when they met at the Halloween party, but she and Xander both decided to play along with it when they found out. Buffy and William had both been talking nonstop about the other all week, talking Xander and Cordy's ears off while they promised not to say anything to their intended dates. Cordy wanted to make their date night a sort of reunion for them. They would both be happy, and they would have a good time. Or so she thought.

Buffy groaned and rolled onto her back and glared up at Cordy. “What? What is so important that you had to wake me up from my peaceful sleep?” she asked, slightly irritated. 'I was having a very nice dream of Spike, and you ruined it...'

“You have a date tonight, remember?” Cordy said, placing her hands on he hips. “You're not going to bail. I won't let you.”

“But...”

Cordy held her hand up, cutting Buffy off. “Nope. You're going, and that's final. I know you will have a good time with William. Trust me.”

Buffy arched an eyebrow, smirking at her cousin. “Well if you're so sure I will have a good time, why don't you date him?”

“Eww!” Cordy giggled. “No way. It's William, he is like a brother to me! Now, no more procrastinating. Get up, make yourself look hot, and go out with him. You only have... like 3 hours.”

Buffy looked over at the clock, and noticed it was only 3:10. “No, I have five hours. Date is at eight.”

Cordy laughed and shook her head. “Nope. Xander called, told me that William changed it to six. Something about the only reservations available.”

Buffy groaned and pulled herself out of the bed, heading for the shower. “I hate this. I want to go find Spike. Not William,” she grumbled as she rummaged through the linen cabinet for a towel. “This date is pretty pointless.”

Cordy shook her head, trying to hold in an evil cackle. “If you only knew how close you were to finding 'Spike'...”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a little less than a week since William met Liz. The gorgeous bombshell of a woman he had met at the Halloween party. He'd had a blast, pretending to be 'Spike' then worshiping the Goddess he'd found on the dance floor...

The only problem was that he couldn't get Liz off his mind, and he had a date with Buffy tonight. William was going to back out of it, thinking it wasn't fair for him to take a girl out when he was thinking of a different girl, but Xander had all but used violence to convince him otherwise. William still wasn't sure if going on this date would be a good thing or not, but he couldn't just blow Buffy off either.

He would just go on the date, make nice with Buffy, but then tell her he wasn't interested in a way that won't hurt her precious girl feelings. Or maybe he could use his 'Spike' 'tude and make himself out to be a complete ass so Buffy would get the point.

Well, it didn't matter anyway. William was stuck going on a date with a girl he didn't want to be with, so he would just make the best of it. If he and Liz were meant to me, they would find each other someday.

He looked over to check the time and noticed he had about an hour and a half to get ready. They were going to a semi-expensive restaurant, so William had to make himself presentable. He got a towel from his closet and made his way to the dormitory showers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Buffy, stop moving. You'll smear,” Cordy chided, trying to hold her cousin's chin still.

“I don't care,” Buffy said and crossed her arms with a huff. “When is he gonna be here?”

Cordy sighed at Buffy's act of immaturity. “Soon. Now, hush. Almost done.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and hollowed out her cheeks so Cordy could put some blush on them. 'Stupid Cordy for getting me to agree to this date. Stupid William for asking me. Stupid Spike for not giving me his number, or asking me for mine...' she thought as Cordy finished the final touches on her makeup. “I don't know why you wanted to do my makeup so bad. I'm completely capable of doing it myself, you know.”

“I know, I'm just better at it,” Cordy giggled and stuck out her tongue. “Besides, you're all ready now, no use in doing it over. He will be here any minute. Wardrobe check!”

Buffy sighed and stood up, slowly spinning around to show off her simple black dress. “Why is he taking me out to such a fancy restaurant, anyway? I thought we were just going to go to a movie, or something.”

William hadn't really decided on the restaurant, Cordy and Xander had, but she wasn't about to let Buffy (or William) know that. He thought she picked it, and she thought he picked it. It was perfect. “I don't know. Maybe he wants to show you that he isn't cheap, or something,” she scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. “Men, always trying too hard. Or you know, not trying hard enough... William just happens to be of the better variety.”

Buffy laughed, then sobered as soon as she heard the doorbell ring. “Oh, shit! He is here! Cordy, I really can't do this. My mind isn't in it!”

“Buffy!” Cordy said and grabbed her cousin's shoulders. “William is a great guy, and who knows... maybe he has an inner Spike.”

“Doubt it, Spike is one of a kind...” Buffy mumbled and let Cordy lead her to the hallway.

“Now, go down the stairs, open the door, greet your date and have a good time. I won't wait up!” Cordy giggled and watched as Buffy walked down the stairs to the door.

'Don't worry, I'll be home before you know it...'

Buffy smoothed down the front of her dress, then put her hand on the doorknob. Giving it a slow twist, she pulled the door opened and took her first look at...

“Spike?!” Buffy squealed and jumped into his arms, ignoring the look of shock on his face. “How did you find me?”

“Uh...” William wrapped his arms around the woman in his arms, not knowing what to think. Liz. Buffy. One and the same? Holy crap... “Erm...”

“It doesn't matter, what matters is you're here! I couldn't think of anyone but you all week!” She she said and gave him a chaste kiss on his lips. “Oh crap... What's your phone number? I have a date to go on tonight, but I totally don't want to go with him. He's such a huge nerd. A real loser, and totally not my type. I'm only going on this date because Cordy is practically forcing me. And now I'm rambling..."

William held Buffy at arm's length, looking at her like she had two heads. She was going to date him because Cordy said so, not because she actually wanted to... She liked 'Spike' better. He was nothing like Spike, so what would she want with William? It wasn't like he could just, transform into Spike overnight and live that way for the rest of... however long she would want him. It just wasn't possible. He liked himself too much to change. Even for Liz... er, Buffy. William was trying hard not to show how much it hurt to know what she thought of the 'real' him. “Right,” he said, trying to channel some confidence into his words. More Spike-like. “How about, you give me your number and I will call you tomorrow, luv?”

“Sure!” Buffy smiled and ran into the house to get a pen. When she came back outside, she grabbed Spike's hand and scribbled her number on it. With a coy smile, she brought his hand up to her mouth and left a red lipstick kiss by her number. “I'll be waiting, handsome.”

Spike leered at her, placed his tongue behind his teeth and then pulled her flush against his body. “Tomorrow. I'll call you,” he whispered into her ear, then pulled back to leave a demanding kiss on her lips.

Buffy swooned, reveling in the whirlwind of lust he brought forth in her, then returned the kiss with just as much passion, whimpering when he pulled away. “Bye, Spike.”

"Goodbye, Buffy.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving a lusty Buffy behind. It didn't occur to her, until she saw his car turn onto the road and down the street. “Wait, I told him my name was Liz, not Buffy...”

Deciding to shrug it off and ask him when he called her, she walked into the house and waited for William to show up and take her on a date. Now that her feelings for Spike had been stirred up some more, the date with William was going to be even more lame.

Buffy bounded up the stairs and rushed into Cordy's room. “Ohmigod, you will never believe it!” she said in one breath.

Cordy laughed as she took in Buffy's smeared lipstick. “I know, I know.”

Buffy shook her head. “No you couldn't possibly know that Spike--”

“Is William,” Cordy said, then looked back down at her magazine. “I know already. Xander and I set it up. Well, we didn't know William would change his hair color like that, or change his name to Spike, but yeah. I knew William was Spike. I thought it would be a pleasant surprise to find out this way. You both have been talking nonstop about each other for the past week. Now, what are you doing up here, is he waiting downstairs for you, or something?” Cordy asked, not paying attention to Buffy's slowly disappearing smile.

It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her. That would explain how 'Spike' found her, how 'Spike' showed up at the time William was supposed to, and how 'Spike' knew Buffy's real name. “Ah, crap.” Buffy pouted then slumped onto Cordy's bed.

“What? Oh no... you didn't...” Cordy said, picking up her cell phone before walking over to Buffy.

Buffy's eyes flooded with tears and she nodded her head. “If you are thinking that I made a total mess of everything, then yeah, I did.

“Oh, Buffy...” Cordy said and pulled her into a hug. “You're such a dolt.”

TBC

William felt like he had been kicked, like he wasn't good enough for the girl he wanted. It was a horrible feeling, and one he promised he would never let himself feel again. Not after Drusilla. However, Buffy had pulled it off. Made him feel bad about himself and made him feel something for her. It wasn't love, it was too early for that. But it was something, something that could have built up to love, fairly quickly too. Knowing himself, he would have been head over heels for the bint within a month of being with her. But that was him, a fool for love. Love’s bitch.


Not anymore, though. This time for sure, he wouldn't let himself get pulled into the painful, self-doubting world of relationships.


He pulled up to the Bronze, looking for a place to escape for a bit. He knew that if he went back to the dorm, Xander would be there to bug him about how the 'date' had gone. That was if Cordy hadn't already called to tell him how Buffy had shot him down, which was very likely. He didn't want to be ridiculed anymore tonight, so the Bronze it was.


Walking directly to the bar, he ordered himself a beer and drank it before ordering a new one to take with him up to the balcony. Away from other people. Where it was dark and he could brood by himself.



He sat down on one of the blue lounge chairs and sighed. “Why do that hot ones have to be so shallow?” he asked himself, not realizing he was being watched.



“Someone said no to you?” a female voice asked, slowly walking towards him from the dark corner. “If you aren’t hot enough for her, I wonder who she does consider hot.”



William chuckled then took a sip of his beer before shaking his head. “Not about my devilishly handsome looks, luv. She doesn’t like who I am. My personality.”



“And why not? What about you is so unattractive?” she inquired, sitting down beside him and taking a sip of her beer.



William looked at her, really looked at her for the first time since she had come from the corner. She was pretty, dark flowing hair, big full breasts and a flat stomach. She exuded confidence and sexual prowess, she knew what she wanted and knew how to get it. She wasn’t his usual type, and she was far from Buffy. He knew she was the ‘no strings attached’ kind of girl, and he was in the right mood for a one night stand. Take his mind off what’s-her-face. “How about we skip that conversation and move on to much better things?” he said, channeling his inner Spike to get what he wanted.




The girl laughed and held out her hand. “Well, all right! Name’s Faith.”



William stood up and took her hand, pulling her up to her feet, the flush against his body. “Glad to make your acquaintance, Faith. Name’s Spike.”



And then he kissed her, putting all of the passion he held for Buffy into it, knowing he was making a bad choice, but not caring in the least.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


"You called him a nerd?" Cordy asked, incredulous. "William may be the poetry reading, honour roll student, 'I do my parents proud' type, but he isn't really a nerd. People can have layers, you know?"



"I didn't say he couldn't have layers, Cordy! I didn't even mean what I said. I just said that so Spike wouldn't think I wasn't interested in him*. If you’d have told me that Spike was William, I would be out with him right now, having fun. Lots of fun!" Buffy hollered, growing angrier with the situation, even more angry with herself. Deciding being angry wouldn’t help anything, she calmed down and whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt him."


Cordy sighed and walked over to her cousin, wrapping her arm around her. "I know you didn't. But this could be an easy fix. I will call Xander, tell him to keep William busy. You can go over there and explain, tell him that you..."



"No! No way!" Buffy said, standing up to pace the floor in front of Cordy. "I just made fun of him, he probably hates me! He won’t want anything to do with me, not anymore. I screwed it up, I might as well just go back home, continue to be the shallowest bitch that ever lived."


"Now, now. That title is mine, and I wear it proudly." Cordy laughed, happy that she had gotten a small smile from Buffy. "You aren't shallow, and you aren't a bitch. You made a little mistake, I'm sure William will realize that and forgive you. Believe me, I know him better than you do."


Buffy nodded her head hesitantly. She wasn't sure Cordy was right, but she was more than ready to give it a try. If she could get William to see that she had made a huge mistake, then maybe they could start over. Buffy took a deep breath. "Okay, you call Xander. I'm taking your car."


Cordy smiled and nodded her affirmation. "Sure. And Buffy? Make sure you take the 'nerdy' insult back. He hates being called that."


"Don't worry, Cordy," Buffy said as she grabbed a sweater from her cousin’s closet. "I'm gonna make him feel real good about himself."


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


"Oh, Xaaander..." Anya said, stepping out of her bathroom in a nurse uniform, brandishing a plastic stethoscope. "I think it’s time for your check up."


Xander put down the comic he was reading, and looked at his girlfriend, instantly throwing said comic to the side when he saw her. "Oh, hell yes it is!" he said and moved over to make room for her on the bed.



She walked over to the bed, but instead of getting onto it, she put her hands on her hips, giving Xander a stern look. “Not so fast, mister. I think you need to remove your clothes. Just to make sure all your…” she scanned her eyes down his body, lingering on his groin before looking back up to his eyes., “…vitals are in working condition.”



Xander chuckled and shook his head, loving how his girlfriend was so amazing at role play. He started to take his shirt off, feeling Anya’s eyes boring into him with every movement. Just as he threw the shirt to the side and went to remove his pants, his cell phone started to ring.



This never really happens you can take my word, I won’t apologize that’s just absurd…



Anya sighed, throwing her hands up in the air and shaking her head. “Every time! Can we ever have sex without someone calling to interrupt?”



Xander scrambled to get out of the bed, reaching for his cell phone to shut it off.



Mainly your fault for the way that you dance, and now I jizz in my pants…



“Shit, it’s Cordy,” Xander said, when he saw her name flashing on the caller I.D. He looked over at Anya, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry, hon. I have to answer it.”



She scoffed as he answered, then proceeded to look at her nails, picking at the cuticles.



“I so hate you right now.” Xander said into the phone, annoyance evident in his voice. “What do you want, and can it wait?”



"Someone's testy," Cordy scoffed. "I just wanted to update you on the latest 'William and Buffy' news, but since you are oh-so-busy I will just call back later. Even if it’s really important..."


Xander sighed, pushing back his annoyance for a minute. He was kind of curious, anyway. "What happened?" he sighed.



“Xander,” Anya whined. “It’s not enough that the ringtone almost ruined the moment, don’t let Cordy ruin it too…”



“What ringtone was it?” Cordy laughed. “It wasn’t the ‘Why Rabbits are Great’ one, was it? That would be hilarious!”



“No, it wasn’t. It was ‘Jizz in my Pants’.” He answered, rolling his eyes at Cordelia’s amusement.



“Yeah, and you aren’t going to ‘jizz’ anywhere if you don’t get off the phone right now!” Anya said, trying to resist the urge to stomp her foot.



Cordy explained what had happened, and the talk that she had with Buffy afterwards. Xander knew right away that it was a mistake, and Buffy was just being a girl, trying to show 'Spike' that he didn’t have any competition, or some wacky girl logic like that. He knew it would be hard to get William to realize that, but he was going to make sure that by the end of the night (after he finished his... time with Anya), Buffy and William would be back together.


He hoped.



“All right, let me finish up here, then I’ll head over to the dorm,” he said and hung up the phone. He turned towards his girlfriend and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “So, where were we?”



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



William smiled as Faith led him off the dance floor, knowing that he was about to have his world rocked by this sexy brunette, but he couldn’t help the nagging feeling he got in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t sure if he could go through with this, but he knew that he needed to. He needed to rebuild the confidence that Buffy had smacked out of him with her words. He’d never had a huge amount of confidence in himself, but enough to know that he was desirable to women. Buffy had depleted that, and he wanted it back.



He smiled down at Faith, and he responded when she pulled him into a lusty kiss. “Gonna head to the ladies room for a minute, meet you outside?” she asked, a saucy grin on her face.



“I’ll be there,” he replied, then leaned down to nip at her lips.



She laughed and pushed him up against a wooden pole then continued to devour his mouth in a kiss. “I’ll be five minutes, big boy,” she whispered, then cupped his denim clad erection. He chuckled and grabbed her butt, pulling her against his body and pushing his erection against her, eliciting a breathy moan from her. “Make that two minutes.”



William chuckled as she walked away, giving him a lusty look from over her shoulder before disappearing into the women’s bathroom. He walked out of the building with a smile on his face and pulled out his cell phone. He had to make a quick phone call.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Buffy made it to the dorm quickly, following the directions to William and Xander’s room that Cordy had given her. When she reached the door, she took a deep breath, readying herself for rejection, but hoping for the best. She knocked.



No answer.



She knocked again, and no answer. Deciding she would wait, she backed up to the wall opposite the wooden door and slid down and into a sitting position.



“Where are you, William?”



Buffy lost herself in her thoughts, playing different scenes in her mind of how the apology would go. Some were happy, some were angry and some were… kinky. She desperately wanted the first or the last option, but wasn’t going to get her hopes up. Some men could be pretty thick-skulled, but that didn’t mean she was going to give up easily either. She knew that she had something with William, something that had the potential to become truly amazing, and she wasn’t going to let that go without a fight.




A sudden ringing from inside of the boy’s room pulled her out of her reverie. Curious as to who it could be, she stood up and cupped her ear against the door, hoping the caller would leave a message, and hoping they had a machine that played the messages out loud.



She smiled when she heard the beep, and Xander’s voice telling the caller to leave a message. Buffy knew as soon as she heard the voice that is was William, but frowned when she heard the faint club music in the backround.



“Hey, Xan. It’s me. Gonna be coming home with a girl tonight, so don’t be there when I get there. And if Cordy told you about what happened with Buffy, don’t worry about it. I’m over it, and moving on. I’ll call your cell when it’s safe to come in. Okay, she’s here, make yourself scarce, mate. Bye.”



Beeeeeeeep.


TBC

“Hey, Xan. It’s me. Gonna be coming home with a girl tonight, so don’t be there when I get there. And if Cordy told you about what happened with Buffy, don’t worry about it. I’m over it, and moving on. I’ll call your cell when it’s safe to come in. Okay, she’s here, make yourself scarce, mate. Bye.”



Beeeeeeeep.



Buffy gasped, standing in front of William’s door, taking in the words of the message. Knowing that she’d messed up, that she had lost something she’d never really had a chance to have. She was hurt, and she was angry with herself. She was beginning to think that there was no way that she could fix this, that it was a lost cause.



She put her hand on the door, taking a deep breath to stop the tears from falling and then slowly exhaling. She opened her purse and dialled the number on her speed dial.





“Dad? Can you come pick me up? I want to come home.”




“Honey, I can’t right now. I will tell your mom though, she will come get you. Are you all right?”




“Yeah, I’m fine, Daddy. Just… get me home please.”





She hung up before her father could say anything else, and walked toward her cousin’s car. Cordy would understand, she had to. If Cordy wanted to visit with her again, she could just come to L.A. Buffy never wanted to come to Sunnydale again, she couldn’t run the risk of running into William again.





She took out a small piece of paper and scribbled out a short message to William and slid it under his door.





It was better this way.




*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*




The closer William got to his dorm, the closer Faith’s hands got to his groin, the more nervous and doubtful he got. He needed to think, he needed to clear his head, and focus on what he wanted. “Buffy,” William whispered, then scoffed. “I want Buffy.”






He did want Buffy, he couldn’t deny that. No matter how much she’d hurt him, made fun of him, he still wanted her. The way her lips glided across his skin, the smell of her peachy hair, the way her velvety passage gripped his…




“Excuse me?” Faith asked, noticing that he wasn’t paying attention to her, but still curious as to who ‘Buffy’ was. “Who’s Buffy, and what does she have that I don’t?”




Hearing Faith say Buffy’s name broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked at the beautiful woman beside him. She was like Drusilla, aside from the barmy riddles, Faith was dark and mysterious, beautiful and strong. But she wasn’t the amazing woman he’d met a week ago. Spike smiled at Faith and pulled over, putting the car in park before turning off the engine. “You want to know what’s funny, Faith?”




She opened her mouth to ask him, but he continued before she had a chance. “Women. Do you want to know why? Because no matter how they play me, or tear me down, I always go back for more. But, you see…” he closed his eyes and tilted his head up to rest on the back of his seat, fighting for the right words to say. “I met this girl. Bloody incredible, she is. It might have been a one night stand type of thing, but I feel like its more than that. We were set up for a blind date before we even met, so it has to be some sort of sign, right? She might have made fun of me, but I don’t think it was intentional, I don’t think that she meant any of it.” He opened his eyes and looked at Faith, about to ask a question and scared of what the answer will be. “Does that make me crazy?”



Faith laughed, and shook her head, trying to wrap her head around the situation. “So let me get this straight… You met a girl, you boinked her brains out, she made fun of you and you still want more? You feel like there’s a connection?”



Spike shook his head. “No, you’re diluting it too much, this is how it all began…”



Spike told her everything, right from the beginning. The dare, the blind date set-up, the makeover, the party (omitting the… explicit stuff), and then the reunion. He took a deep breath and shook his head, chuckling. “This is gonna sound incredibly poncey, but bugger it. I think that Buffy and I… I think that we could have something together. Something that you only get one chance to experience, you know?"




“Spike?” Faith said, then reached over to smack him. “You’re a major idiot!”



William scoffed, rubbing the back of his head. “I pour my heart out, and you smack and insult me? You’ve got some great conversational skills.” Spike told her, sarcasm dripping from his voice.



“I have great conversational skills. You’re just an idiot.”



“Could you elaborate a little bit? You’re not exactly making me feel better here…”



“Do you know why Buffy said those things to you?” she asked. When Spike shook his head in the negative, she continued. “She was saying that to you because she didn’t know that you were the person she was supposed to go out with. She didn’t want you to think she wasn’t interested in you because of a date she was committed to.”



“Still not making me feel better. In other words, she would rather date ‘the bad boy within’ than the real me.” William replied, lowering his head and playing with his hands in his lap.



“No, in other words, she wanted to get to know you. The real you. She didn’t want to leave it as a one night stand, she wanted to know what makes you tick. I’m sure that she wouldn’t care if you read too much Shakespeare and write your own poetry on the side…” William growled at her, but she just rolled her eyes and went on. “If you really think that you could have something with her, if you really think that she is the one, or whatever… then she won’t care about that stuff. Trust me.”



Spike smiled at her, then reached over to brush her cheek with his thumb. “I take it you have experience with this kind of thing?”



She smiled back at him and nodded. “His name was Robin. Thought he was the one. But not everything works out, all you have to do is fight for it and see how it turns out.”



Spike leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, then turned his car back on. “Thanks, Faith. You’re a great girl.”



Faith sighed dramatically and flipped her hair. “I know, too bad you are taken. You’re smokin’ hot, Spike, but I won’t be second best for anyone.”



Spike chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it, pet,” he put the car in drive and started down the road. “And Faith, the name’s William.”



“I know.” Faith smiled, then told him the directions to her apartment.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



“So, you’re just giving up? Just like that?” Cordy asked, as she watched Buffy pack her things. “I thought you wanted to tell William that—”



“Cordy!” Buffy shouted, not wanting to get into an argument. “I just… it’s complicated, okay. I just want to leave and forget any of this even happened.”



Cordy smiled sweetly, then walked over to the door. “Okay Buffy, I understand,” she said and put her hand on the door knob. “I understand that you’re a coward and that you aren’t willing to work for something you think could be worth it. Maybe you aren’t as good for William as I thought you were.”



Cordy left the room, shutting the door quietly, leaving Buffy to pack her things by herself in silence. Her mother would be there soon, anyway. She didn’t want to get into an argument and keep Joyce waiting.



“Maybe you’re right.” Buffy whispered into the empty room, then continued to pack up her possessions.



TBC

After William dropped Faith off at her apartment, he hightailed it to Cordy's house. He wanted to talk to Buffy, he wanted to set things straight, and make sure she knew that he liked her and he understood what had happened. He sort of blamed Xander and Cordelia for this mix up, because if they had told him that Buffy was Liz, there wouldn't be a huge problem right now. He couldn't too be mad at them though, because they didn't know that this was going to happen.

So there really wasn't anyone to pin the blame on, because all of this wouldn't have happened if they had just communicated better. If he’d have picked up the phone to call Buffy instead of pining for Liz, he'd be with her right now.

When he pulled up to the Chase mansion, he didn't even bother to turn the engine off, he just put the car in park and ran to the door. He didn't want to waste any more time on the little things. He knocked on the door, hoping Buffy would be the one to open it, but nothing happened. He looked down at his watch, noting that it was almost eleven o'clock, and lucky for him Cordy's parents weren't in town, otherwise he would probably be in big trouble for disrupting Mrs. Chase's beauty sleep.

But he hadn't even thought about Cordy. He went to knock again when the door was wrenched open, a scowling, messy haired Cordelia on the other side. “Hi,” he said sheepishly. “Can I speak with Buffy?”

Cordy's face immediately softened and she stepped to the side to let him in. “Oh, William. I'm so sorry! I should have told Buffy that you were... you know, you. Then both of you wouldn't be hurting right now.”

William smiled sadly and pulled Cordy into a hug. “Its okay, pet. Its not your fault. I don't blame you... Wait... Buffy is hurting? Where is she? Can I talk to her?”

She shook her head, and William just stared at her. “If she isn't here, where is she?” he asked, fear that she had already moved on gripping his bones. She wouldn't, would she?

“I, uh...” Cordy started, fighting for the words to say. “I kinda got mad at her after she went to see you. She didn't tell me anything about what happened, she just wanted to leave. So she came home, packed up and left with her mother about an hour ago. What did you say to her?”

William shook his head, trying to take everything in. He hadn't seen Buffy since he'd come to pick her up for their date, so he hadn't done or said anything to her. Why did she just up and leave without saying goodbye?

“Uh... I didn't... say anything to her. I haven't seen her since the last time I was here, earlier today. Why would she leave?” William asked. When Cordy just shrugged, he sighed and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “Okay, I'm going to go to my dorm and have a shower. Where does she live?”

Cordy wrote down Buffy's address for him, said goodbye and he left. He didn't have any more time to lose, but he definitely needed a shower. He didn't want to go see her smelling like booze and Faith's perfume.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Quickly pulling his keys out of his pocket, he opened the door to his dorm and walked in. All he needed was a towel and a change of clothes, then he could quickly shower, dry off, dress and leave the towel in the bathroom to pick up later.

With that plan in mind, he got what he needed and went to leave the room, but a piece of white paper with his name scrawled on it caught his attention. “What the hell?” he said into the empty room and picked it up.

A piece of paper wasn't going to stop him though, so he decided to read it when he was in the car.

He set his stuff down on a bench outside of the shower, undressed and got into the stall.

After he was done showering, he dried off and got dressed, stuffing the piece of paper into his pocket as he left the bathroom.

He knew he had a long drive ahead of him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“It's dark,” Joyce said, stating the obvious to her unusually quiet daughter in the passenger seat. “Are you tired?” When Buffy didn't say anything, Joyce sighed and placed a hand over her daughter's. “Buffy? If I asked you what was wrong, is there any chance that you would tell me?”

Buffy remained silent, holding her tears in until she was alone in her room. She didn't want to concern her mother, though she knew that her mom knew that she was upset.

What would Buffy tell her mom anyway? ”I went to a party with Cordy and met this incredible guy and he fucked my brains out, but then I went to go out on a blind date with another guy and found out that the guy from the party and the guy I was going on a date with were one and the same. But I didn't know, so I said some nasty things to him and messed everything up.”

Yeah, that would go over well. She could omit the sex part, and the party part, but it was still all twisted and confusing. So Buffy just took what little comfort she could get from her mother's hand and said nothing.

“I didn't think so.” Joyce said then put all of her attention into driving. There was a diner up ahead, she would pull over and get her daughter to talk over a plate full of carbohydrates.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

About an hour into the drive, William was relived that he was closer to seeing Buffy again and making everything better. He didn't understand why Buffy had just left without trying to fix things, and he couldn't help but think she didn't want whatever was between them as badly as he did. He wasn't going to give up though. If Buffy told him to leave when he got to her house, then at least he would feel better, and that he had tried. He would still be hurt, but at least he would have tried.

But what could have made her leave so suddenly? What was it that Cordy told him? Something about Buffy going to see him at the dorm, then coming back upset. William hadn’t been there at the dorm though, he hadn't been back there since before he left for the date. He knew Xander hadn't told Buffy about Faith, he wouldn't do that to William. So what...

William shook his head, instantly kicking himself for not thinking about it before. No one had ever slipped a note under the door before, so who else could it be? Buffy was the only one he knew of that had been by the dorm, so the note must be from her. Using one hand to drive the car, he used the other to dig the note out of his pocket. Once he had it out, he carefully flipped it open and read it while he drove.

William,

I know I messed things up, its pretty obvious now, you with another girl and all. But I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say such rude things to you, but it’s to late to take it back. I really am sorry that things didn't work out the way I'd hoped.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

Love,
Buffy


William read the note two times before he believed what she was saying. How in the world had she found out about Faith so soon? At least he could feel better knowing that she had tried to make things right, it wasn't just him working on this problem. Now that he knew it wasn't lopsided, how was he going to fix this? If she knew about Faith, it was definitely going to be harder to convince Buffy that he hadn’t done anything with the other girl.

He stepped on the gas pedal, making the car accelerate. He wanted to fix this now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I hate the graveyard shift.” Hank said into the empty police car. All he had was a newspaper and the police scanner to keep him entertained, but you can only read the newspaper so many times before you lose interest.

He was about to pick up his phone to call his wife to see how her trip was going when he saw a car coming up behind him. “Oh, that might be them now.”

He stepped out of his vehicle and waited for the other car to come closer. He knew almost immediately that the approaching car was too small, too black and way too fast for it to be Joyce. She drove with caution, whereas this driver had none.

Pulling over a car would be immensely better than doing nothing. After all, it was his job to uphold the law.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All William could do was groan and promise to kick himself when he saw the flash of blue and red lights behind him. He didn't have time for this, and he was only doing... twenty over the speed limit, this cop had to be a jerk.

He slowed down and pulled over to the side, putting his best fake smile on as the cop walked up the length of his car. “Good evening, officer,” William said as he rolled down his window, trying to hold back his annoyance.

“License and registration, please. Do you know why you're being pulled over?” the cop asked, shining his little flashlight in the car.

“You wanted to get in on the last round of 'Kick the William'?” he replied and handed his papers over. When he got a stern 'don't sass me, boy. I'll take your car away' kind of look from the officer, William sighed. “Look, I've had a really bad day. I don't mean to get annoyed with you, but there's this girl, you see. I met her at a party and we had a lot of fun, I mean... lots of fun. But then it got all fucked up, with her being Buffy and not Liz, and me being William and not Spike and I just... I just want to get to her and make sure everything is fine. I usually never speed, but I had to so I can get to her faster and...” William looked at the officer and noticed a bored look on his face. “And you don't really care, do you?”

Hank chuckled and shook his head. “No son, I really don't. But I can listen to you if you want me to. I have all night.”

William groaned and banged his head on the steering wheel. “No, no, its fine. Go... run my plates or whatever.”

Hank laughed as he walked away from the car, remembering a time when he was that age, pining after Joyce. The exact same thing had happened, too; Hank met Joyce at a frat party, had loads of fun, problem was created which led to Hank speeding down the highway to get to Joyce before it was too late. Then he got married and had Buffy and...

'Did that boy say Buffy? As in... my Buffy?' Hank thought to himself, then shook his head in the negative. It couldn't be. Even though Buffy is a highly unusual name, he doubted it would be his little girl.

Just as Hank was about to get into his car to run William's license plates, he saw headlights coming toward him and leaned against the cruiser instead. 'Ah, this is Joyce now, I'll bet...'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Oh look, it's your dad.” Joyce said as she slowed down and pulled over to talk to her husband for a bit. Maybe getting a hug from her father would cheer Buffy up a bit, they always did have a good father-daughter bond.

When Buffy perked up a bit in her seat and reach for her seatbelt, Joyce smiled. “You miss your dad, hon?”

“Huh?” Buffy said, her attention focused on the car in front of her father's cruiser than on her mother's voice. “Oh, yeah, I uh... missed you both muchly. Whose car is that in front of dad's?”

“Why don't you ask him?” Joyce said as she watched her husband approach the car.

Joyce rolled down the window and leaned up as Hank leaned forward for a kiss. “Hi, honey. How was the ride?” he asked, then looked over at Buffy. “And how are you sweetie? You didn't sound to happy on the phone earlier.”

“Yeah, dad. I'm fine. Who is that?” she pointed to the car, swearing that she had seen it before. She just couldn't place it...

Hank sighed and looked down at the papers in his hand. “Oh, some speeder. His name is William. He was doing twenty over the limit then tried to talk me out of giving him a ticket. Something about a girl and party and... Buffy? Where are you going...?”

Buffy shot out of the car and ran towards the black one, half-hoping it would be her William, but also hoping it wouldn't be. She felt her palms get sweaty and she wiped them on her jeans. She could hear her parents calling for her, but she wasn't listening. All she wanted was to see who was in the car.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

William still had his head against the steering wheel, awaiting the return of the police officer, and his ticket. “Bloody, buggering, sonofawanker... you had to get yourself pulled over didn't you?” he asked himself. He heard the soft footsteps coming up the length of his car and raised his head, preparing himself for the amount of money he would have to pay for the... “Buffy?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, confirming that she was really standing outside his car. He had a million thoughts running through his head, a million things that he wanted to say to her, but all he wanted was to have her in his arms. He quickly opened the door, careful not to hit her with it as she stepped to the side and tried to get out. He tried again, confused as to what was holding him back then he growled in frustration as he yanked the seatbelt off his body.

He heard Buffy's giggle, but ignored it in favor of pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. “I'm so sorry, luv.” Kiss on the cheek, “I didn't mean to hurt you,” kiss on the opposite cheek, “I was just upset,” kiss on the nose, “that you didn't like me when I was myself.”

He was about to kiss her lips when she turned her head, his kiss landing on her cheek once more. He looked at her in confusion then nodded his head, pulling away from her as his heart sank. He reached for the door and was about to get back into the car when Buffy stopped him.

“Where are you going?” she asked as she grabbed his hand. “I wanted to say something...”

“It's okay, Buffy. I get it. I don't feel like being rejected by you again tonight. So I'll just get back into the car and wait for your dad to...”

She sighed and pulled on his arm, effectively bringing him closer to her. “You silly, silly boy. Will you just listen to me?” she laughed and snaked her arms around his waist. He looked at her with confusion and she leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips. “You don't get to be sorry, okay? I'm the one who made a mess out of everything, so I'm the one who is sorry.”

“But if I...” he started, but was cut off by Buffy's finger on his lips.

“No. No buts. If I’d have just said something, or told you my real name, none of this would have happened. Now, I want you to kiss me.”

William looked at her like she was the only woman in the world and then captured her lips in a searing kiss. It made her heart swell and her knees weak. She was so ruined for any other guy, and she didn't even care. All she wanted was right there in her arms and she knew the feeling was mutual.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a quick conversation with her parents, Buffy convinced her dad to let William off on the ticket and to let her go back to Cordy's with him. It was a hard thing to do, considering what William had told her father, but Buffy pulled her 'Daddy, pleeassee?' look on him and he caved. William just had to go to a family dinner next week for a better introduction to her parents.

He was totally fine with that. That meant that he was going to be with Buffy for at least a week, and if it was up to him, the rest of their lives. Now, he was sitting beside her, holding her hand as he drove her back to Cordy's place. Maybe he could talk Xander into staying the night at Anya's...

“So, what made you come after me? I thought you would hate me, or something.” Buffy asked, giving his hand a light squeeze.

“Nothing could make me hate you, Buffy. I was just upset. What made you leave?” he countered, really curious as to what happened at the dorm.

“Well...” she started, then felt her lip wobble at thoughts of him with another woman. “You're mine, right? Like... my boyfriend?”

“If you want me to be... I mean, I hope so... I mean... yes... I'd love that.” he stammered, looking back and forth between her and the road.

Buffy giggled, overcome by his cuteness and squeezed his hand again. “Well, I heard the message you left for Xander. The one about you and another girl and I kinda freaked. I didn't want to be around you with another woman so I just... left. You didn't...”

“No,” he said quickly, not wanting her to think those thoughts. “I couldn't, not with Faith. I thought that I could, but I kept talking about you and she was all 'go get your girl' then I dropped her off at her house and left for Cordy's to find you. Then I found your note and read it while I was driving, sped the car up to get to you faster and that’s when your dad pulled me over.”

Buffy winced. “Yeah, sorry 'bout that.” When William shrugged, she continued. “So, are we good now.? Like, problem solved? I don't want you to be mad at me or start this relationship off on the wrong foot. When I said those things to you, I didn't really mean it, you know?”

William sighed and pulled the car over, put the gear in park then turned to face her. Using the hand that held hers, he pulled her over to him and kissed her with all the pent up feelings he had for her. “Now that you’re mine, Buffy,” he said, when he pulled away. He placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb rubbing the soft skin he found there. “Now that you’re mine, I’m not letting you go.”

She leaned into his touch and let her eyes close as she smiled. “Good, because I'm never letting go of you, either.”

The End