8:30am.

Buffy Summers was bored to tears. Her teacher Mrs. Wilcox, despite her incessant exclamations, knew nothing about the English language. She went on and on about Jane Austen, D.H. Lawrence, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “the greats” she would proudly say. But no matter what the children did, she did not seem to understand that “the great works” no longer applied to the modern age. No one talked like that anymore. To Buffy, “the greats” were the pathetic losers of their time. And therefore, Buffy was bored to tears.

She leaned her forehead against the cool window and stared longingly at the gorgeous day outside. She was on the brink of falling asleep when a sudden crash broke her concentration. Buffy bolted upright in her chair, but could not see what was going on from the back row. She craned her neck to get a better look. Just when she caught a glimpse of the cause of the blissful disruption, Mrs. Wilcox began shouting “Quiet down! Quiet! Quiet down everyone!” And the room was silent.

Slowly, brown curly hair rose from beneath the desks. A pair of enormous glasses hid the majority of his face, but his desperate and embarrassed smile was easily visible. As the class went back its its routine, Buffy closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep. The boy was obviously new and a geek, and therefore someone she could wait to get to know. A soft tap on her shoulder interrupted her half-dreaming state.

“Is this seat taken?” The kid with the glasses pointed to the chair to her left.

“Does it look taken?” She eyed him curiously.

“Well, I- um, well, um, no.” Eventually he sat down and put his books on the floor. He looked like he was angry with himself, or talking to himself, Buffy was not sure. She stared at him for another minute, shook her head and turned away. Clearly the boy was lacking in the social skills department. Buffy began drifting into slumber when yet another tap broke her concentration.

“WHAT?!!” she yelled. Only after her exclamation did she realize that she interrupted the clearly riveting class discussion. It was obvious by the way half the students stared at her gratefully while a few in the front row glared from their seats. Embarrassed, Buffy looked down at her desk. A soft “sorry” came from the boy to her left. She looked at him angrily, only to find him glaring straight down at his own desk.

The bell finally rang. Buffy grabbed her books and pushed her way out of the room. Her best friend Dru was waiting outside for her.

“Hello Buffy,” she said in her typical, sultry voice.

“Hey Dru. How was your weekend…” She cut herself off when she saw Dru bat her eyelashes at the boy who caused her humiliation. In turn, the boy, who she expected to be fumbling around considering his vicinity to her gorgeous friend, stood still. Curious, she thought. “Dru, I said-” Dru glided toward the new kid. “Apparently nothing important,” Buffy finished.

“Well you’re sexy one, aren’t you?” Dru stood completely still in front of him. In the heat of the moment, the boy dropped a book, which caused a chain reaction of several other books to splatter across the floor along with his glasses. After a moment, Dru began to laugh and walk away. Buffy felt the familiar pity for the boy who, like many others before him, had fallen for Dru at first sight. Too bad none of them knew what was good for them. The boy did nothing but stare longingly as she walked away and continued to laugh.

“It’s not your fault you know,” Buffy said. She bent down and helped him collect his books.

“What’s not my fault?”

“Her laughing at you.”

“Oh, so I bet that happens with every stud like me she meets.” Buffy was struck by the British accent she had not noticed before.

“Actually… yeah.”

“Oh.” The boy seemed contemplative. Suddenly, he looked up at her with brilliant blue eyes that had her mesmerized. After an uncomfortable silence, the boy gave a small smile. “My name is William.”

“Buffy. So… you're new, right?”

“Yeah. Just moved here with my dad.” Both of them stood up. William put his giant glasses back on and Buffy felt a pang of sadness that she wouldn’t be able to look at his eyes any time soon. “Who was that?” He looked over his shoulder.

“Oh, Dru. Don’t waste your time.”

“What?”

“Well, you’re not exactly her type.”

“What’s her type?”

And then she lost it.

“Look. I’m not your ‘in’ to Dru. She does not and will never go for a guy like you.” she retorted as she crossed her arms. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave it alone.” With that said, Buffy walked in the opposite direction. Now Dru is going to know that I'm pissed off at her thanks to William the maxi-geek with gorgeous eyes and… No! Not gorgeous. Infuriating. Just another one of Dru’s worshippers. I- Buffy’s thought was caught short when she saw William out of the corner of her eye.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8:30am

William Giles was completely and utterly lost. He tried to understand the small markings on the map the office had given him, but it was useless. The bell had rung at least fifteen minutes prior and William was on the verge of tears. First, his father Rupert tore him away from his friends and school and moved him to a town no one, even in America, had heard of. Then, he was forced to go to school the next day, despite that the classes were already halfway through the year. But being financially dependant on his father had taught him to passively deal with his problems on his own.

He finally found the classroom: Mrs. Wilcox, room 417. After giving himself a short pep talk, William let go of the breath he was holding and turned the doorknob. Unfortunately, that little pep talk did not prepare him for tripping on his own shoelace the moment the door opened. And of course, his books spread out as inconveniently as possible. To make the humiliation of his first impression worse, not one person got out of a seat to help him. They watched as he scrambled to stand.

But when he stood, his world came crashing down. Of all of the people in the class, in the world, one radiant and angelic soul stood out at that moment. In the back of the room, a petite blonde girl slept peacefully. The sun, slanted from the windows, lit up her face and William swore he had seen heaven itself. He was so drawn in that he did not even notice he had walked to her. Without thinking, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Is this seat taken?” Well, it could have been worse.

“Does it look taken?” She looked slightly agitated, but perhaps interested? William was not sure. In his state of conflict, he began to stutter. Then, she once again laid her head against the windowpane. William had to touch her. He tapped the mysterious beauty on the shoulder, but did not expect the outburst that ensued.

*“WHAT?!”

Unable to think of something to say, he mumbled “sorry”.

The bell rang. William saw Buffy bolt out of the classroom. Naturally, he followed her in the same manner. When he reached the hallway, he saw a darkened beauty. She was the complete opposite of his dream girl; he found her rather morbid and pathetic, dressing up in the latest Goth garb and swishing her hair like she believed it was god’s gift to mankind.

Yet, so lost in thought considering the range between the two, William did not notice his books on the ground for the second time. It occurred to him he must have missed what she said because she cackled as she walked away.

“It’s not your fault you know,” Buffy said. As confused by the statement as he was, William was awestruck. Her voice made him want to write sonnets.

“What’s not my fault?”

“Her laughing at you.”

“Oh, so I bet that happens with every stud like me she meets.” William replied honestly.

“Actually… yeah.” Apparently, she hadn’t caught on. He learned her name was Buffy when the teach woke her up in class. Any other bird with that name would have resulted in his full-out laughter, but because it was she, it seemed the most wonderful name in the world. He felt the need to continue the conversation.

“Who was that?” He nodded past her shoulder.

“Oh, Dru. Don’t waste your time.” He found it odd that she believed him immediately in love with her friend. Especially when Buffy was the obvious beauty between the two.

“What?” he replied, wondering if he detected jealousy.

“Well, you’re not exactly her type.” She seemed put off.

“What’s her type?” William was willing to say anything to continue talking to her, but he did not expect the violent explosion of pent up aggression.

“Look. I’m not your ‘in’ to Dru. She does not and will never go for you.” He wished he had said something different. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave it alone.” With that, she walked away in a huff. She was angry with him already? But he hadn’t done anything wrong. He almost dropped his books a third time in an attempt to catch up to her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“What’s wrong with me, then?” he said between pants. He hoped he could fix it and he could have a chance with her. Buffy turned around looking bewildered.

“Well, you’re certainly not the most handsome in the bunch,” Buffy immediately felt bad for saying it, but something about William pissed her off to no end.

“Well look at you miss high and mighty! Thinking she’s all that…” William was really grasping at straws. Seeing an opportunity, he said, “I bet Dru would give me a chance and you’re just… just… jealous!”

Buffy was seething.

Buffy was seething,

“Give you a chance? Didn't you see anything that just happened? You’re just like every other boy who walks through here thinking Dru is all that. I don’t get it! What is it about her that you all find so attractive?!” Buffy was now talking to herself more than him, but the crowd closing in did not escape her notice. “Why am I even talking to you? Ugh.” She walked out of school in a huff. Her exit would have been picturesque had her backpack not swung so hard that it fell on the ground. Irritated and embarrassed, she picked it up and tripped over herself trying to get away.

William was unsure of what happened. One minute they were talking, and the next she was yelling at him. Despite everything, he had to force himself to stay put. His legs itched to run to her, to comfort her. It was a strange feeling considering he just met her. And although he was upset over the comment calling him ugly, he could not hold it against Buffy. Obviously her emotional breakdown was not about him. He looked around to find the crowd dispersing. He heard a skinny blonde girl gossiping to a dark haired cheerleader.

“I heard she’s on meds. I don’t get why Dru still hangs with her,”

“I know, especially after what happened over the break,” the brunette replied.

“Angel is so much better off without her. She’s just so… like… I don’t know. You know?” the blonde articulated.

“Totally.”

The two girls headed back into the school. William couldn’t help but wonder what happened that made her so emotional. Buffy seemed so mixed; one moment she was sarcastic, the next she was sweet, then angry as hell. He could not keep up with her and he had only known her for an hour. And while he typically would forget about someone so obviously confused, it only made him want her more. And as he walked back into school for second period, he vowed that he would do anything to make her his, no matter what it took. Too bad he did not have a chance.

……………………


Buffy took one look back at the bewildered boy and immediately felt horrible for allowing her emotions to take hold of her. Perhaps this was why guys never felt for her the way they did for Dru.

After her explosion in front of school, Buffy thought it best to skip out for the day. She could not handle Dru’s face after the morning she had. No doubt she had already heard about the incident and was making fun of her behind her back. Buffy did not know why she was still friends with Dru. Originally, it was to get a boyfriend. It was not as difficult as it could have been due to her father’s obvious wealth. But after the tragic experience over break, she did not think she could handle being friends with the black-haired beauty for much longer.

She remembered how excited she was when Angel, the most popular boy in school, asked her to homecoming. She and Dru gossiped and laughed, spent hours picking the perfect outfit. While she missed those naïve days, she knew now that none of it was real. Buffy could never trust Dru again. But there was no way to escape her in school. Dru waited for her after class, saved a spot for her at her lunch table, acted like nothing was wrong between the two. Buffy did not wish to be the object of ridicule ever again, so she let it happen. But after her emotional outburst, it seemed, she had dug another hole for Dru to bury her in.

And what about William? He was just another boy who may have caught her interest in the old days, but no. Now Dru got first pick. In the old days, Dru was a geek with braces and not a hint of style. Then, suddenly, she turned a corner and was immediately accepted into the "cool group".

Originally, it was only a convenience that Buffy remained her friend. After a while, however, she realized that there were rules to her life now. She was not allowed to wear certain colors, be friends with certain people and most of all she couldn't like who she wanted. Buffy was trapped in Dru’s carefully enforced restrictions until graduation. So, Buffy played the role of the perfect best friend. Giving up everything and everyone she loved to stay on top of the food chain.

Buffy found herself standing in front of her house, tears welling in her eyes. She felt weak and helpless. Knowing her mother was out, Buffy went through the open back door. She dropped her backpack on the kitchen island and ran upstairs. She fell onto her bed and began to cry.

It was not fair that Dru got everything she wanted! Buffy had wants and needs! But it did not matter to the real “miss high and mighty”. Where did William come off judging her, anyway! They spoke for almost five minutes, and he decided he already knew her. He did not have a chance with Dru, who only dated older musicians and ‘deep’ jocks who had been kicked off their sports teams for drugs and other obscenities. If only William was cooler, he could have Dru crawling for him. That would show her. It would teach her that she knew nothing about boys and she should give them a chance, like the boys in school never gave Buffy one.

This gave Buffy an idea: make William the perfect guy for the girl who considered him flawed. Maybe it would put Dru in her place while having no connection to Buffy. Her plan was not the most logical, she would admit, but then again things in Sunnydale rarely were.

……………………

The rest of the day went by in a blur. William could think of nothing but Buffy. And it didn’t change when he got home.

“William? Is that you?” said a voice from the living room.

“Yeah, it’s me."

“How was school?” William looked around at the stack of untouched moving boxes.

“How was unpacking?” he looked accusingly.

“Well, I was… my shoulder hurt.”

“Aw, poor Dad, afraid of the big bad boxes.”

“I can unpack boxes!”

“More like a ‘watcher of boxes’ if you ask me,” William snickered.

“You will not speak to me this way!” Rupert looked at his son’s face and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know that it has been hard on you these past few weeks…”

“Weeks? Try years!” he retorted.

“Fine. I know it has been hard on you, and for that I’m sorry. I cannot control where my job takes me. I’m trying my best.” William was silent. He looked down at the floor as if it was suddenly very interesting. “I wish I knew what to say.”

“School was fine.”

Rupert smiled, “How original.”

“Never said I was.” After another moment of silence, William looked up. “I have homework. I think, I’ll go do that.” By the time Rupert thought of a response, William had already reached the top of the stairs. Rupert sat in his chair and ran his hands through his hair.

Upstairs, William flopped onto his bed and thought more about Buffy. If he could draw, he would have done her portrait. But he imagined it would not even come close to her. He feared where these sudden, but strong emotions would lead him. He wondered what tomorrow would be like, or if he had ruined everything already. Instead of pondering it further, he took out his marble notebook and pen and began writing poetry that could not even compare to Buffy: his effulgent angel.

He thought it might take the edge off.

The next day at school, Buffy was nervous to implement her devious, new plan. First of all, she did not even know if William would go for it. Second of all, despite Buffy’s intense focus on the plan, she was not completely sure what she was trying to do. Buffy was not known for her schemes exactly, but how hard could it be? It was in so many movies and books; she figured it must be possible. All she knew was that she wanted to put Dru in her place. Everything would fall into line, and she would get her point across. Thus, Buffy decided maybe it was best to make it up as she went along. And William was the key. She had to make Dru fall for him, only to have him, just another worshipper, turn her down.

Into the classroom walked William. His clothes were, if possible, even baggier than the day before. His glasses hung on his face like binoculars, which was even further hidden by the dirt-brown, curly hair that hung in his face. Buffy suddenly had the feeling she needed to rework the plan. How and why would Dru ever want him? He basically had nothing to offer her. But maybe she could do it. She was Buffy. She could do anything! Couldn’t she?

……………………

William took his seat beside her. He glanced in her direction a few times, but she just stared straight ahead. She looked conflicted about something, so he decided not to intrude on her inner dialogue. If she was angry with him before, he was nervous what would become of him if he were to make it worse. So he remained silent and stared at his desk: a task he had mastered throughout his high school years.

Without warning, she turned to him. She was about to say something when the bell rang angrily over the speakers. Looking defeated, she turned back to her desk. William wished she would look at him. Again, she did.

Just as the teacher started talking.

……………………

Because of course, the moment she was about to make conversation, Mrs. Wilcox would begin her lectures on the importance of iambic pentameter in common conversation.

“Are you ok?” William looked at her concernedly.

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” She gave him a quick smile, but it faded as soon as she turned away.

William was about to give up hope, when Buffy turned to him again.

“Would you help me with something?”

“Um, sure luv… With what?” William was thrilled that she was asking him for help. That had to be a good sign, right?

“Meet me after school, ok? Outside of the gym.”

“I’ll-“ William began, only to be cut off by the teacher, yelling for silence. “I’ll be there,” he whispered. He tried to look as casual as he could, but his excitement took over.

For the rest of the day, William could not sit still. His leg jackhammered below his desk on several occasions while his eyes darted to the clock every few minutes. He was not used to girls being interested in him, or his help rather. Back in London, no one gave him a second glance. William tried to blend in there, but his awkwardness held sway. He had the reputation of a typical nerd without being asked a single question to prove his intellect. He supposed the glasses made his classmates assume his place in the high school hierarchy.

While never being shy per say, William did not speak much. He enjoyed talking to people and socializing when he had the opportunity, though he rarely did. So, he naturally became used to the lifestyle. But suddenly, in a town no one had heard of, in a place he did not want to be, where no one knew him or even noticed him, Buffy was there. The girl of his dreams was speaking to him; she wanted help from him! It did not even matter what she needed for he would get it done.

By eighth period, he had just about had it with his classes. The clock seemed to tick slower, if possible. With his head resting on his hand, William drifted to sleep…

Buffy met him by the gym after school. All suave and swagger, William prowled closer to the object of his desire. Suddenly, he slammed his fist against the wall near her head, trapping her body with his. With his blood quickening for her, he ached to touch her. One finger trailed down her neck, then slowly toward her breast. She hitched her breath when he reached the swell of her chest. While his finger slowly stroked down the length of her torso, William licked where he had grazed her neck. He nibbled on her earlobe as he stroked closer and closer to her core. His hands found bottom of her skirt and made their way to her panties. “Oh, Buffy. So wet, so ready for me. Do you want it Buffy?” he purred in her ear. ”Tell me you want me Buffy. Tell me you need me inside you.” His fingers caressed around, but never touching, her center.

“I want it William. I need you, baby.” William fell to his knees and tore off the offending garment. “I have to taste you.” His tongue tapped her clit softly, then licked a trail up her slit. He heard Buffy moan in pleasure. “More! Oh god, please, more!” she begged as he looked up at her writhing body. Satisfied with her response, he sucked hard on her nubbin. He groaned at the taste of her, and felt his cock harden. His flicked his tongue over her nubbin, resulting in a chorus of mewling. William inserted a finger into her dripping core. Buffy began to grind against him as he fingered her into oblivion. He could hear her screaming his name, “Oh my god! Ungh, William! WILLIAM!!”

“William!” the nasal voice of his math teacher startled him out of his fantasy. He sat upright, slightly disoriented by the ugly intrusion of his daydream. “Perhaps you will not sleep in my class in the future as you will miss important topics of discussion.” He smiled awkwardly. “For example, how the bell has rung and why you are still in my classroom. Now, I would appreciate it if you left as of this moment. I don’t want to spend any more time with you insects than absolutely necessary.” Finally noticing that only he and Mr. Snyder remained in the classroom, William shoved his books into his backpack and ran toward the gym, praying that Buffy would still be there.

……………………

Buffy waited anxiously by the gym. Five minutes after the bell and he still had not shown. Granted he may have needed to talk to a teacher, pack his book bag or something along those lines, but if Buffy wanted to put her plan in motion, she needed to begin as soon as possible. And out of the blue, Dru was in front of her.

“Hello Buffy,” she purred.

“Hey Dru.”

“So, I heard about your little breakdown in the courtyard the other day.” She eyed Buffy suspiciously, “Not going to make this a habit, are we? Because you know, all of this, your sweet little setup here, could, I don’t know,” Dru knocked a book out of her hands and watched with a smile as it landed in a small spill of green Gatorade, “fall?” Dru gave what any guy would consider a dazzling smile, but what Buffy knew was pure cruelty. “You just think about that.”

Suddenly, William came running down the hall to where Buffy was standing. “Hello luv. Thought I might miss you.” Then, he saw Dru standing beside him with a curious look on her pale face.

Never taking her eyes off of William, Dru said, “Glad to see you are moving up in the world. You know what I always say, ‘if you can’t make a man happy, practice from the bottom until your on top again. Ta ta!” Once again, she cackled as she turned her back and walked outside with her nose in the air.

Buffy looked after her with pure disdain. Then, she saw William’s defeated face. Although it angered her that, even after Dru’s demeaning statements, William still seemed to want her, she could not help but pity the guy. This only fueled her plan farther.

“Does she really always say that?” William murmured, breaking Buffy out of her reverie.
“Say what? Oh, that? I’ve never heard her say it before.” Buffy stared into space for a bit. William took notice.

“Are you ok. pet?”

“Yeah, yes. I’m fine.”

After a long pause, William said, “So are you going to tell me what you need help with?”

“Right, right. Ok. So, this may seem completely out of blue so just bare with me.” Buffy took a breath and began, “Ok. You are in love with Dru, like every other guy on the planet, right?” She did not wait for a response. “And Dru doesn’t seem to care for any one of them, or you for that matter, which drives me up the wall. So, I was kind of thinking that maybe we could help each other?” Buffy bit her lip and gave a soft, pleading smile. William decided that her smiles were addictive.

“And how would we go ‘bout doing this, luv?”

“You are going to help?” Buffy looked overly hopeful, but toned it down immediately after. “I mean, cause, if you don’t want to don’t feel any pressure or anything…”

“Well that depends on what we are doing. That would definitely help in the decision process.” William had already inwardly decided to help her with anything she asked.

“Ok, well I don’t have all of the details of the plan carefully laid out or anything, but here’s the gist: I know what Dru would want in a guy. Wish I didn’t, but I do. And no offense, but she considers you the bottom of the food chain. I want her to be proven wrong; that any guy could be the perfect guy, so she will no longer take every guy that pines after her for granted. I want her to pine after someone else. I want her to pine after you. And since you want her anyway, you will make her beg for you, and then finally she won’t be single anymore, and I will be free of her for good. You understand?”

“Uh-“

“Good. So you’ll do it?”

……………………

Buffy looked up at him with wide, expectant eyes. Despite his earlier decision, it seemed that Buffy had an extremely obscured understanding of him and he was no longer so sure that he wanted to be a part of it. Sure, it might get him closer to the girl of his dreams, but in helping her out, she might never feel anything more for him than an accomplice. She would keep him at a distance, using him to get back at Dru.

In the end, the pros outweighed the cons. “Alright. I’m in.”

Buffy gave him one brilliant smile and that was it: William knew he was doomed.

Buffy gave him one brilliant smile and that was it: William knew he was doomed.

“Ok, so do you have any plans this weekend?” Buffy stated, though considering he was new in Sunnydale, she knew the answer.

“Not exactly.”

“Great! Let’s get started now.” Buffy grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the twin front doors of the school.

“Now? But doesn’t the weekend typically start on a Saturday?”

“We need to get started as soon as possible.” Seeing his confused demeanor, Buffy let go of his hand. “Look, you said you would do this, right?” William nodded. “You have been at school for two days now. You cannot let people notice you yet. Otherwise, they will consider you this great, big poser and then Dru will know. The whole plan will fall apart and you won’t be any better for it. I want this to work. No, it needs to work.” Buffy looked down sadly. She thought about the past few months and how they had changed her: Angel, the ridiculous antics of Harmony and Cordelia, losing touch with her old friends, and most of all Dru. “It just has to,” she whispered.

“It will.” William said looking straight into her eyes. Buffy stared back, completely and utterly lost in their cerulean depths. She subconsciously took a step closer to him. His lips, she noticed for the first time, were full and definitely lickable. She took another step. Buffy was drawn to him; she could not deny it. And when their faces were only an inch or two apart, William spoke hoarsely, “Buffy?” This immediately broke Buffy out of her trance.

“Sorry, I must have been… I have been pretty spacey lately, so you know. Ok! Shall we?” Buffy once again grabbed his hand and dragged him through the doors. In doing this, however, she missed the longing and desire William emoted.

“No need to yank at me, luv. But if you’re willing, by all means…” William smirked as Buffy let go and swatted his arm playfully. They walked to Buffy’s car in comfortable silence. Buffy pulled out her keys, jumped into the front seat and waited for William to join her. For some reason, he did not get in right away.

“What? Do you need a formal invitation? Get in.” Buffy giggled. Minus his earlier comment, he seemed so innocent, so unsure of himself. She decided that she would work on that with him before the weekend was through. For a moment, Buffy wondered why she trusted him so completely so quickly. But she just as quickly waved the thought away. “Strap yourself in. I am taking you to the place where dreams come true!”

……………………

William was in hell. Or, he would have been had it not been for Buffy remaining at his side. But the place where dreams come true? He laughed inwardly at his own stupidity. Where else would a teenage girl go to change a man?

“Don’t you just love the mall?” Buffy said with a gigantic smile and for a moment the mall seemed like the most wonderful place on earth. They went from store to store, and William watched as she looked through every clothing rack with a furrowed brow. She was trying to choose the look that would suit him best, or so she told him after what seemed like the fiftieth store. They had been there for hours and William was developing mall feet, a condition only rumored to exist, but now was proven very real.

“Yeah, its great!” He plastered a smile on his face even though she did not turn to look at him. “Do you want to maybe sit down for a while?” William pleaded through his faltering smile.

“Are you sure we can’t go to just one more store?” She looked up at him with her gorgeous green eyes and he could not deny her anything, even if he wanted to.

“Ok. One more. Then, we sit.” That’s right; he was putting his foot down. It was a sentiment he stuck to as they paraded through several more stores. William looked at his phone and saw it was 7:15. Rupert would not be happy with him for staying out this late without a call. “Buffy, I didn’t think this would take so long. I have to call my Dad.”

“Sure, go ahead. I’m going to go into one more store. Then, we can go and eat. I’m starving,” she said as she examined the clothes in her hands.

William dialed the number and waited. It rang a few times until a tired voice picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Da, it’s me.”

“Where have you-“

“Just wanted to let you know I’m out.”

“Do you know how worried I’ve-“

“So, I will come home a little later then expected, ok?”

“Now you listen here, young man. You will not-“

“I’ll talk to you about it later. Now I have to go!” William whispered angrily into the phone. He slid the phone shut, praying his father would not call back. Time on the phone meant time away from her. He felt a tap on his shoulder. “Huh? What?”

“I said, ‘I finally found you clothes to wear!’” Buffy held up at least ten bags from the last store she picked, jam-packed with clothes. Although glad that the day was winding down, William did not know how he felt about her spending so much money on him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to chip in?

“No! I put you up to this so I am paying.” Buffy said decidedly.

“But this… this is just too much.”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it. My dad is loaded and he gives me this little plastic card to make up for the absence of a father figure in my life. It really takes the edge off.”

“Um, great then!” William sighed in relief because he certainly did not have the funds to chip in. The statement was more out of politeness, and William had a feeling Buffy knew that. He smiled at her in all earnest. “Food now?”

“Food now.”

……………………

They walked side by side to the food court. While William headed straight for Taco Bell, Buffy went for the healthier sandwich place. When they were seated, Buffy stared at him as he ate his greasy food. “You know the food they use at that place is graded lower than dog meat?” Buffy said distastefully.

“Really?” William stared at his food suspiciously. “Oh well,” he smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.

“You are still going to eat that?”

“But it’s just so good!” he exclaimed just as a giant glob of cheesy meat plopped out of the side.

“Ugh! It looks like its giving birth!” William playfully brought it closer and closer to her mouth. Buffy shut her eyes and squealed. “Don’t!” she giggled and he smiled again. After a few minutes of relaxed quiet, William spoke up again.

“So… why do you hate Dru so much?” he asked nonchalantly.

Buffy’s body instantly became rigid. “Why… why do you ask?”

“Well, you are going to all this trouble to get back at her; I figured she did something to piss you off.” Buffy was silent. “Am I wrong?”

“No.”

“No, I’m not wrong?”

“No, no. I mean,” she sighed. “No, you are right. But does it really matter what happened?”

“Buffy…”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I asked, didn’t I?” William tilted his head curiously. “Why do you keep putting it off?”

“I don’t want you to think of me badly, ok?” Buffy finally lifted her head. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and William immediately regretted barraging her on the subject. She looked so vulnerable for a moment.

“ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“No, it’s… It isn’t you. It is just,” Buffy sipped in another breath. “Can we just drop this?” William nodded, pained by the sudden sadness in her eyes that he had caused. She switched moods so quickly; William had a hard time keeping up with her. In an attempt to change the subject, he went on.

“So, what is next? Hmm? Are you going to give me a hat and a little drum? Tell me to dance like a monkey? Because I am four square against that idea.”

Buffy gasped, “How did you know?”

“Can you keep a secret?” Buffy nodded encouragingly.

“I’m psychic,” William whispered. Buffy snorted out the little amount of sandwich she had just taken a bite of. He decided it was one of the cutest things he’d ever seen. “Knew I could get a smile.” The two stared at one another in unspoken understanding. “But really, what is next?”

“Well, that would ruin the surprise, now wouldn’t it?”

“You know that makes me nervous, pet?” Buffy took her tray, stood up and walked towards the trashcan.

“Not saying a word,” she sing-songed. William trailed behind her like a puppy.

“It’s not bad, is it luv?” Silence as she trotted ahead. “Buffy?” She turned around, smiled mischievously, and then turned back ahead. He laughed nervously, “Are you trying to get me back?”

“Is it working?” she said without looking back.

“No!” he shouted, even though it obviously was. It was also obvious to the five or six mall people who stared at him.

“Come one, stop being a scaredy cat!” she yelled over her shoulder. William stopped for a minute and looked after her.

“Scared my ass…” he mumbled as he jogged to catch up with her.

……………………

Buffy was glad she got him to go inside at all. William had put more of a fight then she expected when she stopped in front of the Salon La Mode. Buffy basically had to drag him in, despite his chorus of, “No, no, no, no!” “I like my hair! I like it the way it is!” and “Buffy this is ridiculous”. She had to physically hand him over to Lorne, the flamboyantly gay and spectacularly talented hairstylist. Not that Lorne minded, exactly, calling him man candy throughout the process.

Regardless of his protests, Buffy was confident that he would be satisfied with the end result. She and Lorne decided to cut, bleach and spike his hair. A huge change, she had to admit, but boy was it worth it. She had pictured what he would look like after the 8-hour process, but she did not expect the gorgeous hunk that stood before her when it was done.

They did not let William look into a mirror for fear of him running out of the salon while it was still in the orange step of bleaching. So when his hair was finally finished, Buffy was lost for words.

“Now that’s a man!” Lorne exclaimed as he hugged Buffy. She stared wide-eyed. William looked frightened, which only caused Buffy to laugh.

“Oh you big baby. Look!” Buffy spun his chair around. “See?” William took one look at the mirror and was silent for a moment. Then, he screamed in the most high-pitched tone she had ever heard.

Lorne and Buffy exchanged looks of shock. “What is wrong, sweety? You don’t like it?” he purred, trying to calm William down. The bleach blonde stared at the mirror with incredibly intensity. He did not say anything for a while. But the longer he remained stoic, the more upset Buffy became. And when William took one look at her face, he immediately smiled.

“I like it,” he said.

“Don’t lie. You hate it!” Buffy began to pace behind him. “Oh my god! I am so sorry, William. I know I was trying to help, but I went too far and-“ William spun around to face her and grasped her hand. She saw him rub soothing circles with his thumb. His hands were rough, but still soft on her palm. He slowly lifted his head.

“No, I like it,” he said, more convincingly this time. Buffy barely heard him because of the overwhelming sensations he was giving her.

“Uh huh,” she said, not paying complete attention. It seemed more and more difficult to process thought as continued doing that. Apparently, they had been in that position for a while because Lorne ‘ahemed’ to show his presence. William dropped her hand as both teenagers looked away shyly.

“Boy, if I had known you cuties were already into each other, I would have-“

“No! No, it’s not like that.” Buffy stuttered. William just looked up at her.

“I… I just wasn’t expecting that drastic of a change,” he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat and continued, “I’m growing to like it, really.” He looked at her happily. Buffy decided that he was being honest, then jumped up and down clapping her hands. Lorne joined her shortly thereafter.

“Ok! Let’s go home and show your parents!” Buffy exclaimed joyfully. William’s smile fell a little.

“Let’s?”

William did not know what he had gotten himself into. All he wanted to do was be with Buffy. But as far as he could tell, she was not interested in him that way. He was just digging deeper holes for himself the more she got this “plan” of hers going. Maybe things had gone too far. Maybe he should have told her the truth upfront that he had no feelings for Dru like she though, but instead had feeling for Buffy. In theory, this seemed like a fantastic idea. In reality, William was pretty sure that she would run and perhaps never spend time with him anymore. No one knew the score like William did; in high school, girls like Buffy were never interested in guys like him.

He was not blind. He knew that Buffy was popular and most likely wanted it to stay that way. Wasn’t that part of her plan anyway? To take Dru down without her being connected to it in a negative way? He did not know what to do.

William and his father had issues like any other family, but ever since his mother Jenny left them, Rupert seemed disconnected. Most of all to his son. William did not know what to expect when he brought a girl home: something he had never even attempted before. He did not want Buffy to get the wrong impression of his home life. Not that it was something to brag about, but he and his father were comfortably situated, despite the uncommunicative nature between the two.

And now, Buffy wanted to meet his father. That was why she stood beside him on the steps to his front door. That was why she was staring at him expectantly. That was why he did not think he could open the door.

“William?” Buffy asked softly. William turned around to face her.

“I just want you to know that if you feel uncomfortable at any time, you let me know and we will leave. “ Buffy could see that he was not joking around.

“Um, ok. No problem. Do you anticipate me feeling uncomfortable?”

“No!” he gasped, understanding her meaning. “No, I just mean, well, me and my Dad fight pretty often. I do not want you in the crosshairs of it. If you feel uncomfortable, you let me know. We’re gone.”

“Ok William,” his heart fluttered when she said his name. “So, do we get to have a cool signal or something?” William laughed.

“Like what?”

“Liiiiiiiiiiike… I don’t know, tugging at my ear?”

“Way to be original, luv.”

“Never said I was,” she smiled teasingly. William remembered saying those exact words to his father. Before he could respond, a furious Rupert Giles opened the door.

“William, you get in here right this instant! You are in trouble! You are in so much-“ He then saw Buffy who was suddenly nervous and slowly backing toward her car. “Who is this?”

“Maybe I should just go. I’ll go. See you later William!” But before Buffy reached the car, William called after her.

“No, come back! Please?” She turned to him and saw the pleading in his eyes; she walked back to the steps awkwardly. “Dad, this is Buffy. Buffy this is my Dad, Rupert.”

“Hi.” Buffy shifted between looking at William and his father.

“Um, well, I uh,” Rupert stuttered as he cleaned his glasses, “If I had known William was bringing a friend home…” Rupert put his glasses back on and Buffy could not deny the resemblance of the Giles men and their oversized glasses. “Please, come inside.” He waved them in, giving William a curious glance. He conveyed a look of warning to his father. “Well, I am going to, um, unpack. Downstairs. William will help you if you need anything.” He gave his son a meaningful look.

“Buffy, why don’t you go upstairs. My room is the second door on the left. I will be up in a minute.” William did not blink once as he stared at his father. Grateful to get away from the tenseness that practically vibrated through the room, Buffy nodded once and ran up the stairs. There was a moment of silence, a door slam, then Rupert’s voice.

“Where have you been?! What has gotten into you? I understand that you are upset, but I had no clue where you were! You could have been kidnapped, or, or, or, I don’t know, mugged! This may not be London, but it is still dangerous. I could kill you; I really could for how worried I have been. It has been hours. Hours William! Do you even know how…” Rupert sat down and ran his hands through his hair. William waited for him to finish. “I do not want to be the bad guy here,” he said without looking up. “I do not want this to be like it was when your mother left. Not again.”

“What do you want from me, Dad?” William replied calmly, but he knew his trembling voice gave him away. “Tell me what to do and I will do it. Just like I have always done, right Dad?”

“William…”

“No! You had the floor and now it’s my turn. You think I like this? You think I enjoyed moving here? You took me from my friends, the only other family I had-“

“They were your mother’s family.”

“Who cares?! You took everything away from me! Everything! I am sorry that you ‘feel bad,’ but I just can’t find it in myself to care! Stop pretending that you were worried about me because we both know you weren’t. Just stay out of my life 'less I let you back in it, k?” William sucked in breaths to keep himself from tearing up. He had to get back to Buffy in one piece. “We aren’t buddy buddy anymore so just drop it. I was not out doing drugs or partying; I was making a friend. And see this?” he pointed to his hair. “I bleached it today. Gonna throw me out?”

Rupert said nothing and kept his head in his hands. William continued, “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Go unpack the boxes and don’t think I don’t know what you are doing. You don’t want to unpack them cause you are expecting me to fuck up again! Well, you can rest your weary head cause I am not going to screw everything up this time.” William stamped up the stairs loudly. Nearing the top he slowed and murmured loud enough for Rupert to hear, “This is all your fault.”

Rupert waited for the door to slam shut. Tears stung his eyes and though he tried to wipe them away, they kept streaming down his reddened cheeks. He knew William was right about more than one account. Forcing himself, Rupert went downstairs to be alone.

Upstairs, William was shaking.

……………………

Buffy immediately went to him, but was unsure of what to do when she got there. William leaned against the door and slid down. She could tell he wanted to be alone so she made a move for the doorknob, but William gently grabbed her wrist. “Please, stay,” he spoke quietly. He looked up at her with glassy eyes, begging her not to leave. Buffy could not help but think that his eyes really did seem like oceans, then. She smiled tenderly and bent down to sit with him. After a few minutes, he spoke. “So, I’m guessing it would be presumptuous of me to think you didn’t hear any of that?”

Buffy looked at him guiltily. William shrugged gloomily, “I expected as much. These walls don’t seem very sound proof.”

“Do you… do you want to talk about it?” William continued to stare at the floor.

“Would you be upset if I said no?” She replied that she did not.

“So, I guess we are even now.”

“Even?”

“Yeah… neither of us talked about something important today.” Buffy tried to see what William was staring at on the floor.

Neither of them spoke for a while until Buffy saw something that caught her interest.

“What is that?” she inquired as she tilted her head.

“Oh that. It’s um, my guitar actually,” he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger.

“Can I?” she motioned to it.

“It is all yours, kitten.” She decided that she liked his nicknames for her. Buffy bolted to the giant, black box covered in band stickers. She unlocked the clasps and opened it. A mahogany acoustic looked directly back at her. There were a few stickers on the guitar as well, but none were as predominant as the large, metal spike lining below the bottom string.

“This is great!” she exclaimed. Buffy picked it up out of its casing by the neck. “What is its name?”

“Its name?” He looked at her like she was crazy. “It isn’t a puppy, luv.”

“You have to! Otherwise, you can’t really call it yours.”

“I don’t play very well.”

“That doesn’t matter. You will not get better until you name it!” William started to laugh at her excited expression.

“Alright, then. Why don't you give it a name?”

“Me?” He nodded. “I’ve never named one before. Hmm…” Buffy made the same furrowed-brow-thinking face as she did when choosing clothes at the mall. He chuckled again. “How about… Spike?”

“Spike? What kind of name is that?” William smiled.

“I like it. It feels like a Spike.” Buffy stroked the shining wood. “Besides, you have a sticker of a giant railroad spike on the front, so it seems sort of fitting.”

“Spike it is then.”

“Will you play me something?”

“I told you, I’m not very good.” William looked up at her as she walked toward him, guitar in tow.

“That’s ok. It’s pretty awesome that you can play at all.” When she handed him the guitar, their hands met for a moment. The sudden electric rush that resulted caused Buffy to jump back in surprise. He seemed unaffected, even though he felt it too. Both tried to keep the impulse to touch one another in control. She thought it best to sit on his bed as far away from him as possible.

It did not make the situation any better. Now to make matters worse, William had an image of Buffy on his bed. He did not plan on letting that go any time soon.

“Besides,” Buffy continued, “Dru loves a guy that can play guitar.” This startled him. William had completely forgotten about the point of all of this. Hanging out with Buffy? It hit him hard that it was because of Dru and not him. He placed the guitar on the floor and stood up.

“And you think Dru will love this new look,” William purred.

“Definitely.” He gradually stalked toward her.

“And this,” he ran a hand through his hair, “she’ll love this too?” If Buffy did not know better, she would think he was on the prowl for his prey.

“Yeah…” Buffy said cautiously.

“Because you like it?” He was almost a foot away now.

“Yeah…” Buffy stared blankly at him. “Wait, what?” She was not completely sure what he was getting at, but she continued playing along.

“You think it’s sexy,” he said matter-of-factly.

“It is for Dru.”

“Yes,” William was too close. She could smell his sweet scent and it was driving her insane. “But do you think I’m sexy?”

“I uh, um I-“ Buffy could not form a coherent thought. Suddenly, she was lying down on the bed and William was perched above her, his arms on either side of her head.

“It’s a simple question, luv,” he whispered in her ear. “Do” he stroked his finger down her neck “you,” reached her collarbone “think,” caressed her shoulder “I’m,” continued down her arm until he held her hand in his “sexy?”

……………………

“Yes,” she squeaked. He kissed her hand, tilted his head and smiled knowing he had gotten her hot and bothered.

William did not know what came over him. True, he had had friends back in London, so he knew how to socialize. He had never had a girlfriend though, and was still stuck in the purgatory of second base. Yet, the little blonde creature before him brought out a person within himself he did not know existed. Some kind of id or predator who got what he desired. Want, take and have; those were the only words running through his head a mile per minute as he committed bits of his fantasy into reality.

Buffy smiled uneasily; she was probably just as unused to this side of William as he was. They had not known each other very long, only two days in fact, but it felt like he had known her his entire life.

William did not want Dru. He did not want any other girl. He only wanted Buffy. And his own stupidity dug him into the ditch where she was the only girl he could never have. But, despite all of his doubts, he could not say no to her devious plans, no matter what means they were meant to serve.

William was a romantic.

Soon after, Buffy scrambled to leave. She said goodbye to William and politely waved to Rupert when he passed her on the way to the door. She was pretty sure they both heard the deafening squeak of her tires speeding away on the pavement. It was not the way she had planned to leave, but she knew if she had stayed any longer, something would have gone awry.

What was wrong with her? She was not supposed to be attracted to him! He was supposed to be the sure thing, the guy that she would never fall for. That was the point though, wasn’t it? To make him into someone Dru would fall for, and by correlation, Buffy as well. She just did not expect it to hit her so hard.

But she wanted him. That was quite clear from her maudlin display earlier. This was not some harlequin novel where the geek and popular girl got together. This was life where things like that just were not possible. Especially from her end of the deal. If she tried to be with him, she would have to give up everything.

She would have no friends, and even if they were not really her friends it was better than no one, she would be tormented daily, and definitely out casted. Buffy was only a Junior, which meant two more years in hell. If Dru found an excuse, even one, she would tell everyone lies about her. And everyone would believe her because no one would want to deal with the same punishment.

But William was turning out to be nothing like she thought. Instead of the shy, socially awkward, bumbling kid she thought him to be, he suddenly had personality and was sweet and funny, even. He played guitar and was strangely willing to go along with her plan, despite not knowing her very well at all. Buffy was attracted to him. Not just to the new look she created, but him: William.

Buffy turned into her large, circular driveway, parked, and shut off her car. Swinging her newly obtained keys around her pointer finger, she thoughtfully walked to the front door.

She passed through the familiar halls of the enormous mansion her father had provided. Buffy might have been upset by his absenteeism from her life, but he had never really been there in the first place. Not even when she was young did he bother to see her. If she were “lucky,” he would come to visit once a year for a weekend.

Hank Summers was not a bad man. He and Joyce, her mother, had been separated for a long time and he provided everything they needed. They probably would have gotten a divorce, but it was required of him to look like a family man for his political career. So the arrangement worked out for everyone. But it did not make the halls any warmer. Everything just felt cold.

Everything except for her room, where she plopped on her bed and stared at the starry night painted on her ceiling. How did everything become so complicated so quickly? Buffy wondered if she should just call the whole thing off. Then again, William had gone to severe lengths to follow through, the major example being his drastic hairstyle change. How could she say out of the blue, ‘Oh, by the way, it was all for nothing’?

So, Buffy decided to follow through. Things could not get much worse from her end as long as she remained separate from the situation. However, she worried for him. What if the plan did not work, and he had to deal with the rumors and the out casting rituals of her classmates? She did not want him to get hurt. She also would have to apologize for her abrupt escape earlier.

So, again, Buffy decided to follow through. With the final verdict in her head, she put all of her fears and doubts to the side. She closed her eyes and remembered his hot breath on her neck and the seeming electricity that shot through her when they touched.

She wasn’t breaking any rules if she just thought about him…

……………………

William was angry. Angry with himself, angry with his father and angry with Dru, even though he did not know her at all. He wanted to be angry at Buffy, but he just could not find it in himself. But William also had no outlet to put his anger. So, he remained seated on the floor and stared into space.

He did not know what to do with himself and as a result kept staring. Perhaps he was subconsciously hoping Buffy would reappear in his room, telling him that leaving so soon was not his fault. But he knew it was. William had gone too far, and not just the coming on to her part, but also the fight with his father. She did not need to hear that side of him. And he knew it was not true, but he felt like she secretly hated him for that.

William once again considered backing out of Buffy’s plan; it was definitely in both of their interests. He could go about his business and she could remain in the social circle she clearly despised being a part of. But Buffy would stop hanging out with him. She would ignore him completely; he knew it.

But he did not want to let her go. If this was the only chance he was going to have to be with her at any capacity, then come hell or high water he would be with her. William decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and to make the most of the time he had left with Buffy.

And as much as it pained him to think of, maybe if he ended up dating Dru, they could be in the same social circle, and he could be with her again.

Telling her his feelings, whatever they were at that point, would make her run in the other direction; he knew that now considering the Houdini act from earlier. But maybe... could it be that she felt something for him as well? Was that why she ran?

William stood up, prepared to walk to her house, wherever it was, to ask her what it all meant. William sat down again, this time on his bed. Even if he wanted to, it was too soon to have feelings like this. He knew it, even if he was not completely sure what he feelings were. Besides, with the tenseness between him and his father, he doubted Rupert would let him roam the night in search for a residence that he had no clue where to start looking for. He lay down and stared up at his ceiling.

So, he would stick with the plan. It was what Buffy wanted and that was enough for him for now. He really had nothing to lose anyway. Nothing except for her, of course.

He closed his eyes and remembered her hot breath coming in short pants beneath him and the electricity that shot through him when he touched her.

He wasn’t breaking any rules if he just thought about her… Was he?

On Sunday morning, William awoke to the obnoxious ring he unfortunately chose for his cell phone. Wiping the sleep from his eyes with one hand, he tried to find the phone between his bed covers with the other. ”Hello?” he said drowsily.

“William?” replied a familiar voice.

“Buffy?” he could hear a sigh of relief on the other line.

“Oh, thank god. I thought I had called the wrong number.” He had not heard from her since Friday. It seemed like it had all gone down the tubes now, there was a bit of hope.

“No, it’s me. What time is it?” William struggled to find his glasses.

“Um, around 8:30. So… I was thinking we could work more on your look, you know? Maybe hang out today?” There was a pause. “Or maybe you have plans?”

“No! No plans. I’m free.” If she was going to give him another chance, he was going to take it. He only prayed that he could keep his libido in check.

“Ok, great! I’ll come pick you up in fifteen minutes and bring you back to my house. Is that enough time?”

“Yeah, sure.” William leapt out of bed and scrambled for an outfit. “See you then.”

“Bye.” He heard the dial tone before he could respond. Shifting through the piles of new clothes Buffy gave him, William attempted to make sense of an outfit. Almost everything was black and studded or ripped. He was trying on a pair of dark, but not quite black, jeans when his phone rang again.

“Hello?” he asked out of breath.

“William?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you panting?” William thought of around fifty explanations for that one, but considering her reaction to his last verbose sexual endeavor, kept them all at bay.

“Was running upstairs. Heard the phone ring. What’s going on?”

“Right… Do you own contacts?”

“Yes, but I don’t like weari-“

“Great! Bring those with you. See you in a few!” Then her end clicked out. William was flustered. He sorted through the remaining bags, found a shirt that seemed a little looser than the rest and threw it on. He ran to the bathroom, tore open the medicine cabinet and took out all of its new contents in search of his long lost contacts box. The moment his hand reached it, he heard a beep from outside. He brushed his teeth as quickly as he could, stuck on a jacket and ran outside into the rain.

He buckled himself in as Buffy pulled out of the driveway. After a moment of silence, Buffy spoke. “You look good.”

“Thanks, but you dressed me. Well, not physically, obviously. You know…” he rambled. William took a deep breath. He worried that this would not be his only mess up of the day. But she wanted to be friends, so friends they would be. For now, anyway, he thought.

“Yeah,“ she chuckled. They drove in comfortable silence for a few more minutes until Buffy turned on the radio. “Oh my god! I love this song!” she cooed.

“What song is it, pet?” William smiled at her excitement. It seemed that the song had just started. The piano crackled a bit with the radio, but he could hear the basic tones. And as the song played on, her contented singing became contagious. Even though he didn’t know any of the words, he wanted to sing with her. Instead, he remained quiet throughout the remnants of the ride with only a hint of a smile gracing his face.

When they reached the gargantuan circular drive, William groaned inwardly. Not only would he have to vie for her attentions, but he also had to compete with those who shared her lifestyle. Probably guys like Angel, who he had not seen but had his suspicions about. Buffy stopped the car and walked toward her door. He followed and waited for her to use her key.

……………………

Buffy suddenly spun around and found herself only a few inches away from him. She could feel the heat eradiating from him. Looking more carefully, she saw that he definitely had a body under those baggy shirts. She lifted her head and was surprised by the sudden waves of electricity coursing through her, caused by his intense gaze. She could have sword his pupils were dilated more than usual, but it was still hard to tell behind his remarkably large glasses.

“Buffy,” he whispered.

“Y-y-yes?”

“Are you going to open the door?” It was a moment before Buffy could process what he said. Then, she scrambled to get the door.

“Right! Right, yes the door… Sorry. I have just been really spacey lately.” William let Buffy rant for a little while longer before he chuckled. “What?” He laughed lightly again.

“You’re adorable.” Buffy almost broke the door down in her attempt to get inside, which she did in due course. William followed her across a few different lobbies and hallways, up a large staircase, down a smaller one and finally into her room. She closed the door and smiled mischievously.

“Are you ready?”

“Depends…” Buffy pouted. “Yes, pet, I am ready willing and able,” he said with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

“Ok! First things first: put your contacts in. There is a bathroom over there if you need one.”

“That would be great, but… are you sure about all this? Are contacts really the answer here? I kind of, I don’t know; I like my glasses. Don’t they give me character?” he hinted a whine. Buffy looked at him firmly. No one was going to reign on her parade.

“William. Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” he said cautiously.

“Do you want her?” A minute went by without an answer. He looked at the floor, or something nearby it, and concentrated on his point of interest. “William?” she tried to catch his attention. She looked at him softly, “Do you want her?”

……………………

“God, yes,” he replied in a voice hoarse with desire. Of course, she did not take it that way. She never took it the right way. William could slap himself. While at home, the thought of hanging out with Buffy without sexual tension on at least his end seemed an easy task. But now…

“Good. Now go in there and follow my instructions!” She giggled a bit as he scooted into the blue tiled room. A while went by full of ‘ows’ and squeaks of discontent, until a crash caused him to yell aloud.

“Dammit! Oh, come on!” She could hear his muffled cry through the door. Hadn’t someone told her recently that most accidents occurred in bathrooms?

“Are you ok? What happened?”

“No, I just broke something and it spilled all over me and the floor. Sorry, luv, I didn’t see it there and then I moved and-“

“It’s fine William, really don’t worry about it. Just come out when you are done.”

He opened the door a few minutes later.

……………………

Buffy’s mouth went dry. She knew he was good looking, she could feel it, but she had no idea how truly gorgeous he was until that moment. And for the remainder of that moment, which seemed to last several minutes, she could only stare and appreciate his previously hidden form.

It was not just because he lost his glasses and was presently shirtless. It was the final look of him that had Buffy inwardly swooning. Meanwhile, William stared at her curiously. He began to swing his glasses between his fingers to bring her attention back to him.

“You look…” she could not find the words to properly describe him.

“Dashing? Handsome? Prominent? How about badass? Would badass work?” he teased. Buffy still could not say anything. She took a few steps toward him to look over him in more detail, she justified. When she reached him, she lifted her hands to his now present shoulders.

To say that William was well defined would have been an understatement. He looked like Adonis. He looked like he was cut out of marble, given life and placed in front of her to tease her to death.

“Sorry, your girly perfume spilled on my shirt and I, well…” he looked down abashedly. He looked adorable. He lifted his eyes back to hers and stayed still as she ran her fingers down his chest. And she was struck by a powerful sense of wanting. No, not wanting: needing. She needed to touch him, to taste him, or anything to be closer. She felt far away even though she was right beside him.

She raised her hand over his neck, behind his head, and pulled him into a kiss.

She raised her hand over his neck, behind his head, and pulled him into a kiss.

William froze out of pure shock. It took a little to realize what was actually happening, and by the time he figured out that it was not a dream, the kiss ended. She slowly lifted her eyelids, drowsy with desire, to look upon his eyes. William did not know what she saw in him that made her jump back, but he instantly felt cold and alone the second she was beyond his grasp. He still could not move as he reveled in the truth that she kissed him! He shook his head in wonder and a tad of remaining disbelief.

“William, oh my god I am so sorry. I totally just ruined everything, I am just so sorry…” she rambled on.

And then it occurred to him why: she wanted him. He had to find out if he was right. He took a few steps toward her.

Buffy did not notice his closeness at first as she was apologizing profusely without looking up at him. William did not know where this part of his personality had been hiding, but he liked it as he continued to gain on her.

Then Buffy looked up. He stalked toward her predatorily with the gleam of desire in his eyes. She opened her mouth slightly, and William could not turn away. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to show her what she meant to him. He wanted to worship her.

As he came closer, Buffy began to walk backwards. And so it continued until she bumped into her desk. End of the line, she thought. William leaned over her, and she bent back, unsure of what he would do, but unable to complete a thought. And suddenly-

But I would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles

To fall down at your door

Buffy’s hand had leaned onto her stereo and accidently turned it on. The song blasted, scaring both teenagers out of their minds. And while it completely ruined anything that may have occurred, William could not stop himself from busting out in laughter.

At first, Buffy was mortified, but after seeing his reaction to whole thing laughed along. The two howled and fell to the ground in hysterics. Neither could stand up long enough to turn it off, so it continued to blast, and they only laughed harder.

When I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man whose lonely without you

When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna dream

Dream about the time when I'm with you…

Eventually, the song ended and their laughter died down. They laid on the floor in comfortable silence, grins still on their faces. They turned to gaze upon one another. William propped himself up on his elbow to see her better and realized that Buffy had laughed so hard that tears had stained her reddened cheeks.

William brushed her tears away with the pad of his thumb and moved to gently place her hair behind her ear. For a few moments, they both forgot about the outside world and the dangers that lay just beyond her front door. For a few minutes, it was just the two of them, looking into each other’s eyes contentedly.

William gradually moved toward her and ghosted her lips with a gentle kiss. For a while, they remained there unmoving, happy to be close to one another. He did not mean to, but suddenly his body took over. He kissed her with the passion he had been hiding since he met her. William wanted her to feel what he felt with every fiber of her being.

He kissed her ravenously. Buffy mewled as he began to slide his hand down her side. She ran her fingers through his hair as the kiss became more desperate. It was almost painful how much he wanted to take her in his arms and never let go.

Despite the new intensity of the kiss, it was not enough for William. Without being able to stop himself, he grabbed the back of her head and slammed his mouth against hers. He plowed his fingers through her hair and moved his head to a different angle to intensify his touch. She deepened the kiss in turn as she moved along with him.

William knew he had to stop before things went out of hand, but he felt like a starving man and he simply could not get enough of her.

She moaned as he peppered her face with warm kisses. He licked down her neck and blew hot breath on to her collarbone. William had close to no prior experience in the bedroom, but when he stopped thinking about his actions and only thought of her, it came as naturally as breathing.

He lightly licked her jaw and traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. He suckled on her earlobe and bit gently. Buffy gasped so he did it again, only this time somewhat harder. She desperately ran her hands in circles over his lower back, then to his muscled shoulders.

Buffy pushed him to sit up and rolled on top of him. Hair falling around his face, he opened his eyes. It seemed that the bright light above her made her blonde hair look like a halo. She truly was an angel.

William’s tongue darted out to taste her bottom lip, begging for entrance into her sweet mouth. She tasted like honey and vanilla spice. He unexpectedly recalled the daydream he had had, and decided through his desire-addled mind to try it. After all, he surmised, he may never have a chance like this again.

His fingers lifted her shirt and slowly slid in. Her softness had him groaning beneath her. He rolled back on top and caressed her smooth sides until he reached the supple swell of her breasts. William could feel that he was losing himself in her, and he did not care. The boy that he had been a few days ago was no longer present, perhaps waiting until everything went to pieces.

But he just didn’t care.

William rubbed his thumb over her nipple until it marbled in his hand and smiled as she moaned in his mouth. In slow circles, he stroked her as he kissed her neck. After lavishing the other with the same tenderness, William moved his hand to her waistband and his stroked back and forth between her hipbones.

“Please…” she hummed. He grazed her neck with his teeth and temporarily distracted her so that he could finally reach her heated center. “Oh god,” she moaned. He kissed her hard as he rubbed her above her panties.

While he suddenly had the courage to commit these carnal sins, he still could not say the dirty things that ran through his mind. He could not even say her name for fear that she would realize what they were doing and stop him.

He felt himself harden at her sudden intake of breath when he moved her panties to the side and slid one finger between her folds. As opposed to worrying if he was doing it right, William focused on the moans and sighs that marked her pleasure. He purred in her ear as he rubbed her slightly harder.

The sounds erupting from her throat became quicker and more needy. She held onto his shoulders and kissed him to hide the primal moans she was capable of yelling. He cupped her dripping center and pinched the tiny nubbin between his thumb and forefinger.

She screamed in climax as she arched her back. She rode out her orgasm, grinding herself on his hand.

William was close to his peak as well and pressed against the floor to relieve some of the pressure; this was about her only. When Buffy finally came down, she kept her eyes closed and started to giggle. It was contagious, so William chuckled a bit as well.

Buffy stopped abruptly as her eyes shot open. “Oh my god,” she whispered. She jumped off the floor and backed away from him, her eyes cast toward the ground. “No, no, no this isn’t right. Y-you, what did you do? What did I… Oh god!”

Completely shocked by her change in attitude, William could not speak but stood up awkwardly. Expecting her to glare at him for failing to keep himself in line yet again, he did not look her in the eye. When he finally did, however, all he saw was the door slam back as she ran further into the mansion.

“Buffy!” he yelled after her, his eyes tearing in humiliation and defeat.

……………………

When she did not come back, William left the house. He was almost grateful that he did not have his own car because he felt the need for a long walk. Eyes swimming with unshed tears, William staggered home kicking stones in front of him the whole way.

William did not check to see if anyone was home. He didn’t care. He was still in such a shock from earlier. He kept replaying it in his head, trying desperately to realize what he did wrong. Was he bad? It didn’t seem so, considering her reaction during their time together. He reached his room, shut the door and banged his head against it.

How could he have been so stupid? Why did he think he control himself? Maybe she had not wanted it at all and he was so lost in himself that he did not even notice her pleading for him to stop. Or maybe she hated herself for lowering her standards to his mediocre lifestyle.

Or maybe she did not want him at all.

William knew that it had only been a few days in her company, but being apart from her was more devastating than the thought that she had no interest in him. Or maybe the real plan was to string him along, use him and lose him.

William ran to his desk and swiped everything off of it. Things crashed as they slammed into the surrounding walls. He moved to his dresser and did the same. He pulled the clothes out of his drawers and tried to tear them apart. He threw the drawers down until they smashed into hundreds of wooden pieces. He tore the blankets and sheets from him bed, threw them on the floor as well and started to yell in rage as he stamped on them. And then, he fell on his knees and sobbed.

He did not want to be used again. William had promised himself after what happened in London that he would never let another human being use him for any purpose. Why did everyone screw with him for someone else’s benefit? What was wrong with him? And why did he fall for it every time?

William was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he did not notice Rupert falling to his knees beside him. Not caring that he was still angry with his father, William grabbed onto his neck and sobbed into his sweater. Rupert rubbed soothing circles on his shoulder blades and rocked him back and forth. He did not know what had happened to his son, but whoever caused this furious upset would pay.

He would see to it.

Buffy felt like the biggest jerk that ever lived.

She hadn’t meant for it to end that way. When he laughed, he broke the trance she was in and all she could hear were Dru’s words of warning ringing in her ears. It wasn’t supposed to be this way!

After she fled the room, Buffy ran to the library and hid behind one of the bookshelves. Dru was right: she was a slut. She did not deserve a guy like William. Dru didn’t deserve him either. He had only been sweet and understanding to her under strange circumstances. And what did Buffy do? Ruin everything.

Through the haze of self-loathing, Buffy realized that she had left him in her bedroom. Not knowing how long she had been sitting there, Buffy bolted back, hoping that he would miraculously still be there. But he was gone. He probably walked home because he could not stand to be with her anymore. Buffy was ashamed of her reaction, but how else could she after all that had happened?

But William didn’t know about any of it. She had not told him a word. He probably thought she hated him or worse: hated her. She had to make it right, or at least explain herself.

And Buffy was never one for waiting. Grabbing her keys, she got into her car and drove to William’s house, hoping it wasn’t too late.

……………………

Was it entirely his fault? William was not sure.

As he calmed from his mental breakdown, William could do nothing but stare into space and wonder. When he and his father broke apart and he stopped crying like a stupid git, Rupert had gone to work, leaving him to his thoughts.

He heard knocking at the door, but felt no need to answer the mailman or Jehovah’s witnesses, or even Buffy, however unlikely it was to actually happen. William did not even have the motivation to stand up.

His mental state was not because of Buffy. She had been the final straw more or less, yeah, but it was the combination of stress and fights, the move, and everything that had happened over the last couple of years. William did not know how much more he could take.

No one wanted to embody the stereotypical angsty teen, but William did not have the energy to fend off the idea. He certainly felt the angst, and yet he was not sure how typical the situation was.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his bedroom door. Thinking it was Rupert, William forced himself up and opened the door.

It wasn’t Rupert, though. It was Buffy.

……………………

Buffy took one look at his face and wished she had stayed at home. His puffy eyes were stained red and he seemed to tremble. It was all her fault. Why did she subject the poor kid to her insane life?

But she had to tell him about her past to make him understand. He had asked her once; perhaps he was still interested to know. Either way, this was it. Now or never.

Meanwhile, Buffy remained motionless in his doorframe as she continued her inner debate.

“Um…” he spoke to get her attention.

“Oh, hey William!” her voiced cracked. She really didn’t want to do this. “I, um, I came to apologize I guess for running out on you. It wasn’t fair to you and now everything is confusing and I am not sure how you feel about me or Dru-“

“What is it with you and Dru?!” he interrupted loudly. “All you do is talk about your problems with her. I mean, this entire plan was just to get back at her, right?” Buffy stared at the ground in shame. “I’m not stupid Buffy,” he surmised. “Y-you can’t honestly think that I would believe this plan is for my own benefit. I just thought… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Buffy wanted to leave. She did not want to deal with the consequences of handling someone else’s life. But, she knew it was all her fault and therefore all her responsibility. She had to make it right, even if he would never speak to her again.

“I am so sorry, William.”

“Sorry? You are sorry?” he looked at her disbelievingly. “For what?”

“For what? What do you mean for what?! I ruined everything back there!”

“You? What about me?”

“What about you?”

“It was my fault!” he gestured to himself. “I just want this all to stop, or start over, I don’t know. I always bollocks everything up. Don’t take the blame that isn’t yours, pet.”

“No!”

“No?”

“No! You are wrong. Don’t you get it? I put you in that position. ME. And then I freaked out because of my own stupidity, then caused you to blame yourself… If anyone ‘bollocksed’ it up, it was me. Why don’t you not take the blame that isn’t yours.”

“What are you talking about? I could not keep myself in line, earlier. I was forceful and you probably hate me, and it’s my fault.” Buffy tried to stop it, but began to giggle. “Kind of inappropriate timing, luv, what with all the pain, you know?” he said between clenched teeth.

“I know and I’m not laughing at you, I swear. It’s just that,” she tried to keep her laughter at bay, “we are arguing about whose fault it is. I mean it is kind of funny that we both think that the fault belongs to ourselves.” The giggle loop caught hold of her and she began to laugh again, first out of nervousness but then out of humor. Naturally after hearing her laugh, William joined in, despite his anguish.

“We really should send this story to a sitcom writer. I am sure it would give him enough material for a good month, the days we’ve had.” William spoke between the laughter that overtook him.

They both laughed desperately, because neither wanted to admit it was anyone’s fault but their own. After the intense emotion day they had, it was only natural that they would break down in hysterics. But when the laughter died down, the two stared gloomily into space as the afterglow left entirely.

“I want to tell you something,” they spoke simultaneously. In other circumstances, this may have brought about another round of laughter, but times being what they were, they both smiled softly. Buffy continued.

“I have to tell you what happened to me. You know, before? It might explain why I reacted so overdramatically.” Buffy sighed, “Just… don’t judge me too harshly. I mean I would understand if you wanted me to leave you alone-“

“Buffy,” William interrupted. “You are rambling again.”

“Right, right. Sorry. OK,” she took a breath, “here it goes.” William looked at her intently.

“I have been friends with Dru since middle school. We did everything together, you know, shopping, gossiping, the works. And she always used to talk behind other people’s backs, but I never gave it a second thought. She was basically my best friend, so I was shocked when we got to high school and I actually heard her spilling my secrets to the first popular body she could find. I was hurt by it, but I did not want to break up the friendship because of it so I let it slide. That was right before my Sophmore summer.

“We went our separate ways for the summer. I traveled abroad with my mom and she stayed home to work at a trendy fashion store. I guess it really must have gotten to her that I was so much wealthier than she. The money never really meant much to me. I told you, my dad just flooded us with it and we naturally accepted. Apparently it meant something entirely different to Dru. To her, I was wasting my money on stupid luxuries while people from her side of town had to work to make themselves comfortable. If she had needed money, I would have gladly helped her out. However, that would have been considered social suicide in her eyes. She never wanted to owe anything to anyone, not even gratitude. Dru had a lot of pride.

“Anyway, I got back to Sunnydale and Dru was different. I don’t know how to explain it, but she was just… distant, I suppose. From me, at least. Then, in October she suddenly wanted to hang out again. She waited for me after all of my classes, she called me everyday, wanted me to sit next to her at lunch. It started driving me crazy, I swear, until one day she came up to me in the hallway and said that Angel Aurelius had crush on me.” William tensed at this, knowing ahead of time that he was not going to enjoy this section of the story.

“I was so excited! I never thought that a boy like him would ever like me, especially with Dru around. You of all people should know the draw she has. Everyone just flocks to her side. The girls all wanted to be her and the guys all wanted to have her. And I… I really did not care either way. Sorry, I tend to ramble. I’ll try to stay on track better from now until the end, I swear.

“Ok so, Angel had a crush on me according to Dru and I did not give it a second thought when he asked me to Homecoming. She even helped me pick out a dress. After the game, he and I went out for dinner at a nice place, then went to the party and then drove me home. Angel was a perfect gentleman with me. That is why I was so surprised about what later came to pass.

“I’m trying to sum this up, so bear with me. The next week, I was positively glowing. Glowing until I noticed Dru hanging all over him. Thinking that he just dated me to get to Dru, I let it go. It had happened before. A couple of weeks later, I started liking this guy Xander. He was cute and funny and sweet, but nowhere near the realm of the popular crowd I was a part of. Needless to say, Dru confronted me about it and said that I shouldn’t date him because he was a geek. She made fun of me mercilessly. I could have killed her, I swear to god, but I just took it. I just took it and told Xander that we could not be together. And that was when everything changed.

“Dru started spreading rumors about Xander, saying that I told her he was secretly gay, which I never said! She told everyone it was me so when Xander confronted me and I denied it, he stopped speaking to me completely. He got picked on daily after that. I guess it must have been true because he moved out of Sunnydale soon after. And even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt horrible about it.

“Seeing as Angel and Dru were still single by the time all of this occurred and he was a nice, solid guy, I asked him out. He said yes, but according to Cordelia, it was because Dru told him I was easy. Of course, I was never really friends with her so I figured it was just jealousy or something. Nearing the end of another really nice date, Angel tried to get me into bed with him. Not forcibly, just asked politely. When I refused, he asked again a little more frustrated. I said no one more time. He then told me to get out of his car in the middle of nowhere. He said he ‘didn’t want to spend another minute with a tease like me.’

“I was devastated. I walked home alone, in the dark, for a couple of miles. Realizing that Cordelia was telling the truth, I confronted Dru about it. She denied everything and screamed at me for spreading such lies about her. But at lunch that same day, she was all over him again. It made sense of course that Dru would want someone who wanted someone else. And when Angel hadn’t wanted either of us really, she just did it to put it in my face that she could.

“Moving along, Angel came to my house during the break and tried to get with me. This time, though, he was forceful. When I said no again and he lunged at me, I knocked him out leaving a nasty bruise on his left cheek. After that, he told our entire circle of friends that I went psycho when he tried to kiss me and I knocked him out. Dru, seizing the opportunity, threatened them all saying that if any one of them were to breath a word concerning what happened, she would destroy each and every one of their reputations. She had dirt on almost all of them and could make up lies for the rest. They all knew it was not an empty threat.

“Later in the week, Dru threatened me. She said she would tell everyone Angel’s version of the story if I did not fall in line. Dru claimed that she ‘wanted our little family to get along.’

“See in Dru’s mind, she did not do anything wrong. She honestly thought that she was the epitome of a good friend to me. Keeping Xander and Angel away was a favor in her eyes. Which is why she thought it a good idea to dangle guys in front of me, then either discard them or take them for her self. She thought she was making me stronger for it and making sure they were good enough for me.

“A couple of months later, I was at the end of my rope. I was trapped. I couldn’t stop being friends with Dru because she could murder my reputation with a word. I couldn’t try finding new friends because everyone knew I was a friend to her and no one wanted to get on her bad side.

“So I remained, miserable as ever. I watched her change into this ice queen who made fun of every guy she came in contact with. She broke each and every one of their hearts. I could not stand to see her continue. Then, you showed up.

“Dru thought she could have anything she wanted. She made fun of those who worshiped the ground she walked on and I was personally sick of her behavior and sick of being her little lapdog. No offense, but when I first met you I thought you were some bumbling nerd. I am so sorry though. I did not realize that this plan in the end would make me just as bad as her.

“Please don’t hate me when I say this and I would understand if you wanted me to leave and never speak to you again. I deserve it. Anyway, when she made fun of you that day, it was the last straw. I wanted to change you into the perfect guy for Dru. I wanted her to crawl, to beg for you. I knew what she liked in a guy so I knew I could do it. And when she would forget about all of the other boys, Dru could finally focus on herself. She also would be put in her place for making assumptions about every guy who made a pass at her.

“And then, when she would be off the market, I would be free to date whoever I wanted. It would finally be safe for me because she would have no reason of either jealousy or boredom to step in.

“But then, you were nothing like I thought. You were kind and giving, gorgeous and passionate. I cannot apologize enough because I just made assumptions without getting to know you. I really was just as bad as she. So when you and I were together earlier, everything fell apart.

“I saw myself the way I saw Dru and could not handle it. I ran because I was ashamed of what you would think of me. Maybe Dru was right and I really was a slut. I haven’t known you for very long, after all. Also, I feel like I took advantage. I thought I wanted you so I could get back at Dru in my own way and finally possess someone who formally wanted her. In some way, I would win.

“But I just hate myself for it.” Buffy began to cry. The stress of the last few months caught up with her and it was just too much to handle. He stared at her slack jawed and bewildered. “I am so, so sorry William. You deserve so much more,” she whispered.

For a while there was rigid silence. Buffy watched closely at the range of emotions that played over his face. She looked down and realized what a complete mess his room was. Things broken and torn and clothes crumpled together. It was a total wreck. And it was all her fault. She just knew it.

“I’ll just,” she sighed, “I’ll just go. Goodbye William.” She tried not stepping on anything but the floor was completely covered. Buffy finally reached the door, turned the knob and walked out. William did nothing.

And when Buffy got to her car, she sat in the drivers seat and cried. Suddenly, the car door opened. William pulled her out, set her against the car, and kissed her passionately.

When the kiss was done, they looked at one another, tears in both of their eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

“Buffy, I-“ Before he could finish, another car came into the driveway.

Rupert was home.

A few minutes earlier…

“I’ll just,” she sighed, “I’ll just go. Goodbye William.” She tried not stepping on anything but the floor was completely covered. Buffy finally reached the door, turned the knob and walked out. William did nothing.

So that was it. That was what Buffy hid from him. She turned his life upside down in a matter of days to get back at some bitch with a god complex. And what a number she’d done on Buffy.

But Buffy hadn’t really known him and he never bothered to correct her assumptions. William knew the basics of what was going on, but he did not realize how deep it went. Buffy felt defeated because she blamed every monster Dru created on her self.

Even the plan itself was so far removed from her that Dru could not touch her. They were seen talking for a minute or two, but no one would connect William’s sudden change in attitude and appearance with her. It would seem completely normal for everyone else. But William did not give a rat’s ass about Dru.

And Buffy. She felt awful for everything she did, even when she was just trying to survive. High School was a highly regulated beast where anyone could be a target if they stepped out of the shadows. At least she was trying to stand up for her self, even if it was illogical and unrealistic to think it would be that easy to take Dru down.

He could not understand why she did not see how parts of the situation were his fault. The problem was that they both blamed themselves as opposed to considering joint responsibility.

And she said that she liked him. A lot. Didn’t she? ”You were kind and giving, gorgeous and passionate…” she had said. Perhaps he was not alone in this. Could it be she felt for him too? In point of fact…

It was at that moment he realized Buffy was gone. Whipping his head around, he searched his disastrous room for her. He got up and ran faster than he ever had to catch her before things went out of control. As he flew down the stairs, all he could think about was the hurt he felt when they were apart. He could not handle it if that were to be a forever deal.

William reached her while parked in his driveway. He opened the car door, pulled her out, set her against it, and kissed her passionately.

When the kiss was done, they looked at one another, tears in both of their eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

“Buffy, I-“ Before he could finish, another car came into the driveway.

Rupert was home and he looked pissed as hell.

His father had comforted him, true, so he forwent most of his anger. However, if Rupert Giles made the situation any worse than it already was, he would never speak to him again.

Rupert busted out of his Citroen and went straight for Buffy.

“You! You are not welcome here. And if I ever, and I mean ever, catch you anywhere near the vicinity of this house or William I will call the proper authorities and have them deal with a bully like you.” He was utterly menacing as he hunched over the petite girl, his eyes ablaze with fury.

“Dad, stop!”

“William, I can handle this,” Rupert said with a side-glance before he turned back to Buffy. “I think it would be best if you left now.” William saw Buffy’s lip tremble in fear and in an attempt to stop her self from crying. It was an emotional day, but this was getting ridiculous. William could not stand seeing girls cry, least of all Buffy. And the fact that it was his father… Even if he was trying to look out for his best interests, even if he was trying to protect him, Rupert needed to stop immediately.

“Dad!” William yelled. “Back the hell off!” This made Rupert turn to face him.

“I am doing what is best for you, William. This girl… the one who left you in that state of mind… you are just going to forgive her?”

“Dad, this is none of your business! Now I think it would be ‘best’ if you backed away Right. Now.” William was fuming and twice as menacing as Rupert. He raised his hands in surrender.

“I just do not understand you, William. You love her, you hate her, you want her, and you hate me. I cannot keep up with you anymore.” William went silent and looked at the ground at his admission. But maybe Buffy would only see it as the ramblings of a crazed father. He looked up again to see his father flounder back to his car and Buffy’s surprised face.

“Buffy, I-“ he tried to pick up where they left off before his father perhaps ruined everything.

“You… your father said that you…” he could see the wheels turning in her head.

“Oh, he is such a wanker. In his mind, I am still five years old and he needs to fight my battles for me.”

It seemed to work. Buffy let out a breath of relief that actually made William feel worse. Then, she picked up the previous conversation as well.

“You kissed me?”

“I just didn’t know why you had to run off so quick. I thought we could, you know, talk. You didn’t even give me a chance to process, luv.”

“Please William, if you are going to tell me off just do it. I just can’t take this stuff anymore.”

“I’m not going to, pet. Next to nothing you said was your fault. Don’t you get it? Don’t you see? It was always Dru and that ponce Angel. You were a puppet-

“I was NOT a puppet-“

“You WERE a puppet and Dru was pulling your strings. Now, stop blaming yourself and realize that I am still standing here. If I really hated you, I would have let you drive off.” Buffy thought about this and gently smiled. It was a long time before she replied.

“So, what do you supposed we do then?”

“I think we should turn the plan up a few notches, and change some of the key factors obviously.”

“Key factors? Like what?”

“Like me not liking Dru in the first place?”

“YOU NEVER LIKED DRU?!” she yelled in shock. William could barely contain his laughter.

“No! I never liked Dru, not ever, not for one single second.” He was incredulous.

“What?!” Buffy was in shock. William’s adoration for Dru was the source of all her recent problems, and it wasn’t even true? She still could not see how it was possible. “Then… then why did you agree to the plan?” And then it was William’s turn to be silent.

He could not come up with a convincing lie, so he told the truth. “Because you asked me to.” Well, more or less the truth. Buffy looked at him for minute with a strange, unreadable expression.

“I- I have to go home, William.” When William was about to protest, she held her hand up and continued. “It isn’t you, I promise. I think, I think I just need to go home.”

She walked solemnly to her car and drove away. William stood on his front lawn dumbfounded. He wished he could read her mind. These games were beginning to weigh him down. Literally.

William fell onto the soft grass with a wet, packing sound. All he could do was wait. He could do that. Couldn’t he?

He played the days’ events in his head over and over and over again. Eventually, it put him to sleep.

……………………

When William awoke, he saw the silhouette of a figure block out the sun above him.

“Buffy?” he said hopefully.

“No, my sweet boy,” replied a similar British accent, “It’s me.” William looked closer and his breath hitched in his throat.

“Dru?”

William stood up, unsure of what to do or say. He remained motionless. After a moment of awkwardness, she began.

“So… spending time with Buffy?” she stared at him with an unnerving fierceness.

“What of it?” he growled, trying to keep back the anger that threatened to come out full force. What Buffy said about the bitch made him want to throttle her.

“Well, I am her best friend.” Dru looked nonchalantly at her nails. “I expect your intentions are,” she quirked her head to the side, “honorable?”

“What are you even doing here? How do you even know where I live?” William clenched his teeth.

“Ah ah ah,” she wagged her finger back and forth. “bad dog. Answer the question.”

“Yes, I have honorable intentions. I wish I could say the same for you.”

“Excuse me? You don’t even know me!” her lips curled back in fury.

“I don’t have to know you. Your reputation may keep you at the top of the food chain, but that doesn’t mean shit to me.” She gasped in horror.

“How dare you say that to me?! Do you know what I could do with one word? Just one, and I could have the entire student body riding you specifically because I say so.”

“You think I give a damn?” Dru glared at him for not taking her threat seriously. “Honestly, I don’t see why you would think that I would care about ‘the student body riding me’. I may not know you, but you know nothing about me. You are a bitch. That’s right, yeah. Can’t hide behind your queen bee status or your jock friends now, can you.” She said nothing, but William could tell she was seething. He rather enjoyed it and thus continued. “You are asking me if my intentions are honorable? What about yours, hmm? Buffy’s life is not a game you can manipulate to your liking. Maybe it used to be, but not anymore. Get over it.”

“I see our little princess has found a knight in shining armor to protect her from the big bad.” her voice shook in pure rage. “But you are forgetting that she is mine. I own her. You may be off the hook, but she would not be able to handle what I could put her through.”

“Then why do you even want her around?” he yelled. “What is wrong with you? You may have the rest of them fooled, even Buffy, but not me. You and I both know that you have nothing. Being on top looks fun from down here, but living up there, you are alone. The truth is that Buffy is the only real friend you have left, now that the few people remaining at your side are too afraid to be friends with you at all.” William wasn’t close to finishing, but he had a feeling she would soon cut him off. “I have only seen you around a few times, but without fail, you have teased to get a rise out of me.

“So, what are you doing here?” he continued forcefully. “What, did you think? That you could just take me away from her like all the other guys? Well, forget it. She is done being your slave girl.” Dru was quiet and red faced. “And if you don’t leave her alone, I will personally” he took a step closer “ruin” then another “your life. You may be able to, what was it you said, ‘ruin someone with a word,’ but I can ruin you all on my own.” Nothing was as terrifying as William when he wanted to be. And he had to hand it to himself; the verbal throttling was coming along well.

For a moment, William saw the vulnerable girl behind the mask. He figured her out and she knew it. But when the moment ended, Dru backed away, stuck her nose in the air and ‘hmph-ed’ her way back to the sidewalk. He guessed she lived somewhere nearby. How else would she know where he was or where he lived?

Either way, William was proud of himself. He put her in her place, even if just for a moment. That was all Buffy had wanted.

He had to tell Buffy. William wanted to run to her, but knew she needed space. Too bad the space between them was killing him. He longed to touch her, taste her again. But space. If she did not have it, he might never have another chance.

It had been a long day. William went back inside his house and collapsed on his couch, exhausted.

……………………

Buffy did not know where was going. She just needed to drive somewhere: somewhere far away, though her confusion addled brain made it difficult to follow the signs on the road.

She needed guidance, but she had no one to turn to. She certainly could not count on any of her ‘friends’, her mother was away at an antique show in Paris and her father was gone. Buffy had never felt so alone in her life.

It seemed like everyone in high school was alone. It wasn’t like any of them could relate to their parents. Friends were dispensable, but were held onto for dear life. Everyone was afraid of falling from grace, being picked on, being the outcast. In the end, everyone was alone.

But it was supposed to come together at some point, right? That cathartic moment in which all the pieces fell into place? If it was shown so much in books and movies and songs, how could it not be possible in reality? No matter how unlikely or how scattered the chips fell, every moment in your life leads up to some great happenstance. Buffy wanted desperately to see the light at the end of that tunnel, but all she could see was grey.

First, there was Dru who made her life a living hell. For so long, Buffy blamed herself for Xander and Angel. But William made her see that it was Dru all along. She did not want to admit it, but he was right: Buffy was a puppet and allowed Dru to pull the strings. That, at least, was her fault. She let it happen.

And for what? Fear of ostracism from a group that was looking less and less appealing by the day? Fear of being picked on, just like every other kid, minus her circle of friends. She just had to stand up for herself. Buffy had to stop running and face her problems.

Yet, her conclusion did not make it any less petrifying.

And then, there was William. He was sweet and wonderful and not at all like she thought. He was gorgeous from his electric blue eyes to his taught, alabaster skin… The more she thought about him, the more she wondered how deep her feelings went for the boy.

His father mentioned him loving and wanting her. Was it true? At the time, she had brushed it aside as the ramblings of an obviously disturbed man. But now, it all was cloudy. William had not looked enthusiastic exactly when his father mentioned the details, so maybe it was all in her head.

But what if it wasn’t. What if he really did have feelings for her that went beyond friendship? Looking back upon the last few days she noticed certain telling comments and expressions that gave support to the idea.

Buffy had kept herself at a distance from William in an attempt to go through with the plan sans emotional attachment to the subject. It occurred to her that the events in question happened ridiculously quickly. Why did she feel the need to start right away with him? Maybe if she had spent time planning the attack better, her little scheme may have made more sense in the realm of cause and effect.

It was all his fault. He made her feel for him with no proof of him feeling the same way. She was full of him. He was always on her mind when they were apart. She wanted to spend time with him. And when they made out earlier, Buffy was just as willing as he was.

And then it occurred to her that she had been willing. She wanted it and she wanted him. Buffy swerved the car around and sped to William’s house. Halfway there, however, she realized that he needed some space from her. So she would give him all the space he needed.

For now, anyway.

Two weeks passed without change.

William tried to acclimate into his studies and life at Sunnydale High. Surprisingly, the student body was suddenly very welcoming, specifically the female population. While this may have made him exceedingly happy back in London, it only depressed him now. After his appearance change, girls suddenly flocked to him; they waited at his locker, tried finding him after school and giggled when he passed in the hallways.

His new ‘badass’ persona had the teen girls swooning and the teachers nervous. They now expected him to be like every thug that every flunked out. It astonished William how much an environment could change after so short a period of time.

After their spout, Dru refused to speak to or even look at William. While she made it clear to her cronies he was still a geek, truthfully Dru was scared of him. No one ever stood up to her. No one. If they did, she would ruin their reputations. But there was only so much she could do and William was not the typical student.

Firstly, he wouldn’t give a damn if his reputation changed. No one would tease him or bother him now because he looked like a kid you did not want to mess with. While he made several friends in his classes, none were close enough to him to be worth stealing. Besides, if she even attempted to ruin him, Dru knew that he would physically hurt her. He wouldn’t hesitate.

However, Dru was not going to give up so easily. William may have won the battle, but he knew nothing of the lengths she would go to bring an enemy down. Dru did not have the entire population of Sunnydale High on their toes for nothing.

Buffy, on the other hand, isolated herself. Her former friends meant nothing to her, especially Dru, who was not speaking to her anyway. Also, William and Buffy had not conversed since the emotional upheaval in his front yard.

Buffy tried calling her parents after the event for much needed sagacity, but her mother could not talk for very long and her father was nowhere to be found. She wondered when her life had taken such a complete turn.

William and Buffy wanted each other. Despite the attention he suddenly received, Buffy was the only one who meant anything. Some of the cackling hyenas started noticing him staring at Buffy. Whenever she caught William in the act, he would turn away and ignore her completely.

They were giving each other space. And it was killing them both.

Mrs. Wilcox’s class was the worst. Sitting next to one another, they could feel the electricity crackling between them. The longing to touch was unbearable. It was so excruciating, in fact, that both of them received straight D’s in the class. Because they spent so much time focusing, they didn’t hear a word she said. The dismal contents of the lectures did not make it any easier.

Sadly, the period of time sitting next to him was the best of Buffy’s day. Every other activity left her apathetic. It was now clear to her how she felt about him and her feelings only grew from there.

Unfortunately, neither William nor Buffy could get their heads out of their asses long enough to realize that they were in love.

……………………

William had had enough. Space between them be damned. He could no longer handle the separation anxiety that seemed to increase exponentially by the day. How much time could she possibly need to sort things out? Buffy wanted him; that much he knew.

And that was enough for him at that point.

Thoughts running wildly through his mind, William ran to catch up with Buffy when school ended one day. She was still quite a few feet away from her car.

“Buffy! BUFFY!” he yelled as he tried to grab her attention. It worked because she, along with several other students in the crowd walking in the parking lot, turned in surprise.

“William… How have you been?” she smiled shyly, trying her best to look nonchalant. Buffy did not want her hopes up too high.

She nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear; William’s fingers itched to caress her cheek. He finally reached her, panting heavily from running around the school to find her.

“Fine,” he breathed. “You?”

“Fine! I have been fine… also, I guess. I haven’t seen you around much lately. Well, of course minus English because you know, we sit together and everything. I mean next to each other! We sit next to…” Buffy stopped when she saw William chuckle. “What?”

“You are adorable when you ramble, do you know that?” he smiled and laughed lightly. Buffy’s smile made her glow and William could have sworn his heart fluttered.

“So… what’s up?” she asked hesitantly, worried that he had decided he’d rather be alone.

“Ok, here it goes… god, I’m such a jerk. I can’t do this,” he stated pathetically.

“William, please.”

“Alright, I know I am supposed to leave you alone and give you space, but I just can’t take any more of this. I need to be with you. Now, I don’t know how you feel about me but I’m putting everything out on the line. I really like you Buffy and I think that if you gave me the chance, I could make you happy. To sum up, Buffy, would you go out with me?”

About a minute of silence passed, but it felt like a year. “Now might be a good time to respond, luv.” While William exuded confidence, his nerves racked through his body like electrical shocks.

“No more space, then?” she queried.

“No more space. It’s… it’s just too much, Buffy. I know we both have issues with the circumstances and there is a lot to work through, but the truth is tha-“ Buffy grabbed him hard and smashed her mouth against his.

She hoped he could feel her overwhelming happiness and relief through the kiss. William wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. He could not get enough of her. Running his fingers through her golden locks, he tasted her. She was his goddess. “Buffy…” he said hoarsely.

Buffy looked into his eyes, black with desire, and kissed him again. She had someone to talk to, once more. He did not know it, but he was the only one she cared about because he cared for her in return.

The two stopped when they heard the snickers, sighs and ‘get a room’s of the crowd of immature students surrounding them. They looked at the ground slightly embarrassed, but too ecstatic to care.

“So, you’ll go out with me then?”

“Yes,” she giggled. “I’ll go out with you. Sheesh.” Buffy grinned at the goofy expression on William’s face.

“How is Friday night? My house? We could watch a movie or something. Or-or we could go out! Anywhere you want.”

“Calm down!” she laughed harder. “Wow, I didn’t expect you to plan something like that one day in advance.”

“Well I do not want to let you go anytime soon, and what better time than the present to get started. Come on Buffy. We’ve dealt with some crazy stuff recently and we deserve some fun.”

“Then fun shall be had, kind sir,” she teased as she bowed emphatically.

“Great! Come over at seven?” William could barely stand still.

“I will be there.”

Their lips met for just a moment, and then they parted. The second her back was turned he jumped up silently screaming ‘YES!’ with a power fist in the air. Buffy practically skipped to her car. Neither of them could wait for tomorrow.

Unfortunately, they did notice furious Dru amongst the crowd, inwardly planning to take them both down once and for all.

Why he thought he was dying before, he did not know. Nothing during their separation compared to the never ending hours that lead to Friday night.

William sat beside his bed staring into space. He looked at the clock for the fiftieth time that hour; it was 6:15pm, exactly a minute after the last time. He needed to find something to do and fast because he seriously considered walking to Buffy’s house, even if just to stand outside it.

Since school ended, he cleaned up the tornado that was his room. Of course, it was not the same mess from two weeks prior. That particular disaster had a massive overhaul of its own. William was embarrassed by his overreaction on that day. He did not mean for Buffy to hear or even see that side of him so soon. Yet, it might be better for them in the long run if she knew upfront.

Since ‘the day’, Rupert constantly hid in the basement, which slowly turned into his home office. They had not spoken more than a few phrases here and there to one another. Both confused and still angry, the Giles men could hold a grudge as long as it took to sort out.

He searched his room for an anecdote for his impatience. William then saw his guitar, beckoning him from a heavily shaded corner. Chuckling about its new name, he crawled over just enough to reach Spike’s neck and brought it back to his position from earlier.

Sitting it on his lap, William brushed his hand over the polished mahogany. He said he was not great when Buffy asked if he played He did not feel particularly remarkable at playing the instrument, contrary to his friends’ opinions back in London.

When things got tough for him, too tough to deal with, William played his guitar and sang his songs on street corners, in pubs, or anywhere else that would take him. He never used to leave home without it. Spike there had seen some gloomy days indeed. Lately, however, the need to play did not even cross his mind. It seemed like more energy than he could muster or he forgot it was there at all.

But now that it lay on his lap, the familiar and indescribable emotion washed over him, purifying him. William cracked his knuckles before he placed his calloused fingertips on the habitual chords, but let his hand fall moments later.

William did not want to play the songs he knew by heart, but rather the song his heart sang when with Buffy. Giving his fingers free reign, he strummed out the passion that filled up his chest and lungs with her. He recalled her scent, her dazzling smile, the giggle that did him in every time, and tried to capture her in the melody.

……………………

Rupert stood behind his door, simultaneously overjoyed and melancholic by the sounds of his sons’ particular gift. The melody of the song overwhelmed him. And while he was proud of William, he wished he could play without the engulfing promise of pain or pessimism going along with it.

He debated interrupting him with the news, but instead walked away. He needed William in a good mood when Rupert told him.

It could wait another hour. Or two. Three was the absolute most.

……………………

Buffy was not a patient girl. Yes, the situation between her and William finally began moving along again, although more quickly than perhaps would have been advised. William came to her! That thought throbbed everywhere. HE wanted her. HE could not handle being alone anymore.

HE did not want Dru. That made her smile.

She went to her closet to pick an outfit for the next night. Buffy went from rack to rack in search for something that said, “I am comfy and sexy, and I didn’t try too hard picking this out, but I actually did try for you…” It was a complicated process.

At first, Buffy went for a hot pink, low-cut sparkly halter-top and brown leather pants. Discarding it for being a little too much for the occasion, she next went for black, form-fitting sweat pants and a long-sleeve, red button-up. She discarded it as well because it looked like she didn’t try at all. Third time was a charm: a pale blue sundress that was hemmed just above her knees with spaghetti straps and a v-cut neckline.

She prayed William would like it. The girl glared at the clock for the millionth time because it was only 6:30pm, and barely any closer to their date.

Buffy scavenged for something to occupy her time.

……………………

8:30pm

It was now or never. Rupert Giles never knew what to expect from his emotional son. However, he would be shocked if William was happy for him. He knocked on his door expecting the worse. The melody stopped and he heard a muffled, “Come in” from inside. Now or never, he repeated inwardly.

“William, we need to talk,” he spoke as calmly as possible, hoping his nerves would not betray him. He wasn’t afraid of his son; he was afraid of William’s emotional fluctuations becoming too drastic for him to handle. Rupert put him through a lot through the last few years and no one knew it better than him. He felt the regret, the unsaid apologies, and the self-loathing course through his veins every morning and night. Every time he looked at William, the boy seemed more broken and it was all his fault. That was why he needed to explain this carefully, without getting into a fray.

Rupert began to consider alternatives; anything other than saying what he was about to say. William’s quizzical and impatient expression brought him back. “Right…” Rupert held back the urge to clean his glasses, which was a nervous habit, but, his boy needed to know how strong he felt about it. “William, I have something to tell you and I want you to listen to me until I finish, ok?” He nodded hesitantly.

“Tomorrow night, I am going on a date…”

“Wait, what?!”

……………………

Buffy was singing loudly along with her stereo.

I would swallow my pride,
I would choke on the rinds,
But the lack thereof would leave me empty inside,
Swallow my doubt
Turn it inside out
Find nothing but faith in nothing.
Want to put my tender heart in a blender,
Watch it spin 'round into a beautiful oblivion.
Rendezvous, then I'm through, now I’m through with-

“Mom?” Suddenly, Joyce Summers stood in her doorframe. “Mom!!” Buffy ran and hugged her. “I have missed you so much.” Joyce kissed her forehead lovingly.

“I have missed you too! Oh, life has been so tragically dull without you.” She held Buffy closer, then pulled away slightly. “Honey, I don’t want to bombard you but we need to talk about-“

“Wait,” she interrupted. “I just want to bask.” Buffy smiled joyfully and watched her mother smile down at her. “Ok, I’m done basking. What are you doing here?! I thought you needed to be in Paris until the end of the month!”

“Well, this is what I needed to talk to you about. Come darling, sit with me.” Joyce led her to the bed and held her hand.

“It’s not something bad is it?”

“No, nothing bad sweetie. It is wonderful news. I am engaged!” Buffy’s jaw dropped.

……………………

“What do you mean you have a date?” William voice cracked in distress.

“I mean what I just said. I have a date, her name is-“

“What is wrong with you!” he said with clenched teeth.

“William, I am trying to explain this to you,” Rupert’s calm demeanor was wearing thin. “I have a date tomorrow night. She is a lovely woman. I think, if you could give her a chance, you would really like her.”

“How could you do this to Mom? How could you do it, again?”

“William, your mother left us! We are NOT together anymore! There is no chance of her coming back. It is better if you understand this now instead of waiting for a day that will never come.” Rupert suppressed the urge to throw and break something.

“No! No, y-you are betraying her and you are betraying me!” He tried to keep his tears at bay.

“I am not betraying anyone, William!”

“Stop saying my name like that!”

“Like what?”

“You were expecting me to react like this, weren’t you? You feel you have to deal with me, like it’s your stupid ass job!”

“No! I had no idea how you were going to react. You are like a ticking time bomb and I never have any idea what is going to set you off. It is just a date!” William glared daggers at his father.

“Oh! For God's sake! This is nonsense.” Rupert took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “William, unfortunately, this is not a discussion. I came to tell you in advance what was going to happen, I do not need your permission. I am the adult in this dyadic nonsense.” With that said, he turned around. “Life is difficult enough, William. You don’t have to make it harder for yourself,” he finished quietly as he shut the door behind him.

William was dumbstruck. His father, Rupert Giles, on a date? He was probably right about overreacting, but how did he expect this to turn out?

He did not make life harder on himself… did he?

……………………

The stereo continued to blast as Buffy stood in silent chock. “E-engaged? Since when?”

“Well, when I was in Paris I had my weekends free. One weekend, a couple friends and I decided to go to London. Oh, it was beautiful Buffy! I really must take you there. Anyway, I was wandering around the city when I bumped into this bumbling man. At first, I thought he was rude, but he was just so adorable trying to stuff his groceries back into the bag. Long story short, we have been dating for almost four months and he asked me to marry him! And I know, it is so soon. But we are in love! I just cannot pass it up!” Buffy never saw Joyce look so happy in her entire life. She did not want to ruin it for her.

“What about Dad? Won’t it be bad for his career if you up and marry someone else?” Joyce pouted.

“What about him? I am not allowed to fall in love with anyone because he says so? We haven’t been together for years and he knows it!” She was speaking more to herself than to Buffy.

“Well, are you going to get a divorce then?

“I… I really don’t know. I mean, I will have to eventually.”

“I think,” she wanted to support her. “I think it is a great idea.”

“Really? You really think so?”

“Yes. I think you deserve some happiness.” Joyce jumped up and hugged her daughter.

“Thank you so much darling, your approval means everything to me. And don’t you worry about a thing. Everything is going to be perfect.”

Although she had a smile plastered on her face, she somehow doubted it.

“Oh! I almost forgot! If we get married, you are going to have a new step-brother! He’s your age, I think.” Suddenly, everything clicked: London, the bumbling man… Buffy prayed it was not who she thought it was.

“What’s his name?”

“Hmm?”

“The guy, the one you are engaged to. What’s his name?” Buffy crossed her fingers, but she was almost positive that it was-

“George Aurelius. You know, Angel’s father?”

Oh crap.

School on Friday came and went without a hitch. While William and Buffy suffered the distress of their parents’ news, they decided not to bring it up. Neither knew of the other’s misfortunes and they both wanted a first date without family drama.

In English, William confirmed their plans for the night. Buffy smiled, but she could not ignore her troubles for long. True, she did not want to share information that wasn’t necessary, but it mauled her mind.

Joyce was engaged to Angel’s father? How could it happen? The one boy she could not stand to be around would soon carry the title of her stepbrother. She wondered if he knew.

Buffy tried to push the promise of impending doom away for the time being. She had bigger problems like worrying about the date, for example. She was excited, but nervous about ruining things again. Buffy didn’t know why, but its seemed like something always happened to tear them apart. Even when they weren’t together, forces of the world wanted them to suffer if they were to stay a couple.

But Buffy was not afraid of a challenge. If something happened again, they would deal with it. She was so sick of either running the other way or buying into every naïveté someone like Dru created. She was not afraid anymore because she believed in William. He cared for her and she cared for him. They would protect one another. Hopefully it was enough because Buffy could feel something coming.

That ‘something’ was most likely Angel, considering his new position in her life, but she wanted to dwell on her gorgeous man candy instead. Buffy saw girls her age and older stare longingly at William and she had the urge to stick out her tongue at them. Sort of the ‘na nana na na’ approach. He was hers. Buffy surprised herself with a new feeling of possessiveness over him. She figured it was a good thing.

……………………

Final jeopardy. William sat impatiently in his living room, waiting for the three hours to pass until Buffy arrived. His leg jack-hammered on the wooden floor until dust below the couch flew into the air, clearly displaying beams of sunlight from outside the window. He stood up and paced. Three hours left.

William could not deal with the waiting. Why did he make it seven o’clock? Why didn’t he tell her to come around four or some time closer to the end of the school day? Then again, it gave him time to prepare for her arrival.

He had no clue what to prepare, though. William didn’t know what kind of movies she liked, or what food she would eat. He considered calling her to ask, but he did not want to seem too eager. Scaring her away was the last thing he wanted. He sat back down.

William hated second-guessing himself, but it was something he could not quiet since his mother left. He was constantly afraid of ruining everything good that happened to him, and now he was on the verge of a panic attack over Buffy.

Still, he realized he knew very little about Buffy. He knew she loved the color pink, apparently Alternative Scottish Rock bands and general musicians, hated Taco Bell and all things fast food, and he knew that she had a wealthy family. He had never seen either of Buffy’s parents, and she barely ever talked about them so he guessed they weren’t around much. William wondered if he would rather have that family dynamic than his own.

Giles came into the living room to announce his leaving with a tilt of his head. His son, while perturbed over the ordeal, nodded his head. Neither said anything, but a world of words surrounded them. Rupert stared at his son, unsure of his next action, then nodded. He did not want to get into another fight if he could help it. One day he and William would have a conversation over the events that tore them apart, but that was far off. He shut the door behind him on the way out.

……………………

7:03pm

William did not know which way was up. He didn’t know so many emotions could exist in one person at a time. He was nervous for making the right impression, angry with her because she was late, frustrated with himself because it was only by three minutes, distressed over his father and his date, happy at the prospect of finally being with Buffy, and overwhelmed with his newfound luck. It was a lot to take in.

He heard a car scratch against the gravel of the driveway. William’s heart beat faster, if possible, and then slowed when he saw Buffy gracefully walk toward the front door. He checked his hair in the mirror. He smiled a little remembering how babyish he acted when they bleached it.

The doorbell rang. William took a deep breath, let it out and opened the door to find Buffy doing the same. They both smiled.

“Come in,” he said lightly.

“Thanks.” Buffy giggled and William’s nervousness fell away. They stood in the hallway awkwardly, not saying anything. “So…”

“Oh! I have something to show you.” William took her hand and made his way up the stairs. Buffy felt like a little kid playing an imaginary game where William was the Prince, ready to save her from the infamous tower and dragon. He pulled on a string attached to the ceiling and brought down a set of stairs that assumedly led to the attic. When he reached the second step, she let go of his hand.

“You ok, luv?”

“Yeah! I’m fine… I’m just kind of creeped out by attics.” She nervously tucked a lock or hair behind her ear and looked sideways sheepishly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the monsters,” he said with a wink. He held out his hand and she took it. When they reached the top, he lifted the door back up and locked it. Buffy turned around.

“Wow! Did you do this?” she exclaimed. William nodded and scratched the back of his head in the same sheepish style as Buffy had earlier. “This is amazing!”

It appeared William had been busy. An enormous, white screen covered up an entire wall, facing a projector hooked up in the back of the room. Three red couches semi-circled around it. Movie and band posters littered the newly painted blood red walls. The floor was covered in a thick, black carpet that hugged Buffy’s toes when she took her shoes off.

The ceiling was the most remarkable part of the room. Buffy’s breath caught in her throat as she stared in wonder at the intricately painted night sky. The stars glimmered and the moon’s face looked upon the couches. The planets, obviously not in their actual placement or size, glowed with deep oranges and blues, reds and greens. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

“Did… did you paint this?” she whispered disbelievingly.

“Yeah. I sort of took the idea from you… but I expanded it a little.”

“I didn’t know you could paint! William, oh William this is beautiful, really!” Buffy gave him dazzling smile that had him reeling.

“I’m glad you like it, pet.” He paused, and then decided to continue against his better judgment. “I figured, you know, if it gets cold or its cloudy you could always come over and watch the stars with me. If you wanted to…”

“I’d like that.” Buffy took a step closer to him. “So… what do you want to do now?” she spoke coyly.

“Whatever you want, luv,” he spoke hoarsely, staring at her luscious lips and wanting nothing more than to kiss her senseless. She was flush against him now, toying with the buttons of his shirt. He fought the urge to shudder.

“Ooh, whatever I want?” Buffy stroked her hand up his thigh. “You sure about that?”

“Um, y-yes. Y-your choice pet.” William could barely comprehend words at that point.

“Hmm, let’s see… And you’ll do anything I want?”

“Anything,” his eyes were black with desire. Buffy almost reached the zipper of his jeans, but then dropped her hand to her side. She lifted onto her toes and whispered in his ear.

“I want,” she licked the shell of his ear, “you to play a song for me on your guitar.”

“Huh?”

“I said I want you to play me something.” Buffy stepped back and smiled, pleased with herself for causing William’s confusion. Meanwhile, he stood there dumbstruck, trying to recover from the erotic force that was Buffy Summers. That girl would be the death of him.

“I don’t know… I-“

“But you said you would do whatever I wanted.” Buffy pouted. William resisted the urge to kiss her senseless. He was doing an amazing job keeping his libido in check bearing in mind the considerable pain it took him not to touch her. Buffy saw his guitar leaning against the back corner of the attic. “Here.” She handed him the instrument. “I promise not to judge. I just want to hear you play. Please?” She batted her eyelashes provocatively.

“Right, ok. What do you want to hear?” William accepted his fate and sat down. For some reason, he did not want to play for Buffy. He used to sing his songs to all of his friends, his dad even, but Buffy… William was terrified of not being impressive.

“Do you write your own stuff?” Buffy asked as she lay on the floor next to him.

“Yes, but my songs aren’t that great…”

“William, ugh, just play!” she replied incredulously. When she saw him comply, she rolled onto her stomach, leaned her head on her propped up hands, and lightly kicked her legs back and forth.

“Ok, here it goes. Just promise not to laugh.” Buffy drew an imaginary X over her heart. Then, he began.

Woke up and wished that I was dead
With an aching in my head
I lay motionless in bed
I thought of you and where you'd gone
And let the world spin madly on

Everything that I said I'd do
Like make the world brand new
And take the time for you
I just got lost and slept right through the dawn
And the world spins madly on

Buffy was astounded. He was so raw and passionate when he sang. The William she knew went back and forth between confident and hesitant, but this William… this was an entirely new person. With every word, Buffy heard the ache he must have felt when he wrote it.

I let the day go by
I always say goodbye
I watch the stars from my windowsill
The whole world is moving and I'm standing still

Woke up and wished that I was dead
With an aching in my head
I lay motionless in bed
The night is here and the day is gone
And the world spins madly on

I thought of you and where you'd gone
And the world spins madly on.

Neither said anything. William looked down at the carpet, suddenly adopting the mood that went along with the song. Buffy stared at him in wonder and awe. She wanted to ask what it was about, but she could not find the words. Buffy gradually sat up, crawled to him and kissed him lightly.

It was unexpected to say the least, but William wasn’t complaining. He licked her bottom lip and sucked on it gently and Buffy responded with a soft moan. He ran his fingers through her hair, and without warning, it wasn’t enough. He applied more pressure and brought her closer to him.

William was frantic. With one hand, he moved the guitar out of the way and lifted her into his lap with the other. His kisses were growing desperate and urgent; he felt his self-control failing, but didn’t care. All he knew was that he wanted her, and he could tell by her responses that she wanted him just as much. However, William did not want to rush her. Experience clarified that acting on impulse rarely worked in their favor.

He tried to slow down. He really did. But he could not stop touching her, kissing her; she was like a drug and he couldn’t get enough.

William rolled them over until he was on top. He kissed and nipped down her neck to her collarbone, then grazed his teeth on her shoulder. Lying between her thighs, his hips involuntarily rolled against her, seeking relief from the pressure she built up with her coy smiles and her teasing from earlier.

Oh, how he wanted her.

He gazed at her from above, his eyes dark with desire, but just as quickly kissed her again. He could not take the distance from her supple body.

“Take off your shirt,” Buffy said between pants. William thought himself a stud until this point, but no matter how he fiddled with his buttons, he could not pry them loose without looking. But looking meant time away from her and that was unacceptable. Seeing his reluctance, Buffy giggled and unbuttoned it for him. She then lifted the bottom shirt over his head.

William appeared to be cut out of stone; his alabaster skin glowed in the soft light, shading his musculature in grandeur. Buffy ran her nails down his chest lightly and licked and bit his nipple. He could not stop the elicit moan that erupted from his chest, nor the growl that followed as he playfully pinned her to the ground.

Holding her hands down above her head, William attacked her lips with a primal need. She gave in completely, surrendering to his incredibly sexy dominance. Buffy could feel what he felt: a wanton need that went beyond anything she had ever known. If she did not have him soon, she would die. Overcome with a stroke of possessiveness, Buffy moved out of his grasp to take her dress off.

William immediately turned his attention to her newly exposed skin. He peppered kisses around her soft belly, purposefully missing her breasts. He stroked his fingers around her bra until he felt both pebble under his touch. Rubbing smooth circles over the cloth, William made his way down to her panties.

He licked a small line from hipbone to hipbone, resulting in a deep, throated groan. William wrapped his fingers around her waistband. He tongued his way back to her jaw line, then to the cartilage of her ear.

“Can I?” he whispered. She nodded frantically; Buffy, however, did not understand the question.

William slid down her body and little by little brought her lacy underwear down her legs. He spread apart her silky thighs and stared directly at her womanhood. When he moved his head closer, Buffy pushed him away.

“I have to taste you, luv. Please, let me?” He lifted his head slightly to see a response, but Buffy just stared at him blankly. And when he moved closer again, she pushed him away again. “You don’t want me to?” he kissed the inside of her thigh and gradually traveled higher.

“You… you want to?”

“God yes. I can make you feel so good, I promise.” Buffy still looked confused and nervous. “Come on baby, please let me do this for you? I promise, if you don’t like it I’ll stop.” He spoke sincerely, but was not completely sure he could.

“Um, ok then. If you wa- Oh!” he circled her clit with his tongue, not quite touching it. Licking up her warm, sweet crevice he could only think how she tasted like honey. Buffy unconsciously spread her legs wider and applied pressure to his head. Kissing her pussy as she lay there, wanton and desperate, purpled his cock in anticipation.

His mouth latched onto her clit, causing her to cry out in pleasure. His tongue eagerly lashed over it, waiting for her to orgasm. It was his first time trying this, but following his instincts seemed to work in his favor. He did not, however expect her to grind herself against his mouth with such strength. William tried to hold her down, but she seemed too lost in ecstasy to comply.

“Wait! William stop!” He immediately stopped and looked around alarmingly. But then she added, “I want to come when you’re inside me. Please William, oh god I want you so…” she rambled on for a bit, but in an effort to stall he focused his attention back on her sex, sucked hard on her clit and bit down gently. Buffy screamed and bucked wildly as his ministrations continued. Eventually she collapsed, well spent.

She laughed a little, but Buffy was so far gone it did not concern him. William felt his heart swell in masculine pride knowing that he was the reason for her current bliss. When she finally recovered, she opened her eyes lazily.

“Can we have sex now?” she pleaded, already knowing the answer.

“No Buffy. We can’t.” That wasn’t the answer she was expecting.

“What do you mean we can’t?” She sat up to face him. “You just gave me the greatest orgasm of my life, but you don’t want to have sex with me?” The pitch of her voice went higher as she finished.

“No, Buffy it’s not that, it’s… I…”

“What?!”

“I just don’t think we are ready for that. It isn’t you; I swear it’s not! It’s just…” William rubbed over his eyes trying to think of the best way to say what he needed to. “Buffy, I really like you. Like really, really like you. But things have gone so fast that I don’t think I can keep up. I don’t want you to feel pressured. One day soon, it will happen. Only… not today. Do you understand?”

“I get it. No, I’m sorry. I was pushing and-“

“No! Stop blaming yourself. I don’t regret anything we’ve done so far. Do you?”

“Of course I don’t…”

“Then, let’s just give this some time. We will get there I promise.”

“Ok William. I trust you.” Buffy sighed.

“So…” he began the conversation, “did you like the song? Buffy stared at William, who in turn looked straight back at her.

Then, they attacked each other. So much for conversation.

William couldn’t think; couldn’t breath. Her scent overwhelmed his senses, clouding his judgment. Somewhere deep within him, he knew it was a terrible idea to go any farther with Buffy. Even still, he was intoxicated and could not help himself.

“One of us has too many clothes on,” Buffy said between kisses. William stood up to slip out of his pants. She was surprised to see that he went commando. Then, Buffy saw his hardened member and widened her eyes at the size.

Buffy stood up as well and began to remove her bra until William was positioned flush against her. “No, let me do it,” he said, his voice husky with yearning. He moved the straps off of her shoulders and afterward attempted to undo the hooks. After several failures, Buffy giggled and gently moved his hands away to get rid of the offending garment.

The mood of the room abruptly changed. Both naked and vulnerable, they stared in wonder only to look at the floor in embarrassment. William glanced back at her and knew that was it. He strategically maneuvered Buffy to stand near the couch. He lifted her in his arms and tenderly placed her on it lying down.

He moved on top of her, but Buffy’s nervous expression made him stop. “Luv? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I just… I just thought you should know that I have never, you know, done this before.” Buffy did not once meet his eyes. While William was not expecting that due to her wanton demeanor and wildly erotic nature, part of him felt a relief he did not know he was missing. His realization was followed by a shuddering panic; he would be her first.

While he considered the news, his brows furrowed in concentration, Buffy tried to get up slowly. She believed he no longer wanted her or wanted the responsibility of taking her virginity. But William stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm.

“I am too.” She looked up at that.

“You are?” William’s shy reaction gave her the answer. “Oh…”

“Do you not want to…?”

“No, I… I do. Just…” she rambled.

“Just not with me.” William could not look her in the eye. He settled on the opposite side of the couch.

“No! I do, with you, I just… I don’t know. Maybe you were right. We should wait. It would be one thing if we had done this before, but I think it should be… I don’t know, special.”

While William agreed with her sentiment, he felt defeated from his closeness to having her completely then losing it in an instant. He wanted her so badly that his bones ached in their forced frigidity. Because he didn’t say anything and he looked absolutely crushed, Buffy scooted closer to William.

“Hey there,” she said as she tenderly lifted his chin; he met her eyes for a moment, but cast them down seconds later. “Listen to me. It will happen for us one day.” When he did not change his expression, Buffy continued. “William, look at me.” He did. “This is not your fault. And it is completely fine that you are a virgin. Honestly. We will get there when the time is right. Just know that I am not rejecting you. More like,” she giggled, “postponing it for a while.”

William laughed, feeling slightly better. He wasn’t angry with her for not giving it up, not even a little. He just wanted to hold her and keep her as his own. But Buffy was right: waiting would be the best course of action. William nodded his head in agreement.

The next couple of minutes were awkward as they put their clothes back on. When they sat down, the silence consumed them. Buffy glanced at William, caught him doing the same; this caused him to blink away in hopes that she didn’t. He could practically taste the uncomfortable tenseness around them. And still, not a word was spoken.

Eventually, William stood up again and walked toward the back of the room. “So… do you want to watch a movie?” Buffy let go of the breath she was holding.

“God, yes.” He chuckled as she swirled around on the couch to face him.

“Ok, do you have a genre in mind?”

“I don’t know. What do you have?”

“Anything you want, pet.” Buffy noticed the startlingly large case of DVDs he stood in front of.

“Wow, I didn’t realize you had so many! Where did you get all of these?” Buffy followed his example and made her way to the glass-door cabinet. After running her finger across the titles for a couple of minutes, it finally landed on The Lion King. William couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “What?” she pouted. “I like the Lion King!” Buffy crossed her arms in childish annoyance.

“No! I didn’t mean,” he couldn’t help laughing at her stance. “I like it too, I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t own it. I’m kind of surprised you chose that one over all the rest. I think the movies people choose to watch tell a lot about them. I was not expecting The Lion King, of all things. He smiled, “I should have known.” Buffy, who only a moment ago found good humor, threw her arms to her sides.

“What should you have known? What is that supposed to mean?” She was compelled to re-cross her arms because that was the only other posture of defiance she found affective. He grinned adorably.

“I mean you are incredibly unpredictable. It’s one of the things I love best about you.” Nearing the end of the statement he grew quiet, but his smile still stayed on. Buffy giggled.

“Oh! Thanks.” Subsequent to taking out the movie, William led Buffy back to the couch with his hand on the small of her back. Sadly, that contact alone sent shocks through his system and was agonizing to ignore. He moved his hand away as she sat back down, then went to put the DVD into the player. “By the way, I really loved your song.” He turned back around, movie still in hand.

“You did?”

“Yeah, a lot! It was like… you were just so passionate. When you started to play, it seemed like you were Spike, like it was playing you instead of the other way around. The melody keeps swirling and buzzing in my head.” Buffy closed her eyes and hummed a bit of the tune. “It was beautiful, really. I can’t believe you thought you couldn’t play that well.” William decided to tease her a bit.

“So, what you’re really trying to say is that Spike is a better guitarist than I?” Buffy got it.

“Exactly. In fact, you should just leave the guitar with me. William is so out, and Spike,” she pretended to swoon with a hand on her forehead and fell lying down on the couch, “he’s so in!” The two looked and one another and couldn’t stop laughing.

“Or maybe, I am Spike and I’m playing William. Or, wait… now I’m confused.” They continued their hysterical interlude until William had the ab strength to put the DVD in. He went to join Buffy on the couch and put his arm around her. She snuggled next to him before looking at the clock.

“Woah, it’s that late?” she said.

“11:15pm? When did that happen?” William responded as Buffy yawned. “Maybe I should drive you home.”

“No! No, I don’t have a curfew and I’m having fun.” She cuddled closer and William wrapped his arm tighter around. While the title screen came up, he commented.

“You do know this is based on Hamlet, right?” Buffy stared at him in wonder.

“Really? How?”

“Well, it’s really a loose interpretation but Simba is Hamlet, his father dies, the kingdom is taken over by his uncle, the ghost of his father comes back to guide him. I mean, Timon and Pumba are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, minus the death part.”

“Wow. That’s so cool! Disney is fantastic.” He nodded his head in agreement, and pressed play.

They were asleep by the English in The Circle of Life.

……………………

At 2:17am, Rupert returned home from his date. He regretted not kissing her on her front porch, but decided to go through with it next time. He went up the stairs to check on William, but he was not there.

He heard obnoxious songs from the attic and pulled down the chord that let him up there. When he reached the top of those stairs, he saw William and Buffy snuggling on the couch while some ghastly cartoon blasted on the giant screen.

Rupert was touched by the sight of them. Although he certainly was not fond of the girl who caused William’s breakdown a few weeks prior, he was proud of his son for finding someone he could be with. He genuinely smiled.

Not wanting to wake them, Rupert left to walk down the stairs. Unfortunately, he noticed a lacy, purple scrap of material lying beside the sofa.

Rupert did not want to know. Perhaps he would speak to William later and have the father son chat they never had. But for now, he didn’t want to know a thing.

At the bottom of the stairs, he pulled the chord back up and cleaned his glasses as he puttered to his room.

On Saturday morning, the lovebirds awoke to the small slant of light coming from the attic window. William was surprised that they slept through the movie, especially when it blasted in surround sound. Buffy yawned prettily as she stood and stretched her arms above her head.

“Good morning,” she yawned again.

“Morning, luv. Did you sleep well?”

“I think so. You were all comfy.” She giggled and he went up to kiss her. William stroked her cheek and she batted her eyes and leaned into his touch. “I’m still sleepy though,” she cooed.

William looked at the clock. “I would think so, pet. We slept for almost twelve and a half hours.” Buffy swerved her head around in surprise.

“Oh crap!” she smacked her forehead. “My mom’s in town and I didn’t even come home, or call or… damn it!” Buffy ran and bounced around the room as she tried to force her feet into them. It was perhaps the most adorable sight William ever witnessed. He struggled not to laugh. He pushed the door open below him and she practically bolted down.

He slowly followed her to the front door where she stood with her arms painfully crossed and her foot tapping wildly in annoyance. Giving up on waiting, Buffy ran to him halfway down the main staircase and kissed him lightly. Just as quickly, the girl flew down the stairs again and out the door. He heard the gravel in the driveway give a little as she screeched away.

While William hoped she didn’t get in too much trouble, he could barely breath with happiness. He fondly watched after her, but inside he was spinning.

It didn’t matter in the least that he and Buffy did not go all the way. In fact, he was glad they waited. It would give him more time to prepare. While he could not believe she still had her virginity, he was happy because of it. Just the thought of any man other than himself having her like that set his blood aflame. But William wanted it to be special for her. It was definitely something to think about.

After a few minutes, he turned around to retreat to his room. An irritated Rupert towered above him and blocked his way.

“We need to talk.”

……………………

Buffy wasn’t used to the presence of parental authority in her house. She normally did whatever she wanted, and because she never got into any trouble, her parents generally stayed away. They trusted her. Well, her mother did anyway.

It suddenly occurred to her that with the possible upcoming nuptials, she might never have the same freedom again. And being related to Angel? What would that be like? Buffy never met his father considering they only had two dates. She had no clue what kind of man he was. She did trust her mother’s judgment, however, and if Joyce and George were in love like she said they were, then everything would be fine.

This was true of course as long as her father took the news well. She shuddered to think of the power he had over them, financially and politically. While she doubted Hank Summer’s would stand in the way of his wife’s happiness and that he would hurt them in any way, Buffy also did not know him very well.

She drove into the large circle of blacktop as quietly as possible. The sight of her mother’s shiny red convertible near the unused garage made her nervous. Buffy really did not know what to expect; the last time Joyce Summer’s was home long enough to care if she was out all night was when she was twelve and had no means to do so.

Buffy opened and closed the front door, then tiptoed to her room. Joyce was waiting for her there.

“Where have you been?” Joyce huffed angrily.

“Out with William.” Buffy wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do, so she continued to stand awkwardly in the doorframe.

“And who is William?”

“He’s my boyfriend. But it’s totally new and everything, so…”

“And you stayed out all night with a boy you hardly know?!” Joyce thrust herself up.

“I know him!” Buffy was suddenly furious in defense of William. “And where do you get off yelling at me? You’re always gone! What, suddenly you’re back and you expect me to adhere to rules you never made?” Her mother looked down. “Yeah, that’s right. And what about this engagement, huh? You didn’t even think of Dad or how this would affect my life, did you? You didn’t even tell me you were dating anybody!” Buffy was getting flustered.

“Buffy, you have no right to speak with me this way. I am your mother and I expect you-“

“Oh shut up!” she sing-songed. “You may be my mother, but you never mothered me. All of this, the house, the car, the clothes… it’s just stuff. It doesn’t make up for the waiting, day after day, for someone to stand up and be a parent for once.” The tears welled in her eyes as she poured out her long-pent up frustration. “I never once asked you to do anything for me. Not once. And I did it because I thought that you’d…” She couldn’t find a way to finish her speech as she collapsed to the floor crying. Joyce bent down and pat Buffy’s shoulder awkwardly, not knowing exactly how to comfort her daughter.

“Buffy, sweetie, it’s all going to change now! Your father and I will work this all out and now I will get to stay here with you permanently.” She smiled.

“What, so now you have a reason to stay? I wasn’t reason enough, mom?” Buffy glared at her with bloodshot eyes and Joyce’s smile fell.

“Honey, it isn’t like that. I had work and friends to visit and-“

“Things to do that were more important than spending time with me.” Buffy stood up defiantly. Seeing the hurt on her mother’s face, she softened a bit, even though it was the point to her tirade. “Look, I know there were other factors and I accepted that a long time ago.” However, a new burst of rage blew through her, thinking of the many lonely hours wishing for her mother to come back to her. “But it doesn’t make you any less of a bitch for what you did to me! I had no one! No guidance, no protection, no one to say, ‘it’s ok, Buffy. Everything will be alright, Buffy.’ Can you imagine what that’s like? You know what? Get out. Get out of my room, get out of this house, get out of my life!” As her mother ashamedly turned and walked out, Buffy shouted, “It’s too damn late for you to care!” Joyce looked back at her for a moment, then shook her head and continued to walk down the hallway.

Buffy angrily slammed the door, jumped up in down while clenching her fists and growling at no one. For all of her yelling and pointing out of her mother’s failings, she honestly felt bad for coming down on her like that. Also, by lecturing she made her mother leave. Again. Buffy was alone once more.

……………………

William was worried, to say the least because his father peered at him through slitted, suspicious eyes. “What about?”

“I think you know what about, young man,” he said.

“Buffy?”

“Buffy.”

“What about her?” William clenched his teeth, ready for any insult his father might provide. While he hoped Rupert had something nice to say about her, both his past ‘concerns’ and his current expression proved otherwise.

“I just hope you know what you are getting yourself into.” He brushed past Rupert, not willing to fight.

“William?” he begged causing him to turn back around. “Please, just… please just listen to me. I’m tired of fighting and running around in circles. Can we just have a conversation, you and I?” The honesty in his fathers’ voice both saddened and terrified him. Nonetheless, he nodded in staccato and sat on the living room couch. Rupert sat opposite him on another.

“Alright, now hear me out and no interrupting. Last night, I saw you with Buffy.” William opened his mouth to defend himself, but Rupert simply lifted his hand gesturing for him to stop. “Please, just listen. Last night, I saw you with Buffy. Now, I don’t know what happened between you two and I don’t want to. I want to make sure, however, that you know what you are getting into.

“This is the same girl who caused your breakdown?” William stared at the ground, listening against his will. “And yet you went back to her. I am not judging you nor am I telling you what to do, I just think you ought to, well, think about what this girl is worth. She obviously means a lot to you and as far as I can tell it is mutual, but your moods lately... you're up, you're down and it changes so quickly that I can’t keep up anymore. We fight all of the time, you know just as well as I. The fact that I’m speaking to you now in this manner is a complete mystery to me. But I wonder if she the reason. What is she doing, how is she changing you? And is it a change you want?

“I have seen you change your appearance over the last few weeks and that is natural for boys your age. But is she changing you as a person? Is the William she likes the same William that you are? I know you two have been… intimate… and again, I don’t want to know. But I do know that when you put your heart into something, that’s it. I just don’t want you to do that with this girl only to have her splatter it across the floor. How much do you really know about her? Is she reliable? I’m not trying to keep you two apart; I’m not. But please promise me you won’t see her, at least for tonight, and think about what I said. And then, if you still want to be with her, you have my full support.”

Both were silent for a time. Eventually, William muffled, “Ok,” and went up the stairs to his room. Rupert hoped he did the right thing.

……………………

She did not want to be alone. Buffy picked up her phone and called William. It rang a few times until she heard his tired voice.

“Hello?”

“Hi, William?” She sounded slightly more hysterical than she hoped.

“Buffy? Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Can you come over?”

“Why?” Buffy was quiet, not understanding why he didn’t care enough to ease her obvious pain.

“Because I’m upset and lonely.”

“Oh.”

“Can you please just come over? I really need you.” She was desperate now.

“Buffy, I would, I really would. But I have to stay home tonight.”

“Why?” she whined.

“I just… I have to stay home, ok?” he was getting irritated at Rupert, but Buffy did not know this.

“Oh. Ok then. Talk to you later.”

“Bye Buffy.”

“Bye.” She stared in bewilderment at the phone as it clicked off. What was wrong with him?

……………………

William put his head in his hands. He promised Rupert he’d stay home, and for once he would do so. Buffy’s pleading echoed in his head, though, beckoning him like a serpent of temptation.

He was in deep trouble.

Sunday came and went. William spent the long hours considering what his father had said, even though he already knew the verdict. Rupert was right that when William put his whole heart into something, there was no going back. He was already too invested in their short, but meaningful, relationship to turn back. In normal circumstance, he would not even have bothered listening to his father.

But one sentence irked him. ” Is the William she likes the same William that you are?”

It floated in his head like the echo of a gong, ringing over and over again even when the sound seemed to disappear. Maybe it was best to not call or contact her for a day, no matter how it pained him to tear his hand from the phone every so often. William was surprised by the pull she had over him when they were only really dating for a few days.

He chuckled thinking about the circumstances of their meeting and how far they had come from that moment. But Buffy never really knew the real him, did she?

When they first met, he was so infatuated with the girl that he lost himself. Then, she changed his appearance, which gave him an immediate reputation. He felt like someone to be reckoned with instead of the quiet, mousy boy who acted out on occasion. William wondered which of the two she was dating.

The boy wandered up to the attic, picked up his guitar and wrote. While he didn’t consider what the song meant, he could feel the lyrics course through him before he wrote a word. The chords throbbed in his hands, in his lungs and chest. Whether he would ever play it for her was besides the point. He just needed an outlet before Monday came around.

……………………

Buffy didn’t want to talk to anyone. Joyce came into her room early Sunday morning to let her know of the arrival of her betrothed. The girl pulled the covers over her head in response. Not wanting to cause her daughter more pain than necessary, the woman slid quietly out of the room.

When the Aurelius’ pulled in the driveway, they beeped a long, obnoxious noise that pierced the air. It reached Buffy’s room, to her distaste. Feeling the need to be sociable and learn of her possible new father figure, she dressed in a pair of dark jeans, a white tank top and a red cardigan. While looking in the mirror, she couldn’t help but laugh at her resemblance to the American flag.

Buffy went into the living room to greet the infamous George, but found Angel sitting beside him, a suggestive smirk on his tan face. Before she had the chance to bolt, Joyce saw Angel and turned in her direction.

“Buffy! There you are. Come here, come here honey. I want you to meet George Aurelius, my fiancée. I’m sure you’ve already met Angel. Did you know that he’s captain of the football team?” she said, a smile threatening to rip her face in two.

“Yeah, I heard something like that.” Buffy did not blink once, causing Angel’s leer to fade into an intimidating and slightly demonic grin. Then, she turned her attention to the man sitting beside him.

George Aurelius was a pudgy, old man. If she didn’t know any better, she would have guessed he was gay from the flamboyant way he waved his arms when he talked. His balding head covered the few white hairs remaining by his ears and pillowing his neck. A fluffy grey white beard and moustache covered his mouth and the hairs flowed into his spit-ridden mouth as he spoke. His glasses were so thick that Buffy could not actually make out his eyes. He wore a pink, collared shirt that covered a chocolate brown turtleneck, and tan khakis. When he spoke with his soft, monotonic voice, he sounded self-important. He made jokes that only he thought were funny. Buffy tried to see deeper into the man, to find any reason why her mother would be attracted to him.

But he was such a dork.

Buffy looked back and forth from George to Angel, then back to George, trying to make out any similarities, but coming up empty. She could not believe that the captain of the football team, that the biggest player in school, that Dru’s boy toy was this man’s son. Then, she looked from her mother to George. Suddenly, she was struck by the image of the two of them on the end of the Titanic, raising their arms to “My Heart Will Go On.” She shuddered from the creepiness of the image. Buffy then realized that Joyce was speaking to her.

“… didn’t I, Buffy?” Buffy just stared into space.

“Um… huh?” Angel snickered.

“Buffy, sweetie, I asked what you were doing at school lately.”

“From what I hear, she’s doing Captain Peroxide,” he spoke under his breath. Unfortunately, the adults heard him.

“I’m sorry, excuse me?” Joyce looked puzzled. Then, it hit her that Captain Peroxide was the boy Buffy stayed out with. “Oh! Buffy! You never said you were serious about that boy!”

“Mother, please, not now.” Joyce considered it for a moment.

“Fine... but we are talking about this later,” she added, most likely for George and Angel’s benefit.

This was going to be a long day.

……………………

Two Days Earlier

“Angel?” Dru cooed after the last bell rang. Like a puppy, he waggled over to her, practically drooling with the prospect of sleeping with the beauty.

“Yes lover?”

“I have been thinking about what you told me. About your father and Mrs. Summers?”

“Yeah…?”

“And I was wondering if you would be interested in a little plan of mine.” Dru turned to face him more directly, chest propped up close to his face. “Of course, it might involve a little,” she slithered closer to him, “dirty work. Interested?” Angel did not consider the pros, cons, or even his part in the operation before nodding enthusiastically. “Good boy,” she patted his head. “Come sit with me.”

The two glided to a bench near the parking lot and sat down.

“Alright, my darling, listen to every word I say. Listen carefully. Remember what that nasty Buffy did to you over break?”

“Yeah! My jaw still clicks sometimes, listen…” he proceeded to move his jaw around with his palm until Dru swiped his hand away.

“It will go away. But aren’t you angry with her? Don’t you think she should pay for how she hurt you?” Dru caressed his cheek.

“But you said I couldn’t tell anybody. I remember, you said ‘If you tell anyone, I will make sure you never enter the school premises again and-‘” Angel whined to imitate her before Dru interrupted.

“Yes! Ok, I did say that. But now, it’s time to change all that. From now on, I want you to watch her. Interrupt her and her blonde boyfriend whenever the chance presents itself. This shouldn’t be difficult considering your new ‘in’ in her life. You’re father’s engagement is perfectly timed.”

“Sure. But what’s that gonna do? It’ll probably just make them angry at me.”

“Perhaps… but then they will become frustrated. They will fight with one another and they’ll break up. Then, I’ll make my move on William who will go out with me to make Buffy jealous. It will work, of course, and then she will come running to you.”

“Ok… then what?”

“Not so hasty, my darling. You will make sure he hears of all the nasties you and a Miss Buffy Summers did. Because they won’t be together anymore, he’ll believe you, no questions asked. The two lovebirds will implode. The End.”

“Sounds good. But, why do you want to ruin them so badly? Can’t you just, I don’t know, let it go?” Angel asked carefully.

“Let it go?! Do you know what he said to-“ Dru took a breath and went back to her typical, cool demeanor. “If I want revenge, I will have it. If I want the sky, you will get it for me in a tiffany’s box. I get what I want. Buffy is a parasite destroying everything I have worked for to get this reputation. You see all this? It’s mine. And it could all crumble like that,” Dru snapped her fingers. Her eyes were burning black. Angel had never seen a face so intimidating. Even if he didn’t have hope to get Dru in bed, he would have completed the task anyway. She wouldn’t do it physically, but she really could murder a person with a word.

Luckily that word was Buffy. Or kill. And not Angel.

“Arrange a meeting between your two families. I will tell you what to do; say, how to act and you will do it. Is that clear, my Angel?” She stroked his chin with a slender finger and scratched him lightly with a sharp, red nail.

“Whatever you say.”

“Exactly.” She got up and left dramatically, her long black coat billowing behind her blood red heels.

……………………

Two Days Later

Buffy sat uncomfortably in front of him. Angel smiled at her, inwardly laughing at her imminent fate. Dru always had a way of getting what she wanted. This case would not be any different. Buffy shifted her body weight looking for an escape route. She couldn’t have been more obvious. Then, she noticed Angel watching her in amusement. She bit her lip and looked down angrily. He was already getting to her.

Oh yeah, this was going to be easy.

On Monday morning, William explained his conclusions to Rupert. He said that although Buffy changed his appearance, he was too involved with her to end it. Whoever she liked, it had to be some part of him and that was enough. As promised Rupert gave his full support, even though the way William put it made it sound questionable. Rupert really didn’t want to fight anymore, so he would warm up to the girl, as per his new girlfriends’ request. She suggested the idea and it only seemed fair to go through with it, despite part of him hoping William would choose to lead the single life. Buffy was clearly was not a good influence.

But Rupert would play nice for both their sakes.

Before leaving for school, William mentioned that he and Buffy were going to “hang out” when it ended. Rupert responded with his own version of the thumbs up, causing a confused expression on William’s face. Nonetheless, no one could say he wasn’t supportive of his sons’ choices.

……………………

Buffy received quite an earful from her mother over the engagement. Joyce voiced her concerns such as not believing Buffy supported her choices. Buffy, on the other hand, could not help thinking she might support her mother if she wasn’t engaged to a doofus with a jerk for a son while already married. Then, maybe she’d even encourage her.

Angel had spent the remainder of the meeting leering at her and suggestively wagging his eyebrows. Why he thought she would go out with him at that point, she could not imagine. What did she ever see in him? Thinking back, Buffy remembered Dru gossiping about him and fawning over his every move, but only in reference to Buffy. It was never, “he’s so gorgeous, I wish he’d ask me out,” but rather, “he’s so gorgeous, he is going to ask you out.”

She probably planned her downfall way before any of it happened. Buffy wondered if Angel was involved the entire time, or if he eventually caught on or if he was honestly too dimwitted to ever realize he was being played. However it went, Angel certainly wasn’t giving up. It wasn’t hard to see that he would do almost anything for sex.

Oh, the typical teenage boy.

But William wasn’t like that. He wanted sex, she was sure of that, but he wanted someone to be with completely. He didn’t want only the intimate parts, he wanted it all: the personality, the quirks, the humor, even the bad jokes. They were all just as important to him. Buffy thanked whatever power brought the unique boy to her.

Needless to say, it didn’t seem like Angel was going to give up so fast. Whether it was to get into Dru’s pants or her own, Buffy was sure he’d never surrender in a fight. This is why Buffy was shocked when her mother told her the news.

“We’re moving in together!” Joyce exclaimed after her rant on proper behavior in front of company. Buffy’s face lost all color and she started to sweat.

“What?” she whispered in panic.

“George and Angel are going to move in here, in this house, with us. I figure if Georgie and I are going to get married someday we need to see how well we live together.” As Joyce wistfully looked up at nothing, she missed the range of heavy emotions that ran across Buffy’s face. “I am telling you now because I realize that I haven’t been fair to you in the past. It is time for us to communicate better. Who knows? Maybe this change will bring you and I close together again!” Joyce hugged her tightly, but she was too far-gone in thought to process.

Images of Angel living in her house raged through her mind. Him in her bathroom, in the living room, taking her food in the kitchen, stealing the remote for the tv, playing the stereo as loud as possible just to annoy her and one thousand other things he could do. Buffy had never lived with anyone for a long period of time before. Her father was gone, her mother was away and the one babysitter who took care of her went back to Poland when she turned 11. And now she would live in a house full of people.

Things could only go downhill.

……………………

William waited for Buffy in Mrs. Wilcox’s class for what seemed like hours. He needed to explain about his attitude the other night. But when she walked through the door and the light from the windows sparkled on her skin, William forgot what he was going to say.

Buffy sat down, clearly lost in muddled thoughts. She said hi but didn’t look at him or anything for that matter. She just leaned back in her seat , presumably staring at the messages carved into her desk.

“Buffy? Are you ok?” he spoke softly, wanting to pat her shoulder or smooth her hair or comfort her in some way, but deciding against the idea. She looked up at him as if broken from a trance and smiled at him graciously.

“Hi William. Have a good weekend?” Remembering their last conversation, William winced at the way he spoke to her on the phone.

“Yeah. Buffy, I need to talk to you about-“ he was interrupted by a loud shhhh booming from the front of the classroom. Fortunately, it was not entirely directed at him and Buffy. Not heading the warning, William continued. “I need to talk to you about the other night. You, see I promised that-“ a louder shhhh caught his attention because this one was intended for him specifically. He stared at the teacher for a couple of minutes and when she decided he was finally paying attention to her, he continued to speak quietly. “I promised my dad that I would think about our relationship. It’s so new that my dad didn’t know how to handle it. But not wanting to get into another fight about-“

“William Giles!” Mrs. Wilcox’s eyes burned in betrayal. How dare he interrupt her? William knew that it was her job to speak at the class, but he could not help but feel annoyed that she interrupted their conversation.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

“Are you really sorry, William?”

No. “Yes Mrs. Wilcox. Please continue.” Her beady eyes shifted across the classroom checking for other cases of defiance, but after finding none turned back to the blackboard and wrote more about Quentin’s section of The Sound and the Fury.

“I’ll tell you after class,” he whispered as quietly as possible. Luckily, the teacher did not catch on and Buffy nodded slightly in response.

When the bell rang two minutes after the period should have, William continued his explanation as succinctly as he could.

“So, my dad didn’t want us to fight anymore and he wanted to like you or support my choices or something along those lines. Anyway, he made me promise I wouldn’t see you that night. And when you called, I didn’t want to tempt myself to immediately walk to your house and as a result I sounded irritated and angry. I’m really, really sorry about that. I am. I just couldn’t stay on the phone too long. Forgive me?” William gave her his best impression of a puppy dog pout. Apparently it worked because she giggled and kissed him lightly.

“It’s ok, I was upset and then you sounded upset, which made me more upset. It was a thing. But it’s fine, I swear. Consider it forgotten.” Buffy genuinely smiled for the first time since her mother dropped the news of the move.

“What were you upset about?” he said as they made their way out of the room and into the hall.

“Um, remember that jerk Angel I was telling you about? Well, it turns out that his dad and my mom are now engaged and they are moving in with us. She sprung it on me so fast; I didn’t know what to do so I called you. But it’s ok.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you pet. And if it’s any consolation, my da- wait, what?! Angel is moving in with you?”

“That’s what I said, but no one wants to listen to pitiful little Buffy now do they. In fact, Angel and his dad came over for a meeting and he spent the entire time smirking at me. It didn’t make it any better that his dad just kept going on and on about his architecture job. And now I am going to have to live with it 24/7.” William’s face burned with an emotion he couldn’t quite describe. While he could not believe the horrible circumstances, part of him was envious of the kid. He would be close to her all of the time. Then it hit him: Angel could do anything to his girl. He could persuade her back into his arms as he did before. If Buffy once saw something in him that she liked, she could easily find it again in such close quarters.

William vowed to be with Buffy as much as possible to prove his worthiness, beyond a doubt, over Angel. Besides, just thinking about the ponce leering at his girl made him growl. Luckily Buffy did not hear it.

“Then maybe I could be of service, luv,” he responded. “I could come over after school, if you wanted. I could protect you from the big bad Angel,” William teased playfully. Buffy giggled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Sounds great! Meet you by the parking lot.” Buffy kissed him softly on the lips but her body took over. Her blood boiled as she impassioned the kiss and pulled his head closer to her own. William was all too eager to participate, as was made clear when he pushed her up against a row of lockers. It felt like it wasn’t possible to be close enough. No matter how he touched her or caressed her, it was not sufficient.

The two broke apart for air when the second bell rang, marking the start of second period. When her eyes readjusted from the erotic haze, they widened with understanding. She shoved William away and ran as quickly as possible to her next class, which was conveniently located on the complete opposite side of the building. “Gotta go. See you after school!” she yelled as she slid around a corner. The boy chuckled at his girlfriend.

……………………

When the final bell sounded, Buffy and William sighed in relief in their respective classrooms. The both tossed their books in their bags and took off for the parking lot. Buffy was the first to arrive. And when William came out of the door, huffing, puffing and searching frantically for her, she could not help but laugh at his antics. He found her and ran the “awkward-backpack-run/walk” commonly seen during school hours.

“Hi Buffy,” he said, trying desperately not to pant.

“Hey,” she giggled and smiled brightly. “Shall we?” she held out her arm.

“We shall,” he agreed as he linked his arm with hers. As they walked to her car, Buffy imagined them frolicking through a field going la la la la la. William made her glow with happiness. And despite the panic-ridden war zone she was about to face at home, she could not worry because he was at her side.

They reached her car, got in, turned the air conditioning and the radio on softly, and began to drive. After a few streets-worth of comfortable silence, Buffy said the first thing that came to mind.

“So, what happened between you and your dad, anyway?” William looked at her in shock. Buffy inwardly punched herself for the worst segue of the century. “I mean, well, um… you know, I just, never mind.” No one could continue a ramble like Buffy Summers when she was on the case. After a few more streets-worth of uncomfortable silence that could have easily deemed ‘biggest awkward turtle moment of the year,’ William answered her.

“Why do you ask?” It was barely audible, but Buffy heard him.

“I don’t know really. I guess it was just on my mind. And you did say you would tell me someday.” She was stalling on his behalf.

“I just don’t think it matters all that much.”

“But I want to know all about you, William. And who knows? Maybe it will help to get it off your chest or something.” At that moment, he was the epitome of vulnerability. He considered her response, until her came to a conclusion.

“If you really want to know, I mean… I’ll tell you. I just want you to know that I’m different now.”

“I understand and I promise not to judge.” Buffy smiled lightly in his direction and drew an imaginary X over her heart. William took a deep breath and stared at the car roof.

“I guess it all started when my dad cheated on my mom…”

“I guess it all started when my dad cheated on my mom. I’m not sure how long it was going on before I found out, but I caught them a few days after I turned fourteen. It was a complete accident; I didn’t even suspect a thing. But I saw them together… Anyway, my dad took me aside and made me swear that I wouldn’t tell my mom. I resisted, I really did, but he eventually persuaded me under the condition that he would end it. Needless to say, he didn’t.

“Her name was Anne and she worked at the library with my mother. I guess my father visited one too many times because my mom found out too. At first, she was calmly suspicious. Then one day, she burst into my room furious as hell. She asked if I knew about the affair and I said no like my father asked me to. Of course, at this point I thought he ended it. But then she ranted about finding some trollop’s underwear beneath my parent’s bed. I felt betrayed because he promised me he wouldn’t, so I told my mom the truth. Apparently, that wasn’t such a great idea.

“My mom started screaming about living in a house full of liars and how she couldn’t live like that anymore. She told me to go to my room and stay there. Then, my dad came home and found all of her stuff gone. My mom left us and she didn’t even tell me.” Buffy pulled into her driveway, but remained in the car with him as he continued his story. She itched to ask him questions, but felt it was better to wait it out.

“Anyway, my house turned into a house devoid of any human emotion. It was always cold. My friends stopped coming over a few months later. I could have gone to their houses, but at the time… I don’t know. I guess I kept hoping she would come back. I blamed myself in the beginning, but then blamed my father who was too lost in his own head to notice. I acted out in school to rebel against him; it was nothing terrible or hurtful, just some graffiti and stuff. But Rupert never cared or paid any attention and that hurt most of all.

“Nearing the end of last term, I was particularly angry and set fire to a desk. I did not expect it to go up like that,” William snapped his fingers loudly. “If the teacher hadn’t smelled the smoke in the classroom, it might have spread to the rest of building or it could have killed me. She pulled me out of there and hit the alarm.

“That woman grabbed my arm and brought me to the principals’ office before the first drop spurted out of the sprinklers. Luckily, the fire went out just as quickly as it began. But my principal was not happy. He suspended me for a month when the police services decided it was an accident.

“And finally, I got what I wanted: my father’s full and undivided attention. He screamed at me, called me names… I wasn’t sure if he was just drunk or unable to think logically in the rage. When I couldn’t take sitting there anymore, I had my first real fight with him. I don’t want to get into it, but I was utterly petrified of my dad at the time. He had never hurt me before, but I didn’t know what to expect. So when he told me to get out of his house, I did.

“I ran away for three months. To this day, I don’t know when my father realized I was gone or when he actually reported that I was missing. Either way, it seemed no one was coming for me. At first, I slept at the houses of the few friends I had left. When they all kicked me out, I started playing my guitar at clubs and bars to make some cash. Some of the owners let me crash in their buildings at night if I promised to be gone by morning. Eventually, I made enough money to rent a small room in a crappy part of town. It wasn’t the life I wanted, but it was better than going back to a man whom I thought hated me.

“They found me in mid-august. My school didn’t want me back so I spent all of my time at home. While I was gone, my dad started drinking, not enough to be called an alcoholic, but pretty damn close. When I came back… it was like someone turned the lights back on in his head. He broke down in front of me, apologizing and promising to make things better…”

“But things didn’t get better, did they?” Buffy interrupted.

“Well, sometimes they did. Life was certainly better at home. We both accepted that mom was gone for good and that the Giles men had to stick together. After a few months though, we started fighting again.

“Little things became bigger things until we fought just to communicate. One day, my dad had had enough. He basically said, ‘that’s it, we are moving’ and we moved here to Sunnydale. He wanted a fresh start between us and I get that, but he took me away from everything and everyone that mattered.”

“Do you miss them?” she whispered.

“Sometimes.” he took her hand and held it in his. “But it was all worth it because I met you.” He rubbed circles on her palm sending shivers up her spine. “You matter to me more.”

“Really?”

“Really.” William looked up at her with such honesty and intense feeling that she practically melted all over the car floor.

“Oh William, that’s so sweet.” She could not stand it anymore and smashed her lips to his. All the pain and sadness he expression morphed into pure, undiluted passion. He smoothed her hair with his hands and tried to move closer to her. His other hand wandered, of its own volition, to the hem of her shirt and began to sneak up.

Then, someone tapped on the window.

Trying to remember where they were, Buffy and William looked around in total confusion until they saw the culprit of their disturbance. Angel stood in front of the window proudly, blocking out the sun with his large frame. He gestured emphatically to roll the window down. He received a middle finger from Buffy and a backwards peace sign that he didn’t understand from William. Angel wagged his finger back and forth, tsking at their naughty behavior, then whistled as he walked to the front door of the house.

Mood broken, the two teenagers sat and stared aimlessly into space. Buffy eventually concluded the silence.

“Maybe we should…”

“Yeah…”

“I’m really sorry about…”

“I know…”

“But thanks for telling me,” she finally turned her head and caught his attention with a sympathetic grin. It slowly faded as she considered his story. “That must have been awful, living like that.” Not wanting to scare her with the disturbing details of his time on the streets, he spoke of the only thing that kept him going.

“Nah, it wasn’t too bad. Besides, I got pretty good at the guitar,” he said as he smiled fondly. She lightly hit his arm.

“Yeah, the guitar that you were quote ‘really not that great at.’” She giggled.

“Oh no!” he placed his hand over his heart and gasped melodramatically. “You’ve figured out my secret! You’ve gotta pay the price now, luv,” he said with a mischievous gleam in his cerulean eyes. He tickled her menacingly, lightheartedly ignoring her cries of submission.

When he decided she had had enough, he smiled adoringly and kissed her on the nose. Buffy wiggled it cutely in response. “Time to go inside now, pet.” William lifted her up, undid his seatbelt and walked with her to the front door.

……………………

Somehow, the mood returned by the time they reached her bedroom. After almost a half hour make out session, Buffy pushed him away for a moment.

“Maybe we should stop. I mean, my mom is out there and Angel could walk in on us…”

“Do you really care what captain forehead thinks?”

“No, I don’t. But don’t you think it would be a little embarrassing if he walked in and saw me half naked?” William smirked at her.

“How ever did you figure out my evil scheme?” he said in a high-pitched voice.

“Come on,” she hit him gently on the arm. “I don’t want him to see me like that. He’ll end up going to Dru and rumors will spread and-“ William interrupted with a kiss to her neck.

“You know you don’t really mean that.” His voice was husky and his eyes shone black with tamed desire. He kissed her again, licked a long stroke up her neck and breathed hot air in its crook. “We’ll only be five minutes.” William nipped at her and caused a squeak. A chuckle thrummed in his chest when she frantically kissed him again.

“Only five minutes?” she giggled.

“Only five minutes.” William rolled on top of her and caressed her cheek. “You are beautiful,” he breathed. But before she had a chance to respond, Angel opened the door.

“Hey guys! What’s going on? Hope I’m not interrupting anything, oh well, I guess I did. So sorry folks!” Angel crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows as Buffy and William scrambled to a more appropriate position.

“Don’t you knock!!” she yelled as she straightened out her top.

“Don’t have to sis you know, since we are family now and all.”

“Would you just get out of here?”

“Tsk tsk tsk Buffy, moving on from a hunk like me to a wannabe punk like him.”

“Well you’re just a, a… um, a mean person!” she shouted. William looked at her in disbelief.

“Oh Buffy! Such harsh words!” Angel feigned a stab wound through his heart, and then grinned evilly. “See you later doll,” he said as he saluted her casually. He finally slammed the door behind him leaving William and Buffy in awkward silence. Eventually, Buffy found her voice again.

“I told you that would happen!” she whispered angrily.

“I know but I didn’t think he’d actually do it!”

“Well you were wrong!”

“What about you? You didn’t even defend me!”

“Defend you? At least I tried. You didn’t defend me either.”

“How did you need defending?”

“He basically called me a slut! And you just let him!”

“Buffy, you are taking this completely out of proportion. I think-“

“I think you should go,” she said with a sigh. “Look, I just don’t think we’ll be able to get anything accomplished by yelling and since the mood is completely destroyed now… I don’t know, maybe you should go.”

“No.”

“No?”

“What are we, rhyming now?” he asked incredulously causing Buffy to giggle a bit. William realized what he said and how completely random it sounded and he laughed as well. After a few minutes, William spoke again. “Do you really want me to go? Cause I will, I mean, if you want me too.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just really freaked. You should stay.”

“Alright… So, what do you want to do?”

“Um, watch a movie?”

“Sounds good, pet. Sorry about before. I think I was freaked too.” They smiled at one another then moved to the DVD cabinet.

……………………

Angel stood with his ear to the door, angry that his plan had come so close to succeeding, but failed last minute. He walked away nervous at the thought that Dru would not be happy about this. He would just have to try harder, then. Angel smiled.

And he knew exactly what to do.

The next week went by in a strange fashion. Buffy and William tried to be together as much as possible, but between tension in the Summers’ house and Angel’s interruptions kept them apart for the majority of the time. Joyce Summers spent most of her time with George while Angel gallivanted around town with his football teammates and Dru’s gang when he wasn’t torturing them. School didn’t let up either.

……………………

“It isn’t working! I don’t know what else to do!” he cried, throwing his hands up in defeat.

“And whose fault is that? Certainly not mine.”

“Look,” Angel replied, “they are going to stay together. This plan of yours to break them up didn’t work before, isn’t working now, and probably won’t work ever! Jeez Dru! Give it up.” He lifted his eyes to face an expression of pure hatred. She pointed her long fingernail on his chest.

“I made you,” Dru said between clenched teeth. “I am ruler, I am god, and you are only a servant to me. Get it?” Angel started backing away. “I am not your friend,” she chewed on the word. “I am not here to get you off. You will follow my instructions because I tell you to.” The boy suddenly felt very small. “You are just a pawn I’m playing on the board. The plan will work because you will make it work. For me.”

“Um, o-ok. But what should I do? I already tried what you told me and they are still together!” he whined like a puppy with his tail between his legs.

“That’s a good boy.” She removed her finger from pressing on his sternum. “Listen carefully and then the plan will work. Ok?”

“Ok…”

……………………

“William?”

“Yeah?”

“Is Angel ever going to stop?” Buffy stared wide-eyed at her champion. He pondered this for a moment, and then carefully responded.

“I’m not sure. If he doesn’t, I think we need to have a conversation with the poof.”

“I just have a really bad feeling about all of this…” she looked at her nervously twiddling fingers.

“Buffy,” William lifted her chin to face him again. “I’m sure he’s just holding a grudge for what happened between you two. I’ll talk to him, ok? Get this all sorted out.” He grinned reassuringly, even though he feared what she spoke of.

“Alright. I just don’t want Angel to break us up.” William was silent for a bit.

“Do you… do you want to break up?” his voice was slightly shaky.

“No! No, I don’t want to break up! That’s why I said it.”

“Oh good,” he breathed. Buffy’s glorious smile was contagious and spread to William. Despite whatever came to ruin them, they would fight; they would deal with the problem. For now, he wanted to enjoy her company and considering Angel was out for the day, it seemed the perfect time. “Which reminds me…” his smile turned mischievous. He kissed her softly. Buffy bit his lip in return, then laughed at his surprised face.

“Oh you’re gonna pay, baby!” he exclaimed

Buffy decided she liked the nickname as he picked her up and threw her playfully on her bed. William crawled on top of her, his shoulder blades shifting sexily as his primal side took over. He kissed her jaw, then her neck and collarbone. He growled softly when she moaned at his ministrations. “I want you,” he breathed heatedly as he slid his hand up and down her side.

He slowly removed her shirt and gazed adoringly at her form. She squirmed nervously beneath him. “What?” she whispered.

“You are so beautiful,” he said in a daze as he tried to memorize every inch of her smooth, creamy skin. Buffy smiled slightly and lifted herself to meet his lips. Once again, his body took over as he peppered hot kisses over her lace-clad breasts. He licked above the material and looked at her to analyze her reaction. She looked back at him with intense, desiring eyes.

“I want you, William,” Buffy moaned as he successfully unhooked her bra behind her with one hand. Normally, William would have congratulated himself for such a feet, but he was too lost in the scent of her that it didn’t seem to matter. The moment the soft swells peaked under the offending material, William moved his mouth to suckle on them. His tongue swirled around her hardened, pink nipples. She gasped loudly, unable to keep her voice at bay.

After giving the other the same attention, he kissed them lightly and smashed his mouth against hers. William could not comprehend how a body could need a person as much as he needed to have her, his goddess, his Athena. Their mouths moved together as their bodies grinded in the rhythm.

As he focused on her pink, swollen lips, he grazed the pad of his thumb over her sensitized flesh to enhance the erratic sounds rumbling from her throat. Buffy was unable to quiet her soft cries of need.

Meanwhile, William moved himself lower. He unbuttoned her jeans painfully slowly and drew the zipper down. Buffy lifted her waist to make it easier to remove them, which William accomplished swiftly. He removed her panties as well. She really did look like an angel with her blond hair splayed across her pillow and her silky skin glowing upon her linens.

“Too much clothing,” she breathed, causing him to spastically rip his shirt over his head. She giggled at his antics until he did away with his pants. The beauty of him entranced her. His musculature covered in marbled skin shone in the lamplight. Both naked and covering one another, only one word chanted through their minds.

Want…

William rubbed the delicate entrance to her core and received another cry as Buffy thrust herself closer to his palm. She did not realize that William was very close to losing control and taking her completely.

“Stop!” he forced himself to say, regardless of Buffy’s panting, and even though it was he who was doing the work.

“No!” she yelled. Buffy kissed him with every emotion she could muster. He responded just as meaningfully and completely forgot his point. Then he remembered.

“No, wait Buffy I-“

“William, do you want me?” she said between harsh breaths of unfulfilled pleasure.

“Yes, but-“

“Then stop talking.” Buffy grabbed his blond head closer to her own and rolled herself on top of him. She ground against him and watched his eyes roll back in ecstasy.

“Buffy!” he moaned loudly. She rubbed herself against him, coating his member in her juices. He attempted to focuse on his breathing, but failed as he subconsciously lifted his hips up to meet hers. Buffy positioned him at her entrance, completely lost in passion and ready to lose the virginity that held her captive when-

“Buffy! Condom?” he asked wide-eyed. She flipped over him to get to her dresser and after fumbling through it for a minute found a box. Buffy ripped the package with her teeth and rolled it on.

“Ready?” she whined.

“Oh god, yes.” William rolled on top of her again, wanting to be the dominant party. He positioned himself back at her soaking center and pushed through in one swift motion. Buffy cried out painfully and tears rolled down her cheeks. With much effort, William kept his hips from moving on their own and peppered kisses over her tears. He whispered “sorry” as he did so, over and over again. After a few minutes, Buffy shifted her hips.

“It doesn’t hurt so much anymore,” she smiled lightly. William nodded nervously and experimentally pulled back and thrust forward. Buffy cried, causing William to look up in alarm. But Buffy smiled again to reassure him.

“Go slow,” she breathed heavily. He focused on his breathing as he moved in and out of her. They found a rhythm and continued it for a while. But William couldn’t stop himself from going faster and harder. He had to fight the urge to pound her into the mattress. Buffy panted in wanting and William rambled sweet words to her. Their hips slapped against each other; their chorus of wanting echoed through the room. William didn’t know how much longer he could last when a violent motion ripped through Buffy. She groaned loudly as she went through the waves of her orgasm. He emptied himself with a growl until there was nothing left.

William collapsed his body, slick with sweat, on to Buffy’s. They panted with their eyes closed as they tried to calm themselves. He kissed her forehead, then her lips. They opened their eyes as William pulled out of her and he immediately missed the contact. He went to the bathroom to clean himself up and brought a towel for his lover. When they finished, they laid side-by-side, caressing the others face and gazing adoringly.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Angel stood and stared at the lovers with wide eyes.

“Get out of here!” she screamed. Buffy begged her mother for a lock on the door, but Joyce being the oblivious woman she was thought it an invasion of trust. ”Why would you need a lock on the door if you have nothing to hide?” she had said.

Buffy threw the covers over her entire body, including her face, to hide the look of murderous hatred. William, who was not ashamed of his form, stalked directly to the boy and yelled.

“What the hell is wrong with you? What the hell is it going to take to get you the fuck out of here?!” William could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to be; this was one of those times. Unfortunately, Dru’s previous threats left him immune. He glared at his feet.

“It’s not like that!” he said softly, but heatedly.

“Tell me then what it’s like because I am two seconds away from kicking every square inch of your ass.”

“Wait! Wait! Seriously, I’m not here to piss you guys off this time I swear!” Angel rubbed his hands over his heavily gelled hair. “Just put on some pants, dude.” William stared daggers at the boy and did not blink once as he put his clothes back on. There was a muffled “Turn around!” from beneath the covers. The boy did as he was told as Buffy changed into her clothes as well. Buffy and William looked at one another suspiciously.

“I’m done now,” Buffy said. Angel turned around to see William standing with his arms crossed and a very pissed off Buffy sitting on the bed.

“Talk,” William spoke menacingly, but to his dismay continued to fail on Angel.

“Alright… I realize I’ve been a jerk the past week or so-“

“You think?!” Buffy interrupted.

“Just let me finish.”

“Why?” she complained.

“Just let me apologize! Come on!” No one said anything, so he continued. “Ok so I’ve been a jerk, but it’s not my fault! Dru is really pissed at you guys and don’t ask me why, I don’t get her at all anymore. I don’t think I ever did… Anyway, she told me to do what I’ve been doing. You know, to interrupt you guys. Besides, it’s not my fault you guys were always at it! I was just supposed to interrupt whatever you were doing. Dru said that eventually you guys would break up. Obviously, you haven’t.” Buffy and William turned to face each other with mixed expressions.

“I went to her again today to ask what to do. She flipped the fuck out! She forced me to finish this shit with the second part of her scheme.”

“Which was…?” Buffy inquired.

“Basically, to inadvertently make William believe that you and I did more on Homecoming.”

“Why would that work?” Buffy felt confused.

“Because guys don’t like other guys touching their things, even if it happened in the past. Come on man,” he spoke to William this time, “you can’t tell me even the thought makes you want to strangle me.”

“I kind of want to strangle you anyway.”

“Anyways… I was supposed to do that, then Dru was gonna go up to Buffy and tell her that William was arrested for something really bad, like murder or something. She was even willing to go as far as changing his records on the school computer if she didn’t believe. Then, you guys would implode because you were “lying” to each other and Dru would win. She would go out with William just to piss you off, and technically the guy has quite a badass rep now so it wouldn’t hurt her popularity points at all.” It was silent for a few minutes as the couple took in the news.

“Why would you do that? I mean, I know you’re a dumbass but how could you do that?” Buffy wondered.

“I don’t know! I was pissed off cause you rejected me! That never happened before and I was surprised. I blamed it all on you because it didn’t occur to me it could be my fault. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“And you just agreed to do it?” William raised his voice.

“Would you just shut up?! Jeez! I’m trying to apologize so get off my ass!” No one spoke. William uncrossed then crossed his arms again. “Dru is freaking scary! She’s like the wicked witch of hell. The only reason I started doing all this crap, minus the blaming part, was because I though Dru might go out with me.” William and Buffy looked at him with matching ‘are you kidding?’ expressions. “There was a chance!”

“Angel, Dru doesn’t go out with anyone; no one is good enough, no one reaches her standards. That’s why I turned William’s outward appearance to match the inward and made him the only guy Dru would ever consider. Now she’s pissed cause she thinks I stole William from her!” Buffy talked mostly to herself. William uncrossed his arms and responded in a more pleasant voice.

“So… why tell us now?” he stared at him pointedly.

“Because of what you just said. I realized that I’d never have a chance with her. And to be honest, I’m sick of her bullshit and following her around. I figure if I work with you guys, I can be safe while you bring her down.” He smiled stupidly. “Of course, you know, if you want to.”

“The captain of the football team needs protection from a little girl?” William laughed, but stopped when he realized no one else was laughing. “What?”

“He really does. You haven’t seen what she can do. I mean, there were three girls last year that threatened suicide because of little comments she made. You should give her more credit.” Buffy explained.

“Do you have a plan, Angel? Cause I for one don’t want anything wrong to happen to me or Buffy.”

“Kind of, but I’m pretty bad at plans… But I’m willing to work with you guys if I have to.” Angel tried to remain cool throughout, but he was slowly losing ground.

“I have a plan,” Buffy stood up in excitement.

“Cause we both know how well the last one worked.”

“Hey! You and I got together, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t the intention of your plan!”

“So?”

“Fine. Let’s hear it.”

“Ok, here’s what I’m thinking…”

The plan was in motion. Buffy still didn’t trust Angel and it was possible that he continued working for Dru, but then why would he give up all of that information? Unless all of the information was false…

Buffy didn’t want to consider the possibility. For now, she and William would go through the motions set in place and get Dru off her high horse. Buffy was probably the only one who knew Dru well enough to pull it off. That was the ice queen’s biggest mistake: letting Buffy in to her world. Everything she could do, Buffy saw or was a part of. Now that she had allies, perhaps the plan would actually work.

She could only hope.

The scheme was a gradual thing. Knowing Dru would only believe a realistically slow break down of a relationship, Buffy and William avoided each other in the hallways, argued under their breath. At least to Dru’s knowledge. Everything they ‘argued’ about was regular conversation in hushed tones and the avoiding thing wasn’t hard when they had different classes. Besides, they would make out in the janitors closet whenever the opportunity presented itself.

After school, they would go to Buffy’s house to collaborate with Angel. Angel spent the two weeks praising Dru and telling her how the plan was finally working and that he was about to start phase two of her ingenious plan. Scarily enough, Dru was buying all of it and that fact made Buffy very nervous.

On Wednesday afternoon of the second week, she voiced her concerns to her lover.

“William?”

“Yes luv?”

“What if we can’t trust Angel? He came to us so fast… I just can’t help thinking that he’s still part of her plan and her plan is to be part of our plan but really to bring us down.” William laughed.

“Wanna say that ten times fast?” Buffy stared at her steering wheel as they reached her estate.

“I’m serious! What if he’s still working for Dru?”

“Don’t worry about it, kitten. Anything he wants to throw at us, we’ll throw right back. We can fight this Buffy if it all goes wrong. And if it goes right, then that’s great! High School isn’t quite the kill or be killed Rambo scenario you make it out to be.” Buffy thought about this and nodded her head, but she knew that William could not understand Dru’s influence.

“Ok.” When they got out of the car, they were surprised to see Joyce running toward them.

“Buffy! Fantastic, you are home. Honey, I need you to pack a small suitcase because we are going to visit your father. I’m getting a divorce.” Joyce smiled ecstatically and Buffy frowned.

“But mom, I have my own stuff to do!”

“Buffy, you are not going to ruin this for me. George and I are in love, you and Angel are getting along and it’s time to move this marriage further along. So go get some clothes and things. I’ll wait for you here.”

“Mom, I have… tests and stuff! And why do you need me to go with you anyway? Why can’t I just stay here?” Joyce made a strange face for a moment, and then it was a happy one again.

“Because I said so, darling. Now go get your stuff.” When Buffy didn’t do as she was told, Joyce pointed her finger toward the house dramatically to make her point. The young girl and her boyfriend trudged up the stairs and into her room. She slammed the door.

“What are we going to do now? The next step was going to happen tomorrow. This is ruining everything. “ Buffy paced as William considered the problem.

“Buffy,” he said calmly, “You know I don’t want you to go. I hate being away from you for a minute, let alone a few days, but this won’t ruin the plan. Maybe… maybe this is what you need. To clear your head, get away from Dru and doubting Angel’s loyalties. Maybe you should spend time with your family.”

“But I don’t want to go away without you.” Buffy’s lip trembled as she sat on the bed next to him. He hugged her close and rested his head on the top of hers.

“And I don’t want you to go at all. But it doesn’t look like there are many options here.” William ran his hand through her soft, blonde hair. “We’ll be together soon enough. Where does your father live, anyway?”

“Washington D.C. He’s a politician; I don’t know what kind or what he does, though. We don’t see each other or talk much.” Buffy snuggled closer to him.

“Can I hide in your suitcase?” he joked. Buffy giggled, but was quieted by the serious consideration she had for that idea. “I’m kidding, luv,” he said as he looked her in the eyes.

“I know… but it’d be kind of funny to watch you try,” she replied as she made light of the conversation. William chuckled as well.

“Come on, pet. Let’s pack a bag.” William was trying to be strong for her, but inside he was yelling not to let her go. However, he knew it was for the best.

……………………

After a sorrowful goodbye, Buffy and Joyce Summers drove into the distance. The girl argued to stay, but her mother refused to listen. She even threatened to take away time with William. So, Buffy sat in the passenger seat like the dutiful daughter, dreaming of the day she would come back. Joyce told her it would only be a few days and to stop being so melodramatic.

Buffy wondered why her mother was bringing her to D.C. in the first place. She said it was to see her father, considering those times were few, but she wondered if there was something more behind it. Nevertheless, there was nothing to do but wait.

They reached the airport in forty-five minutes, almost missing their flight. Only five hours to go until they reached their destination. Buffy stuck her forehead on the icy window and stared at the cars that shrank in the distance.

Goodbye town, Goodbye home, Goodbye William she thought.

……………………

Goodbye Buffy, he thought as a plane passed overhead. It could have been hers, but he didn’t know. William kicked the pebbles on the sidewalk all the way back to his house. He felt a piece of him missing that only she could bring back: Buffy, his golden goddess, flying away a million miles per second. He looked back up to an empty blue sky. It seemed ill fitting in relation to his state of mind.

William took a detour along the few streets that made up Sunnydale. About a block away from home, he came to a small, yellowed house with peeling paint, like a decaying tooth in a mouth full of pearly whites. In the window, he saw a girl with raven black hair and a cross expression. It was Dru’s house.

Dru was pondering in what he assumed was her room on the second floor. For a minute she looked, as much as he hated to admit it, desperately sad. The look on her face showed the tragedy of the world tenfold. William wondered what made her so upset. Then, he remembered her reputation and the things she said and did to obtain it and understood.

Or maybe he was assuming too much; maybe she was upset over something completely unrelated to the wretched existence she created for herself. Dru had no real friends, no relationships that meant anything. William might have felt bad for her had she not hurt Buffy: an inexcusable deed as far as he was concerned. He shook his head, stuck his hands in his pockets and walked home.

By the time he reached his house, it was dark outside. William hadn’t realized how long he’d been walking. He opened the door and yelled to see if his father was home, but he wasn’t there. Rupert, he surmised, was probably out on another hot date. At least someone was happy.

William sat on the couch and attempted to not think about her. Unfortunately, all of his thoughts shared at least a tiny significance with his girl. He fell back and went to sleep missing her.

……………………

Joyce shook her awake when they reached D.C.

“Come on, Buffy, we’re here. Time to see Daddy,” she cooed. Buffy grunted in response. Eventually, she was able to wake her up long enough to get off the plane. She fell asleep again when they got into a taxi. Joyce unreasonably wondered if her daughter had mono.

Buffy woke up again when the taxi stopped in front of a large, silvery building. The sun glinting off of the windows made it difficult to see how high it was. It seemed a very cold structure to Buffy. Mother and daughter walked in and received guest passes.

The elevator reached the 23rd floor after 21 irritating blings. The doors opened on the other side of the mahogany room and displayed a waiting room. Every tabletop was covered in granite and the walls looked like they were sewn or covered in golden, silk threads. A secretary with a headset looked up at them suspiciously, but put the receiver of the phone call on hold.

“How may I assist you this morning?” she said with a saccharine grin.

“I am looking for my husband, Hank Summers? Is he in today?” Joyce replied in the same tone. The secretary pressed a button on her earphone.

“Hello, Mr. Summers? Your wife is standing at the desk.” She paused with a blank face, and then smiled just as sugary as she said, “Go on right ahead. Second door to the left.”

After a sickly sweet thank you, Joyce and Buffy made their way to his office. Buffy straightened out her blouse and Joyce primped her hair slightly. They took a large breath, nodded, and turned the doorknob. They saw a balding head peeking over the top of his black, leather swivel chair. He didn’t face them, but spoke loud enough for them to hear him perfectly.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?” Joyce crossed her arms and squinted at him in attempt to be menacing.

“We aren’t getting a divorce.”

“How do you know that’s why I’m here? Maybe I’m here for a completely different reason.” Hank spun around to face them with a strange expression.

“Because there is no other reason you’d come to visit me with your daughter.” He stared at the large desk separating them.

“My daughter?! She’s just as much yours as she is mine!”

“Buffy, honey?” Hank spoke softly, but with an intensity she remembered. “Would you please wait in the waiting room?” Buffy looked at her mother who was frozen in her angry stance and nodded at her father. When she shut the door, she tried to block out whatever fighting would come out of it.

The secretary did not seem pleased to see her again.

William woke when the earth shook.

Well, it turned out less the earth and more his father, shaking him awake. William squinted at the disturbance; Rupert seemed in good spirits and looked as if he wanted to share something important.

“Well, out with it,” William moaned tiredly.

“I have great news! I wanted to tell you tha-“ Rupert’s smile faded when he noticed William’s downcast expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s… it’s nothing. Tell me the good news.” He didn’t meet his eyes, which only caused the man to question him more.

“It’s not nothing. What is it William? Is it Buffy again?” Rupert tried to sound as concerned as possible, but was still not on the Buffy-support-wagon one hundred percent.

“She’s gone for a few days. I’m just going to miss her.” William sat up. His father felt sorry for him. Although he didn’t trust the girl as much as he claimed, Rupert saw how happy she made William. He recognized the changes in his son as mostly positive ones. Perhaps he would stick to his promise of support a bit better, for Rupert really did want to patch up the relationship with his son.

“I’m sorry William. That’s awful.” Rupert patted his shoulder gently. “Maybe this calls for a little man on man time, hmm?” William looked at him curiously.

“And do what?”

“Well, I don’t know… What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know…”

“Hmm… Hey! Why don’t you show me a movie in the attic? You said earlier you wanted to show me what you built up there. Then, maybe we could talk?” he asked hopefully. William’s face brightened significantly at the prospect of showing his precious room and nodded.

……………………


Buffy had been waiting for over an hour. The several-month old magazines held no interest after the first twenty minutes, especially when angry voices found their way into the waiting room. She could not make out exactly what her parents were saying, but she imagined it was along the lines of:

”She’s our daughter!”

“She’s your daughter!”

“Why do you want a divorce?”

“Why don’t you want a divorce? We don’t even spend time together! It’s not like we’re married.”

“What about my career? The family man concept? Does my life concern you at all?”

“What about my life? Do you care about my life either?”

Etc, etc, etc…

Buffy wasted more time coming up with variations of the same conversation. In her mind, they became wildly unpredictable and soap opera like.

She’s my baby!”

“Well, you wouldn’t have had her had you not slept with my brother!”

“You drove me to it with your career and other women!”

“You got pregnant and forced me to marry you!’

“I only wanted your money!” *sighs and feints.

Etc, etc, etc…

The girl laughed at the developments she came up with. In reality, it didn’t matter what they were fighting about. In the end, her mother would get what she wanted and her father would disappear forever. It was what she always expected; Buffy just did not expect it to happen so soon. She predicted her mother would find a lover and keep it that way until she got to college. Then, the rest would follow.

The door opened quietly and Joyce stepped out. Buffy was so lost in thought that she did not notice it until her mother kneeled in front of her.

“Buffy, honey? I want you to listen carefully, ok?” Buffy nodded suspiciously. “Alright. Your father and I think it’s best for you to spend the rest of the week here with him.”

“Why?” She didn’t want to sound as panicked as it came out, but she wanted to get back to William as soon as possible.

“Because your father wants to spend some time with you before we get a divorce.” Even though the thought that the great and mysterious Hank Summers wanted to spend time with her made her giddy, she could not understand why her mother looked so nervous.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Honey, just be on your best behavior, ok? Listen to what your Dad tells you and on Sunday you can fly back to Sunnydale.” Buffy looked mistrustful, but nodded anyway. Joyce nodded in return and stood up again. Placing her hand gently on Buffy’s back, she led her back to Hank’s office.

……………………

“William! Wow, this is… wow!” Rupert was awestruck from the unbelievable room his son designed and built. William beamed with pride, momentarily forgetting his melancholy. Sadly, it came back full force soon after. The emotional blow forced him to sit on one of the red couches and lean his head back.

“It’s pretty great,” he said in monotone. Rupert looked at him concernedly.

“William,” he sat on a nearby couch. “Tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help.”

“I already told you! She’s gone.”

“Yes but… she’ll be back. Won’t she?”

“Of course! But… I just…”

“You miss her.” Rupert analyzed his expression as William faced him again. His son looked so tired. The boy nodded and the man patted his shoulder. “She’ll be back soon, son. And you could call her on the phone, couldn’t you?” he said, trying to be optimistic.

“I could… but what if she’s busy? Or, I don’t know, in the middle of her parent’s divorce or something?”

“It’s possible. Well, do you want to hear my good news?” Rupert asked carefully. He didn’t want to ruin the good talk their were having, but he was itching to tell him. William did not move or say anything, but he spoke anyway. “You know the woman I’ve been seeing? She is coming over for dinner tomorrow night!” Rupert could barely contain his happy smile, but was hopeful that William would have a different reaction from the last time he mentioned her.

“Oh?” he said nonchalantly.

……………………

Buffy was sick of traveling. The thought continued to repeat in her mind as Hank’s Driver drove her back to his house. She didn’t understand what the point was in her staying at his house for the rest of the week. All she wanted to do was fly back to Sunnydale and into William’s arms. She imagined him smiling brilliantly at her surprising return. But that would have to wait until Sunday. For now she was stuck in the District of Columbia, which sounded much more foreign and much further away.

The house was bigger than she remembered from her two previous visits. Hank typically visited them in Sunnydale, if he visited at all. Strangely enough, Buffy was not mad at her father for his absenteeism. She wasn’t pleased with him, naturally, but she didn’t mind the way he treated them. He gave them everything they needed, was caring and adoring when he came to see her, sent her holiday cards and gifts whenever he could. But Buffy was not sure how to act during her stay, which would be the longest of her life and the first without her mother beside her.

Buffy was walked to her room, which turned out to be a plain white room with pale yellow linens and a wooden dresser. At first, she decided not to unpack due to the length of her stay, but then thought it rude and unpacked the few things she brought with her. She would have to go shopping or something along those lines because she only had two more outfits for the remainder of the week. And yet, the idea of shopping didn’t even strike a chord. She missed William too much.

A few hours of television later, Hank came home. He looked exhausted and lugged himself across the foyer to meet her. After hugging and kissing her, Hank shuffled to his room and took a nap. Buffy went back to the tv set.

A few hours after that, Buffy heard her stomach churn angrily with hunger. She didn’t want to wake her father, but she was not aware if certain foods were off limits or anything. Unluckily, when she finally built up the courage to wake him, he simply refused to open his eyes. Buffy tried shaking him, slapping his back and even went as far as trying to pull him off the bed entirely. But it was all to no avail.

She wasn’t sure what she ought to do. So, Buffy went back to her room and took a nap as well. It occurred to her that this would be an incredibly boring trip.

……………………

“You will meet her, won’t you?” Rupert asked hopefully.

“Do I have a choice?” William responded sharply.

“Of course you have a choice, but… I want you to approve. I want to support you and your relationship with Buffy, so I am. I can only hope that you will show me the same courtesy.” William thought about this and nodded.

“Alright, fine. Do I get to know her name?”

“Oh! Of course, it’s Olivia. She’s a teacher at Sunnydale High, actually.”

“What’s her last name?” Something seemed very familiar in that name.

“Wilcox. Her name is Olivia Wilcox and she’s lovely and wonderful and-“

“Oh dear lord!” William smacked his head into his hands.

William was not entirely pleased. Although her promised to support his father’s developing relationship, he found it difficult to follow through. Rupert asked him, or practically begged him, to be a better family: one that was there for each other, not just because they had no one else, but because they wanted to be.

So, he would be the dutiful son, even if Mrs. Wilcox, the single most boring teacher he had ever seen, was the culprit. At least his father was finally acting the way a father should act. William was sick and tired of their old family lifestyle. He didn’t forgive Rupert for his shortcomings, but he wanted a new start just as much and was willing to put them aside indefinitely.

The doorbell knocked him out of his progression of thought. William yawned and looked at the clock: it was 3am. Deciding it was too late for visitors, he tried to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the bell didn’t miss a beat as it started up again. The boy slapped his forehead in annoyance and succumbed to the call of the outdoors. He was surprised to find Angel holding a bottle of cheap vodka and smiling goofily.

“Hey! William!” he slurred slightly. “Want some?” Angel shook the bottle in an attempt to seduce William into having some. Unfortunately, he wasn’t having any of it.

“Angel, what are you doing here? Go home.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Hold up now! I’m really drunk and I can’t go home yet. Can I hang here for a while? Please?” William was still suspicious of Angel’s motives. He seemed to want to be their friend, but why would a guy like Angel want less popular ones like him and Buffy. Nonetheless, he let him in.

“Don’t you have other friends to hang out with? Maybe the ones who got drunk with you?”

“Nah, they all have their own one’s to go home to.” Angel looked slightly confused at his response, but shook it off and collapsed on Williams living room couch. “Whatchyadoin?”

“Well, I was sleeping, but now I’m talking to you.”

“Yep. Yep, you are. So…” There was a long pause between the two teenagers and neither looked at the other directly. “So,” Angel interrupted again. “So… what’s new with Buffy? Hmm?”

“She’s with her mom in D.C.”

“Oh! Right, right right! Totally I remember. So, uh…” Angel shifted his eyes back and forth over dramatically. “How far have you gone with her?”

“It’s none of your business, now is it?” William retorted, put off that he asked. However, he couldn’t be completely angry at the drunken jock.

“True. Oh boy, I remember that girl was tons of fun to fool around with. Am I right?”

“Yes…”

“I mean… she told you right? That we hooked up?”

“Yeah, she told me.” William didn’t know what he was trying to get at.

“Sweet, yeah. Let me tell you, she was the best third I ever had!” Angel belched obnoxiously as the color drained from William’s face.

“Really? Third base, huh?”

“Yeah and hell man, she was grrrreat!” He said ‘great’ like Tony the Tiger, possibly an attempt for humor, but it fell flat when William neither laughed nor spoke for a while. Suddenly, the boy stood up and grabbed Angel by his shirt.

“Are you lying to me?”

“No! What the hell would I have to for? You said she said it! Dude, what the hell?” William decided that Angel was far too drunk to make up a lie like that and sat back down in a huff.

“Nothing… I just… didn’t realize you went that far.”

“Woah man, you said she said it to you. I’m just saying.” Angel seemed completely oblivious to the other boy’s plight. William sat rigidly. He was upset by the knowledge that she lied to his face and went to third base with the idiot jock sitting across from him.

“Angel, I think you’d better go,” he said between clenched teeth.

“But I have to sober up! I can’t go home yet, you know how it is.” William rubbed his temples and nodded.

“Fine. Stay down here ‘til you sober up, and then go home. And don’t make any noise.”

“Ok dude,” he replied as he closed his tired eyes and sunk deeper into the couch.

William nodded once more and went upstairs thinking how angry he was at himself for being such a sap. When he collapsed back on his bed, he gave up on any chance for sleep.

……………………

Buffy woke up after what seemed like twenty minutes, which is why she was incredibly surprised when she looked at the clock. It blinked 7:15am, which meant she had been asleep for almost thirteen hours! She guessed she did not realize how tired she was.

Groggily, the girl stretched her aching limbs and slid out of bed. The button of her jeans was firmly implanted in her stomach and made a red and purple circle directly below her belly button. It felt tighter when she stretched some more.

Buffy wandered through the hallway to find her father. He was bound to be up for work by then. Surprisingly, it seemed that he had already left for work as three coffee cups littered the sink along with a spoon and soaking paper plate. Joyce always used to say how much of a pig he was in the kitchen. Buffy smiled and shook her head. Then, she moved to clean the dishes. What else was she going to do?

She wondered why her father wanted her there so much if he was going to work until the day she left. Hank Summers worked from Monday to Saturday night every week, which explained the infrequency of his visits.

When the dishes were cleaned and dried, Buffy stared at the many cabinets and wondered if it was worth looking through all of them to put the cups away. In the end, she decided that it wasn’t and wandered into another hallway. If anything could be said about the Summers houses, it would be their incredibly unnecessary largeness. Buffy’s house had many more rooms than were needed. Most of them were filled with knick-knacks and old clothes, if not nothing at all.

Searching through the many rooms of her father’s palace, Buffy finally came to a room with a pink star sticker on its front. Eliminating her mother and father from the possibility of owning of the peeling sticker, she assumed it was her room and opened the door.

The room was stuffed to the brim with old clothes and toys that Buffy did not even remember playing with. It was all hers though; that was definite considering the many crudely written Buffy labels written on the boxes in washable marker.

Sifting through a few of the boxes, Buffy came to a box full of tapes. Having nothing better to do, she grabbed the box and brought it to the main living room to watch them.

The first was a video of three year old Buffy in a princess costume jumping up and down yelling, “Ticky feet!” because she couldn’t pronounce “trick or treat”. Buffy laughed at her pure, undiluted adorableness. The second video was of a ten year old Buffy sitting in the front seat of her mother’s convertible pretending to drive. The third, fourth and fifth showed similar scenes of the girl growing up, but the sixth tape was different.

The sixth tape was a video filmed by Dru and Buffy when they were thirteen. They were singing spice girls into hairbrushes while they danced around her old room. Buffy’s jaw dropped when the camera flipped to show Dru alone shaking her butt at the camera and singing along to the sugary lyrics. It was the most embarrassing thing she had ever seen and she loved every minute of it.

Suddenly, an idea struck her like a mallet to the head. She had to call William.

……………………

William’s eyes were bloodshot from staring at the wall for hours. He knew he was being melodramatic and that Angel was probably lying, but he didn’t know whom to trust anymore. Part of him just wanted to stay in bed for the rest of his life to escape the trials and tribulations of his life.

The phone rang. William dragged his arm across his bed and to the nearest phone. He dragged the receiver back to his ear.

“Hello?” he grumbled.

“Hi! William? It’s Buffy.”

“Hello Buffy.”

“I miss you,” she said softly. William did not respond for fear of his voice breaking. “So, it um turns out that I am going to have to stay here until Sunday. My dad wants to spend time with me or something, which is kind of ridiculous because he’s always gone.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? What kind of answer is that?” Buffy was disconcerted by William’s monotone.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you when you get back, pet.”

“Yeah… well, the real reason I called was to tell you that I found this really embarrassing video of Dru and I was thinking that maybe we could show it to everyone. You know, to get back at her. Like, we could show it at open mic night at the Bronze.” Buffy’s idea was met with complete silence. “William?”

“I’m here,” he yawned.

“Ok, so what do you think?”

“Sounds kind of mean if you ask me. That kind of puts you on the same level as her.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Buffy, it’s 7am, I haven’t slept fifteen minutes all night and frankly I can’t talk right now.” There was a pause, and then Buffy responded with a strained tone.

“Um… ok. I’m sorry to have called. Talk to you later. Bye Wi-“

“Wait!” William did not want to end the conversation on bad terms, especially because he missed her so much. “I have a question for you.”

“I thought you couldn’t talk?” she started sounding angry. William pictured her with her hand on her hip. In normal circumstances, he might have laughed at the image.

“It’s just that… well, Angel came over last night drunk as hell and he said… he said that you guys went to third base?” He prayed that Angel was wrong. However, the lengthy hiatus that followed proved otherwise. “Buffy?”

“Why does it matter?” her voice was shaky over the receiver.

“Why does it- Buffy, it matters because that means you lied to me! And you lied about that jock idiot to my face!”

“I’m sorry William, it just didn’t seem important at the time to talk about how far we-“

“No! I can’t talk about this anymore.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just thrown by this. I miss you and I wish you were here, but for now I think we should I don’t know… think? For a while?” She didn’t want to agree; every fiber of her being told her to say no, but she felt awful for lying to him. She didn’t realize what it would mean at the time.

“Ok, William. I guess… I’ll talk to you in a few days then.” She promised she wouldn’t cry until she hung up the phone.

“Ok. Goodbye Buffy,” he said as he hung up and dropped the phone. This was the best plan of action for it was the most logical one.

But William was never a logical man when it came to matters of the heart. This was the thought that brought his hand back to the phone to dial her number. Buffy picked up and sniffled loudly.

“Hello?”

“I’m an idiot.”

“What?”

“I’m an idiot and a bad, rude man. Forgive me?” He heard a sigh of relief on the other line.

“Oh, thank god,” she said before giggling. “I thought you weren’t going to speak to me again.” William chuckled as well.

“Why does every problem between us seem like the end of the world, luv?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe it’s because we are each other’s world… or something like that.” William smiled and subconsciously twisted his finger through the telephone chord.

“Definitely. I miss you so much, luv.”

The two continued talking and planning Dru’s demise for a while. And what neither of them realized was that a very pissed off Angel stood eavesdropping at the bottom of the stairs.

Buffy began to wonder why it was so vital that she stay in her fathers’ house. He was never there, except for dinnertime, which was always spent in front of the TV. On Saturday night, she had had enough.

“Dad, can I go home now?” she said as she stood in front of the television set. Hank looked up at his daughter with a blank expression.

“You want to leave?”

“Yes! I mean, I love you Dad I really do, but I miss home and friends and my boyfr- other friends.” Buffy chose not to dispel the information of her new lover in case he developed a protective streak. Thankfully, he didn’t notice. “I want to go home.”

“But… we never spend any time together and I thought this would give us a chance to talk.”

“About what?” Buffy didn’t want to sound whiny, but she was getting irritated. She spent the days leading up to then alone, bored and sitting in front of the TV. The irritation was overwhelming.

“Buffy, sweetie, I was just thinking that…” Hank rubbed his temples with his hand. “Please sit down, we need to discuss something important.” Buffy was unsure what he would have to say and peered at him suspiciously. Nonetheless, she sat on the couch next to him.

“Alright. Your mother and I are going to get a divorce. I’m sure you know this by now. At first, I was positive I could persuade your mother to give up the idea. I came to realize that I was foolish to think I could persuade your stubborn mother to do anything.” Hank chuckled nostalgically. “However,” Buffy was ready for the worst, “this is the worst possible timing. You see, I am traveling abroad for the next few months. I was going to surprise you with this trip, but as you can tell, now is as good a time as any. We need to discuss something to that effect.

“Buffy, your mother has made it quite clear that she wishes to keep you in Sunnydale. I realize I haven’t been the best father I could be, but now, I think this is my chance to make things right. I would like it if you came here to live with me from now on.” Buffy’s jaw dropped.

“First you would go on this trip with me until the school year was over, and then you would come to live here permanently. I realize that this may come as quite a shock, but understand this is the chance of a lifetime! I can give you the best education, clothes; we can travel to every country together, whatever you want. As for your friends, you would keep in touch with them, but you can make new friends here: the sons and daughters of other powerful members of government.

“Sunnydale is a wonderful town, but it is nothing like D.C., I’m sure. It’s a beautiful city with lots of cultural events and gorgeous scenery. You would really like it here, I promise. Of course… it is up to you. I mean, you can continue living in that small town if you want but I feel that you would be giving up the opportunity of a lifetime. So, what do you think? Want to stay with your old Dad?” The smile on his face completely opposed the look of horror on Buffy’s. His grin faded as he recognized her expression.

“Buffy, honey, this is a good thing. Besides, your mother will be getting married soon and she is going to go on honeymoon. When she get’s back, she won’t have any time for you, starting married life and all.”

“Oh, cause you have spent so much time with me since I got here.”

“Things have been busy lately, I’ll admit that. But work will calm down soon enough. You and your mother just came at a rather rough time.” Buffy tried to relax, despite the news. Her father was right: it would be an unbelievable opportunity and she did not have many friends to leave behind, besides William and Angel in a way. However, that would mean barely ever seeing William. Then again, how much longer would they last? They were both juniors and would go to college soon, probably to different schools.

And Buffy still wanted to give her father a chance to make up for his absence.

“Dad, can I think about this for a while?” she said meekly.

“Ok, that’s fine. I know you’ll make the right decision.” Hank smiled at his daughter, patted her on the shoulder and walked out of the room. He yelled back, “I’ll have my driver bring you to the airport tomorrow morning. You can think about it there, but I am going to need a decision by the end of next week. Good night, Buffy.”

……………………

Buffy woke up at seven am and was back home by four. After a quick “hi” to her mother and George, Buffy ran to her room to call William. It only rang once before he picked up.

……………………

“Hello?” he said out of breath.

“Hi, William. We need to talk right now.”

“What’s up?” William was nervous by the tone of panic in her voice.

“My Dad wants me to live with him in DC.” Her comment was met with silence at first.

“For the summer?” he asked hopefully.

“No. Like from now on. He want me to travel to Europe and then stay with him.”

“But… but what about us? About high school? About-“ he started to hyperventilate.

“William, calm down!”

“I mean, that’s almost 3,000 miles away!” William tried not to panic, but the idea of Buffy leaving him made his world crumble.

“I know,” she responded weakly. “But I haven’t decided yet.”

“Well… why would you move there? You said it yourself: there’s nothing for you there.”

“I know, I know, but… this could be a really good opportunity. I’d have the best schooling; I’d get to travel… My dad is trying to make up for being gone so long and my mom is going to be busy with George anyway. She doesn’t want me in the way.”

“But I want you in the way! I mean… I want you here! With me, Buffy.” He didn’t want to beg, but he was willing if he could keep her there.

“I haven’t decided yet. I want to be with you too, William, I do. But this chance may never come up again. I have to think what’s best for me. I’m trying to be strong about this, and we could always talk on the phone and e-mail and-“

“Buffy, you are being ridiculous.”

“What, you don’t want to be with me if I’m not right there?”

“Of course I want to be with you, but come on Buffy! We aren’t going to be able to handle a long-term relationship. I want you to be here with me.”

“William, if you really felt for me then you woul-“

“I love you, Buffy.” It just came out of him, but the moment it did, he realized it was the most honest statement he ever made. But Buffy was silent on the other line. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.

“If you really feel that way, then you have to think what’s best for me. I’ll let you know.” The dial tone buzzed in William’s ear: a painful reminder that she could fade from his life soon. He knew he was being melodramatic, but he couldn’t lose her. Simultaneously, he was angry that she waited to tell him. How did she expect him to respond?

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to consider his emotional turmoil. He had to catch a bus to mall.

William wanted to look his best when Buffy came back from her trip, so he made an appointment to get his hair bleached again. The roots were coming in heavily he thought it would be a nice surprise. It did not seem so important anymore, but he didn’t want to seem rude and his roots were looking pretty terrible.

When he finally reached the mall, he was pained by the memory of the last time he’d been there. Nonetheless, William trudged on and tried to find the hair place again. After a half hour of searching the seemingly endless lines of stores, he reached the mildly familiar salon and the extremely familiar Lorne, smiling and waving to him behind the window.

William was silent as his hair gradually bleached. Eventually, Lorne had had enough.

“What is it, baby cakes? I know you’re not the most talkative kid on the planet but I’m bored out of my mind and you look like a little kid with a stolen power ranger toy.” Lorne laughed to himself for a bit, but when he realized he was alone, his bright smile faded to a frown. “Come on hun, what’s wrong?” William did not want to respond, but the situation leaked out of him before he could think about it.

“It’s Buffy. First, she used me to get back at this insane bird, then claimed she liked me too much to bother, so we got together and we’re in a relationship, but she still wants to deal with Dru and I barely see the point anymore and now she wants to leave me and move 3000 miles away to have a “better life” without me in it and I just can’t handle all of this.” William was panting by the end of his speech, which in turn, left Lorne uncharacteristically speechless for a moment. Fortunately, that was remedied soon after.

“She’s moving away? Why?”

“Her father wants her to move to D.C. to live with him after traveling across the world. He wants to make up for his absence in her life by putting her in the best schools. Besides, she claims her mother could do without her when she get’s married over the summer.”

“Oh darling, that’s wonderful. Good for her!”

“Good for her?! What about me?” William exclaimed.

“What about you?”

“She’s leaving me! She’s going 3000 miles away to get away from here and she doesn’t even care that she’s leaving me.” Lorne looked thoughtful for a bit.

“Is she sure she’s moving yet?”

“Well… no, she didn’t decide yet, but-“

“And her father wants her there and will give her everything she needs for a good education if she goes?”

“Yeah, but-“

“And you want her to stay here-“

“Yeah!”

“Where she won’t get as a good an education, or connections, or travel, or the love she needs from a mother who is gone all of the time?” This shut William up. “Sweetie, I know you really care for her, but moving might be the best thing for her right now.”

“But I love her,” he whined pathetically.

“Did you tell her that?” Lorne was sympathetic, but knew Buffy was not the cold-hearted girl William was making her out to be.

“Yes. She said that if I really felt that way, then I had to think about what would be best for her.”

“But you haven’t.” Lorne said matter-of-factly.

“No…”

“William, this is a fantastic opportunity. She wouldn’t be leaving you, she’d go away to better life. Do you really want to take that from her? If you really loved her, wouldn’t you want the best for her?” William pondered what Lorne said. “You think about that honey, I have to wash you out.”

When his hair was dry and he paid, the boy finally spoke again. “What should I do, then?”

“Well… show her how you feel. If you think you are better for her then moving, show her that. People respond to action more than words. “ Suddenly, William’s face brightened. “What?”

“I just had an idea.” He dashed out of the store, and then back. “Thanks Lorne!” As he ran out the door again, Lorne called out after him.

“No problem Hun!”

The plan no longer mattered. In fact, Buffy was sick and tired of making plans to ruin Dru when she really didn’t matter. Of course, she would have liked to see Dru’s face if she showed the tape of Dru singing into the hairbrush. But none of it really mattered now.

Buffy did not come to school until Wednesday. William tried to talk to her several times, but she did not want to hear it. Buffy decided that she could not have any distractions in order to come up with a logical solution. She felt badly, however, whenever she saw his face fall as she walked away. When she came home from school that day, Buffy sat at her desk and thought about her future. And although she was never one for making lists, she thought it might make it easier to discern the best course of action.

Pros to leaving:
• Great schools/education
• Ability to travel
• Father making up for past mistakes/will take more of an interest
• No more Dru and her lackey’s
Cons to leaving:
• No more William
• Moving to a place where I have no friends
• Father may not end up taking an interest, leaving me more alone than before
• No more William

She realized after writing it that she mentioned William twice. Was love really all you needed? She certainly loved William, but was it enough to keep her in Sunnydale when her future seemed so bright elsewhere? High school love, nonetheless. Buffy looked at the pros and cons for a few minutes, a small part of her believing they would give her an answer if she stared long enough. The words slowly lost meaning as the letters swirled into shapes. Luckily, the phone rang her out of her reverie. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone so she let it ring a few times, but by the fifth ring, she picked up the receiver.

“Hello?” Buffy said.

“Hey, Buff!” No one said anything for a moment until the female voice continued. “Buffy? It’s Cordelia.” The silence continued because Buffy had no idea why she was calling her.

“Hey… what’s up Cordie?” she replied tentatively.

“Not much. I was just wondering if you wanted to come to the Bronze with me tomorrow night.”

“Why? What’s happening tomorrow night?”

“Open mike night! I don’t know... I was feeling really nostalgic and was just wondering if you wanted to come.” After a pause, she remedied with, “I swear you won’t have to sing.” Buffy didn’t know what to make of it. She hated herself a little bit for automatically being suspicious of her motives, but Cordie was best friends with Dru. But so was Angel. And she really needed to get out of the house.

“Ok. Yeah, sure I’ll go.”

“Great! Do you want to drive or should I?”

……………………

8:15am, Tuesday

William missed her. He knew he would get her to stay, he just knew it. He had to show her, which was why he approached Daniel Osbourne on Tuesday morning.
He walked down a rarely used hallway trying to find Oz, the sound whiz of the school. One of the other media kids said he would be there, but he was having trouble locating the redhead. Suddenly, he heard voices in a nearby classroom. William was normally not one to pry, but curiosity and a small patch of spiky red hair in the doorway forced him closer.

The redhead turned to face him and gave him the universal ‘shh’ symbol. He then motioned his head toward the fight inside the classroom.

“…and I was trying to do what you said but they just aren’t going to do what you want. I don’t know what to tell you, and-“

“Tell me?!” a female voice shrieked. “You don’t know what to tell me?! Tell me results! Tell me how unbelievably screwed you are when I am through with you. Remember Xander Harris? That boy didn’t have a chance by the time I was through gossiping about him. I own this school! I own everyone in it!” The girl took a breath and continued. “This high school is a breeding ground for losers and I am just trying to make a difference. I just want to help. Don’t you want to help me?”

“No, Dru! I really don’t. I’m done with this crap.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you Aurelius,” she said between clenched teeth.

“Why not? What the hell are you gonna do to me? You don’t have any real power. I may not be the smartest guy in the pack, but at least I know that.”

“Oh, that’s just too bad.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because what you are doing is against the law.”

“What?! Dru, come on.”

“No. You want out, I’m going to give it to you.”

“What… what are you gonna do?” Angel actually seemed nervous.

“Do? I’m not going to do anything.” Dru ripped a piece of her sleeve. “I mean, can you prove that you didn’t try to rape me?” She used the very sharp nail of her right finger to make a cut near her neck. “I can have witnesses.” She ripped another piece of shirt. “Everyone does what I say because they have to. Or,” she banged her thigh against the desk Angel was sitting at. His face was that of pure horror. Then, Dru said harshly, “They’ll end up like you.”

“You are insane! Y-you need serious help, oh my god.” Dru just smiled.

“No, not insane.” She whispered in his ear, “I just get whatever I want.”

Angel continued to talk, but Oz grabbed William away before they were noticed. Oz ran to the newsroom, pulling the stunned boy along with him. When they reached the seemingly sacred door, he sat William down, shut and locked it. It was a few minutes before William could speak.

“What the bleeding hell is wrong with her? She should be in a mental institution! I mean, I knew she wasn’t all there but what the hell was she doing?!” He stared at Oz incredulously. He stared back, expressionless.

Without saying a word, Oz walked to the bag he had placed on the table during William’s momentary catatonia. From it, he lifted a small, black video camera.

……………………

Thursday went more or less the same. Cordelia did not speak more than two words to her, but she smiled and was generally friendly. Buffy wondered if the popular crowd would let her back in. She marveled at the ironic timing.

By 5:45pm, 80% of her clothing was spread across her bed and floor in an attempt to find the perfect outfit. For some reason, she was nervous to meet Cordelia. After all, she hadn’t had many friends since the winter break debacle. And now that William was temporarily out of the picture, Buffy felt more alone than ever. On Thursday morning, she woke up completely certain that she would move to D.C. for it would best serve her interests. But then she thought of the boy and suddenly could think of nothing worse.

By 6:30, Buffy wore a red tube dress with 4-inch heels and dramatic, shadowed eye makeup.

By 6:45, Buffy wore a yellow and pink knee-length dress with a single ribbon keeping her hair tied.

By 7pm, Buffy stamped around her room in a bra and underwear, desperately trying to find something suitable. The problem wasn’t that she didn’t have enough the clothing; the problem was that she had to many options to choose from.

By 7:15, Buffy settled on a backless, silver top, black leggings and boots.

By 7:50, Cordelia arrived in her shiny sports car to pick her up.

……………………

3:15pm, Tuesday

“Hey, Cordelia. Wait up!” William yelled down the hallway. She was shocked at first, then angry that he would dare try to talk to her. Then again, he was really hot and that cancelled out any of the other stuff.

“Hi…” she said impatiently as William tried to catch his breath. The boy surmised he really needed to get into shape if he was going to be running after girls all the time.

“Hi. I have a favor to ask. Could we, um, talk?” Cordelia cocked her head and tried to figure him out.

“About what?” William looked at the group of girls circling around them like hawks.

“Well, can I talk to you in private. It’ll just take a minute, I swear.” In normal circumstances, Cordelia would have laughed in his face and walked away. But something in his desperate expression made her stay. Without breaking eye contact, Cordie shooed her friends away.

“ We are alone now. Talk.”

……………………

8pm, Thursday

Cordelia and Buffy reached Sunnydale’s only club quickly. Cordelia did not stop talking for one minute, but it was a nice change from the silence she was getting used to.

After paying the few dollar cover charges, Cordelia left Buffy to get sodas. Buffy stood uncomfortably, trying to spot a few empty chairs in the scarily packed club. A long time went by without seeing her friend, so Buffy sat in one empty chair facing the stage. A long list of singers, dancers, comedians, etc was stapled on one of the supports.

Suddenly, Cordelia’s voice came out of the mike. Knowing Cordie would sing “The Greatest Love of All,” Buffy prepared to clamp her hands over her ears. Instead, she started speaking.

“Is everyone happy to be here tonight?” A roar of applause sounded from the crowd. “Great! Well, I am your MC for the night, Cordelia Chase.” Another round of hoots and hollers erupted from the dance floor. “Thank you! Alright, so I realize this first act isn’t on the list, but please give a warm welcome to Spike!” The crowd jeered.

Buffy considered leaving if Cordelia was going to spend the night onstage. She figured she could be alone at home just as well as at the Bronze. Buffy got up and proceeded to walk out when the music started up. First, a slow guitar melody. Then, a cello joined. It sounded incredibly beautiful, but she could not see the face onstage clearly. And when he began to sing, she realized it was William and the world went away.

Close your eyes
Let me touch you now
Let me give you something that is real

Everyone faded as the music, as Spike spoke directly to her. A few audience members began looking her way as he stared intensely at Buffy. His slow, rough voice sang to her.

Close the door
Leave your fears behind
Let me give you what you're giving me
You are the only thing
That makes me want to live at all

She glided to him as if there were no alternative. Closer and closer to the stage she went, pushing past the other patrons with no regard. She had heard William sing before, but not like he was now. When only a few feet away, he looked up and saw her. The passion in his words filled Buffy with the certainty that she would stay in Sunnydale. Not just for him, and not because she was ungrateful for the opportunity, but William made her happy and she would choose happiness over being well off any day. William sang his words to her without looking away for even one moment.

When I am with you
There's no reason to pretend
That when I am with you I feel flames again
Just put me inside you
I would never ever leave
Just put me inside you
I would never ever leave you

And as the cello finished playing, the audience whistled and applauded. William bowed and ran offstage to meet Buffy.

“William! That was amazing!” She beamed at him, mirroring his own brilliant smile.

“Thank you, but you have to know it’s all about you. I wrote it for you.”

“I kind of got that,” she laughed. They were comfortably silent for a moment, and then William asked if she would dance with him. Buffy nodded enthusiastically.

They danced through a few good songs and a few horrendous ones until Buffy talked again.

“I, um, I decided to stay here. In Sunnydale.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“But why? I thought you wanted to go. I mean, I sang the song to show you that you can go.”

“Do you want me to go?”

“NO!” he shouted before calming down. “No, I don’t want you to go. But I really do love you and I’ll support whatever you choose.”

“Good.” There was a pause, and Buffy continued, “Because I’m not changing my mind.”

“Oh, thank god.” William relaxed in her arms and breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, a crazy Cordelia interrupted them.

“OH MY GOD GUYS!!! You will NEVER GUESS what happened!”

“What?” Buffy asked nervously.

“Dru is being arrested!! Apparently, she tried to frame Angel and someone caught it on videotape and sent it to the police. They just took her away like an hour ago!”

Buffy felt like she’d been slapped in the face. “Well, I gotta go MC now, but isn’t that great?!” She winked at William who looked sheepishly at the floor.

“What was that?” Buffy wondered aloud.

“Oz and I found Dru in a classroom a few days ago, trying to make Angel fall in line I guess. And you were right all along; he was never part of our team or anything. But she started coming on to him and ripping her clothes to make it seem like he was rough on her… I’ve never seen anyone so scared as Angel. Almost felt bad for the oaf. Anyway, Taking from what you said of your old friends, I assumed Cordelia would be a better ally than any of the others. I told her what Oz videotaped and she agreed to bring you here to help me in return.”

“Wait… in return for what?”

“If I made Dru leave, then she would bring you to me. I mean, you wouldn’t have come out here if I just asked you to.” Buffy thought about this, wanting to retaliate against the statement, but knowing it to be true just nodded. She was blown away by the events that seemed to happen so quickly.

“Wow,” was all she could say.

“So I was thinking… we could start fresh again? Without you trying to make me a love toy for the crazy bint who got arrested, I mean.”

“Hey!” she smiled and hit him playfully on the arm. “I had good intentions.” And she added, “I think.”

“Well, regardless, what do you say? Let’s be together and just work through everything together, without making all sorts of plans and going behind peoples back and what have you. Deal?”

“Deal. No more plans.” The two smiled lovingly at each other until Oz’s voice came through the mike.

“Hey guys, we are ‘Dingoes Ate My Baby’, and this first song is a cover of my personal favorite. Ready guys? A 1, 2, 1,2,3,4.”

Buffy and William started laughing hysterically on the dance floor as 500 Miles blasted over the speakers. William saw Rupert and Ms. (apparently no longer a Mrs.) Wilcox drop their drinks on the bar and run out to the dance floor as well. William laughed at them as well, but could not tear his eyes away from his girl. His Buffy.

William sang along softly in Buffy’s ear.

When I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna be

I'm gonna be the man whose lonely without you

When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna dream

Dream about the time when I'm with you.

“So, about your song…” Buffy began.

“What about it?”

“Am I really your flame?” She looked up into his devastatingly handsome blue eyes.

As the song played, the two lovers danced. They did not know what troubles were to come, but in each other’s arms they knew they would face it together and get through it. They just knew.

“Can’t you see the burn marks?” he joked.