Buffy made it out by the skin of her teeth from William hunting her down. And the only reason she made it out was because he had a phone call from a needy client.
She was actually disappointed. Before Fred had interrupted them under the pretense of having a "question", which Buffy was sure was a lie, she'd been having fun. Was it strange to say she'd had fun goading him? Was it wrong to admit it'd turned her on to see him get all growly? Not that she wanted to make it a habit, because really the trade off of having to put up with witnessing him be all chummy with Fred was not enjoyable at all.
She forced herself to quickly get her homework done and meet up with ‘the gang’ after. The alternative was to make herself available for William if he really did want to give her a talking to. She wanted to give him a talking to as well. Though, she thought, somehow she didn't think William would take kindly to her accusing Fred of being a closet psychopath. She'd just have to get some proof first then.
“What did I tell you?” Faith said, smirking at her. She looked quite content with herself.
“Aren’t you a regular Jessica Fletcher?” Buffy drawled.
Faith shrugged and popped a peanut in her mouth, “Is he bangin’ her?”
“Faith!” Willow exclaimed.
“Honestly,” Anya jumped in, shaking her head. “I prefer the term ‘boink’. It’s much softer.”
Faith narrowed her eyes and pointed at them all, “I’m just sayin’ what you’re all thinkin’.”
“He’s not ‘bangin’ her, Faith,” Buffy said, shaking her head, “William wouldn’t do that.”
“Why not? It’s not like you guys are together. It’s not like he has something to go home to at night. It’s not like he’s getting any from you. You guys broke up – something in which he he made final when you put it in his hands. He was giving himself some playing room; making it seem as if you were the fucked up kid who doesn’t have her head on straight. Now he’s got some new chick workin’ for him—“
Buffy shook her head vigorously, “William doesn’t get involved with his assis—huh.”
Faith gave her a knowing look, “I rest my case.”
“That doesn’t prove anything,” Willow jumped in. “Could it be that William and you were meant to be? That he saw something special in you—“
“Oh Jesus,” Faith rolled her eyes.
“Hey!” Willow said indignantly.
”You remember what she told us about his last assistant right? She was a nut job. No guy wants to bang a nut job and have her go psychotic on them. He would have ended up strapped to the bed like that dude in ‘Misery’. Then Buffy comes along. Young. . . bouncy—“
Buffy laughed, in spite of it all, “Bouncy?”
Faith shrugged, “Well, ya know what I mean.”
“Unfortunately.”
“So you come along and he thinks ‘cha-ching’. I’ve got myself a girl that’s practically a teenager still. Young and nubile – hey, how’s that for a college word?”
“Oh Jesus,” Buffy muttered and rolled her eyes.
“And the love part?” Willow challenged.
Faith gave her a look, “You’re kidding right?”
“You don’t believe in love because Robin left you,” Anya said matter- of- factly.
Faith glared at her, “I do believe in love. Look, I’m just trying to help Buffy out here. Trying to save her some heart ache.”
“I hurt him first,” Buffy murmured.
“Now you’re going to let him hurt you last. Fuck that.”
Buffy shook her head, “Nope. It’s not like that.”
“Then how is it then? Let’s say that I am full of shit. Then what? How long is he going to wait for you Buffy? Forever?” Faith sat back, stacking her hands behind her head. “No guy is going to wait that long. As far as I can tell, he’s lining up in his next conquest. Making sure his bed will be warm once you’ve gone.”
“She’s technically already gone,” Anya pointed out.
“But, he still has hope she’s coming back,” Willow told her.
“I see. Then I agree with Faith.” Anya frowned, “I think.” Then she nodded, “I do. It’s possible subconsciously he’s lining up Fred to be his mate—“
“Mate? Honestly, who says that?” Buffy asked, annoyed.
“Psychology majors who focus on interpersonal relationships,” Willow jumped in.
“So, he could have found some attributes in this Fred that he likes and has subconsciously chosen her as your replacement when it is clear to him that you are not coming back,” Anya finished.
Buffy reached out and took the rum and coke Faith had been nursing and thought she might be in need of new friends.
*********************************************
First thing after class, Buffy headed straight over to her father’s office and snuck to the breakroom to start the set up for her father. Their receptionist let Lindsey and Lilah know that she had arrived while she began set up.
Having things to do kept her mind off all the stuff-- crap-- Anya and Faith had been spewing the night before. What if William was setting his next ‘mate’ up in Fred? No, she told herself, he wasn’t. He wouldn’t. He loved her. He loved her still. Right? But for how long?
And honestly . . . Did she deserve a man like William who was willing to wait for her the way he was?
“I don’t even fucking know what he means by all that ‘I trust you’ crap. He trusts me. He has faith in me – what the fuck does that mean?” she muttered as she stabbed the banner with a thumbtack and pushed it into the wall forcefully.
“I don’t know what the banner did, but I’m sure it’s sorry.”
Buffy jumped, nearly falling off the chair she was standing on. Just in time Lindsey made it to her and steadied her by grabbing her hips. “Whoa, girl. You all right?” he asked, releasing her.
Buffy nodded, her heart hammering with her almost fall. “Yeah, I’m okay. You scared me!”
He chuckled, “Sorry ‘bout that.”
“Tell you a secret.”
“What?”
“I’m afraid of heights.”
Lindsey grinned, “Tell you a secret too.”
“What?”
“So am I.”
She grinned down at him.
“I know you’re not hitting on my girl MacDonald.”
The pair looked over to see William coming through the door, looking out of this world gorgeous. Truthfully, he looked the way he did every day in his suits, but there was something about him today that made him look even more scrumptious. The word ‘mate’ and the name ‘Fred’ popped up in her head at that moment and she felt the sudden urge to cry.
Lindsey held up his hands, “Wouldn’t think of it. If you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to get Lilah and start herding up the staff.”
Sauntering out, Buffy looked down at William, “Are Angel and Wesley coming?”
“They are. Need some help with that?”
“I need to get the middle and the other end.”
“You’re afraid of heights; you want me to do it?”
Buffy shook her head, “Nope. As small a feat as this is, it’s all part of my master plan.”
“To get over being afraid of heights?”
“Exactly.”
“Maybe you should just focus singularly on not being afraid,” he whispered.
She stepped down, “Huh?”
He shook his head, “Nothing.”
Moving the chair, she had William hold the banner up to her and she set about tacking it in place. “Is Fred holding down the fort?” she asked nonchalantly, making sure to not look at him as she asked. She knew, just knew he was smirking in triumph.
“Yes, she is,” William murmured just as Buffy felt his hand glide from the bottom of her calf to where her skirt stopped mid thigh.
She gulped, feeling goosebumps break out over her skin and a certain heat coil inside her.
“We didn’t get to finish our talk,” he murmured. “You left and then I couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“I was out,” she squeaked as his hand caressed her thigh.
“Mmmm.” His hand went further up until it was under her skirt, his fingers outlining the panties on her bottom. “Are you wet, Buffy?”
She was having a hard time breathing and concentrating so how he expected her to speak she did not know—
“Looks good. We’re just going to set the food up on the table and round everyone up,” Lilah said, coming into the room. William moved with lightening speed and Buffy was sure Lilah didn't see, or if she had, she didn't let on. “Hello, by the way,” she said and smiled.
“Hello,” Buffy and William said at the same time. And so people started filling in, bringing the food they couldn’t fit in the fridge. William helped Buffy down from the chair and moved it to the next stop and helped her back up.
He grinned up at her, “Trust me?”
She smiled saucily, “I better be able to. You’re the only one keeping me from meeting the hard floor.”
His grin faded, but only slightly and his eyes twinkled. “I’ll catch you. Everytime.”
She met his eyes and found herself trapped by his words and their meaning, not to mention the wealth of emotion pouring out of his eyes.
“All right, I think we’ve got a party now!” Lilah announced. “I’ll get the guest of honor.”
Quickly, Buffy tacked the last part of the banner in and William swept her from the chair, clear off her feet and planted her on the floor, kissing the tip of her nose before putting the chair back from whence it came.
************************
Buffy had met her father’s assistant only a handful of times over the years, and so it was only natural that she was curious about the woman now in light of what she knew. The woman, named Hannah, was shorter than Joyce. Where Joyce was a sandy blond, Hannah was a red head with a short bob. She was also plump where Joyce was tall and slender. However, she was pretty, all in all. There was an aura of sadness around her and Buffy wondered if her father had any plans to kindly ask her to leave considering what had happened between them and would no longer be happening or if the woman was going to leave on her own. Buffy was busily trying to asses the situation and didn’t notice William was standing right next to her until he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“What are you doing?”
She started and then calmed, looking up at him, “I’m checking out Hannah, my father’s assistant.”
“God, have you decided you’re a lesbian now?”
Buffy couldn’t help it, she started to giggle and then laugh. William joined in with her and it earned them a few funny looks their way, but they paid no mind.
“No, you dork,” Buffy told him quietly when they had calmed.
“Oh,” he said knowingly and nodding. “You think he’s having the affair with her?”
“No, he was –“ She stopped abruptly and scanned the room. She looked up at William whose mouth was hanging open in barely concealed shock. “I can’t tell you here,” she told him apologetically.
He closed his mouth and grabbed a carrot off the veggie dish on the table and popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. He shrugged. “No problem. You can tell me over dinner.”