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Chapter 3



Buffy waved goodbye to Willow, giving her a little smile before she quickened her steps and walked faster down the sidewalk toward her house. Her eyes were fixed on the mailbox and her smile widened as she finally approached it and pulled the door open.



Her smile fell away as she saw nothing inside before she sighed and closed it door back. Sulking toward the house, Buffy's mind wandered back to William and their day spent on the pier. She smiled in spite of not hearing from him yet and even though it had only been two weeks since he had left, she was looking forward to his first letter.



Opening the door, Buffy walked inside the house, laying her schoolbooks down on the hall table before she heard her mother coming down the hall.



"Buffy, is that you?" Joyce asked, smiling as she saw Buffy.



"Yeah," Buffy said, smiling as she turned to face her mother. "How was work today?" She asked.



"Same ol'," Joyce said, as she continued to smile. "Something came for you today."



"Really?" Buffy asked, hope springing to life.



"Yes," Joyce said, reaching into her apron pocket and producing a small envelope.



Buffy's face lit up as she saw it and before she even had time to think, she snatched it from her mother's hand.



"Buffy Ann Summers," Joyce said sternly, surprised by her daughters reaction.



"Sorry mom," Buffy said, ducking her head slightly as she looked at the letter.



"Well, you should be. Now tell me who William Bennett is and why he's writing you letters from an army base," Joyce said, eyeing the letter before looking back at Buffy.



"Oh," Buffy said, her smile once again returning. "Remember that soldier from the diner a few weeks back?" She asked, her voice raising a pitch as she happily spoke. "He doesn't have any family and asked if he could write me."



"I see," Joyce said. "Is this the same young man that had you spilling everything you touched on a certain Saturday that a very handsome blonde came into the diner?"



Buffy blushed as her smile widened and she nodded her head. "Yeah, that's him."



"Well, I think it's very nice of you to befriend him Buffy, but do remember, he is a bit older than you are and the war is hard. Don't read too much into this," Joyce said, seeing the look on Buffy's face and knowing Buffy had a new crush. It seemed like a weekly occurrence now, and Joyce knew her daughter was already infatuated with this stranger.



"It's just a letter mom," Buffy said, as she smiled and headed for the steps.



"I know it is honey."



Buffy smiled one last time at her mother before darting up the steps and running to her room. Swinging the door open, she entered, shutting the door quickly before running and jumping on the bed.



Her smile was still present as she settled onto the pillows and carefully opened the letter, trying to not rip the seal too much before she reached in and removed the folded papers inside.



August 28th, 1967



Hello Buffy,



Sorry I haven't written sooner, but things have been strained here. I'm still in California at the moment, but they plan on shipping us out in a few more weeks.



It's a lot different than I imagined. The tension around the base is evident on every face. Talk of the war is everywhere. I think it's safe to say that I'm not the only one scared at the prospects of what's to come.



Most of the guys here are fresh out of school as I am, most never even having traveled outside of their own towns. I'm not sure this is the kind of atmosphere to actually make a friend, not that I ever had to many to begin with, but the close quarters are an adjustment that I'm use to. Hopefully by the time they send us over seas, there will be someone that is willing to talk.



My days are spent in training most of the time with what seems like endless hours of planning and strategies. It's all quite boring to be honest, but I guess since this is the lot life has handed me, I'm bound to it.



Well, enough about me. How are things in Sunnydale? Quiet I suppose? Must be nice to live in a place like that, I'm sure it beats the dive of a town I was unfortunate enough to get stranded in. Maybe when all of this is over, I can come back and visit you, that is if I even make it back. Not so sure of myself holding a gun. Well, holding it isn't a problem, aiming it at someone and pulling the trigger will be the hard part. Hopefully things won't come to that.



Well pet, its lights out in a few so I guess that's all for now. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you, if you decide to write me back. It's perfectly okay if you don't. Just knowing someone out there knows I'm here and is thinking about me is more than I could ever ask for.



Take care Buffy and I'll talk to you again soon,



William



Buffy sighed lightly as she read the last words and laid the letter in her lap. She smiled as she looked down at it before she grinned and jumped off the bed.



Sitting down at her desk, Buffy pulled the new stationary she had bought with the small allowance she received for working at the diner out of her desk drawer before grabbing a pen and pulled a crisp piece of pink paper out of the box.



Her smile was still evident as she wrote the first line.





~*~*~*~*~*~





William looked up from his bunk as he heard his name called and the smile that spread across his face almost hurt as he jumped up and approached the guy handing out the mail. He really didn't hold out any hopes of ever receiving a letter from Buffy, but as soon as his name was called, he knew she had written back.



He walked slowly back to his bed, his eyes fixed on the small pink envelope in his hand. Sitting down, he just stared at his name written across the front and glancing to the corner, the words Buffy Summers caused his smile to widen.



Leaning back against his pillow, William carefully opened the letter. The faint scent of vanilla assaulted his senses as he pulled the letter from the envelope before he straightened it and he began to read.



September 1, 1967



Hello William,



I was so happy to see your letter. I was starting to get worried that you had changed your mind about writing me, but I see now that you have been busy.



Nothing much has happened here in the past two weeks; well nothing other than old man Peterson's dog biting the mailman. I know.completely boring, but this is Sunnydale.



It was kinda funny actually. You see, Mr. Peterson's dog is a tiny little thing. Seeing the mailman run down the sidewalk, with this small dog swinging in the breeze as his hold on the leg he had bitten into was beyond funny. Willow and Xander were both here when it happened. We laughed for what seemed like hours.



It actually made the morning newspaper. Can you believe that? What kind of a sad little town am I living in when a random dog bite makes the front page?



Anyway, enough about that, I'm sure you don't want to read about "when animals attack" so onto something else.



We've had tons of new soldiers come through town. Seems like the number of them increase every day. I wonder why they are all so young. I mean, most of them are just starting their life and to have it taken away by being forced into protecting the country is kinda cruel if you ask me. Not like taking away family men is any better, but.I guess the whole idea just upsets me.



I don't know anything about it really, other than what the diner customers say. They seem to be split about their opinions of it. I can see the argument for both, but it doesn't make it any easier to understand.



I guess I'll "have to grow up" as Mr. Anderson said. He can be so frustrating sometimes. I guess the fact that I'm not an adult and that I'm a girl gives me no say so in the matter. Voicing my opinion in the matter only earns me a little smile and them telling me to go play with my dolls.



I guess I shouldn't be to upset by them. My mom listens, so that helps. Oh, I almost forgot. She almost freaked when she found your letter. She was all like "Who's William Bennett and how do you know him, and why is he writing you?" I think she finally had to admit, even if it were only for a minute, that I wasn't ten anymore.



Well, I guess I've bored you enough for now. I hope everything will go well for you and know that I'm thinking about you. Talk soon.



Buffy



William smiled as he read Buffy's name again before he turned over on the bed and lay on his side. He just stared at the letter, rereading it several times before finally closing his eyes.



He was still surprised that she had written back. He wasn't really expecting her to. He hadn't asked if she would write him, but now that he had received the first letter, he hoped it was something she continued to do.



He hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. It seemed like every time he closed his eyes he saw her beautiful face. Reaching up, William grabbed the small gold chain that hung around his neck and his fingers lightly played with the gold cross that hung there. Every time he looked in the mirror and saw the necklace, he was reminded of her.



He didn't know why she had affected him so much after only spending one day with her, but he knew she had to feel the same. What other reason explained the tears he had seen her shed or the kiss she had given him?



His smile widened as that memory played over for him. He still couldn't believe she had kissed him. To say it surprised him would have been an understatement. Total shock would be a more appropriate word. If he thought hard enough, he could still feel her lips on his and the scent of vanilla as it drifted around him.



Opening his eyes, William looked at the letter again, reading it over again before folding it back up and returning it to its envelope. As he sighed heavily, William clutched the letter to his chest, a pleased smile covering his face before the images of Buffy and the big smile he remembered her giving him filled his head. With a final look at the small pink envelope, William closed his eyes, dreaming of the pretty little girl that seemed to have completely stolen his heart.





Chapter 4




September 15, 1967





Hello Buffy,



Well, the surprise of receiving your letter had to be the best thing to happen since I’ve gotten here. I never really held out any hope that you would write, but I did hope you would.



Things are about the same here. Drills, combat tactics and target practice make up my days. I feel as if they care about nothing other than how well we shoot a gun and how long we can stay awake before falling over. I suppose things will be worse over there, so even though it seems bad now, I guess I should be thankful I have a semi-soft bed to sleep in.



I heard some of the other guys talking. They said we were shipping out sooner than expected. Not sure where they heard this, but as tense as things have been, I’m inclined to believe them. I never really thought I’d be as nervous about it as I am, but the mere thoughts of it scares me beyond belief. No one knows what to expect other than what we are told and the officers make it sound like some horror flick. I guess all I can do is pray that things go well for me and knowing that I have you to talk to makes it better.



I got to see the ocean today and it reminded me of you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at it again and not be reminded of the day we spent on the pier. I never thought for a minute that when I stepped off that bus in Sunnydale that I’d meet someone, let alone the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. I never had many friends growing up and I’ve never had a girlfriend, of any kind, and knowing that you’re there is…nice. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wished it could be more. I’ve never met anyone like you before and no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to stop thinking about you.



Okay, sorry about that, but the ponce in me does come to the surface occasionally, especially when faced with the disaster my life has become. How about I end this here before I really embarrass myself?



Well, I hope things are well for you. It may be a few weeks before I get the chance to write again, so until then.



William







Buffy was grinning big as she read the letter to Willow. They were both lounging on her bed and the redheads smile matched that of Buffy’s.



“Wow Buffy,” Willow grinned, “I think he’s taken with you.”



“You think so?” Buffy asked hopefully.



“Oh, definitely!”



Buffy’s smile lit up at that as she reread the letter silently to herself. William thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen? That small statement would be enough to make her happy for weeks, but the fact that he wished their friendship could be more…now that statement had her grinning like a fool.



“Willow, your mother called,” Joyce said as she looked into Buffy’s room.



“Thanks, Mrs. Summers,” Willow said as she rolled off the bed and stood. “Well I guess I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Buffy.”



“Yeah.”



Willow chuckled at Buffy as the blonde just sat there grinning as she looked at the letter in her hand. Shaking her head, Willow smiled big as she turned and walked from the room.



Buffy barely heard her door close before she looked up and stood from the bed. She immediately went to her desk, pulling the small box of pink stationary from the drawer and sitting down. Grabbing a fresh piece of paper, she reread William’s letter before composing her own.





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



September 22, 1967





Hey William,



You really have a way with words, don’t you? I’m not sure I’ll ever get this smile off my face. I think the only other guy I ever remember saying I was pretty was my Dad, but he doesn’t exactly count, now does he?



I think about the day on the pier as well. It was the first time I’ve ever felt like anything other than a child. Mom still treats me like I’m nine and although you are a bit older than me; it was…nice to pretend that it was more than it actually was. See, just writing that is making me blush. God I feel so juvenile now. I think maybe I’ll change subjects before I completely trash this letter and start over.



I’ve been watching the news when Mom lets me, trying to understand the war better. It still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me and it probably never will. I still haven’t figured out why we’re there and from the news footage, it scares me to think you’re going. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone and you’re in my prayers every night.



My mom keeps telling me not to worry so much about it, but I can’t. I don’t think I ever really cared much one way or the other until I met you, but now, I can’t seem to think about much else. I know it’ll be hard once you get there, but just remember that I’m here and more than likely, I’m thinking about you.



Well, I guess that’s all for now. I’m going to put this in the mail tonight and hopefully it will reach you before you leave. Stay safe and I’ll be waiting to hear from you.



Buffy







William leaned his head against the cold steel of the plane, staring at the words Buffy had written. He had received the letter only hours before his troop loaded into the plane and headed out. His nerves were on edge and as he held the small pink paper in his hands, he could almost see her face.



He wasn’t sure why Buffy was affecting him so much. Was it her or just the dire circumstances he was in that made him feel as if she was his only lifeline to the real world? Whatever it was, he enjoyed the feeling and had no intentions of letting go of it anytime soon.



Folding the letter, William replaced it in its envelope before tucking it inside his jacket pocket. Listening to the roar of the plane’s engine, William closed his eyes, the vision of his golden girl shining in his mind’s eye. As her face lit with laughter, he smiled, remembering the sweet smell of vanilla and the sparkle in her eyes as she looked at him. Sighing heavily, he raised his hand, fingering the small cross that hung around his neck before he let his mind drift back to where things had started. A small diner and the prettiest girl he had ever seen.





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