Change of Season

A Change of Seasons, Chapter 15



1



Dawn wakes up, sniffing the air.



Is that bacon? She sits up, taking another deep breath. Yup, that's bacon. But… it's not Sunday. Is it? No, it can't be. I mean, when I went to sleep, it was Thursday night. No way it could be Sunday! If it's Sunday then I missed Friday and Saturday. I MISSED MY DATE WITH XANDER!





Whoa, wait up. No way you could sleep through Friday and Saturday. But, still, that’s… She sniffs the air… bacon!



Dawn slips out of bed, and into her robe, intrigued. She pads into the hallway, and is making for the staircase when her sister's head pops out of her room.



"Is that bacon, squirt?"



"Yeah," Dawn nods, " And don't call me squirt, Buffy. That's bacon."



"Is it Sunday? Did I miss Friday and Saturday?"



"I don't think so… I know I didn't … oh, wow, nice look, Buffy. What happen? A cat crawl up on your head and die?"



"What?" Buffy's hand appears, touching her head. "Ooohhh… man" She ducks back in her room, her door closing behind her.



Oh yeah, whatta burn. Got her good! Dawn, feeling peppier now that she got the first insult of the day on her sister, and better, before her sister, makes her way downstairs to investigate the Bacon Mystery.



"Whoa!"



She walks into the dining room to see the table set, and a pitcher of orange juice sitting on the table. Feeling suddenly thirsty, she grabs a glass and fills it.



"Hey, mom? What's the occasion? We never have bacon on…" Her words trail off as she sees Faith come into view, going to the pans on the stove to check them. " Faith?"



Faith turns around, and throws Dawn her patented heart breaker full dimple smile.



"Well, good morning sleepy. What's up? I mean, besides you?" Faith goes over, and flips the pancakes she has cooking on the griddle.



"You're making pancakes? On a Friday? What's going on? How come you're making breakfast? Wait, am I stupid? Why am I looking a gift horse in the mouth?"



"Which one do you want me to answer first?" Faith chuckles, tending to the bacon. "By the way, how do you like your eggs?"



"Er… cooked," Dawn fusses with her hair, suddenly remembering she didn't comb it before making her grand, if somewhat frumpy, entrance. "So, why're you making pancakes again, on a Friday?"



"Call it my apology for missing dinner last night," Faith grins. "I notice you guys usually do the cereal route on weekdays, thought I'd throw a change up out there. See how it took."



"Hey, any time you want to make breakfast, feel free," Dawn looks at the food stacking up. "Er…planning on inviting the army?"



"Hey, growing girls. You need your nutrition. Anyway, I'm starved!" Faith grins. "Went for a run this morning. Been awhile."



"Run? You run?" Dawn says, looking at her.



"Yeah, gotta keep the body in shape, you know. But it's been awhile. Came home all sweaty. Already had a shower…" She grins, "Speaking of which, you might want to get yours in before the rush hits."



"Yeah, good idea. Buffy is such a hot water hog," Dawn turns, and almost runs into her mother entering the dining room. "Hi mom! Look, Faith's cooking!" She ducks around her mom, and heads upstairs.



"I was wondering who was making bacon" Joyce wanders in, still looking a bit fresh from bed. "Faith? Are you cooking?" she sees the food on plates in the kitchen." Did you plan on inviting the neighbors, too?"



"What's with you guys? Don't you like eat? I used to fix breakfast for my family all the time. If I served them this, they'd be complaining about me starving them to death."



"Well, maybe you all eat like that in Boston, but…"



"But nothing, young lady. You'll eat the food put before you!" Faith mockingly growls.



"Gee, you sound like my mother. Except you forgot the kids starving in Asia."



"With my mom, it was always Ireland. I think she thought the potato famine was still going on." Faith shakes her head, chuckling.



Joyce enters the kitchen, starting to pick up plates to take to the table.



"Are you trying to make me fat?" Joyce stares at the cornucopia of food before her.



"Fat my butt," Faith grabs her around the waist, pulling her in. She gives her a big wet kiss. "Anyway, I like my women with something to hold onto."



"Faith! I haven't even brushed my teeth yet!" Joyce complains, but doesn't pull away.



"Mmmm, like I'm caring," she kisses her again. Then she starts getting a little grabby.



"Faith, the girls!" Joyce is giggling madly. "Aren't we in the good mood this morning!"



"Don't know about 'we', Faith winks. "But I am definitely on the horny side!"



"You are TERRIBLE!" Faith playfully slaps her, and pulls away, starting to take the loaded plates to the table.



Buffy wanders in, clad in her robe. However, her hair has been combed, face washed, and just the tiniest hint of make-up is on her face.



"What's the occasion? Mom?"



"I didn't do this," Joyce says, "Thank Faith."



"Oh. Hey, Faith," Buffy smiles. "So, why the grub, bub?"



"Buffy!" Joyce says, "What do you say?"



"Thanks, Faith, " Buffy turns to Joyce, "I was just kidding, mom. Geeze."



"Oh, well, I was feeling a little guilty about missing dinner last night. You're mom mentioned you went to some trouble. So, consider this my apology."



"Well, it looks… oh, damn!" Buffy looks at the clock. "I can't stay. I gotta get dressed and go."



"Buffy! I'm not saying I hate the idea of you wanting to get to school early, but why? Especially after Faith went to all this trouble to make this nice breakfast."



"I know, mom. I'm really sorry, Faith," Buffy turns to her. "But Cordelia called an early practice for today. She's got something going on after school, so we won't be able to practice then."



"Buffy, I think having breakfast with your family is more important that a cheerleading practice."



"Mom! I can't miss practice. Cordelia is really serious about winning the state championship this year, and if I miss practice, she might replace me!"



"Hey, Joyce, it's cool. Go get ready, Buffy. I'll make you a breakfast to go," Faith smiles at her.



"Thanks, Faith," Buffy smiles back. She runs upstairs. "Dawn, I need the bathroom! Get OUT!" can be heard from upstairs.



"Sisterly love. Isn't it sweet?" Faith grins, coming in to sit down to breakfast.



"So, what's the real deal here, Faith? Why the sudden interest in domesticity?"



"Hey, weren't you listening? I used to do this all the time for my family. It was one of my chores, you know?" Faith shrugs. "Mom and pop both worked, so I kinda did the meals."



"God. Beautiful, and she can cook!" Joyce grins, "I think I'm in love."



"Who's in love?" Dawn asks as she rounds the corner to the dining room. She sits down opposite her mom and Faith.



"Your mom, Dawnie. She told me so," Faith leans over, and whispers conspiratorially, "She's got a thing for Brad Pitt!"



Joyce blushes.



"Mom! GROSS!" Dawn says, digging into her breakfast. "You're so not supposed to like Brad Pitt. You should like guys like… Paul Newman…"



"Well, thanks, Dawn. But Paul Newman is 75 years old…"



"Ok, well… but Brad Pitt? That's …" Dawn shudders.



"Honey, I hate to tell you, but Brad is only 5 years younger than I am," Joyce says, smiling," anyway, I like my lovers a little younger."



Faith coughs.



"Something wrong, Faith?" Joyce asks innocently.



"No, no, I'm fine," Faith gasps a little. "Got something caught in my throat. Fine now."



Dawn looks at the two of them, and smiles. I wonder who they think they're kidding?



Buffy rushes in, looking a little breathless. She's wearing her cheerleading costume, and carrying a bundle over her shoulder. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail.



"Sorry guys, wish I could stay for breakfast, looks good," She looks around. "Gotta fly, however."



"Wait a minute, Buffy." Faith gets up, and hands her something wrapped in a napkin. "Just eat it on the way, like a burrito."



"Thanks, Faith," Buffy says, seemingly even more anxious to get away.



Joyce notes that Buffy is looking down, avoiding eye contact with Faith. Wonder what that's about?



"Gotta motor, guys." Buffy starts to leave, then turns back. "You're going to be home for dinner tonight though, right?"



"Wouldn't miss it, Buffy," Faith nods.



"Cool. Seeya at school, Squirt. Bye, mom."



"Yeah. Later, Short-stack," Dawn says, gauging her sister's reaction.



Buffy stands for a moment, gazing at Dawn, little red circles in her cheeks. Then she shrugs, and without another word, leaves.



"She shoots, she scores!" Dawn raises her hands over her head.



Joyce and Faith look at her.



"So tired of her calling me squirt," Dawn explains. She catches the time on the kitchen clock. "Ooops, gotta go. Said I'd meet Xander before school." She pops up. " Bye, mom." She goes around, giving Joyce a peck on the cheek.



"You're bringing this Xander by so I can meet him, right?" Joyce asks.



"Mom, you've met Xander."





"Yes, and now, he's taking you out, so I get to meet him again. Whole different thing, Dawn. You know the rules."



Dawn rolls her eyes. "Ok, ok, I'll bring him by for dinner. That ok with you?"



"Sure, more the merrier, I say," Joyce smiles.



"Geeze, you sure you didn't grow up during the 1860's, rather than the 1960's?" Dawn complains. She turns to Faith. "Thanks for the grub, bub!' Before Faith can move, Dawn leans over and kisses her cheek. "You better be here tonight, or I'm gonna go looking for you!"



"And miss your date with …what's his name? Zebra?" Faith teases her.



"Ha, Ha. You know it's Xander, Ms. Smarty!" Dawn zooms around the table, and grabs her books. "Seeya guys." And she's off.



"So, I guess it's just you and me now," Faith says, chewing away merrily.



"I guess so," Joyce agrees, smiling at her. "It really was nice of you to make breakfast for us. You really didn't have to."



"Actually, I kinda did," Faith says quietly. "I'm kind of saying sorry for last night to you, too. I was … I'm really sorry I worried you like that. I just felt so bad, and really useless, that I couldn't look at you guys, know what I mean. I mean, you're like my family now… and I felt like a failure and stuff." She frowns a little. "Like I let you down."



"Faith, hon? As long as you're here? You can't let me down. It's only when you hide away like that, I get scared. But as long as we're together, you can't let me down."



They sit quietly for awhile, just enjoying being together, and sharing a meal.



"I was wondering," Faith asks, her hand slipping off her thigh, and onto Joyce's. "Are you in a real hurry to get to the office this morning?"



Joyce can't help but feel Faith's hand rubbing on her thigh, moving up on each pass.



"Well, depends. What did you have in mind?"



"Well, we have the house all to ourselves, and I thought…"



"I'm pretty sure Taylor can handle things for an hour or so… " her own hand slips over onto Faith's thigh. "Might have to make that two hours."



"Why Joyce, you minx. I think you've got your naughty on!"



Joyce smiles, and stands up. She slips out of her robe, and reveals she's rather on the naked side.



"… and evidently, that's all," Faith grins, looking over her body. Her eye gets a lusty twinkle.



Joyce smiles, and does a little hippy-hippy shake.



"Want it?" She giggles. She runs around the table, and stands in the doorway. " Going to have to catch me!" She turns, and runs upstairs.



Before her heart beats another beat, Faith is up and after Joyce, disappearing upstairs after her.



2



"Oooo! Look at the sparklies!"



"No, Xander!" Dawn cries out, covering his eyes with her hands. "If you look at them directly, you might go blind!"



Xander grins behind Dawn's protective hands. "Thanks, I need those to ogle you with!"



"Would you two stop it?"



Willow is sitting outside on a quad bench. Her lunch is sitting at her right side, and Dawn and Xander are to her left. She is blushing furiously, but grinning from ear to ear.



"We can't," Dawn says in a hushed, almost reverent tone. "We must worship at the altar of the big sparklies." Dawn hops onto the ground before Willow, kneeling and bowing.



"They're just earrings, for goodness sake," Willow pretends irritation, but she's loving the teasing.



Xander, getting in the spirit, joins Dawn in front of Willow, salaaming away.



"Oh no, most exalted one," He says, bowing humbly, "We must worship the sparklies!"



"Salaam!" Dawn cries, bowing



"Salaam!" Xander echoes, bowing.



"Baloney!" Willow laughs, "Get up! You two are nuts!"



"I tried to tell you that …," a voice comes from the side.



Dawn and Xander look up to see a familiar petite blonde presences standing off to the side, looking at them with arched brow. They sit on their haunches, a little red faced



"… but, would you believe me? I think not!" Buffy walks over, and calmly sits down on Willow's left. "So, what's all the hubbub … oooo … sparklies!" She whips out a pair of sunglasses, putting them on. "I brought protection, fortunately."



"Oh, god! Not you too!" Willow sighs, " from the giggle twins here, I know I'm in danger. But I expected some sense of sanity from you, Ms. Summers!"



"Ok, now that's scary," Buffy says, backing away in mock horror, making a sign of the cross in front of her. "You were channeling Snyder!"



A collective "Eeew!" goes up.



"Hey!" Willow sounds offended.



"A tall, red-headed, winsome and somewhat sexy Snyder!"



"Ok, that's just wrong. Sexy and Snyder in the same sentence." Xander shivers.



"That's not better," Willow protests. She shakes her head.



"Watch out, she's trying to blind us!" Dawn cries, covering her eyes.



"STOP IT!" Willow giggles.



"Hmmm…" Buffy moves closer to Willow, putting a finger under her earlobe to show off the earring. "I'm thinking that coffee date must've gone well. I mean, when you got these, it sounded like you were going to give them back."



"Buffy! Ix-Nay on the offee-Cay ate-Day," Willow tries to shush her. Too late.



"Date? Did I hear, date?" Xander perks up.



"Date with coffee, I think," Dawn chimes in. "Or maybe sugary mocha goodness?"



"Willow had a date!" Xander concludes, wisely. "So, spill it Will. Details, lots of details!"



"Yeah, we want the dirt!"



"Gee, guys, " Willow says, looking around. She finds her unopened soda can, and inverts it triumphantly. "I guess there's nothing to spill."



"Ok, Ms. Smarty, you know what we're talking about," Buffy says, poking her.



"Hey, don't get personal!"



"Come on, Willow. We're your bestest friends ever. You can trust us!" Dawn pleads with her.



"Uh-uh" Willow says, somewhat adamantly.



"Ok, Will. I didn't want to, but you're forcing my hand. Tell us, or you know what's going to happen!" Xander says, looking grim.



"What?" She catches the look in his eye, and starts backing into Buffy. "Oh, no! No you don't, Xander Harris. You don't EVEN think about it!"



"Hey, Will, if you wanted to sit in my lap, you could've asked!" Buffy laughs, getting up.



"I'm sorry Will, but this is for the public good. We have a right to know!"



Willow, panicking, runs around behind Buffy.



"Save me Buffy, don't let him get me!"



"What the …?" Buffy is confused.



"Xander, what're you doing?" Dawn speaks up, getting between Buffy, with the cowering Willow behind her, and Xander.



"A man's gotta do… what a man's gotta do" He stretches out his hands, waggling his fingers. "Take it like… well, like a girl, Willow!"



"What in the hell are you goofballs doing?" Buffy looks to Xander, and over her shoulder to Willow.



"He's… he's going to tickle me. He knows how ticklish I am!"



"Come out, Willow! Take your licks. You know it's going to happen!" Xander tries to reach around Buffy.



"Ummmph! Watch it, Xander!" Buffy protests.



"Move, Buffy!"



"Don’t' you move, Buffy! Xander, back off. I'm telling you, back off now!"



"No, I have to do this. It's all part of my journalistic integrity!"



"You're not a journalist, Xander. They wouldn't even let you on the school newspaper!"



"Can I help it I'm spelling challenged?" Xander proclaims. "Now, stop stalling". Again, he attempts an end run around Buffy.



"Marcia Cross, Xander!" Willow cries out.



"What?" Buffy and Dawn say at the same time. Both look puzzled.



"Ok, I've had enough of being squished in a Xander/ Willow sandwich." Buffy ducks out from between them. "This is a silk blouse, guys!"



"Ah, got you at last, my pretty!" Xander grins, advancing on Willow.



"Marcia Cross!" Willow yells louder," One more step, and I spill my guts, Alexander Lavelle Harris!"



Xander stops, seemingly confused and scared. He hesitates, then starts advancing.



"Marcia Cross in the closet… I'm so not kidding here!" Willow calls out.



Xander stops.



"Who's Marcia Cross? What's she talking about?" Buffy turns to Dawn. They've become spectators.



"Not a clue," Dawn shrugs, mystified as her sister. But she better keep clear of my Xander, or there'll be hell to pay!



"You wouldn't, Willow!" Xander starts at her. "You're bluffing."





"I so am not bluffing, Xander, " Willow turns to Dawn. "Hey, Dawnie! Want a funny story about your knight in shining armor here!"



"Willow, no! Don't you dare!"



"Yeah sure!" Dawn brightens. She loves it when Willow talks about Xander.



"Too late, Harris!" Willow says, smugly. "You crossed a line!"



"I never touched you!"



"You were going to!"



"Hey, the story?" It's Buffy. She loves a good bit of gossip.



"Oh yeah, Well, you see….. mmmmmppphhh!"



Willow has been flanked by Xander, who has covered her mouth with his hand.



"We never tell about the Marcia Cross incident!" Xander says, "You swore! You pinkie swore!"



They struggle like that for awhile, every once in awhile Willow breaking out from Xander's hand, giving a clue to the Marcia Cross story. Phrases like "We were 13…" and "… 7th grade Cotillion…" and " He got kicked by…" and " …he walked around all funny for a week" Slipped out. Tantalizing, but in the end, uninformative and unsatisfying.



"Xander, let me go…" Willow squirms in his grip. She sounds a little flustered.



"Not until you give it up, Will. We want the scoop. Spill it!" Xander says in a jocular tone. "And no more threats of telling embarrassing stories, either!"



"Xander, this isn't funny anymore. Let me go!" Willow definitely sounds upset.



"No, promise. No promise, no go!"



"XANDER! STOP IT!"



Willow kicks back, hitting Xander in the shin.



"OW!" Xander releases her, grabbing his leg and limping away.



"Xander!" Dawn runs to him, checking his leg. She turns on Willow. "Why'd you do that? Why'd you kick him? He was only fooling around."



"He knows better," Willow, breathing heavily, shivers a little. "He knows better."



"What's wrong with you?" Dawn's tone is a little strident. She looks at Xander's leg. "You could've really hurt him. He didn't…"



"Dawn, it's ok," Xander says, his face serious. "I'm sorry, Will. I forgot. We got to playing around and…"



"Are you guys ok?" Buffy comes up, looking at Willow and then at Xander. "Wow, you really let him have it."



"I'm sorry, Xander, I just got … are you ok?" She kneels down by Xander, trying to get a look at his leg.



"You've done enough, haven't you?" Dawn is still clueless as to what's going on. All she knows is Willow kicked her boyfriend. "Go pick on someone else now!"



"Dawn, that's enough," Buffy realizes there's more here than is being said. "Willow didn't mean it, did you?"





"No, of course not. I'd… Xander's my best friend, I wouldn't… I'm so sorry, Xander!" Willow's voice is near tears.



"Hey, hey, no big, Will. I'm fine, look!" Xander gets up, and tries to hide the little limp Willow gave him. "See, good as new!"



Dawn subsides, finally cluing in a little. "Are you sure you're ok?" She asks Xander.



"Yeah," Xander puts on the bravado, "Take more than a kick from a girl to stop me."



"Depends on where the kick landed," Buffy cracks. She briefly glances at Xander's crotch.



"What? Oh… yeah… er, don't be giving out of the ideas, ok, Buffster? I'm rather fond of the boys…"



"The boys?" Dawn giggles, "you call your…?"



"Enough! I've been wounded enough today. Time for a strategic retreat so I can restore what's left of my fading macho-ness!" He starts to walk away.



"Xander! Don't go! I'm sorry, please stay!" Willow is up, going after him.



"Hey, Will. We're cool, ok? And anyway, I'm storming away. Kind of ruins it if come along." He grins at her.



"What about me?" Dawn says, coming up to them. "Can I come?"



"I dunno, Dawn. I mean, will there be all that girly sympathy and fussing and insisting I sit down and don't strain my leg and that junk?"



Dawn is about to answer no when she sees Willow vigorously nodding her head .



"Uhhh… yes?"



"Oh good. Ok, you can come."



He puts his arm around her shoulders, and walking away, milks his sore shin for all the sympathy he can get.



"So, do you name them too?"



"What?"



"You know… your… the boys." Dawn giggles.



"Oh, geeze…"



"I mean, is one like Lefty, and the other Righty? Or maybe, Carl and Clem… or…"



They walk into the school building, and disappear.



Willow turns around, still frowning a little. She walks back to Buffy, who's sitting watching her.



"Don't worry, I only kick one friend a day. Otherwise, it gets too hard to remember who I kicked last…"



"Are you ok?" Buffy pats the bench beside her. "You look a little shaken."



Willow sits, a rueful expression on her face. "I'm fine, Buffy. I just… I'm kind of claustrophobic. I panic easily sometimes."



Claustrophobia my butt. That was something else, girl!



"You're sure you're ok?"



"I'm fine, Buffy!" Willow says with a trace of irritation.



"Ok, ok, just asking," Buffy surrenders. "You just seemed a little nervy. My bad."



Willow grins crookedly, "No, I'm sorry. I get a little weird sometimes. It's the red hair and freckles. They just throw everything off."



"You're nuts. You realize that, right?" Buffy grins at her.



"That's why you love me, Buffy."



"True," Buffy nods slightly. She looks around. "Ok, we're alone, spill it."



"Buffy, really, I'd just rather not talk about it."



"Oh, c'mon, how bad can it be? You gotta tell me, I mean, really. There's a rule. Something about you spilling your deepest, darkest secrets with your best friend."



"Is there?" Willow smirks a little. "I better catch up with Xander then…"



"You're best girl friend!" Buffy shakes her head, "you're so difficult!"



"Oh, well… have you seen Amy Madison then, lately?"



"Who's Amy Madison?"



"My best girl friend. I mean, you know me, I hate to break the rules. Of course, we're not as close as we used to be. She started getting into that magic junk…" Willow shrugs. "Witchcraft, go figure. I mean, that's bogus, right?"



"Far as I know. I kind it put it in with Vampires and Werewolves. Total fairytales." Buffy shakes her head. "Hold on! Stop with the dodges, Willow. Spill, I wanna know what happened!" She crosses her arms, and pouts. "I need my vicarious smoochies. Not having a boyfriendly makes things tough, you know? Well, maybe that's not exactly the right question, but still…"



"What about Brad Johnson. Last time I checked in, you were picking out china patterns and registering at Neiman-Marcus…"



"He's a real Poophead!" Buffy growls. "Can you believe it? He was getting friendly with me, to get Melinda Thompson's vitals. He wants to date her!"



Willow gives her a sidelong look. " Melinda Thompson huh?" She grins lopsidedly. "I wouldn't worry too much on that score. Brad has nothing that Melinda wants."



"Huh? What do you mean? He's like tall, and muscle-y and co-captain of the basketball team and did I mention tall?"



"Buffy, Melinda would date you before she dates Brad."





"I think I speak for everyone who is me when I say HUH?" Buffy says, looking confused. "I'm confused here. She'd date me?"



"Buffy, didn't you know?"



"Know? Know what?"



"Buffy, Melinda Thompson is gay…"



"Melinda Thompson is gay?" Buffy blurts out.



"Uhhh… a little louder please? I don't think the people passing the school quite heard you."



"Melinda's gay?" She repeats, softly.



Willow nods.



They look at each other for a moment, then both bust out laughing.



"I-It's p-perfect," Buffy stammers though her laugh. "H-He dumps m-me, for h-her!"



"C-Can you s-see h-his face w-when he a-asks her on a d-date?" Willow giggles.



Buffy makes a gesture with her hand indicating something wilting. Both girls laugh hysterically.



K-K-Karma! G-God, for once, it works f-for me," Buffy hiccups, she's laughing so much. "T-This is s-sooo sweet!"



They laugh a little more, then settle down.



"See, Buff? You were worried for nothing. Once Melinda blows him out of the water, he'll be back around."



"Yeah, but you know what? That doesn't change jack. He still dumped me, I mean, ME, for her! No way. He go blow himself for all I care!"



"Good for you, Buffy!" Willow nods approvingly.



"I mean, my life doesn't revolve around having a guy, right?"



"Singing to the choir here, baby," Willow winks.



Buffy smiles. "So, how do you know about Melinda?"



"Oh well, funny story. I was at the Bronze with Xander. We were just hanging out, and then we decided to dance, ok? So we're dancing, and I can almost feel someone looking at me… know what I mean?"



"Yeah, sure…"



"But all I'm seeing when I turn around is Melinda Thompson, at a table alone, looking at me. So, I shrug, figuring it can't be her… and so we dance some more, and someone cuts in. It's Melinda. And I'm starting to back away, so she can dance with Xander… but it's me she wants to dance with. Wow, can that girl dance, you know?" Willow frowns a little, "Poor Xander, I think he was a little crushed. But he's so sweet, he just faded away. So we dance, and she's all the time getting closer and closer and hip checking me and butt bumping me. And she's saying things like how good I dance and all… so after, she invites me over for a coke, and we get to talking, and I'm thinking, well, this is nice. Not stuck up like most cheerleaders, and we're really connecting, you know? And the suddenly she's like kissing me!"



"Oh. My. God!" Buffy hoots.



"Oh yeah, so I'm like, 'Melinda, what're you doing?' "



"And she's saying 'I wanted to do that all night!' "



"And I like say 'Oh, really?' "



"And she says yeah, and asks me on a date!"



"Wow," Buffy smiles. "So, did you? Date her?"



"Oh yeah, we dated for a month or so… then she moved on… " Willow gets a little sigh in her voice. "Boy, can that girl kiss!"



"Poor Brad. He won't know what he's missing," Buffy laughs.



Willow joins her in the laugh. Then her laugh turns to a smirk, and she gives Buffy a sidelong glance.



"What?" Buffy asks.



"You might want to be careful, Buffy." Willow says, still smirking.



"Why?"



"Oh, it's just when we stopped dating, it was because Mel confessed that she had a thing for cute, short blondes."



"What?" Buffy looks a little nervous. "Oh. My. God! We … we shower together after Cheer practice. You don't think she's checking me out in the shower do you?"



"Could be. I hear she has a weakness for short blonde chicks."



Buffy turns a deep red.



"Gotcha!" Willow grins.



"You… you poop!" Buffy hits her arm.



"Ouch!"



"Hey, wait a minute! You did it again, you poop!" Buffy punches her again.



"I did what?" Willow asks innocently, rubbing her arm. "And, OW!"



"You know very well what. You used you're wily Willow ways to elude the question. What happened on your coffee date?"



"Buffy, really, nothing much at all happened. We met, we talked, we drank mochas. A real snoozer."



"Hmmm…." Buffy reaches over, fingering Willows' earring "I'd hardly call it a snoozer. She got you to keep these. Something must've happened."



"Look, Buff, I'll give you the short version, ok? This girl… we had a thing for awhile some time back. We … had a falling out, and it wasn't nice after that. It went like that for awhile, but now she wants to try again. I just don't know, after what went on, I just don't know if it'll happen again. But I agreed to at least give it a shot."



Buffy looks a little disappointed. "Well, that was a juicy as dried dates. What happened to cause you to break up? It must've been pretty terrible, cuz you're pretty easy going, Will."



"Buffy, that's private. Really. Don't want to talk about it."



"But you're willing to get together with her now? I mean, usually when I break up with someone, it stays broken up."



"Buffy, it wasn’t that easy, and I'll admit, I still have feelings for her. I kind of wish I didn't…"



"Why?"





"It just… complicates things, ok? I really don't want to tell Xander. He'd probably guess who it was, and I don't need him giving me stuff about it. So, kind of keep this to yourself, ok? Promise?"



"Sure, if that's what you want, Will. Zip of the lips. Got it."





"I mean it, Buffy. Not a word to Xander. I'll make something up, but he can't know … it was someone I was dating before. I'm trusting you on this, ok?"



"Ok, but… well, who's the mystery woman? I mean, you've told me this much, you might as well tell me her name."



Willow would like to tell. She'd love to have someone she could talk to about this. But she knows, considering everything, this would be a bad idea.



"No, Buffy. I think not. It's not that I don't trust you; it's just that you can't accidentally let slip what you don't know. Let's just leave it as it is. Ok?"



"Yeah, sure, Will. I get it, " Buffy takes it all wrong. She gets up. "Hey, gotta go, so, seeya around, ok?"



"Buffy…" Willow realizes how it must sound to her. "It's not that I don't trust you…"



"It's just that you don't trust me," Buffy smiles tightly. "It's ok, Will. I get it. You haven't known me that long, I mean, how could you, really?" She shrugs, and starts to walk off. She stops, and says over her shoulder. "Too bad you couldn't give me a chance like you're giving mystery girl. Oh well." She strides off towards the classrooms.



"Buffy… wait… " But Buffy is already disappearing through the doors.



Willow stands there a moment, feeling foolish.



Nice one, Will. I mean, what did she ever do to you? Just because she's a on Cordy's squad, doesn't mean… God, why does Cordelia have to just ruin everything?



Shaking her head, she picks up her books and walks towards the classrooms.



3



"I don't get it? Why? What'd I do?"



Harmony Kendall is sitting on a bench in the locker rooms, looking crushed. Her shoulders are slumped, her lower lip is trembling, and her eyes are threatening tears. She looks up at Cordelia, who's standing by her.



"Harmony, it's not like that. It's not anything you've done. It's just what it is. It's over."



"But why?" Harmony cries, reaching out and grabbing Cordelia's hand. "I did everything you wanted me to. I've been good. I've even been nice to that Buffy girl." Suddenly, her face clouds over, and she frowns. "It's her, isn't it? You want her, and you're dumping me for her!"



"No, it's not her, Harm," Cordelia says. "She has nothing to do with this!"



"Don't lie to me! Dammit, I know you. I've seen how you look at her. You even let her back on the squad, after that fiasco at the Alpha Mu house! You wouldn't just do that. You want something! You want her!" Harmony starts to cry.



"It's not her, Harmony."



"Then why? It doesn't make any sense. Don't I do it good? Don't I make you happy anymore? Why are you dumping me?"



"I'm not dumping you! We're still going to be friends. Just not… anything more than that."



"How can you be so cold about it?" Harmony lashes out, hurting. "You just stand there like it was nothing. God, are you made of ice? Or what?"



Cordelia feels the flush creeping up her neck.



Harmony is making her feel bad. She doesn't like feeling bad about herself.



"Oh for goodness sakes, Harmony. What did you think, I mean, really?" Cordelia starts to rev up. "We were going to be like, high school sweethearts and go off on some white horse into the sunset or something? Get real, Harm. You know who I am, what I am! You know I have a rep to protect here. I'm a Chase, and that means something in this town. I can't… I have to project a certain image," She leans over, "Maybe, if you hadn't been so blatant about things, it wouldn't have come to this. But our secret? Not so secret! And I know I’m not the one going around acting like a love sick puppy. You blew it, Harm, and now, it's gotta end. And it's ending!"



Harmony looks stricken. "What're you saying? People know?"



"Yeah, Harm, and if you'd kept your ears open, you'd have known that." She cocks her head. "You're supposed to be my eyes and ears around school, Harmony. Evidently, you're not doing your job."



"You're blaming me for this?"



"Excuse me, but you always act jealous whenever I talk to anyone. My god, it's obvious, even to a 3 year old, what's up. So, don't try to wiggle out of it. I can't have my rep ruined, and I won't. It's over, Harmony."



"Don't you love me? Not even a little?" Harmony sounds bereft. She's looking at the floor, not at Cordelia.



"Of course I do," Cordelia softens, sitting down next to her. She takes Harmony's hand. "You're my best friend, Harm. You always will be." She smiles at Harmony.



Harmony blinks rapidly, trying to clear the tears. "I really love you, Cor. I'd do anything for you."



"Then do this, and don't cry. Just because we're not lovers, doesn't mean we're not friends anymore. That's better anyway, isn't it?"



"I guess," Harmony says, not believing it.



"You know what I think, Harm?" Cordelia starts to pour on the charm.



"What?"



"I think we need to shop, you know. Just you and me. It's been a long time since we did a mall run, and I understand Bloomies got some really cool new stuff."



"I can't, Cor. I mean, I'm already maxed out on my card. My dad's threatening to pull it."



"Hey, my treat! I mean, what're friends for, right?" Cordelia smiles.



"Really?" Harmony immediately brightens up. "I saw the cutest skirt there the other day. It's to die for."



"Then, I think you're just going to have to have it." Cordelia grins at her. "I can't have my best bud going around in last month's fashions, can I? How would it look?"



Harmony smiles brightly. "You're the best, Cor."



"Well, yeah," Cordelia says as if there's no question. "Now, get dressed, and then we'll go do a little shopping."



"But, we've still got some classes…"



"Oh, forget that. I mean, this is a shopping emergency. There are priorities in life, and shopping is way up on the list. Anyway, I wanna spend some time with my best bud this afternoon, not be bored to death with Shakespeare and science."



"Oh, cool! Ok, ummm… meet you in the parking lot?"



"You bet. Now, get going. Time's a wasting girl. So much shopping, so little time!"



"You betcha, Cor!" Harmony gets off and moves off, humming to herself.



Cordelia watches her go, liking the little sway in her hips.



Gonna miss that, but I want the gold, not the brass.





From tears to cheers in what? 5 minutes? I'm good, so good!





Grinning, she heads to her locker to dress.



4



"That was great grub, Mrs. Summers. Thanks for inviting me!"



Xander, his plate almost licked clean, sits back from the table, sighing happily. Dawn is sitting to his left, and Buffy is on his right. Across the table are Faith and Joyce.



Joyce is looking with some amusement at Xander's plate. Don't they feed the boy at home?



"Well, I'm glad you liked it, Xander. I can't take credit, however. Dawn and Buffy made the meal."



"Really?" He leans over to Dawn. "Beautiful, and you can cook. I'm in love!"



Dawn blushes furiously, and then reaches for something, anything, to hide it.



"Aren't you still hungry, Xan?" She starts to dish something onto his plate.



There are chuckles and giggles at the table.



"What?" She looks around, irritated and embarrassed.



"She's started feeding him. Bad sign, Joyce. It might be serious." Faith can't resist teasing her.



There is general laughter, except for Dawn, who is red to her ears. She quickly puts the bowl down.



"Squirt and Xander, sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" Buffy says in a sing song voice.



"At least I gotta boyfriend, Short-Stack," Dawn whips back.



"I thought you and Brad Johnson had a thing going, Buff," Xander pipes up, looking at her.



"Yeah, well, looks like old Brad was only charming Buffy a little to get closer to Melinda Thompson," Dawn pipes up.



Suddenly, Buffy goes quiet and looks down at her plate. She starts picking at her food.



Dawn is smiling, but then notices no one else is.



"What?" She looks puzzled. "What?"



"So, Xander. What are your plans? After high school?" Joyce tries to divert the conversation.



"Mom!" Dawn protests, looking embarrassed. "Ignore her," She addresses Xander. "She does this all the time!"



"Well, Xander is dating my daughter, don't I have a right to know what he's going to do after he graduates? He's a senior, after all."



"Gawd, mom! We're dating! Not getting married!"



"Married?" Xander pales a little. "Did someone say married?"



"I was just curious, is all."



"Actually," Xander tries to distract from the 'M' word," I'm going to work for my Uncle Floyd this summer. He's in construction. I worked for him last summer, and I did really good."



"Really?" Joyce asks, nodding. "You're thinking of going into construction?"



"Yeah, kind of. I mean, right now I'm just like a grunt with a hammer. But I was thinking next year, I'd go to the JC, and maybe take some classes. Work towards a contractor's license, you know? That's where the real money is."



"Yeah, you can make some real folding green doin' construction, Xander, if you're smart," Faith nods.



"It's a fine trade. Glad to see you've got some plan for your future, Xander," Joyce nods approvingly.



Xander smiles, and Dawn is slowly melting into her chair.



"God, Mom, do you have to do this?" Dawn sounds offended. "Just ignore her, Xan. She's a mom, and obviously goes strictly by the handbook." She looks daggers at her mother.



"Well, dear, you are my daughter. I guess that gives me the mom privileges."



"I like you're mom, Dawn. She's cool."



"Why, thanks, Xander, I like you too," Joyce smiles.



"Well, maybe you two should go out on a date, then," Dawn sounds little miffed.



"Aw, c'mon Pooh, don't get all bent outta shape," Xander turns to Dawn, smiling. "You're mom just wants to make sure I'm not a serial killer or something."



Joyce and Faith look at each other. Both nod an I like this one kind of nod.



"I just wish sometimes she'd find someone else to pick on," Dawn sighs. She stands up. "Let's get out of here before she starts planning out the wedding invitations."



"Dawn Marie Summers," Joyce says, a little irritated now. "That's uncalled for. I'm just concerned about you."



"I'm 16, almost 17 mom. I'm not a baby."



"I'm sorry, dear, but you'll always be my baby."



"Oh, gross." She tugs on Xander's arm. "Let's go!"



"No way, young lady. No one's going anywhere until this table is cleared and the dishes done."



"But mom, I've got a date…" She puts on a pleading look.



"Mom, let the squirt go. I'll get it." Buffy says.



Dawn looks at her sister. Ok, what's the catch? Buffy never does nothing unless it's for Buffy. " Ok, Buffy, what's the catch?"



"No catch, Squirt. Just go and enjoy yourself." Buffy shrugs, standing up.



"Thanks, Buffy," Dawn says softly. She's feeling a little bad now for making that crack earlier. "Sure you don't want to come down with Xander and me to the Bronze? Lots of cute guys, you know."



"Naw, thanks, but I really hate being the third wheel. Plus, I got some homework to do." She picks up her plate and heads for the kitchen.



Joyce follows her eldest daughter with her eyes, and starts to get up. "Maybe I should talk to her…"



Faith puts a restraining hand on her shoulder.



"I'll talk to her," Faith stands up.



"But, didn't you have that errand? I mean…"



"It'll wait a few minutes, don't you think?" Faith smiles at her.



"Thanks Faith." Joyce smiles back.



Faith takes her plate to the kitchen.



Mmmm-hmmm, Dawn thinks to herself. Nothing going on there.



"So, mom, you have to go to the Gallery tonight? I mean, it's Friday night."



"Well, honey, when you own your own business, it's no respecter of the calendar. I have to look over some things that came in late this afternoon. I only put it off so I could be here at dinner."



"So, do you think Faith liked her dinner? I mean, we wanted to be special for her."



"Oh, I'm pretty sure she was pleased," Joyce looks at her. She smiles. "Don't you and Xander have a date to get to?"



"Right!" Dawn comes around, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek. "Be back in the morning."



"Ha, ha, very funny young lady. I expect to see you at 11."



"Mom, it's Friday night!"



"Ok, well, 12 then," Joyce enjoys teasing Dawn. She's so easy. "I can count on you to get her home on time, right Xander?"



"Oh, mom!"



"Sure, Mrs. Summers. On the dot. Even before the dot!"



"Xander!"



"Go on, shoo. Have a good time!" Joyce chuckles, as Xander and Dawn leave the dining room.



"Hey, Buff. Thought I'd save you bussing a plate, "Faith says, entering the kitchen.



"Thanks, Faith," Buffy doesn't turn to look at her. "Just stick it on the counter. I'll get it."



Faith brings the plate over, setting it down. She pauses by the sink.



"Hey, you ok, Buffy?" She reaches over, touching Buffy on the shoulder. Buffy starts, almost dropping the plate she's working on. "You seem a little down."



"I'm fine," Buffy says, a little irritated. "Why would you think otherwise?"



"Well, you're all quiet and you hardly ate anything. Not good signs."



"I wasn't really hungry, ok?" Buffy rinses off some dishes. "Was there something you wanted, Faith?"



"No, just … are you mad at me?"



"What?" Buffy turns around. "No, that's silly. Of course not! Why would you think that?"



"Well, you hardly even look at me, and you've been all quiet, and a little moody. I just wondered if I did something to upset you?"



"Don’t be ridiculous," Buffy waves her off. "I just got a lot to do, and want to get it done. Ok? And, you had to go somewhere, didn't you?"



"Yeah, ok. Just wondered," Faith starts to go. "you know, if there's anything bothering you, you can talk to me, right?"



"Sure, Faith, got it." Buffy turns back to the dishes.



"Ok, well, bye." Faith leaves the kitchen, feeling confused.



Sure, Faith, we'll talk. That'll happen.



5



"Did we like just step into a time warp or something?"



Willow and Cordelia are standing just inside the entrance to the Butterfly Heart.



"What's wrong?" Willow asks, a little edgily. The whole date thing has put her in a bit of a mood.



"Just, well, look at it," Cordelia waves her arms around. "It looks like something out of one of those cheesy mid seventies disco movies. "



The Butterfly Heart definitely has a retro look to it. Opened about 10 years ago after being bought out, the new owners decided to play up the seventies, disco theme to the place, even replacing the disco ball that had been taken down years back.



The layout had a long bar along one wall. The dance floor was large, taking up nearly one third of the space, and it was light along the edges, 70's style. Over the middle was the disco ball, lit by a couple of small spots mounted near the ceiling.



There were a number of tables and booths along the walls and towards the back, a RockOla juke box, a tiny stage for live acts, and a couple of pool tables. Most of the lighting came from the frosted candle holders on the table, the lights around the dance floor, and wall sconces placed strategically around the bar.



"It looks ok to me," Willow shrugs, taking Cordelia's hand. "Lets find a table…" Cordelia holds up, jerking Willow back a little. "What?"



"You sure no one will know me here?"



"Cordy, I promise, no one will know you here. And even if they do, think they're going to admit they saw you here? I mean, what does that say about them?"



"True," Cordelia nods, allowing herself to be led. "Still, someone really needs to do something about the décor. It's kind of tacky."



"Did you come to look at the decoration, or at me?" Willow asks, getting a little tired of the Cordelia critique.



"Ok, ok, I'm just saying…"



"If you really hate it, we could go to the Bronze. But I might forget myself, and kiss you in front of everyone," Willow looks at her.



"Let's find a table," Cordelia takes the lead. Willow smiles, allowing herself to be led. Sometimes, it just takes the right incentive.



They weave through the dancers, making their way to the back.



"See, this isn't so bad, is it?" Faith smiles at Joyce.



"No, I guess not," Joyce says, returning the smile. " Just not used to being in a place like this, is all."



"It's just a bar, Joyce. Only diff? No guys to hit on you, or think they own you if they buy you a drink."



"That's for sure." Joyce remembers a number of nights when, on the road during her buying trip, more than one man had come up and tried to hit on her. Wearing her wedding ring hadn't helped. She finally just quit going to bars entirely, feeling uncomfortable and out of place.



Faith had been right, though. No one has so much as approached their table since they arrived. Probably saw me with Faith, and figured I had what I wanted. True enough. She smirked to herself.



"What's that for?" Faith noted the little smirk.



"Oh, nothing," Joyce plays the mysterious card. Hey, got to keep her guessing on some stuff. Don't want her to get bored with me.



"Ok, Ms. Enigmatic, How about a dance then?"



"Oh, I don't know. I mean, I can dance, just I'm not up on the newer dances."



"Don’t sweat it, Joyce. Just watch me and do what I do. We won't do anything exotic… yet."



Oh boy. That makes me feel sooo much better.



They get up and make their way to the dance floor.



6



"Bogus!"



Buffy slams the book shut. She just can't get into the text; it seems to be swimming on the page right before her eyes. She's been 'reading' the same paragraph for the last 15 minutes, and still can't make sense of it.



Why am I doing school junk anyway? Not like it's due tomorrow or nothing. Still, I'm behind, and I know mom is going to have a cow if I come home with crappy grades again this semester.



She sighs. Opening the book, she tries again. She leans on her hand, and stares at the page. 5 minutes later, still on the same page, she slams the book closed again.



This is a waste of time! Whoever thought up 'History' anyway? Who cares what some guy did in some place so long ago, what does it matter? When are you ever going to use it in real life, anyway? I mean, c'mon. Not like I'm going to be a contestant on "Millionaire" or "Jeopardy" or nothing. It's stupid. It's pointless. Like Physics, or Geometry or math or English or… just so boring. It's Friday night, I should be out, partying or something.





Well, maybe if you hadn't been such a screw up, you would be. Or on a date. Or something. But you're on restriction, and it's your own fault!





I know, I know! I just… oh, god, I messed up so bad! I've ruined Faith's life, and god, how'll she ever forgive me? She won't, that's how! She's gonna hate me forever. Mom, too. Why shouldn't she? She's had things tough enough, and does she get any help from you? Of course not! Because you're such a brat. A total brat. All you could think of was yourself, and your life, and how things were bad for YOU. Yeah, Buffy, I'm really sure mom is so glad to have YOU around. I know if she got the chance, she'd trade you in on a newer model kid. One that doesn't have the brat option!





I don't even get it, Buffy. Why do you do this crap? Why can't you just be chill a little? You're always looking for the burn; so much no one can even get close to you. Like Brad, maybe? Yeah, well, maybe if you hadn't gone so crazy with the whole boyfriend thing, he wouldn't have gone looking for something else. Like Melinda Thompson. No, you gotta get all stupid and clingy, and whatever. And for what, anyway? I mean, Brad's kinda cute (ok, major cute), but really… I wasn't all that hot for him. It was more the idea of being solo. Being alone.





That's what it is, isn't it, Buffy? Things change, but you can't take that. You want everything to be like it was. Back in L.A. When you were on top of the world, right? Head Cheerleader, most popular girl at Hemery, the right boyfriend, the right everything. Mom and Dad… Buffy feels a little sharp pain… were still together. I wasn't some kind of freak in some freak show.





Yeah, a freak. Cuz when they needed me to be the adult, I acted like the brat. So cool, so cool. I ruined everything. My life, their life, Faith's life…Hey, maybe I can go for Dawn next, you know? Then I've really fucked up everything. Oh yeah.





You're special, Buff. Really special. Oh, and another thing? Stop the pity party, ok? Tired of it, and you're lucky mom doesn't boot you to the curb. Stop being a FUCK UP!



Buffy sighs, gets up and wanders into the living room. Sitting down on the couch, she picks up the remote. She turns on the TV.



She surfs through the channels, quickly finding not a thing to watch. God, 200 channels, and nothing to watch. It's Friday night. Who's watching TV anyway but the terminal losers, anyway!



She clicks off the TV, and falls back on the couch.



So bored… Nothing to do…





Oh, please, give me a break. Find something to do!





Well, I could slip out and go to the Bronze…





Need I remind you that was how you got in this mess in the first place? You're so not messing up again by sneaking out!





Aw, who wants to go, anyway? No fun, really. And I'd just look like I was hanging around with Dawn on her date. Total loser much?





Bored. BORED!





Buffy looks around. Hmmm… place could use a cleaning. And that could be good for some Brownie points. Maybe mom won't think I'm a total fuck up then…





She nods. Yeah, that could be cool. And I'm so bored, even cleaning is looking good.



She hops up, and running to the closet, pulls out the vacuum. Wheeling it into the front room, she goes around putting on the lights.



"Ok, then. Vacuum, check. Ok, let's get this done… no wait! Music, gotta have music." She walks over, and turns on the stereo. She flips through the channels until she comes to a station playing dance music. She listens, smiling, then swaying her hips a little, dances over to the vacuum. She flips it on, starting to clean the carpet.



"Hey, cutie," She says, pushing the sweeper back and forth. "Come here often? How come I never seen ya before, huh? Oh, what? You're girlfriend dumped you? Well, forget her, baby. Let's get it done, whattya say?"



She starts humming along with the music, and dancing around to the music, going this way and that, occasionally bumping into something, and having to stop to straighten it up… or pick it up.



"God, I'm so clumsy sometimes," she addresses the vacuum. "Hope I haven't gotten your toes yet! You dance divinely, you know!" She moves around, sweeping away. " Oh, yeah you do! Mmmm… did I mention you have the cutest smile? I didn't? Well, bad me!"



She giggles, and dances around some more. The song changes to a fast Salsa number, and she grins.



"I love this. C'mon, cutie, let's show 'em what it's all about."



She starts shaking and wiggling around, laughing at her own goofiness. Abandoning the vacuum, she gets caught up in her fantasy, starting to do meringue with her imaginary partner. It's all going pretty well until she does a turn out, turning in a circle. Her feet get caught in the cord, and she falls, landing hard on her butt.



"Nice going, slick," She mutters to herself, then laughs. Thank god no one was here to see you bust that move, Buff. That could've been embarrassing. She gets up, and brushes herself off, casually glancing out the window.



She freezes. Standing at the window is a figure, tapping loudly on the glass.



Oh, shit! What the hell? Who the…?



She looks closer, and her eyes go round as saucers.



Without thinking, she runs to the door, and opens it up.



A man, solidly built , walks into the porch light



"DADDY!"



7



"See, not so bad"



Faith and Joyce are dancing their second dance. Joyce is just starting to relax a little and get into it.



"Easy for you to say," Joyce says, still feeling a little strange. "I look like some idiot up here!"



"You don't, believe me," Faith reassures her. "You're doing great. Just relax and get with the rhythm."



Joyce nods and tries to keep up with Faith's moves, hoping desperately she doesn't look as clumsy as she feels. It's not that she can't dance; it's just that she's not used to dancing this way. Might help if I'd been dancing sometime after Disco died, she sighed to herself, trying to keep up.



Faith, seeing her partner's distress, tries to ease her situation.



"Joyce, don't worry about your feet. Just dance in place, and move your body," Faith demonstrates for her. "Just enjoy the movement, we don't have to cover half the floor dancing."



They dance face to face for awhile, Faith just letting Joyce get used to the movements. Then she dances around behind her, and circles her arms around Joyce's waist. She starts to sway in time to Joyce's movement.



"You're doing great, baby. Now, just let me lead you a bit, " Faith says softly into Joyce's ear, her chin resting on her shoulder.



"You keep doing that, and you know where this'll lead," Joyce is very stimulated, feeling Faith's body pressing against her, swaying. "Are you trying to turn me on?"



"Do I have to try?" Faith says in her ear. She gently leads Joyce back, and is making a turn, when a heel digs into her ankle, causing her to lose balance. She lets go of Joyce, and almost falls into the dancer behind her.



"Faith, are you all right?" Joyce asks, a little shakily.



"Hey, grace, think you can watch where you're dancing?" The voice behind her says. "I mean, if you can't dance, how 'bout leaving the floor to us who can?"



"What?" Faith turns around, "you practically speared your heel through my ankle, you…"



Faith freezes in place. Behind her is Cordelia Chase, looking at her an annoyed expression.



"Who do you think you are, you clumsy cow?" Cordelia asks, impatiently, "Just because you can't dance… HEY!"



"Faith? FAITH? What're you doing?"



Faith has moved forward, grabbing Cordelia by the arm. She grabs her neck, next, and starts shoving her towards the door.



"Watch it!" One of the women on the dance floor complains when Faith almost bulldozes through. "We're dancing here!"



"HEY! Leave her alone!" Willow says, going after Faith.



"You little bitch," Faith mutters, shoving Cordelia towards the exit. "You got no idea how much I've wanted to see you again!"



"You can't do that in here!"



"Faith! Stop it! Let that girl go!" Joyce is following on her heels, and bumps into Willow.



"Excuse me," Joyce says, then gets a look at who she bumped into. "Willow?"



"Mrs. Summers?" Willow looks somewhat amazed. "Joyce? What're you doing here?" She looks at where Faith is forcing Cordelia towards the door. "Is she with you?"



Faith pushes Cordelia through the crowd, to various complaints of "Watch out" , "What're you doing with that girl!", "Someone should call the police!"



She almost gets her outside when someone grabs her from behind by her collar and pulls her back.



Faith sees a large woman, 6 foot tall and outweighing her by better than 70 pounds holding on to the collar of her coat.



"What do you think you're doing?" The woman asks, keeping hold of her collar.



"What business is it of yours?" Faith says, eyes narrowed and lips tight.



"Help! This nut attacked me!"



"We don't allow fighting around here."



"That's why I'm taking her outside!"



"I think you should let the girl go," The woman pulls both of them closer. "Right now would be good."



"You heard her!" Cordelia sneers at Faith. " Let me go!"



"You want her? Ok, here you go!"



Faith, never letting go of Cordelia, uses her like a battering ram, shoving her hard into the woman. The move is unexpected, and the woman lets go of Faith's collar, losing her wind on impact. Faith kicks out, hitting the woman in the stomach, doubling her over. Faith turns, and before the woman can recover, is out the door with Cordelia.



"Let me GO, you psycho freak! Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am?" Cordelia is struggling against Faith's grip.



"Oh yeah, pom-pom girl. I know exactly who you are!"



"What is your trauma, moron?" Cordelia yells, almost falling when Faith pushes her away. "Are you totally out of your mind, or what?"



"Take a good look, slut!" Faith goes at her, pushing her up against a wall. "Look real hard. Don't ya see something familiar?"



"Only thing I see is some nutcase attacking me…" Cordelia kicks out, hitting Faith in the shin. "Get the hell away from me, you loony!"



"Bad mistake. Let me refresh your memory," Faith growls, her shin aching. She slaps Cordelia across the face. "Remember now, brain dead? Or do you go around ruining so many lives the faces just bleed together."



"You crummy bitch!" Cordelia elbows Faith in the gut, driving her back. "Get a clue! I've never seen you before. You got the wrong person, idiot!"



"Don't think so, Cordelia!" Faith snarls, lunging at Cordelia. She grabs her, and shoves her against the wall.



"Let GO OF ME!" Cordelia yells. She brings a knee up into Faith's groin.



Faith staggers back a little. She shakes her head, then rushes forward, pinning Cordelia to the wall.



"Oh, you're going to pay for that one, princess," Faith punches Cordelia in the gut.



Cordelia retaliates by reaching out and scratching Faith's face. Faith yells and pulls back.



Goddamn it! You fight like a girl!" Faith feels blood leaking out of the scratch.



"I AM a girl, you idiot!" Cordelia comes at her, circling around her. "Why are you attacking me?"





"Think hard, Cordelia. Back a few weeks. Alpha Mu house. Upstairs. Coming to you yet?"



Cordelia's eyes go wide when it hits her.



She falls down when Faith hits her in the face.



"Oh. My. God! The crazy nut that busted in at the party!" She moans, grabbing her cheek. "You hit my face, you bitch. You hit my face!"



"I'm gonna do more than that," Faith grabs her, pulling her up. Cordelia struggles, and then head butts Faith.



Faith staggers back, shaking her head.



"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Joyce calls out. She runs up to Faith, blocking her access to Cordelia. "Stop it right NOW!"



"Get out of my way, Joyce!"



"Leave her alone!" Willow comes up, going to Cordelia. "Are you ok, Cordy?"



"I'm not moving Faith. You're acting like a lunatic!"



"No, I'm not ok, Willow. This crazy woman attacks me for no reason, and she hurt me!"



"You little bitch!" Faith growls. "I'll teach you to lie. What, is this your next victim, you pimp? Plan on getting her in some kind of …"



"Faith! Stop! This is madness!" Joyce says, trying to pull Faith away. "What're you talking about?"



Willow furrows her brow, and turns to Cordelia. "What is she talking about, Cordelia?"



"I don't have a clue, Willow! She's nuts!"



"Joyce, dammit, get out of my way. That's her, don't you understand? That's the bitch-pimp that almost got Buffy raped!"



Joyce loses all color in her face. Willow, on the other hand, turns a bright red.



"What?" Joyce asks, almost whispering. She turns to Cordelia. "Is this true? Were you at the party with my Buffy?"



"Joyce, I'm telling you. That's her! That's Cordelia!" She moves around the stunned Joyce, and heads for Cordelia. "I'm going to put your ugly face through that wall, bitch."



Willow cuts in front of Faith, shielding Cordelia.



"Get outta my way, girl. Don't wanna hurt you, but I'm gonna pound that bitch into the ground."



"Faith, stop it! That's Buffy's friend, Willow. Calm down! Fighting isn't going to help anything!"



"Back off," Willow stands her ground, jaw set. "I'll handle this!"



"Don't you tell me to … OWWWW!"



Joyce, in desperation, has grabbed Faith's arm, sinking her nails into it.



"Enough! Come over here, now, Faith." She tugs on Faith, trying to lead her away.



"Let me go, Joyce. Let me GO!"



"Not until you stop acting like a child!"



"You tell her, lady. You're friend's a mental case!"



"SHUT UP!" Willow and Joyce say at the same time.



"Am I, bitch? How 'bout how you and your Frat buddies got me kicked outta school? Am I imagining that, Cordelia? Or, how 'bout how they lost me my JOB!" Faith's eyes are blazing. "You've done nothing but try to ruin Buffy's life, and my life, since that night, you crummy …"



"Faith, enough!" Joyce shushes her.



Willow turns to Cordelia. "Move your ass!" She says in a voice low, quiet, and full of steel.



"Willow, don't tell me you believe this lunatic…" Her words fade away, seeing Willow's expression.



"Move, now," Willow says quietly, "… or I'm telling Joyce to let Faith go." She grabs Cordelia, and starts shoving her down the alley.



"I'm going, I'm going, god!"



They disappear down the alley when the turn into the rear parking lot.



"Why'd you stop me?" Faith turns on Joyce, angrily. "God dammit, Joyce, that girl nearly got Buffy raped and cost me … why did you interfere! Why didn't you let me …"



"What? Beat her senseless? What good would that do, other than get you throw in jail? Think I want to bail you out of jail?"



"It sure would've gone a long way to making me feel better," Faith grumbles.



"Oh great. You're feeling good, sitting in prison for the next few years. Don't you get it, Faith? That girl… her Father's rich. I mean, rich beyond anything. You hurt her, and he would have you in jail so fast, your head would spin. This isn't South Boston, Faith. You can't go beating up on someone just because!"



"What am I supposed to do, Joyce? Just lay back and take it? Let that… that… slut just ruin our lives, because she's some spoiled rich girl, and can do whatever she wants? That's just sweet, Joyce. What next? Bring back serfdom? Don't you get it? She ruined my life, she almost ruined Buffy's. I'm just supposed to TAKE THAT?" Faith's voice rises.



"Don't yell at me, Faith," Joyce bristles, setting her jaw. "Stop thinking with your fists and think with your head for once. Breaking her face isn't going to get anything done. Now, stay here, I'll take care of this. Think I can trust you to do that?"



Faith works her jaw, trying to suppress her rage. She finally swallows, and says in a dry voice. "I'll stay here. But if she or her girlfriend even looks at you wrong, I'm pounding the both of them into the pavement. NOTHING will stop me, get it, Joyce?"



"Just wait here, and try to calm down."



Joyce turns on her heel, and walks down towards where Willow and Cordelia went.



"Willow, you've got to believe me. I don't…"



"Don't EVEN talk, Cordelia! The more you talk, the worse it gets!"



Willow paces back and forth in front of Cordelia, her anger building with each step. She turns and confronts Cordelia.



"Do you think I'm stupid, Cor? Do you think I don't know you? Do you really think I don't remember how some rumors got spread about me, so if I spoke up about that night, I'd probably look like an idiot? Oh, and by the way, that wasn't why I didn't say anything, FYI. But I do know you were behind those, and I know you're behind this. Don't know how, but you're involved. So, if you don't want to me to walk right now, don't even deny it."



Cordelia stands with her hands clenched, biting her lip.



"I was scared. I thought for sure if it got out, if she said anything to the police, the fraternity guys would tell on me, and I'd…"



"I get it," Willow cuts her off. "You were scared, so you decided to ruin her life, right? Nice, Cordelia, very nice. Don't you even care who you hurt? Don't you care about anyone else but you?" Willow shakes her head. "I'm really beginning to wonder."



"I didn't know she went to UC Sunnydale. I just thought she was some bartender. I only told them to threaten to sue the bar, to get them to get her to keep her mouth shut. I didn't want her fired! I didn't even know she'd get kicked outta school! They did that on their own."



"You're still not getting it. It doesn't matter who did what. What matters is what you did in the first place. That was wrong. All of it; this latest is only a part of the whole. It was wrong. Do you see that?"



Cordelia stands there for a moment, unable to even look at Willow. The darkness hides her deep blush.



"Yeah," Cordelia says softly, almost whispering it. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."



"Well, that's something, I guess," Willow sighs.



Joyce stands at the entrance of the alley. She listens, waiting for a chance to come over.



"I'm glad to see you understand what you did is wrong," Willow says, her voice calmer but still a little harsh." But that doesn't make right what you caused, do you understand?"



Cordelia nods.



"Good, because you can't just treat people this way, Cor. I don't care who you are, or who your family is, or how much money you have. You still owe others respect. You have no right to trample on them, ever."



"Yeah ok," Cordelia looks at the ground.



Willow reaches out, and lifts her chin. Cordelia is a little startled.



"Don't you ever look down when someone is speaking to you, Cordelia. Have enough respect for them, and for yourself, to look them in the face and admit you were wrong. Understand me?"



"Y-Yes," Cordelia bites her lip to keep back her tears.



"Good, maybe you'll remember to respect others too. Thing is, what you did is wrong. VERY wrong. You've gotta see that. You cost that woman everything, and nearly ruined Buffy's life. Being sorry isn't enough, is it?"



"No, it's not," Cordy again tries to lower her head, but Willow won't let her.



"I don't know who taught you that, but stop it. Look me in the face when you speak to me. Now, what do you think you should do now?"



"I'll fix this," Cordelia looks at her, "I promise. Whatever it takes, I'll fix this."



"I don't know if you can fix it, Cordelia. But I know you have to go to the University, and admit your role in this. Tell them the truth, and do what needs to be done to get Faith back in school. And especially, tell the truth about that fraternity. They can't be allowed to get away with this."



"But, I … they might arrest me. Or kick me out of school…"



"I don't think it'll come to that, but it really doesn't matter, does it?" Willow softens her tone, "I didn't say this would be easy, Cordelia. But you have to do this. Not for me or Faith, but for yourself. You have to learn to take responsibility for your actions. Know there are consequences."



"But I can't do that!" Cordelia cries, "I can't just throw everything away."



"I'm not asking you to. I'm not saying you have to take all the blame yourself, just tell the truth about what happened that night," Willow touches Cordelia's face. She winces. "She hit you pretty good. So, you think you can do that?"



"I… I don't know…"



"If you don't, I'll find a way to make it much worse for you. And that's not a bluff."



Both girls look up, startled, to see Joyce approaching them.



"I don't know how you could do this to my daughter, or to Faith. What did they ever do to you? I don't buy that scared bit. It was just cruel."



"It was just a game, just an initiation. It got out of hand. It wasn’t supposed to be like that…"



Willow bites her lip, to keep quiet.



"Monopoly is a game," Joyce says contemptuously. "What you did is cruel and sick. You could've gotten my little girl raped. Does that even register with you? " She makes a frustrated noise. "How can you treat people like playthings? Just be glad Buffy wasn't seriously hurt. If she had been…" Joyce trails off, her anger too great. "… nothing, NOTHING would've stopped me from seeing you go to jail. Understand that? Not your daddy, not your money, NOTHING!"



Cordelia is trembling. She very much believes Joyce.



"Yes, ma'am."



"Good, I'm glad to see you understand that. Because that still doesn't make this right. You hurt my friend. You cost her a place at the university, and her job. So, you better fix this. You better make this right, or so help me, I'll make you very, very sorry."



"And I'll help her, Cordelia," Willow speaks up. "I have the medical reports from what happened to me, and I'm willing to turn them over to the police with my testimony. Whatever happens, unless you make this right, we're very much over." She walks to Cordelia, flanking her. "And so is my silence." She watches Cordelia, to see if the bluff works.



Cordelia nods her agreement, not trusting her voice.



"Ok, then, come with me." Joyce grabs her and pulls her along.



"What?" Cordelia stumbles along, startled.



"You're going to apologize to Faith about your role in this, and tell her you'll find a way to fix her problem."



"Oh, geeze, the crazy girl?" Cordelia looks heavenward. "All right, ok, but she's not going to attack me again, is she?"



"I won't let her attack you," Joyce says, "but I can't really blame her." She turns to Cordelia. "If anything had happened to Buffy, I'd attack you."



Cordy is about to make a smart remark until she sees Joyce's eyes. Then she decides silence is the best bet.



They walk back to the front of the bar, to see Faith squatting down by the entrance. She quickly gets to her feet, moving towards them.



"What is she doing here?" Faith steps in front of them.



The three women stop, Cordelia taking a step back to avoid being attacked again.



"Cordelia, don't you have something to say?" Joyce says, pulling the girl forward.



"Cordy…" Willow helps bring Cordelia to the fore.



"I'm… I'm sorry," She says, a little nervously.



"Well, that's just great. That and a buck will get you a roll of toilet paper."



"Faith? What did I say about using your brain?" Joyce reminds her.



"Fine, whatever, you're sorry. That's great. Does that get me my job back? Does that get me back in school? I don't think so." Faith waves her hand, and turns away, stewing.



"Look," Cordelia walks up to her, tense in case Faith makes a move. "I didn't know they were going to go so far. I only told them to threaten the bar with a suit, if you didn't shut up. I didn't know they'd get you fired, or booted from school. I didn't even know you went to school there."



"So, you admit you were part of it, right? You set that up?"



Cordelia pauses a little, then nods.



"Don't you have something else to say?" Willow pokes Cordelia.



"Not really sure I'm interested in hearing it," Faith looks over at Joyce, just wanting to leave.



Joyce doesn't say a word.



"Hear her out, please, Faith?"



Faith looks at Willow, then frowns, and then turns to Cordelia.



"Go on, I'm listening."



"I'll fix this. I'll get you reinstated with the school, and find a way to get you back your job. Or something better. Ok? I promise."



"Fine. We'll see how that works out," Faith says, her jaw tight. "And I'll give you a promise back. If you ever pull anything like this again on anyone I care about, you won't have a chance to fix it. That's not a threat, it's a promise."



"I won't…"



"Good. Glad to hear it," Faith turns to Joyce. "Look, can we just go now? I'm tired, I'm bleeding, and I really don't like the company." She glares at Cordelia.



Joyce nods, and they start to walk away



"Do you think I can get a ride with you guys?" Willow calls out to Joyce.



"Ok, Willow," Joyce says, quietly. "Just don't be long, ok?"



"Ok."



Faith and Joyce disappear up the alley.



"What's that about? I'll take you home."



"No, I don't think so," Willow reaches out, touching Cordelia's cheek. "Go home and take care of that. You look like you're gonna have a pretty good shiner there."



"God, what is you're problem?" Cordelia shakes her head. "I said I'll make it right, and I will. I brought you here, and I'll take you home."



"See, now there you go with the attitude again, Cor. You really got to work on that. The date's over, you're hurt, and I live out of your way. I can catch a ride with Joyce. I live close to her."



"But…" Cordelia, despite Willow's assurances, is worried.



"No buts, Mister. Go home and take care of yourself. That's an order." She smiles just a little. "You did good, as long as you follow through, ok? I'll call you."



"Why won't you let me take you home?" Cordelia insists. "Are you mad at me?"



"Aren't you even listening to me? Yes, I'm a little upset, but …" Willow shakes her head, "… you know what? I shouldn't have to keep explaining this to you. I thought you were smarter than that. I'll see you."



Willow walks towards the rear parking lot, Cordelia watching her go.



She's infuriated, and confused, and sad.



She just doesn't get it.



8



”DADDY!"



He walks to her, and opening his arms, receives her in a hug.



Buffy, so happy to see her dad, almost throws herself into his arms, plastering herself against him, wriggling a little in excitement.



Feeling her body against his, so warm, so soft, he feels some stirrings down in his crotch area, but he pushes them down. God, Hank. What if Joyce is home?



"Hi, honey," Hank smiles, Buffy still holding onto him. "How are you?"



"I'm ok, Dad," Buffy slips out of his arms. He hears a catch in her voice. "What're you doing here?"



"Gee, I didn't know I had to make an appointment to see my daughters these days. I guess your social lives are just too busy for your old dad, huh?"



"Of course not, silly," She grins, grabbing his hand. "C'mon in here!"



Smiling, she leads him into the living room, and sits him on the couch.



"Sorry, I was doing a little cleaning up…" She blushes a little. "It wasn't all about dancing around like a moron."



"I was kind of wondering about that? What is my girl doing home on Friday night, playing Cinderella and cleaning up while everyone else is out? I really expected your mom to be here…"



"So, you really came to see mom?" There's a slight catch in her voice.



"Well, yes. But only to talk to her about me being around here more. I miss you guys terribly, especially my princess." He smiles at her. "So, why're you home, again?"



"Oh, yeah," Buffy's mood deflates. "I'm on restriction."



"Is that so? Why? What did you do?"



Buffy hesitates, not wanting her dad mad at her too.



"Buff-Puff?" Hank says, using her nickname to relax her. "It's ok, I won't be upset." He pats the sofa next to him. "Sit down and tell me."



Buffy does, reluctantly.



"I… well, you see dad, I wanted to get back on the cheerleaders. So I agreed to go to a party that the head cheerleader was throwing, and well, things got out of hand, and I… well, I got in some trouble, and if Faith hadn't been there to help me, I don't know what would've happened, but …"



"Faith?" Hank frowns. That name is familiar. Why?



"Oh yeah, you don't know her. She's like totally cool. She goes to the university…" Buffy stops, and frowns. "Well, went to the university, and she's like living her now, in the basement, renting a room, and she well… she got into trouble because of me."



"I'm not following, Buffy. What was Faith doing at a high school party if she's in college?"



"No, the party was at the college, you see. The Alpha Mu fraternity."



"You went to a college party?" Hank asks. "A fraternity party?"



"Yeah…" Buffy looks down.



"Well, tell me the rest." Hank doesn't sound pleased.



"Well, we were at the party, upstairs, and I guess someone slipped something in my drink…"



"You were drinking!"



"Just one beer, daddy. Honest!"



"You're too young to be drinking." Hank sighs. "Go on."



"Well, you see, someone must've slipped something in my drink, cuz I'm kind of fuzzy about stuff after. I remember feeling really good, I mean, really good and then I think I was dancing on a table…"



"Oh, god," Hank groans.



Buffy blushes a deep pink. "Sorry, daddy."



"Just go on, Buffy," Hanks says, frowning.



"Well, after that… I'm not sure. I think some of the guys got rough. I thought they were playing around at first, but then they started tearing at my clothing… I think…"



"Oh, Buffy," Hank sounds angry and disappointed.



"Oh, daddy, I'm so sorry. I…" She hugs herself, "I really screwed up. If Faith hadn't been there…"



"She was at this party?"



"She was working there. As a bartender, downstairs. She was upstairs, I think she said, to deliver a keg, and heard me screaming."



"Screaming." Hank is beyond belief



"Anyway, she rushed in, and waded in, and got me out." She puts her arm on her father's arm. "She saved me, daddy."



"I'd like to meet this girl and thank her. That was pretty brave," He looks around. "Is she here?"



"No, she had to go out. Do some errands or something, she said."



"Oh, well, maybe another time. So, how did she come to be living here, Buffy?"



"Well, mom offered her a place after she brought me home. I guess she felt grateful for her looking out for me, and all. Anyway, I guess her rent was high where she was living, because she accepted."



"And she's living downstairs in the basement? Isn't that a little restrictive? Young girl and all, want to get out and you know, do things."



"Oh, no, no problemo, daddy. Mom gave her a key, and she's around a lot. Doesn’t go out much, really. Especially since she got fired."



"Fired?"



"Yeah, and booted from school."



Hank looks confused.



"That was my fault. The fraternity brought charges against her for assault and destruction of property. If I hadn't been there, she'd still be in school. And the bar where she worked fired her. The Fraternity threatened to sue them if they didn't fire her." Buffy feels all of three inches tall. "I really messed up bad, dad." She looks close to tears.



"Yes, I'm afraid you really did, Buffy," Hank looks at her sorrowful face, and relents a little. "But we all make mistakes, honey. As long as you learn from them, that's the thing."



"But I don't… or I don't seem to," Buffy's lip trembles a little. "I messed up last year, really bad, and you and mom… you…"



"Honey, no," Hank puts an arm around her. "What happened between your mom and me, that had nothing to do with you. I admit, it didn't make life easier, but you had nothing to do with us breaking up, ok?"



Buffy looks away.



"Buffy, it didn't, ok?"



"Yeah," She says, her tone saying she doesn't believe him. "I guess you wanna see mom now."



"Is she here?" Hank looks around.



"No, but she's at the Gallery. I can call her…"



"That's all right, honey. I'll see her later," He looks at her carefully. "I'm more concerned about you right now."



"Why bother? I'm just a big old screw up anyway. You're mad at me, just like the rest of them." She rises from the couch.



"Buffy, I'm not mad at you. Disappointed, yes, but not mad."



"Really?" Her tone is a little disbelieving. She really wants to believe him.



"Buffy, I love you, whatever you do. Come back and sit by me, ok?"



She does, a little reluctantly. Hank puts his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.



"What's up, princess? Something's bothering you, I can tell," Hank hugs her.



"It's nothing, really…" Buffy shrugs. She snuggles a little under his arm.



"Honey, when something's bothering you, it's not nothing. Especially to me. Now, please, tell me what's going on."



"Really, it's just…" Her tone lowers, "It just seems no one wants to be with me, not that I can blame them…"



"Buffy, that's silly. Everyone loves you."



"No, they don't!" Buffy cries, turning to him, "they hate me! And I don't blame them!"



"Buffy? What do you mean, hate you? Who hates you?"



"Everybody. And they should!" She throws her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "I…I've been such a screw up, lately. Causing so much trouble for everyone. God, I don't know what's wrong with me. Why can't I just stop being such a problem? Why can't I just be happy?"



"Shhh, shhh…it's ok, baby…" Hank holds her with both arms, stroking an arm over her arm and back. He feels the warmth of her body, and her softness, and he gives into the feeling, enjoying the warm rush running through his body. "Honey, it's ok."



"It's not, it's really not," Buffy cries softly, clinging to him. "I hate myself, and I hate how everyone feels being around me."



"Princess, look at me," He gently pushes her away. " Look, baby. You're a sweet, loving girl, and no matter what you do, I'll always love you. You're my sweet little princess, and you'll always be that. Nothing will ever change that. I love you, Buffy."



"I love you so much, Daddy," Buffy throws herself at him again, pushing up closely to him. "I miss you sooo much."



"I miss you too, princess," Hank says, his breathing become shallower. "You're my sweet girl."



His hand wanders over her back, and down to her butt. He strokes it gently.



"Mmmm… daddy." Buffy looks up at him, a gleam in her eye. "I love you…"



Her hand wanders over to his lap, and she begins to stroke his thigh. She nuzzles her face into his neck, her lips touching his neck.



"I love you, Buffy," Hank is panting a little. He feels a tightness in his trousers.



He moves his hand over her buttocks, and between her legs. She parts her legs a little bit.



"Let me show you how much I love you, Daddy. Like we used to?" She mumbles in her neck. Her hand wanders over to his crotch, rubbing lightly.



"You don't have to, honey. I know," Hank says huskily. He strokes her a little harder between her thighs.



"But, I want to, Daddy!" She pulls away a little, turning to look at his crotch. She begins to play with his zipper. "Don't you want me to?"



"Yes," His voice is hoarse with passion.



"Do you love me, Daddy? Am I your special princess?"



"Always, princess. Always."



She starts to unzip his pants when the front door opens, and bangs shut. There are voices in the foyer.



"Hey, we're home!" Dawn calls out. "Buffy? Where are you?"



Hank and Buffy quickly scramble, adjusting clothes and standing up.



"In here, Squirt!" Buffy calls out from the living room.



"Hey, what's going… dad?" Dawn stops in the entrance to the living room. "DADDY!"



She runs over, throwing herself into Hanks arms. He picks her up and swings her around.



"Heya, Punkin-Belly!" Hank laughs.



"Gee, older guy. Cute pet names. Calls him Daddy," Xander turns to Buffy, a strange look on his face. "Should I be jealous?"



"Gross, Xander!" Buffy grimaces. "That's our dad."



"Oh," Xander nods wisely, feeling foolish.



"Who's that, Dawn?" Hank smiles at Xander. "Do I know you?"



"I don't think so, sir," Xander comes in, walking over to Hank. "I'm Xander, Dawn and Buffy's friend."



"Dawn's boyfriend," Buffy corrects, her tone a little caustic. "So, what happened, squirt? Did Xander already run out of poop?"



"No," Dawn looks at her, frowning a little. "We just felt bad that you were here alone, and we thought we'd come by and keep you company," She turns to her Dad. " Guess you weren't alone though, huh?"



"Oh yeah, cuz you know how I just love being the third wheel, Dawn." Buffy smirks at Xander. " We were doing ok by ourselves."



"Yeah, well, he's my dad too, Buffy." She turns to Hank. "Hi dad! Long see no time! Good to see you," She hugs him again.



"So, this is the boyfriend?" Hank asks, looking at Xander. "Do I like him or not, Punkin-Belly?"



"Oh dad, please. That's my baby name!" Dawn protests, but not too much. "And yeah, Xander's a nice guy."



"Well, hey, I try," Xander smiles. He offers his hand to Hank. "It's nice to meet you, Dawn and Buffy's dad."



"Most people call me Hank," Hank returns the shake. "But, I think Dawn and Buffy's dad works too." He coughs. "What's a guy got to do to get a cup of coffee around here?"



"Didn't you offer dad any coffee, Buffy? Geeze!" Dawn turns towards the kitchen. "I'll make some. I think we have some of that cinnamon spice bundt cake left, too."



"That sounds good, " Hank and Xander say at the same time. They laugh.



"Well, c'mon then, it won't cut itself."



The three of them leave towards the kitchen, Buffy following in the rear.



No one sees the angry look she throws at Dawn, or the tightness of her lips.



To be continued.