"Anyone But You"
Author:
Michelle
Email: michellabella52478@yahoo.com
Notes: Yeah, right. Lyrics are to "The Search is Over" by Survivor
and "Cry" by Mandy Moore.
Additional Notes: // \\ denotes flashback.
How can I convince you what you see is real?
Who am I to blame you for doubting what you feel?
Liam strolled the halls of Sunnydale High after classes let out for the day several weeks later. He was looking for his sister; she was going tuxedo shopping with him for the Senior Prom. They were supposed to meet by his locker at two-fifteen, but at two-thirty she still hadn't shown up yet.
"O'Neal!" someone called.
He turned around, seeing Riley Finn walking in his direction. Inside he suppressed a groan; Riley was the last person he wanted to see. "What's going on, Riley?"
"Not much. I've been meaning to talk to you ever since Buffy and I broke up."
"Don't you mean since Buffy dumped you?" Liam reminded his classmate.
"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I thought I'd extend my congratulations."
Liam didn't get what Riley was trying to say. "Um, what are you talking about? What congratulations?"
"You won. You deserve it."
"What did I win?" The dark-haired boy was genuinely confused.
"Buffy."
He widened his brown eyes. "Okay, you lost me back there. Actually, you lost me at hello. How exactly did I win Buffy?"
"She chose you." Riley snorted with disgust. "She chose you years ago. It took me a while to figure that much out."
"Okay, I'm *still* really confused. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm seeing Cordelia. Which means I'm not with Buffy. Isn't that fairly obvious?"
Riley frowned. "Are you blind, Liam? She dumped me because she wanted you. Buffy's not seeing anyone else so that way she can be available when you finally wake up."
"You're out of your mind," Liam said.
"And you're dumb as a doorstop and blind as a bat if you can't see it. All she ever wanted was you. You know, we were happy 'til you came along. But you had to come back to Sunnydale and ruin my entire life. Now I've lost the girl I love," accused Riley.
"When I moved back here, ruining your life was the last thing on my mind. And I never stole Buffy from you. I don't see why you're blaming your breakup with her on me. It's not my fault you couldn't keep her."
"I despise you."
Shaking his head, Liam closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't get you, Riley. We used to be best friends. What happened?"
"We were kids. And kids grow up. We grew apart."
"Thanks for the recap. Look, I'm sorry about you and Buffy. But it's not my problem."
Willow exited the library and saw her brother talking to Riley. She knew she was a couple minutes late for meeting him and debated whether or not to interrupt them until she saw the look of anger on the blonde-haired boy's face. Figuring there was trouble, she headed for them.
"You're a liar," Riley spat.
"Um, hi," Willow greeted. "Am I interrupting anything important?"
Her older brother shook his head. "Not at all. Are you ready to go? Because I'm more than ready to get out of here."
"Uh-huh. Let's go." She looked at Riley sympathetically. "'Bye, Riley. See you around."
"Yeah. Later, Willow."
The siblings didn't say anything to one another until they were out of the building. "Liam, what was going on with you and Riley? He looked like he was going to rip your throat out."
"Nothing."
"Call it a hunch but I think it was a little more than nothing. I get the feeling the janitors would've been wiping blood off the walls if I hadn't shown up when I did," Willow surmised. "Come on, tell me what really happened."
He rolled his eyes. "Riley has it in his head that I'm responsible for Buffy breaking up with him."
"What?"
"Exactly! He actually believes she dumped him to be with me. Isn't that completely crazy?" he laughed.
"Not really," Willow disagreed. "It makes perfect sense."
The seventeen-year-old stopped dead in his tracks. "What are you saying, Willow?"
"I'm saying it's true. Buffy did break up with Riley for you."
"No way," he argued, shaking his head.
"I thought you'd have figured it out by now, but Buffy told me not to tell you. She wanted to do it herself when the time was right. It's been months since they broke up and she isn't seeing anyone yet. The way she looks at you…you don't see it? Liam, she was going to tell you all of it the day we came back to school after New Year's, but…" Liam remembered the day very clearly. "But Cordy showed up. God, I could kick myself!"
"This may be a stupid question, but I have to ask it anyway. You said the first day you started school here you fell in love with her at first sight. Do you still feel that way?" Willow wanted to know.
"Yes," he replied without a moment's hesitation.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"What I should have done back in November. I'm gonna make her mine."
I was always
reaching
You were just a girl I knew
I took for granted the friend I have
in you
Mrs. Summers poked her head in her daughter's bedroom. She saw Buffy laying on her bed listening to her portable CD player. "Honey, there's someone downstairs who wants to see you."
The blonde removed the headphones from her ears. "Who is it?"
"Liam."
Buffy jumped off her bed and ran to the mirror, checking her reflection. Satisfied with what she saw, she breezed past her mother and tried to nonchalantly walk down the stairs to the porch where he stood waiting. When she opened the front door, Liam smiled at her.
"Hi, Buffy. I hope I'm not bothering you," he said. "Because I can come back if I am." 'Stop acting so nervous. It's just Buffy.'
"Not at all. What's up?"
"I…I came to say hi."
She giggled. "Hi. I think we already established that, though."
"Yeah, I think we did. Um, do you…I mean, would you like to go to the Prom with me?" he asked hopefully, deciding to just ask rather than beat around the bush anymore.
Buffy blinked, not sure if she'd heard him correctly. She could have sworn she heard him ask her to the Prom. "What did you ask me?"
"Senior Prom is in three weeks. And I know this is awfully short notice but I'd really like to go with you."
"Me? Go to the Prom with you?"
"Yes." 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,' she said to herself. 'Breathe, Buffy, just breathe. And for heaven's sake, answer him!' "Okay…" 'Smooth. Real smooth.'
"Is that a yes?"
She nodded excitedly. "That's a hell yes."
"Great. I guess we can iron out the details later. I just had to come over and ask while I still had the nerve to do it," he admitted.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Me," she said.
"Because Senior Prom only comes along once, and I don't want to look back on it and wonder why I went with Cordelia Chase when you're the one I really want to go with."
Buffy glanced at the ground, embarrassed. "What about Cordelia? She's your girlfriend, after all."
"I don't care about her, not the way I do about you. I plan on breaking things off with her very soon. I just wanted to ask you before someone else beat me to it."
"I see, I guess that kinda makes sense. Although I can't for the life of me think of who else would even bother asking me. Well, anyway, would you like to come inside and sit down? Hang out for a little while?"
"That's okay. I have homework to do. I only came over to ask you about Prom. I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said. "Maybe we could walk to school together."
"Sounds like a plan. See you then."
Entering the house, Buffy leaned against the door as she closed it behind her. Once it all sunk in a few moments later, the teenager squealed with delight and ran up the stairs to tell her mother.
I
was living for a dream
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world
That
was just my style
Buffy held up the dress she'd been looking at for the last few minutes. She loved it but couldn't decide if she should get it. What she needed was a second opinion. "What do you think of this one?"
Willow glanced up from the rack of dresses she was mulling over. "Ooh, I like it."
Holding it in front of her, the petite blonde stared at it. It was a floor-length halter in crimson red, sequins adorning the bodice. "You said that about every dress I've picked out so far."
"It's a great dress, Buffy. You should try it on. Is it your size?"
She checked the tag; it was a size three. A perfect fit. "Yep. All right, I'll try it on. Don't make any big decisions without me."
"Wouldn't dream of it. Go," Willow ordered.
It was the Saturday after Liam asked Buffy to the Prom. It still hadn't fully sink in that she was going with him, but that small detail didn't keep her from being excited about it. She'd fallen asleep almost every night with the image of walking into the formal on Liam's arm imbedded in her mind. For her, it was a life-long dream come true. It almost seemed too good to be true.
While Buffy busied herself in the fitting room, the redhead stood in front of the racks of dresses trying to decide which one she liked the best. She narrowed the choices down to two: one was purple with fringe along the arms, the other was a classic off-the-shoulder emerald gown. The hard part was figuring out which of the two Oz would prefer. This was one of the rare times she wished her boyfriend was more talkative.
"Well?" her best friend asked, stepping back onto the sales floor.
She turned around and her jaw dropped. Buffy looked amazing. The dress was perfect for her. "Buffy, you look…wow. You *have* to get that dress. My brother will totally lose it."
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "I like it, but I don't know. I guess I haven't one hundred percent decided if I'm going yet."
"What?!" Willow exclaimed. "What do you mean you haven't decided? I thought you already told Liam yes."
"I did. I just get this feeling he didn't mean it when he asked me to go."
"He meant it," Willow reassured her.
She frowned. "I wish I could be so sure. It's weird, Will. It seems like he had some…some ulterior motive or something. Like he only asked me because he felt bad for me, or did it because he did not want me to feel left out."
"Why would he do that? That's not Liam's style."
"Think about it. Everyone else is going to the Senior Prom. You're going with Oz, Xander with Anya and I'm Miss Fifth Wheel. I would have gone with Riley if I hadn't broken up with him. Maybe Liam didn't want me to sit at home all alone while the rest of you partied hearty."
"Trust me when I say he asked you out with the purest of intentions. Liam would not have even bothered if he didn't want to go with you. And he wants to go with you," the redhead stated. "Just get the dress, Buffy. My brother will flip his lid when you walk in the door."
Buffy faced the mirror, gazing at her reflection. And she liked what she saw. It made her feel like a princess. "I guess it does look good on me. And Dad won't have a coronary when he sees the credit card bill."
"See? All the more reason for you to get it."
She relented. After all, she did love the dress. "All right. Have you picked one out yet?"
Willow nodded her head, putting the green dress back on the rack. "Looks like it's going to be the purple one."
"It's hot. And dangerous," Buffy commented. "It may leave Oz speechless."
"Even moreso than usual. Hence my reason for getting it."
Ten minutes later the two girls carried their respective bags out of the store. They were laughing about something Xander had done at school the day before and weren't paying attention to where they were walking. In a fit of laughter, they walked into a group of people standing in the middle of the aisle. Just their luck, it was Cordelia and her friends.
"Excuse you," Cordelia said in a snotty tone.
"Sorry," Willow apologized to her brother's girlfriend.
The tall brunette glared at Buffy, who hadn't moved. "*Please* get your extreme oafishness off my two hundred dollar shoes."
"Pardon me, Queen C," Buffy retorted sarcastically.
Cordelia surveyed the bags Willow and Buffy were carrying. She lifted one perfectly plucked eyebrow at them. "What were you doing at Anne's Boutique?"
"I think it's called shopping," quipped the blonde.
"Well duh!"
"We went Prom dress shopping," Willow informed her.
She burst into hysterical laughter. "Okay, that's just funny. You mean to tell me Buffy 'The Freak' Summers actually has a date to the Senior Prom? Why would anyone want to be seen with you?"
"Is it such a shock he might actually prefer my company to yours?" She was under the impression Liam broke up with Cordelia already. He told her he was going to.
"Oh, that was supposed to be a joke? I guess it fell kinda flat. Well, when I walk into the gym on Liam O'Neal's arm Prom night, we'll see who has the last laugh. Come on," she told her cronies.
Buffy stared in amazement as they walked off. "What did I just miss?"
"I get the feeling Cordy thinks she's my brother's date."
"Which means he never told her he's going with me," Buffy said. "I knew it. I knew he asked me for a reason. To humiliate me. Now it all makes sense."
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever
The search is over
You were with me all the while
At seven o'clock that evening Buffy and Liam met on her back porch. When Willow returned home from her afternoon of shopping, she immediately burst into her brother's room and demanded an explanation. After she told him about their run-in with Cordelia at the mall, Liam knew he needed to straighten things out with Buffy. So he called her and asked her to meet him after dinner.
"What do you want?" Buffy wanted to know, not doing a very good job of hiding her annoyance.
"To explain. Will told me what happened at the mall today. I guess I haven't really handled the situation very well. I'm an ass," Liam stated.
"You won't hear me arguing," she agreed. "How could you do that to me? After everything I've been through this year, you just *had* to play me for a fool. I thought you were my friend. I certainly hope it was fun for you."
He looked down, ashamed at himself. "I am your friend. I should have broken up with Cordelia before asking you out."
"What?"
"I don't know what I'm waiting for. She's a bitch for treating you the way she did. I could kill her with my bare hands for what she said to you. But it's over between me and her."
"It is?"
Liam nodded his head. "Yes. Buffy, I want you to listen to me. I had absolutely no ulterior motives when I asked you to the Prom. I didn't do it out of guilt or because I felt bad. The only motive I can claim to have is my desire to spend the night with you," he explained.
"Huh?" 'He did not say what I think he just said,' she thought.
"Sorry. That came out completely wrong. What I meant to say was that I want to go with you. As my date. The pleasure of your company is all I'm getting out of it."
"Oh. I see."
"I hope you'll still go with me."
She smiled at him. "I guess. I mean, I got the kick dress and everything. I like it too much to return it."
"I can't wait to see it. Only three weeks and counting." He thought for a moment. "Make that two-and-a-half weeks."
"Pretty exciting."
"I have to say it again, Buffy. I'm really sorry. First thing Monday morning, Cordelia Chase is history," he promised.
Buffy gazed deep into his eyes. "Do you promise? I don't want to get my hopes up to have them shattered again."
Liam lifted her chin, touching his forehead to hers. "I promise. You're the only one I'm thinking of…dreaming of. Every night," he whispered softly. Closing his eyes, he brought his lips to hers.
Can we last forever, will we
fall apart?
At times it's so confusing
The questions of the heart
As promised, Liam arrived at school Monday morning with every intention of breaking off his relationship with Cordelia. He spent most of Sunday night thinking about what he'd say to her, deciding that short, sweet and to the point was the best course of action. As much as he liked her, he couldn't imagine dating her any longer. Not when he was so close to being with Buffy.
He saw her standing by her homeroom door talking with several other members of the Junior Varsity cheerleading squad. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the worst.
"Cordy, can we talk?" he asked once he reached her side. Cordelia grinned from ear to ear when and took his hand in hers. A protective sign of ownership. "Hey, you. You didn't call me this weekend. I was wondering what happened to you."
"We need to talk," Liam reiterated.
"Hiya, Liam. You're looking pretty good," Harmony flirted. She leaned back on her heels to get a better look at his butt.
It didn't go unnoticed by him but he chose to pretend he didn't see it. "Cordy…"
"Let's talk here."
"This requires a bit of privacy if you don't mind. I don't want to hold a very private conversation in front of your friends. Sorry."
She sighed with annoyance. "Fine, whatever. I'll see you guys at lunch." The brunette followed her boyfriend across the hall to an empty classroom. "What is so damn important you couldn't tell me in front of them?"
"It's about us."
"Well, make it quick. I've got to see Aura before homeroom starts." Before Liam had a chance to say what was on his mind she continued talking. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the good news. I picked up my Prom dress Saturday afternoon. It's silver, so you'd better coordinate."
"That's sorta what I wanted to talk to you about," he began.
Cordelia nodded her head. "Yeah, I figured as much. I know you didn't exactly ask me yet, at least not officially, but I just *had* to get this dress. And since I am your girlfriend, Prom is implied."
"It's over," Liam blurted out, trying to get in a word edgewise before she could start rambling about Prom again. "I'm not going to the Prom with you."
"What?" she demanded in disbelief.
"We're finished. I don't want to see you anymore. I'm sorry."
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you breaking up with me?"
Liam held his ground, despite how intimidated he was at that very moment. Cordelia looked like she was about to rip his head off. "Yes. I don't have the kind of feelings for you I should be having. I just can't see it working out between us. I'm taking someone else to the Prom with me. I already asked her and she said yes."
"Who?" 'I'll kill her.'
"Buffy," he answered.
"You are taking *her* to Prom? Are you blind, deaf and dumb? Why would you even *consider* taking a freak like her instead of me? She's a loser; even the losers don't want to be seen with her!" Cordelia whined.
Liam shook his head at her reaction. It was typical Cordelia. "You know, I actually thought you might be mature enough to handle my decision. Seeing how you're acting right now, I guess I was wrong. You're a spoiled, self-centered brat." It felt good to finally get it off his chest.
"It's nice to know what you think of me!"
"It's true. I can't believe how happy I am about this. If you knew how to treat people, this decision might have been harder for me. Cordelia, you treat everyone as if they're beneath you, and I'm sick of being your lapdog."
"So instead you choose to be Buffy Summers'?"
"At least I can stand her company. She doesn't put down my friends. She *is* one of my friends, one of my best friends."
Brimming with anger, Cordelia lifted her right hand and slapped her now ex-boyfriend across the cheek. "You'll regret it, Liam. And when you do I won't be there to fall back on."
He held his hand to his stinging cheek. She hit harder than he thought. "I won't be back."
With a huff, she left the empty classroom and headed in the direction of homeroom, forgoing her promise to visit Aura at her locker. Meanwhile, Liam felt as if a hundred pound weight had been lifted from his shoulder. He was finally free.
You followed me through changes
And patiently you'd
wait
'Til I came to my senses through some miracle of fate
"Why didn't you tell me my brother kissed you?" Willow demanded excitedly as they walked to their period class.
Buffy smiled shyly. She hadn't told anyone about hers and Liam's kiss on Saturday. Not even her parents knew. "You weren't home all day yesterday. Besides, I didn't know what you'd say if I told you."
"Are you kidding? I'm totally thrilled about it. I always thought you two would make a cute couple. Ever since we were kids. But I didn't want my brother to come between you and Riley when he first got back to town."
"We're not a couple, Will."
The redhead scoffed. "Oh please. Liam asks you to the Prom, kisses you, breaks up with his girlfriend and you're telling me you're not a couple? What planet are you from? The Land of Denial?"
"One amazing kiss does not a couple make," Buffy said.
"Amazing?" teased Willow with an eyebrow cocked upwards. "It was amazing? Do tell!"
She shrugged. "It's hard to describe. It left me with butterflies in my stomach for an hour afterwards. Have you ever felt that way after a kiss?"
"Oh yeah. The first time Oz kissed me was like that. I ran into my room and screamed into a pillow," her best friend admitted.
"Well, that's what our kiss was like. It was sweet. Not forced or anything like that; his tongue wasn't shoved down my throat and he wasn't trying to grope anything his hands could get a hold of."
Willow bit her lip. That was aspect of the kiss she didn't exactly want to hear about. "Um, Buffy, I think that was kind of an overshare. He *is* my brother, after all."
"Sorry," the blonde apologized. "It was the best kiss I ever had, simple as that. As freaky as it sounds, it felt like my first real kiss."
"Wow."
"Wow is right. Let's just say I can't wait for the next one. The next step up would be one of those long, sweeping romantic kisses. Like Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With The Wind."
As they were sitting down at their desks, Cordelia stomped over, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor. She slammed her palms on Buffy's desk. "I hope you know it won't last forever," she stated in a heated tone.
"What are you talking about?"
"You and Liam," Cordelia said with a roll of her eyes. "Eventually he'll see what a giant loser you are and be back in my arms before you have a chance to blink."
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say he finally dumped your sorry ass," Buffy guessed. "Too bad, so sad."
The angry girl scowled. "I'll never understand what it is he sees in you."
"A personality?" Willow mumbled.
"I heard that. All I have to say is enjoy it while it lasts. Because he is so out of your league."
"And with your sparkling repertoire, I can't for the life of me figure out why he doesn't want to be with you. You're a real keeper, Cordy," Buffy retorted.
"I give it a week before you bore him to death. Two tops."
Buffy didn't even blink. After ten years of attending school with Cordelia Chase, she was used to being treated like dirt. "We'll see who has the last laugh. But I'll be thinking of you on Prom night when I'm slow dancing with Liam." She laughed. "It must just eat you up that he'd rather be with a loser like me than a spoiled princess like you. Goes to show being skanky doesn't get you all the guys."
"You ought to you know."
"If you think you've rattled me, you're wrong. I have three words for you: get over it," Buffy stated. "I got the guy you wanted. Again. If you're looking for someone to blame, take a look in the mirror and get the hell out of my face before I push you out of it myself."
I
was living for a dream
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world
That
was just my style
"Come on, Willow, I need your opinion," Buffy asked as they sat next to one another at the hair salon the afternoon of the Prom. "Should I do it?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It's your decision. I don't want to tell you one thing and have you be disappointed with the outcome."
"You're taking all the fun out of this."
"Do you really think it's a good idea?" Willow questioned.
"I think I'm ready. For once, I'm going to be spontaneous, impulsive. I over-think everything. It's time for a change," she decided. "I'm gonna do it."
Liam knocked on his sister's bedroom door later that afternoon. Prom started at six and the limo was scheduled to pick them up in twenty minutes. "Is it safe to come in?"
"Has me saying no ever stopped you before?" teased Willow. "Sure, you can come in, Liam."
He entered the room, Willow standing in front of the mirror struggling with the zipper on the back of her purple dress. Noticing she was having difficulty, Liam walked up behind her and took the liberty of zipping it himself.
"Thanks," she said to him.
"No problem. I can't believe that's you in there," he commented. "Little Willow is all grown up."
She turned around. "Look who's talking. How many times did you tell me you'd never wear a monkey suit? Now look at you." She rubbed her hand over his head, messing up his perfectly-coifed hair. "Don't you look spiffy!"
"Spiffy?"
"Okay, you look like a hunk-and-a-half. Better?"
He grinned. "Much better. I take it you approve."
"What can I say? You clean up nice. Jaws will drop when you step into the gymnasium. Some girls may even throw their underwear at you."
"Wouldn't be the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last," he deadpanned. Seeing the expression of shock on his sister's face, he laughed. "It was a joke, Will. Do I look good enough to walk in with Buffy on my arm?"
Willow nodded her head. "Totally. You two will match."
"I hope so. She told me what color to wear. As soon as she told me to get a red cumberbund, my eyes practically popped out of my head," Liam admitted. "I can only imagine the dress she's wearing tonight."
"Just wait until you see her. It may happen again."
"I don't doubt it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to put more gel in my hair. Someone ruined my perfect hair," he complained.
She chuckled. "What a tragedy."
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever
The search is over
You were with me all the while
"Honey, if you don't stop fidgeting, I will be forced to hit you," threatened Mrs. Summers. She and Buffy were waiting in the living room for Liam to pick her up. She shuffled her feet nervously. "Sorry. I just can't help it. I'm so excited. And nervous. And scared out of my mind."
"What for? It's only the Prom."
"Which is exactly why I'm so scared. Prom is a big deal. And even more frightening is that it's Liam's prom and I don't want to make a fool out of myself. The last thing I want to do is make him regret asking me to go with him," she said. "Oh god. Do I look okay?"
Mrs. Summers knew she shouldn't laugh but couldn't stop herself. "You look lovely. And trust me when I say he won't regret it. The two of you have been a long time coming."
"What do you mean?"
"When you two were kids, I always knew you had a bit of a crush on Liam. And as you guys got older, I saw the way he looked at you. He felt the same way you did. I'd say he still does. It was just a matter of time until you both figured it out." She laughed again. "I remember the first time he tried to kiss you. You were four and he was six. Sweetie, you punched him in the stomach and he went home crying. He wouldn't come over here for a week."
She smiled at the memory. "I definitely didn't punch him this time around."
"This time?"
"He kissed me a couple weeks ago."
"Really?"
"Really. One of those sweet kisses every girl dreams about. I wish I knew what it meant to him, though."
Buffy's mother wished she was a teenager again. Life seemed so much simpler back then. "Try asking him. You may be surprised by what he tells you."
The sixteen-year-old was going to reply when the doorbell rang. Looking out the front window, she saw the limo parked in front of the house. "He's here."
"So answer the door," her mother suggested.
"Right." She ran to the door, stopped to catch her breath and then opened it. She nearly fainted when she found a tuxedo-clad Liam standing on the other side, holding a red corsage. "Hi, Liam." 'He looks so hot!'
He looked up. "Buf-Buffy?" He was taken aback by the beautiful girl standing before him in a long, red halter dress and short blonde hair. "Wow."
"You like?"
"You look…" Words escaped him at that moment. "Beautiful. Your hair…it's all gone. What happened?"
"I cut it off when Willow and I went to the salon today. I got sick of it long and decided it was time to do something different with it, so I chopped it and had it highlighted. What's the matter? Don't you like it?" she asked, suddenly scared that she made the wrong decision.
The shoulder-length bob certainly threw him for a loop. But he loved it. The cut made her look older and more mature. "I think it looks great on you. So does your dress. Let me tell you how I will be the envy of every guy there."
"Liam!" Mrs. Summers called from the living room. "Come in here so I can see you. Both of you. I have my camera, so I hope you're ready to have your pictures taken."
"Oh god," Buffy mumbled as they walked into the living room.
"Buffy, you look great!" Willow complimented as her best friend and half-brother exited the Summers' home. They had spent fifteen minutes inside with Mrs. Summers having their pictures taken.
The blonde blushed. "Thank you, so do you. Doesn't she look great, Oz?"
"She always does."
Willow pulled Buffy aside while her brother and boyfriend spoke among themselves. "So tell me, did my brother faint when he saw you in that dress? And with your new haircut?"
"No, but I almost did when I saw him waiting on my front porch. Oh my lord, Will, I'm just in total shock that this is actually happening. I mean, I'm going to the Prom. With Liam. This is, like, my best day ever."
The redhead laughed. "You know what's ironic about all of this? When he moved back to Sunnydale in November, you wanted nothing to do with him; you wouldn't even give him the time of day. What made you change your mind?"
She shrugged. "It's finally settled. I'm not angry at him anymore. I guess I was still hurt because of what he said to me before he left. But now…I don't know. It occurred to me he's the same boy I fell in love with when I was three, only he's more grown up. Then when he punched Parker, things changed. I realized he really does care. And when my mom got sick, Liam was there for me."
The man in question came over and smiled when he heard his name being mentioned. "My ears are ringing," he teased.
Willow turned around. "Are we going now?"
"Just waiting for you two," Oz informed them. He extended his arm to his girlfriend. "Shall we?"
"We shall."
"Buffy?" Liam questioned. "Are you ready to leave?"
She nodded her head. "Yep. Let's party."
The four of them walked over to the limo, where the driver patiently held the door open for them. As Buffy was climbing into the car, she looked up at her date. "In case I forget to tell you later, I had a terrific time tonight."
"So did I," he agreed.
"Wow," Oz commented when the two couples entered the gymnasium. "Check it out. Cool decorations."
Liam gazed around, giving the place the once-over. "Nice. Higher quality crepe paper than we had for the Junior Prom at Hemery."
"You went to the Junior Prom?" Buffy asked him. "You never mentioned it to me before."
"Yeah. I took Paige. We spent most of the night making fun of everything," he admitted. "It was fun, though."
"Oh. Is that what we'll be doing tonight?"
He shook his head. Even though he'd had fun at the Prom with Paige the year before, he was determined to make this one special. "No. Tonight will be different. I thought maybe we'd dance. And eat. And drink."
"And be merry," Willow added.
"Sounds good to me," the blonde said with a smile. She knew, no matter what happened, it would be a night she would never forget for as long as she lived.
Oz looked around, noticing that the gymnasium was getting crowded with Prom-goers. "Don't you think we should, um, grab a table before they're all taken?"
Willow agreed. "Good idea."
The four walked to the cluster of tables situated near the locker rooms. A good portion of them were already claimed by the time they made their way over. The girls placed their purses on one of the available tables and the boys draped their suit jackets over the backs of their chairs. While Willow and Oz sat down, Liam turned to Buffy.
"What do you want to do first?" he asked. He wanted to make their first date as perfect as humanly possible for her.
"I wouldn't mind dancing," she told him. "Unless you want to do something else first."
He shook his head. "Dancing is definitely something I want to do."
After informing Willow and Oz of their plans, the two of them headed for the dance floor. They chose a sparsely-populated corner to avoid being bumped into by the other couples. It was a good ten minutes before a slow song came on. Liam had been waiting not-so-patiently for the deejay to play a ballad so he could hold Buffy in his arms.
I'll always remember it was late afternoon
It lasted forever and ended so soon
You were all by yourself
Staring up
at a dark gray sky
I was changed
Buffy let Liam take her in his arms as the song began. His touch was gentle, his fingers barely a breeze against the bare skin of her back. She rested her cheek against the crook of his shoulder and sighed. Being right there was the closest to heaven she'd ever been.
In places no one will find
All your feelings
so deep inside
(deep inside)
Was there that I realized that forever was
in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
Liam had never been so nervous dancing with a girl like he was at that very moment. He'd been fairly popular in high school in Los Angeles and went out on plenty of dates, danced with tons of girls, but he'd never felt for them what he felt for Buffy. He was holding the girl he'd been in love with for most of his life, and he never wanted to let her go.
It was late in September and I'd seen
you before
You were always the cool one but I was never that sure
You
were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark gray sky
I was changed
"Check out the lovebirds over there," Oz pointed out, nodding in Buffy and Liam's direction. "You'd think they were the only two people in the room."
"That's probably exactly what they think." Willow laughed. "It's going to take a crowbar to pry those two apart when the song ends."
Oz shook his head in amazement. "How long is it going to take them to figure it out?"
"They're both stubborn and extremely pig-headed. But it will happen eventually. I think they're finally realizing it."
In places
no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
(deep inside)
Was
there that I realized that forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
"Thank you," Buffy whispered. She wanted to thank whatever higher power was watching over her for giving her this experience.
"For what?" he asked her.
She opened her eyes in shock. When she spoke, she hadn't meant for Liam to hear her. "For bringing me tonight. Being here – right here – is all I've ever wanted."
"It is?"
"Yes. I just never expected it to happen. That's what makes this night so perfect," she said quietly. Then the realization of what she admitted hit her. She'd all but told him how she felt. Again. "Okay, let's ignore Buffy's little outburst."
"Why? It wasn't the truth?"
She frowned. "It was, but–"
Liam lifted her head from his shoulder and stared into her big green eyes. She looked so frightened and he wanted to take that look away. "Then I can't – and won't – ignore it. Because it's true for me, too."
I wanted to hold you
I wanted to make it go away
I wanted to know you
I wanted to make your everything all right
"What do you mean?" Buffy wanted to know.
"Just what I said. But I don't want to get into that right now," he began. "This isn't the time or the place. All I want to do is dance with you. And when the Prom is over, we'll finish this conversation."
Buffy nodded her head in agreement. "Okay."
"There's one thing I want to do first. And I can't wait another four more hours to do it."
I'll always remember
It was late afternoon
In places
no one will find
All your feelings so deep inside
Forever was in your
eyes
Was there that I realized that forever was in your eyes
The moment
I saw you cry
By the look in his eyes, Buffy knew what he wanted to do. She had to agree, she couldn't wait four hours to kiss him either. It was all she'd wanted to do from the moment their first kiss ended three weeks ago. But she hadn't wanted to scare him away by pushing for another one, so she decided to let him make the next move.
His right hand moved upwards from her back to her neck before tangling it in her newly-cut blonde tresses. Buffy sighed when she felt his fingertips massage her scalp and brought her lips closer to his. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, their lips were only millimeters from touching.
"Nice to see you wasted no time in taking what you wanted."
The two looked up and saw Riley and Cordelia standing a foot away from them, their arms crossed and angry expressions on their faces. "Riley," Buffy stated. "What are you doing?"
"From what I can see, interrupting you two," Cordelia gleefully informed them. "And look at the good job we did."
"Yeah. High marks. Now go away," Buffy said.
"From what it looks like, you two were about to kiss. Let me give you some free advice, Buffy," the brunette started. "His kisses are highly overrated."
Liam glared at his ex-girlfriend. "I don't recall you complaining at the time."
"I wasn't until I found better."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Well, congratulations. I hope the two of you are very happy together."
"I find it funny," Liam said, trying to suppress a laugh. However, he was unsuccessful at doing so. "Buffy and I dumped you both and you're still bitter. Yet you found one another. I hope you're both very happily miserable together." Taking Buffy's hand, he led her away from their exes. Liam was not going to let them ruin another possibly-romantic moment between them.